Friday, December 26, 2008
ZERO - an Investigation into 9/11
ZERO: An Investigation into 9/11, has one central thesis - that the official version of the events surrounding the attacks on 9/11 can not be true. This brand new feature documentary from Italian production company Telemaco explores the latest scientific evidence and reveals dramatic new witness testimony, which directly conflicts with the US Government's account.
Featuring presentations from intellectual heavy weights; Gore Vidal, and Noble Prize winner Dario Fo, the film challenges assumptions surrounding the attacks. In the words of the Italian daily newspaper, Il Corriere de da Sera, "What results is a sequence of contradictions, gaps, and omissions of stunning gravity."
The importance of this film can not be overstated. If its thesis is correct, the justification for going to war in Iraq is built on a series of outrageous lies.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Common Dreams
Writer and activist Naomi Klein said recently, "This is a progressive moment. It's ours to lose."
I couldn't agree more.
I've been an activist for more than 30 years. I've fought for human rights, for peace, for the environment. I spent years working to elect progressive leaders.
I've worked on progressive issues during some exciting times.
Yet this moment is like no other - in terms of opportunity, urgency, and responsibility.
Through the Reagan years, the George HW Bush era, and even the disappointing eight years of Bill Clinton, we progressives worked hard only to lose ground.
Then came eight years of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney - a period in our history that turned out to be darker than any of us could have imagined.
But, as they say, it's always darkest before the dawn.
Next month, the Bush-Cheney nightmare will come to an end.
I don't have false expectations for our new President. But his election made clear that Americans reject the trickle-down economics and the warmongering foreign policy that Bush and Cheney took beyond the tipping point.
We want big change.
No more crony capitalism, no more empire building, no more denial of science.
No more bullshit - it's time to solve our problems.
We have before us now an unprecedented opportunity to build a just, sustainable society.
More important, we have a responsibility to do this.
In 2009, CommonDreams.org will take this sense of responsibility to new heights. Will you help? Please donate online now to help us reach our Year-End goal. (Or you can use our print and mail form if you prefer to donate by check).
I firmly believe we progressives can have a real impact now. But only if we act. And act quickly and courageously, while momentum is still on our side.
It's time to take greater responsibility for our Democracy, time to sweep aside the old, divisive politics, time to stand up to special interests, time to demand a government that serves the public good.
There's not a minute to waste - or this opportunity may slip away.
When I founded CommonDreams.org 11 years ago, it was with the hope that we would create a thriving online community of progressives who shared these basic ideals: that every individual is entitled to the same opportunity to be safe, to prosper, to live a meaningful life.
I believed then - and still do - that the best way to achieve the 'common dreams' of every individual, is to work together for the common good.
I'm proud to say that throughout some of the most treacherous and disheartening years of our Democracy, CommonDreams.org has stayed true to its vision and our mission: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
Thanks to the support of you and thousands like you, we created a Progressive Newswire, the only place where you can check daily for the latest news about the progressive issues and organizations you follow.
And every single day, we've brought you the best progressive news, the best progressive opinions.
We persisted in exposing injustice and corruption when, sometimes, it felt as if our voices would never be heard.
But knowledge is power, and I believe that our voices have finally been heard.
So, what's next?
As we look beyond the darkness of the last eight years, to a brighter future, I ask you to join in restoring America's Democracy to what it was intended to be: a government that respects the rights and common dreams of all of its citizens, regardless of race, class or gender.
Citizen engagement has always been the key to a healthy society. If ever there was a time to re-engage in the democratic process, that time is now.
Please contribute to our Year-End Appeal and work with us to seize this 'progressive moment' to take back our country and reshape our future.
This is our moment. Our best hope. We can't do it without you.
Sincerely,
Craig Brown
Executive Director
for the whole CommonDreams.org team.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Got Freedom?
This is the Totalitarian Fascist Imperial Government, formerly known as the USA.
You have FREE SPEACH ZONES, The USA IS A FREE SPEACH ZONE.
You can be TAKEN, IMPRISONED, RENDERED, TORTURED, and never receive a trial, or even be charged. NO HABIUS CORPUS, no justice.
You no longer have the BILL OF RIGHTS!
Without limit, Executive Power has become totalitarian.
Influenced by Corporate Money (Bribes) our government is Fascist.
In attacking other nations, preemptively, without legitimate threat or provocation. We have become imperialists, to fund the war profiteers.
We must take back our Constitution NOW, or we will loose it forever.
Without Liberty, what matters our economy?
Without freedom, what good is health?
Without accountability, there is no justice.
Our military has been out-sourced to the highest bider, and we have nothing left to pay these mercenaries.
What will you do to take back your country?
Saturday, December 6, 2008
When they start torturing the torturers, I'm out.
One new American Hero goes by the name "Matthew Alexander". He is an Ex-Interrogator for the US Military Intelligence, and has written a book (that almost didn't get published) about how TORTURE actually decreases our national security (go figure).
Read his Article, I'm Still Tortured by What I Saw in Iraq, in the Washington Post.
I learned in Iraq that the No. 1 reason foreign fighters flocked there to fight were the abuses carried out at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. Our policy of torture was directly and swiftly recruiting fighters for al-Qaeda in Iraq. The large majority of suicide bombings in Iraq are still carried out by these foreigners. They are also involved in most of the attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. It's no exaggeration to say that at least half of our losses and casualties in that country have come at the hands of foreigners who joined the fray because of our program of detainee abuse.
Next time America debates the definition of torture, lets take a good long look at where this got us.
Michael Moore Solves the Auto Industry Crisis
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008
Friends,
I drive an American car. It's a Chrysler. That's not an endorsement. It's more like a cry for pity. And now for a decades-old story, retold ad infinitum by tens of millions of Americans, a third of whom have had to desert their country to simply find a damn way to get to work in something that won't break down:
My Chrysler is four years old. I bought it because of its smooth and comfortable ride. Daimler-Benz owned the company then and had the good grace to place the Chrysler chassis on a Mercedes axle and, man, was that a sweet ride!
When it would start.
More than a dozen times in these years, the car has simply died. Batteries have been replaced, but that wasn't the problem. My dad drives the same model. His car has died many times, too. Just won't start, for no reason at all.
A few weeks ago, I took my Chrysler in to the Chrysler dealer here in northern Michigan -- and the latest fixes cost me $1,400. The next day, the vehicle wouldn't start. When I got it going, the brake warning light came on. And on and on.
You might assume from this that I couldn't give a rat's ass about these miserably inept crapmobile makers down the road in Detroit city. But I do care. I care about the millions whose lives and livelihoods depend on these car companies. I care about the security and defense of this country because the world is running out of oil -- and when it runs out, the calamity and collapse that will take place will make the current recession/depression look like a Tommy Tune musical.
And I care about what happens with the Big 3 because they are more responsible than almost anyone for the destruction of our fragile atmosphere and the daily melting of our polar ice caps.
Congress must save the industrial infrastructure that these companies control and the jobs they create. And it must save the world from the internal combustion engine. This great, vast manufacturing network can redeem itself by building mass transit and electric/hybrid cars, and the kind of transportation we need for the 21st century.
