Obama "grows up" on Iraq

New York Daily News columnist, Iraq invasion and occupation enthusiast and John McSame groupie (ex-W groupie) Michael Goodwin, in his comments on the Senate Petraeus/Crocker hearings, chose to disrespect Barack Obama. By saying that "everybody wants a 'successful resolution' [in Iraq] and that nobody wants a 'precipitous withdrawal' of our troops. He also seemed to be seeking a way of defining limited victory rather than sticking with his vow of a rapid retreat," Obama was displaying "a grownup moment for him,...that reflects the stubborn reality of Iraq." In other words, for Goodwin, if you agree with him you are a grownup, if not I guess an immature, perhaps obstreperous child. Of course, neither witness answered the question Obama, as well as Clinton and many others, actually asked.

OBAMA: And so my final -- and I'll even pose this as a question and I won't -- you don't necessarily have to answer it -- maybe it's a rhetorical question -- if we were able to have the status quo in Iraq right now without U.S. troops, would that be a sufficient definition of success?

It's obviously not perfect. There's still violence, there's still some traces of Al Qaida, Iran has influence more than we would like. But if we had the current status quo, and yet our troops had been drawn down to 30,000, would we consider that a success? Would that meet our criteria, or would that not be good enough and we'd have to devote even more resources to it?

CROCKER: Senator, I can't imagine the current status quo being sustainable with that kind of precipitous drawdown.

BIDEN: That wasn't the question.

OBAMA: No, no, that wasn't the question. I'm not suggesting that we yank all our troops out all the way. I'm trying to get to an endpoint. That's what all of us have been trying to get to.

And, see, the problem I have is if the definition of success is so high, no traces of Al Qaida and no possibility of reconstitution, a highly-effective Iraqi government, a Democratic multiethnic, multi- sectarian functioning democracy, no Iranian influence, at least not of the kind that we don't like, then that portends the possibility of us staying for 20 or 30 years.

If, on the other hand, our criteria is a messy, sloppy status quo but there's not, you know, huge outbreaks of violence, there's still corruption, but the country is struggling along, but it's not a threat to its neighbors and it's not an Al Qaida base, that seems to me an achievable goal within a measurable timeframe, and that, I think, is what everybody here on this committee has been trying to drive at, and we haven't been able to get as clear of an answer as we would like.

CROCKER: And that's because, Senator, is a -- I mean, I don't like to sound like a broken record, but this is hard and this is complicated.

I think that when Iraq gets to the point that it can carry forward its further development without a major commitment of U.S. forces, with still a lot of problems out there but where they and we would have a fair certitude that, again, they can drive it forward themselves without significant danger of having the whole thing slip away from them again, then, clearly, our profile, our presence diminishes markedly.

But that's not where we are now.

OBAMA: Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Chairman.

Petraeus and Crocker didn't answer the question (What would constitute conditions that would allow us to withdraw our troops? What would "victory" actually look like?) no matter who asked it. That's because they now have us in a classic Catch 22. When conditions are bad, we can't leave. When conditions improve we can't leave because they are "reversible." If they answer the question they won't any longer be able to dance this two step on Iraq. They won't be able to sell Congress this Iraq snake oil.

Bob Dylan wins music Pulitzer

Yesterday Bob Dylan was awarded a Special Pulitzer Citation In Music "for his profound impact on popular music and American culture."

Prize administrator Sid Gissler added that it also recognises Mr Dylan's "lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power."

No More Tax Dollars for Bush's Iraq Occupation

Congress will soon consider President Bush's latest request for "emergency" funding to continue to pay for the occupation of Iraq. Representative John Murtha, chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, will head up the committee that writes the legislation for this funding request.

After five years and more than five hundred billion dollars sunk into this occupation, our elected officials should stand up and say "no more."

Please sign the petition below, urging Rep. Murtha to appropriate funds only for a responsible and timely redeployment of our troops out of Iraq.

Former Congressman Tom Andrews and members of the Win Without War coalition will deliver your signatures to Congressman Murtha in person before the supplemental appropriations bill is written.

March Madness: and then there was one

Kansas wins national championship; defeats Memphis 75-68.

I didn't expect much of a game. But with Mario Chalmer's three point shot to tie the game in regulation, you couldn't have asked for a more exciting game. Both teams deserve a great deal of credit. You don't get that close to a national title without doing something right. Kansas just did the one more thing right. Congratulations.

For the record: This was the first the championship was won in overtime. It was also the first time all the #1 teams made the Final Four

The Ridenhour Courage Prizes awarded

Bill Moyers, The 2008
recipient of the Ridenhour
Courage Prize

The 5th Annual Ridenhour Prizes, sponsored by The Nation Institute and the Fertel Foundation, were awarded at a luncheon ceremony on April 3, 2008 at the Press Club in Washington, D.C.

The winners were veteran journalist Bill Moyers (Courage Prize), author James D. Scurlock (Book Prize) and former Navy JAG officer Matthew Diaz (Prize for Truth-Telling).

The prize is named for the Vietnam-era whistleblower Ron Ridenhour who exposed the truth of the My Lai massacre, the Ridenhour Prizes recognize those who have spoken out on behalf of the public interest, promoted social justice or illuminated a more just vision of society.

In accepting the award Moyers said:

Temptation to co-option is the original sin of journalism, and we're always finding fig leaves to cover it: economics, ideology, awe of authority, secrecy, the claims of empire. In the buildup to the invasion of Iraq we were reminded of what the late great reporter A.J. Liebling meant when he said the press is "the weak slat under the bed of democracy." The slat broke after the invasion and some strange bedfellows fell to the floor: establishment journalists, neo-con polemicists, beltway pundits, right-wing warmongers flying the skull and bones of the "balanced and fair brigade," administration flacks whose classified leaks were manufactured lies - all romping on the same mattress in the foreplay to disaster.

Five years, thousands of casualties, and hundreds of billion dollars later, most of the media co-conspirators caught in flagrante delicto are still prominent, still celebrated, and still holding forth with no more contrition than a weathercaster who made a wrong prediction as to the next day's temperature. The biblical injunction, "Go and sin no more," is the one we most frequently forget in the press. Collectively, we don't seem to learn that all it takes to transform an ordinary politician and a braying ass into the modern incarnation of Zeus and the oracle of Delphi is an oath on the Bible, a flag in the lapel, and the invocation of national security.

For more complete information about The Ridenhour Prizes, as well as past and current winners, please visit

March Madness: The Final Four

Well we"re down to two:

Memphis beat UCLA 78-63

Kansas upset North Carolina 84-66

Are you paying attention Donnie Walsh?

Memphis faces off against Kansas Monday 9PM on CBS for the championship

The real John McSame behind the corporate media image

If you have any idea that if your Democratic candidate doesn't get the nomination, McSame might be a possible choice (or even if you're not that stupid), please read the following from MoveOn.org. And then send it to your wavering Friends.



Dear MoveOn member,
For all the coverage this week of Senator John McCain's background, there are some important things you won't learn about him from the TV networks. His carefully crafted positive image relies on people not knowing this stuff—and you might be surprised by some of it.

Please check out the list below, and then forward it to your friends, family, and coworkers. We can't rely on the media to tell folks about the real John McCain—but if we all pass this along, we can reach as many people as CNN Headline News does on a good night.

Click here to tell us how many people you can pass it on to—and to see our progress nationally:

http://pol.moveon.org/mccain10/?id=12407-169500-yTSnMh&t=231

10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):

1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1

2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2

3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.3

4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."4


5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.5


6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.6

7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."7


8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.8

9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."9


10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year.10

John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be. Please help get the word out—forward this email to your personal network. And if you want us to keep you posted on MoveOn's work to get the truth out about John McCain, sign up here:
http://pol.moveon.org/mccaintruth/?id=12407-169500-yTSnMh&t=232


Thank you for all you do.

