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Head Into The Wind
UPDATE, April 23, 2005, 10:30 EDT: Glenn W. Smith from DriveDemocracy has a diary over at Daily Kos, updating us on the events from Louisville. In an exciting development, Jim Wallis will be joining the pro-democracy rallies in Louisville tomorrow.
So, if you know anyone in Louisville, get them to the church on time. There'll be a crowd, but crowded is good.
As Glenn says, in what will be my new favorite phrase, "Progressive religious leaders are learning that to take back heaven, they're going to have to raise a little hell."
You can read more here.
______________________
It is well known that the reason people came to settle in this country was to escape the imposition of religious beliefs by political bodies.
On Sunday, April 24, 2005, we face a challenge to our religious and political freedoms once more and it's called "Justice Sunday".
"Justice Sunday", as readers of this blog well know, is the attempt by the fundamentalist religious right to hijack the Senate of the United States. They are using God to pit family against family, by labeling people who disagree with them as "filibustering against people of faith". In other words, if you believe in the rules of the Senate, you are a Godless heathen.
I can't think of any more blatant attempt to hijack God for political purposes.
But there is something we can do about it.
I will be spending this rainy day today, calling churches and synagogues and mosques. I will be asking them to please use their bully pulpits to stop these bullies. Since I am a Christian, I will be asking them specifically, to keep in mind the words that River Daughter reminded us of last night:
"they are the ones that Christ was talking about in the Bible when he said that some people would call Lord, Lord, and he'd say, Verily, I know ye not..."
VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI personally thanked the news media on Saturday at the Vatican, speaking in Italian, English, French and his native German, but -- to the bewilderment of journalists from Latin America, where most of the world's Catholics live ˆ he neglected to say any
words in Spanish.
Well I'm off to an all-day class at John Bastyr Naturopathic College -
Buddhist Healing Techniques for Mind & Body
Very sorry if this has already been posted, but toughenough.org asks us to spread the word about Kerry's amazing floor statement from thursday and ask cspan to archive it at viewer@c-span.org
http://www.toughenough.org/
Speaking of the Pope...
be sure you read Maureen Dowd today, very good:
Uncle Dick and Papa
By MAUREEN DOWD
It was a move so smooth and bold, accomplished with such backstage bureaucratic finesse, that it was worthy of Dick Cheney himself.
The éminence grise who had long whispered in the ear of power and who had helped oversee the selection process ended up selecting himself. In Cheneyesque fashion, he searched far and wide for a pope by looking around the room and swiftly deciding he was the best man for the job.
...
The two leaders are a match - absolutists who view the world in stark terms of good and evil, eager to prolong a patriarchal society that prohibits gay marriage and slices up pro-choice U.S. Democratic candidates.
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/23/opinion/23dowd.html?hp
Q: -- How do you spell "neocon opportunist"?
A: -- "P-h-a-r-i-s-e-e"
proud to be a part of the liberal left-wing syndicate,
Otter
Native: I was just about to post Dowd's column. It very good today. She really hit the nail on the head.
In other news...
I just spent part of this morning going around to the churches, synagogues, and mosques in my neighborhood, following up on phone call I made this week about "Justice Sunday".
Guess, which religious group was the most dense? If you guessed Catholic, you win the cigar this afternoon. "Unless it comes from the diocese..." In addition to handing out a one pager I made with all of the salient facts on it, I had to spend twice as much convincing them to do one fifth as much.
Sheesh.
The good news is that almost everyone else I talked to agreed to talk to thier membership about being under attack from the evangelical wing of the Republican party and their naked use of God and religion to acquire more political power.
Cheers (and Mongomery Ward) Otter! Nice to see ya around!
My post from the previous thread:
Last night, I had an opportunity to watch the entire Foreign Relations Committee meeting via the web link posted above. I have a terrible feeling about the nuclear option vote. If those hearings are any prediction of things to come, it is obvious that most of the Republicans care little about honest discussion and disagreement. Destroying the filibuster is their only reliable means for squelching dissenting opinon. They could care less how it effects America. I feel democracy slipping away. I hope to God I am wrong.
Released E-Mail Exchanges Reveal More Bolton Battles
By DOUGLAS JEHL
WASHINGTON, April 23 - Recently declassified e-mail messages provide new details of the bruising battle that John R. Bolton, then an under secretary of state, waged with analysts at the State Department and the Central Intelligence Agency in 2002 as he sought to deliver a speech reflecting a hard-line view of Cuba and its possible efforts to acquire biological weapons.
The messages, provided to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, are surfacing during a firestorm over Mr. Bolton's nomination as ambassador to the United Nations. Democrats and some Republicans have raised concerns about Mr. Bolton's temperament and tactics, and have called particular attention to his harsh treatment of intelligence analysts, suggesting that it may have amounted to political interference.
