Finding A Security Blanket

We need more securityto protect us from the Republican right wingers:

And the Verdict on Justice Kennedy Is: Guilty
Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is a fairly accomplished jurist, but he might want to get himself a good lawyer -- and perhaps a few more bodyguards.

Conservative leaders meeting in Washington yesterday for a discussion of "Remedies to Judicial Tyranny" decided that Kennedy, a Ronald Reagan appointee, should be impeached, or worse.

SNIP

Ominously, Vieira continued by saying his "bottom line" for dealing with the Supreme Court comes from Joseph Stalin. "He had a slogan, and it worked very well for him, whenever he ran into difficulty: 'no man, no problem,' " Vieira said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38308-2005Apr8.html

Are We Safer Yet? A 14 year old client asked me yesterday, "We hear all about the Pope and other people who have died, but we aren't hearing about Iraq any more."

(sorry no link - it's AP, & Vets for Peace)

BAGHDAD, Iraq ˜ Gunmen fired on supporters of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr yesterday, killing one person and wounding two others as they made their way to protests planned for the second anniversary of the fall of Baghdad to U.S.-led troops. In the poor New Baghdad neighborhood, meanwhile, four children were killed when they came across explosives while digging through garbage for scrap metal, witnesses and police said. It was unclear what caused the blast. "It's really ironic," said Qais Mousa, who saw the explosion. "We areliving in a rich country, while these poor innocents are dying in this horrible way."

Also yesterday, a bomb killed a U.S. soldier near Hawija, 150 miles north of Baghdad, the U.S. military said. It also reported that a Marine died Wednesday in a motor-vehicle accident during combat operations in Fallujah, 40 miles west of Baghdad. No other details were provided. After dark yesterday, al-Sadr supporters marched and chanted through the city, hanging anti-U.S. banners on columns surrounding Firdos Square, where a statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down on April 9, 2003, as U.S. troops spread through the capital. Al-Sadr had urged his supporters to gather today at the square, and a group was at the landmark along with police after the 11 p.m. curfew. U.S. and Iraqi officials said they were preparing for the demonstration. The cleric had stayed out of the limelight since his Mahdi Army militiamen accepted truces last year after failed uprisings in the southern city of Najaf and Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. But he has stepped up criticism of the United States in recent weeks, mostly by organizing today's protest.

Sunni Muslim clerics also called demonstrations today to demand that American and other foreign troops leave Iraq. Sheik Hassan al-Edhari, an official at al-Sadr's Baghdad office, said al-Sadr's mainly Shiite followers want the new Iraqi government to set a schedule for pulling out foreign troops and for putting Saddam on trial. During his sermon yesterday in the capital, the head of an influential Sunni group accused coalition forces of "killing the Iraqi people daily." "We demand that the occupation troops withdraw from Iraq. We don't want them to do it immediately, but we want them to set a timetable for their withdrawal," said Sheik Harith al-Dahri, whose Association of Muslim Scholars is believed to have ties to Iraq's insurgents.
At another Sunni mosque in Baghdad, Sheik Ahmad Hasan al-Taha instructed worshippers to refrain from marking the April 9 anniversary. Al-Taha also called for the release of arrested religious figures, claiming there were more than 90 imams in detention.

U.S. military officials said they had nothing planned to mark the anniversary, and refused to comment on security measures. But additional Bradley Fighting Vehicles and Humvees were seen in areas where demonstrations were expected. The Iraqi army said three masked gunmen killed an Iraqi army officer, Maj. Mahmoud Hassan al-Yassiri, late Thursday in the southern city of Basra. In the Shiite holy city of Najaf, four civilians were injured by a bomb that exploded near a bus station, police Capt. Qussai al-Jazaeri said.

In another incident, the U.S. military said yesterday that a cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq this week on suspicion of insurgent activity. The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between U.S. soldiers and suspected insurgents, the military said. He was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the statement said. The military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces." Officials are investigating the man's previous activities as well as "his alleged support of anti-Iraqi insurgency activities," the statement said.

On Call

That article on Justice Kennedy is unbelievable! These people are showing their true colors. I had wondered what had happened to Phyllis Schafly. Here are some of her columns from the Eagle Forum, for those not familiar with her work. She is heir to Anita Bryant and spiritual stepmother to Anne Coulter. File under "Know the Enemy" - Phyllis Schlafly - "leading the pro-family movement since 1972" LOL

http://www.eagleforum.org/column/

Check out this mosaic.

http://photomatt.net/2004/04/07/mosaic/

Karen:

No, we are not safer. Those of us who live on a boarder recognize that they may have more people at check points but there is thousands of miles of unprotected area. Vigilantes have replaced our National Guard who are being used in a hidden draft in Iraq. We recognize there are so many recommendations that the bipartison committee suggested but GWB in his arrogance has only implemented a few due to public pressure.