–Eli, Justin, Noah, Laura, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Saturday, April 5th, 2008

Sources:
1. "The Complicated History of John McCain and MLK Day," ABC News, April 3, 2008
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/04/the-complicated.html
"McCain Facts," ColorOfChange.org, April 4, 2008
http://colorofchange.org/mccain_facts/

2. "McCain More Hawkish Than Bush on Russia, China, Iraq," Bloomberg News, March 12, 2008
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aF28rSCtk0ZM&refer=us

"Buchanan: John McCain 'Will Make Cheney Look Like Gandhi,'" ThinkProgress, February 6, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/06/buchanan-gandhi-mccain/

3. "McCain Sides With Bush On Torture Again, Supports Veto Of Anti-Waterboarding Bill," ThinkProgress, February 20, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/20/mccain-torture-veto/

4. "McCain says Roe v. Wade should be overturned," MSNBC, February 18, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17222147/

5. "2007 Children's Defense Fund Action Council® Nonpartisan Congressional Scorecard," February 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?pagename=act_learn_scorecard2007

"McCain: Bush right to veto kids health insurance expansion," CNN, October 3, 2007 http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/10/03/mccain.interview/

6. "Beer Executive Could Be Next First Lady," Associated Press, April 3, 2008
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-S1sWHm0tchtdMP5LcLywg5ZtMgD8VQ86M80

"McCain Says Bank Bailout Should End `Systemic Risk,'" Bloomberg News, March 25, 2008http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aHMiDVYaXZFM&refer=home

7. "Will McCain's Temper Be a Liability?," Associated Press, February 16, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=4301022

"Famed McCain temper is tamed," Boston Globe, January 27, 2008
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/01/27/famed_mccain_temper_is_tamed/

8. "Black Claims McCain's Campaign Is Above Lobbyist Influence: 'I Don't Know What The Criticism Is,'" ThinkProgress, April 2, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/04/02/mccain-black-lobbyist/


"McCain's Lobbyist Friends Rally 'Round Their Man," ABC News, January 29, 2008
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4210251

9. "McCain's Spiritual Guide: Destroy Islam," Mother Jones Magazine, March 12, 2008
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/03/john-mccain-rod-parsley-spiritual-guide.html

"Will McCain Specifically 'Repudiate' Hagee's Anti-Gay Comments?," ThinkProgress, March 12, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/12/mccain-hagee-anti-gay/

"McCain 'Very Honored' By Support Of Pastor Preaching 'End-Time Confrontation With Iran,'" ThinkProgress, February 28, 2008
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/02/28/hagee-mccain-endorsement/

10. "John McCain Gets a Zero Rating for His Environmental Record," Sierra Club, February 28, 2008
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/77913/

PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Martin we hardly knew ye

While watching the coverage from Memphis today on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King I saw something I could hardly believe. There was John McCain standing outside the Lorraine Motel paying tribute to King's memory. How hypocritical can one get? Clearly McSame stands for everything Martin fought for and, perhaps, died for. Here are just a few of the ideas that animated the last years of his life. Much of this is a foreign language to McSame and the party he represents.




"I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos,” said King in 1967, “without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today – my own government."

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death.”

King's economic bill of rights called for massive government jobs programs to rebuild America's cities. He saw a crying need to confront a Congress that had demonstrated its "hostility to the poor" — appropriating "military funds with alacrity and generosity," but providing "poverty funds with miserliness."

For more on the Martin Luther King we rarely hear or read about see Stephen Bezruchka and Cohen and Soloman

Where have you gone, Al Gore, a nation turns its lonely eyes to you, woo, woo, woo

When asked at Pennsylvania town hall if he would nominate Al Gore for his Cabinet, Barak Obama said:

I would. Not only will I, but I will make a commitment that Al Gore will be at the table and play a central part in us figuring out how we solve this problem. He's somebody I talk to on a regular basis. I'm already consulting with him in terms of these issues, but climate change is real. It is something we have to deal with now, not 10 years from now, not 20 years from now.

After watching Gore on 60 Minutes last Sunday I concluded that he can accomplish much more by remaining outside the government from where he can continue to pressure those in power, both here and around the world. Joining any administration would almost by definition constrain Gore to act within the limits set by the president.

But the important part of Obama's comments is that they indicate a willingness to take global warming seriously. It also seems to me the first time any of the candidates for president has addressed this fundamental issue.

I know it's tempting for any politician, and Gore is a politician, to have power rather than just influence those ikn power, sometimes with an issue as fundamental as this one power is a constraint rather than lever.

(For more see Treehugger, come on now sugar)

Mukasey lets the 9/11 cat out of the bag

In an attempt to defend giving immunity to telecom companies Attorney General Michael Mukasey said:

We knew that there had been a call from someplace that was known to be a safe house in Afghanistan and we knew that it came to the United States. We didn’t know precisely where it went. We’ve got 3,000 people who went to work that day, and didn’t come home, to show for that.

Either the attorney General is lying (remember he's now part of the Bush mafia) or he's revealing administration incompetence of such a magnitude it would be inconceivable but it is, after all, the Bushies at work.

The Clinton lies keep coming

The lies from Se. Clinton seem to keep coming.

In Phila. today, before comparing herself to Rocky she said: "Sen. Obama says he's getting tired of the campaign." Then she compared herself to Rocky claiming she too wouldn't quit.

But here's what Obama actually said Saturday about her staying in the race:

My attitude is that Senator Clinton can run as long as she wants. Her name is on the ballot. She is a fierce and formidable opponent and she obviously believes she would make the best nominee and the best president.

After nearly eight years of the Bush-Cheney lies factory, it's time for some truth from lour leaders.

April 1: Robert Parry discussion of Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush

Award-winning investigative journalist Robert Parry will discuss his latest book, Neck Deep: The Disastrous Presidency of George W. Bush , which he co-authored with two of his sons, Sam and Nat.

On April 1, 7 p.m.
(as part of Mark Crispin Miller's
"First Tuesdays Series,")

At McNally Robinson Booksellers,
52 Prince Street,
(between Lafayette and Mulberry).

Parry's presentation will offer an overview of how the weakening of key political institutions in the U. S. (especially the press) over the past three decades contributed to the fix we now finds ourselves in.

Parry will sign copies of Neck Deep,

For more details on the event, contact the book store at 212-274-1180
or go to its Web site

Let the primaries go on

The cries of some Democrats and almost all the pundits that Sen. Clinton is weakening (some say destroying) the Party is nonsense. It keeps the corporate media attention on the Obama-Clinton race. As long as McSame keeps saying dumb things about Iraq and the economy the Democrats will prevail.

What's going to determine the effect on the Party will be what Clinton does when Obama gets the nomination. Assuming they don't run together, and it's clear that its her choice, she will have to strongly support him and campaign for him. If she gives him a luke-warm endorsement and then goes on vacation for a couple of months out of pique the Democrats and the country are in trouble.

If the Clintons treat the party as their private preserve and sit this one out and wait for 2012, then the damage will follow.

March Madness and the Knicks' future

By Andrew:

Even if Texas loses, which at half time looks probable, a silver lining for New York Texans is that they may looking at the player who can help begin the massive turnaround that Knicks fans are ready for. His name is Derrick Rose and is sure to be a top pick in this year's draft. The New York Knicks, because of their "performance" this season will hold one of those picks. Besides Rose, who is the cream of the point guard crop this year, are names like Jerryd Bayless and OJ Mayo. The player who might help the Knicks as much as Rose is playing on the other side of the court in this game. Texas point guard, DJ Augustin. In other words, the Knicks need a point guard and these players all seem like a good start. A starting five of Center Zach Randolph, Power Forward David Lee, Small Forward Wilson Chandler/Ronaldo Balkman, Shooting Guard Jamal Crawford/Nate Robinson, and Point Guard Derrick Rose/DJ Augustin would, without much effort from what looks like Donnie Walsh, bring the Knicks some semblance of respectability and maybe a well deserved sigh of relief.

