Save the Planet: Win a Hybrid

MAN!

I want that car!!!

Somebody give me 10 words--please!!!

Poll shows U.S. views on Muslim-Americans
Nearly half of Americans believe their rights should be restricted, according to survey.

I wonder which half.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6729916/

Posted by: battlebob | December 17, 2004 06:24 PM
I meant no insult...

I know :-).

I am not sure Edwards sees himself as 2nd tier.

As for Sharpton, I was living in NY when his name first popped up in te news, and in a pretty ugly way. I don't like demagogues and manipulators, does not matter whose side they are on. He might have changed though, I don't know... He is definitely smart, articulate, and can give good in your face answers. I am still not sure I trust him, though, and wonder how many people do.

Any comments about my new senator, Obama? I was really transfixed by his convention speech. He either deserves an Oscar or some special prize for oratorical achievement or he is really something special

(Sorry for the repost, just hated to see myself all alone at the end of the previous thread :-)

Wow!! I feel like is has been less than 24 hours since I left this blog and so much has happened.

Indy, I appreciate the post--I know some see it as harsh, but I see it as bringing up issues that we, as JK supporters, need to discuss. For me, it makes the difference between being able to argue a perspective that is helpful and not having enough information. I do find that this blog in particular is very sensitive to JK issues, so I tend to discuss issues that question how JK has chosen to handle DEM leadership on other blogs--

Unfortunately, this is probably more detrimental to JK, than if we could have a viable disucssion here without all the name calling and anger. I am a JK supporter and I feel as if he has done an incredible job for this country, but I do question some of his decisions lately.

I think it was Tutter who offered the most salient points in terms of who takes on what leadership role, who becomes a sacrficial lamb, and who gets and deserves our support. It is a tricky thing this game of politics and we need to be mindful and helpful of our leaders--we cannot aid and abett in destroying them--the repubs are doing that for us very well.

I also think we DEMS need to stop blaming each other--in this DiAnn and Karen are so right--we cannot have the repubs see us fighting with Media Matters, MM, MoveON, DFA, and all of the others--especially not with our leaders and I am saddened that the DLC has taken this route.

Indy, we do need to agree to disagree and I do hope you continue posting and continue voicing your opinion--you have been an inspiration and even when I don't agree with you, you cause me to think and to reevaluate positions. I love your passion for this country and for our democracy. I respect your knowledge of and belief in the founding fathers, and I feel you add a lot to the discussions.

This is and continues to be my favorite blog--I love the comraderie, intelligence, and passions that Karen spoke of in her post--we do have a lot to offer--and we can make a difference to this party.

Thanks to all of you for making my day

~~what a surprise, bushies want to silence anti-war protesters at inaugural:

Protesters May Not Have Swearing-In Spot

By LIZ SIDOTI, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The park service has given the Presidential Inaugural Committee clearance to erect bleachers along parts of Pennsylvania Avenue where an anti-war group had requested permits to stage a large-scale protest during President Bush's parade.
http://tinyurl.com/5ned7

~~but here's something we can do to show our support for the peace movement and to help end Bush's immoral Iraq war:
http://www.troopsribbon.com/pictures.html

Irina,
Edwards, interesting...I wonder if we will ever hear from him again..out of site, out of mind thing.
He would be the perfect one to go after Bush on SS and tax reform. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain.
The only things I know about Sharpton are his campaign activities. I thought he really helped Kerry a lot.

I am like everyone else. Another term in the Senate and Obama moves to the WH. IMHO, he is the Dems brightest star. My family is in the Chigao area (one brother a FOB, the other a right wingnut) and both were really impressed with Obama.

I have no interest whatsoever in Democratic fighting r/t factions within it. I see no productive solution to anything coming out of this. There is inspiration all around and no hero is going to save us. That is impossible and unrealistic.

I was also shocked to see the article on attitudes toward Muslim Americans. It makes me feel profoundly ashamed thateven one single person in this country is so xenophobic, hostile and ignorant. It is no wonder we are disliked (hated?) all over the world.

We are a week from Christmas. Peace is the supreme value and starts with love and compassion - everything else is secondary.

Sparrow, I hope you win!

My entry: "Spring cleaning on 4 wheels."

Posted by: KerryisKing | December 17, 2004 06:47 PM

KIK

It is this attitude that makes me feel like we all have to fight and continue to fight and never let it go--social justice and equality for all has been a cornerstone of our democracy and I hope we never forget what the basis of our country is all about. We cannot let them steal our country and we cannot let our country be taken over by those who preach intolerance for other views and beliefs.

As an outsider looking in, one who really cares, to me we have been totally let down by the whole Dem Party, for 2 years JK and his party worked with their hearts and buts off for us I believe that, Our Bloggers worked like, I do not think I have seen people work before with their hearts, with expectancy, sure of themselves willing to fight for what we believed was needed in the Leader of America and the free world.

Gore lost in 2000 after all the recounts were done this way and that gore was the winner the supreme court gave the presidency to bush, how the hell can another election come and go with all these fraudulent things happening, when their eyes should have been wide, wide open to what would have, could have happened with these dishonest people.

The list goes on and on 1, 2 machines where people stood for 11 hrs, and there were 86 something machines in the back room. We did our work, Jk did his work, the Dem Party certainly did not do there work, they did not have our backs or JK's back covered or the repugs, and cable news and the nonexistant media, would not have been able to get away with what they did, I did not see anyone from the Dem Party out there fighting for JK against the lies of the swift boat liars no one from the dem party just quitness, it was the bloggers who fought like hell against sinclair, but away from the internet who heard and how many people in the red and blue states do not have the internet, and just get their news from Fox Liars.

No matter how hard we worked, JK worked, we could not do it, it was impossible to get the news out to the majority that is were we fell down and the dem party should have been out there making sure that this could not have happened again.

Indy loves you man, were JK is concerned I will wait, before I make my decision. To see what he will do, after this fiasco, to see if he works for the military in Iraq like he worked for the soldiers in Vietnam and works for no child left behind and works for medical care for all children and then I will make my decision, I believe that if he does not do the work that we all expect of him, then we will not cover his back for the next run for President in 2008, shit I cannot believe we are passing by 2004 and thinking of 2008 and the Idiot has 4 more years that is so unacceptbale to me grrrrrrr, If he does the fight then I know that we will all have his back it is up to the man to live up to the standard that we expect.

Kangaroo

Posted by: rossiann | December 17, 2004 07:21 PM

I agree we were let down by the DNC--and we did work hard--and I also think we will have to work even harder in 2008--because they will be ready for us again.

I am so interested in the voter suppression and voter fraud issue because I feel that if this is NOT fixed in the next few years, we will be talking about 2012 in 2008.

Yes, Karen, we do need to step up to the plate and take action NOW.

On the hybrid side of things... here's a story about New York purchasing 300 Prius hybrids for use by the Department of Buildings, Parks and Recreation, the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation and MTA. Way to go NY.

http://www.elektroauto-tipp.de/modules.php?name=News&file=print&sid=20

I don't believe we were let down by the Democratic party. I think they showed unbelievable unity, strength, class, fundraising & courage. There are over 700 Republican think tanks in DC alone, according to former rightwing writer & journalist, David Brock. They have been working several decades to accomplish what we are now seeing & even with more Dems in office they would have had the upper hand.

Why? They have big business behind them & have joined in with the neocons & the religious right.

It has very little to do with the Democratic party. If Gephart had won, we might have gotten Missouri & Iowa but might have lost some other things & there would have been alot of ranting on the internet.
If Candidate X had run .. If the party had gone more to the left .. If teh party had gone more to the center ..

It can go on & on, but I have not yet seen a really convincing argument for failure. The Gore race & Kerry race were both close & in fact, it's possible we have had two bloodless coups. The Republicans already had control of all 3 branches of government this time & also the media.

To blame the Democratic party or some campaign is utterly unconvincing.

Here's my slogan:

Hybrids--the best of the past, present, and future

I know that my next car will be a Hybrid--we have friends who have them and they aboslutely love them.

ALERT!!!!!!

HELP DOC!!!!!!!!

THEY ARE NOT ALLOWING ME ACESS TO THE CHAT, DARN, I KNOW THERE IS A CONSPIRACY GOING ON HERE, THEY ARE OUT TO DRIVE ME CRAZY THE SNAKES.

CAN YOU EMAIL ME THE CHAT LINK PLEASE DOC THANKING YOU:d

KANGAROO

I suggest a review of http://www.newamericancentury.org
especially the initial Mission Statement.

Then I'd like to know in what way anything could have been done better.

I really think that alot of people are unrealistic about what we are up against.

Has anyone seen the story about Napalm and Falujah? Does anyone have a link? Again, I have to marvel at the support the military is giving Bush--he does not deserve it.

Thanks Battlebob for working on getting the word out--that is what I am doing also--to all my friends who are military and Bush supporters. I want to chip away at the confidence they have in Bush--slowly but surely.

Sparrow
Thanks for posting the Media Matters for America stuff on the last topic.

I read a reference from someone about Democrat (politicians) "cowering in the corner."

Out of curiosity, I went to the websites of my Senators & some of my state Congresspeople - no cowering going on at all.

These people are on Committees. They work their tails off. Read the Congressional Record. They are up against the wall & they are fighting hard.

Since when does the media cover these people when it is not election year & they are not running for office? Alot of what we saw was because we were paying millions of dollars to get their faces on tv at all.

Remember Kerry & Edwards drawing thousands all across the country but we only saw the pictures on their own website or in local papers? So why would the media now give them or other Dems much free coverage?

Latina4Justice

A friend & I in MN have a Vets for Peace group & we try to disseminate as many articles such as you are talking about to as many people as we can. It's a Yahoo group. We also put our own articles & photos (such as of antiwar events) on various IndyMedia outlets.

I think I gave up on the regular media during the Gulf War in 1991 but I probably shouldn't do that. It isn't a good place to get information but it shouldn't be overtly spewing propaganda either & is.

If anyone wants the advertising sponsors of Sinclair, I can post it again.

