Remember Dick Cheney's secret meetings to develop an energy policy in the early days of the first Bush administration before 9/11 "legitimated" their already-developed plan to invade Iraq and privatize the oil.
Here's a brief exchange between independent journalist Greg Palast and former Shell Oil CEO Philip Carroll last week on Democracy Now
"GREG PALAST: So I asked Shell's former boss if the neo-con's agenda matched that of the oil industry.
"PHILIP CARROLL: They're absolutely poles apart. Many neo-conservatives are people who do have certain ideological beliefs about markets, about democracy, about this, that and the other. International oil companies, without exception, are very pragmatic, commercial organizations. They don't have a theology. They don't have a doctrine. They are going to do what is in the best interest of their shareholders.
"GREG PALAST: Americans have never paid so much for gasoline. Big oil execs are grinning. They've never seen such big profits. The neo-cons say we missed the chance to stop this run-up in oil prices. All we had to do was sell off Iraq's oil fields. But big oil killed it."
Watch Palast's full report on big oil and Iraq on Democracy Now
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Howard Zinn on the Left, Congress and the war
Chelsea Neighbors Against the War has reprinted Howard Zinn's latest piece on the Left, Congress and the war in Iraq http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org/, which will appear in the May, 2007 issue of The Progressive.
At this moment when Congress is debating cutting-off funds for the this immoral and unpopular war, Zinn not only takes issue with the the "Democrats [who] are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months," but also with sectors of the left like "MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, 'like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.'"
So it is clear that Zinn's article is too urgent to wait for the print version of the May issue of The Progressive. I strongly urge you to check it out on the Chelsea Neighbors' website or that of The Progressive.
I think it's particularly important to herald the courage of the Democrats in the House who voted against the war-funding measure out of a commitment to ending the war NOW - Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, Diane Watson and Barbara Lee, all of California, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, John Lewis of Georgia, Mike McNulty of New York and Mike Michaud of Maine.
The Senate vote on a similar measure should happen any minute. And our posture toward these largely political votes will be very important. As Zinn says:
"When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.
"We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress."
At this moment when Congress is debating cutting-off funds for the this immoral and unpopular war, Zinn not only takes issue with the the "Democrats [who] are behaving with their customary timidity, proposing withdrawal, but only after a year, or eighteen months," but also with sectors of the left like "MoveOn, which polled its members on the Democrat proposal, saying that progressives in Congress, 'like many of us, don’t think the bill goes far enough, but see it as the first concrete step to ending the war.'"
So it is clear that Zinn's article is too urgent to wait for the print version of the May issue of The Progressive. I strongly urge you to check it out on the Chelsea Neighbors' website or that of The Progressive.
I think it's particularly important to herald the courage of the Democrats in the House who voted against the war-funding measure out of a commitment to ending the war NOW - Maxine Waters, Lynn Woolsey, Diane Watson and Barbara Lee, all of California, Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, John Lewis of Georgia, Mike McNulty of New York and Mike Michaud of Maine.
The Senate vote on a similar measure should happen any minute. And our posture toward these largely political votes will be very important. As Zinn says:
"When a social movement adopts the compromises of legislators, it has forgotten its role, which is to push and challenge the politicians, not to fall in meekly behind them.
"We who protest the war are not politicians. We are citizens. Whatever politicians may do, let them first feel the full force of citizens who speak for what is right, not for what is winnable, in a shamefully timorous Congress."
Friday, March 16, 2007
March 21: Book party - Blackwater
Wednesday, March 21st at 7:00 pm.
(Doors open at 6:15)
The New York Society for Ethical Culture
2 West 64th Street at Central Park West, New York City.
Jeremy Scahill will discus Blackwater
in conversation with Nation columnist and best-selling author Naomi Klein and
award-winning journalist and host of Democracy Now! Amy Goodman
in a forum presented by The Nation Institute.
$10 requested donation.
A book signing of Blackwater and No Logo will follow the conversation.
For the full story of the world's most powerful mercenary army and what the privatization of the U.S. military means for American democracy, read Scahill's new book Blackwater (Nation Books). It's an invaluable read for anyone concerned with the direction of the American experiment. Click here for info and to order online.
March 18: March for Peace
Sunday March 18:
NYC Peace March
Brooklyn Parents for Peace
join us
On the 4th anniversary of Bush's War in Iraq,
To say
4 years too many!
Not one more death, not one more dollar!
End the war in Iraq!
1:00 pm Assemble:
Brooklyn delegation: 36th Street East Side of 6th Ave
Youth and student delegation: 37th Street East Side of 6th Ave
2:00 pm March to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations
Festival of Peace and Justice: continues until 6:00 pm at DH Plaza
We demand:
**Bring our troops home now, safe and alive!
**No more billions for war, death, and destruction!
**Fund human needs: jobs, health care, education, and housing!
Sponsored by United for Peace and Justice
Endorsed by Brooklyn Parents for Peace
Join tens of thousands of New Yorkers in a mighty march!