Update from Dan: Both Texas and Davidson had to play nearly perfect games to make it into the Final Four; Davidson, even though they lost to bigger and stronger Kansas, 59-57, did. Texas, in losing to Memphis, 85-67, didn't.

So the Final Four are set: April 5 will be North Carolina against Kansas and Memphis versus UCLA in San Antonio. With the final April 7. I think it's going to be a boring Final Four.

March Madness: Week two, day three

Tyler Hansborough
UCLA beat Xavier (76-57) to become the first of the Final Four. UCLA is in the Final Four for the 18th time.

Well both #1s are in the Final Four. North Carolina defeated Louisville 83-73. Tyler Hansborough proved how good he really is tonight.

So far I haven't really commented on these games, but I think Louisville played one of the sloppiest games I've seen at this level. I think without all the travelling calls and several bad shot choices they could very well have knocked North Carolina out. But it was not meant to be.

Besides which its tomorrow's games that really matter, particularly Texas.

March Madness - elite eight

So the elite eight is set. After the weekend, we'll have the final four.

The big news tonight is little #10 Davidson upset #3 Wisconsin and is still in the running. Sunday, Davidson will go up against #1 Kansas.

#2 Texas beat #3 Stanford and will play #1 Memphis Sunday.

Tomorrow last night's winners #1 North Carolina will go up against #3 Louisville and #3 Xavier will face #1 UCLA.

Go Texas and Davidson!

Monday begins the season of dissension in our house: Ann (and Andrew) are ardent Mets fans and I have been a Yankee fan forever. (That is except for a brief period when I was pissed of at Steinbrenner.)

March Madness: week two, day one

No surprises

#1 North Carolina beat #4 Washington State; #3 Louisville upset (?) #2 Tennessee in OT, #1 UCLA defeated one of last week's Cinderellas #12 Western Kentucky; and #3 Xavier got by West Virginia in OT.

Four more games tomorrow. Go Texas!

The old Bush bait and switch on Iraq

Plumes of smoke rise from the U.S. embassy compound in Baghdad's Green Zone March 27, 2008. A giant column of black smoke was visible near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad's Green Zone on Thursday after an apparent mortar strike, a Reuters reporter said, but the embassy said there were no serious injuries. (Randy Fabi/Reuters)


The latest news from Iraq (ABC News)

In an attempt to quell the fighting between Shiite militiamen and security forces, authorities in Baghdad have imposed a weekend curfew on the capital.

An official with the command says no unauthorized vehicles, motorcycles or pedestrian traffic will be allowed on the streets from 11 p.m. Thursday to 5 a.m. Sunday, the Associated Press reports.

The curfew was imposed after clashes in the south have become fierce and after 3 days of mortar and rocket attacks targeted the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad. One American government worker was killed in one of those attacks today, according to the U.S. Embassy

The White House and all its allies have been unusually quiet, only White House press Spokesperson Dana Perino was left to defend the surge:

This is an Iraqi led and Iraqi initiated operation. And this is what we’ve been wanting to see the Iraqis do is take on more responsibility. …

The surge created new opportunities and in fact created many more Iraqi Security Forces. …
So I would characterize it as a bold decision — precisely what the critics have asked to see in Iraq, more movement by the Iraqi Security Forces.

But we know she doesn't write these jokes herself. She's basically handed a script. But this is over the top even for the Bush White House.

I'll leave the final words to Pagtrick Cockburn on Thursday's DemocracyNow: Well, the Iraqi government has decided and has surprised everybody by deciding to send its troops into Basra. Ostensibly, they’re saying it’s to clean up criminal elements in Basra; in reality, it seems an attack on the Mahdi Army, and it’s in alliance with militias that are friendly to the Iraqi government. The Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s demand that the fighters of the Mahdi Army give up their weapons in seventy-two hours, I think it’s extremely unlikely that this will happen. Saddam couldn’t disarm Iraq. It’s not likely that Maliki will succeed in doing so.

Emergency Actions to Protest Denial of Mumia Abu-Jamal's Appeal

MUMIA'S CURRENT LEGAL STATUS NOW LEAVES HIM WITH EITHER AN EXECUTION OR LIFE IN PRISON WITHOUT PAROLE!
Federal Court has ruled to uphold Mumia's conviction while granting a re-sentencing hearing.
Though Mumia's attorneys are appealing, Mumia is currently bound to either an execution or permanant life in prison.




MASS PROTEST IN NYC
FRIDAY MARCH 28, 5PM
ADAM CLAYTON POWELL STATE OFFICE BUILDING
(125th STREET AND ADAM CLAYTON POWELL JR BLVD)

A strategic meeting will follow the protest, at 7:15
at St. Mary's Church on 126th Street (Between Amsterdam and Old Broadway)
Press release can be viewed here

MASS PROTEST IN PHILADELPHIA ON APRIL 26
(more info coming)

Press conference in Philly
March 31, 11AM
Federal Building at 6th and Market
contact: ICFFMAJ@aol.com

Press conference in San Francisco
March 28, 5PM
Federal Court House
7th and Mission
contact: 510-268-9429 or 510-387-7714

On a "military solution" in Iraq

In response to my post on today's candlelight vigil to mark the 4,000 U.S. military death in Iraq, chuck said:

There does appear to be a military solution. The Iraqis are finding that tolerating terrorists will not bring them peace.

Thanks for taking the time to post your comment.
But I would continue to argue that there is no military solution in Iraq. As an occupying power we are facing an insurgency that has every right to want us out of their country.
It's not even clear - because no one who talks about it ever it makes clear - what a "military solution" would look like.
Only the Iraqis can solve their own problems. Whatever that solution will look like. By continuing to occupy their country we are only delaying an end to the problems that our invasion exacerbated in the first place.
Just as our "leaders" lied to get us into Iraq, so they continue to lie to justify our staying there for a long time. Now, of course, people like Bush, Cheney and McSame have 4,000 GI deaths to guilt trip us into supporting their failed strategy.
We should not have invaded in the first place and should not be there now.

March 25: Candlelight Vigil to mark 4,000 U.S. military deaths in Iraq

From NYC United for Peace and Justice:

Candlelight Vigil to Mark the 4000th Death of a U.S. Soldier

A candlelight vigil to mark the death of the 4000th US military personnel killed in Iraq, to mourn the lives lost and call attention to the human cost of the Iraq War

Tuesday, March 25, 6:30 p.m.

South Plaza, Union Square

Sponsored by American Friends Service Committee, NYC United for Peace and Justice, Military Families Speak Out

For further information contact: Iris Bieri, American Friends Service Committee, 937-266-1574
Leslie Kielson, Coordinator, UFPJ-NYC, 917-613-4657


On Saturday, thousands lined 14th Street in River to River: Join Hands for Peace and then gathered on Park Avenue to commemorate the 5th anniversary and all the casualties of the Iraq War. We will return again tomorrow, since another tragic milestone has been reached: the death of the 4000th U.S. soldier. Memorials will be held throughout the country to commemorate both the military and civilian dead in Iraq. NYC United for Peace and Justice and the American Friends Service Committee's New York Metropolitan Office will host a vigil in the South Plaza of Union Square at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow evening.

For more information on other national vigils visit

We recognize that there is no military solution to the Iraq War. Therefore, we say "Not One More Death, Not One More Dollar" can be lost in sustaining war and occupation. A clear majority in the U.S. and Iraq want troops to come home.

The Iraq War has lasted longer than the U.S. involvement in World War II, and 4,000 deaths exceeds the number of U.S. military personnel killed in the first four years of Vietnam. By best medical estimates, more than 650,000 Iraqis have died since the U.S. invasion, but other sources put the death toll at over a million. The U.S. spends more than $720 million a day on this war -- more than $501 billion total to date, with no end in sight.