Nope...he's not keeping us safer, he is inspiring more hate. In fact, according to the NPR report about Al Queda and the Arab Nations, clerics are getting requests (for permission) to join a terrorist group against the USA. If that cleric responds "No" then they move to another cleric. The clerics are being pressured to say yes to these people who want to go on a "Jihad" and furthermore, these terrorists easily sneak across the borders. (feeling safer yet?)

Fall of Bagdad Anniversary celebrated by anti-U.S. protests. (Feeling safer yet?)

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4584092

Feel Safer Yet? (as is written on a shop window in duct tape in my town)

US nuclear warhead plan under fire

Democrats and American arms control groups warned yesterday that a new Bush administration scheme to replace ageing nuclear warheads could be used as a cover for the eventual construction of a "black arsenal" of new weapons.

The plan, known as the reliable replacement warhead programme (RRW), was unveiled this week by Linton Brooks, the head of the National Nuclear Security Administration.

Instead of maintaining the old stockpile by monitoring the warheads and replacing occasional spare parts, RRW would entail the design, production and deployment of a new generation of warheads. These would not require testing, and therefore would not break the US moratorium on nuclear tests.

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Scientists Fudged Nuke Waste Data, Won't Testify

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/040905Y.shtml

Analysis
An Impending Period of Transitional Chaos for Media
by Bob Garfield

All Things Considered, April 8, 2005 · Network television audiences are down as cable, the Internet and a host of other new technologies emerge; and marketers are shifting their dollars accordingly. The media world faces an interim of chaos before a new order is determined. The co-host of On the Media delivers his take.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4583366

Lance Cpl. Tenzin Dengkhim, who immigrated to the U.S. from Tibet more than a decade ago and later joined the Marine Corps, was killed in combat Saturday in Iraq's Al Anbar province.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4579187

Sparrow
I am an NPR fan also - I just donated money as alot of people think NPR is funded by the government. It isn't - it's funded by listeners except for a small portion. I depend on it (with internet) as a primary news source since I refuse to watch television/tv news until there is real information on there instead of propaganda and until the sponsors are not gashog makers and legal drug pushers.

(posted at the end of last thread..but seemed relevant to Bush NOT being much of a protector so I'm reposting here.)

Oncall;

My suspicion is that Bush did a lot of praying to God on September 11, 2001, when he sat in his chair reading about a pet goat. In between sentences, for at least a half hour, while people ran from flames, jumped off a burning building, and people on a plane saved the last plane from hitting its target, Bush sat there saying, "Oh my God, Oh my God, OMG, OMG, OMG..." till he ran to his plane to hide.

Dianne:

Even NPR dropped the ball on the build up to the Iraq War. But it's the closest thing we have other than Air America; however, it is NOT a liberal media by any stretch of the imagination. It's simply closer to the middle where it should be, but it still needs to buck up against these corrupt neocons and get to the business of watchdogging our government. Clearly, these NeoCONS are going to keep us on our toes.

DiAnne and Sparrow,

Reading your posts this morning convinces me that our collective "safety" is dependent upon a free press that is not managed by propagandists. Until we are free from thew Bu$hco Propaganda (BP) machine, as I like to say, our safety will always be uncertain. As has been said before, we need to be the media.

Take your five minutes and inform others about what is happening. For example, this morning I posted a flyer at a local coffee shop about the Nuclear Option while wearing my DCP T-shirt (on the back I have printed,"The Power of the internet, the Promise of America).

Florida eyes allowing residents to open fire whenever they see threat

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1506&u=/afp/20050406/ts_alt_afp/uscrimeguns_050406201103&printer=1

Feeling safer?

Time Running Out to Get N Korea to Nuclear Talks

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8132506

Korean military taking increasing control of nukes - most we can hope for is a "freeze"

Feel safer?

By the way, it was very inappropriate for Bush to take Condi & Laura to the Pope's funeral instead of letting Jimmy Carter go.

Speaking of blankies:

"Our children know that you can't change the rules just to get your way,'' Reid said. ``I think it's time that Washington Republicans remembered those truths.''