NYC Peace March
Brooklyn Parents for Peace
join us
On the 4th anniversary of Bush's War in Iraq,
To say
4 years too many!
Not one more death, not one more dollar!
End the war in Iraq!
1:00 pm Assemble:
Brooklyn delegation: 36th Street East Side of 6th Ave
Youth and student delegation: 37th Street East Side of 6th Ave
2:00 pm March to Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, United Nations
Festival of Peace and Justice: continues until 6:00 pm at DH Plaza
We demand:
**Bring our troops home now, safe and alive!
**No more billions for war, death, and destruction!
**Fund human needs: jobs, health care, education, and housing!
Sponsored by United for Peace and Justice
Endorsed by Brooklyn Parents for Peace
Join tens of thousands of New Yorkers in a mighty march!
March 18: Chelsea March to end the war
Join your Chelsea neighbors in the March To End The War
Sunday, March 18th
Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War
assemble at 1 pm
at 6th Avenue at 39th Street (enter from east side)
We are marching for an immediate withdrawal of U. S forces from Iraq;
an end to the funding of this war except for the safe withdrawal of all our armed forces;
no military attacks on Iran;
full funding of veterans benefits;
aid to reconstruct Iraq under Iraqi control;
the redirection of our tax dollars for social programs at home.
Look for the Chelsea Neighbors United signs or
the New York Metro Area Postal Union banner
March route goes past the NYC offices of Senators Clinton and Schumer and then on to the United Nations
For further information on the day of the march call
Chuck at 917-693-9427
Chelsea Neighbors United To End The War
P.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org
Sunday, March 18th
Chelsea Neighbors United to End the War
assemble at 1 pm
at 6th Avenue at 39th Street (enter from east side)
We are marching for an immediate withdrawal of U. S forces from Iraq;
an end to the funding of this war except for the safe withdrawal of all our armed forces;
no military attacks on Iran;
full funding of veterans benefits;
aid to reconstruct Iraq under Iraqi control;
the redirection of our tax dollars for social programs at home.
Look for the Chelsea Neighbors United signs or
the New York Metro Area Postal Union banner
March route goes past the NYC offices of Senators Clinton and Schumer and then on to the United Nations
For further information on the day of the march call
Chuck at 917-693-9427
Chelsea Neighbors United To End The War
P.O. Box 821
JAF Station
New York, NY 10116-0821
212-726-1385
http://www.chelseaneighborsunited.org
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Has O'Reilly left the human race?
Keith Olbermann once again awarded Bill O'Reilly the "Worst person in the world" label and said that O'Reilly had left the human race in response to his comments about the legal status of the victims of last week's fire in New York (9 children and 1 adult). O'Reilly's major concern was whether the children were in this country illegally. He said that the children died because of "an excess of compassion" that allowed them to be here in the first place.
Olbermann . Although acknowledging that immigration could be a legitimate topic of discussion, that his focus on that as the victims were being buried was outrageous.
Although Olbermann's outrage is more than legitimate since O'Reilly has once again shamed us all, the question is how can someone leave the human race who has never been a part of it in the first place. Buffy where are you now that we need you.
Olbermann . Although acknowledging that immigration could be a legitimate topic of discussion, that his focus on that as the victims were being buried was outrageous.
Although Olbermann's outrage is more than legitimate since O'Reilly has once again shamed us all, the question is how can someone leave the human race who has never been a part of it in the first place. Buffy where are you now that we need you.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Hey Martha! What do you think about scooter's conviction?
=
Scooter Libby has been convicted of lying, under oath, to a federal grand jury. Apparently, right-wing pundits Bill Kristol and Joseph diGenova do not believe that this kind of offense is worthy of prosecution.
the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol on Fox:
"[Fitzgerald] indicted one person, not for any underlying crime, but for allegedly mis-remembering a couple of conversations with reporters when talking about them to the grand jury — these were conversations that went nowhere. No one thinks Scooter Libby actually leaked Valerie Plame’s name, even if that were a crime, which it isn’t.
"Bush should pardon Scooter Libby and get the whole thing over with…I am blaming Ashcroft for recusing himself. And the CIA was out to get people in the White House at that point. And Bush should pardon Scooter Libby."
Conservative pundit and attorney Joseph diGenova is trying to portray a pardon of Libby as standard operating procedure:
"I think ultimately, of course, there are going to be pardons,” said Joseph diGenova, a former prosecutor and an old Washington hand who shares that view with many pundits. “These are the kinds of cases in which historically presidents have given pardons."
This, of course, is only the tip of the pardon-scooter-today iceberg.
So Martha, what do you think of all this fuss about Scooter's conviction for lying to the authorities? Although he will almost surely be pardoned, he might actually go to jail.
Scooter Libby has been convicted of lying, under oath, to a federal grand jury. Apparently, right-wing pundits Bill Kristol and Joseph diGenova do not believe that this kind of offense is worthy of prosecution.
the Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol on Fox:
"[Fitzgerald] indicted one person, not for any underlying crime, but for allegedly mis-remembering a couple of conversations with reporters when talking about them to the grand jury — these were conversations that went nowhere. No one thinks Scooter Libby actually leaked Valerie Plame’s name, even if that were a crime, which it isn’t.