And Congress must do all this by NOT giving GM, Ford and Chrysler the $34 billion they are asking for in "loans" (a few days ago they only wanted $25 billion; that's how stupid they are -- they don't even know how much they really need to make this month's payroll. If you or I tried to get a loan from the bank this way, not only would we be thrown out on our ear, the bank would place us on some sort of credit rating blacklist).
Two weeks ago, the CEOs of the Big 3 were tarred and feathered before a Congressional committee who sneered at them in a way far different than when the heads of the financial industry showed up two months earlier. At that time, the politicians tripped over each other in their swoon for Wall Street and its Ponzi schemers who had concocted Byzantine ways to bet other people's money on unregulated credit default swaps, known in the common vernacular as unicorns and fairies.
But the Detroit boys were from the Midwest, the Rust (yuk!) Belt, where they made real things that consumers needed and could touch and buy, and that continually recycled money into the economy (shocking!), produced unions that created the middle class, and fixed my teeth for free when I was ten.
For all of that, the auto heads had to sit there in November and be ridiculed about how they traveled to D.C. Yes, they flew on their corporate jets, just like the bankers and Wall Street thieves did in October. But, hey, THAT was OK! They're the Masters of the Universe! Nothing but the best chariots for Big Finance as they set about to loot our nation's treasury.
Of course, the auto magnates used be the Masters who ruled the world. They were the pulsating hub that all other industries -- steel, oil, cement contractors -- served. Fifty-five years ago, the president of GM sat on that same Capitol Hill and bluntly told Congress, what's good for General Motors is good for the country. Because, you see, in their minds, GM WAS the country.
What a long, sad fall from grace we witnessed on November 19th when the three blind mice had their knuckles slapped and then were sent back home to write an essay called, "Why You Should Give Me Billions of Dollars of Free Cash." They were also asked if they would work for a dollar a year. Take that! What a big, brave Congress they are! Requesting indentured servitude from (still) three of the most powerful men in the world. This from a spineless body that won't dare stand up to a disgraced president nor turn down a single funding request for a war that neither they nor the American public support. Amazing.
Let me just state the obvious: Every single dollar Congress gives these three companies will be flushed right down the toilet. There is nothing the management teams of the Big 3 are going to do to convince people to go out during a recession and buy their big, gas-guzzling, inferior products. Just forget it. And, as sure as I am that the Ford family-owned Detroit Lions are not going to the Super Bowl -- ever -- I can guarantee you, after they burn through this $34 billion, they'll be back for another $34 billion next summer.
So what to do? Members of Congress, here's what I propose:
1. Transporting Americans is and should be one of the most important functions our government must address. And because we are facing a massive economic, energy and environmental crisis, the new president and Congress must do what Franklin Roosevelt did when he was faced with a crisis (and ordered the auto industry to stop building cars and instead build tanks and planes): The Big 3 are, from this point forward, to build only cars that are not primarily dependent on oil and, more importantly to build trains, buses, subways and light rail (a corresponding public works project across the country will build the rail lines and tracks). This will not only save jobs, but create millions of new ones.
2. You could buy ALL the common shares of stock in General Motors for less than $3 billion. Why should we give GM $18 billion or $25 billion or anything? Take the money and buy the company! (You're going to demand collateral anyway if you give them the "loan," and because we know they will default on that loan, you're going to own the company in the end as it is. So why wait? Just buy them out now.)
3. None of us want government officials running a car company, but there are some very smart transportation geniuses who could be hired to do this. We need a Marshall Plan to switch us off oil-dependent vehicles and get us into the 21st century.
This proposal is not radical or rocket science. It just takes one of the smartest people ever to run for the presidency to pull it off. What I'm proposing has worked before. The national rail system was in shambles in the '70s. The government took it over. A decade later it was turning a profit, so the government returned it to private/public hands, and got a couple billion dollars put back in the treasury.
This proposal will save our industrial infrastructure -- and millions of jobs. More importantly, it will create millions more. It literally could pull us out of this recession.
In contrast, yesterday General Motors presented its restructuring proposal to Congress. They promised, if Congress gave them $18 billion now, they would, in turn, eliminate around 20,000 jobs. You read that right. We give them billions so they can throw more Americans out of work. That's been their Big Idea for the last 30 years -- layoff thousands in order to protect profits. But no one ever stopped to ask this question: If you throw everyone out of work, who's going to have the money to go out and buy a car?
These idiots don't deserve a dime. Fire all of them, and take over the industry for the good of the workers, the country and the planet.
What's good for General Motors IS good for the country. Once the country is calling the shots.
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. I will be on Keith Olbermann tonight (8pm/10pm/midnight ET) to discuss this further on MSNBC.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Fry John Yoo
Their are few people that we can easily point to and say: "This guy is to blame for the EVIL our government has committed in our name." John Woo is one of those people. This guy should work for some Communist Dictator as chief of propaganda, or Torture Czar, but instead he gets the US "Medal of Freedom". Do we live in Bizarro World?
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Two Films To See on BLACK FRIDAY
The Corporation - Documentary DVD (Canadian documentary 2003, available online)
The Corporation - The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power (Hardcover)
by Joel Bakan (Author)
A history of the most powerful institution of the 21st Century, the Dangerous, Amoral, Immortal, and Unaccountable, For-Profit Business Incorporation.
Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room.
Book
Happy Holliday
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Holding them Accountable
President George W. Bush may have committed crimes involving the mistreatment of detainees, the extraordinary rendition of individuals to countries known to engage in torture, illegal surveillance of United States citizens, unlawful leaks of classified information, obstruction of justice, political interference with the conduct of the Justice Department, and other illegal acts
and that
Bush has been urged to grant preemptive pardons to senior administration officials who might face criminal prosecution for actions taken in the course of their official duties
Nadler's resolution urges Congress to investigate those crimes and any pardons relating to them, and urges the Attorney General (current or future) to appoint an Independent Counsel to prosecute those crimes.
These are major steps towards holding George Bush, Dick Cheney, and other senior officials accountable for their crimes and thereby upholding the rule of law, rather than allowing Presidents to become dictators.
Rep. Nadler's leadership is crucial because he chairs the House Judiciary Committee's Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties and can use his credibility and clout to move the resolution forward either during the lame duck session in December or when the next Congress convenes on January 6.
So our next step is to persuade as many Representatives as possible to co-sponsor H.Res. 1531. Please sign our new petition:
http://www.democrats.com/nadler-pardons?cid=ZGVtczI3Mjk4NWRlbXM=
We also encourage you to call your Representative at 202-224-3121 and speak with the Legislative Assistant who handles Judiciary matters.
If your Representative says (s)he will co-sponsor, please let us know by commenting on our resolution "whipping" page:
http://www.democrats.com/nadler-pardon-resolution
Thanks for all you do!
Democrats.com
Friday, November 21, 2008
I Love it when they CENSOR SNL
Michelle M. reported on the SNL Bailout Skit that was pulled of the web, here.
In any case the real story is that SNL, the most popular satirists of our corrupt politics is involved in SELF-CENSORSHIP by imposing 'standards' to their illicit brand of humor. They say they will edit and republish the skit shortly. Apparently the problem was a bit of text saying that the Sandler couple should be "shot", and they will change that to "invited to prison".
See the full transcript and pictures here (until NBC files an Injunction).