The declassified e-mail messages suggest animosity between Mr. Bolton and his staff on the one hand, and intelligence analysts on the other, at levels even greater than have emerged from recent public testimony by Mr. Bolton and others. A Congressional official provided some of the messages to The New York Times, saying they should be made available to the public because they had been declassified.
None of the dozens of messages reviewed by The New York Times were from Mr. Bolton. But the correspondence, spanning a period from February to September 2002, included e-mail sent to Mr. Bolton by his principal assistant, Frederick Fleitz, as well as extensive exchanges between Mr. Fleitz and Christian P. Westermann, the State Department's top expert on biological weapons who clashed sharply with Mr. Bolton over Cuba.
The messages included a Sept. 25, 2002 note in which Thomas Fingar, the No. 2 official in the State Department intelligence branch, deplored what he said had been the toll inflicted on Mr. Westermann by Mr. Bolton and Mr. Fleitz.
"I am dismayed and disgusted that unwarranted personal attacks are affecting you in this way," Mr. Fingar said in a message sent to Mr. Westermann. Two days earlier, in another message, Mr. Westermann wrote to Mr. Fingar to say that "personal attacks, harassment and impugning of my integrity" by Mr. Bolton and Mr. Fleitz were "now affecting my work, my health and dedication to public service."
The correspondence provided to the Senate committee also includes a Feb. 12 message sent to Mr. Bolton by Mr. Fleitz, who disparages what he calls the "already cleared (wimpy) language on Cuba" that Mr. Westermann had recommended be used by Mr. Bolton in his planned speech. It made clear that Mr. Westermann had proposed language that reiterated existing, consensus assessments by American intelligence agencies, rather than the stronger assertions that Mr. Bolton had been pressing to make about possible efforts by Cuba to obtain biological weapons, which Mr. Bolton contended were borne out by some highly classified intelligence reports.
"I explained to Christian that it was a political judgment as to how to interpret this data, and the I.C. should do as we asked and sanitize my language as long as sources and methods are not compromised," Mr. Fleitz wrote to Mr. Bolton, referring to the intelligence community. Mr. Fleitz said of Mr. Westermann, "He strongly disagrees with us."
The e-mail messages also make clear that Mr. Westermann and others within the State Department's bureau of intelligence and research, known as I.N.R., were not the only intelligence officials to resist Mr. Bolton's request, and that objections also came from the National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency and others.
One message sent by Mr. Westermann to Mr. Fleitz on Feb. 20, 2002, told him: "As you are probably aware, C.I.A. is not able to complete the cleared-language request on Cuba B.W. for use in Mr. Bolton's upcoming speech. The demarche coordinator told me this evening that C.I.A., N.S.A., I.N.R, and D.I.A. had several difficulties with the proposed language and that C.I.A. is trying to craft an answer to you."
But after the agencies sent approved language to Mr. Bolton's office, other e-mail messages contained complaints that further changes had been made. An April 30, 2002 message sent to Mr. Fleitz from a State Department intelligence official whose name was removed complained that "it appears that in some areas some tweaking was done to the text we provided."
"As a general principle, we'd like to have the opportunity to review such documents once they have been prepared and circulated for clearance, particularly in cases where we've provided input for use in the draft," the State Department intelligence official wrote.
http://editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000893426&imw=Y
And if the one-sided media of CNN, MSGOP, FOX (Faux), abc, cbs, and nbc isn't quite to their "take over the world" ideology, along comes this newsreport that they're trying to make PBS one sided too.
Democrats: Bush Social Security plan is 'dead'
Saturday, April 23, 2005
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
President Bush's plan to partially privatize Social Security is dead, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada said in a visit to Pittsburgh yesterday.
Reid along with Sen. Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, chairman of the Senate's Democratic Policy Committee, and Sen. Max Baucus of Montana, ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, came to Coraopolis for a town meeting about Social Security.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/05113/493250.stm
** AUNT MAVIS ALERT **
Aunt Mavis is in the building. We'll be reporting live at 3, 6, and 10. Tune in for all the details.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Ok, I just finished calling every church and synagogue in three nearby counties.
Posted by: sparrow at April 23, 2005 02:20 PM
Sparrow,
I read the article you posted and was not surprised by what I read. Of course the conservatives want to dumb down their programming. It worked for them in the rest of the media, and it will help them to spout their propaganda with few questions from a mindless audience. I wonder what Jim Lehrer was thinking when he read the quotes.
Ferree admits that he doesn't watch a lot of PBS shows--"I'm not much of a TV consumer." He likens "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" to Shakespeare but it is just "slow. ... Sometimes I really just want a People magazine, and often that is in the evening, after a hard day."
If you haven't read the Kerry speech, do so now. Be forwarned, however; I sobbed my heart out and so did both my husband and our friend. We all sat here clinging to each other and sobbing our hearts out. It is the worst of all evils that this great man was prevented from leading America and the world at this time.
"No, what’s at stake is something far greater - a struggle between a great political tradition in the United States that seeks common ground so we can do the common good - and a new ethic that, on any given issue, will use any means to justify the end of absolute victory over whatever and whoever stands in the way.
