Tuesday, July 15, 2003
( 4:13 PM )
Long Awaited Respite
I and my one-year-old son are going on holiday starting tomorrow. We are jetting out to the beautiful Lake Hubert in Nisswa, Minnesota to spend 5 days sunning and playing with my best friend (and his godmother) at her lakefront cabin there. I have been waiting for this vacation for months, and I'm so excited that it's finally here. Martin and I will get some fun, exclusive time together (P is gladly accepting a break from stay at home daddy duties to sleep in, work on the house and go to horror movies while we are away), and I will get away from my everyday surroundings and my job that increasingly feels more laborious than rewarding.
I'm looking forward to long days in the sun, hiking, swimming and playing in the lake, pizza and hot dogs, and after putting the baby to bed, long twilights and evenings sitting out on the porch with my best friend, looking up at the stars, drinking wine and chatting or just sitting together. It will go all too quickly, I'm sure.
Part of my holiday involves being miles and miles from a computer, so I won't be posting until my return on Tuesday. I'll miss you all and I'll miss being caught up on all the news that's fit to blog about... but then again, I'll also enjoy my break and look forward to "seeing" you when I return. Please check back with me next week, I will be back!
So long and see you on the other side of vacation!
P.S. Check in on Maru, Kos and Calpundit for great commentary on the news today.
Monday, July 14, 2003
( 11:41 AM )
Not to Put Too Fine a Point On It...
Ari is trying to quell the growing credibility gap with comments like this:
"This revisionist notion that somehow this
is now the core of why we went to war, a
central issue of why we went to war, a
fundamental underpinning of the president's
decisions, is a bunch of bull," Fleischer told
reporters Monday.
This is the same line that was repeated by all the BushCo lackeys on the Sunday Morning Talk shows. But Ari and the clan miss the point. It isn't that the country is suddenly upset merely because a statment that has now been proven to be based on lies and forgeries indicated that Iraq obtained nuclear material was in the State of the Union address. It's not that we all thought we went to war because of this one piece of evidence and now we're mad about it. It's not about this piece of evidence itself at all. It's about one key word in that sentence:
The British government has learned that
Saddam Hussein recently sought significant
quantities of uranium from Africa
We went to war, we attacked another nation, we sent our troops into harm's way and now have to keep them there, we ruined relationships with allies, we declared the UN "irrelevant" and stomped all over that body's historical role in mitigating worldwide disasters... all because BushCo pounded into us day after day that the threat from Saddam Hussein was IMMINENT. The urgency of the matter is what prompted him to completely usurp the authority of the UN and to completely disregard the findings and work of the weapons inspectors on the ground who knew what they were doing and what they were looking for. The president declared in his State of the Union address that Saddam had recently acquired these nuclear materials...implying that the nuclear weapons program was being built up and was an immediate and urgent threat to us.
It's not just the lie, Mr. President, it's the malice and aforethought that went into framing that lie in just such a way that the plausible deniability could be claimed, all the while the emphaisizing factor of the statement ignored by the administration. Shame on you. Shame on Congress that blindly followed and sent our troops into this sham of a venture without questioning or taking the time to deliberate on the consequences of their actions. Shame on the media for not caring enough to actually investigate the situation. Shame on us if we let you keep your office after next year.
( 10:11 AM )
Every Great Prison Break Deserves a Holiday
Happy Bastille Day! It's good to celebrate the citizens of a country taking back their own power and setting free scores of unjustly imprisoned citizens, put in jails without trial or charges by a government paranoid about attacks on it and unwilling to give its citizens rights while it became fat on its own wealth and the people remained jobless, hungry and fighting in wars they did not know the reason for. Hey...wait a minute...
Friday, July 11, 2003
( 12:05 PM )
It's Time To Talk About the Past
While the news swirls around us about the current travesty of lies that led to death and destruction, there is a commemoration taking place today for Bosnian Serbs that has been a long time coming. The Srebrenica massacre was the worst on European soil since WWII, and it happened only a short 8 years ago.
Some 8,000 Muslims, mainly men and boys,
were slaughtered by Bosnian Serb soldiers
who in 1995 overran the town in eastern Bosnia,
which was supposed to have been under United
Nations protection.
But despite finally being able to mourn this incredible loss, the Bosnian Muslims who used to live here still are outcast:
Only a small fraction of the town 27,000
Muslims have returned since the war, and
these are said have been subjected to
verbal harassment by Serbs.
This is a dark spot in American history too. While we vex and worry about whether we should have some sort of "interventionist" role in the world, we can look back and see how remaining silent and ignoring cries for help can result in devastation beyond description. It provokes another thought as well. And that is one of racism. Why is it that the American government has been so quick to act on behalf of the interests of Israel and out of vengance for our own loss (albeit against innocent parties not associated with that attack), and yet historically let Muslims in Bosnia be massacred, Africans in Rwanda starve, and now Liberians be raped, murdered and disappeared? Could it be that we are not liberators or protectors of life and liberty and freedom...we only use that excuse when it's convenient to disuade the public of our true intentions? It is a horrible thought to me that the democracy this country was designed to be has turned into an empire that cares not for humanity but the perpetuation of its own dominance and the fat bellies of its contributors.
Srebrenica reminds me today that it's up to me and my fellow citizens to change my country and how it views the rest of the world and then behaves toward those who need our help most and those who could do without our interference the most. If I leave it up to those in power now, who's to say another Srebrenica won't happen while we stand idly by?
( 10:44 AM )
Friday Round-Up
If you're not reading Tom Burka every day... your opinions need refining!
Daily Kos is keeping up with the unfolding revelations that (SHOCKER) the President lied in his State of the Union speech.
And No More Mr. Nice Blog tells us that despite the mainstream news now blaring the shocking news above, polls still find half of America still has its head up its arse.
TBogg has got the word on why it is a big deal.
Barney's got some great (and pointed) satire today... especially if you're wondering where all the Nazis have gone and why you just aren't in the right place to compete for a tech job these days.
Balkinization has some great insight into the so called "homosexual agenda" feared by all conservative politicians and judiciary...very worth reading.
If you haven't yet this week, catch up with the enjoyment of summer's greatest pasttime with the Vinman.
Maru's following the evolving headline on CBS' exclusive today...the SCLM is looking for its cojones...they've got be somehwere...
Rebel Dad has been discussing this week the fact that Parenting and Parents magazines both should be called Mothering and Mother magazines... the slant, including the look, the ads, the tone and who the articles are addressed to, all ignore Dads - but we also get the good news that a full 1/3 of dads in the UK would like to stay at home with their kids!
Body and Soul has the skinny on NGOs in Iraq taking hard hits unless they distance themselves from the military.
Daintily Dirty is addicted, but can't get past level 20 in the crypt...can someone help?
Annie's found that the people of Alaska have won (or subverted successfully) the war on drugs!
Roni's got something to say about fighting the fear tactics used on us by our own government.
Oh...and for all us Portlanders - Wil's in town!!
( 8:53 AM )
Robin Hood Resurrected in Alabama
A Republican governor in Alabama is doing what most Democrat governors wouldn't even dare: overhauling the entire state tax system and turning into a progressive tax that takes care of the poor and puts more burden on the rich and corporations! Could it be true? Governor Bob Riley is fighting corporate interests in his state in order to get a bill passed that will stop putting the tax burden on low-income families and take away the tax freebies from the likes of Weyerhaeuser and Boise Cascade.
Not surprisingly, the communities that have
benefited the most from Alabama’s tax breaks
are showing a great deal of resistance to
change the situation. Farmer and timber groups
hope to defeat the proposal at the polls by
portraying it as a threat to Alabama's agricultural
heritage. Christian groups and some country
Republican officials from around the state have
also spoken publicly against the measure.
Christian groups??? Because what, Jesus would prefer to tax the poor? I think not:
Governor Bob Riley has been fram[ing] the
tax package in starkly moral terms, arguing
that the current Alabama tax system violates
biblical teachings because Christians are
prohibited from oppressing the poor.
And in the Bush administration's religious fervor to grant favors to its rich friends and condemn the poor as lazy and undeserving of help, they may miss this new wave of logical argument for progressive taxing:
As the Bush administration and the religious right
fight to put theology more squarely into public
policy discussions, they are going to have to be
ready for arguments like the ones coming out
of Alabama. Many theologians argue that it is
far easier to find support in the Bible for policies
that help the poor than for, say, a cut in the
dividend tax. If Governor Riley's crusade succeeds
this summer, Alabama may offer the nation a
model for a new kind of tax system: one where
the Devil is not in the details.
Uh oh. Watch out for Robin Hoods disguised as Robin Hoods. This is one mama that hopes Gov. Riley's plan gets the go ahead this summer.