Posted by: oncall at April 9, 2005 01:10 PM

Oncall:

YOU ROCK! I'm so proud of you! I haven't even left the house today. But I keep saying I'm going to do so. I truly want us to produce some t'shirts with real truths on them. We EDUCATE and the t'shirt is the quickest way (next to postings like you're doing) to get out the truth. I think when I do get moving, I'm going to buy a bunch of t'shirts (made in the USA) and some t'shirt paint and I'm going to paint some truths on my shirts.

I always think of great one or two liners while driving, but I think it's the simplest way to be the media while you're doing your own chores.

Dianne:

Carter represents Peace. He represents the person the Pope admired. Those who hated Carter then at least respect his nobility now. However, Bush can bring Condi, Rummi, or even godzilla go to the funeral because nowadays the average person is waking up to this slimey false religious "skin" that they put on or pull off at will. Sure, the fundies are fooled, but frankly, they've already sold their soul to the devil by worshipping this evil empire. So...hey, may as well bring Jeb and Frist and even Delay--since they all pretend to have values. (Well, actually they do have a a few values--like GREED and LIES)

I saw a bumper sticker that i liked. Thought I'd share it with you.

GOD ISN'T RUNNING FOR OFFICE

The religious right seems to feel that the power to control people's lives is just outside their grasp. This unrelenting need to dictate a kind of SUPER-MORALITY is set by their standards. It was not enough for them to have a following within their own churches. They have begun to imagine that if people do not follow them willingly, then they must expand outward to force their will people. For them, a free society only means that you are free to follow them, and if you don't then they are free to impose their will on you by making laws that would make it impossible, and illegal not to follow them. They would solve the problem of making individual morality a banned ideal.

I shudder to imagine a society where their stated missions would actually come to exist. Let's just think about the plans they have. It started with abortion, so lets ban that. Then there are those horrible gay people wanting to get married. Nope, thats against the law. The ten commandments are going up in every classroom in the country, and all children will be taught the fundementalist doctrines. There will be no sex education of any kind. Supposing they could make all that come true. Why stop there.

Why not outlaw religions that don't agree with their teachings? Those other churches might not agree with the laws that they managed to pass, so of course they would have to be shut down. For our own good. The way to the Lord must not be impeded by immoral religious teachings that disagree with the REAL Christians.

And of cousre there would have to be a law to make attendance at church mandatory.

On that line, then of course there would have to be a ban on religious texts. The Quran and the Torah are out. Books written by religious scholars would have to be aprroved. Theology studies would be limited to approved courses.

And, why stop there? There could be laws about pre-marital sex, with appropriate jail terms for law breakers. Living together with a love interest without benefit of marriage would also be illegal. Any laws about consenting adult behaviour would be struck down.

Contraception would of course be illegal. None would be available for sale, and studies on new methods would be stopped.

Temptations would have to be curtailed. That would mean making laws about methods of dress, so bikini's are outta here. Cleaveage would have to be covered up. No more skin in public. Perhaps a ban on breast enhancement?

Materials of a sexual nature would all be banned as pornography, even the arts would be subject to scrutiny. Forget about sexy advertising. Music would have to be censored too. Television would show a majority of religious programming, and shows that depict anything other than moral storylines would become illegal.

Of course as the moral noose gets tightened, there will be those who protest, but if the penalties for breaking moral laws are stiff enough, people will think twice about breaking them. Once people understand that all of these moral undertakings are meant to serve God, and insure that we are the CHRISTIAN country the fore-fathers meant us to be, they will be grateful for the path to heaven that is laid out before them.

The Department of Morality would become the biggest and most important branch of government. It would oversee our actions here in America, and be responsible for carrying morality to the rest of the world. It would make laws taken from Bible scripture as interpreted by the most moral and family value people such as this country has been fortunate to have. The state religion would be assured.

The far right Christians would never be happy with just banning abortions and gay marriage. They will never be happy sharing the stage with any religion different than theirs. They will never be happy until it's illegal to disagree with them. They will not be at peace until the government of the people is a government run by their people. They will never rest until their control expands out of their churches and into every aspect of every life in every corner of the country.

If you are thinking Taliban, you aren't wrong. Look at the comments and conferences going on right now. Here is a group of people who feel that they have some kind of DUTY to bring their morality to the country as a whole, but they also see it as a means to unprecedented power. That kind of power never belongs in only a few hands. Once able to dictate on a small scale, the thirst for power only grows to gain more power. There is never enough, once they begin, because MORALITY is not something they could leave any decision in indivdual hands.