A new view that says if you don’t like the facts, just change them; if you can’t win playing by the rules, just rewrite them. A new view that says if you can’t win a debate on the strength of your argument, demonize your opponents. A new view that says it’s ok to ignore the overwhelming public interest as long as you can get away with it.
For what? For a so-called ‘nuclear option’ that seeks to put extreme, substandard judges on the federal bench against the will of the American people.
Why? Is it worth undermining our democracy on behalf of Priscilla Owens, who took contributions from Enron and Halliburton and ruled in their favor? Is it worth this distraction from the people’s business to confirm Charles Pickering, who fought against implementing the Voting Rights Act and manipulated the judicial system to reduce the sentence of a convicted cross-burner? Is it worth throwing out 200 years of Senate tradition to defend William Myers, Janice Rogers Brown and Bill Pryor, whom numerous members of the impartial American Bar Association deemed unqualified?"
http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/cfm/record.cfm?id=236760
Sometimes I really just want a People magazine, and often that is in the evening, after a hard day."
------------
Yes, and sometimes I really just want a labotomy, and often that is in the evening, after a hard day of having a friggin' brain.
--------
Fer cryin' out loud, they replaced Pat Mitchell with an even bigger fool.
Oncall: I watched that meeting too on Thursday, and though I found it very worrisome, especially Senator Lugar's self-rightous behavior (I swear he was close to saying, "Hey Democratic Senators, we're going to rape you, so you might as well quit fighting."). But I was heartened by their earnestness in fighting, as would anyone be.
I was enormously proud of them. There was a spirit of democracy permeating that room, infusing it with a sense of justice that was unmistakable, at least to those like Senators Hagel, Chaffee, and most thankfully, Voinovitch.
I would recommend that anyone who gets a chance or can pop over to C-SPAN.org to catch last Thursday meeting of the Senate Foreign Relations committee meeting do so. It's an education all unto itself.
Victoria Ellen:
I WANT MY AUNT MAVIS REPORT.
Spinnaker:
Aunt Mavis is expressing, in very lady-like terms naturally, some mild frustration with the policies of the current administration...
And she hasn't even had a Manhattan yet. I Can't wait:)
More later.
Bolton Finds U.N. Nomination in Jeopardy:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=4&u=/ap/20050423/ap_on_go_co/un_ambassador_84
Amy or Native Texan:
Do you have a link to the audio of Kerry's remarks on the floor of the Senate on Thursday regarding the filibuster? I'd love to hear his voice giving those remarks.
Posted by: Casey Morris at April 23, 2005 04:16 PM
We need to pressure c-span to archive the audio. I couldn't find it anywhere.
victoria ellen
Does Aunt Mavis usually vote Republican? Is this an unusual turn of affairs for her?
Do tell.
Casey,
Commenters in some DU threads suggested that people contact C-Span to ask that the Kerry speech be put on their main page. The E-mail address is:
viewer@c-span.org
They need reference to speaker, time, and subject:
Kerry
4/21/05, around 2:00 pm
Federal Judiciary Appointments
Casey, here's the post from toughenough:
"Reading Kerry's words is a start, but the speech was passionately delivered, an inspiration. Help spread the word. I'm hoping to get c-span to repeat it or archive it online. If you're interested in helping, you can write to viewer@c-span.org and add your voice to the request. The speech was delivered at about 2pm on April 21. We can help get the word out by directing people to the speech and by talking about it ourselves. Do-it-yourself media. Because most of the time it feels like we're all we've got. posted by Diane at 9:14 AM"
Dwahzon --
No... Aunt Mavis is a Democrat, and has seen more Presidents of both parties than most of us in her 80+ years... She gained some notoriety during the '04 campaign, when I introduced her to the members of the blogosphere and posted some of her more colorful quotes.
She doesn't mind Republicans, but thinks the Neocon loony fringe is destroying the country.
And the lady-like part? Huge lie. It sounds like a wharf bar in here:)
Amy,
Great minds . . . lol!
I WANT AN AUNT MAVIS!
Sounds like all families should have an Aunt Mavis to talk some sense into them!
Well fix Aunt Mavis that manhattan (it's after 5pm EST -- as if that matters...) and bring her on!
Merde, merde et merde!
I'm fed up of having people mixing up religion and politics, and most of all here.
You are quoting all the time the Founding Fathers and the way they separated church and state, and you keep mixing them.
State = public
Church = private.
if you are not up to keep to that line, what is left to the Democrats and their humanitarians values?
You do not need to be a religious person to have sound values and caring about the others.
And I can sing my whole mass in Latin!
P.S : loved the Kerry's message yesterday.
Excellent advice, Madame d --
Will get right on it, and issue full report.
Salute!
Senator Kerry found his Voice....Good. Next go around he should hire strategists that dont try to take it away.