She quotes Ed Lasky of The Thinker ( A Conservative Jewish Publication ) who describes:
"Herbert and Marion Sandler, a New York lawyer and Wall Street analyst respectively, bought a small California thrift in 1963 and built it into GDW — one of the largest thrifts in the nation. The company’s business was built on adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs. These were mortgages offered at low “teaser” rates that ratcheted upward as interest rates increased. They were often sold aggressively to unsophisticated home buyers who did not comprehend the vast financial risks they were taking, "
But then he claims:
They are not merely out to elect Democrats, but to also permanently realign U.S. politics and shift our society and culture in a far-left wing direction…
Does something seems incongruent about a pair of high power Capitalists Bankers, who use free-market economics to sucker ignorant new home buyers, being called "FAR-LEFT WING"?
SNL video
Monday, November 17, 2008
Does anyone know how to naked short US Treasury Bonds?
There’s another piece of this puzzle that is also borderline illegal, which is that in addition to the $700 billion that we are discussing, the $700 billion bailout, there’s another $2 trillion that’s been handed out by the Federal Reserve in emergency loans to financial institutions, to banks, that actually we don’t really know who they’re handing the money out to, because, apparently, it’s a secret. They could be handing it out to a range of other corporations—I think they are—but they’re saying that they won’t disclose who has received these taxpayer loans, because it could cause a run on the banks, it could cause the market to lose confidence in the institutions that have taken these loans. Once again, that represents an additional $2 trillion. - Naomi Klein
Democracy Now
This is the $2-Trillion EXTRA SECRET EMERGENCY LOANS
Watch the first 20 minutes of Zeitgeist Addendum
Then realize that $2.85-Trillion becomes $28.5-TRILLION and 2007 US-GDP was less than $14-Trllion. Which means this time next year your dollars will be work about 33-cents each.
Total Fed lending topped $2 trillion for the first time last week and has risen by 140 percent, or $1.172 trillion, in the seven weeks since Fed governors relaxed the collateral standards on Sept. 14.
As of yet I've not seen any reports of this on the major news networks (only FOXbusiness.com FOX USIN' FOIA!), even NPR hasn't covered it.
Man the lifeboats.
The Corporation
How do you avoid accountability? Incorporate.
LLC = Limited Liability Company
Self reliance used to be an American Value.
Time for Revolution, again.
Film: the corporation.
It is time to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.
It is time for the PLUNDER to STOP.
It is time for them to go to JAIL.
Take away the PERSON-HOOD of the CORPORATION.
HOLD THE PSYCHOPATHS ACCOUNTABLE TODAY.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Corporate Welfare, where will it end?
"What's Good for G.M. Is Good for the Army.."
Please view the documentary
IRAQ FOR SALE
and see how GM abused the use of No-Bid Contracts to "LEASE" Suburbans to the US Military and other Offensive Forces at $250,000 per vehicle, and then wrote off any units that were waisted and destroyed. They abuse our military budget when their price for one inefficient SUV could have paid for several years of a soldiers expenses and pay raises. They abuse our national security when they bribe politicians to be part of the scheme, have they reached into WES CLARK's pocket, too? The US Car industry has become part of the Military Industrial Congressional Complex and created the problems we now face, they are a corrupting influence in collaboration with big oil companies and other war profiteers.
These companies like GM have grown fat and lazy, they have already failed. If they were producing cars that weigh half as much, get twice the gas milage, and were safer because of new technology, then you could argue they should survive, but instead they look for handouts from the tax payers, a corporate socialist solution to a capitalist problem. They have become the very thing they chose to create; "Planned Obsolescence".
This is not the time to prop up these failing dinosaurs and throw good money after bad. We should let the laws of the free market take their course. If you feel that American industrial power is necessary for military power, then use the Billion$ you would waste on bailing out fat GM salaries, and instead empower small business with incentive loans up to $100-million so that laid off industrial workers and entrepreneurs can buy-up the failing industrial plants and re-tool them to compete with the "BIG 3" Oligopoly. Once Yankee Ingenuity has the chance to compete again, we can create a new green economy, using high technology and efficiency. Using true free market systems, we can out maneuver other economies, but not if we bail out GM.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Impeach Bush To Stop Pardons
President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney stand accused of 39 grave and impeachable offenses, including war crimes, torture, warrantless wiretapping, and outing a covert CIA operative.
Most of these offenses are felonies for which Bush and Cheney can be criminally prosecuted after they leave office. But prosecutions will be impossible if Bush issues blanket pre-emptive pardons for Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, other senior officials, and even himself.
Can Bush do this? Absolutely. Gerald Ford set the precedent in 1974 when he gave Richard Nixon a blanket pre-emptive pardon for any crime he "may have committed."
Presidential pardon power is nearly unlimited under the Constitution. We support efforts in Congress to outlaw pre-emptive or self-pardons, but even if a bill passes Congress before Bush leave office, Bush will certainly veto it. So how can we stop Bush's pardons?
The Founding Fathers clearly anticipated a corrupt President might pardon his co-conspirators, and specified impeachment as the remedy.
George Mason, the father of the Bill of Rights, argued at the Constitutional Convention that the President might use his pardoning power to "pardon crimes which were advised by himself" or, before indictment or conviction, "to stop inquiry and prevent detection."
James Madison, the father of the U.S. Constitution, added that "if the President be connected, in any suspicious manner, with any person, and there be grounds to believe he will shelter [pardon] him, the House of Representatives can impeach him; they can remove him if found guilty."
As your constituent, I urge you to impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney before they issue pardons. But if that fails, I urge you to impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney afterwards for issuing pardons that constitute obstruction of justice and abuse of power.
A post-inaugural impeachment would prohibit those impeached from ever holding federal office, either elected or appointed. Arguably, impeachment would also nullify pre-impeachment pardons and permit prosecutions. Finally, impeachment would tell future Presidents they cannot abuse their pardon power to put themselves above the law.
In 1776, Thomas Paine famously wrote, "in America, the law is King." Congress must not allow a President to commit crimes with impunity, or it makes the President a King - or worse, a Dictator.
Sign the Petition
More at http://www.democrats.com
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
The first POST-MODERN President
"Black man, black woman, black baby /
White man, white woman, white baby /
White man, black woman, black baby /
Black man, white woman, black baby."
-- Eddy Murphy on Public Enemy, Fear of a Black Planet
On election day I saw people on you tube crying because of the election of the first "Black" president. They were cheering and singing and saying that the Dream of Martin Luther King Jr. had been achieved. While 55% of whites voted for the Republicans, even after the abject failures of the Bush years.
I spent the weeks leading up to the election in Miami, driving early voters to the polls. One place I volunteered at was Florida Memorial University, a traditionally black college. The students were all African-Americans, I saw no other racial demographics on the campus, but as first time voters they seemed earnest and excited. What disturbed me was not that they had a racially segregated campus, I've lived in the south and I recognize the necessity of having a safe learning environment for education to flourish. What worried me was that even in 2008, I seemed to be one of the only Caucasian adults that these teenagers had ever talked to as a peer. This is a terrible symptom of the racism inherent in the Southern United States.
One young woman asked me how much I was being paid to give them rides to the polls. With all the voting tricks that have been inflicted upon people in the South, it is understandable that she questioned my motives. These kids were sequestered on campus, and I think few if any of them could afford cars. After I explained that I was volunteering, and paying my own expenses, I was met with a blank stare. I actually had to explain to these university students that in my opinion if Obama fails to be elected that our nation is over. That for this reason I had strategically come to Florida to get out the vote.