Awesome! The Republicans are fighting, not just the Democrats!! Maybe there is hope!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680112,00.html

Here's an idea. Most state legislative sessions begin in January and some websites are listing pre-filed bills. Example -- Alabama state legislator Lea Fite (D)has pre-filed an elections bill (HB 25) for the 2005 session.

If anyone finds other bills up for debate, please post a link!

http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/ViewPrefiledBillsACASLogin.asp

Mark

That is a good suggestion.

1. Be proactive not reactive
2. Bash the opposition not ourselves

Bush's speechwriter was just hospitalized. I imagine it IS stressful ..

Amazing photos today - Bush with the headline "Bush Signs Intelligence Bill" (oxymoronic) & then the one where he calls a conference & the sign below the podium calls them "Challangers" (sic)

Makes me think of Quayle and "potatoe"

I think they're in a little over their heads.

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 07:36 PM

DiAnne,

I feel let down by the DNC in the area of voter fraud and voter suppression. It seems to me that African Americans have been disenfranchised in one way or another, by this pary or that since they were given the right to vote--and I am wondering, when will the DEMS stand up and say ENOUGH is ENOUGH--it is important for our democracy that all have the right to vote?

There was a lot of info before the election about how they were going to suppress votes and how they were going to steal the election and I don't feel the DNC did enough to respond. The attitude was one of--we will win by such a landslide, let them suppress the black vote (yet again). Let them try to steal the election.

With voter suppression going on for over a 100 years in the same neighborhoods--many of them minority and poor and democratic neighborhoods--why has this not been addressed by the DLC or the DNC or white elite of the dem party that control this issue?

Why no response and why no changes to ensure that we would not have voter suppression? It would have been easy--after the fiasco in Florida to go to court and ensure that Secretary of States could not be head of campaigns?? conflict of interest?? why no lawsuit??

The dems did business as usual--and lost and will continue to lose unless and until they address these issues.

Yes, the neocons have a hold on a lot of stuff including big business and the media, but there is still a lot committed leadership can do and can do to make a difference.

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 07:49 PM

DiAnne,

Great post--I do think we should be beating up on Rumsfeld and we should be writing LTE and letters to the media and letters to our reps about his incompetence and how we need someone to lead the war effort who can bring our troops home, keep them safe when they are in there, and stop dropping Napalm on the world.

DiAnne, The Administration has an opening for Speech Writer? I would love to write one.

Latina4Justice

Thanks for outlining what in particular the DNC didn't do. I was thinking more of getting out the vote, raising money & so on. The Kerry/Edwards campaign was not allowed to coordinate with the 527s so that made it harder.

I feel something is badly off & wrong but feel also lacking in information about what is going on behind the scenes, what we don't know, why there would have been such a failure to communicate, to stand up - if there was.

My antennae are definitely up & have been for some time. For one thing, the Republicans pushed a voter reform act which was a farce after they stole one election (such corruption - a Bush as Governor in Florida, a friend of Daddy on the Supreme Court). They were not to be trusted.

Also, we got Campaign Reform Law but no one followed it!! I can only think that you guys are right & some people or spinless OR (my more paranoid scenario) there are some horrible things we don't know about those in power that they are able to intimidate everyone around them.

There is also the issue of why it is hard to get even more Americans riled up about this & out into the streets. When I canvassed, alot of Dems had not gone on the internet for political information & many had not heard of MoveOn before! I have read several times that many Americans have not even heard there may have been voter fraud. I don't know how this is possible. I can only imagine that maybe it is political suicide to be too overt about accusations.

You can not believe how I'm watching my own Governor election where my own blue city is pitted against a bunch of rural red voters.

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 07:55 PM

Yes--I think it's a great idea to be proactive instead of reactive.

That is one way that we at the dcp will change how people look at government. No longer will we wait for the media to tell us the news!

We will spread the news ourselves.

And you're absolutely right! The media gave 1/3 of our side during an election year, and that was thanks to the support of people like us who gave money for the commercials. Had we not done so, then people would have seen 0% of our story.

Let's make our work payoff now. WE will become the media and the dcp will have so many different ways to help spread the word and give us the power we deserve.

I am the one who mentioned "cowering in the corner" and I stand by what I said.

While Bush is out ramming his agenda down our throats, no one is saying anything.

They can stay in their commitees and do their tasks and tell us they are making progress and at the end of the day, we will have a screwed up SS and tax codes for starters.
Here is what I want..
1 - I want the two main heads - Pelosi and Reid have a press conference and discuss how benefits will disappear under Bush. Because no one is saying anything about it.
We are the opposition party so oppose.
The public will equate silence with acceptance and think Bush is correct.

2 -I want Pelosi and Read to hammer Rumy on the needless deaths of our soldiers because of a lack of armor plating and bullet proof vests. Demand his resignation. Even Trent Lott wants him out.

3 - I want someone with a great environmental track record such as Gore or Kerry to hammer Bush on the environment.
There are new global warming reports and the report that Bush wants Kyoto ignored after 2012. Dems should easily own this debate.

We can moan about the press all we want. Even the press is questioning Bush on SS and taxes. They need Dems to enter the debate.

Wee may be out of power but we aren't dead. The corpse still has some life left.

"or spinless" - I meant "are spineless"

Battlebob

OK I'll bite - how can we get thousands of people to make them do it?

Assuming your suggestions are really a productive way to go about it - what are the channels?

Hey all:

Since it was Rove and Bush who decided to use the churches to send out thier waves of lies and "fake morality", I say this upcoming holiday is fair play.

Let's all copy the articles and links Jesus would approve of! Anti-war and PEACE articles, "thou shalt not steal" elections material, "thou shalt not tell a lie material"--ok you might have a difficult struggle weeding those down!, hmmm...is there a commandmant against torture? Well, let's make sure we tell everyone about Mr. Torture himself--Mr. Gonzalez!

Let's hand them out to the hundreds of church goers this coming week and let's make information cards to put on their windows. I really think we should emphasis, "THIS is NOT what Jesus WOULD DO!"

What is wrong with mass email, phone calls to outlets, banging congress people.
I would have a mass email campaign to Pelosi and Reid and let them know that leadership means leading; not waiting for someone else.

Publish the media lists given by Indy earlier and let's start bugging them.

Can we work with MoveOn again to light a fire under the Dem leadership?

But first and foremost, Dem leaders have to start opposing Bush on his agenda. If they don't no one will listen to us figuring the leaders have spoken.

We must be in Bush's face about everything.
For Iraq, drag Wes Clark back and tell everyone how Rumy's actions have murdered our own troops.
Demand Rumsfeld's resignation.

I think the ball is squarely in our side of the court and the Dem leadership must respond. Every day Bush gets closer to nailing his agenda down.
If they respond, our voices are amplified.
If they don't respond, our voices will not be heard.
Why does this sound so unreasonable?

Battlebob,

I agree--I think our leaders need to be out there leading. Whenever someone does show leadership, they blast them--like Nadar, Moore and Eli--they don't do it themselves and don't support anyone who does--giving us Bush and his policies.

If we give up on SS, accept Tax Reform for the Rich, silence on the war in Iraq, and we will soon be agreeing with them on Gay Marriage and abortion and have no distinction between the parties--

part 2

Bush's plans were not unknown.
We must plan this like a military campaign.
Anticpate what the opponenet will do, plan your defense, plan your counter-attack, and execute.

Battlebob,

I agree. THis is the action that we can take that Karen was talking about earlier. We can start with Rumy--since there is so much controversy--the phone calls and the letters can start to our DEM leaders and to the media--

We can also start by each committing to posting to at least two other DEM blogs where we can also garner support--and pick one or two issues a week to hammer home on.

Sorry for the repost if it's unnecessary.... I didn't realize there was a new thread until after I clicked on "Post" - I got too long-winded in my writing.... :-)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bloggers!!! Please!!! :-)

If you read the posts CAREFULLY, starting with the thread topic, the one thing that stands out (to me) is that we all speak our opinion, but some take the personal opinions of one person as an attack on themselves or at one or more of the others. Not quite so.....

Each person is "howling" (thanks for the term, Suz) in rage and in disappointment, because we see, more clearly than most people, what was lost in November. We lost the reality and the vision of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights as they were written over two centuries ago. What was NOT broken the repukes are trying to fix and we see the injustice of it all, and our disappointments run deep when the Democrats from our own states have sided with the repukes. On the old blog, we kept up on the issues, posted facts and figures and truth - and yes, our opinions, too (while we still have our First Amendment rights...) - and the repukes (and some, even most Dems, at times) never bothered to check us out, nor, when mainstream media did bother to tell the truth with facts and figures, even in passing, did the repukes listen or check things out as thoroughly as we did. So, yes; I think we all know what we lost, and we realize how much that is going to cost us in the long run - not just money, but in lost moral values as espoused by the BushCo administration with their illegal, immoral, and unethical "values." We all know our credibility with other countries is totally gone now, too. Like others, I believe Kerry conceded MUCH too soon. (Don't know if anyone else did, but I wrote letters before election day, and on election night, to the direct email address and literally begged that if the election was close for Kerry NOT to concede early, as Gore had, so my disappointment runs deeper than I can express.) If Kerry had turned into a Democratic (albeit more civilized in his communications) version of BushCo and loudly fought for us, as well as himself, and if his speaking out loudly had made our publicly-owned free airwaves, I suspect we might still be embroiled in recounts throughout the United States. But, that's 20/20 hindsight, and does no good at this point. I supported Kerry, but the concession much too soon - before ALL the votes were counted - hit me like a fist to the gut.