"Bush should pardon Scooter Libby and get the whole thing over with…I am blaming Ashcroft for recusing himself. And the CIA was out to get people in the White House at that point. And Bush should pardon Scooter Libby."
Conservative pundit and attorney Joseph diGenova is trying to portray a pardon of Libby as standard operating procedure:
"I think ultimately, of course, there are going to be pardons,” said Joseph diGenova, a former prosecutor and an old Washington hand who shares that view with many pundits. “These are the kinds of cases in which historically presidents have given pardons."
This, of course, is only the tip of the pardon-scooter-today iceberg.
So Martha, what do you think of all this fuss about Scooter's conviction for lying to the authorities? Although he will almost surely be pardoned, he might actually go to jail.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
March 27: Book party: The Cost of Privilege
Many of you have heard about Chip Smith's incredible book--The Cost of Privilege: Taking on the System of White Supremacy and Racism-- . The book is now out, and there's a...
Book Party/Forum
THE COST OF PRIVILEGE
Tuesday, March 27, 7 p.m.
with Bill Fletcher Jr., Harmony Goldberg and the author, Chip Smith
Brecht Forum
451 West St. (betw. Bank & Bethune)
Suggested donation: $6/$10/$15-No one turned away
(A/C/E/L to 14th St. & 8th Ave, walk down 8th Ave. to Abingdon Square, turn right onto Bethune St., walk west and turn left on West St., the last block before the highway)
Bill Fletcher Jr. is former president of TransAfrica Forum and a long-time activist in the labor and Black liberation movements.
Harmony Goldberg, a veteran of Bay Area youth organizing and popular education projects such as SOUL (School of Unity and Liberation) and a former trainer with the Challenging White Supremacy workshop, is currently a student of Cultural Anthropology at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Chip Smith is the author of The Cost of Privilege: Taking on the System of White Supremacy and Racism, which will be available for sale. He has been a Machinists union departmental steward and a founder of Fayetteville Peace with Justice, and is a member of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization.
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The death of [Capt.] America
Captain America is dead (Captain America #25}. He probably won't be laid out in the Capitol rotunda. The masses won't be able to pay their respects. He might even be resurrected like his D.C. cohort Superman. Perhaps when the villains currently occupying the White House are gone. But for now, he's dead.
When an icon dies it is a moment for reflection. The death of the Capt. is clearly such a moment.
In the ancient world the people had to live up to their ideals in order not to anger the gods. So today we need to earn the right to our superheros. Capt. America was one of the modern pantheon. Not exactly a superhero - Steve Rogers actually had no super powers - but the ultimate human being. Created to fight Hitler and the Nazis in the age of FDR, perhaps he no longer had a role to play in "the new American century" represented by miniatures such as Bush, Cheney and the recently departed Rumsfeld.
Bush could never fill out the uniform.
According to the Marvel Universe:
"From art student to super soldier to symbol of America to rebel leader, Steve Rogers is the living symbol of the ideals of America."
But America has to live up to those ideals in order to justify a living symbol to protect them.
Goodbye Capt. in your 66 years you've been a true super-hero. Come back soon. Till then rest-in-peace.
Monday, March 05, 2007
The Paris Hilton of the right
Just as Paris Hilton will do anything to get attention, (for example, her porn video mysteriously appeared on line just before the debut of her TV "reality" show) so it seems will Ann Coulter.
There is nothing political about Coulter's screeds. If there were the level of our political discourse would have descended below even that of Bush and Rove. Just like Hilton when Coulter has something to sell, like a book, she trashes a few 911 widows. When she needs to be noticed at a right-wing conference, she pushes the ugly envelope further than even her right-wing cohorts can stomach.
She brought her March 2 speech at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)in Washington, D.C., to a conclusion with these words:
"I was going to have a few comments on the other Democratic presidential candidate, John Edwards, but it turns out that you have to go into rehab if you use the word 'faggot,' so I'm - so, kind of at an impasse, can't really talk about Edwards, so I think I'll just conclude here and take your questions."
To not see this as a desperate cry for attention by a person of very limited talents is to be manipulated by her as she twists the corporate media. The only thing she's actually good at.
Ann Coulter doesn't need rehab, she needs Super Nanny.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Protests on 4th anniversary of Iraq invasion
Living Peace Sign
Friday, March 16th, 6:00 PM
Washington Square Park (4th St. @ 5th Ave.)
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, Greenwich Village will be illuminated by a living peace sign in Washington Square Park, where hundreds of torch-bearing New Yorkers will be demanding an end to wars and nuclear arms.
The human peace sign will be one of dozens simultaneously constructed in cities around the world, including Rome, Paris, Budapest, Bogota, Sydney, Athens,
London, Madrid, Maputo and Mumbai.