These kids stood in line for 3-4 hours to Vote Early, and make sure that they didn't get left out of the most important election of their lives. For me it was a learning experience, to see kids willing to give up their time to vote, to be part of this nation. It makes me wonder why so many Americans do not participate.
We may have a President who was born of an African and an American, but this makes him a half-breed at best. A bi-racial child for those who believe that the racial divisions in our American culture are real. I think, with this President we may begin to move into a new Post-Modern era, beyond the classifications of race, and perhaps beyond the other divisions that politicians naturally use as wedges to conquer us.
I'm looking for some hope that I'm not the only person who feels this way. The day after the election I got many phone calls from people I had worked with to Get out the Vote. One 60+ year old African-American Grandmother who I drove to the polls on election day called to thank me and share her joy about Obama. We had had a deep conversation the previous day, trying to figure out why so many people fail to vote, or vote with racist hate. To both of us it seemed so irrational and self defeating to see our own relatives squander their freedoms and neglect their potential to succumb to the ignorance and fear.
She said: "If two people from such opposite ends of the social spectrum as us can talk honestly about our problems, then perhaps we can have hope for our country."
Obama's election has given all of us, people from all over the world, the hope that our nation may still have the potential to change the injustice, free the slaves, and unite those divided. If our hope becomes reality, we may yet live up to our human potential and transcend our differences. We can still dream.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Voting Reform
The VOTING SOLUTION: DIGITAL IMAGES ALLOW FOR TRANSPARENT ELECTIONS
We obviously need absolute transparency. In California, a Ray Lutz, an active political activist, has proposed that the Optical Scan Machines also be designed to take a digital image of every ballot and instantaneously upload that digital image to the internet, thus providing a perfectly transparent election. This solution, would allow every individual voter to check their own ballot was properly cast and counted, but would also allow anyone anywhere in the world to audit our elections, and we would know that our elections are fair and valid.
Al Franken is in the fight of his life.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Impeach Bush Before He Pardons Himself
until January 20th to spill the beans on the gross criminality of the
Bush/Cheney administration. Waiting . . . because if they did it now
the two of them would be tarred and feathered on the way out the
door.
But we the people do not have to wait. We can and must demand the
immediate impeachment of both Bush and Cheney for what is already
known. At the very least the defiance of congressional subpoenas at
the behest of the White House is an open and shut case for
accountability now.
Impeach Now Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_now.php
Because as his final constitutional insult, his final spit in the
face to the American people and all rule of law, it is transparently
obvious that Bush is planning the most wholesale and wrongful pardon
of the worst political criminals in American history, his whole
criminal gang, INCLUDING himself.
And don't think that is not their precise plan. Please, what power
has Bush NOT abused? What heinous, self-serving, shameless and
dishonest act has he ever shied away from, when he was torturing and
eavesdropping and lying us into wars of corporate aggression. Does
anyone doubt that is what he is planning on doing?
And when you submit this action page, you will have one last chance
to get one of the "Impeach Both!!!" caps, which after January 20th
will no longer be available from us for love or for money.
Impeach Now Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/impeach_now.php
Will Congress now act? That is not the yardstick of the worth of our
activism. We speak out because we must speak out, whether we are
heeded or not. Let history record that we spoke out until the last
minute to the eternal shame of those who did not. Because when enough
of us speak out at once, the worst thing that can possibly happen is
that we are building the progressive base for the REAL change of the
future.
So Bush most certainly is planning on pardoning himself. And all the
right wing lock down ideologues in the corporate controlled media
will call it "healing". Let's all make nice with war criminals? Shall
we all make nice with the gang rape of our economy, our environment
and our Constitution? We think not.
And one more thing. You know that come January 20th the right wing
will start calling for the impeachment of our new president, over a
endless litany of the most ridiculous of trivial trifles. In fact it
has already started even though he has not even taken office. If they
are so hot on impeaching someone, let them speak out now, when it
truly is called for, or shut the hell up in 73 days.
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
The war has just begun.
"For me it is just an exciting moment to be alive when you see that kind of desperation. Because it is the last gasp of the Conservative era, where the Economics of Greed, the Culture of Indifference and the Politics of Fear have been brought together in such a way that it hides and conceals the plight of poor, working people. We are in a transitional moment the real question is: Can we generate a commitment to peace and justice in the face of greed, can we generate compassion in the face of indifference, and can we generate hope in the face of fear?" - Dr. Cornel West
"The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime. We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible." - Michael Moore
Many of the Progressive Celebrities are out rightfully celebrating this victory, but I am a bit reserved. This war has just begun.
McCain/Palin had a lot against them:
Our Constitutional Rights destroyed by the Unitary Executive Privilege of an arrogant elitist who trampled our Constitution.
An corrupted election system controlled by a handful of Black Box Voting Machine Companies.
The Worst Economy in 100 years. Giant Socialistic Taxpayer Bailouts of Gianormous Banks and Insurance Companies. Double Digit Inflation. Devalued Dollars. Global Recession. Impossible Debt and Trillion Dollar Deficits. Millions out of work. Millions of homes in foreclosure. Crazy Energy Prices.
Two expensive Wars failing in defeat.
Global Climate Change destroying the environment.
Failing Healthcare Systems Bankrupting their patients.
Failing Educational Systems ignoring the young.
Failing Social Systems ignoring the poor.
Millions in Prison, and millions more disenfranchised by unnecessary criminal records created through poverty and drug wars.
A traitorous, corrupt, and ignorant Bush Administration, perhaps the worst president in history, and the END OF AMERICA as our Government was Privatized and our Constitution was sold to Corporations seeking no bid government contracts.
Sara Palin. Revelations, the Rapture. and Armageddon.
The lack of pigment at all their rallies.
I could go on, and on, and on...
All Barack Obama had against him was an African Father.
Even with all that advantage, Barack Obama won only 53% of the popular vote. McCain got 47%. 55% of whites voted for McCain. Obama did not WIN this election, George W. Bush LOST IT!
For those who think that this election is over, the war has only begun.
At what point do you think your vote actually counts?
How long are you willing to wait. How much time should you sacrifice?
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Election 2008, My Political Quest to Florida
I had first planned to go to Pontiac, Michigan, the land of my birth. Because, I've heard that STUPID, CORRUPT, AND RACIST whites in the midwest and southern USA will not vote for a Black Man to be President. Then McCain quit on MI, and I got the offer to go to Miami, FL, someplace I've never been, and I figured I'd see if I could learn something about the people of these United States.
My trip to Florida was sponsored by a Democratic Party Member, who gave up 50,000 Airline miles to transport me, but I had to get to LAX, and that meant a bus ride, a trolly ride, a train ride, another bus ride and then a flight to San Francisco to connect to a flight to Miami. All this travel time, on public transit, across this country, gave me time to think about the issues we face. Strange how it all comes into focus. Unsustainable.
On October 14th, I had knee surgery, so I'm traveling as a little disabled, they put me on little electric cars designed for those who can not walk by themselves, and made me check my luggage, as I was difficult to carry. This made me think about how many people in our society are legitimately disabled, and need access to public services like transportation, and how the issue of healthcare effects our citizen's opportunities.Unsustainable.