The two top aims of this blog are Media Reform and Voting Reform - or, maybe one could also label the aims as Media Responsibility (which is sorely lacking and has been for four years) and Voting Reform and Responsibility. Without mainstream media reforming themselves and being responsible enough to tell the American public the truth (whether we like the truth or not), however, we can howl until we're hoarse and no voting reform will be accomplished. We still need a way to get the attention of mainstream media. I posted the links to the suit being brought to Sinclair a couple of days ago, so our boycott of Sinclair did some good, and is continuing to have an effect. I believe if we boycott ALL of mainstream media advertisers we will have an effect in the long run. I've privately continued to boycott all of them, but that only means a few pennies of profit to any of them. An organized boycott of mainstream media and their advertisers by half the population of this country would have an economic impact. Money is the only thing those corporations understand.... I will continue to post links to sites that talk about media, media abuse and misuse, sins of omission on the part of media, media manipulation, and anything else that is foul about the current state of mainstream media in the United States. Mainstream media has disgusted me profoundly....

IMHO, when it comes to voting, there's nothing wrong with the simplest approach: paper ballots that can be hand-counted, even if a scanner is initially used. It's the paper trail that is able to be counted. Throw the danged e-voting machines in the recycle heap, and go back to the simplest approach to voting that can be recounted: paper ballots. I'll patiently wait for a recount, no matter how long it takes, as long as all the votes are counted, and only a paper ballot will serve that purpose. I'm still debating about whether I like the electoral college or not... I see advantages and disadvantages to keeping it and throwing it out and going for majority votes.... As a "sub-division" of Voting Reform, I wish other states had it as easy as this state, and people could register at the polling place, even on election day itself, with proper ID as proof of residence. True, most people register long before they go to the polls, and if they don't change residence their names are on a computer printout at the polling place itself, and all one needs to do is give one's name, show a driver's license or ID card, get handed a ballot and they go vote.... Or is that too simple??? (From what I read on the old K/E blog on links, and what I heard on mainstream media news, it seems some states have a voting registration process that is only rivaled by the confusion in the current medicaid system regarding prescription medications... truly mind-boggling.)

We each bring opinions to this blog (just as on the old K/E blog) from the different perspectives we have gained based on our personal experiences. We can see an "overview" of situations and bring those insights to each other by posting them on the blog, as well as the kaleidoscope of personal opinions and commentary. I can't tell you how valuable the insights of others have been to me!!! I get to see different perspectives of diverse issues from different people in different parts of the country from Hawaii, or Alaska, or Texas, or Massachusetts, or Pennsylvania, or Florida, or from around the world, such as France and Australia and Azerbaijan and everywhere else - and I live in the middle of all of the states. I do not want people to stop airing personal opinions on the blog, because I truly want to hear what other people think - I get to try to see things from different perspectives that I've not thought of before, and it gives me a chance to modify my own opinions, change my opinions, or it reinforces my opinions for or against issues, so I very much WANT the different opinions expressed, and it doesn't make a bit of difference whether I agree with those opinions or not - I want the diversity of opinion and respect people for expressing those opinions; please, please do not stop expressing the kaleidoscope of opinions so I can have input into how to modify, change, or reinforce my opinions...!!! It's the best of how the First Amendment works, and the First Amendment is currently my first love....

I Heart Freedom of Expression!!! :-)

Posted by: NonnyO | December 17, 2004 08:01 PM

Here is my view of the world...I posted this on other blogs.

As I look through my cloudy crystal ball, I see a weakening economy, horrible and growing trade deficit, massive and rising national debt, worsening political relations with other countries and I wonder what people are so economically happy about?
For me, the current issues are both economic and social; in fact, they are linked and cannot be separated. Some issues weigh more on one side then the other such as the Iraq war.

Every political decision we make should be referenced by the war.
How it affects communities by siphoning off older soldiers.
How it affects the lives and families of all soldiers.
The financial burdens.
The cost in world leadership and respect.
The cost in making us a more likely target of terrorism.
The ruination of families by death, disability and fear.
Do the same with every issue - education, environment, jobs, etc.
Relate each issue to how it affects us socially and economically. We obviously need solutions for each but they must be humanized; not a bunch of reports that are tossed on the table and never discussed again.

The Repubs scare everyone into submission. We must offer something different.

The big problem is the Dem Leadership still views the political landscape in only economic terms. They need to add a social view of the political landscape. The path leads through state and local elections. We must rebuild the party at local levels. Can Toemer do this? You tell me. Sometimes I think the Dem party leaders don’t want to win badly enough.
I think a close election masks what needs to be done. Tinkering around the edges will not bring us victory. We need systemic changes in how we campaign, who directs campaigns, who supports campaigns, who finances campaigns and maybe who is campaigning!

This guy is sick and needs to go--families lose sons and daughters, husbands and wives and he gives an electronic sig?? What gives with this level of disrespect??

http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104...…

Rumsfeld to personally sign all condolence letters

By Leo Shane III, Stars and StripesEuropean edition,

Friday, December 17, 2004

(See Secretary Rumsfeld's statement at end of story)

WASHINGTON — Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld will begin personally signing condolence letters sent to families of troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, after receiving criticism over his use of mechanical signatures.

Heartbreaking--what are we doing to the young men in our care? Will they ever trust us again? Do we deserve their trust?

http://www.11alive.com/news/news_article.aspx?s...…

Soldier Charged With Staging Shooting

Provided by:  The Associated Press

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Fort Stewart soldier was arrested after he had his cousin shoot him so he wouldn’t have to return to Iraq, police said Thursday. Army Spc. Marquise J. Roberts, of Hinesville, Ga., suffered a minor wound to his left leg from a .22 caliber pistol on Tuesday, police said. He was treated at a hospital, then arrested after he and his cousin allegedly confessed to having made up a story about the shooting.

The electronic sign means Rumsfeld never saw them..
It is like the signature on your email.

The guy should go for all the people he allowed to be needlessly killed: our troops and the Iraqis..

I used to think MacNamera was the worst SoD ever. I relented a little after seeing "Fog of War". Every time I visit the Wall, I curse him. I don't think MacNamera was evil; just incompetent. I think Rumsfeld is evil; along with the rest of BushCo.

After a hard day of blogging, it is time for me to call it a night...

adios for now..

There's some technical problems with the new irc chat server. It's not just you, Rossi! Not sure when that situation will be corrected but if you can't handle being without your irc buddies, the former K-E channel on winbeta still works.

http://www.winbeta.org/irc/kerry.html

See you there!

The Boston Globe reported today that John Kerry plans to attend the inaugural ceremonies on Jan. 20th.

Thanks Battlebob for all of your posts --I love the info and perspective that you provide.

Saw this on the DNC and loved it. I especially liked #4--but most of you would have guessed that since I wear my bias on my sleeve.

We Texas Dems learned it the hard way. Here's my antidote.

1-Democrats MUST have a clear, easy to understand, soundbiteable message.

2-We can't be seen as Republican-lite. If a voter has a choice between an ersatz Repub and a real one, they'll choose the real one every time.

3-You MUST not allow their BS attacks to take hold. Kerry lost the election the minute he failed to viciously attack the Swift Boat liars.

4-Quit running away from your base. Ethnic minorities are a major part of that, so you can't be afraid to say that you'll defend their rights.

5-Reaclaim the word 'liberal'

6-Conservatives have a deep dislike of being called 'stupid' or made fun of. Make fun of them at every opportunity and call them stupid on a regular basis to throw them off their game.

7-Once you throw them off their game, seize the initiative high ground. Make them play defense on their crappy records since they took office.

8-Party switchers MUST be punished. It they win office as a Dem and then switch, run your best candidate in the next election cycle to take them out. Consider suing them for fraud to get the to return Dem campaign contributions they burned up in their campaigns.

9-if they start slinging mud, dump a truckload on them. You can't change public policy if you don't get elected

10-Be an opposition party, not a milquetoast one. Fight them tooth and nail on every bad law they propose.

For those of you who have followed Bill Moyers and found his journalistic reputation and credibility as valuable as I have, tonight is the last show for Moyers. I get the e-newsletter about the shows weekly, and know he's once again tackling the Media (he was adamantly against the communications bill signed June 2 this year). This is the bulletin I got yesterday:

This week on NOW:

* Right-wing media machine. Bill Moyers reports on the intersection ofmedia and politics, and how Republicans have used it so successfully in A MATTER OF OPINION.
* Liberty and justice for all? ACLU head Anthony Romero talks about life in the midst of war on terror and what it means for Americans' civil liberties. A Bill Moyers interview.
* For NOW, he's Bill Moyers. Bill Moyers signs off after three years as host of NOW.

Posted by: latina4justice | December 17, 2004 08:18 PM

latina, battlebod and nonnyo too!

Listne, they say the squeeky wheel always gets the oil.

So you're right.

It's time to squeek. Our representatives will be forced to FOLLOW our lead.

That is right when you say--pick issues and hammer them on it daily. Diane said we must be proactive--she is right! We will PIN them to the wall and make them respond appropriately.

And I'm not just talking about the dems! repubs too--get away with things because we let them.

So we need to get off the computer blogs (after we post to two or three blogs each) and we need to take it to the streets.

I truly believe this Christmas season is the perfect time to spread the truth about the anti-christian actions bush supports.

and we can talk to people or we can put post it's on thier cars--we can go door to door.

Winter is coming and we can have sledding parties where people bring their kids
and we talk to the parents about how republican policies hurt their kids.

I got home and this was in my in box from one of our ex Kerry bloggers. I sent her the link so she will start posting soon.

Beware as this will turn your stomach:
Zell Miller and the Smearvets. A rock group from hell..

Is this a telling example of hard-right "values" , or WHAT? What great representatives of morality for our nation: Zell Miller and the Swift Boat Liars.
_______________________________________________

The following appeared on Boston.com:
Headline: Ga. senator, swift-boat group to highlight conservative fete
Date: December 17, 2004

"WASHINGTON -- For one night only, it will be spitballs and swift boats together on the same stage -- a who's who of Senator John F. Kerry-bashing."
_________________________________________________
click on the link below or cut and paste it into a Web browser:

http://www.boston.com:80/news/nation/washington/articles/2004/12/17/ga_senator_swift_boat_group_to_highlight_conservative_fete

Posted by: sparrow | December 17, 2004 09:25 PM

I agree, sparrow! Actually, I almost always agree with almost all of you almost all the time.... Most of you reinforce opinions I held before I "met" you on the old K/E blog, and that's reassuring, too. But I can't stress how much I want to read diverse opinions based on someone else's point of view, based on someone else's experiences.... It just makes sense to me, and it's my personal "revolution" to stand up for the First Amendment as it was originally written and in the spirit in which it was originally meant.