AFSC New York Metropolitan Regional Director Elizabeth Enloe stated,

Continued U.S. military presence in Iraq promises only further U.S. and Iraqi deaths and injuries, more widows and orphans, and more seeds for future hostilities. Congressional funding must be used to support Iraqi-led reconciliation and reconstruction efforts and to care for and honor the veterans who are returning from this war.

March Madness: Day Four

Well, the first long basketball weekend is over. And we're down from the original 64 teams to the "sweet sixteen." The two biggest losers were #2 Duke which lasted into the second round this year (unlike last year when they went out in the first round) before losing to #7 West Virginia and #2 Georgetown which was upset by #10 Davidson

Of the other upsetmakers, only #12 Villanova and #12 Western Kentucky survive. Otherwise all the other top seeds are still alive (#1s: North Carolina, Memphis, Kansas and UCLA and the remaining #2s: Tennessee and Texas). I continue to root for Ann's alma mater, Texas.

Well, that's it for basketball till Thursday when it all starts up again. Meanwhile there's lots of stuff to talk about.

March Madness: Day 3

Everything went as expected except for one major upset.

What little Belmont couldn't do Thursday, #7 West Virginia did today: knocked off #2 Duke, 73-67. All the other favorites are intact. Tomorrow (Sun.) is another day.

N.J. Attorney General attacks juicy college gossip site

The brouhaha over JuicyCampus.com, a college gossip website, raises some interesting questions. The first thing to know about the site is that all posts - discussing the sexual orientation and proclivities and other personal information about people on various campuses - are anonymous. Of course, I'd want to remain anonymous with posts like this one: "OK, lets here [sic] he [sic] votes for worst professor...."

The New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram is attacking this website indirectly rather than head on. According to Milgrim JuicyCampus may be violating the state's Consumer Fraud Act by suggesting it doesn't allow offensive material but providing no enforcement of that rule - and no way for users to report or dispute the material. I suspect that she is using this method of attack to avoid defense claims of "freedom of expression" and "freedom of the press." But it seems to me that cowards who use anonymous posts to demean other people are not covered by these freedoms. We have laws against defamation and libel. But these laws can't be enforced if you don't know who defamed or libeled you. (It's true that legitimate journalists use anonymous sources, but the writer's by-line is there for all to see and sue.) So, it would seem to me that a direct legal attack against the website owner, Lime Blue of Reno, Nev., would be much more effective.

But I think there is a more important aspect to all this fuss. The only reason that Juicy and other seemingly salacious websites work is because of our uptight attitudes toward sex. Anyone living in New York these past few weeks has seen the effects of these views. Governors being attacked not for what they do politically but for who they have sex with. With the immature way the media covered these stories there will be more and more Juicys cropping up. If there is a buck to be made, someone will take advantage of the situation.

Although most of the posts on Juicy are relatively innocuous, a few, it seems to me, could easily be defined as defamatory or libelous. For example: "Skankiest Alums: I vote (Name withheld-Dan)--that slut pulled more trains than the little engine that could! 03-22-2008/Wake Forest U." Or "(name withheld-Dan)
Biggest slut at NYU??? She fucked my friend and then blew me a month later...No class at all. 03-21-2008 New York University."

I'm not sure why anyone would read this garbage, but If you want to hurt someone, at least have the courage to own your action.

March Madness/Day 2: College basketball

Today (Fri.) was much more interesting than yesterday. Four outright upsets, all in Tampa, and one more in Raleigh. In Raleigh, #10 Davidson downed #7 Gonzaga, 87-75. In Tampa, for the first time in the history of the tournament, there were four upsets at one site: #13 Siena (83) over #4 Vanderbilt (62), #13 San Diego (70) eliminated #4 UConn (69) in OT, #12 Western Kentucky (101) snuck by #5 Drake (99) in a buzzer-beater and, in the day's last game, #12 Villanova (75) came back to beat #5 Clemson (69). Everything else went pretty much as expected.

So on to the round of 32. Which starts tomorrow (Sat). Go Texas (Ann's Alma Mater).

MoveOn election coverage petition

MoveOn is delivering the following PETITION TO NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, CNN, AND OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS:

FOX is a Republican mouthpiece, not a legitimate news organization. Real news organizations must reject FOX's smears of Barack Obama, not parrot them and distract Americans from the pressing issues of the day.

This week, Barack Obama gave one of the most honest and inspiring speeches on race in American history after weathering days of the media's relentless, divisive, and racially charged attacks. But have you wondered where these attacks came from and why they dominated the news?


Reporters like NBC's Tim Russert focused on the "Reverend Wright controversy" only after FOX and other right-wing media did. It happens over and over: FOX airs a right-wing smear and the mass media repeat it. Film director Robert Greenwald just released a short video called FOX Attacks Obama: Part 2 which shows how it happens.


We are launching a petition demanding the big networks stop parroting FOX and distracting Americans from real issues. We'll hand-deliver your signatures to major media outlets next week. Watch the video, and sign the petition.

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March 22: 5 Years Too Many! River to River: Join Hands for Peace

5 YEARS TOO MANY!
A week of action culminating with
RIVER TO RIVER:
JOIN HANDS FOR PEACE
Saturday, March 22
14th Street from Avenue A to 11th Avenue

Noon - Hands Across 14th St.
1:15 - Dual Processions from Ave A and 11th Ave.
2:00 - Park Ave. between 15th and 17th Streets. Commemoration:
Tolling of the Bell,
5 minutes of Silence, Taps

(Take any subway to 14th St. and you will be directed from there.)

March Madness - college basketball

Well March Madness is upon us (and I don't mean Cheney and McSame in the Middle East). I'm talking about college basketball.
Today everything went pretty much as expected. The only upset was #11 Kansas State upending #6 USC. But the real moment of the tournament so far was #2 Duke needing a buzzer-beater to escape with its life against tiny #15 Belmont, 71-70. To put this in perspective only four times in NCAA tournament history has #15 defeated #2.

Bush's Iraq fantasy

This morning while thousands of Americans were protesting the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq the president of the United States spoke the following words:

Five years ago tonight, I promised the American people that in the struggle ahead "we will accept no outcome but victory." Today, standing before men and women [at the Pentagon] who helped liberate a nation, I reaffirm the commitment. The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary, and it is just. And with your courage, the battle in Iraq will end in victory. God bless.

He was wrong in 2003 on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln (see photo above) and he's still wrong.

But perhaps the most frightening aspect of this is that I think he believes these words despite all the evidence to the contrary. It seems as if the neo-con demons (who are neither neo, nor con, but old-fashioned warmongers) have taken control of his mind and he sees the world only through their eyes.

Unfortunately John McSame, who is the putative Republican candidate for president, clearly believes the same mythology.

It seems hard to imagine that a sane person could actually claim that the invasion of a sovereign nation that had done nothing to us is "noble," "necessary" or "just."

As usual, Pete seeger best sums up the situation in Iraq five years in:

Waist deep! Neck deep!
Soon even a Tall man'll be over his head, we're
Waist deep in the Big Muddy!
[We're actually already over our heads]
And the big fool says to push on!

It seems time for both the "big fool" and his latest disciple the "little fool" John McCain to regain their sanity and realize to "push on" means only more death and destruction in Iraq. Although for them it may be too late. They have simply too much invested in this fiasco.

Obama's speech

Yesterday (Tues.) Obama gave an extra- ordinary speech on race and how it impacts the thinking of both the white and Black community particularly people of a certain generation. And how he would like to get beyond the divisiveness without forgetting the history that brought us here.

It may be the most politically significant speech on race in 45 years. You should hear it and decide for yourself. Perhaps its most significant aspect is that it is an honest statement by a national politician. And that makes it virtually unique.

Obama speech on race

What dimension do Cheney and McCain live in?

Quotes of the Day: (Quotes from today's Democracy Now)

Dick Cheney: “So if you reflect back on those five years [of U.S. occupation of Iraq], I think it’s been a difficult, challenging, but nonetheless successful endeavor and that we’ve come a long way in five years and that it’s been well worth the effort… I’m pleased to be able to return next week to Washington and report to the President that we are making significant progress in Iraq.”