Contact: Aaron Freimark
abf@mac.com
917-459-2626
Sponsored By:
Humanist Movement, Community of Silo's Message, Queens Anti-War Committee, NICE, Movimiento por La Paz en Colombia, Diversity Center of Queens, Ecuatorian International, Humanist Center of Cultures
NYC March to End the War
Sunday, March 18
Assemble at 1:00pm,
East of 6th Ave. on 35th–39th Streets
March at 2:00pm
WHY we are marching:
After 4 years of death and destruction in a war that should never have been launched, we are marching to say NO MORE!
We who live in the city that directly experienced the tragedy of 9/11--the tragedy that was inexcusably used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion of Iraq--have a special responsibility to let the world know that the vast majority of New Yorkers strongly oppose this war.
Contact: United for Peace and Justice for more infrormation
Friday, March 16th, 6:00 PM
Washington Square Park (4th St. @ 5th Ave.)
On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War, Greenwich Village will be illuminated by a living peace sign in Washington Square Park, where hundreds of torch-bearing New Yorkers will be demanding an end to wars and nuclear arms.
The human peace sign will be one of dozens simultaneously constructed in cities around the world, including Rome, Paris, Budapest, Bogota, Sydney, Athens,
London, Madrid, Maputo and Mumbai.
Contact: Aaron Freimark
abf@mac.com
917-459-2626
Sponsored By:
Humanist Movement, Community of Silo's Message, Queens Anti-War Committee, NICE, Movimiento por La Paz en Colombia, Diversity Center of Queens, Ecuatorian International, Humanist Center of Cultures
NYC March to End the War
Sunday, March 18
Assemble at 1:00pm,
East of 6th Ave. on 35th–39th Streets
March at 2:00pm
WHY we are marching:
After 4 years of death and destruction in a war that should never have been launched, we are marching to say NO MORE!
We who live in the city that directly experienced the tragedy of 9/11--the tragedy that was inexcusably used by the Bush administration to justify the invasion of Iraq--have a special responsibility to let the world know that the vast majority of New Yorkers strongly oppose this war.
Contact: United for Peace and Justice for more infrormation
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
March 17 DC March on Pentagon goes forward
1) Free Speech Victory! Pentagon March Route is Now Set
2) Pro-impeachment organizations uniting for Pentagon March
3) Speakers list for the March on Pentagon
Pentagon March Route is Now Set
The Free Speech battle with the State of Virginia has been won! The attempt to obstruct the demonstration has collapsed. More than 2,000 people sent letters to the Virginia Attorney General and people everywhere expressed their outrage that Virginia would attempt to create barriers preventing demonstrators from marching to the Pentagon. This could not have happened without everyone's participation. This combined political and legal challenge, waged with the assistance of the Partnership for Civil Justice, made all the difference.
At a meeting of a new coalition of a large number of organizations that are supporting impeachment, held in New York City on Feb.17, it was decided to mobilize for the March on the Pentagon on March 17 to demand, "End the War and Impeach Bush Now!"
The coalition of organizations that have united in this effort is called Impeach07.
The March on the Pentagon speakers list includes:
- Malik Rahim, Founder of Common Ground Collective
- Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace
- Howard Zinn, Author, A People's History of the United States
- Ramsey Clark, Former U.S. Attorney General
- Melida and Carlos Arrendando, whose son and stepson was killed in Iraq
- Congressman John Lewis (Georgia)
- Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
- Mounzer Sleiman, TV commentator & Vice Chair, National Council of Arab American
- Leonard Weinglass, Civil Rights Attorney
- Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, National Lawyers Guild
- Jonathan W. Hutto Sr., Navy Petty Office Third Class, Co-Founder Appeal for Redress
- Liam Madden, Former Sgt. USMC, Appeal for Redress, Bellows Falls, VT
- Anita Dennis, Organizer with Courage to Resist, Military Families Speak Out member
- Helga P. Aguayo, Wife of Conscientious Objector AgustÃn Aguayo
- Debra Sweet, National Coordinator, World Can't Wait
- Brian Becker, National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition
For further information contact A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition or March on Pentagon
2) Pro-impeachment organizations uniting for Pentagon March
3) Speakers list for the March on Pentagon
Pentagon March Route is Now Set
The Free Speech battle with the State of Virginia has been won! The attempt to obstruct the demonstration has collapsed. More than 2,000 people sent letters to the Virginia Attorney General and people everywhere expressed their outrage that Virginia would attempt to create barriers preventing demonstrators from marching to the Pentagon. This could not have happened without everyone's participation. This combined political and legal challenge, waged with the assistance of the Partnership for Civil Justice, made all the difference.
At a meeting of a new coalition of a large number of organizations that are supporting impeachment, held in New York City on Feb.17, it was decided to mobilize for the March on the Pentagon on March 17 to demand, "End the War and Impeach Bush Now!"
The coalition of organizations that have united in this effort is called Impeach07.