Wednesday, July 09, 2003
( 10:34 AM )
The Emperor Has No Clothes
Thanks to Eschaton for the link to the story (mentioned by Daintily Dirty) about how residents of Goree Island were penned up so that Bush could give his stirring speech about the evils of slavery. Body and Soul also notes the irony.
N'diaye and other residents of Goree,
site of a famous slave trading station,
said they had been taken to a football
ground on the other side of the quaint
island at 6 a.m. and told to wait there
until Bush had departed, around midday.
[...]
He then gave an eloquent speech about the
horrors of slavery, standing at a podium under
a sizzling sun near a red-stone museum,
topped by cannon pointing out to the sea.
The cooped-up residents were not impressed.
[...]
Normally, the island teems with tourists,
Senegal's ubiquitous traders, hawkers of
cheap African art, photographers offering
to take pictures and all the expected trappings
of a tourist hot-spot in one of the world's
poorest countries.
On Tuesday, shutters on the yellow and red
colonial-style houses remained shut. The cafes
were closed and the narrow pier deserted,
apart from security agents manning a metal
detector, near the sandy beach. A gunship
patrolled offshore.
[...]
We were shut up like sheep," said
15-year-old Mamadou.
Excellent. It's sad when such a disturbing story is not surprising at all.
( 8:58 AM )
Mid-week Inspiration
"The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it to be always kept alive. It will often be exercised when wrong, but better so than not to be exercised at all. I like a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere." --Thomas Jefferson to Abigail Adams, 1787.
"Most codes extend their definitions of treason to acts not really against one's country. They do not distinguish between acts against the government, and acts against the oppressions of the government. The latter are virtues, yet have furnished more victims to the executioner than the former, because real treasons are rare; oppressions frequent. The unsuccessful strugglers against tyranny have been the chief martyrs of treason laws in all countries." --Thomas Jefferson: Report on Spanish Convention, 1792.
"Malo periculosam libertatem quam quietam servitutem. [I prefer the tumult of liberty to the quiet of servitude.] Even this evil is productive of good. It prevents the degeneracy of government, and nourishes a general attention to the public affairs." --Thomas Jefferson to James Madison, 1787.
"I am sensible that there are defects in our federal government, yet they are so much lighter than those of monarchies, that I view them with much indulgence. I rely, too, on the good sense of the people for remedy, whereas the evils of monarchical government are beyond remedy." --Thomas Jefferson to David Ramsay, 1787.
( 8:52 AM )
Give Big, Become an Ambassador
While we like to continuously delude ourselves that our government is a democracy and that there is equal opportunity for everyone, the opposite has been the truth almost since the inception. Ambassadorships are the prime example of this. While it might seem logical to assign someone with diplomatic experience and know-how to be this country's representative in other nations, most often an ambassador is a big-money contributor to the president's campaign or party. A fresh example of this is today's announcement that the Bush administration has nominated James Kenny as the new ambassador to Ireland. James Kenny is a millionaire head of a Chicago construction firm with zero diplomatic experience. Now, Ireland, you may think, would be a cake-walk of an ambassadorship. But frankly, it's not. Ireland's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, and the continuous struggle carried on with the British over the six most northern counties on the island requires ongoing diplomatic finesse and know-how. But while Kenny may not have any experience dealing with the intricate issues surrounding Ireland's place in the EU and the delicate workings of saving democracy in the north, he is a big BushCo insider. He not only raised lotsa moola for Daddy Bush, but in addition to being one of the primary GOP fundraisers for Junior, he gave almost $42,000 of his own money for the 2000 election. But his old family hails from County Mayo, and that's enough knowledge of Ireland and its issues to make him the prime candidate for the ambassadorship.
I'm not singling out BushCo for this practice, every administration, republican and democrat, before it has done the same. I realize that the ultimate purpose of government is to maintain the status quo and that this and many other practices that keep our country from developing truly worthwhile relations with other nations and practices that might make us admired, respected and a true partner on the worldwide scene are never optioned because things just always perpetuate old ways of doing things. It's unfortunate that Jefferson's truism that he liked "a little rebellion now and then. It is like a storm in the atmosphere" (1787) is not taken more to heart by the people of this country.
Today this small piece of news about this ambassadorship has got me thinking about the fact that while we may have the longest well-functioning republic with democratic rights for its citizens in history, we've also fallen into lethargy and malaise in terms of keeping this republic functioning with the best intentions of its citzens, and not the maintenance of its own fat habits, as its primary goal.
A little rebellion is good now and then.
Tuesday, July 08, 2003
( 2:05 PM )
Meanwhile in Africa...
Bush wants to be known as the humanitarian president...this week. Taking off his cowboy hat and his promises of gettin' our enemies dead or alive, he has put on his "compassion" hat and set flight for Africa. His five-day tour will do its best to NOT to address the growing crisis in Liberia (our only African colony), the fact that his AIDS package won't ever live up to his promises, and the pressure the US puts on African countries to comply with genetically-engineered crop rules and trade sanctions in order to participate in the "free trade" of the world. On his first stop today, he made us all proud with stirring words from Goree Island, where the slaves were loaded onto ships - condeming slavery and the way it corrupted humanity. Without actually mentioning the United States' name specifically or apologizing for 400 years of subjugation of African descendants in this country, he portrayed our country as a noble fighter in the pursuit of true justice and equality:
"My nation's journey toward justice has not
been easy and it is not over," Mr. Bush said.
"The racial bigotry fed by slavery did not end
with slavery or with segregation. And many of
the issues that still trouble America have roots
in the bitter experience of other times. But
however long the journey, our destination is set:
liberty and justice for all."
How sweet. That really means a lot coming from a man who stood against the University of Michigan's affirmative-action program.
Not only are Americans not going to pay attention to this Africa trip because of the inherent racism and self-centerdness of our corporate media and our culture in general, but even important Africans are ignoring it. Nelson Mandela refuses to meet with Bush, as does the entire African Union. It's so nice to be so loved and admired by everyone, isn't it?
( 1:16 PM )
A Letter from Iraq
Daily Kos is right: the headlines are almost becoming mundane these days. But then I read this today at Guerilla News Network. Take the time to read it.
After a while, you begin to understand the current
troubles in Iraq from the perspective of the grunt on
the ground. It’s not what you might think. The U.S.
soldiers aren’t being hailed as liberators and warmly
embraced by the vast majority of the population. Nor
are they raping Iraqi women or indiscriminately shooting
at anything that moves. They’re ordinary soldiers trained
to kill cast into inordinately complex situations.
[...]
From the humanitarian projects they carry out to the surgical
early-night body snatches they conduct, they’re in many
cases doing things for which they have no training or experience.
I fear the soldiers in Iraq are not just there occupying a country, but fighting for their very survival... I fear that they are barely making it sometimes. I'm sure they must feel so taken for granted. The surge of "support our troops!" that happened when the invasion began - to the point of claiming that those of us against the attack did NOT support the troops - seems to have died away. Adding insult to injury, in the short time the troops have been in Iraq, BushCo has cut veterans benefits, lowered their "danger-pay," and not given any increase to the mere $6000 a family receives when a soldier is killed in active duty. It's up to the families now to wait and hope their sons, daughters, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters, boyfriends, girlfriends, partners, friends will come home safe - no one in the administration seems to care. Gen. Tommy Franks callously repeated George Bush's "bring 'em on" taunt, and supports BushCo's ridiculous line not increasing troop counts in Iraq. What general, what soldier thinks it's a good idea not to have a good amount of back up troops in a situation like we're facing? I'm no military planner, but would some run of the mill common sense even be a part of the government's plan for our soldiers?
This is a shout out to all of you who have loved ones overseas in the service of this country. Thank you. My father did (for 30 years) and my brother does this job without complaint, as do thousands of others who have given up families, home, even their jobs and the pay that gets their family by every month, in order to serve as they promised to do. But the longer we misuse them, the further our government goes ignoring them, allowing them to be targets in a quagmire that is not being made any better by the civilian structures that had promised to do so, then the less and less the possibility is that there will be enough soldiers there for us when we really do need them...and appreciate them. Thank you, wherever you are, for doing what even our leader was unwilling to do.
( 1:05 PM )
What Would Happen if the Media Told the Truth?
Tom Tomorrow is fantastic this week.
( 11:53 AM )
Tuesday Doldrums?