Republican presidential candidate John McCain shared a similar analysis based on his trip to Iraq.

Sen. John McCain: “We find a continued success of the strategy, continued training and equipping of the Iraqi military and them functioning more efficiently.”

And now some truth:

[According to] Amnesty [International]: Human Rights Situation in Iraq is “Disastrous” Amnesty International says the current human rights situation in Iraq is “disastrous.” In a new report, Amnesty said, “Hundreds of people are being killed every month in the pervasive violence, while countless lives are threatened every day by poverty, cuts to power and water supplies, food and medical shortages, and rising violence against women and girls.” The International Committee of the Red Cross warned Monday the humanitarian situation in Iraq remains among the most critical in the world. 27 million Iraqis have no functioning water or sanitation facilities. The Red Cross says Iraq’s healthcare system is now in its worst shape ever.

This week: Protest Iraq occupation: 5 Years Too Many

Wed. March 19, 6 pm:
Brooklyn Says No to War!
Gather at Grand Army Plaza

(Gather at junction of Union St and Plaza Street West, at foot of statue, across from Farmers Market)

Press conference starts 5:30 pm
March leaves GAP at 6:20 pm, along Flatbush Avenue
to Military Recruiting Station at 41 Flatbush Ave (at Livingston), downtown Brooklyn

Vigil and speakers at Military Recruiting Station, 7-8 pm

Sponsored by Brooklyn For Peace


Sat. March 22, 12 noon to 2 pm
River-to-River Human Chain
Across 14th Street, Manhattan

Join Brooklyn For Peace
10th Ave and 14th Street, 12 noon
Sponsored by NYC United for Peace and Justice
Endorsed by Brooklyn For Peace
For more information, e-mail iraq@brooklynpeace.org, or call 718-624-5921

Also this week:

Tues. March 18, 4 - 7:30 pm
Speak Out! Peace in Iraq, Justice at Home
Speakers: Naomi Klein; Laura Flanders, Jose Vasquez (Iraq Veterans Against the War); Donna Lieberman (NY Civil Liberties Union); and others
Film footage from Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings
Exhibits: Eyes Wide Open and Cost of War (by American Friends Service Committee)
Location: Powerhouse Arena, 37 Main Street, DUMBO, Brooklyn

Click here for schedule and details
(Train: F to York St; A/C to High St.; 2/3 to Clark St; 4/5 to Borough Hall
Click here for walking directions from train stations)

Admission Free!

Sponsored by: NYC Military Families Speak Out, Iraq Veterans Against the War,
American Friends Service Committee, Brooklyn For Peace and others

Wed. March 19, 12 noon:
Protest at Bklyn office of Cong Rep Vito Fossella
Fossella continues to vote unconditional funding to support the Iraq war
8505 4th Avenue, corner 85th St, Bay Ridge

Sponsored by Bay Ridge Peace Action; endorsed by Brooklyn For Peace

Wed. March 19, in Washington DC:National civil disobedience action to protest the Iraq War and occupation.
Join our Brooklyn delegation (either to participate in or to support civil disobedience action)
E-mail iraq@brooklynpeace.org for more information if you can consider going to Washington

Thurs. March 20, 7 pm
Black Veterans for Social Justice presents:
Anti-War Forum
Stop the War in Iraq/Afghanistan/Palestine/South America/Africa (Darfur-Kenya-Congo,) and Haiti
Panel Discussion on World Peace, Democracy, and Self-Determination:
Destabilization and Recolonization of Africa, the Middle East, South America, and Haiti
Moderator: Job Mashariki, Black Veterans for Social Justice
Location: House of the Lord Church, 415 Atlantic Ave (between Nevins and Bond), Brooklyn
For information: 718-852-6004 ext 261 or voc@bvsj.org

Thurs. March 20, 8 pm
Fort Greene Speaks Out!
Open Mic at Tillie's
284 DeKalb Ave at Vanderbilt

Free admission; no cover, no minimum
Poetry, song, statements, music, rap, comedy.
Sign up at 8 pm: speak out from 8:30 om
Sponsor: Fort Greene Peace
Information: E-mail fortgreenepeace@googlegroups.com

Fri. March 21 Iraq Moratorium:
2:30-3:30 pm: Leaflet at Atlantic/Pacific subway:
Alternatives to the military
(Pacific/Atlantic Subway station, inside, between R and IRT division)
For information, and cell-phone number of coordinator, call 718-624-5921 or e-mail nowar@brooklynpeace.org
Sponsor: Brooklyn For Peace (counter-recruitment committee)
5:30-6:30 pm:Vigil: Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Lincoln Rd near Flatbush, Lincoln Road Entrance, Prospect Park Stop on the Q train

Sponsor: Prospect Lefferts Voices for Peace and Justice
Information: E-mail prospectforpeace@verizon.net
Leafletting and vigil will continue 3rd Friday of every month: next dates April 18, May 16


­

March 19: Protest 5th anniversary of U.S. invasion of Iraq

c
March 19 is the fifth anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq

On Wednesday, March 19, at 4pm come to City Hall and demand:

No cuts! No war!

On the 5th anniversary of the war, March 19, at 4pm, the NYC ANSWER Coalition encourages all anti-war and anti-racist activists to join teachers, parents and community members in the demonstration against education cuts organized by the “Keep the Promise” Coalition. The protest will take place on Wed., March 19, at 4pm in front of City Hall.




Mayor Michael Bloomberg proposes cutting over $500 million from the Department of Education over the next two years. Poor and working families, primarily Black and Latino, will be hardest hit.

March 8: Int'l Womens' Day March & rally

Saturday March 8

Rally & March On International Women's Day!


12 Noon Rally - Union Square
(14th & Broadway)

1 pm - March
3:30 pm - Ending Ceremony memorializing the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

March 5: MoveOn panel discussion on netroots

From MoveOn:

Dear MoveOn member,
We wanted to invite you to a panel discussion in New York City tomorrow [Wed] evening on "How the Netroots are Changing Progressive Politics." MoveOn is co-sponsoring this event, which will feature leading progressive thinkers, writers, bloggers, and other activists.

Tomorrow—Wednesday, March 5, 6:30-8:00pm

CUNY Graduate Center, Proshansky Auditorium, 365 Fifth Avenue, between 34th and 35th Sts (one block from the Empire State Building)


The discussion will include analysis of how online organizing is making a difference on key issues such as foreign policy, economics, and constitutional rights. It also will include discussion of the progressive movement as distinct from the Democratic Party. There will be an active question-and-answer component where the audience can get involved.

Below are the details for the event—can you attend?

Panel discussion on "How the Netroots are Changing Progressive Politics" sponsored by The Nation and MoveOn.org Political Action

Panel participants will include
Katrina vanden Heuvel, Publisher and Editor of The Nation;
Zephyr Teachout, Assistant Professor of Law, Duke University and an architect of Howard Dean's Internet strategy;
Matt Stoller, a founding blogger of OpenLeft and President of BlogPAC;
Roberto Lovato, a writer at New America Media and blogger for Of América; and
Ari Melber, a correspondent for The Nation and a contributing editor at Personal Democracy Forum.

RSVP: If you're on Facebook, you can RSVP at this link (if not, feel free to just come and enjoy):


We hope you can make it for this interesting discussion. Thanks for all you do.
–Adam G., Nita, Justin, and the MoveOn.org Political Action Team
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

March actions to protest U.S. occupation of Iraq

March 19, 2008 is the begining of the sixth year of the U.S. occupation of Iraq. In addition to a major action on March 19 in Washington, DC there are a number of events in New York that will commemorate this infamous anniversary. Here are some:

5 Years of Occupation and Counting: Public Forum

March 12, 2008 07:00-09:00PM

HUNTER COLLEGE,
THOMAS HUNTER BLDG, RM 105
68th St & Lexington Ave

Why the U.S. Isn't Leaving Iraq - Unless We Make Them

Many people on the left agree that the Iraq War is a mess, appears unwinnable for the U.S. – but unclear on how (or when) the war will end. Come to a public forum which will discuss, among other issues, the real impact of the war on ordinary Iraqis – as well as the crisis the U.S. is in - why they will not just abandon the disaster in progress being waged in the name of oil and strategic positioning.