I'm afraid I'm going to get really tedious about the First Amendment, and the objective of Media Reform as stated by the intent of this blog. I won't apologize for that, because I know how badly it's needed in this nation right now... and I think all of us realize that fact above most others. Most of the issues we "specialize" in keeping ourselves informed about require a free press that tells us the truth, whether we like the truth or not... and I think we all know we've heard nothing but propaganda coming from the White House for four years and the next four years seem to be just as bleak regarding mainstream media....

Too bad Battlebob went to bed - I found a Democrat that I think is a good example. He doesn't need to be prodded. In fact, he's been prodding me for a number of years. I followed him into a Kerry fundraiser, I asked him at a picnic where to get good sources for what's going on in Iraq & Afghanistan, I saw him hit 5 Dem fundraisers in one day & I saw a guy call him a traitor & try to spit in his face.

WASHINGTON CONGRESSMAN JIM MCDERMOTT IS A HERO!

Still Fighting: Newt Gingrich Yesterday, Tom DeLay Today

Congressman Jim McDermott is a strong Democrat, a patriot, and a champion of the First Amendment. This is why the Republicans have been after him for eight years.

As both the former Chair and Ranking Member of the Ethics Committee, McDermott was intimately involved in investigating the complaints against Speaker Newt Gingrich. The investigations eventually led to Gingrich resigning from Congress.

Exercising his First Amendment rights, McDermott used the press to expose Gingrich's deceptive behavior in violation of an agreement with the ethics panel. In what is now a familiar story, McDermott is the target of a coordinated Republican attack for standing up for the public good.

The Republicans' weapon of choice against McDermott is a shameful and politically motivated lawsuit. Despite wins by McDermott in the District Court and in the U.S. Supreme Court, the Republican leadership continues to use the courts to pursue him.

Throughout, McDermott has consistently opposed the policies of the Republican majority.

* McDermott was the first member of Congress to publicly state that George Bush would mislead the United States to war in Iraq.
* McDermott's stance on Iraq did not enhance his standing with Republicans, nor did his appearance in Fahrenheit 911, where he directly stated that the President's activities and statements were intended to instill fear in the American people. This voice must not be silenced.

Republicans just can't take it when someone stands up to them. Newt Gingrich may be gone, but the stakes are higher with an emboldened Republican Majority led by Tom DeLay that will:

* Gerrymander congressional districts for Republican gains.
* Change congressional ethics rules to shield Republicans who are indicted for any crime (the ?DeLay Rule?).
* Author legislation to invade your financial privacy.

Strong Democrats like McDermott are the best check on a government where the power of Republican one-party rule has been abused time and again.

-- I probably shouldn't solicit money for can

there I got cut off again .. please Google his website if you would like to learn more about him or help him.

He is part of an endangered species.

Corruption

Energy Firms Lavish Funds on Inauguration

WASHINGTON (AP) - The energy industry and some of its
executives have contributed over a million dollars to
President Bush's inauguration fund, the committee
handling the festivities reported Friday.

Occidental Petroleum Corp., whose business stands to
benefit from the president's actions in regard to
Libya, donated $250,000, as did Exxon Mobil, the
world's largest publicly traded oil company. Exxon
Mobil reported record third-quarter profits, thanks to
higher prices for oil and natural gas.

Other donors from the energy sector included Texas
oilman T. Boone Pickens, who gave $250,000; and former
Enron President Richard Kinder, who left the firm five
years before it collapsed and now is CEO of one of the
largest energy transportation and storage companies in
the country. Kinder also gave $250,000.

Michael Dell, chairman of Dell Inc., the world's
largest personal computer maker, gave $250,000.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-468...

Hey gang, here is a copy of an email i just sent to my email list of those that have expressed an interest in continuing the chat on IRC...

********************************************

Hi guys, for those that didn’t see my blog post…my ISP made me shut down the IRC server today…we are looking in to alternatives, and will probably have a solution worked out by Sunday, or Monday at the latest. I will email you all when we have a link up and running, until then, hang in there because I believe an ‘official’ IRC on the DCP blog is a likely reality soon J

doc

********************************************
More to come...

Michael Dell, chairman of Dell Inc., the world's largest personal computer maker, gave $250,000.

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 10:14 PM

I'm never buying another Dell again. NEVER. Long live HP and Gateway!

"Energy is precious, hybridize your drive"

Former Bush EPA Head Says Republican Moderates Must Speak Up Or Adminstration Will Move Even Further To The Right On The Environment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680392,00.html

Speaking of being pro-active, Kyoto ratification is coming up. This will be a high profile issue worldwide. How about American-written LTEs in foreign papers too? I'll bet they'd be glad to get them!! People all over the world need to know we don't all back the insanity here!

Former Bush EPA Head Says Republican Moderates Must Speak Up Or Adminstration Will Move Even Further To The Right On The Environment

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680392,00.html

Speaking of being pro-active, Kyoto ratification is coming up. This will be a high profile issue worldwide. How about American-written LTEs in foreign papers too? I'll bet they'd be glad to get them!! People all over the world need to know we don't all back the insanity here!

DiAnne,
Was watching Bill Moyers..
Here is some info on Charles Goyette...

http://charlesgoyette.com/content/view/2/2/

NOW is wrong. Goyette is not on KFNN (1510 but on KXXT (1010)

It was a real freudian slip as KFNN is a financial channel and is dedicated to the glory of W.

Thanks for info on Jim McDermott. He is a real hero to me for speaking out against whomever screws with the powerless. He deserves our support.

Poll shows U.S. views on Muslim-Americans
Nearly half of Americans believe their rights should be restricted, according to survey.

Posted by: KerryisKing | December 17, 2004 06:47 PM

I'm sorry to say this, but the social conservatism of Muslims really irks me. We would never be leaving such bigots alive if they were white male Christians.

That said, this news is still troubling. Religion shouldn't be a reason to deny basic rights. I'm all for restricting freedom of *bigoted* ones who happen to be Muslim. But I am all for restricting freedom of similarly bigoted Christians and people of other faiths as well.

Wacko Ten Commandments Judge May Run for Gov

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680387,00.html

Wacko Ten Commandments Judge May Run for Gov

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680387,00.html

Battlebob

Thanks - I have no idea why all my posts are appearing twice!

latina, battlebod and nonnyo too!

Posted by: sparrow | December 17, 2004 09:25 PM

sparrow.. good buddy...it is battlebob..
My battlebod hit the road a long time ago
(GRIN)

Skinnylawyer

That is quite a generalization about Muslims.
I don't have alot of use for religion in general, but that's a personal bias. Spirituality yes.

Judge Blocks Washington Ballots

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4680384,00.html

damn damn damn damn

Dark days ahead

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 10:29 PM

Perhaps a better way to say it would've been "social conservatism of MANY Muslims irks me." The absence of "many" really makes a big difference for the worse in how I sounded. Sorry.

But Muslims tend to be more conservative - both within the US and worldwide. And for someone with my background, Islam is not very kind.

SkinnyLawyer

Right now I'm mad at the world.
I'm going to go work out.
(it's because of the last link I posted - one of the last refuges of civilization is being destroyed by Republicans)

Saw this on Kos and decided I would share--I had been looking for something to do for the troops for the holidays and this sounds like fun.

Treats for troops is a really fun website, I had a ball shopping for the girls (you can "adopt" a soldier, so I adopted a bunch of ladies in the National Guard deployed on the War on Terror, so you know where THEY are.  Sent them chocolate (no woman can live without it), phone cards and girl-stuff.  Comes time for presents for adult relatives, I intend to tell them they adopted a soldier in Iraq, Merry Xmas.

Posted by: latina4justice | December 17, 2004 07:39 PM

Napalm in Fallujah.... Yes, I knew from MM's F-9/11 that napalm was being used in Iraq.... Depleted uranium is also a health risk, not only for the Iraqi people, but for soldiers who are fighting Bush's war there, whether the soldiers are from other nations or from America. It's just one more reason not to support Bush's "justifications" for invading Iraq, and to support our troops by bringing them home.... Well, not that our environment is all that clean, thanks to BushCo.... which leads me to wonder why the heck the more "simple solution" to our dirty air has not been promoted a very long time ago: Hybrid cars, smaller cars that are not gas hogs, and more research and development by automakers to make vehicles that do NOT depend on fossil fuels for energy. The world's oil reserves have peaked, and it's downhill from here on out for fossil fuels. Why not invest in the brain power to research and develop economical alternative sources of energy right now??? We certainly would not need fossil fuels in the future if/when alternative sources of energy become available.... (Of course; I know; that would take less money out of the pockets of BushCo and their minions.... duh...)

Briton freed from Guantanamo prison tells European rights body of U.S. abuse
11:48 PM EST Dec 17

All we are saying, is give PEACE a chance!!

http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/041217/w121766.html

PARIS (AP) - A Briton released from the U.S. prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, told Europe's top human rights body Friday he was beaten, shackled, kept in a cramped cage and fed rotten food as part of "systematic abuse" in custody.

Jamal al-Harith's testimony before a Council of Europe panel came as part of an inquiry by the body into human rights abuses at the U.S. prison camp to be made public in a report due out early next year.

humbled, you know how you can be totally humbed by one thing?

well it happened to me tonite. that award banquet that i went to was for 'specail needs' students. i am the proud mother of one of these children.

how do you like this. a woman you might just look past, and never see ,in her little motorized scooter was one of the speakers.

her speech was not about what the disabled need, but what every one us us owes. i will repeat her words, and you better have a kleenes handy.

"service to mankind is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this earth."

i had more energy jump into me tonite, and politcs was never mentioned one time. if this woman can serve mankind, how can anyone ever do less? we need to look at people more and label them less.