I have to confess that I'm having one of those I-hate-being-a-working-mom days (for the second day in a row) and the tape that is running through my mind is "I am horrible at working for other people, my job sucks, I never see my kid, blah." On the one hand, I have been very energized politically by my new involvement in the local Howard Dean campaign here in Oregon. It's nice to be around people who are filled with hope and excitement. On the other hand, my boss is being extremely passive-agressive and my 1 year old is teething his molars and feeling horrible with a low-grade fever for the last 3 days. I am lucky enough to have a husband who is not only wonderful but a skilled caretaker of our son - so I know wee Martin is in good hands while he's feeling yucky and his mouth is hurting. But I really want to be there too. I don't want to take away my husband's part, so I guess what I really want is for us to be independently wealthy so we can both stay home and raise our child together. Ah, that must be why it's called the "American dream."
Sometimes I get so tired of just getting by. Of only making do. Of cutting corners and cutting costs and cutting opportunities and chances. But I know that most of America lives this way, so I'm not alone. It's worrying about the next month's bills, not worrying about stock dividends, that occupies the worries of most of us. It's wondering if we should take the risk and cut off our health insurance for the adults in the family so that the kids can still have it, but we can also afford to pay the student loan payments. It's taking jobs that aren't enlightening or necessarily interesting or challenging, but that give us paychecks. It's taking three-day weekend mini-holidays instead of two-week vacations. It's worrying about friends who are even worse off than us. That's what American life is for most of us right now.
The headlines stay the same, the government pursues status quo, jobs are lost and not regained, houses are foreclosed on, medical conditions untreated. This isn't the kind of world I want my child to grow up in. When will our nation learn that it's far better to have a system that takes care of each other rather than claiming we are all better off fending for ourselves? When will our nation learn that depending on others and contributing to others' welbeing and futures is strength-building, not weakening? When will we learn that making friends around the world instead of enemies is what guarantees security and aid when we need it?
Anyway, just hanging on till next week when Martin and I take a blessed break from our usual world and fly out to the lake in Minnesota to spend a respite with my best friend (and his godmother). Meanwhile, it's just one of those days, I guess!
Monday, July 07, 2003
( 4:14 PM )
Select Your Candidate
Thanks to Easy Bake Coven for pointing out this website that helps you narrow your search for a candidate to support based on your political ideologies. The website contains very good summaries on the candidates' backgrounds and positions.
( 3:38 PM )
The Language of Intimidation
Just read this fantastic post from Notes on the Atrocities about the way Bush uses intimdation language. Emma uses the thesis in this Renana Brooks article in The Nation to show that it is a regular practice by Bush to use negatively-charged emotional language in his speeches in an effort to appear to be a strong leader.
President Bush, like many dominant personality
types, uses dependency-creating language. He
employs language of contempt and intimidation to
shame others into submission and desperate admiration.
While we tend to think of the dominator as using
physical force, in fact most dominators use verbal abuse
to control others.
It is interesting to review the language used in his May 1 "Victory" speech and his recent gaff last week with the "bring 'em on" crap. In both prepared and off-the-cuff remarks, he employs these same language tactics. It will be interesting to see as he begins to campaign for an extension of his presidential life (which we, enforce, will be unwilling to grant him), how this use of domineering language will be evoked against the contenders for the White House. It's this sort of language that has distanced us from our historical allies, and which has isolated us in the world at a time when we should be connecting rather than disconnecting from our fellow human beings and nations. It's a shameful use of power and, unlike his supporters in the vast universe of talk-radio, as un-leader-like as possible. He has done nothing to earn the office he holds, but soon it won't matter because he and his passe won't be there anymore.
Brooks' conclusion echoes my own thoughts on how the Democratic candidates should counter this type of pervasive victim-making language used by BushCo:
Bush's political opponents are caught in a fantasy
that they can win against him simply by proving the
superiority of their ideas. However, people do not
support Bush for the power of his ideas, but out of the
despair and desperation in their hearts. Whenever
people are in the grip of a desperate dependency, they
won't respond to rational criticisms of the people they
are dependent on. They will respond to plausible and
forceful statements and alternatives that put the American
electorate back in touch with their core optimism. Bush's
opponents must combat his dark imagery with hope and
restore American vigor and optimism in the coming years.
Also: check out Notes' new dossiers on our leaders - detailed and excellently researched and written.
( 12:20 PM )
Blog Milestone!
Wow - I hit 4,000 visitors today! It took less than a month to go up one thousand. How cool. Added to that, I just discovered I've evolved! The ecosystem now proclaims me a "Slithering Reptile," up from being a Crawly Amphibian. I'm really enjoying the whole blogging experience - the network of people who write so exceptionally well and who share tidbits of life and glean wisdom out of the daily news... it's great fun, and I'm really looking forward to the coming year of change in this country. Blogging will step to the forefront as a medium to express opinion and to get word out to people. Equalizing the discussion. That's how it should be.
( 10:47 AM )
Can a General be Drafted?
Let's hope so. Here it is, fresh off the presses, the new interview with General Wesley Clark. Looks like he's publicly considering a candidacy. He's got a large and growing grassroots movement behind him already, including meetups across the country. Here's a tidbit from the General:
To me, it’s really about the issues. I saw it
starting to go wrong before the [2000] election.
I met with Condi Rice. She told me she believed
that American troops shouldn’t be keeping the
peace—they were the only ones who could kill
people and conquer countries, and that’s what
they should be focused on doing. What she was
telling me [was] that she, as a potential Republican
national-security adviser, didn’t support our
engagement in Europe. So I saw it going wrong from
there. Then, as the administration took office, I saw
more and more what I believed were misunderstandings
and missed opportunities.
[...]
The world expects something more of an American
president than to prance around on a flight deck
dressed up like [a] pilot. He’s expected to be a leader.
That’s my fundamental issue with it. It doesn’t reflect
the gravitas of the office. Furthermore, it’s a little phony.
Hmm... wonder why any of the rest of our "opposition party" in Congress couldn't manage to utter a simple truth like this? Here's hoping a Clark candidacy will re-energize the party soon.
( 10:37 AM )
The CEO President
Remember back before the 2000 election? I know, it's hard to get beyond the fog of what's happened since, but work with me. Candidate Bush and his press people touted the fact that he would be our first "CEO President," able to efficiently run the government like a business and get rid of all the waste and fat. He made sure we all knew he was an OUTSIDER and that he would bring freshness to the entire scene inside the Beltway (having lived inside the Beltway, I didn't believe that was possible anyway).
But, as with most of his campaign promises, this one has fallen the way of colored leaves in autumn. If he truly were an effective CEO, why have there not been any firings or responsibility taken for 9/11? In the wake of an event like that, someone should have been canned -- at least to show that the old ways of doing things were going to end. And Paul Wolfowitz, speaking up at any turn - saying things like "we just used the weapons of mass destruction as an excuse to go in to Iraq" - shouldn't he have been fired long ago? What about the conversations revealed in Bob Woodward's book following 9/11, showing Bush totally out of his depth in trying to figure out what to do, and revealing that Rumsfeld and Cheney already made a push to blame and invade Iraq even the day after 9/11. And instead of streamlining government and making things run more efficiently, he's created a mammoth new agency for "homeland security," signed in several unfunded mandates for states, including his dead-in-the-water "leave no child behind" education bill, and he's cut taxes twice when revenue continues to fall and the deficit rise. He was quick to usurp the power of the United Nations to get his (Cheney and Rumsfeld's) way with Iraq, and to declare it "irrelevant." In the wake of seriously damaging relationships with our allies (or business partners, in CEO-speak), he now wants the UN to step in and take over peacekeeping in a country the UN didn't want to invade in the first place. So now they aren't as irrelevant, I guess, and he intends to sweet talk the rest of the world back to doing what we say after we tromped them all so unceremoniously last winter? Is this the way a good CEO would operate his company??
There is something going on in this administration that is not right. George W. Bush seems to be admired by his supporters because of his strength of leadership. Is that what we've come to? Admiring someone because they seem decisive, even though their rash decisions lead to the ongoing deaths of our troops and the doomed policy of "pre-emptive war?" He may be good at delegating; Rumsfeld and Cheney seem to have things well in hand for their long-held plans in the middle east. But he is terrible with employee relations - a constant stream of diplomats and advisors have left the administration.
It's been scary to watch the way our country has deteriorated in all aspects: economically, socially, in our foreign relations, culturally, and even our long-protected civil rights. It's been scary to see how easily we were led into this debacle in Iraq by false information, innuendo and scare-tactics. It's sad to think of how long it will take to get out of it now. Meanwhile, this week our CEO President is travelling in Africa, flaunting a plan to help take care of the AIDS epidemic, but keeping quiet the provisos that we don't want African nations to use more affordable generic drugs, our money primarily goes to clinics that don't offer abortions, we intend to bully African nations into buying genetically altered crops from us and blocking trade on their crops if they don't, and after Congress gets through with the AIDS aid package, it will be a shadow of its promised former-self. But I suppose this is just par for the course for a guy who couldn't even manage a baseball team and who kept as a close friend a man who robbed his faithful employees blind and has yet to be charged with a crime.