This nation is in serious trouble and needs Voices heard above the crashing din. If the situation in this Nation needs to almost collapse before people react, so be it.
US trade deficits break new records each month, the white house treats the dollar with Benign neglect, Manufacturing in the US is declining yearly, scientists and research projects are moving offshore to more hospitable environments, and our government has been hijacked by a neocon-religious coalition.
Our Government stopped setting goals and begun to set limits. This is not how this Nation was built, nor intended to exist. We used to look over the next hill, the next mountain range, the next great expanse, We looked At the Moon itself and asked what lies there. We achieved goals as a Nation.
Civil rights, equal access to education, race and gender barriers, welfare, WIC, social security, head start, literally hundreds of programs that made millions of lives a little bit better. We achieved these goals as progressive voices shouting above the din.
Today we set the Goal of existing. This is not compatable with who we are, nor who we need to be.
Progressives shy from political conflict and plead with neofundie Republicans not to hurt us. What has happened ?
We should be actively seeking this fight, we should be picking this fight, we should not be afraid of public opinion polls. Todays Polls are snapshots, a Nation afraid of its own leadership.
There are Millions of Americans waiting for someone to speak with the Voice that Frederick Douglas and Barbara Jordan found. They did not listen to opinion polls or calculate political cost, They spoke the Truth based upon Civil rights and the Constitution of the United States. They blazed the path, we only need follow it.
If we do not go forward, we slide into a fundamentalist mindframe. This nation will close itself off to the world and view anyone that does not think as we do an Enemy of the state.
We Must seek this fight, we must actively and thoughtfully craft the offense to bring this Country back to its founding principles; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
You have to keep one thing in mind, you Democrats, over the pond, feeling ignored in your country, it's that Kerry kept all his power outside. He still is the guy who opposed Bush and gets trusted.
Your media may not/are not reporting about it, but Kerry somewhere is the Head of a shadow cabinet, you don't have, but we refer to.
It's still Bush vs Kerry. And the world is blue. When we think about values and America we think Kerry, because he embodies the same values. We are not short minded.
I had wonderful democrats from Palo Alto at home yesterday, and they should drop in DCP pretty soon.
Did I just hear right? Is Jeb Bush over at the pope's place, attending the crowning, planning to meet with his holiness?
You'd think Floridians would get sick of him traipsing around while many of them still can't live in their homes because of the hurricanes.
"Today we set the Goal of existing. This is not compatable with who we are, nor who we need to be.
Progressives shy from political conflict and plead with neofundie Republicans not to hurt us. What has happened ? ....
....We should be actively seeking this fight, we should be picking this fight, we should not be afraid of public opinion polls. Todays Polls are snapshots, a Nation afraid of its own leadership."
Posted by toolmaker
------------------------
Great post. The first thing we ran from was the word liberal.
Interesting interview with Maureen Dowd on AAR today - she said that the press is intimidated by the Republicans, and righties, and mentioned James Carville as the one Dem who could do the same. She said that the neocons are so successful at intimidating the media because of their aggressive, in-your-face approach (my paraphrasing)- it's so shocking that people back down.
Amy and Bob thanks. I wrote them and asked them to archive it.
If I find anyone with the audio, I will post a link to it here. Usually Crooks and Liars can find audio of stuff if anyone can. I will see if those folks have it or any leads on it.
Toolmaker, nice post.
Re: separation of church and state, media objectivity, and the Republican extremists' agenda . . .
This morning I just happened to check the online edition of our very conservative local newspaper and found this "news" story:
Sign petition at valley mall to help get county seal restored
This story appeared in the Antelope Valley Press on Saturday, April 23, 2005.
By LISA WAHLA HOWARD
Valley Press Staff Writer
PALMDALE - Los Angeles County residents who want to see the original county seal with its tiny gold cross restored can sign petitions this weekend at the Antelope Valley Mall.
This is the third effort staged by volunteers who support the original seal, which was altered last year to remove the cross after the American Civil Liberties Union threatened to sue over the alleged appearance of a pro-Christian bias.
MORE: http://www.avpress.com/n/23/0423_s9.hts (free, no reg.)
The advocacy in the headline of this "news" story floored me, as did the lead's reference to the "tiny" gold cross. At the end of the article, the newspaper helpfully includes the phone number to call to volunteer for the petition drive, as well as the organizers' website.
The petition website makes the historical argument for restoring the original county seal, but it links to other sites, including "anti-ACLU" sites where I found these gems:
" . . . some have said the American Civil Liberties Union is actually the American Communist Lawyers Union."
"It's only one small step from taking God out of the public square to laws prohibiting you and I from displaying a nativity scene on our front lawns for Christmas. This isn't so far-fetched. If a cross or nativity scene offends a passer-by if it's located in the town's park, those same symbols will offend the same person as they drive by your house."
"STAND UP NOW! STAND FOR GOD!"
The petition group's listing of its executive committee also provides a link to its treasurer's website -- which turns out to be a site promoting privatization of Social Security, complete with a comparison of "old" and "new" (privatized) SS -- full of misleading, distorted, and just plain false information.