After struggling with our public transit system, I finally got on the Surfliner, a train that runs up the coast all the way to Santa Barbara. It was a comfortable and relaxing trip, but it brought up many issues as it moved me. First the cost was $29 one way to Union Station, which didn't seem too expensive, considering how much trains cost, the railroad is heavily subsidized, but what shocked me was the fact that they actually had separate FIRST CLASS / BUSINESS CLASS and Coach Cars. Talk about a society that needs its social stratification, you gotta be treated special while riding the TRAIN! Unsustainable.
On the train I was joined by three 22 year old college students from various schools around San Diego, all on their way home to Los Angeles or beyond, to see their family for the weekend. I listened to them talk, they were strangers, yet shared so much in common, all minority, all female, all young, all single. There conversation ranged over the spectrum of their lives, from sex, and family, to ambitions and carriers, their work/school lives, their hopes for the future, their majors, they spoke freely about everything, and I was the proverbial fly on the wall. It makes me think about all the undereducated kids I meet each summer, most have graduated from high-school, even college, and are still uneducated, illiterate, and naive. Unsustainable. I was both shocked and scared to hear how naive they were about the world, yet how worldly they were about relationships. It seemed they were dialed-in on matters of personal/emotional life, yet unfortunately ignorant about history, politics, money, and their position in the world, but their conversation gave me clues about the reality of their demographics, a reality I was blissfully unaware of before. The danger is that this next generation of Americans, with their dual identity as the children of immigrants and former slaves will believe that their lives will continue to get better, because they have gone to college, yet will not realize the low quality of their education, and that their future has already been mortgaged by the mistakes of the current administration. Without realizing it, they have been set up to be wage slaves, to be cogs in the machine, paying taxes, creating wealth, without any real understanding that their potential has been limited, and they will spend their lives trying to survive at levels their parents took for granted. Unsustainable.
As you go north on the rail, you pass many costal lagoons and wildlife refuges. Each is unique, but they all have various appeal. There aren't many wild places left for the birds to land, and few places where children can still see unspoiled land, sans development. Unsustainable.
The Energy problem came to mind as I passed both the Encinitias Hydrocarbon and San Onofre Nuclear Power Plants. We need more power, and these technologies are limited in there usefulness, both have unnecessary risks. We need new technologies, new leadership, to give us a sustainable energy plan. This will take great minds, government regulation, and special motivation, if we are going to save the future for the kids. Unsustainable.
At the mouth of the brackish marsh where the train crosses next to the Encinitas Power station, I can see the lines of oyster farms in the water. The power-plant heats the sea water and creates a dead zone as the hot water flows into the sea. The warm water is great for winter surfing, but it kills the natural environment. Now we plan to use the same lagoon for water to go to a huge desalination plant, that will ad to the salinity, and use HUGE amounts of energy just to keep giving us water for our lawns. Unsustainable.
If you know about the various projects that have been done along the San Diego coast to study the water run-off and the flood plain, so as to justify the local development of our wetlands, then you understand the dilemma. Costal Land is extremely valuable, and any developer will tell you that the profit on such land can be almost unlimited. It's just too bad if your kids will never be able to afford to park near the beach. Unsustainable.
As I passed Tressels, north of Camp Penelton, it made me think no only of the War in Iraq, and all its problems; PTSD, Brain Injuries, Raped Women Soldiers, Mercenary Military Contractors, War Profiteers, Increased Global Instability, Millions of Dead Iraq Citizens, Decreased Homeland Security, Iran, Syria, ect., but it also reminded me of the public battle over the new Toll Road that they want to put through this area, and the courts that will decide if some corporation can ruin our natural environment to privatize our public transit? Unsustainable.
One of the best kept secrets in Surfing are the perfect waves of San Juan Capistrano. If there is a perfect place to be a kid, these affluent Orange County Beaches are the best. I can't imagine a world where people will be locked out of paradise because they can't afford to live there. Unsustainable.
Then the Surfliner cuts inland across Anaheim, and 26 lanes of Interstate Highway-5, the largest, busiest highway in the world. Unsustainable. Past Angles Stadium, which reminds me of Baseball and all the problems with Developers trying to con the public into building new stadiums for teams like "The Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim". Then we proceed past the broken down backyards of a few million people, who try to exist in this dry desert river-bed, all covered with razor wire and urban graffiti. Then past strip malls, and business parks, car yards, and industrial complexes, factories, and finally into Union Station in Down Town LA.
Union Station, an old school public space, with public art, a mecca for those who can not afford the plane or the car, real travelers. I see a man, a boy really, smoking. He sits on a green military ruck-sack, behind a pillar, sharing cigarettes with strangers. I worry again about PTSD, and all the problems of war. Who really fights the wars we choose? Unsustainable.
Why do people smoke? Why should we pay for their healthcare if they do?
I get on another bus, manned by working class stiffs. These are the bus drivers, ticket takers, baggage handlers. They are overweight, underpaid, depressed. I ride with students, and business people, most don't speak english. This is the real American people, every race, religion, and nationality. Unsustainable.
We move through heavy LA traffic. Dirty, no trees, no life, just mile after mile of concrete. Unsustainable.
The line at the ticket counter is full of American Senior Citizens. What will happen to them now that the Stock Market has crashed and their pensions are gone. What about my parents, and the demographic bubble of Baby Boomers that are all reaching retirement NOW! Unsustainable.
We come to Los Angeles International Airport, LAX, and we see its under construction again. Expanding to handle the crowds and air freight. Square Miles of flat, open concrete, with giant jet-planes crossing in every direction. Unsustainable.
At the airport I miss my plane, but my ticket allows me to fly standby on a latter flight to San Francisco. While I wait, I go eat at Bradley International Terminal, where I watch a hundred thousand people from around the world come and go, speaking a thousand languages. I sit next to an Irish couple, who just completed a two week tour of the South West United States. They are in total AWE of the USA. They are worried about the money, the banks are failing. I tell them I'm going to campaign in Florida. They remind me how what the USA does effects the rest of the world.
Bradley Terminal is named after Tom Bradley, LA's first Black Mayor, who was in charge while I was a kid in Riverside, CA. He ran for Governor of California once in the 1970's, I think. In the days that follow I will learn about the "BRADLEY EFFECT" that is the tendency for STUPID, CORRUPT, and RACIST whites to say they will vote for a Black Candidate, like Barack Obama, then go to the Polls and be unable to choose a person with pigment in their skin. I'm left with the question; "Do these people really deserve someone like Barack Obama?" We get what we deserve. Unsustainable.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
As Florida Goes, So Goes The Nation
I represent the 1,194,302 registered women in Florida who did not vote in 2004. I support Obama but there is a lot going on right now. Please let me know my closest early vote location. I could make the difference.
I represent the 626,280 registered 18-29 year olds in Florida who did not vote in 2004. We need change and if you tell me more about early voting, I can definitely fit it in my schedule since it gives me more flexibility. I could make the difference.
I represent one of the 365,320 registered African American voters in Florida who did not vote in 2004. I am excited to vote for Obama, but a reminder will help to make sure I don't put it off. I could make the difference.