It's time for a change in Washington.
( 9:37 AM )
Monday Morning Roundup
On the technology front, thanks to Maru for posting the link to this article about two MIT researchers who have set up a Citizens' website for information on government officials, in a turn-about-is-fair-play move on the TIA. Have it, everyone - it's about time!
Everything on Daily Kos today is worth taking the time to read, especially the commentary about what is going on in Iraq.
Democratic Veteran has some great comments about the leadership of our country...and points us to the fact that some African journalists are showing the spine that American reporters can't seem to find.
TBogg talks about troop morale...it's getting very bad (but nobody's talking about it).
Thursday, July 03, 2003
( 6:57 PM )
Long Weekend Ahead
I am thankfully going to sign off for the long weekend and enjoy three days of not going to an office; three days of playing with my son and holding hands with my husband. Maybe a day at the zoo, a picnic, some swimming lessons. Maybe working in the yard or just sitting on the porch and sipping lemonade. A barbecue with the neighbors, lazy lay-on-the-couch tickle fights with my boys. Now THAT is what I call a holiday. See you all on Monday.
( 9:12 AM )
What Did You Do Last Night?
I adopted three Iowans. Yep - Ruth, Joseph and Milton will all be receiving personal letters from me sometime this week. I went to one of the three Dean Meet Ups here in Portland last night, and it was a blast. There were over 200 people and it was just so cool to be surrounded by people who have hope about our country turning around. The Dean Campaign provided stationery, envelopes and postage and we all wrote to registered democrats in Iowa to encourage them to support Dean in their caucus. We don't have a meaningful primary here in Oregon (it's not until May), so it felt good to have personal contact with people who actually could make a difference with their votes a half a year from now.
I don't mean for this blog to become all Howard Dean all the time, but this week has just been very exciting. I think I figured out last night why I feel so inspired and so ready and willing to work for a political campaign when I never have before. In all my many years of activism, as most activists know, all I've known is the rage-against-the-machine mentality. Almost every activist who is committed to an issue or group fights despite the fact that it most often is a lost cause. You take pride in the small wins and you keep fighting because the effort is worth it. But this time, it actually feels like there will be a big victory at the end - activism for this cause will actually produce a triumphant outcome. It's a different feeling to work for something you actually believe has the potential to overcome the odds and actually come to fruition. While I'll never give up my activism for the things I believe in, no matter how lost of causes they may seem to people, I am really energized by Howard Dean's campaign, the people in it, and the idea that it is powered by people like me, not big corporate money interests or DLC centrist power brokers.
If you haven't checked it out, I encourage you to just sign up and go to a meet up in your town next month - just to get a look for yourself at what is happening at the grassroots level in this country. It will give you a sense of empowerment - and that's what is really needed for the people of this country these days.
( 8:52 AM )
Can't Argue with Science!
Well, it's been scientifically proven: Howard Dean will be our next president (unless George W. Bush launches nuclear weapons). Thanks to a friend for this link - Check it out!
Wednesday, July 02, 2003
( 9:26 AM )
A Voice from the Trenches
Check out the full text of the Army Times' Editorial posted on Daily Kos today. It's a telling scenario of how the Bush Administration talks a good talk of supporting the troops they have put in the line of fire, but walks the walk of denying them even basic upgrades in benefits for them and their families. This echoes the actions of the Administration a few months ago when, while singing the praises of the troops, it cut billions of dollars of veterans' benefits from the budget. There is no time like the present for Democratic candidates and the people of this country to point out what true support of the troops means - and it's more than a ripped-to-shreds flag flying the back of your suv.
( 8:55 AM )
A Campaign for the People
Howard Dean's interview this morning on NPR was very well done. It was great to listen to his concise, well-thought out answers and to hear the conviction in his voice. It wasn't very long, but in the short amount of time, he was able to articulate a vision for the country and even plans for how to change the things that have led us into the quagmire that we are in right now with the economy, foreign relations, health care, and even equal rights for all people.
Also, it was very cool to read this article in the American Prospect that shows how it's Dean's message that is creating not only the buzz for his campaign, but drawing in hundreds and thousands of supporters each day:
When the history of this past week in the Democratic
primaries is written, the relative impact of MoveOn.org, Meetup.com
and "smartmobbing" technology on Dean's ability to raise such
an unexpected sum will all feature prominently.
But reading the threads on the message boards at BlogforAmerica.com
-- the official Web log of the Dean campaign, where donors
discuss their reasons for giving and for backing Dean -- it quickly
becomes obvious that the single most important factor in Dean's
stunning fundraising numbers is the most old-fashioned weapon
in any campaign's arsenal: message.
Dean has been able to build a following and raise the bar on
per-quarter fundraising not by working his friendships with
wealthy trial lawyers, relying on decades of contacts with the
rich and powerful, or building the best Internet-based campaign
American politics has yet seen. He's done it by steadfastly
promoting a pugnacious, optimistic, forward-looking message
and by coupling it with a campaign organization smart enough
to let his supporters help him. In the post-McCain-Feingold world,
the Democratic Party has struggled to figure out how to attract
small-sum donors: In the last election cycle, 64 percent of donations
less than $200 went to Republicans, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics, while Democrats grew fat and sick on big
money from those who gave more than $1 million. Dean has cracked
the nut and done what six months ago looked to be impossible: He
has figured out how to compete based on donations the size of the
fat cats' monthly Starbucks expenditures.
Welcome to Dean's world. We all will live in it.
On Dean's blog, the message-board threads have acted
as constant, ongoing, real-time focus groups for everything
the governor says and does. The campaign takes it all in. Plenty
of ideas adopted by the campaign start out on the threads of
the Dean blogs, say Dean campaign aides, and the Dean for
America Internet team is constantly updating and modifying the
site in response to the posts. To follow the blog is to watch the
campaign unfold in real time with a startling level of intimacy
and transparency; it is to enter a freewheeling, unending
conversation where thousands and thousands of Dean's
supporters chew over every aspect of his campaign and
strategy, message and image, policies and past record.
[...]
For Dean's supporters, the most important part of
the Dean message is that it makes them feel that they have
the power to control their own destiny:
"[E]ating is much less important this month than making
sure that the people are heard," wrote small-money
donor Stephanie on the comment thread. "I hope this lets
the other candidates understand that the status-quo isn't
acceptable anymore. We the people want to be heard in our
government. We have the power as individuals to make a
difference finally we have the opportunity."
[...]
Most of all, these people seemed to be supporting
Dean because other people they know and trust are supporting
Dean. The Internet campaign magnifies the voices of friends
and relatives above the voices of the famous or the powerful.
If you haven't looked into the Dean campaign yet, I encourage you to do so, and to go to the Meet-up in your town tonight. It's worth a little effort for each of us to get behind someone who not only listens to us, but who gives us the power to take the
white house back.
Tuesday, July 01, 2003
( 2:44 PM )
Whhaaa?
Thanks to Leah, sitting in at Eschaton, we have this quote from our esteemed leader at his fundraiser yesterday in Florida (via AP):
I want to thank you all so very much for your
help today. We're laying the groundwork for
a national campaign -- a national campaign
that I believe will result in a great victory in
November 2002. (Applause.)
Well, looks like the "guests" each got their 2000 bucks' worth at that party.
Please PLEASE vote Dem in 2004!
( 2:26 PM )
Treason
Treason: \Trea"son\, n. 1. The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance, or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power; disloyalty; treachery. 2. Loosely, the betrayal of any trust or confidence; treachery; perfidy. (Webster)
A great post on Seeing the Forest today on Anne Coulter's new book Treason. He discusses Richard Cohen's article today about the book:
I am happy to report that Ann Coulter has lost her mind.
The evidence for this is her most recent book, "Treason,"
a nearly unreadable slog through every silly thing anyone
on the left has ever said. Coulter conflates dissent with
treason, opposition with treason, being wrong with treason,
being right with treason and just about anything she doesn't
like with treason. If the book were a Rorschach test, she
would be institutionalized.
I have to agree wtih Dave at Forest that Cohen isn't taking it seriously enough. While I admire his ability to mock Coulter, as she and her writing justly deserve, the truth of the matter is that her rhetoric is the stuff of ditto-meisters everywhere. That solid chunk of Americana that is happily esconced in its cognitive dissonance will read her words and begin to echo them in the truest neo-con tradition and soon, without the help of cable tv pundits (who most assuredly will help the process along), they will begin using them as generally-held beliefs among Americans. I can only hope her book goes the way of all ludicrous writing - to the circular file.