Rather than belabor the obvious, I'll just say that I'm tempted to write an LTE thanking the paper for providing such a wonderful, microcosmic case study of the dangers Sen. Kerry warned about on the Senate floor two days ago . . .
Frank Rich's column this week is about Justice Sunday. He presents some interesting facts to dispel the lies that are presumedly in the show, along with this good anaylsis of Frist's involvement...
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/24/opinion/24rich.html?pagewanted=1&hp
Senator Frist had hoped to deflect criticism of his cameo on "Justice Sunday" by confining his appearance to video. Though he belittled the disease-prevention value of condoms in that same "This Week" interview, he apparently now believes that videotape is just the prophylactic to shield him from the charge that he is breaching the wall separating church and state. His other defense: John Kerry spoke at churches during the presidential campaign. Well, every politician speaks at churches. Not every political leader speaks at nationally televised political rallies that invoke God to declare war on courts of law.
Madame,
I thought he was appearing via videotape so he could get a health checkup and diagnosis . . .
Amy, I can't believe I didn't think of this before--I'll call JK's office on Monday and see if they know where we can get any audio/video from and then suggest they link it on their website.
I'll let you know what they say.
Subject: guess who wrote this...
However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly. The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both. I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'
-- Sen. Barry Goldwater (R)
(the most conservative Republican of my childhood)
If tomorrow were REALLY Justice Sunday, the House would announcing that they had voted Article of Impeachment on Dubya and Delay.
May all beings be happy
May all beings be peaceful
May all beings be liberated
(Just back from my Buddhist Healing workshop)
What the hell is Justice Sunday? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard of.
Very interesting perspective on the Bolton nomination from the Washington Note... I won't even try to summarize. Read it if you're interested...
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000504.html
Madame,
The Note article IS interesting. And I had to laugh when I found this in one of the comments:
"Somebody observed that John Bolton is a diplomat like Jack-the-Ripper was a surgeon... "
Amy- I think that most Floridians (and I'm one) are getting pretty tired of Jeb and all his world travels. But at least he is a Catholic (or I'm assuming so, since his wife is), so his praise of the Pope may be heartfelt. After all- both he and the pope agree that it's highly important that American taxpayer's money be funelled directly into the Catholic Church. Jeb is busy doing this down here in Florida with his school voucher program, and I'm sure that the donation of my state taxes to a religion that I'm not a part of is appreciated by the Church in Rome. It's also greatly appreciated by Jeb, who has a personal financial interest in the Catholic schools here in Florida. Of course, no one down here has ever investigated the financial dealings of our beloved governor, because he has a solid majority in the state legislature. Whatever.
Jeb's trip to see the Pope is much more genuine than has been W's outlandish praise of the man. George W is not a Catholic, he's a fundamentalist, and the fundamentalist religions teach that Catholics are essentially idol-worshippers who must "turn from their wicked ways" before they can be saved and enter the kingdom of heaven. Yet W pandered to every Catholic in America the other day when he said the new Pope was a "man of faith- doing God's work on earth."
So, I suppose if our governor wants to go to Rome and watch the ceremony over there, it's ok to this Floridian. I think he's at least sincere in what he's doing. And I thank God that, while he's in Rome, he won't be here in Florida screwing around with our taxes and our school system. Any little vacation he'd like to take over the next couple of years is ok with me- in fact- the more he takes, the better off Florida will be. So, Vaya con dios Jeb and Columbia- I hope they both fall in love with Rome and decide to stay awhile. The longer the better.
My husband and I are watching "Real Time". Bill Mahar, in talking about Pope John Paul II, says that "The Pope was incredibly liberal--he was against the war, he thought Americans were crass materialists for not reaching out to third world countries...let face it, if this guy weren't the Pope, they'd have savaged him like they savaged John Kerry.."
To which my husband replied, "I can just see it now, Swift Boat Veterans Against the Pope. God, I love to see the Catholic Church rain down around them."
(Just back from my Buddhist Healing workshop)
Posted by: DiAnne at April 23, 2005 09:08 PM
DiAnne,
My father just remarked today that Westerners who dabble in Eastern religions (like you) must be mindless idiots, because Christianity is so perfect and no Westerner "really gets Buddhism."
As you know, he is a Korean immigrant brought to America under Reagan, much like those Ukrainians who did some serious gay-bashing in the article you mentioned in the other thread.
I told him that I'd rather be like you than like him; after all, he was selling the birthright of fellow Asians to white supremacists, which really describe the Religious Reich anyway - and selling the sovereignty of his homeland to the Bush regime. After all, one hundred years ago, the likes of him ensured that Korea would become a Japanese colony - something the Japanese revisionist historians are trying to beautify now.
We Must seek this fight, we must actively and thoughtfully craft the offense to bring this Country back to its founding principles; Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.