Hosted by David Bliven



March 19:
KNIT-IN

MARCH 19, 2008 at NOON
In NYC: Times Square Recruiting Center, 43rd-44th Streets and Broadway
In WASHINGTON, DC: Veterans Affairs office, 810 Vermont Ave NW

The Granny Peace Brigade welcomes everyone, women and men of all ages to join them as knitters or supporters. As we enter the 6th year of the war on Iraq we will knit for our wounded veterans and their families, and for Iraqi children and their families. Every stitch will be a symbol of our determination to end this war, restoring our nation's priorities to constructive action, responsibility and caring for all.


Candlelight Vigil and Rally

March 19, 2008, 5:30-7:30PM

CHOOSE PEACE, END WAR

Candlelight Vigil and Rally
for 5th Anniversary of Iraq War

March 19, 5:30-7:30 pm in Koreatown
corner of 32nd St. and Broadway
in front of Woori Bank

March 19, 2008 marks the beginning of the 6th year of US war and occupation in Iraq. Bush says US troops are there for the long haul, based on the "South Korea model". As Koreans who believe in peace and justice, we say no more senseless destruction, no more racist war, and sovereignty for the Iraqi people.
Hosted by Nodutdol For Korean Community Development


March 21, 8:30-12:15PM

Good Friday Way of the Cross

Dag Hammarskjold Plaza,
47th St. bet. First and Second Aves.
From Dag Hammarskjold Plaza we proceed to 42nd Street and proceed along 42nd Street to bet. Eighth and Ninth Aves

This year Pax Christi Metro New York is dedicating its 26th annual Good Friday Way of the Cross to the tragedy of the fifth anniversary of the Iraq War. This Way of the Cross is a PRAYER PROCESSION in which we commemorate Jesus' passion and death and his continuing suffering in people today. It is exclusively PRAYER. People wear and/or carry crosses. No banners, posters, signs, or the like are allowed. All are welcome to join us in this Christian Stations of the Cross as a prayerful way to mourn the horrific loss of life and the destruction of nations due to war.

Hosted by Rosemarie Pace

March 22, 2008 12:00-02:15PM

River to River: Join Hands for Peace

accross 14th St.
(Directions: Subways: L,A,C,E,1,2,3,F,N,R,4,5,6)

Noon - We will form a human chain along 14th St in Manhattan between Avenue A and 11th Avenue. Take any subway to 14th St. and you will be directed from there. Bring your signs as we make a strong statement for peace!
1:00 - Both ends of the line (from 11th Ave and Ave. A) will march in towards the center.
2:00 - Commemoration. We will hold flowers and photos of U.S. servicepeople, Iraqis, New Orleans, wounded vets, etc. - the casualties of the War on Iraq. The tolling of the bells will signal the time for 5 minutes of silence and we will end with Taps.

Stay tuned to www.unitedforpeace.org/nyc for maps, leaflets to download, specific meet-up locations of organizations.

Hosted by Leslie Kielson

Max Attendees: 10000 (Currently 33 Registered)

In Brooklyn:

Brooklyn Says No To War

March 19, 2008 6:00-7:00PM

Grand Army Plaza
Flatbush and Eastern Parkway


Brooklyn Says No to War with a march from Grand Army Plaza on Flatbush to the U.S. Military recruiting center, 41 Flatbush (Livingston) 1.2 miles. Meet at Grand Army Plaza at 6pm on March 19. Bring signs and banners. 5 Years of War in Iraq, 5 years too many.

Hosted by Diane Lent

Why does Obama have to keep affirming his Christianity?

Granted truth should trump right-wing rumors about political candidates.
But does it bother anyone but me that Obama has to keep denying that he is a Muslim and keep reaffirming his Christianity?
Why should anyone care which god he worships?
Americans need to grow up.
Can you say, national chauvinism? Can you say racism?

Thursday, February 28th @ 7PM - $10 to 20 Suggested

Remembering Spirit, Remembering Audre Lorde
A Benefit For The Audre Lorde Project
Come out and honor the life and work of Audre Lorde in a reading of her poetry,
essays and memoirs as we celebrate her birthday. Hear from Andrew Blint,
Holiday Simmons, Victor Tobar and other writers and artists as they share
pieces of her legacy.


BLUESTOCKINGS
172 Allen Street @ Stanton
(1 block south of Houston)
www.bluestockings.com
phone: 212-777-6028

Pre Oscar nods

The day before the Oscars yields several awards. Film Independent presented its most coveted awards to Juno for Best Feature and its star Ellen Page for Best Female Lead and its screenwriter Diablo Cody for Best First screenplay. Best Male Lead went to Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Savages, which also won the Best Screenplay for Tamara Jenkins. The Best Director Award went to Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , which also won the Best Cinematographer Award for Janusz Kaminski, The two supporting acting awards went to Best Supporting Male Chiwetel Ejiofor for Talk To Me and Cate Blanchett for Best Supporting Female in I'm Not There, clearly the most unusual film of the year as attested to by the Robert Altman Award to the following: Director: Todd Haynes; Casting: Laura Rosenthal and Ensemble Cast: Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Ben Whishaw, Bruce Greenwood, Marcus Carl Franklin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, David Cross, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams. The Best first feature went to Director Scott Frank for The Lookout . For further information on Film Independent and this year's spiritawards

If all that's not enough at the annual Razzie Awards, honoring the worst in film, Lindsey Lohan took home record honors for her work in the horror-suspense movie, I Know Who Killed Me.

The movie beat out the previous Razzie record-holder, Showgirls by rounding up eight awards including worst actress and worst screen couple for Lohan (she plays two people) and worst picture.

But Lohan wasn't alone: Eddie Murphy was a close second, nabbing this year's worst actor and worst supporting actor. His comedy Norbit snagged three Razzies, while Daddy Day Camp, starring Cuba Gooding Jr. took home an award, too, for worst prequel or sequel.

Demand NO TORTURE

Here's Harry Reid's response to my petition demanding the U.S. end torture. But we have to keep the pressure on Congress.

Dear Daniel,

Since Tuesday, tens of thousands of you stepped forward and took a stand against torture. I am happy to announce that all your hard work paid off. Thank you.

The Senate passed the Intelligence Authorization bill banning torture. This sent a clear signal to the world: the United States Senate believes torture is immoral and does not work.

Now the bill will go to George Bush, who has a choice: He can sign it into law and declare America does not torture. Or he can continue to damage America's reputation in the world.

Now is the moment when we all need to join together and say "no" to torture. If you've already signed the petition, please forward this e-mail to your friends and family and ask them to sign. If you haven't signed, take a stand against torture now by visiting:

http://giveemhellharry.com/stoptorture

Nearly every expert on interrogation agrees that torture is counter-productive. Most of the information it generates is simply unreliable, causing our intelligence agencies to waste time chasing down false leads. It also puts U.S. troops at risk, in addition to undermining our counterinsurgency operations.

Now is the time for George Bush to show some moral leadership and sign this bill into law. That is why, right now, all of us need to join together and take a stand against torture by visiting:

http://giveemhellharry.com/stoptorture
Thank you,

Harry Reid

Please sign superdelegates petition

Hi,

You've probably heard about the "superdelegates" who could end up choosing the Democratic nominee.

The superdelegates are under lots of pressure right now to come out for one candidate or the other. We urgently need to encourage them to let the voters decide between Clinton and Obama—and then to support the will of the people.

Why did the party adopt this undemocratic system?

Super-delegates were created to provide the powers that be control over the nominating process.