The March on the Pentagon speakers list includes:
- Malik Rahim, Founder of Common Ground Collective
- Cindy Sheehan, Gold Star Families for Peace
- Howard Zinn, Author, A People's History of the United States
- Ramsey Clark, Former U.S. Attorney General
- Melida and Carlos Arrendando, whose son and stepson was killed in Iraq
- Congressman John Lewis (Georgia)
- Mahdi Bray, Executive Director of Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation
- Mounzer Sleiman, TV commentator & Vice Chair, National Council of Arab American
- Leonard Weinglass, Civil Rights Attorney
- Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, National Lawyers Guild
- Jonathan W. Hutto Sr., Navy Petty Office Third Class, Co-Founder Appeal for Redress
- Liam Madden, Former Sgt. USMC, Appeal for Redress, Bellows Falls, VT
- Anita Dennis, Organizer with Courage to Resist, Military Families Speak Out member
- Helga P. Aguayo, Wife of Conscientious Objector AgustÃn Aguayo
- Debra Sweet, National Coordinator, World Can't Wait
- Brian Becker, National Coordinator, ANSWER Coalition
For further information contact A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition or March on Pentagon
What is it with Samuel L. Jackson and snakes?
What is it with Samuel L. Jackson and snakes?
Snakes on a Plane
Black Snake Moan
There must be movies without snakes.
Snakes on a Plane
Black Snake Moan
There must be movies without snakes.
Friday, February 23, 2007
ENCAMPMENT TO STOP THE WAR: Beginning March 12
ENCAMPMENT TO STOP THE WAR
Beginning March 12
(Before the March on the Pentagon on Saturday March 17)
In Washington DC
on the mall directly in front of the Capitol building (3rd st. bt. Constitution and Independence)
Send a message to Congress:
*CUT OFF ALL WAR FUNDING
*END THE WAR
*BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW
WHY NOW? During the week beginning March 12, Congress will begin voting on Bush’s request for $100 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afganistan. If Congress votes to cut off funds, they can end the war now and bring the troops home. If they approve Bush’s war funds, the killing, and dying and occupation will go on…it’s as simple as that. This vote will be the most important war related vote since Congress voted to authorized Bush to invade and occupy Iraq in October of 2002. The antiwar movement must be there to let Congress know that we won’t let them get away with it this time.
Right now, the Troops Out Now Coalition is working with local organizers, churches and mosques, unions, and community groups to prepare for a long-term occupation of Washington by the anti-war movement. Local organizers across the U.S. are organizing buses, vans, and car caravans.
Beginning March 12
(Before the March on the Pentagon on Saturday March 17)
In Washington DC
on the mall directly in front of the Capitol building (3rd st. bt. Constitution and Independence)
Send a message to Congress:
*CUT OFF ALL WAR FUNDING
*END THE WAR
*BRING THE TROOPS HOME NOW
WHY NOW? During the week beginning March 12, Congress will begin voting on Bush’s request for $100 billion more for the wars in Iraq and Afganistan. If Congress votes to cut off funds, they can end the war now and bring the troops home. If they approve Bush’s war funds, the killing, and dying and occupation will go on…it’s as simple as that. This vote will be the most important war related vote since Congress voted to authorized Bush to invade and occupy Iraq in October of 2002. The antiwar movement must be there to let Congress know that we won’t let them get away with it this time.
Right now, the Troops Out Now Coalition is working with local organizers, churches and mosques, unions, and community groups to prepare for a long-term occupation of Washington by the anti-war movement. Local organizers across the U.S. are organizing buses, vans, and car caravans.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
An open letter to Sens. Clinton & Edwards
One of the easiest things to do is Monday-morning quarterbacking. However, the great ones, the Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks do it on Sunday. That's what differentiates them from the rest of the pack.
I am well aware that your positions on Iraq are different. But basically they boil down to this,
"if I knew in 2002 what I know now I would not have voted to give the president the power to invade Iraq."
My question is, Why didn't you know then what you know now?
Surely we have learned more since then, but most of what we know now was available then. That's why many in and out of Congress knew enough then to raise serious questions about the snake oil the neo-con artists were selling. There was clearly enough information available to raise significant questions. Now-Sen. Obama spoke out then against the drum rolls for war and 23 of your colleagues voted against the joint resolution. Why didn't you have the same information they had?
There is no vote you can cast more important for our country and the world than the decision to go to war. In 2002 you failed us. We elected you to protect us from those who for their own reasons wanted - and continue to want - to send our young people to die and be maimed in Iraq, and perhaps soon in Iran. You failed to protect us. Why?
There was enough information available for many Americans and most people around the world to be suspicious of the direction Cheney and Bush were taking us. But you voted in lockstep with those who took us to war. We don't need mea culpas now. We need to know why you made the choice you made then. Why you ignored all the available intelligence that contradicted the neo-con artists pro-war smoke screen.
Now you want a promotion to a more important job. Since you failed at the moment of decision, why should we hire you for the job you now want? How do we know that you won't fail us again when you are making the ultimate decision no longer just one of 100 votes? The neo-con artists are promoting a new war - to take out Iran.