I represent the 349,716 registered seniors in Florida who did not vote in 2004. I know we need new leadership in Washington, and I live right by an early vote location, but I just might need a ride. I could make the difference.
I represent the 299,136 registered Hispanics in Florida who did not vote in 2004. Barack is more than a politician, he's a leader. If you remind me that I have over a 10 day window to early vote, I could make the difference.
Early Vote for Change Rally
with Barack Obama
This Wednesday, October 29th, please join Barack Obama in Sunrise, where he will talk about his vision for creating the kind of change we need.
Early Vote for Change Rally
with Barack Obama
BankAtlantic Center
One Panther Parkway
Sunrise, FL 33323
Wednesday, October 29th
Doors Open: 4:30 p.m.
The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required; however an RSVP is strongly encouraged.
Preferred entry passes are available at the ticketing locations below.
For security reasons do not bring bags and limit personal items. No signs or banners permitted.
Preferred entry passes are available at the following locations during these times:
Monday, October 27th: 3:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 28th: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, October 29th: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Florida's Campaign for Change Table
at the African-American Research Library
2650 Sistrunk Boulevard
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33311
Florida's Campaign for Change Table
at Miramar City Hall
2300 Civic Center Place
Miramar, FL 33025
Florida's Campaign for Change Table
at Tamarac Branch Library
8701 W. Commercial Blvd.
Tamarac, FL 33321
Florida's Campaign for Change Table
at Lauderhill Mall
1501 NW 40 Avenue
Lauderhill, FL 33313
Florida's Campaign for Change Table
at Northwest Regional Library
3151 University Drive
Coral Springs, FL 33065
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Is Sara a Terrorist?
Is she someone who would want to harm innocent Americans?
Is she for real?
Rapture. Poof.
Friday, October 24, 2008
John McCain has experience, See the Keating Five
It was the end of the REGAN years, and the sheep were slaughtered all over the map. John McCain was bribed to defend Keating and he did his job. But that crisis only cost $124-Billion, and Black Tuesday, in October 1987, only dropped the stock market 20%.
Today, with globalization, we face a world wide depression, the culmination of just 8 short years of the Bush Administration's deregulation of capitol markets, and once again, JOHN MCCAIN has been along for the ride, all the way to the bank.
Vote for JOHN MCCAIN, and put an end to the suffering.
Ponzi 1920
McCain 1987
I know this is redundant for anyone over 30 years old, but for new voters, THE CURRENT BANKING BAIL-OUT WAS DONE BEFORE. They suckered the US public in a dress rehearsal in the 1980's, now they want you to elect the architect.
WAKE UP!
ABRA LOS OJOS!
The Problem with Pyramid Schemes is that they make everyone involved either a THIEF or a FOOL, and thus corrupt everyone. Thus everyone involved in such a diseased system is motivated to avoid the truth and accountability. - MER
Monday, October 20, 2008
The Sky is Falling!
Rep. Brad Sherman says Congress threatened with Martial Law if bill is not passed.
Chicken little and the little boy had nothing on this.
Friday, October 17, 2008
ACORN does good work, REPUBLICANS commit voter suppression
Here's what he's not telling you:
--The only fraud committed was against ACORN itself. ACORN hired 13,000 workers to register a remarkable 1.3 million new voters. And a few of them turned in registration forms with inaccurate and even made-up names to get credit for work they didn't do. ACORN fired them and turned them over to the authorities.
--ACORN reported the fraudulent registration forms. In most states, ACORN is required by law to submit all forms collected whether they appear to be bogus or not—that way election officials, not partisan groups, can make the call. ACORN flags cards that may not be legitimate. And in many places, the charges of fraud only came up because ACORN was the one who flagged the cards!
--This won't have any impact on the election. No one is allowed to vote unless they are properly registered. And there is no evidence of false registrations actually leading to organized voting fraud.
ACORN has dedicated Quality Control staff which calls the person listed on every card to verify information.
--ACORN alerts election officials whenever its Quality Control staff find a card that appears to be a duplicate or problematic.
--In most states, the law requires that every signed card be turned into election officials, even if it is fake or incomplete.
ACORN is now being attacked by partisan officials over problematic cards that ACORN itself pointed out, in writing, to election officials.
--ACORN employed thousands of part-time canvassers to work on its voter registration drives, and most of these individuals did a great job.
In the relatively few cases where some canvassers have turned in bad voter registration cards, there has never been any evidence that so-called “voter fraud” was the motive.
As these cases prove, it is extraordinarily difficult to falsely register to vote, and fraudulent voting by individuals is extremely rare.
Rather, these cases appear to be nothing more than former part-time workers trying to get paid for doing work they didn’t do—like a store clerk shoplifting from his or her employer.
Behind the partisan attacks
The goals of the people orchestrating partisan attacks against are to distract ACORN from helping people vote and to justify massive voter suppression.
In 2004 and 2006, attacks against voter registration drives were orchestrated by political forces that have since been exposed by the U.S. Attorneygate scandal to have been working in conjunction with a politicized Department of Justice to push a partisan agenda of voter suppression.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Pelosi Must Go.
voice of the American people AGAINST the bailout for billionaire
bankers, it was supposed to restore confidence to the financial
markets. It has done exactly the opposite, as the stock market has
dropped over 1,000 points SINCE the Senate passed it. Indeed the only
substantial up day was the one AFTER the original House rejection.
And in case anyone missed it, according to our Constitution, ALL
funding bills must originate in the House. So -- by using preemptive
Senate passage to hustle reluctant House members, Nancy Pelosi has
once again presided over a further enfeeblement of the chamber she is
supposed to be leading, just as she grossly abused her power and
defied the Constitution herself in blocking action on impeachment.
Pelosi Must Go.
TV Spot Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/cindy/bankers_bailout.php
She must be defeated in four weeks by Cindy Sheehan who is on the
ballot for the 8th congressional district of California in San
Francisco, and who is collecting powerful endorsements from sources
like the Bay Area Guardian.
Please watch Cindy Sheehan's new TV spot, which with your help can be
running in heavy rotation in her district within a day or two.
By arrogantly dismissing our literally millions of phone calls and
emails vehemently opposed to this lunatic policy blunder, Congress
has demonstrated that they are for the most part beyond redemption.
We have only one practical recourse. Vote the cowardly losers out of
office as just soon as possible, and replace each and every one of
them with strong progressives who WILL be accountable to the people.
We MUST Help Cindy Sheehan defeat Nancy Pelosi
This is our only real chance for the next two years. Nothing would
send a stronger message that the voice of the people actually COUNTS
for something that a resounding victory for Cindy Sheehan in the
Congressional race for the 8th district of California against Nancy
Pelosi in just 4 weeks. NOTHING would send a stronger message to the
gutless wimps in Congress that their reign of cowardice is over.
What we need is literally a tsunami of donations to put Cindy
Sheehan's new TV spot on the air, where she pulls no punches about
the abject failure of Pelosi to lead. If you are frustrated, if you
are angry, if you can make a donation of any amount, please do so
from the page below.
Watch The New TV Spot:
http://www.usalone.com/cindy/bankers_bailout.php
And as if all this weren't galling enough. How do you like how Bush
came out in the Rose Garden after signing the "Fox In Charge Of The
Hen House Bill" to basically say, "Thanks, chumps."?