Nonny,

You are so spot on--I can't believe what we are doing over there--he wants all of us to be ashamed to be Americans--and I have always been so proud of being an American--but when we do these things, it no longer feels right.

We know napalm is bad for our troops--and their people--who we are liberating, so why use it??

tutter,

That was beautiful--we really do need to stop and take a break and take stock at times. Just to make sure we have our priorities straight.

gotta love them--they will not give up the fight

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Ohio-Vote.html?oref=login&pagewanted=print&position=

December 17, 2004

Ohio Voters Refile Election Challenge
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:07 p.m. ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Voters who claim problems with Ohio voting machines Nov. 2 indicated fraud refiled a request with the Ohio Supreme Court on Friday to overturn the presidential results.

The 37 voters cite reports of machine errors, double-counting of some ballots and a shortage of voting machines in predominantly minority precincts as reasons to throw out the election results.

The challenge is backed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson and Cliff Arnebeck, a Columbus attorney for the Massachusetts-based Alliance for Democracy, who accused the campaign of President Bush of ``high-tech vote stealing.''

Posted by: DiAnne | December 17, 2004 10:31 PM

Bummer!!! WA state used to be more progressive when I lived there, so it's sad to read that post/link....

This nation is SO badly in need of voting reform!!!

Was supposed to be a great broadcast!! did not catch it the first time, planning on the second.

A.N.S.W.E.R. January 20 Press Conference to be rebroadcast on C-Span

Friday, December 17

11:45 pm ET on C-Span 1

Saturday, December 18 5:15 am ET on C-Span 1

Check the C-Span schedule for additional times and changes.

Posted by: latina4justice | December 17, 2004 11:54 PM

I know. I knew by the innuendo rhetoric years ago when shrubbie talked about his false justifications for invading Iraq that it was wrong, wrong, wrong.... Immoral, unethical, and illegal....

I support bringing our troops home - now - yesterday!!! I do not support shrubbie or his lies about why he wanted Iraq attacked. Period. The troops in Iraq are not there fighting for my freedom or yours, nor that of the Iraqi people who never asked for our help to get out from under the tyrranical yoke of Hussein (to paraphrase what I wrote to a local TV station when they goofed and their news script said the troops were there fighting for "our freedom" - among other things I said in that email). Our troops are in Iraq to gain control of the second largest oil reserves in the world for Bush and Cheney and their minions.... It's as simple as that. To say otherwise is a bald-faced lie. I learned to cut through the layers of crap a long time ago with simply deconstructing what the repukes say. It's pretty simple to do, and an elementary technique I knew how to do even before I took college classes where I learned more about the process (logic classes and literary criticism).

The people in Iraq are dying for oil - both the residents of that country and the military from all countries - and we don't yet know the long-term health effects on our military personnel or the military personnel sent there from other countries.... That is a crime, too, that can be added to the heap of crimes already committed by BushCo....

Until someone else can come up with a better justification than just money, I see no reason not to go with the simplest solution: develop alternative sources of energy before the energy crisis becomes worse. Yes, it would be expensive at first.... but, remember years ago when computers were outrageously expensive and only had MB memory in the hard drives? Nowadays we can purchase computers with GBs of memory, more programs than we know how to use, and the price is about the same and sometimes less than the old computers. The price has to come down when the sources of alternative energy are mass-produced and the very fact of mass production makes the profit margin higher even if the price to obtain it becomes lower. It's a numbers game.

Some alternative sources are already up and running. In the southern part of this state there are people taking advantage of the wind that blows across the prairies incessantly, and they sell their power to the energy companies there. It's simple, efficient, and direct and does not impact the environment negatively. Too simple a solution??? It hasn't gotten much national publicity, that I know of. Solar energy panels are another energy source I've seen a small amount about in mainstream media many years ago. I don't recall hearing anything about solar energy or wind energy in the last four years, however.... Hybrid cars I've heard of in the last four years, but very little, although it seems like a very good proposition, and very good for our environment and the human beings who live in large cities with pollution problems in particular. Are the solutions to alternative energy too simple, or is it just that there isn't enough money in it for a huge profit margin????? Are we such a greedy, profit-driven society that we will pass on to our children a world so polluted that their health will be adversely affected - all for the sake of huge gas-guzzling cars that give the illusion that the driver is a powerful person as the commercials imply????

Posted by: tutterfly | December 17, 2004 11:53 PM

What was the name of the speaker, tutterfly??? I collect quotes, but like the good genealogy researcher and English major that I am, I have to give credit where credit is due and list the name of the author of any quote....

Thanks!!! That's truly inspirational...!!! :-)

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=594302

Rupert Murdoch is moving. The owner of News Corporation was said yesterday to have offered $44m (£22m) for an elegant, three-level penthouse apartment facing Central Park on Manhattan's fashionable Fifth Avenue. If the deal goes through, it will be the highest price paid for a city residence.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=3&article_id=10235

Saudi prince backs Rupert Murdoch in tussle over News Corp

SYDNEY: A wealthy Saudi prince has thrown his support behind media mogul Rupert Murdoch over the future of News Corp. Inc., after a large share purchase by U.S. cable group Liberty Media triggered talk of a potential takeover bid, a report said Thursday John Malone's Liberty increased its stake from 9 percent to just over 17 percent after shareholders last month approved News Corp's move from South Australia to the U.S. state of Delaware.

The move prompted News Corp. to invoke a "poison pill" defense that would allow shareholders to buy shares at half price if Liberty increased its shareholding further.

The Murdoch family controls News Corp. and holds 29.4 percent of its voting stock.

The Australian Financial Review said Thursday that Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, listed by Forbes as the world's fourth-wealthiest individual, had thrown his support firmly behind Murdoch.

The prince owns about 3 percent of non-voting shares in News Corp. and offered to boost his stake if needed, the newspaper said in a report from New York.

"I have the utmost confidence in Mr. Murdoch, his management team and his succession plan," bin Talal said, as quoted by the Review, saying that Saudi companies would be willing to boost their stake to defend his position.

"If necessary, the kingdom companies and I will convert currently owned shares and purchase additional ones to increase ownership of voting shares in News Corp. in support of Mr. Murdoch and his plans."

Democrat Seeks to End Iowa, N.H. Power
(http://www.guardian.co.uk)

WASHINGTON (AP) - If Simon Rosenberg decides to run for Democratic Party chairman, he won't be able to count on much support from Iowa and New Hampshire.

``Iowa and New Hampshire should not go first in the primary calendar, and we need to create a system that allows other states to have equal footing,'' said Rosenberg, president and founder of the New Democrat Network, a centrist issue advocacy organization based in Washington.

``I have no problem with Iowa and New Hampshire being part of the early states, but their days as the sole arbiters of who our nominee is should come to an end,'' he said Friday.

The 41-year-old Democratic activist wants states with more diversity and from different regions of the country to have more of a role. Rosenberg plans to announce after the holidays whether he will run for Democratic chairman.

The Democratic National Committee formed a 40-member panel a week ago to study whether to shake up the dominance that Iowa and New Hampshire hold in presidential nominations.

In keeping with the theme of this thread:

Pentagon Proposes Loosening Its Environmental Policy
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1217-03.htm

Climate Change: Who Will Pay the Price?
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1217-07.htm

I am interested in WHY Rosenberg wants to shake up the order of things. And which states would lead off. Is the DNC thinking Ohio would be better, to create a bigger buzz and give Ohioans "ownership" of the process?

You ALL inspire me,however I am having a terrible time of "moving on" so just lurk at the posts from time to time.
This country needs major reform and it's not going to happen in the next four years or the next four! There's not ONE republican ever going to vote for a Democrat again esp if it's Hillary as the press will make sure of that. They have already begun the trashing! Bush and minions have made sure of that! I'm sickened to think of how important this election was to set the tone for change and we get moved backwards.The hope JK/JE would bring to the process has been swiped away by people like Blackwell and Rove . If we can't overturn the election with the Ohio results(considering and proving we did win) then we have not one ounce of integrity left! I ask myself every day:"where is the leadership,where are the voices that represent the people?"...and I hear NOTHING!!

here's your new car:

"....Exhaust gasses consist of clean, filtered air at no more than 15 Celsius.

Advanced aircraft technology makes a strong, repairable and light vehicle frame.

Designed from scratch, totally revolutionary technology, the first automotive evolution.

Fast rollout into any market by making clean technology affordable at about $10,000.

Safe, non-toxic, non-flammable automotive technology can be powered renewably.

Non-combustion engines last longer and require less maintenance than gasoline. ...."
http://intdata.homeip.net/mdi.shtml?all

SC Kitty, that silver City Cat van is calling me.

Recharges using electricity (3 - 4 hours) or compressed air (2 - 3 minutes). 25 horse power. 100 km at 100 km/h. Nice car for long trips.

Interesting that Lou Dobbs reported yesterday the BIG THREE are having a bad year. With Bush at the helm you'd think they'd wise up and go beyond productivity and improve technology. Our cars will now be bought abroad,parts sent hither and dither all over the planet,while our own workers are out of a job.... and to think we invented them! How embarrassing is that??

One or two threads back someone else (forgive me, I don't remember who) posted information about Gonzales' approval hearings coming up. I hope this is a different link from a different author... As with the previous blogger, I am also of the opinion that we need to contact our legislators over this guy's nomination.... Flood the legislators email Inboxes, if need be, write letters to the editor, post on various blog sites. Ashcroft is bad enough; Gonzales will be just as bad, if not worse. Even one repuke quoted prefers Ashcroft over Gonzales....