Posted by: Toolmaker at April 23, 2005 05:31 PM
Toolmaker,
Who can disagree with anything you said in your post? Certainly I can't. However to me the central problem is the Bu$hco Propaganda machine. In the 50's, 60's and 70's protests were covered by the media. With that coverage the message was delivered and more people participated in the fight. Today voices of dissent are left to the random whims of the internet world in order to attract any recognition for their causes. At the same time, as Bob Evans post above so clearly illustrates, the "media" has become a tool of the ultra right wing neo conservative fundamentalists (URWNCF).
Just as Howard Zinn's book, You Can't Be Neutral On a Moving Train points out, most of these successful movements were generated by a group of people willing to take a stand for what they believed (especially knowing there would be little recognition for their actions). They had shown a "failure to quit". But during their struggle, the media of the day accurately told their story, and thereby the movements grew.
Our efforts demand that we develop a medium for commucating our causes, values and rationale for our protests against the status quo. Hence the Democracy Cell Project is clearly the medium that we need to grow in order to be successful in our quest for equality, liberty and fairness in America. That is at the heart of our challenge. We have to make the Democracy Cell Project even more successful in delivering our non-partisan message. We have to talk with others about the DCP. We have to go to other sites and blogs, newspapers, church groups, coffee shops, book clubs, and any place that we are sure to meet others. We have to have the courage to tell them that there is a place for honest open discussion of today's issues. Wearing a DCP T-shirt wouldn't hurt either.
There is no reason that moderate Republicans shouldn't be invited to participate. The same goes for conservative Democrats and Libertarians (the URWNCF are beyond hope). When we provide the truth and get people to actively reflect and communitcate how they feel about today's important issues, we are sure to win the battles that confront us.
Posted by: Bob Evans at April 23, 2005 07:05 PM
Thanks Bob for reminding me that Southern California - and "blue" Los Angeles County at that - are really hidden red states where we must focus our fight.
It's just so incredible that the media can continue to report Los Angeles County as "blue" when it contains Antelope Valley, Diamond Bar, La Mirada, and other places that are 90% pug. Not to mention that all our major immigrant groups, which are a major force to be reckoned with, are hardcore social conservatives - making sure that I am more likely to see "I VOTE PRO-LIFE" bumper stickers than "PRO-CHILD, PRO-FAMILY, PRO-CHOICE" ones as I would in San Francisco area.
The fight's on. I have just formed a cell yesterday in downtown Los Angeles, and I hope it grows by leaps and bounds.
I went to DailyKos to review the information about Louisville. While checking out the home page I saw that Meet the Press is planning on having an all Catholic Clergy line up to discuss the new Pope. I don't know about you, but I have had enough news about dying popes, dead popes, honored popes, and newly elected popes to last me the rest of my life. Can somebody explain to me why NBC felt that this topic needed an hour of discussion on its headline news show?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/23/21953/2129
Posted by: AllyMcLesbian formerly SkinnyLawyer at April 23, 2005 11:14 PM
Way to go Ally! You might be surprised by the number of people who thank you for helping them to find their voice in these difficult times. Please keep us updated in the Forum.
~~breaking news...WaPo actually doing some real investigative work....
DeLay Airfare Was Charged To Lobbyist's Credit Card
By R. Jeffrey Smith
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, April 24, 2005; Page A01
The airfare to London and Scotland in 2000 for then-House Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was charged to an American Express card issued to Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist at the center of a federal criminal and tax probe, according to two sources who know Abramoff's credit card account number and to a copy of a travel invoice displaying that number.
DeLay's expenses during the same trip for food, phone calls and other items at a golf course hotel in Scotland were billed to a different credit card also used on the trip by a second registered Washington lobbyist, Edwin A. Buckham, according to receipts documenting that portion of the trip.
House ethics rules bar lawmakers from accepting travel and related expenses from registered lobbyists. DeLay, who is now House majority leader, has said that his expenses on this trip were paid by a nonprofit organization and that the financial arrangements for it were proper. He has also said he had no way of knowing that any lobbyist might have financially supported the trip, either directly or through reimbursements to the nonprofit organization.
The documents obtained by The Washington Post, including receipts for his hotel stays in Scotland and London and billings for his golfing during the trip at the famed St. Andrews course in Scotland, substantiate for the first time that some of DeLay's expenses on the trip were billed to charge cards used by the two lobbyists. The invoice for DeLay's plane fare lists the name of what was then Abramoff's lobbying firm, Preston Gates & Ellis.
continue~
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A12416-2005Apr23.html?nav=rss_politics
Rather than belabor the obvious, I'll just say that I'm tempted to write an LTE thanking the paper for providing such a wonderful, microcosmic case study of the dangers Sen. Kerry warned about on the Senate floor two days ago . . .
Posted by: Bob Evans at April 23, 2005 07:05 PM
Bob,
Here is my LTE:
Editors,
I would like to know how much money the organizers of the petition drive paid you to help advertise their cause? By the way, I am asking people to sign a petition asking for tax exempt status for any American with the latin name Jesus. Could you run that story for me too?