They must have all branches of government. They see now that probably they have reached the limit of the population who are willing followers, and as many as there are, it's not enough to change the morality of the country to their satisfaction. They see themselves as having elected ultra-conservatives who now have a duty to pay them back. They feel that they combined forces with politicians who share their visions.

My thought is that some, but not all of the politicians who gladly took their votes, are not about to take on their radical agendas as willingly. They won't easily pursue remaking this country into a radical right religious environment knowing that the radical religous right has the limited numbers of votes that it has. The quest for power isn't mutual. It isn't about sharing.

The whip up the religous right is doing right now could be their final dance at the big party. They've shown quite a bit of their true colors. They've presented the side of themselves that is threatening, menacing, out of control. They've shown that they are not about a value program, but that they are in mob mode to take over the turf. They have revealed that if they are unable to induce people to come to them of their own free will, that they will attempt to take free will away.

They intend to get ugly and play ugly. It's out in the open now. We will need to call on the people who have the guts and the grit to stand up to them and speak out. We need to expose them as not people devoted to a religion or a God, but people who are using God in their quest for domination and power. We need to join forces with people who know God isn't running for office. Real people of faith, need to point out that pseudo-morality that is at work now will not lift us up, nor will it join us together.

God isn't running for office.

Five Minutes of Democracy suggestions:

Revolt Against the Bankruptcy Bill 4-9
http://plasticrevolution.org/

Take a moment to write a note to the multinational corporations that
have donated tens of thousands of dollars to Tom DeLay's legal defense fund. Use the only voice you have and tell these companies that you are going to vote with your dollars for different companies if they do not stop contributing to the DeLay's defense war chest.
http://www.dropthehammer.org/

Support your troops for real! -
From U.S. Senator Patty Murray
Stand Up for America's Veterans!
http://murray.senate.gov/vetupdates/update3.html

(Ideas from http://www.oldamericancentury.org

I talked to my (former conservative) mother in North Dakota - she said she was sick of hearing about the Pope. She told her little coffee klatch of retirees that he wasn't any closer to God than any other human on earth & just another poor old man. She told me she's going to play pipe organ at the Episcopal Church tomorrow and then said, "I'm going to stay after for coffee and cookies because I'm the Spitting Cobra of the Congregation!"

Excellent post Tutterfly.

You wont get any debate from me regarding the direction Religious/Political right wing is taking, Leadership that Hijacked intentions of Good People. There seems to be an obsession with churches preaching the end times, people are being led into intentional confusion and taken advantage of.

The issue is how do Democrats respond to this?
Which republican will be strong enough to stand and speak to power, and lay bare the conservative religious movement? None i know of. And if that comes from Democrats, it will only serve to reinforce their resolve and prove Democrats are trying to destroy the Christian Faith.

This DPC is a wonderfull start, allowing people to speak without filter, share ideals, and demonstrate we have more in common than in difference. We need to get more people here, and help this community grow. And we need strategy to implement this parties vision for the Nation.

We need leadership that can bring these issues together. Barak Obama's Speech at the convention is a good start.

What is going on?!!!!

US Military: Cameraman with CBS Credentials Detained in Iraq The Associated Press

    Baghdad - A cameraman carrying CBS press credentials was detained in Iraq earlier this week on suspicion of insurgent activity, the US military said Friday, while the network issued a statement saying it was investigating the incident.

    The cameraman suffered minor injuries Tuesday during a battle between US soldiers and suspected insurgents, and was standing next to an alleged insurgent who was killed during the shootout, the military said.

    The military issued a statement at the time saying the cameraman was shot because his equipment was mistaken for a weapon. But on Friday, the military said the cameraman was detained because there was probable cause to believe he posed "an imperative threat to coalition forces."

    "He is currently detained and will be processed as any other security detainee," the military said.

    In a statement released Friday, CBS News said the man had worked as a freelancer for CBS for three months and that he was videotaping for the network when he was shot.

    "It is common practice in Iraq for Western news organizations to hire local cameramen in places considered too dangerous for Westerners to work effectively. The very nature of their work often puts them in the middle of very volatile situations," the statement said.

    "CBS News continues to investigate the situation, and when more information becomes available, we will report it."