Before 1972, party elders, such as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and Bronx boss Charlie Buckley, who helped John Kennedy clinch the 1960 nomination, wielded inordinate power.

But in early 1970’s, in response to the demands of grass-roots activists, women, and people of color, the party’s rules were reformed to make them more democratic.

But after Sen. George McGovern, a leading anti-Vietnam war liberal, won the 1972 nomination and then won only one state and the District of Columbia in the general election. The Democrats decided to give elected officials and other party regulars greater last-minute control over the nomination. This is much like the undemocratic electoral college, which was put in place because many of the "founding fathers" didn't trust the will of the masses.

I signed a MoveOn petition urging the superdelegates to respect the will of the voters. Can you join me at this link?

Congressional races also count

As the corporate-owned media almost exclusively cover the presidential primaries, Americans are voting to enhance their 2006 vote to put Democrats in charge of Congress. Only Amy Goodman is covering the Congressional races on Democracy Now. Despite the (or maybe because of the) Democrats latest collaboration with the Bush regime, Democrats are voting for congress members who will actually vote to reject the Bush regime immoral and illegal moves.

In [Maryland's] Fourth Congressional District, Democratic activist Donna Edwards defeated eight-term incumbent Albert Wynn in a fiercely contested race.

The race has been described by The Nation magazine as “a bellwether contest in the fight for the soul of the Democratic Party.” Edwards ran a populist, antiwar campaign that drew support from national liberal groups.

Feb. 15: Film Showing: All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond

New York City Film Showing:

All Power to the People! The Black Panther Party and Beyond

Feb 15, 7pm
2295 Adam Clayton Powell (at 135th St.)
2/3 or C/B to 135th street
$7 donation suggested.

Opening with a montage of 400 years of race injustice in America, this powerful documentary provides the historical context for the establishment of the 60's civil rights movement. Rare clips of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Fred Hampton and other activists transport one back to those revolutionary times. Organized by Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton, the Black Panther Party embodied every major element of the civil rights movement, which preceded it and inspired the black, brown, yellow, Native American and women and gay and lesbian power movements.



Get involved! Contact 212-694-8720 or nyc@ANSWERCoalition.org


A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition
info@internationalanswer.org
National Office in Washington DC: 202-544-3389
New York City: 212-694-8720
Los Angeles: 323-464-1636
San Francisco: 415-821-6545
Chicago: 773-463-0311
Seattle: 206-568-1661

Sen. Clinton abandons older Americans

I have just sent the following e-mail to Sen. Clinton criticizing her non-vote on the amendment last week to expand the economic stimulus package to include older Americans whose primary income is from social security.

I'm sorry that you didn't think it was important enough to vote Yes on the amendment to include older Americans in the economic stimulus package. This will help provide economic relief to approximately 20 million older Americans who depend primarily on Social Security, as well as fairly and effectively boost our troubled economy.

It is too bad you didn't listen to the American public who have been urging Senators to push through partisan gridlock to address national problems. Our country needs the leadership of elected officials to address the economic concerns of all Americans. I'm sorry you chose not to provide swuch leadership. If running for president precludes you from doing your job in the Senate, you should resign and allow someone for whom it is their primary concern and can provide us with a full-time Senator.

It's The L Word, stupid!

The two new Sex and the City (SATC) pretenders, Cashmire Mafia and Lipstick Jungle have provoked Entertainment Weekly's "The Search for the Next Sex and the City." The article by Jennifer Armstrong talks about every conceivable buddy show from the two new mediocre shows to Black female buddies (Girlfriends), white male buddies (Entourage and Carpoolers) and other white female shows like Desperate Houswives and shows that include women of color (Grey's Anatomy); but she (and her editors) ignore the most obvious heir to SATC, The L Word. I can't help but wonder why. Armstrong even quotes writer-producer Jenny Bicks' comment: "The question is, who is the next group who hasn't had a voice yet?" And never even seems to consider the obvious answer.

MSNBC's Davd Shuster raises a firestorm

Last Thursday MSNBC's regular news comentator David Shuster started a mini-firestorm when as subtitute host on Tucker he asked

"Doesn't it seem like Chelsea's sort of being pimped out [by the Clinton campaign] in some weird sort of way?"

I think it's clear that, the New York Post and the Clinton campaign notwithstanding, this wasn't "nappy-headed hos" redux. But it was obviously an incredibly stupid comment. It's hard to understand why anyone would question an adult daughter campaigning for her mother, especially in terms as insulting to everyone concerned. (The women on The View also found humor in phone calls Chelsea made to them.) It's important to note that Shuster apologized for his stupid language and he was almost immediately indefinitly suspended by MSNBC, but for how long.

This was an opportunity for Hillary Clinton and her campaign to take the high road, to show everyone how diplomatic she could be and say something like "He apologized, he's been suspended, let's get back to the real issues." But not surprisingly she played the sympathy and angry mother card. Her spokesperson Howard Wolfson said:

I, at this point, can't envision a scenario where we could continue to engage in debates on that network, given the comments that were made.

Come on Howard I'll bet you could envision such a scenario.

It's also not surprising that the New York Post would be stoking the fires of this controversy. They are, after all, intimately related to MSNBC's primary competitor the Fox News Channel, a fact the Post failed to mention in its front-page headlined story: "Chelsea 'pimp' Fury; Hill rips MSNBC on campaign slur." It's clearly in Fox's interest to screw up the MSNBC debate, since they are trying to schedule one of their own, to which Clinton has agreed despite a Democratic candidates agreement not to do so.

A pro-choice Clinton supporter, according to the Post, wrote to MSNBC to say:

Your tolerance for [Shuster's] behavior speaks volumes about the corporate culture of MSNBC.

As someone who watches MSNBC with some regularity this question has bothered me as well. MSNBC's staffing decisions should raise red flags. After Morning Joe, with Joe Scarborough, about 11AM, the news anchors are all attractive young mostly white women. Unless something important happens (like Romney ending his campaign) then the MSNBC male contingent takes over. But daily at 5PM promptly Chris Matthews comes on and then it's wall-to-wall men (mostly white) until 10PM, when some sleazy "documentaries" come on. Not only the anchors but also most of the pundits on MSNBC are white men (except for Air America's Rachel Maddow, the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson, a scattering of NBC female correspondents and Allison Stewart who sometimes substitutes for Keith
Olbermann). This, it seems to me, "speaks volumes about the corporate culture at MSNBC."

Shuster's unquestionably stupid and sexist comment may well end up being a tempest in a teapot, but it raises some important questions about how MSNBC, the Murdoch media, and the Clinton campaign operate. And they all leave something to be desired.

Quote of the day: The Vice-presidential Dick

The wisdom of Dick Cheney: .(At the CPAC convention to thunderous applause)

The United States is a country that takes human rights seriously… We do not torture, America is a fair and a decent country… The war on terror is, after all, more than a war of arms and a test of will. It is a war of ideals,

It's very simple, if you're in Dick Cheney's head, the U.S. doesn't torture, so whatever we do must, by definition, not be torture.

Sign letter to candidates: change course!

I just signed an important global letter to the U.S. Presidential candidates. The outcome of the next U.S. election will greatly affect the world and I thought you might want to sign this letter too. Here’s the link:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/us_change_course/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
Yesterday, the candidates for the next President became clear. They are Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. The winner will decide whether the nightmare of the Bush foreign policy is reversed or continued for another four years.

All around the world, including in the U.S., people want to see the next President change course. Although only U.S. citizens can vote in the election, we can still have a voice. Global public opinion matters to U.S. citizens -- they know that U.S. respect in the world has plummeted under Bush. That’s why the Avaaz global community has sprung into action. In the next few days, we can influence the candidates as they develop their campaign strategy. Click below to read and endorse the letter to the candidates. And, if we get more than 100,000 signatures, Avaaz will publish it in U.S. newspapers and deliver it personally to the Clinton, Obama and McCain campaigns--sign and forward this email to friends right away:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/us_change_course/98.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK

I think this is a great idea on an important issue, and I hope you'll join me by signing up!