Jesus Garcia
So, Vaya con dios Jeb and Columbia- Posted by: Linda Enterkin at April 23, 2005 10:36 PM
Catholic or fundamentalist - between the pandering to both of them the last two months, CNN (as I cruise by) has been non-stop 24 hr. right-wing propaganda.
Your post re: Jeb going to see the Pope. Maybe
Jeb IS being primed as the next front runner in '08. That would explain perfectly the excessive pandering on CNN to both Catholics and fundamentalists. I had to chuckle last week when an Evangelical I know was having a fit over the non-stop airing of all things Catholic. He said "I am going to call them and tell them I want equal time. This is showing partiality toward Catholics."
Things are much better, and they are definately getting the idea, but I proceed with caution and wisdom. A little at a time. Didn't touch that one.
I don't know about you, but I have had enough news about dying popes, dead popes, honored popes, and newly elected popes to last me the rest of my life. Can somebody explain to me why NBC felt that this topic needed an hour of discussion on its headline news show?
Posted by: oncall at April 23, 2005 11:34 PM
oncall, I think this is the reason: Benedict XVI is the closest thing the American theocracy has ever had to a political ally. When JFK was running for prez, the pugs were warning us about a potential unholy alliance between the White House and the Holy See; well, now, the pugs themselves have formed it.
Besides, NBC is owned by a major defense contractor, General Electric, and according to choosetheblue.com, NBC was the only showbiz company to contribute more to the pugs than to Dems. Even Fox's entertainment divisions contributed more to Dems!
If I am not mistaken, Discovery Channel and its affiliates are also owned by NBC/GE, which explains Discovery's right-wing propaganda (such as the recent Jessica Lynch special, the new Military Channel, and all the pro-Bush political ads it ran last year).
And thanks for your words of encouragement, oncall. I will try my best to make the most of this new cell.
'Justice Sunday' May Weigh on GOP
By Tom Hamburger and Peter Wallsten, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist will draw a chorus of amens Sunday when thousands of evangelicals across the United States hear his call to put more conservative judges on the federal bench.
But even as the Tennessee Republican addresses "Justice Sunday" -- a 90-minute simulcast to conservative churches that enthusiastically backs a Senate rule change to speed nominations -- the leader faces apprehension from another key GOP constituency.
The country's leading business lobbying associations, close GOP allies in recent legislative efforts and political campaigns, have told senior Republicans that they will not back the Frist initiative to force votes on judicial candidates.
Business leaders say they fear the move would shut down Senate action on their long-awaited priorities -- as Democrats have threatened to do if Frist moves ahead with a rule change they claim would drastically alter the traditions of a body designed to respect the rights of the minority party.
MORE:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-judges24apr24,0,5582429.story?coll=la-home-headlines
Posted by: Bob Evans at April 24, 2005 12:41 AM
I hope the business community truly is concerned more about all the business the US will lose if it goes ahead with its assault on science and the theocratic state.
That's honestly my last straw of hope.
I wrote Senator Kent Conrad and thanked him heartily for standing FIRM on the Social Security fight. He was under TREMENDOUS pressure to bend. I am truly grateful he stood firm.
I received a personal, hand signed letter in the mail from Senator Conrad recently, in response to my letter of thanks and appreciation. I have been so busy with work I haven't had time to post it. I would like to share it with the DCP:
"Thank you for contacting me regarding the role of moral values in our government. It was good to hear from you.
I appreciate hearing your kind words of support for my work in the U.S. Senate. I, too, am greatly concerned about the use of divisive issues to draw attention away from other very important issues facing our country, such as the economy, health care, the war in Iraq, our campaign against terrorism, the exploding budget deficit, and the finanacial health of social security. As you note, these issues also have a moral dimension. In my view, Congress needs to concentrate on finding positive, bipartisan solutions to the social and economic problems facing our nation.
Again, thank you for contacting me. For more information on issues of importance, please visit my Web site at www.conrad.senate.gov."
Sincerely,
Kent Conrad
United States Senate
Kudos to Senator Conrad for his work in the Senate, and for taking the time to personally send a letter of thanks.
Our government leaders need encouragement and thanks when deserved.
Ally,
Congratulations on the birth of your cell! As to the county, it's purple, like most places -- and you and I know what it's like to live in a red bastion of a blue county. Keep up the good work!
Oncall,
Jesus, great letter! Very funny.
Actually, I was planning to call the paper's editor anyway. I met him last month when I was on a discussion panel and he wrote a lengthy story, with the first half of it focusing on me.
The editor's son had just finished a tour in Iraq and was heading home via Germany, so I planned to call around this time to see if his son got back and ask how he's doing. The editor was himself in Iraq as an embedded reporter during the invasion.
Maybe I should read your letter to him . . .