She was making the rounds on Friday's talk shows from what I saw when I got home from work. The major question thrown at her was how does she think her book will do compared to Hillary. Of course, once she got her tongue lashing of Senator Clinton out of the way, she moved on to explain some of her major theses in her book. The main one is that "liberals" are committing treason by the virtual act of dissent. She went on to discuss poor old McCarthy and how he got a baaaaaad rap. He was actually serving this country and he was doing his PATRIOTIC duty in his hunt for those traitors of Almighty America! She actually defended McCarthyism...with a straight face.
As Dave says:
The right has destroyed the civility of our society.
They have made it OK to be nasty, insulting, mocking
and dismissive of more than half of all Americans. And
they are proud of it. Now this book takes their anti-civility
campaign a lot further. The book accuses everyone left
of the Christian Coalition of hating and conspiring to
destroy America.
Barney Gumble has a link to this article about the book as well. Thinking people will agree:
With her new book ... syndicated pundit Ann Coulter has driven
the national discourse to a new low. No longer content to merely
smear liberals and the media with sweeping generalizations and
fraudulent evidence, she has now upped the ante, accusing the
entire Democratic Party as well as liberals and leftists nationwide of
treason, a crime of disloyalty against the United States. But, as in her
syndicated columns (many of which are adapted in the book) and her
previous book Slander: Liberal Lies Against the American Right,
Coulter's case relies in large part on irrational rhetoric and pervasive
factual errors and deceptions. Regardless of your opinions about
Democrats, liberals or the left, her work should not be taken at face value.
...the question is, what does it matter how thinking people view her book? Her book isn't for them. The republican gloves came off long ago, but now we see that as Ms. Coulter is lauded and praised for this work of insidious hatred and crass debasing of historically held beliefs in this country, the neo-cons will not rest until they can literally destroy their enemy. See, the thing is, equating liberals with "treason" is not akin to McCarthyism...it's akin to Fascism.
( 1:41 PM )
HE'S BACK!!
OH MY GOD... where have I BEEN all week? DIGBY IS BACK!!!!! (I can't believe I stopped checking for so long)
Go now and readeth.
( 12:44 PM )
30 Things
I got tired of politics and current events... so for a little break, here are 30 not that interesting things about me...Stolen from Conflict Girl, who stole it from Dawn, who stole it from Roni:
1. If you had to choose an alias, what would it be?
Obviously: Buffy.
2. Where were you on 9/11?
At home getting ready for work, watching it live on television (it happened in the 6 o'clock hour in my time zone). I had that twilight zone sense of not knowing if I was watching reality or not at first. I spent the next half hour frantically tracking down my parents who were supposed to have been on a plane from DC that morning.
3. What is your ideal vacation?
Never going back to work.
4. How many first cousins do you have?
13 - one is deceased, 2 are by marriage, 4 are estranged because their mother is crazy, all (except the 4) are at least 14 years younger than me and so I don't really have "friendships" with any of them.
5. How do you take your pizza?
Pepperoni, mushrooms and black olives, and please leave the thick crust -- i like thin or at the most, regular crust.
6. If you could be fluent in any foreign language (that you are not already) what would it be?
Spanish. I'm trying to learn - I hope to take classes soon. I learned French in school but obviously not to the extent I could actually use it in conversation.
7. What is your favorite website?
Well, this one ranks pretty high for me.... but aside from all the blogs I love (can't choose a favorite among them), I like to check out the Residents of Garvaghy Road this time of year to see how they're fairing against the annual onslaught of sectarian hatred and militarized isolation.
8. If you could experience another era of history, which would it be?
Oooo, good question. I waiver between ancient celts where women were leaders and equal members in society, and the late 1800's - I'd go West, know how to shoot a gun, and I wouldn't wear skirts.
9. What is your favorite genre of movies?
Independent and foreign. Oh I'm such a snob. I love the good suspense action thriller as well!
10. If you could have any one superpower, what would it be?
Picking the winning lotto numbers.
11. Can you whistle?
yes, but not strongly.
12. If you could be any animal for a day, what would it be?
an eagle flying over Alaska
13. Who is your favorite fictional character?
literary: currently, Nan in The Nanny Diaries - TV: (I have to go with Conflict Girl on this one ) Spike.
14. Star Wars or Star Trek?
In deference to Will, Trek of course.
15. What is your favorite beverage?
Cherry Kool Aid
16. What brand of toothpaste do you use?
Arm&Hammer Baking Soda whitener toothpaste.
17. What is your favorite professional sports team?
The Mama declines to answer this question in light of the fact that professional sports are not a regular visitor into her universe. As for attending live games, she saw the Baltimore Orioles many times, back when Cal was King and she lived in DC.
18. Are you "indoorsy" or "outdoorsy"?
While I love the outdoors (minus sun burn, bug bites, humidity and/or scrapes and scratches), I am most comfy indoors, cuddled up and cozy.
19. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Three years old, hunkering down in the dark basement in our home in Kansas while a tornado flew overhead.
20. If you could play any musical instrument, what would it be?
Guitar..but only if i could play like God* and I could pretend like it's nothing and everyone would be really impressed. (*Eric Clapton)
21. What's your favorite accent?
Scottish...mmmm! I've told P many a time that if he dies, my next husband will have a Scottish lilt to his voice.
22. When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
A famous author and airline stewardess (obviously!).
23. Are you a dog person or a cat person?
No pets at present, but would love to have a wee Westie puppy for Martin. Definitely NOT a cat person, except when viewing them onstage.
24. If they were making a movie or TV show of your life, who would you choose to play you?
Janeane Garafolo - she needs the work.
25. What is your favorite element (earth, fire, water or air)?
earth.
26. If you could compete in any event in the Olympics (summer or winter) what would it be?
No question - women's soccer
27. What is your favorite Sunday comic strip?
Doonsebury and Baby Blues
28. What kind of music do you listen to?
I love all music - though when it comes to the radio, i'm straight NPR. When listening, currently alternating between Nora Jones, Jao Gilberto, Santana and Yellow Submarine (a favorite of the shorter person in the family).
29. What is your favorite breakfast cereal?
No longer a breakfast cereal eater...but if i did... Apple Jacks, no question.
30. What is your worst habit?
eating when I'm not hungry.
( 9:16 AM )
Today 'Round the Blogosphere
Body and Soul has the perfect eulogy for Katharine Hepburn - it couldn't be said better.
Wampum explains the economic news of the day... in language we can understand and appreciate, as usual!
Conflict Girl has 30 great questions to ask and answer. Makes for a cool read - I might steal them and post my own answers later.
Being Daddy writes a memo to the herd. But have they heard his plea?
Rebel Dad breaks the news that stay at home Dads are a sexy bunch! (who didn't know that? the mama asks)
Fulltime Father reminds us that Bill Nye the Science Guy had his own tv show for a reason...
If you haven't been keeping up with Wil's Road Trip, check in - he's been having close encounters with the creepy voice in his On*Star monitor.
Susan over at Suburban Guerilla catches the SCLM in another of its hypocrisies.
The Shape of Contempt has the link to the 37 People Who Run Iraq (in case you were wondering, they don't include anyone with a known track record of successful diplomacy - shocker, I know).
If you haven't checked in on Barney's MWOWWWW, he's got his eye on Anne - who insists that the NY Times severely wronged us all by not mentioning in every article about the DC Area sniper that he was a Muslim. Someone, give that girl a sandwich.
He's not dead yet.
You heard it first at CalPundit - The Canadians are taking over!
The Agonist is keeping us up on how we're screwing up the rest of the world outside of Iraq...
And last, but not least for today...
Daily Kos has a great analysis of the fundraising situation... and I'm still high off yesterday's intoxicating climb of the numbers at Howard Dean's blog as WE THE PEOPLE supported his campaign. Kos is right... this is the model of campaign fundraising that will lead to victory.
Monday, June 30, 2003
( 10:24 AM )
Update on the Doc
Well, the buzz is that Howard Dean has become a "player" now that he's just below his goal of raising an amazing $6.5 million by today's end of the fiscal quarter deadline. As the NY Times reports, he's now in the "top tier" of contenders for the White House by virtue of his raising $9 million so far this year. The catch is that much of his fundraising has been accomplished online. Dr. Dean is reporting on his blog today that he has just a little more to go before tonight's deadline. CNN has got the story on the internet donations as well.