How dare they call themselves "Representatives"? How dare they! With
their phones flooded a hundred to one shouting down this massive
theft from the American taxpayer, with such an avalanche of emails
coming the House email servers almost crashed, how dare they?! And
guess what, the people were right. The hundreds of top economists
pleading for sanity and a hearing were right.
Pelosi, the queen of the cave-ins, must be defeated. There can be no
honor in allowing her to remain in office. Shame on us if we don't do
everything we could have done to remove her. Then and only then can
all the other things that need to be done to fix this disaster be
implemented.
And please, if you are the San Francisco area. Cindy needs an army of
volunteers to hit the streets inspiring voters. And even if you are
not, you can help make phone calls. There are volunteer links on the
same page with the video. You can do something. You must do
something. Please help.
And let election day this time be a bright and shining day where we
the people actually start to take back control of our own government.
Paid for by Cindy Sheehan for Congress
Donations to Cindy Sheehan for Congress are not tax-deductible
Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed
to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible.
If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at
http://www.usalone.net/in.htm
The World Can't Wait
"Both campaigns, in the closing stretch, seem not fully worthy of the moment. We are in crisis-a once-in-a-century event, as we now say. And what we got from the candidates, in this week's presidential debate, was a bunch of gummy meanderings-smooth, rounded sentences so full of focus-grouped inanities that six minutes in viewers entered a kind of trance in which we almost immediately gave up on trying to wrest meaning from what was being said and instead focused on mere impressions. The look of things. The men on the plane, the pseudo-tough political operatives who surround both candidates, sometimes grouse, in private, that it's all symbols now, all mood, all about the visual.
But they have some real responsibility here. They send their candidates out to speak such thin gruel, such spat-out porridge, that we are struck dumb, and left daydreaming about the fact that Mr. Obama's suits are always slate gray and never seem to wrinkle, and Mr. McCain tonight seems like a rabbity forest creature darting amid the hedgerows.
Why would anyone trust either candidate to help dig us out of this if they can't speak frankly about what got us into it?"
From the standpoint of those who don't even want an empire, I agree! There isn't anyone "up there" who can fix what is going on with the globalized economy. They won't stop the "war of terror" yet Congress approved, and Bush signed a law today that rewards India for developing nukes. And none of this has anything to do with elections - the people have no say in it.
Debra Sweet, Director, The World Can't Wait - Drive Out the Bush Regime
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Zeitgeist Addendum Screening at the San Diego County Community Coalition
At the San Diego County Community Coalition Monthly Meetup
Sunday: October 19, 2008
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Joyce Beers Community Center
1220 Vermont Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Do not miss the exciting film showing of the movie ZIETGEIST II! We have all been waiting for this one!
This will be a heavily attended meeting! Reserve your tables now!
Inform your constituents! We will be handing out free DVDs as long as they last of part I and II.
This coalition of activists will continue to explore pertainent issues surrounding the environment, social justice, human rights, clean elections.
Join us as Activist San Diego, San Diego Non-Violent Peaceforce, North County Coaliton for Peace and Justice, Veterans for Peace, the Caring Council, Women's Caucus for Art, All Of Us Or None, A New PATH, Progressive San Diego, San Diegans for 911 Truth and others join to create strategy to protect our freedom.
Each person is given an opportunity to speak on their passion between 6-7. Film starts at 7PM!
We will continue to make strategy in using our broadcast tools on Public Access and Internet TV.
Join us for this important meeting.
Joyce Beers is 1.5 blocks north of University on Vermont street, next to Alladin's Restaurant, across from Starbucks, Trader Joes and the Ralphs Shopping Center. It is hard to find and cannot be successfully Googled! Please note these directions.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Investigate Karl Rove's Election Manipulations
tabulation manipulation, partisan use of the Justice Department to target
Democrats and uncooperative US Attorneys, and the laundering of hundreds of
millions of corporate dollars into fake advocacy groups to attack Democrat
candidates for public office. The US Chamber of Commerce, which has spent almost a half billion dollars the past decade lobbying on behalf of big business, has been used as an instrument of Rove according to attorneys investigating this matter.
We need to know the truth about these manipulations, and expose Rove and his
cohorts before the November general election. Press accounts and
insiders say that the same people who have manipulated past elections are
now working for John McCain to ensure his win in November.
Please investigate this serious matter prior to the election by holding
public hearings and also request the appointment of a special prosecutor to
investigate the manipulation of our elections by Karl Rove and his
conspirators.
Please go to www.rovecybergate.com for press articles, videos and
information about the legal case filed in federal court in Ohio to expose
Rove's illegal election manipulations.
Movie Screenings: Stealing America, American Blackout, Uncounted, Hacking Democracy
The same manipluations of 2004 and 2006 looms over the 2008 election.
Sept 25, 5pm & Sept 27, 5pm with Brad Friedman & guest panel Q&A
San Diego Film Festival - Gaslamp Theatre - 701 5th Avenue downtown
Hosted by Metro San Diego Progressive Democrats (PDA) 619.665.9415
Join us for our October film series, guest speakers and discussions
Hacking Democracy
The documentary that Diebold Corp doesn't want you to see...the disturbingly shocking HBO documentary bravely tangles with our nation's ills at the heart of democracy.
Wed Oct 1, 6:30 pm social - 7pm program
La Jolla Dem Club, 817 Silverado St, La Jolla 858-752-9544
Mon Oct 13, 7pm Joyce Beers Community Center, Hillcrest shopping center, Vermont near Univ. (next to Trader Joe's) Activist San Diego & TrueVoteSanDiego 858-459-4650
Stealing America: Vote by Vote
The American ideal that every vote counts? Not true, according to this eye-opening documentary. Stealing America also indicts the national media for its reluctance to address the issue.
Fri Oct 3, 7:30pm - Joyce Beers Community Center, Hillcrest shopping center, Vermont near Univ. (next to Trader Joe's) Activist San Diego & TrueVoteSanDiego - 858-459-4650
Wed. Oct 15, 6pm - Malcolm X Library, 5148 Market St, Near Euclid -
Activist San Diego & TrueVoteSanDiego - for info: Marc Chery 619-527-3405
Fri Oct 17, 7:30pm First Unitarian Universalist Church, 4190 Front St, Hillcrest, opposite UCSD Med Center - Peace & Democracy Action Group 858-459-4650
American Blackout
Sat Oct 4, 3pm - Malcolm X Library, 5148 Market St, Near Euclid
For info: Marc Chery - 619-527-3405
(Suggested Donation for all Movie Screenings is $5)
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Robert Bowman Speaks
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Big Boys sack Rome!
Monday, September 29, 2008
No Retreat, No Surrender!!!
I am shocked, I thought all these political fat cats had been bought and paid for years ago. Apparently the out cry from the people screaming to add transparent checks and balances to any $700-Billion bail out plan somehow got through to the narcissistic, corrupt, and ignorant representatives in this election year.
So, WE DID IT. The majority of our voting population, realizing we really have nothing left to loose from a crashing stock market, because we don't own stock, we don't have homes, or good jobs, or anything of real value, like the economic opportunity of upward mobility based upon a just and fair objective competition of individual merit. Just a bleak future, dominated by corporations and crushed by government. So, our only choice pay for the bailout by devaluing the dollar and saddling our children with insurmountable debt far into the future, or watching the stock-market fall and crash, which will level the playing field between the rich and poor, we choose to let them fall!