 
-------------------------------------------------

 Journalists Seek Info on 2003 Iraq Deaths
    The Associated Press

    Brussells, Belgium - The International Federation of Journalists on Friday urged US officials to provide credible evidence American troops did not intentionally kill two television cameramen at a Baghdad hotel in 2003.

    The two were killed April 8, 2003, when an American tank fired at the Palestine Hotel, where scores of journalists were based during the US invasion of Iraq. US officials insist the soldiers believed they were being shot at when they opened fire.

    Jose Couso, cameraman for Spanish television network Telecinco, and Taras Protsyuk, Ukrainian TV cameraman for Reuters, were killed by the US tank.

    But critics say the journalists were targeted by US troops moving in on Baghdad, and the IFJ said Friday a report on the killings was a "whitewash."

    In a letter to President Bush, IFJ General Secretary Aidan White wrote, "the United States stands accused of failing to meet its obligations to deliver justice and fair treatment to the victims of violence by its own soldiers."

    Following the Palestine incident, then-US Secretary of State Colin Powell said American troops opened fire after drawing hostile fire from the hotel. He said a US review of the incident found the of force was justified.

    Based in Brussels, the IFJ is an umbrella group that brings together journalists' unions in over 100 nations. It claims to represent more than 500,000 media professionals.

Tutt--Toolmaker is right. Great post!

Toolmaker, the grassroots of the fundamentalists have been strong for years. They have withheld their fascist tendencies for party unity. But something tells me that it's finally gone too far.

I think moderates are waking up. Republicans are hanging their head in shame and refusing to admit that they're Republican, just like the the Democrats once did. No, that's not necessarily a good thing because this is too close of a call to fascism than I ever thought the USA would ever face.

The DCP is not about one party, one faith, or one person. We are a community who believes in democracy and in the gift we've been given. Some of us are Democrats, some are Republicans, some are Independents or Green party, but the thing we have in common is that we all want this corrupt NeoCON nation to go away and we want to see the return of morals and democracy. We welcome the free expression of religion as well without trying to advocate for a one party, one religion country.

Yes, we need to get the word out to everyone that we're not fighting alone anymore.

What is this world coming to?

I was just on the phone to my "son" in France & he's coming to New York in the summer & then here. Then I was at the bakery where my son works & learned that the lead pastry chef is competing in Paris at the World Cup of bakers right now. This is the peaceful way to world peace and friendship.

Then when I got off the phone, these were the first two articles I saw, & I couldn't help but think about the parallels.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4925832,00.html

Le Pen Calls for EU Constitution Rejection

The French far-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen launched an attack on the EU constitution Saturday, saying a 'yes' vote in the upcoming referendum would go against France's national interests.

Speaking to The Associated Press ahead of a meeting of his National Front party, Le Pen said the constitution is an attempt to create a superstate at the expense of countries' identities, and called on leading EU countries to reject the charter.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4925821,00.html

Rove Rallies GOP in Wisconsin Fundraising Trip

White House adviser Karl Rove told Republican activists in Wisconsin Saturday that their work in last year's presidential campaign was not lost despite the fact President Bush didn't win the state.

Sen. John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate, won Wisconsin on Nov. 2 by about 11,000 votes, a margin of less than one percent.

``While we came up just a little, teensy, itsy-bitsy short in Wisconsin, this victory would not have been possible had it not been for your efforts,'' said Rove, a White House deputy chief of staff who is credited with mapping out Bush's campaign victories in 2000 and 2004.

--- Think of Bolton and his possible new role in the UN even when he is anti-UN and its goals, think of the rightwing agenda of controlling the judicial branch and thus all 3 branches of government, then think of the rightwing creeps not only in America who would drag us all back to the Stone Age. That's why I believe international friendships and cooperation, at the government and the personal levels, are essential to peace and that nationalism, corporate globalization and religious fundamentalism are an evil triad which has the potential to destroy civilization.