It's great that he's recognizable as a candidate now and that the media is showing him to be a true contender for the candidacy. While I'm glad he has been able to raise the money he needs to get his campaign in the place it needs to be, and doubly glad that he's depended on his supporters and individuals to do that up to this point, I hope that people will begin to see that he's a contender not because of his money raising skill, but because of his message. While the press ravaged him after last week's Meet the Press (God knows why, considering the presentations Candidate Bush made in 1999 and 2000), I think they are starting to come around. I saw Mary Matlin on Meet the Press this week and she called him "left of left," which indicates that they aren't very prepared to battle with him since he's obviously not "left of left" in his policies or platform. Once people begin to hear his positions, they will be pleasantly surprised to learn that he can not only lead the party back to its progressive roots, but he can also draw in the independents and even conservatives who don't want Bush in but are afraid of "scary liberals."
That's the update on the Doc. Looks like he's off to a running start. Maybe the next few months will see the field narrow with some dropouts (let's hope one of the goodbyes is for Lieberman). That will bode will for the upcoming debates. Fewer voices, clearer message for the Dems.
UPDATE: He's passed the $6.5 million mark! As of 1:30 pm EST, he's raised $6,560,832 - with $253,604 of it online today -- contributions from regular Americans, who, in 2004, will show that they are a force to be reckoned with, even against the forces of big business and corporate control that currently powers the White House.
UPDATE 2: It's very exciting to read comments on Dr. Dean's Blog - people are really pumped up about raising up to $7 million before the deadline tonight - it's kind of cool read about a campaign being powered by donations of $10 and $25 from regular people. I hope it inspires a much broader audience as word gets out.
( 8:53 AM )
Top Ten Answers to the Big Question
Where are the WMDs???? The Washington Post has a collection of humorous responses. Start your Monday with a smile!
My favorites are:
• "A thorough search of the Gulf of Tonkin might be revealing."
• Ronald Reagan got them back in 1986 and forgot to tell anyone.
Friday, June 27, 2003
( 3:51 PM )
TGIF
I am going to ignore the computer this weekend. I hope everyone else has an opportunity to be with people they love, rest their minds and rejuvenate, even if just a bit. See you on the other side of Sunday.
( 10:34 AM )
If You Read Only One Thing Today...
Please read this letter sent to Howard Dean and posted on his blog today. The marine described in the letter espoused the same views as my own brother, an officer in the Air Force, who also went willingly to aid his comrades and serve his country in the job he signed up to do. The men and women who are in daily peril are far better human beings than the one who dresses up like them but sends them to their deaths for false reasons.
( 10:31 AM )
Move On Primary Results
The Results were just released... Dean won with just about 44% of the vote. Kucinich was close behind with 23%. Though none of the candidates got 50% (Dean warned that probably wouldn't happen), it is a very interesting vote. I have no idea what the demographics of the vote were except they had to be computer-literate people and most likely activists because MoveOn is an activist organization. But while it may not be representative of the voters at large, neither are NH or Iowa. This primary was significant in that it was the first online primary and the candidates took it seriously. I'm glad it gives Dean this boost, and I'm glad it raises the Kucinich factor as well. (I also must confess a sneaking satisfaction in the fact that Lieberman got fewer votes than Braun).
I don't know if they'll hold another one for the same "50% gets the money" prize, but if they do, it will be interesting what kind of interest the 2nd primary will engender. Congrats, Dr. Dean!
( 9:17 AM )
Why Doesn't The Rest of the World Trust Us to Rule Them?
Thanks to Maru (again, who endlessly provides very cool links) for this article in The Toronto Star by Gordon Barthos which clearly shows how the rest of the world can see what liars Bush and Blair were and how they want to change things at the UN so that big bullies can't get away with stuff like attacking countries based on false evidence... and the article also shows how stupid Americans still are:
Bush's credibility would be lower still, except that a sturdy
core of invincibly ignorant people — one American in three — is
convinced that these weapons already have been found. Not so.
More than 1,400 U.S. and allied experts have scoured 230 Iraqi
sites for months without turning up an atom of plutonium,
anthrax or sarin.
Oh, don't they think we're so grand! ...
A recent Ipsos-Reid poll found that 71 per cent of
Canadians feel Prime Minister Jean Chrétien was right to
refuse to join the war. Before the campaign, 66 per cent felt
that way, but during the conflict opinion was evenly split.
Internationally, British Broadcasting Corp. polling has found 60
per cent of people have a negative view of Bush, and believe
the war was wrong.
Barely one in four feels America's military might is making the
world safer.
So it's no surprise that Canada and other nations are now
lobbying for U.N. Security Council reform, precisely to check the
ability of the major powers to have things their own way.
I'm not talking about being liked by the world - we can't be liked by everyone. No, I'm talking about our credibility on the world stage. What we may have had is quickly slipping away. That BushCo doesn't care about it not only shows the dangerous roads this administration is willing to lead us down, but it shows a total lack of diplomatic skill or understanding of the fact that we exist on a world stage, not in our own little universe. This country has a centuries' old tradition of isolationism except when it serves our interests - and we can't just bury our heads in the sand and pretend that it doesn't matter what other people think of us, or even what led us into this quagmire in Iraq. We have to confront the truth that it was a bad judgment call, and that our leaders lied to us to try to bully us and the world to go along with it. It's not a consistent policy (obviously, we're not invadeing N. Korea or Iran, who we are also accusing), and our government obviously had no realistic post-invasion plan for occupying and taking care of the country once Saddam was gone.
But see, all this is old news. The thing is, if the other countries in the world start getting together to compare notes on how they don't trust us and how our credibility has tanked, then we can't just ignore that. Our entire economy is based on globalization, thanks to the past few administrations. We cannot sustain our continuously weakening economy if the rest of the world decides to not play with us anymore because they presume we will always cheat. If "free trade" conservatives really thought about it, they would want Bush out too.
The article concludes with a very plain speaking prediction:
This reflects a growing lack of confidence that the U.S.
and others can be relied on to do the right thing.
Pushing war, Bush and Blair shouted the roof down, claiming
Saddam was itching to hand terrorists weapons of mass
destruction. Whatever weapons may eventually turn up — and
some will — it is now abundantly clear that neither knew for a
fact that what he was saying was true. It was all hype.
Yet Bush and Blair blew away the Baghdad regime on a bogus
pretext, and tried — largely unsuccessfully — to bully the
world into joining them.
If their leadership, credibility and trustworthiness are fast
eroding, they have only themselves to blame.
The American people will only have ourselves to blame if we can't get rid of this Administration and turn things around. It's up to us.
Thursday, June 26, 2003
( 11:40 AM )
What, You Don't Want to Work for Free? What Are You, UNAMERICAN??
Thanks to Democratic Veteran today for pointing to the fact that BushCo's attempt to eliminate overtime pay is back in the news. A study has now come out that says that says millions of workers would be affected negatively by BushCo's proposed new rules.
The White House is attempting to eliminate the Fair Labor Standards Act, under which all workers have been protected since the 1930's. In my earlier post, Overtime Lies, I discussed the reality behind this change. BushCo wants this to happen posthaste, so there hasn't even been a public hearing on the matter. Now, the last time it was up for a vote, it was dropped for not having enough votes (due in part, thank god, to the vociferous lobbying of labor unions on our behalf). We need to write our representatives NOW and protest any change BushCo is proposing to the Fair Labor Standards Act. Big Business is his friend, not ours and we don't have to put up with him giving Big Business the last word on our rights as workers and supporters of our families. Click on these links to find out where to write your Representative or Senator.
This country depends on the people who have to work for a meager living and who depend on overtime wages to support their families. Don't let them or yourself down by being silent on this issue.
UPDATE: CNN is carrying the story too.
( 10:54 AM )
The Supremes Make Good - but Will the Military?
Kudos goes to the Six Supremes who made the majority decision today in Lawrence v. Texas - making it clear that states do not have the right to invade the privacy of people's bedrooms, nor the right to make homosexuality illegal. CalPundit says it best:
I have to say that this is a case where the result is so clearly worthy
that I don't even care that much exactly what the legal reasoning was.
But speaking of reasoning, it's no surprise that the three dissenters
were Rehnquist, Scalia, and Thomas.
The minority was outraged, outraged!
"The court has largely signed on to the so-called homosexual
agenda," Scalia wrote for the three. He took the unusual step
of reading his dissent from the bench.
"The court has taken sides in the culture war," Scalia said, adding
that he has "nothing against homosexuals."
Not to put too fine a point on it, but if upholding American citizens' Constitutional right to privacy is an "agenda," then more power to 'em.
Calpundit directs us to Balknization, who has some really great commentary on the decision:
The Supreme Court's decision to base Lawrence on privacy
grounds rather than equal protection grounds (equality is what the
petitioners originally argued) actually is a more modest change in the
law than it first appears. By grounding gay rights in privacy rather
than equality, the Court does not have to hold that gays are a suspect
class or that classifications based on sexual orientation are entitled to
heighted scrutiny. And it also holds off, for the time being, a decision
about whether same sex marriage violates the Constitution.