Now what? I think we need great changes, yes we need new politics, throw the bums out, but this economy still needs to be stabilized with a RATIONAL and JUST Fiscal Plan. I suggest that we follow the Kucinich Doctrine, a complete plan to build transparency and ethics into the system.
Force your congress person to read this plan and implement these new rules if they wish to install a bail out plan:
1) Tell your friends
2) Contact your representatives
3) Support those who are fighting for your interests
The Kucinich Requirements
insist that all of the following issues be considered in whatever Congress passes:
1) Reinstatement of the provisions of Glass-Steagall, which forbade speculation
2) Re-regulation of the finance, insurance, and real estate industries
3) Accountability on the part of those who took the companies down:
-- a) resignations of management
-- b) givebacks of executive compensation packages
-- c) limitations on executive compensation
-- d) admission by CEO's of what went wrong and how, prior to any government bailout
4) Demands for transparencey
-- a) with respect to analyzing the transactions which took the companies down
-- b) with respect to Treasury's dealings with the companies pre and post-bailout
5) An equity position for the taxpayers
-- a) some form of ownership of assets
6) Some credible formula for evaluating the price of the assets that the government is buying.
7) A sunset clause on the legislation
8) Full public disclosure by members of Congress of assets held, with possible conflicts put in blind trust.
9) A ban on political campaign contributions from officers of corporations receiving bailouts
10) A requirement that 2008 cycle candidates return political contributions to officers and representatives of corporations receiving bailouts
And, most importantly, some mechanism for direct assistance to homeowners saddled with unreasonable or unmanageable mortgages, as well as protection for renters who have lived up to their obligation but fall victim to financial tragedy when the property they live in undergoes foreclosure.
USE COMMON SENSE! WE HAVE NOTHING TO LOOSE! IF THIS FAILS, WE THE PEOPLE WILL BE ECONOMICALLY EQUAL TO THE WEALTHY ELETE AND THERE WILL BE NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL, LIMITED ONLY BY YOUR ABILITY. IF THIS WORKS, WE WILL HAVE THE REFORMS IN THE SYSTEM WE NEED TO REQUIRE TRANSPARENCY AND ACCOUNTABILITY, AND THE SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE.
The Rich Are Staging a Coup This Morning ...a message from Michael Moore
Let me cut to the chase. The biggest robbery in the history of this country is taking place as you read this. Though no guns are being used, 300 million hostages are being taken. Make no mistake about it: After stealing a half trillion dollars to line the pockets of their war-profiteering backers for the past five years, after lining the pockets of their fellow oilmen to the tune of over a hundred billion dollars in just the last two years, Bush and his cronies -- who must soon vacate the White House -- are looting the U.S. Treasury of every dollar they can grab. They are swiping as much of the silverware as they can on their way out the door.
No matter what they say, no matter how many scare words they use, they are up to their old tricks of creating fear and confusion in order to make and keep themselves and the upper one percent filthy rich. Just read the first four paragraphs of the lead story in last Monday's New York Times and you can see what the real deal is:
"Even as policy makers worked on details of a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it.
"Financial firms were lobbying to have all manner of troubled investments covered, not just those related to mortgages.
"At the same time, investment firms were jockeying to oversee all the assets that Treasury plans to take off the books of financial institutions, a role that could earn them hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees.
"Nobody wants to be left out of Treasury's proposal to buy up bad assets of financial institutions."
Unbelievable. Wall Street and its backers created this mess and now they are going to clean up like bandits. Even Rudy Giuliani is lobbying for his firm to be hired (and paid) to "consult" in the bailout.
The problem is, nobody truly knows what this "collapse" is all about. Even Treasury Secretary Paulson admitted he doesn't know the exact amount that is needed (he just picked the $700 billion number out of his head!). The head of the congressional budget office said he can't figure it out nor can he explain it to anyone.
And yet, they are screeching about how the end is near! Panic! Recession! The Great Depression! Y2K! Bird flu! Killer bees! We must pass the bailout bill today!! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Falling for whom? NOTHING in this "bailout" package will lower the price of the gas you have to put in your car to get to work. NOTHING in this bill will protect you from losing your home. NOTHING in this bill will give you health insurance.
Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?
It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.
This bailout's mission is to protect the obscene amount of wealth that has been accumulated in the last eight years. It's to protect the top shareholders who own and control corporate America. It's to make sure their yachts and mansions and "way of life" go uninterrupted while the rest of America suffers and struggles to pay the bills. Let the rich suffer for once. Let them pay for the bailout. We are spending 400 million dollars a day on the war in Iraq. Let them end the war immediately and save us all another half-trillion dollars!
I have to stop writing this and you have to stop reading it. They are staging a financial coup this morning in our country. They are hoping Congress will act fast before they stop to think, before we have a chance to stop them ourselves. So stop reading this and do something -- NOW! Here's what you can do immediately:
1. Call or e-mail Senator Obama. Tell him he does not need to be sitting there trying to help prop up Bush and Cheney and the mess they've made. Tell him we know he has the smarts to slow this thing down and figure out what's the best route to take. Tell him the rich have to pay for whatever help is offered. Use the leverage we have now to insist on a moratorium on home foreclosures, to insist on a move to universal health coverage, and tell him that we the people need to be in charge of the economic decisions that affect our lives, not the barons of Wall Street.
2. Take to the streets. Participate in one of the hundreds of quickly-called demonstrations that are taking place all over the country (especially those near Wall Street and DC).
3. Call your Representative in Congress and your Senators. (click here to find their phone numbers). Tell them what you told Senator Obama.
When you screw up in life, there is hell to pay. Each and every one of you reading this knows that basic lesson and has paid the consequences of your actions at some point. In this great democracy, we cannot let there be one set of rules for the vast majority of hard-working citizens, and another set of rules for the elite, who, when they screw up, are handed one more gift on a silver platter. No more! Not again!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Having read further the details of this bailout bill, you need to know you are being lied to. They talk about how they will prevent golden parachutes. It says NOTHING about what these executives and fat cats will make in SALARY. According to Rep. Brad Sherman of California, these top managers will continue to receive million-dollar-a-month paychecks under this new bill. There is no direct ownership given to the American people for the money being handed over. Foreign banks and investors will be allowed to receive billion-dollar handouts. A large chunk of this $700 billion is going to be given directly to Chinese and Middle Eastern banks. There is NO guarantee of ever seeing that money again.
P.P.S. From talking to people I know in DC, they say the reason so many Dems are behind this is because Wall Street this weekend put a gun to their heads and said either turn over the $700 billion or the first thing we'll start blowing up are the pension funds and 401(k)s of your middle class constituents. The Dems are scared they may make good on their threat. But this is not the time to back down or act like the typical Democrat we have witnessed for the last eight years. The Dems handed a stolen election over to Bush. The Dems gave Bush the votes he needed to invade a sovereign country. Once they took over Congress in 2007, they refused to pull the plug on the war. And now they have been cowered into being accomplices in the crime of the century. You have to call them now and say "NO!" If we let them do this, just imagine how hard it will be to get anything good done when President Obama is in the White House. THESE DEMOCRATS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE BACKBONE WE GIVE THEM. CALL CONGRESS NOW.
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