A CLOUD OVER THE CONSTITUTION
Nat Hentoff, Village Voice
The Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee lack the grit or the will to stop Alberto Gonzales.
http://alternetheadlines.c.topica.com/maacYvvabcy0hboJBkObaeQBp9/

This link has appeared in more than one email newsletter, and I've read something about it before... even heard/seen what Ivins says on a news show (might have also been discussed on NOW with Bill Moyers a few weeks ago, but I think I also heard genuine facts on one news show in mainstream media - it wasn't dwelt on of course in mainstream media, and the story was dropped as soon as it was broadcast), which is that Social Security will NOT run out of money until almost mid-century if it is left alone... (i.e. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!") Privatizing Social Security is one of the top ten dumbest things the BushCo administration has come up with.... It's another way of corporatizing American government.... while Bush wants to borrow billions, maybe even trillions, to try to change the system. I see nothing good about diverting people's hard earned money into the stock market, especially if they want to have it to retire on in the distant future....

SOCIAL SECURITY SUICIDE
Molly Ivins, AlterNet
The Bushies don't want to mend Social Security, they want to end it – and they are quite upfront about it.
http://alternetheadlines.c.topica.com/maacYvvabcy0iboJBkObaeQBp9/

In keeping with the theme of this thread, links to environmental issues....

Eskimos See Global Warming as a Rights Issue
http://www.truthout.org/environment.shtml [Page with links to several environmental stories.]
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121704G.shtml [Eskimo story and a second environmental story.]

WTF??? For a political party that espouses less government, not more, shrubbie sure is creating a situation that will guarantee future snafus..... (or, more likely, creating more departments he can blame for "misinterpreting" or failing to inform him of CIA, FBI, and Homeland Security info on his daily PDBs....) The most simple possible solution would have been to open lines of communication between the CIA and the FBI originally. Now taxpayer dollars have to go for more governmental red tape, not less, thanks to BushCo!!! Jeez.... The lack of common sense never fails to amaze me....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5978-2004Dec16.html?referrer=email
Excerpt:
New Director Might Prepare Bush's Daily Intelligence Brief

By Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 17, 2004; Page A10

The White House is considering giving to the new director of national intelligence and his staff the task of preparing the daily, highly classified intelligence material presented to President Bush each morning, a task now handled by the CIA, according to present and former senior administration officials and sources on Capitol Hill.

Called the President's Daily Brief, or PDB, the approximately 20-page, loose-leaf collection of short, often page-long, intelligence items is central to Bush's national security meeting. If presented in the future by the director of national intelligence (DNI) -- a position created in legislation Bush is scheduled to sign today -- it would reinforce that individual's position as the nation's premier intelligence official, according to those who support the idea.

Waouh, waouh, I'm proud!

This hybrid car is French. I had already seen some, but not quite as many as the tiny Smart city car using very little petrol.

In Paris we have now lots of "ecological" transportation : buses run on electricity or methanol. EDF (electricity provider) only has clean electric cars, vans and trucks.

The "Greens" are powerful in the city hall and our gay socialist mayor (shame on us!) is gradually turning the cars from entering the city, while he replanted trees and developped bycicle tracks. We should have a new electric tram around Paris pretty soon to take the commuters downtown. We are asked to take public transportation as much as possible....

About garbage : the trucks are gradually turned to electric ones, and we have 3 selective bins : one for cooking garbage, one for paper and one for glass, in order to be re-used later.

Big advertising campaigns about low consumption bulbs are seen on TV, resulting in lower bills as well.

If verybody does a little, it ends up in a big change.

Andree:

Sounds great!

Maybe my entre slogan will be, "Takin' my hybrid to Paris-smart people, cool cars, and so much to see!"

gotta have little eyes on the two o's in cool and a cute little picture of a car, and a callage of Paris scenery in a 'waterseal" like mark.

NOBODY steal my idea!

Posted by: NonnyO | December 18, 2004 07:25 AM

NonnyO:

That's GREAT news! I am thrilled to know that SOMEBODY will be reading the PDB, althought frankly, I think they have a pet goat in the backyard--who eats the PDB's before they're read.

Posted by: NonnyO | December 18, 2004 05:37 AM

NonnyO:

If anyone needs proof of the absolute STUPIDITY of privatising social security, they need to no more work than pull out their 401k statement from Decemember 31,1999 (Clinton's era) and pull out their December 17, 2004 statement and do some of that basic math we learned in elementary school.

It goes like this: 1999 totals take away 2004 totals= the amount of profit or loss in your portfolio.

Hmmmmm...mine is a lot less! Anybody else seen their retirement funds dwindle the last four years?

But hey! I'm not too worried about any money being lost to social security or privatisation--because there are NO jobs available to take any of the money anyway.

We are strong, we are many, we hunger for TRUTH and we will never be silenced again. We are the cells of Democracy and we will prevail.

Democracy speaks:

http://www.thebattleforamerica.com/

NO SURRENDER !!!

P.S. Takes a while to load but well worth it. JK's sister Peggy appears in this short film, along with many others who are the voices of Democracy.

Posted by: NonnyO | December 18, 2004 05:25 AM

Nonny:

Take it to our local streets too! Soon, I hope the dcp will have a link for a pdf to get petition forms.

But in the meantime, print your own form and go to the mall--and get signatures on it too.

Spread the word as well as the holiday cheer. For isn't it pretty difficult to support Christmas and torture at the same time? Something tells me that Jesus WOULD not approve!

Another link in keeping with the theme of this thread....

Bush sets out plan to dismantle 30 years of environmental laws:
In little over a month since his re-election, they have announced that they will comprehensively rewrite three of the country's most important environmental laws, open up vast new areas for oil and gas drilling, and reshape the official Environmental Protection Agency
http://207.44.245.159/article7482.htm
~~~~~
Andree - we have recycling here, but I doubt if many people pay a lot of attention. Yeah... I DO recycle.... Paper, plastic, glass, metals...., whatever I can.....

Sparrow - I think you're right. I know goats eat dang near anything, and paper is right up there.... :-)

However, I don't think we need anyone to make any more PDBs that read the way shrubbie wants them to read. I stand by what I said before: It's an unnecessary waste of money, just as the Dept. of Homeland Security was and is. I firmly believe all that was necessary was to open lines of communication between the CIA and FBI. Anyway, it's not like shrubbie is going to read any PDBs unless the "intelligence" in the report agrees with his own "vision" of the world. He didn't read the one from Condi-sleazy in Aug. 2001, when he was vacationing at his ranch in TX and cutting wood.... (Has it been determined yet if he can even read??? Or does he have to have someone read the reports to him???)

Posted by: Patti Ferschke | December 18, 2004 03:18 AM

Patti:

Don't despair--for We are here!

Ok...so I'm not going to win any prizes for my poetry! But the truth is, the dcp WILL make a difference. See...because it's about MORE than bloggin'. It's about creating a voice, a network of our own, and reaching the people who have NO clue about the media's propraganda war against democracy.

They THink they have the power, but we are going to DUKE it out with them by taking our message face to face--bringing it to churches and bringing it to malls and bringing the TRUTH to light.

We're NOT reacting--we're setting the message and we're broadcasting it. And the more people we talk to, the more the message we create gets out there.

The cell analogy is so appropriate because we're not just here bouncing around in one little body--no! We're reproducing and generating energy whereever we go.

Plus--keep an eye on this site--there are so many things in the works which will produce even more great things!

Posted by: sparrow | December 18, 2004 08:28 AM

I think you're right, sparrow.... If Rebbe Yeshua was a real man, the "message" as I read the stories in the New Testament, is that of peace..... He would have been a "peacenick" if he were alive today, I think....

In any case, Gonzales would be a horror, and everyone needs to know that....

Ok here is my submission in the contest. I want a Hybrid so bad I can taste it.

We ask "Why Not?". Dreams are made in America.

NO SURRENDER !!!

Posted by: latina4justice | December 17, 2004 11:09 PM

I think that is so cool. Can you send them news articles too...i.e. articles that show the truth of Bush's bungling? So we can get the military the facts about dems!

We want them home--and the repuican's don't have the courage to get their own president to fire the person who is getting them killed.

Hey...maybe some cool DCP stuff (when it comes out), and some progressive book material from amazon or progressive book club! (Maybe Karen or Dick will tell us when they're set up with those--I think your purchase from them becomes a donation here.)

Well, all!

It was nice visiting with you here today. But now I must adjourn to my republican family, and I'm gonna be spreading lots of facts at the family dinner table.

Just can't wait!

Another Social Security snafu....

What they don't tell you on Social Security reform
http://www.boston.com/news/globe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2004/12/14/what_they_dont_tell_you_on_social_security_reform/

http://snipurl.com/be5n

Another Environmental Story....

The Real Importance of the Kyoto Treaty
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121604G.shtml
Excerpt:
Kyoto demonstrates that America's allies are increasingly shaping the international agenda without it. When the Bush administration rejected Kyoto in 2001, it assumed that other nations would follow suit, but more than 120 nations have ratified it.

Sparrow,

Here is more info for your Republican family. Then tell them to eat up.

Iraqis Face Winter Shivering by Candlelight

By Lin Noueihed

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - As if the daily struggle to dodge bullets and bombings is not enough, many Iraqis now face a freezing winter shivering by candlelight as persistent attacks keep the power out for more than 12 hours a day.

"Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) used to cut off the electricity for a couple of hours a day and we'd complain," said Fadia Karim, 33.

"Now there's no power for hours and hours every day. There's no fuel for the generators, no kerosene for the heaters. People are beyond complaining. Things are just getting worse."

Sabotage attacks on power plants, transmission lines and the oil pipelines and fuel trucks that feed them, mean Iraqis face a cold, dark winter queuing at petrol pumps for fuel to run their generators -- for those that have a generator.

Iraqi officials, wary of growing instability ahead of the Jan. 30 election, say shortages and outages have reached crisis proportions, especially in Baghdad, with no end in sight.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041...

NO SURRENDER !!!

Another Environmental link....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3127-2004Dec15.html?referrer=email
GOP Gains Boost Chances of Alaska Drilling
Supporters of Exploration in Wildlife Refuge Appear to Have Majority in New Senate

THE REALITY-BASED ENVIRONMENT
Molly Ivins, AlterNet
The Bush solution to global warming is to declare it does not exist -- whereas those of us in the reality-based community understand differently.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/20772/
[Bush strategy to solve potential problems: Ignore it; maybe it will go away....]

Posted by: latina4justice | December 17, 2004 11:50 PM
Briton freed from Guantanamo prison tells European rights body of U.S. abuse

The abuse and torture that keeps happening is such an embarassment and outrage. I cannot believe that more is not said and done about this, including during the campaign. Shouldn't it be one of the issues that we should "howl" about, first because it is difficult for me to think of an issue that deserves it more, and second because right or left, progressive or conservative, religious or not, I still have enough faith the overall goodness of people not to think that most will agree that something like this is just fundamentally WRONG and should not be allowed to happen.

NonnyO,

You're right. Bush ruined the talks again after a big row with Europeans, but we shall go on with as many countries as possible. The problem is that US is number 1 polluter and dragged China and India on its way.
How many Florida storms will it take before he understands? Sorry, he was delivered without brains...

The opposition to him goes on abroad. I just came back with some great T Shirts, that I intend to wear in Texas. The first reads : "Ferme ta Bush" (Close your mouth = bouche/Bush).
The second says :"Halte à la Busherie" (Stop the Butchery) and features a black and white flag with stars replaced by skulls....
There were others : Terroriste International, or, Serial Killer - Wanted 1 000 000 lives....

Except, that we are not given any news about what is going on inside America. It's as if you were locked in and out. Getting voiced by the media is really an emergency in order to be heard.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the Blog: Please, if you read no other links I have posted or will be posting today (I have a lot more coming on media because I've been reading e-newsletters all night...), I beg of you to read the link to Helen Thomas' article. It pertains to Depleted Uranium contaminating Iraq from the bombs we are dropping there, and it is dangerous to the health of the Iraqi citizens and the military forces stationed in Iraq....

Helen Thomas: Pentagon says depleted uranium is harmless:
The Pentagon claims that American forces and Iraqis are not at risk from contact with depleted uranium, which is used in armor-piercing munitions and protective tank plating.
http://www.dailygate.com/articles/2004/12/16/opinion/opinion1.txt

Video: Depleted Uranium Hazard Awareness:
Why Has Our Military Refused to Show This Training Video To Our Troops Now Serving In Iraq?
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article3581.htm

Will the world ever trust us again? The list of our inhumane acts keeps getting longer.
U.S. accused of AIDS drug cover-up
Sat Dec 18, 2004 02:16 PM ET

By Rebecca Harrison

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling party has accused top U.S. officials of treating Africans like guinea pigs amid questions over testing of a key HIV/AIDS drug before a U.S.-backed roll-out of the treatment across the continent.

The African National Congress (ANC) said on its Web site U.S. health officials had "conspired" with German drug firm Boehringer Ingelheim to hide adverse effects of nevirapine when used to try to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

...

"(U.S. officials) entered into a conspiracy with a pharmaceutical company to tell lies to promote the sales of nevirapine in Africa, with absolutely no consideration of the health impact of those lies on the lives of millions of Africans," the ANC said in its weekly newsletter.

Quoting reports by the news agency Associated Press, which broke the story, the ANC said top officials at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had arranged to pull a U.S. application for the drug once concerns were raised.

more
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNe...

NO SURRENDER !!!

Except, that we are not given any news about what is going on inside America. It's as if you were locked in and out. Getting voiced by the media is really an emergency in order to be heard.
Posted by: Andrée-France | December 18, 2004 10:09 AM
~~~~~