Ironically, at the same time, basing Lawrence on privacy rather than
on equal protection has some advantages for those members of the
queer community who do not wish courts to view all sexual orientation
minorities as a single group. An equality holding would push gays toward
a civil rights paradigm based on an analogy to blacks and women. Instead,
the queer community has been arguing for their right to conduct their
sexual lives as they see fit, free from government sanction, thus allowing
them to experiment with different forms of attachment and different
forms of sexuality. A decision grounded in liberty rather than equality is
more hospitable from this perspective.
Interestingly, the Lawrence decision has overturned an older law upheld by the Supreme Court in the 80's called Bowers v. Hardwick, which ruled that states could regulate the conduct of homosexuals. It was the Bowers law that was used to underpin the military's ban of homosexuals.
Phil Carter at Intel Dump discusses the implications:
I think that one of the first effects of Lawrence will be to trigger a challenge in U.S. District Court to the current policy banning gays
in the military. That challenge will essentially cite Lawrence for the
proposition that homosexual conduct is a fundamental right that
the state cannot burden without some compelling interest -- and
that the restrictions must be narrowly tailored to that compelling
interest. The plaintiffs will argue that this policy (the "Don't ask, don't
tell" policy) burdens the right of gay soldiers to engage in the conduct they want to, and that such a burden on a fundamental right is
unconstitutional. Given the Court's holding today in Lawrence, I think
that a lower court would almost certainly side with the plaintiffs.
Let's hope so. The Court has ended its session with a little bit of redemption. The make up of the Court could be greatly affected in the coming year if one of them resigns while Bush is still in office. To protect against this, the Democrats in Congress need to act like the Opposition Party that they are and block any Bush Supreme Nominee until we've got him squarely out of office in a year.
( 9:35 AM )
I'm a Crawly Amphibian
I noticed that I'd gotten a few links from The Truth Laid Bear - and so I went there to discover that I'm officially in the Blog Ecosystem! Of course, I'm only a "Crawly Amphibian", and rank a whopping 1078 on the list. But I went to review my "Details" and have noted that I have made some progression from where I started as a "Flippery Fish."
The question is, how did people find me on that list to link to me from there? Either they are very determined or they really like crawly amphibians.
Anyway, here's to evolution!
( 9:00 AM )
Dean, Kucinich and Choices
Daily Kos has Dean as this week's "How They Can Win" subject. It's an insightful analysis, and with Dkos' political knowledge, it's probably as good a predictor as we are going to get right now. I also received a fundraising letter in my email today on the Dean mailing list from none other than Martin Sheen. Martin Sheen's endorsement of Dean, while not new news, is interesting. The fact that Sheen is now fundraising on behalf of Dean is an even bigger leap of committment.
Obviously for activists, Sheen's name carries a lot of weight. He practices what he preaches over and again. But Sheen is far more liberal than Dean, so it's interesting that someone of Sheen's liberal-leaning seems to have picked the candidate he believes could actually win. I was pointed to this website comparing Kucinich to Dean by Emily at Strangechord. The comparisons point clearly to the fact that Dean is not "ultra-liberal." But most Dean supporters already knew that. While Kucinich has the progressive platform that we all dream would lead our country, it's also not realistic to think that he could be a serious contender. You may be thinking, "But Mama, you voted for Nader last election - have you completely lost your ideals?"
In a word, YES. But I have to qualify that with a "but not really." It is almost impossible to compare 2004 to the 2000 election. As I've said many times before, 2000 was Gore's to lose and while he technially DID win, it wasn't enough of a win. But the fact remains that there were no true options for Democrats in 2000 - so Nader represented two important things: 1) the grassroots of the Democratic party and 2) the breaking up of the 2-party political stranglehold in national elections. In 2004, Issue #1 is being addressed by several of the candidates this time, and issue #2 is simply going to have to take a backseat. I do not think Nader will run this election, but I would not fault him for continuing his efforts. However, my progressive ideals and my disgust with the Democrat Party's desire to be Mini-Republicans - the two major motivating factors in voting for Nader - have been tempered by 1) Knowing that we HAVE to get Bush out of office and 2) feeling like the DLC has lost a lot of its controlling power over the voters in the party this time around. This is also why I decided to register as a Democrat for the first time in my voting life.
It's time to leave the last election behind us. The person who is in office doesn't deserve to be there, but getting him out will not entail moaning about how he got there. It will require active participation by all the rank and file citizens of this country who realize what a slippery slope he's led us to. It will require an overwhelming victory against him in 2004. And I believe that is possible. The Democrats are motivated to win. Republicans are divided between the very conservative and the majority of the party, which are moderates. The libertarians are mad at Bush as well.
Liberals may not like it that Dean has gotten good marks from the NRA and that he feels gun control beyond the gun show loophole is a state issue. I frankly don't give a damn. It's high time the Democrats took a liking to weaponry. The liberals of this country have got to get over the "wimp" factor. Liberals may not like that Dean doesn't want to make marijuana legal. Well, in my view, this is not a huge suprise since he is a medical doctor... his medical biases are going to be very strong. But this is not an issue that should make a difference for us at this point. Liberals may not like it that Dean didn't get full-on marriage for gays in Vermont, settling only for "civil unions." But let's look at the other 49 states and see what they've done to progress the rights of committed gay couples. He is a Washington outsider: so was Bush. He doesn't have a lot of foreign policy experience: neither did Bush. He is fiscally conservative - which at first may seem scary, but on the other hand, he is very pro-social justice and walfare. I don't agree with him on several issues. But this one fact remains: I believe he can win, and I believe that he can best represent the American people right now. If another Dem wins the candidacy, then I will gladly vote for them in the general election. But for now, my money and my vote is on Dean because he's not the same old thing and he's got a very good chance.
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
( 3:40 PM )
Being Mama Redux
Well, Martin's second day of day care at Miss R's yesterday went much better than expected. Upon arrival, he immediately screeched with delight at seeing his new friend Isaac (who is a few months younger, but also walking) and went immediately to play. Miss R said he did okay during the day, with a few little episodes of crying and needing cuddles, but all in all much better. He was still clingy when P went to pick him up, but not nearly as much as the last time. He was tired - he doesn't nap well there yet, that will take some time. I admit to still feeling a bit like the third wheel, though P tries so hard to not make it seem that way. It's just a natural thing for the baby to have more attachment to and separation anxiety from the person he spends the most time with. Sometimes it seems like it's getting more pronounced and that I don't even exist when Daddy's in the room - but that could just be my imagination. I try not to feel rejected, it's not like he is rejecting me personally.
I wonder if it's different for "working" mamas than it is for "working" dads. I wonder if dads come home from work hoping to get attention and cuddles from their children but finding that the kid wants to only be hugged by mom, feel rejected and put aside. I never heard of that - the stereotype is that the dad just wants to be left alone and not bothered. But I'm sure that can't be true. As evidenced by all the dads staying home now, I'm sure that for the most part Dads want to be as involved. The thing is, they don't have ages and ages of cultural guilt and expectation heaved on their shoulders like mamas do. So it is different.
I sometimes feel bad enough that I'm not with my child like a "good mother," especially when people imply that my working is a betrayal of my son or something like that. On top of that, to feel like my son isn't really attached to me makes me feel weird - aren't I the mommy? I sometimes feel like "wait a minute...was it supposed to be like this?" On the other hand, I feel good and confident about the decision P and I made - I can make more money and get benefits for all of us while he cannot in the current economic climate, and so we are doing what works for us. And I feel good that Martin is getting to develop such a close relationship with his dad so early on. I suppose it's just going to take a longer time than I expected to adjust. It gets hard the older martin gets - he learns new things every day and I feel like I miss out. Life is just a series of trials and errors, isn't it?
UPDATE: Conflict Girl has a post today about women "having it all" and work environments. I know that there is often a huge divide between moms who work at home and moms who work out of the home (again, I think it's because of a cultural bias and societal pressures that have built up over centuries). I was interested in her comments and it made me think more about this subject. I definitely wouldn't work in an office if I didn't have to...right now it's the best job for me and my family. I think that it's easier to make things black and white - but they never are. I can feel good on an overall level for the choices I've made about "working" or not, and still feel yucky that I'm not with my son more. It's not an either/or thing all the time. Now, if I could just win the lottery...
UPDATE 2: Being Daddy points to an article out of San Francisco that echoes my inkling that the "working" dad might be bothered by the dichotomy of expectations on him too. I guess we're all in the same boat sometimes - never adequate enough. But still, I wish my baby would fling himself at me just once when Daddy was in the room (sigh).