It's basically the same people warning us that Armageddon will ensue if we don't change the regime in Iran. Does that sound familiar?
In "From the Wonderful Folks who Brought you Iraq" in Vanity Fair, Craig Unger says:
"Once again, neocon ideologues have been flogging questionable intelligence about WMD. Once again, dubious Middle East exile groups are making the rounds in Washington, this time urging regime change in Syria and Iran. Once again, heroic new exile leaders are promising freedom.” (Also check Amy Goodman's interview with Craig Unger)
As Paul Krugman said in Monday's N .Y.Times,
"It’s still hard to believe that they’re really planning to attack Iran, when it’s so obvious that another war would be a recipe for even bigger disaster. But remember who’s calling the shots: Dick Cheney thinks we’ve had 'enormous successes' in Iraq."
To paraphrase a popular TV commercial, "Every war begins with "W."
So! What are you going to do now? Are you going to stand up against this extension of the war into Iran or are you going to fall into the same trap again?
I am well aware that your positions on Iraq are different. But basically they boil down to this,
"if I knew in 2002 what I know now I would not have voted to give the president the power to invade Iraq."
My question is, Why didn't you know then what you know now?
Surely we have learned more since then, but most of what we know now was available then. That's why many in and out of Congress knew enough then to raise serious questions about the snake oil the neo-con artists were selling. There was clearly enough information available to raise significant questions. Now-Sen. Obama spoke out then against the drum rolls for war and 23 of your colleagues voted against the joint resolution. Why didn't you have the same information they had?
There is no vote you can cast more important for our country and the world than the decision to go to war. In 2002 you failed us. We elected you to protect us from those who for their own reasons wanted - and continue to want - to send our young people to die and be maimed in Iraq, and perhaps soon in Iran. You failed to protect us. Why?
There was enough information available for many Americans and most people around the world to be suspicious of the direction Cheney and Bush were taking us. But you voted in lockstep with those who took us to war. We don't need mea culpas now. We need to know why you made the choice you made then. Why you ignored all the available intelligence that contradicted the neo-con artists pro-war smoke screen.
Now you want a promotion to a more important job. Since you failed at the moment of decision, why should we hire you for the job you now want? How do we know that you won't fail us again when you are making the ultimate decision no longer just one of 100 votes? The neo-con artists are promoting a new war - to take out Iran.
It's basically the same people warning us that Armageddon will ensue if we don't change the regime in Iran. Does that sound familiar?
In "From the Wonderful Folks who Brought you Iraq" in Vanity Fair, Craig Unger says:
"Once again, neocon ideologues have been flogging questionable intelligence about WMD. Once again, dubious Middle East exile groups are making the rounds in Washington, this time urging regime change in Syria and Iran. Once again, heroic new exile leaders are promising freedom.” (Also check Amy Goodman's interview with Craig Unger)
As Paul Krugman said in Monday's N .Y.Times,
"It’s still hard to believe that they’re really planning to attack Iran, when it’s so obvious that another war would be a recipe for even bigger disaster. But remember who’s calling the shots: Dick Cheney thinks we’ve had 'enormous successes' in Iraq."
To paraphrase a popular TV commercial, "Every war begins with "W."
So! What are you going to do now? Are you going to stand up against this extension of the war into Iran or are you going to fall into the same trap again?
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Congressional office sit-ins to end the war
While the corporate media are focusing all their political attention on the potential Democratic and Republican candidates for 2008, other people are taking a much more active approach to ending Bush's war in Iraq:
"10 activists were arrested on orders from Senator John McCainÂ’s office today after members of the peace groups CODEPINK, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and Veterans for Peace tried to meet with the senatorÂ’s legislative aide to discuss defunding the war."
"10 activists were arrested on orders from Senator John McCainÂ’s office today after members of the peace groups CODEPINK, Voices for Creative Nonviolence, and Veterans for Peace tried to meet with the senatorÂ’s legislative aide to discuss defunding the war."
Monday, February 05, 2007
Ralph Nader on 2008
Many people (Democrats and independents) continue to blame Ralph Nader for Bush's elevation to the presidency in 2000 and then again in 2004. This seems to me an utterly absured line of reasoning.
First of all, in 2004 Al Gore won the popular vote and then a Supreme Court coup stole it for Bush. To blame Nader is to let those with the real power, those who totally disrespected the American people, those who chose to substitute power for democracy off the hook.
Secondly, the most important thing Nader did was to bring out people (particularly young people) who otherwise would have opted to sit out both elections. It continues to seem that to stifle Nader's voice is to stifle the essense of democracy.
When Amy Goodman asked Nader Monday morning on Democracy Now whether he would run for president again in 2008, this is what he said:
"Too early to say. I think we need more voices and choices. I think the speech by former Senator Mike Gravel indicates there’s going to be a wider debate in the primaries of the Democratic Party, along with Congressman Dennis Kucinich. There are lots of people in this country urging Bill Moyers to run in the Democratic primary. He would certainly give it more depth. And I hope more independent candidates and third-party candidates run. We’ve got to break this two-party elected dictatorship that’s being measured by how much money it raises."