Andree... you are so kind to be concerned for us. Thank you! We are concerned, too.

I quite agree that it feels like we are locked in our own borders; we don't hear any news from "the outside world" except through alternate web sites that search for genuine news we need to know (even if we don't like the news, we need the dose of reality), and through foreign press web sites, and through bloggers such as yourself who can give us reliable news from outside our own borders. We receive little news from mainstream media, except the propaganda spouted by BushCo, and all of mainstream media companies who broadcast the news are owned by media conglomerates who are benefitting from the communications bill Bush signed on June 2 this year. Only rarely, in passing, do we hear any genuine news in mainstream media.
~~~~~

Posted by: KerryDem | December 18, 2004 11:07 AM
Will the world ever trust us again? Depends on who's elected president in 2008, I should think. If it's another republican who spouts the same party line as BushCo, I should think not.

I'm wondering if we will ever be able to trust our own government again!!! At this rate, I think NOT.... Adding insult to injury, I have a problem with the Dems who have voted in favor of anything BushCo puts before them, whether they've read the document or not, such as the 3000 page omnibus bill that passed both houses. They got the info that afternoon, and were expected to pass the legislation that night, without reading it!!! To quote a couple of the congressional members whose speeches I heard on C-Span: "The system is broken."

Posted by: NonnyO | December 18, 2004 11:30 AM

The system is broken and if it continues it will become harder and harder to repair, especially with the Republicans still in control. I like you get frustrated when Dems vote for something that may do good in some ways, but hurts so many in other ways.

How many of those Dems were silent last year when John Kerry came out and wanted Rummy to resign ? Now I guess they have caught on, when they should of been backing JK from the get go.

They should also kick Miller out of the Dem party immediately, he is nothing more than a Republican in Democrat clothing.

Durbin speaks out on Rummy today in Dem Radio Address.

Democrats Blame Rumsfeld for Mistakes in Iraq
Sat Dec 18, 2004 11:09 AM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democrats on Saturday said U.S. soldiers in Iraq lacked adequate body armor and plated vehicles because of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's flawed leadership.

Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, in the Democrats' weekly radio address, blasted the Pentagon under Rumsfeld for "a litany of serious miscalculations" including underestimating the Iraqis resistance and failing to give troops enough protective equipment even though Congress gave it all the money it requested.

"The Pentagon says the lack of protective equipment is a matter of 'logistics.' No it's not. It's a matter of leadership," Durbin said.

"Those responsible for planning this war were not prepared for the reality on the ground, and many of our soldiers have paid the price," he said, citing nearly 1,300 U.S. service members who have died in Iraq and more than 10,000 injured.

more
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsN...

NO SURRENDER !!!

I agree KerryDem... It hurts badly to know the Democrats we elected have let us all down....
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another environmental link:

EPA Says 224 Counties Fail Air Standards
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121804V.shtml

Christmas Card to Bush-Voting Republican

The election is over, the results are known,
the will of the people has clearly been shown.
Let's forget the quarrels and show by our deeds, we will give our leader the help that he needs.
Let's all get together, let the bitterness pass,
I'll hug your elephant and you kiss my ass.

Happy Holidays!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A9015-2004Dec17.html?referrer=email
Bush's Economic Vision
Debt Won't Hurt, Treasury Chief Says
By Jonathan Weisman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, December 18, 2004; Page E01
President Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security probably won't raise interest rates or adversely impact financial markets, even if the program entails borrowing hundreds of billions of dollars to finance it, Treasury Secretary John W. Snow said yesterday.
[What are those people drinking???]
~~~~~~~~~

Posted by: DiAnne | December 18, 2004 11:59 AM

:-) Priceless!!! :-) I plan to quote you!!! :-)

Posted by: DiAnne | December 18, 2004 11:59 AM

DiAnne.

A Hallmark moment for sure.

Chuck in Baku for NonnyO
Subj: Stoicism

The one I was recommended to start with is The Cambridge Companion to the Stoics, Inwood, Brad, editor (Cambridge University Press); and The Stoics, Sandbach, F.H., Hackett Publishing COmpany Inc.

Chuck in Baku

The Battle for America video that was posted was more powerful (for me) than any commercial I saw by either party during the campaign. I sent it out to everyone I could think of via email instead of a Christmas card. Thank you for posting it & to whoever made it.

Battlebob very kindly pointed me to this new website. So nice to find all of you again. It's been a very lonely 6 weeks!
When I get low, I cheer myself with memories of Kerry's last rally in Manchester, NH, two days before the election . The positive, creative, confident energy I saw and felt that day was REAL, and it will not go away. This web site is the kind of thing that will keep that energy alive and moving us froward.

From what I've read so far, it seems that Kerry still intends to be a voice, and I'm very very glad of that.

Another moment that cheers me: after an excellent presentation on global warming last week at Harvard, Al Gore took questions from the audience. In answer to one of them, he said [ this isn't an exact quote, but I'm sure I've got the basics right]: "As ecological change is nonlinear {he'd earlier talked about sudden melting of ice-caps], so also is political change. Although the present administration is doing everything it can to suppress change, pressure for change is growing, both abroad, and here in the US. Change will happen, because it has to happen. All we need to do is to keep pushing."
Let's keep that energy; let's keep pushing.

Posted by: Chazman | December 18, 2004 12:24 PM

Thanks Chuck!!! :-) I copied and pasted your post so I have the info for future reference!!! :-)

On the environmental topic, outgoing EPA admin approves increased use of phased out pesticide:

Critical Use Exemptions?

On the merit of "critical use" exemptions, outgoing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Leavitt approved the increased use of cancer-causing, ozone depleting Methyl Bromide before his transfer to the HHS.

MORE - http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=plink&id=147

If someone gave you tickets to a musical for Christmas, burn them immediately!

'We have to protect people'

President Bush wants 'pro-homosexual' drama banned. Gary Taylor meets the politician in charge of making it happen

Full Story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/features/story/0,11710,1369643,00.html

You will NOT believe this - "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" to be banned - this is unreal.

War Profiteering....