( 9:56 AM )
Rest of the World Looks Quizzically at the U.S.'s Fake Ethics
Here are a few doses of what the world thinks of our dear BushCo and how everyone is tippy-toeing around the fact that the ravenous beasts who devoured the last president in impeachment hearings over lying about an affair are now silent as stone with a president who lied about the reasons to go to war where thousands are killed and a possible decade of occupation must now take place.
In Canada, Linda McQuaig asks "Why was false testimony about an affair not OK for Clinton but false evidence justifying war was OK for Bush?":
Now, of course, there are plenty of differences between the two
cases. Former president Clinton lied under oath about his
under-the-desk encounter with Monica Lewinsky. Bush’s apparent
lie -- that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction even
though his own intelligence agency could find no such evidence
and his own army can find no such weapons - was made repeatedly
to the American people, but not under oath.
So, does that explain it? Lying to the American people is OK, as
long as it’s not done under oath?
The UK's Financial Times isn't as lighthearted about it:
Mr Bush's impatience with those who want to know why his forces
have not found WMD is shortsighted. In a democracy, it matters
whether the people can believe what their leaders tell them. If the
facts on the ground do not match what leaders say, the consequences can be profound. The Vietnam war showed how difficult it is to close
the credibility gap once it has opened up.
BushCo doesn't seem to feel threatened by the truth, however. From the speeches and comments given by Bush and Rumsfeld at their various press conferences yesterday, it looks like they are steadfast in their determination to pretend we're all idiots and they are the only proper recipients of the Lord God's power over the peoples of the earth. It's the ultimate bully government. They'll just bully us all into doing and thinking what they want...so they presume. Hopefully the American citizenry is growing a few more brains than its had in the last year or so and will begin to question and go not so willingly to the slaughter. My biggest concern is what BushCo will use as the "Distraction" from all its failures, and my fear is that it will be another invasion or war of some kind...provoked by another attack on American interests that might have been avoided had we not launched our "pre-emptive policy" on the world.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
( 4:17 PM )
Senator Byrd Steps Up
Thanks to Maru for pointing us towards Senator Robert Byrd's comments today. His speech is awesome (as Maru says, pass it on) ...now will our leaders have the courage to listen?
Here's a taste:
But there is a great difference between the hand-
picked intelligence that was presented by the Administration
to Congress and the American people when compared
against what we have actually discovered in Iraq. This
Congress and the people who sent us here are entitled
to an explanation from the Administration.
[...]
Well, Mr. President, this is no game. For the first time
in our history, the United States has gone to war
because of intelligence reports claiming that a country
posed a threat to our nation. Congress should not be
content to use standard operating procedures to look
into this extraordinary matter. We should accept no
substitute for a full, bipartisan investigation by Congress
into the issue of our pre-war intelligence on the threat
from Iraq and its use.
[...]
The business of intelligence is secretive by necessity, but
our government is open by design. We must be straight
with the American people. Congress has the obligation to
investigate the use of intelligence information by the
Administration, in the open, so that the American people can
see that those who exercise power, especially the awesome
power of preemptive war, must be held accountable. We
must not go down the road of cover-up. That is the road to ruin.
Can you hear us now, Mr. President?
( 12:26 PM )
Have You Voted in the Primary Yet?
You still have time if you registered - Go to the MoveOn.Org Primary and VOTE! Looks like our online primary has made big media...CNN is carrying the story (and predicting a Dean win).
As is mentioned in the CNN report, this primary may not have broad consequences, except for the fundraising of whichever candidate wins. The "real polls" still show Bush leading by around 12 points over an "unamed Democrat." I really don't think things will matter in the end until late next summer. Once the Democratic candidate is picked (most likely Kerry, Edwards or Dean - I don't think Gephardt will maintain after Iowa), the Dems are going to rally and I think the point spread will definitely see some changes at that time. Until then, let's work hard to pick the best representative with a view to how he will fix and lead our country.
I find it hard to believe that taking into consideraiton the 2000 election and the state the country has fallen to since then, that Bush will win. But then again, I am no longer taking anything for granted as to what this administration will do for power - so we have to pay attention, get in gear and not be lazy. This next year will pass very quickly and we need to organize and get out the vote. It's more important than ever - and I really mean it this time.
( 11:37 AM )
New Improved Way to Get Rid of Bush!
Conflict Girl has shown us the true cure for what ails us from the White House: the Zapilator.
( 11:13 AM )
Oh, And By the Way...
The largest US/UK daily death toll since March 23 in Iraq today... and what do you know--The Taliban are officially back in business.
Are things technically fubar yet?
( 11:07 AM )
We're Fighting a War, But the Other Side Refuses to Show Up!
Just a little update on our progress in the WAR ON TERRORISM. Hint: we're not winning yet.
( 11:03 AM )
More on 9/11 Cover Ups
An interesting article about the immediacy of the cover-up and the White House's attempts to link 9/11 to Sadam before there was any evidence...from the mouth of General Wesley Clark.
( 10:54 AM )
6 Degrees to Terrorism
Well we knew this was inevitable...Kevin Bacon's been nabbed for his connections to Al Qaeda!
Monday, June 23, 2003
( 2:56 PM )
The Race is On
Howard Dean has officially launched his campaign. I couldn't see it because I'm at work, but the speech looks good. From the descriptions (especially from the Dean fans in his blog's comments) everyone seems to feel that he came off energetic and smart. NPR first reported that he spoke to a crowd of "hundreds" but from other reports it sounds more like it was in the 1,000's. The most engaging part of his speech was the populist message of "power" in the hands of the voters.
NTodd has a great replay of it from a Vermonter's view, which is really worth reading. CNN reports a crowd of 2,500:
A former governor in a race dominated by
congressional Democrats, Dean has gotten off to
a surprisingly strong start despite a lack of money
and meager support from party insiders.
The key has been his opposition to the U.S.-led
war against Iraq -- a position that galvanized
liberal voters who believe that Democratic leaders
are kowtowing to Bush.
In a call to disenchanted voters of all political
stripes, Dean said, "You have the power to rid
Washington of all the politics of money."
I have heard that Gov. Dean didn't do as well on his Meet the Press segment on Sunday, but I didn't see it. So far, however, it looks like he's off to a good start. Hopefully he will get a lot more exposure and fundraising mileage out of his campaign now.
( 11:06 AM )
Cover Up
The name of the Game now seems to be Cover Up for BushCo. Let's just count up the cover-up's we are currently aware of: the doctoring of the EPA report on the global environment, the fact that BushCo is covering up and hiding the true facts about 9/11 from victims' families, or what Americans have been told about the true nature of the shooting of 20 Iraqis in al-Falluja in April, Bush's Texas Executions, anything having to do with post-attack plans for Iraq, and of course the entire reason we were convinced that attacking Iraq was necessary.
Maru, pointing to Bush correcting himself once again about the existence of WMDs on his weekly radio address ("We are determined to discover the true extent of Saddam Hussein's weapons programs, no matter how long it takes,"), says it best:
Idiot. What about the imminent threat to US interests?
The 45-minute launch time? The nukes? The drone aircraft
that could reach the US? Knowing exactly where the WMD
were? The stories that the weapons were smuggled into
Iran and Syria? That they had been stolen by looters?
What's next, that Saddam's dog buried them in the backyard??
Well said. This Mama is not holding her breath for the answers.
( 10:35 AM )
New York Times Retracts Years of Erroneous Headlines
If only
And Excerpts from the Speech Aboard the USS Lincoln...if the truth had been told.
"An Owie to One
is an Owie to All"
- as modeled by
Mama's Little Activist
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Mothers Acting Up
( what War is good for )
"The point of revolution is to get away with it."
--Abbie Hoffman
"If you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine."
--Che Guevara
"Democracy is not a state in which people act like sheep." - Gandhi
"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty."
-Thomas Jefferson
"The surest way to corrupt a youth is to teach him to hold in higher regard those who think alike than those who think differently."
-F. Nietzche
"We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free."
-Epictetus
"You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having both at once."
-Robert A. Heinlein
"Those who will give up essential liberty to secure a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
-Benjamin Franklin
"As I stood before the gates I realized that I never want to be as certain about anything as were the people who built this place."
-Rabbi Sheila Peltz, on her visit to Auschwitz
"Don't go around saying the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first."
-Mark Twain
"It is not the function of our government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the government from falling into error."
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"Do not fear your enemies. The worst they can do is kill you. Do not fear friends. At worst, they may betray you. Fear those who do not care; they neither kill nor betray, but betrayal and murder exists because of their silent consent."
-Bruno Jasienski
"The phrase "working mother" is redundant."
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