Then when she asked him to expound on his comment to Wolf Blitzer on Sunday that if Hillary Clinton got the Democratic nomination he would be more likely to run, he answered:
"Well, there would be more need for a broader spectrum of views by more candidates. I don't think she has the fortitude to stand up to corporate power, whether it’s ripping off Washington by corporations or the bloated military budget or corporate crime, fraud, and abuse. It has a lot of roots right in her backyard, in Wall Street, Spitzer prosecution land. I don’t think she has it. And she has this increasingly distasteful habit of pandering and flattering in her public appearances. And she panders to special interest groups that need to be given the straight truth, and she flatters people in her audience. And I think that is a sign that she thinks she’s a frontrunner and she can play cautious."
I didn't vote for Nader in 2000 or in 2004 but I'm not at all sure what I will do in 2008. The lesser of two evils argument certainly holds less and less attraction for me. As I have said before here, the lesser of two evils is still evil. And I'm tired of holding my nose when I go into the voting booth.
First of all, in 2004 Al Gore won the popular vote and then a Supreme Court coup stole it for Bush. To blame Nader is to let those with the real power, those who totally disrespected the American people, those who chose to substitute power for democracy off the hook.
Secondly, the most important thing Nader did was to bring out people (particularly young people) who otherwise would have opted to sit out both elections. It continues to seem that to stifle Nader's voice is to stifle the essense of democracy.
When Amy Goodman asked Nader Monday morning on Democracy Now whether he would run for president again in 2008, this is what he said:
"Too early to say. I think we need more voices and choices. I think the speech by former Senator Mike Gravel indicates there’s going to be a wider debate in the primaries of the Democratic Party, along with Congressman Dennis Kucinich. There are lots of people in this country urging Bill Moyers to run in the Democratic primary. He would certainly give it more depth. And I hope more independent candidates and third-party candidates run. We’ve got to break this two-party elected dictatorship that’s being measured by how much money it raises."
Then when she asked him to expound on his comment to Wolf Blitzer on Sunday that if Hillary Clinton got the Democratic nomination he would be more likely to run, he answered:
"Well, there would be more need for a broader spectrum of views by more candidates. I don't think she has the fortitude to stand up to corporate power, whether it’s ripping off Washington by corporations or the bloated military budget or corporate crime, fraud, and abuse. It has a lot of roots right in her backyard, in Wall Street, Spitzer prosecution land. I don’t think she has it. And she has this increasingly distasteful habit of pandering and flattering in her public appearances. And she panders to special interest groups that need to be given the straight truth, and she flatters people in her audience. And I think that is a sign that she thinks she’s a frontrunner and she can play cautious."
I didn't vote for Nader in 2000 or in 2004 but I'm not at all sure what I will do in 2008. The lesser of two evils argument certainly holds less and less attraction for me. As I have said before here, the lesser of two evils is still evil. And I'm tired of holding my nose when I go into the voting booth.
Tonight (Tues.): Free Leonard Peltier
Both Ann and I were involved with the Native American movement in the 1970s and 1980s - she with the National Committee of the The Native American Solidarity Committee and I was at the International Indian Treaty Council at the UN - so we believe very strongly in freedom for Native American activist Leonard Peltier, who has be a prisoner of war for far to long. (Dan)
Free Leonard Peltier! 31 Years of Injustice is too long!
Tuesday February 6; 7-9PM
at Solidarity Center
55 West 17th Street 5th Floor (5th/6th Ave)
On the 31st anniversary of the unjust extradition and arrest of AIM leader Leonard Peltier, the NYC Leonard Peltier Support Group invites you to an evening of music, history, spoken word, open mike & updates from:
Live music hosted by Wayquay-w.I. N.D. RunningmouthRadio
Legal update by Peltier's attorneys
Special guests from near & far
Live radio interviews
Donation will be collected at door
Refreshments served
www.LeonardPeltier. net
Free Leonard Peltier! 31 Years of Injustice is too long!
Tuesday February 6; 7-9PM
at Solidarity Center
55 West 17th Street 5th Floor (5th/6th Ave)
On the 31st anniversary of the unjust extradition and arrest of AIM leader Leonard Peltier, the NYC Leonard Peltier Support Group invites you to an evening of music, history, spoken word, open mike & updates from:
Live music hosted by Wayquay-w.I. N.D. RunningmouthRadio
Legal update by Peltier's attorneys
Special guests from near & far
Live radio interviews
Donation will be collected at door
Refreshments served
www.LeonardPeltier. net
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Isaiah Washington: "Sticks and stones...."
People have been asking what I think should be done about Isaiah Washington and his homophobic insults hurled at Grey's Anatomy castmate T.R. Knight.
It puts me in mind of the saying in my childhood, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never harm me." Certainly words can be harmful, if we let them be. But they don't have to be.