Truth Shall Prevail,
Kudos to you, Truth! You must have written an outstanding letter to make such an impression and prompt such a personalized response. I'm certainly impressed. Thanks for the work you are doing.
Ally
Thanks for the comments re Buddhism, LA, media/enjoyed them, & also your analysis about the alliance between the White House & Pope - I believe you are right on. Good luck with your cell. You are reinforcing an impression I have gotten of southern CA (red-tainted areas) but also there has to be much potential there.
The Buddhist workshop was worthwhile even though my friend & I kept laughing to ourselves at people who would start snoring when they were supposed to be meditating. We had massage practitioners, psychotherapists, accupuncturists, just plain seekers and even a disgruntled postal worker. We also had to keep ourselves from asking questions like "What would happen if a bullfighter used a blue cape instead of red?"
& there was a part about a monk who was only worthy to ride a donkey but not yet an elephant. At that point, I said it would be much more honorable to associate with donkeys than elephants. That may not have been PC but I couldn't resist.
Posted by: AllyMcLesbian formerly SkinnyLawyer at April 23, 2005 11:14 PM
Hey, Great work Ally!
I'm sure it will grow faster than you realize. Perhaps the frame for the bumper sticker should be, "I vote pro-life, anti-war, and anti-poverty--let us LIVE in a house not a tent"
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at April 24, 2005 12:45 AM
================
Truth --
Good work. It's important to support the folks that are fighting the good fight. I sent a letter to Harry Reid yesterday, saying thanks for standing up to the strong-arm club on Social Security, the Energy Bill and John ('loon') Bolton.
If your Senator or Rep is standing up against these nutjobs, give them a thank you. It only takes a minute, and they need to know we're out here.
Posted by: victoria ellen at April 23, 2005 04:51 PM
Victoria,
Your aunt reminds me of my beloved Grandma who was a strong democrat all her life. I remember how she cringed just seeing his bluthering face on tv (about a month before she died) and I remember her stating, "That man is pure evil. He will bring this country to the edge of despair." She died before he was elected in 2000 and her words were indeed prophetic. He has brought this country to the edge of despair and he is an evil man who poses as a Christian but behaves like a thief.
I was just re-reading this thread this morning.
I am so proud to work with all of you folks. You are all so committed to democracy and all so willing to give of your time and your treasure to do so.
I think about my little boy's future, and I feel a whole lot better knowing that all of you fighting for freedom.
Thank you all.
Sparrow:
Yeah, the Grandmas and Aunt Mavises of the world are fabulous... I think it's particularly hard for older folks, who've seen REAL Presidents of both parties in their lifetimes, to tolerate Georgie.
She just thinks he's toxic.
Casey --
Stop it. I'm misting up...
THE SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE MEETING FROM LAST WEEK IS ON CSPAN RIGHT NOW.
It's the one where Voinovich stopped the meeting and asked for more time.
This is an amazing meeting.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WATCHING IT.
It says it's from Tuesday, but it's from Thursday.
I recognize Biden's statements and Lugar's self rightous behavior.
Posted by: victoria ellen at April 24, 2005 09:46 AM
My elderly neighbors lived through the depression and they say it's WORSE now than at any time during the depression.
Spinnaker,
Yes, this is the meeting on cspan 1.
Victoria,
My elderly neighbors who I mentioned can barely afford the cost of medicine, put food on the table, and the home they live in.
So when I was making my calls during the campaign and describing this situation a lady responded, "Yes, they're starving! They can't afford to put food on the table..."
"Yes!" I thought, "This lady gets it! She's a John Kerry voter."
Then she had to burst my bubble by saying, "I'm voting for Bush."
I guess you call that disconnect!
Sparrow --
There are a lot of people who haven't realized they voted against their own best interests.
Sadly, it will become clear to them as truly abysmal governance takes its toll.
I just watched the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on John Bolton on C-span.
I'm speechless.
I am watching the committee meeting, and not only doesn't George Allen know parlimentary procedure on the nomination process on which he is voting, but the chairman of the committee, Lugar, doesn't know. Biden had to inform them of the correct procedure.
Fer cryin' out loud.
Amy,
I think that JK's speech from the floor may be coming up on CSPAN-1, as they are showing now, Specter's speech on this issue right now.
Specter looks terribly ill. This must be a terrible strain on him.
Frist during his televangelism meeting tody:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050424/ap_on_go_co/senate_filibusters
"Our judiciary must be independent, impartial and fair," Frist said in his taped remarks.
"When we think judicial decisions are outside mainstream American values, we will say so. But we must also be clear that the balance of power among all three branches requires respect — not retaliation. I won't go along with that," Frist said.
=============
Apparently, Mr. Frist thinks that the 80% of the American public who felt the government should stay out of the Schiavo case is not the mainstream.
Bill Frist's mainstream is the lunatic 20% that feels the court should be overtaken by conservative Christian extremists.
The new math: 20% is mainstream. 80% is fringe.
Victoria,
See....They suffer from math anxiety too.