Thanks!

Super Tuesday. What Now?

Although I would much rather talk about Super Sunday, it seems clear that we have to shift our gaze to the aftermath of that other media-hyped super day: super Tuesday.

As we watch the Republican candidates (almost surely at this point John "I don't know much about the economy" McCain) move further and further to the right to please the Limbaugh wing of the party. Watch them cowtow to the Conservative Political Action Committee this weekend. I think McCain will probably pick extreme right-wing Huckelberry (as my friend Bert calls him) as his running mate. Although it's interesting to watch McCain hold a live press conference with right-wing independent(?) Joe Lieberman (possibly the perennial vice-presidential candidate) peering over his shoulder. Is Romney taking today off to talk to his family (about how much of their inheretance he should spend to tilt at windmills) a portent of dropping out? We now have to figure out how progressives (Democrat or independent) should relate to the two Democratic candidates left standing - Clinton and Obama.

The first thing we have to understand is that they are both politicians and therefore will do whatever they have to do to get elected. Try this on for size: Sam Stein reports on The Huffington Post:

Risking the ire of progressive activists, Sen. Hillary Clinton’s campaign announced that it has accepted a debate to air on Fox News on February 11, according to her chief strategist Mark Penn. (for more on this)

We have to make it clear that they have to attend to progressive issues if they want our votes. It seems to me that the big mistake progressives often make is to tie our movement to a particular candidate - in other words, to reify electoral politics at the expense of the progressive movemement, to commit ourselves without getting what we need for our support.

A very good friend and comrade has said in an e-mail he sent out explaining his decision to vote for Clinton, even at the expense of angering his Obama-supporting family: "I remain deeply skeptical about Obama and voted for Clinton," he writes. Although I share his skepticism about Obama's tendency to paper over deep and abiding divisions (class conflicts?) within this society. But I don't quite follow the conclusion that voting for Clinton better speaks to these differences. Is she more sensetive to these real differences than is Obama? I think not.

In the same e-mail he questions some progressives who are

very happy that Obama's campaign is bringing young people into electoral politics. I too applaud this altho I do not think that the core issues our society faces can be basically addressed in the electoral or legislative arena. I am only slightly overstating the case when I say that a pre-occupation with electoral politics can draw attention away from more substantive, core, socio-economic issues. I realize that there is some overlap between the two. Participation in electoral politics is by no means an error in and of itself.

The real question it seems to me is why should we applaud young people being brought into electoral politics as individuals rather than as part of a movement that can confront the candidates and say, "if you don't share our values, why should we vote for you?" Drawing young people into electoral politics is exactly what, I think, legitimates a Nader or other small party candidacy.

Tim Carpenter of Progressive Democrats of America put it this way this morning on Democracy Now:

the challenge for the progressive movement and the peace and justice movement is to come off the sidelines and continue in this effort to hold the Clinton machine back, to hold back this election to make sure that we get a full accounting of all of the primaries and caucuses, and to try to make Barack Obama a better candidate.

The key, I think, is that we need to do this as a movement not as a bunch of individuals relating to different candidates.

Tom Hayden says about the participation of the peace movement in the electoral process:

hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of voters will make up their minds on which of the candidates is best on ending the Iraq war with little involvement by peace activists in the debate.
There are differences that matter between Clinton and Obama, not as great as between the Democrats and McCain, but significant nonetheless. They are these:

1.Obama favors a 16-18 month timeline for withdrawing U.S. combat troops. Clinton favors “immediately” convening the Joint Chiefs to draft a plan to “begin” drawing down U.S. troops, but with no timetable for completing the withdrawal.
2.Obama opposed the measure authorizing Bush to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization, widely regarded as an escalating step towards another war. Clinton voted for the authorization.
3.Obama opposed the 2002 authorization for war that Clinton voted for. Clinton still calls that decision a “close call” and refuses to say it was a mistaken vote.

It’s true that both candidates support leaving thousands of 'residual' American troops behind for a likely counterinsurgency conflict that we should all oppose. Peace activists should demand a shift to peace diplomacy beginning with a U.S. commitment to end the occupation and withdraw all troops.

This is, of course, the point: do we applaude bringing people into electoral politics as individuals or as part of a larger and thereby stronger movement?

Bill Fletcher of The Black Commentator also said on this morning's Democracy Now:

while it’s true that many younger people have been inspired and motivated to the Obama campaign and have been prepared to put race aside in certain respects, we should keep in mind that the Obama campaign has not exactly made racial justice central programmatically to its campaign. So while people may have—or may be prepared to ignore the fact or accept the fact that Obama is black and they’re prepared to vote for him, that’s very different than having a discussion about race.

That's it for now. We could say much the same about the environmental movement, health care, the economy, but ultimately the question is about the dialectic between the progressive movement and the political process. If we jump on a bandwagon too soon we will have no effect on the outcome, but if we stay out of the process we will slso have no effect. You know, they say you gotta be in it to win it, but if you jump in too soon with too much, soon you'll be gambling away the rent.

Obama on Iraq

Whatever happens tonight, Obama keeps looking better. This is from Lev Weitz and Andrew Cohen-Gael:

holy shit check out this speech:

:

I don't oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. What I am opposed to is the cynical attempt by Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz and other arm-chair, weekend warriors in this Administration to shove their own ideological agendas down our throats, irrespective of the costs in lives lost and in hardships borne.

For more of this speech

Giants again

I don't mean to belabor the Giants victory, but I just want to tell you that last night's game was the second most watched event in TV history. Oh! the Mash finale is still champion.

One other note: In the last three games Eli and the Giants have beaten Tony Romo, Bret Favre and Tom Brady not a bad trifecta in anyone's book. If you're going to win you might as well beat the best.

The Giants recreate the 1969 Super Bowl upset

Posted earlier today: When thinking about tonight's Super Bowl XLII game, remember Jan. 12, 1969 when in Super Bowl III the New York Jets defeated the heavily favored Baltimore Colts 16-7. And when the upstart quarterback Joe Namath outplayed the great Johnny Unitas. So remember IT CAN BE DONE.

photo by Mike Blake, Reuters


Giants 17, Patriots 14

I told you it could be done

Now Eli Manning and this year's Giants go down in New York sports legend. This is an even bigger upset than the 1969 Jets and Namath.

Ralph DiGia: 1914-2008

Ralph DiGia

December 13, 1914 - February 1, 2008

Ralph DiGia, lifelong war resister and pacifist died this afternoon in New York City. Ralph had a bad fall a couple of weeks ago, broke his hip, and has had a series of serious health problems following his admission to St. Vincent's Hospital.

Ralph, 93, has been the heart and soul of War Resisters League since he came on staff shortly after the end of WWII and his release from federal prison, where he had served a term for refusing service as a conscientious objector.

An associate of A. J. Muste, Bayard Rustin, Dave Dellinger, Barbara Deming, and many others, Ralph held key posts over the years with Liberation magazine as well as being on the staffof the War Resisters League. While Ralph was not a public speaker or a writer, he played a key a role within the radical pacifist movement, and was central to many of the major antiwar actions of the past six decades.

Ralph was deeply loved by the movement, especially by those at his political home, the War Resisters League. He is survived by his wife, Karin DiGia, his children, and his two brothers.

Funeral and memorial arrangements are forthcoming.

Celebrate the life of Al Hakim, Dr. George Habash

Please join the Palestinian & Arab Community

Sunday Feb 3rd, 2:00 p.m.

at Widdi Catering Hall
to Commemorate and honor the life and work of
Al Hakim, Dr. George Habash.

Habash, who passed away on a week ago founded the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP),



Widdi Catering Hall
5602 6th Ave (Corner of 56th & 6th Ave)
Sunset Park, Brooklyn, NY
Subway - N/R to 59th Street