We need to focus on the people with the real "sticks and stones," a president and Congress that continue to treat lesbians and gays as "3/5th of a human being" and not allowing them to marry, because it will undermine the sanctity of heterosexual marriage. What utter nonsense. Ann and I have been married nearly 25 years and have never felt our marriage even a tiny bit threatened by anyone else getting married. That's what concerns me much more than words, even stupid and hurtful ones.
Surly we need to ignore the latest Hollywood publicist antidote to abominable celebrity behavior - rehab. We know that's phony as a $3 bill. Has anyone who went to rehab ever reported back to us. Come on folks, if you behave like a moron, take it and move on.
So, what is to be done?
The most obvious response is, if ABC doesn't fire Washington, we'll boycott the show. But if such a boycott is successful and endangers the show it will hurt all the cast (including T.R.) and workers involved. This would be extremely unfair since many of them have been very forthcoming in their support of T.R.
So I don't have an easy answer, but I have been toying with an idea that targets sponsors, I'll let you know when I work it out. Till then....
It puts me in mind of the saying in my childhood, "Sticks and stones will break my bones, but names will never harm me." Certainly words can be harmful, if we let them be. But they don't have to be.
We need to focus on the people with the real "sticks and stones," a president and Congress that continue to treat lesbians and gays as "3/5th of a human being" and not allowing them to marry, because it will undermine the sanctity of heterosexual marriage. What utter nonsense. Ann and I have been married nearly 25 years and have never felt our marriage even a tiny bit threatened by anyone else getting married. That's what concerns me much more than words, even stupid and hurtful ones.
Surly we need to ignore the latest Hollywood publicist antidote to abominable celebrity behavior - rehab. We know that's phony as a $3 bill. Has anyone who went to rehab ever reported back to us. Come on folks, if you behave like a moron, take it and move on.
So, what is to be done?
The most obvious response is, if ABC doesn't fire Washington, we'll boycott the show. But if such a boycott is successful and endangers the show it will hurt all the cast (including T.R.) and workers involved. This would be extremely unfair since many of them have been very forthcoming in their support of T.R.
So I don't have an easy answer, but I have been toying with an idea that targets sponsors, I'll let you know when I work it out. Till then....
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Rumsfeld to Gates: Plus ca change, plus ca meme chose
Gates and "Big Daddy"
Bush
Once upon a time there was a spanking new Sec'y of Defense in Washington. One who was going to clean up the mess "Baby" Bush had created in Iraq. Bush had accomplished this by listening to a bunch of Neo-con artists who had an agenda of their own - to get control of the Middle East, to show that the U.S. alone could be the new cop on the block.
This of course coincided with the agenda of puppet-master Geppeto Cheney who needed control of Middle East oil for his corporfate buddies. It also met the needs of Baby Bush who needed a "slam dunk" to pump up his 2004 election campaign.
But, alas, the Mission that had been Accomplished quickly fell apart. So the old Secy of Defense who was associated in everybody's minds with the failed mission in Iraq had to go. So the Bush family brought Robert Gates off the bench. And all the newly Democratic-controlled Congress had to do was annoint the new Sec'y. So some noises were made about how the War in Iraq had not really been the success that had been claimed. and despite warnings that Gates was first and foremost a company man, that he would do exactly what his bosses needed done, he was annointed.
Well, as predicted, here's his latest pronouncement. The Boston Globe reports that "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq undercuts US commanders and 'emboldens the enemy'."
How many times have we heard that from Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld that opposition to the decider 'emboldens the enemy'? It didn't take long for the new Sec'y to show his true face. The "Decider" can't brook much opposition.
Bush
Once upon a time there was a spanking new Sec'y of Defense in Washington. One who was going to clean up the mess "Baby" Bush had created in Iraq. Bush had accomplished this by listening to a bunch of Neo-con artists who had an agenda of their own - to get control of the Middle East, to show that the U.S. alone could be the new cop on the block.
This of course coincided with the agenda of puppet-master Geppeto Cheney who needed control of Middle East oil for his corporfate buddies. It also met the needs of Baby Bush who needed a "slam dunk" to pump up his 2004 election campaign.
But, alas, the Mission that had been Accomplished quickly fell apart. So the old Secy of Defense who was associated in everybody's minds with the failed mission in Iraq had to go. So the Bush family brought Robert Gates off the bench. And all the newly Democratic-controlled Congress had to do was annoint the new Sec'y. So some noises were made about how the War in Iraq had not really been the success that had been claimed. and despite warnings that Gates was first and foremost a company man, that he would do exactly what his bosses needed done, he was annointed.
Well, as predicted, here's his latest pronouncement. The Boston Globe reports that "Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday that a congressional resolution opposing President Bush's troop buildup in Iraq undercuts US commanders and 'emboldens the enemy'."
How many times have we heard that from Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld that opposition to the decider 'emboldens the enemy'? It didn't take long for the new Sec'y to show his true face. The "Decider" can't brook much opposition.
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