Colombia Troops Being Sought for Iraq:
Recruiters working for U.S. contractors are hiring former Colombian soldiers - and luring away active-duty ones - for security jobs in Iraq, according to a former army officer who met with the recruiters.
http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/world/10437223.htm
http://snipurl.com/bfzw
Excerpt; one paragraph stands out:
"Precisely which U.S. company or companies are hiring contractors in Colombia is unclear - and the desire for anonymity appears to be intentional."
[At least two "private security firms" are owned by Halliburton or their subsidiaries. I found them on a Google search. It would be interesting to find out how many "private security firms" that hire mercenaries have a connection to Halliburton or subsidiaries....]
~~~~~
Lockheed and the Future of Warfare :
LOCKHEED MARTIN doesn't run the United States. But it does help run a breathtakingly big part of it.
http://207.44.245.159/article7483.htm
Excerpts:
Over the last decade, Lockheed, the nation's largest military contractor, has built a formidable information-technology empire that now stretches from the Pentagon to the post office. It sorts your mail and totals your taxes. It cuts Social Security checks and counts the United States census. It runs space flights and monitors air traffic. To make all that happen, Lockheed writes more computer code than Microsoft.

Its information-technology sales have quadrupled since 1995, and, for all those years, Lockheed has been the No. 1 supplier to the federal government, which now outsources 83 percent of its I.T. work.

Lockheed has taken over the job of making data flow throughout the government, from the F.B.I.'s long-dysfunctional computer networks to the Department of Health and Human Services system for tracking child support. The company just won a $525 million contract to fix the Social Security Administration's information systems. It has an $87 million contract to make computers communicate and secrets stream throughout the Department of Homeland Security. On top of all that, the company is helping to rebuild the United States Coast Guard - a $17 billion program - and to supply, under the Patriot Act, biometric identity cards for six million Americans who work in transportation.

Lockheed is also the strongest corporate force driving the Pentagon's plans for "net-centric warfare": the big idea of fusing military, intelligence and weapons programs through a new military Internet, called the Global Information Grid, to give American soldiers throughout the world an instant picture of the battlefield around them. "We want to know what's going on anytime, anyplace on the planet," said Lorraine M. Martin, vice president and deputy of the company's Joint Command, Control and Communications Systems division.

Posted by: DiAnne | December 18, 2004 12:37 PM

Somehow, DiAnne, the more surreal this country becomes, the more I believe BushCo and the kool-aid fundamentalist christians are capable of dang near anything.....

This was posted on the old K/E blog, and it's more obviously true today than it was even then:

http://207.44.245.159/article7478.htm
Living Under Fascism
Numbers 5, 6, and 11 particularly apply.... but keeping this link and what it says in mind wouldn't be a bad idea for the next four years as censorship - censoring the arts, and censoring mainstream media - become rampantly worse....

More censorship and propaganda..... (the caps are not mine - copy and paste from the e-newsletter).

A DUBIOUS DOC
Eartha Melzer, In These Times
A 'groundbreaking' pre-election documentary on the 'real story' in Iraq smells like propaganda.
http://www.alternet.org/mediaculture/20760/
[If it walks like a duck, and it quacks like a duck....]

ONE-WAY TICKET TO PALOOKAVILLE
Ed Rampell, AlterNet
With the re-release of Elia Kazan's 'On the Waterfront,' audiences should remember its proper historical context: as a case study in Red Scare propaganda.
http://www.alternet.org/movies/20776/

NO END TO DRACONIAN TERRORISM LAWS
Earl Ofari Hutchinson, AlterNet
While the new measures further hammer constitutional protections, top Democrats have again barely uttered a peep
over the potential for abuse.
http://www.alternet.org/columnists/story/20771/

The Secret C.I.A. Prison in Cuba
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121804Y.shtml
[Another plum ripe for the picking that mainstream media is ignoring.... besides the abuses at Gitmo in the POW camp we know about, there's also a second and more secret camp, apparently.... This story showed up on more than one e-newsletter....]

Rumsfeld Gave Torture 'Marching Orders' in Memo
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121804X.shtml
[Remind me again: Why is Rummy still in his post? Why hasn't mainstream media picked up the ball on this atrocious and shameful scandal that makes any American with a conscience cringe in horror and is approved of by BushCo???]

Margaret Kimberley: The Right Wing Hates America :
They are the first to wave the flag and loudly proclaim their love of country. They are also the first to stab their country men and women in the back when it suits them.
http://207.44.245.159/article7505.htm

Bush Looking at Freezing Domestic Spending
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121804W.shtml
[Meanwhile, back at the ranch.... the plan is to freeze domestic spending to free up monies to finance his wars???]

From the Rights & Liberties News Log:
With new evidence from both the ACLU Freedom of Information Act request and a 30-year army veteran discharged for questioning the torture of prisoners, there's no denying the torture of Iraqi prisoners was both systematic and headquarters-approved. Is it any wonder that former Department of Homeland Security nominee Bernie Kerik's nanny problems were a welcome distraction? Too bad they weren't the real problem.
http://www.alternet.org/rights/log/

Bush snubs Annan during Washington visit :
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan was pressed Thursday to do more in Iraq, while at the same time he was being snubbed by the U.S. president.
http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cbc/world_home&articleID=1795912
http://snipurl.com/bg01
[How to win friends and influence enemies.... Bush snubbing Annan made more than one news article and and more than one e-newsletter, different authors.]

Kerry Dem posted an article about Iraqis having insufficient energy for heat & light this winter.

The same is happening in the US:

My friend just reported the following on Minneapolis IndyMedia:

An elderly woman in NC died of hypothermia after her power was cut off by Duke Power. Her power was cut off because she hadn't paid her bill for 60 days.

I just spoke with a relative in NC who told me this sad story about an elderly woman who froze to death after the power company disconnected her electricity. In the South, most homes have electric heat. At the time the power was cut off, the temperature as above 30 -- that's the excuse the power company provides. A few days after the power was disconnected, the nighttime temperatures dropped into the teens. Local TV reported that she was found dead in her home wrapped in blankets with her knitting gear. Nearby Ashville tv news reported the death of a New York man who froze to death, but my relative in NC said she didn't see an Ashville report about the death of the local woman.

We should be assured that this was an isolated mistake. The power company is reviewing their policies.

Does anyone believe that the cable TV "news" networks will play this story 24-7 as they did the murder of Laci Peterson? Would the viewers like to hear about a corporate villain or is this not even worthy of mention?

*****************************************

More lawmakers concerned about power company policies

GREENVILLE, S.C. - More local and state lawmakers have joined the drive to stop utilities from shutting off power to delinquent customers during the winter.

The issue came to the forefront after an Upstate woman died earlier this month of hypothermia when her electricity was turned off by Duke Power.

Both Democratic and Republican legislators want to draft a measure designed to prevent any more deaths like that of Elizabeth Verdin. Police say the power to Verdin's place had been disconnected for six days when she died Dec. 11. Greenville Police found the 89-year-old woman on her living room floor two days later.

"I'm pretty slow to tell businesses what they can and can't do," Sen. Verne Smith, R-Greer, said. "But when it comes to life-threatening actions, we've got to act. I'm definitely planning to work on a piece of legislation that will help protect our people."

Duke Power spokesman Tim Pettit says the company has stopped all disconnections until it finishes an internal review of its policies and the incident.

Sen. Ralph Anderson, D-Greenville, said Upstate lawmakers will look at regulatory laws in other states and meet with utility interests as it considers legislation telling when utilities could cut off heat during the winter.

"This may be a rallying point. It's bad that you have to have death to have a rallying point, but we're going to do something," Anderson said.

Greenville City Councilman Garry Coulter said Friday he'd want the city's franchise agreement with Duke Power to include a measure stopping any customer over 65 from getting their power turned off. Duke Power's three-year agreement is up for renewal in the summer.

Duke Power said it followed all procedures before disconnecting Verdin's power. The company sent a certified letter, brought information about deferred payments, knocked on her door and hung the disconnection notice on her door knob. The Public Service Commission agreed the power company followed proper guidelines.

Smith, though, said Duke Power can't be excused "because their customer died."

Duke Power officials will meet with lawmakers, Pettit said. The company, which serves 2 million customers in the Carolinas, has protective programs already in place.

Posted by: MB | December 18, 2004 12:26 PM

MB: Thanks very much for a great quote from Al Gore!: "As ecological change is nonlinear..., so also is political change. Although the present administration is doing everything it can to suppress change, pressure for change is growing, both abroad, and here in the US. Change will happen, because it has to happen. All we need to do is to keep pushing."

That is inspirin--So glad you've found this site!

NEW THREAD

chat that is still open.

http://winbeta.org/irc/kerry.php

The "Greens" are powerful in the city hall and our gay socialist mayor (shame on us!) is gradually turning the cars from entering the city, while he replanted trees and developped bycicle tracks. We should have a new electric tram around Paris pretty soon to take the commuters downtown. We are asked to take public transportation as much as possible....

Posted by: Andrée-France | December 18, 2004 08:08 AM

No wonder the Repugs can't stand being in your wonderful city for even one minute. No wonder they want to starve your fine country to death.

I've been to your fine city twice and loved every minute of it. The Repugs are surely making a BIG MISTAKE by villifying and slamming you.

In fact Australia, through Rupert Murdoch and Mel Gibson, has done far more damage to the American society than France has ever done. If it weren't for good souls in Australia like rossiann, I would in fact be suggesting a boycott of Australia. Too bad boycotts tend to hurt only the good people!

Does anyone believe that the cable TV "news" networks will play this story 24-7 as they did the murder of Laci Peterson? Would the viewers like to hear about a corporate villain or is this not even worthy of mention?

Posted by: DiAnne | December 18, 2004 02:43 PM

Unfortunately, Laci was about the death of an unborn child, and it gave Bush an opportunity to further push his anti-choice agenda. Remember, in Bush's culture of life, only the pre-born are sacred.

Given that, it would only be logical for the networks to cover the death of an unborn child rather than the death of an elderly woman who "deserved" it by not paying her bills.

There are good people & rotten greedy bastards in every city & country.

Things haven't changed much from 3000 years ago - Buddha spoke frequently of greed & compassion.

What works for me right now:

Question Authority

Virtual Tour of Paris

http://www.bonjourparis.com/publications/paris_maps.php

I've been 7x & am going many more.
I don't care if the dollar drops to 10cents to the Euro - I'll get by.

http://www.novaplanet.com (radio & more)

Peace through international understanding!!
I just had a one hour phone call from a student who stayed with us 5 years ago from Paris, we had a political volunteer from Oxford this summer, & I just talked to Andree last week.

If Bush won't build global alliances, we will.