Posted by: DiAnne at April 9, 2005 05:56 PM

Dianne,

This post brings me back to something written in the Howard Zinn book, You Can't be Neutral on a Moving Train.

p. 62 Freedom Day.. The blacks trying to register to vote had been in line for HOURS without the police allowing people to bring them food or water. Now, some supporters were crossing the road to bring them sustenance: "Chico gave his wallet to Forman--a final small acceptance of going to jail. He said to Avery, 'Let's go, man." They walked down to the corner and crossed (SNCC people took care not to jaywalk in the South) with all eyes on the street focused on them A group of us--photographers, newsmen, others--crossed the street at the same time. It was 2:20 PM. As Chico and avery came close to the line, a bulky trooper with cigar and blue helmet (he had been identified to us as Major Smeley) barked at them (Am I being unfair? I s there a kinder verb?) 'Move on!' They kept going toward the line of registrants. The major called out, 'Get'em!' The next thing I saw was Chico Neblett on the ground, troopers all around him. I heard him cry out and saw his body jump convulsively again and again. They were jabbing him and Avery with their cattle prods. Then they lifted them by their arms and legs and threw them into the green arrest truck that stood at the curb. Now the troopes and deputies turned on the group of us who had followed all this, pushing and shoving us to prevent pictures being taken. There was a young reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser with a camera. They smashed it with a billy club, pinned him against a parked truck and ripped his shirt, and then a deputy backhanded him across the mouth. This was a military operation and national security demanded secrecy."

Another...

p. 147 "Just ahead of me I spotted a small group of young fellows--long hair, grungy clothes, unmistakably part of the antiwar actions going on in the city. They were ambling along happily, singing 'America the Beautiful.' Suddenly, the police descended on them, declared them under arrest, and had them spread-eagled against a police car.
It was clear they were being arrested not for something they had done but for who they were and how they looked. Without thinking, just responding to my immediate indignation, I stopped and said to the officer standing over one of the fellows, 'Why are you arresting them?' (I knew it was a naive and pointless question, and yet I couldn't watch this silently.) The policeman immediately turned to me. 'You're unde arrest too. Get over there!'
As I was pushed against a police car, a young man came along with a camera and tried to photograph all of this. He was grabbed too and put under arrest. The bunch of us were pushed into a paddy wagon and driven off."

Sparrow

I have just been reading alot about European politics and what is happening. It seems like in Europe it's possible to actually be or use the word "fascist" or "socialist" instead of everyone pretending to be in one big middle. What I notice though, is that we have the same spectrum here in the US - we just can't admit it, as it's not politically correct. But if you think of the most far right Republican and the most far left Democrat or even add in those who plug their nose and vote for the party candidate, there really is no difference.

I see the same issues - all over the world the right is conservative, antilabor, and does not value diversity though they may present themselves as "moral" - it is a selfish kind of thing, for us and our kind only. So-called "left" "liberal" "progressive" - a fairly wide spectrum - tend to champion health, education and a living wage, more the good of the largest amount of people not just "my family and I."

I was in France in 2002 at the time of a very strange election, when some of those who found Chirac too "middle of the road" and "moderate" sat out the election and didn't vote (usually Socialists such as my friend who is a teacher), and then the very far right wing Le Pen (National Front) came in second!

The parallel here would be if enough of those who thought Gore or Kerry weren't liberal enough did not vote or voted for a third party, and then Bush had been even somewhat further to the right and consequently did well. It kind of happened here in the 2000 election, with people voting for Nader and it's also why we don't even dare have viable third parties in this country anymore!

I think the elections of other countries matter.
Now that Spain had a terrorist attack and voted in a LESS conservative government, they pulled out of Iraq. If Berlusconi is defeated in Italy, they're out of Iraq for sure. If someone like Le Pen rises in France, it's a very scary thing - he's already gone from someone who couldn't get the 600 votes to run to someone who could come in second. Then millions went to the street - two years have passed and now he's rearing his head again, trying to disrupt the whole EU by trying to get French people to try to not support the Constitution, appealing to nationalism.

I can't wait for Andree to weigh in on this!

Also can't forget that it's only 26 days til the UK election. Here are the choices - Blair and the Labour Party win again and Bush will be happy - the UK will stay in Iraq, but at least he can put some pressure on Bush about global warming. Blair loses and someone from the even more Conservative (Tory) party wins because there are not enough Lib Dems and we could have another Margaret Thatcher and that would be very bad indeed - more "law and order" and we all know that means mostly brutality and snooping. If by some miracle some Labour supporters defect to the Lib Dems, it could be really cool!

I really do believe we need a multipolar world - I don't see what benefit it is to have the US as "the" superpower, especially with these goons in all three branches of government and controlling who has what weapons and where (except for places they can't control even if they wanted to, such as North Korea, Iran and certainly China).

Only an international peace & justice movement can save the environment (if it's not too late, at least limit the damage), stop the killing.

Posted by: DiAnne at April 9, 2005 05:07 PM

What really nauseates me is the fact that so many evangelicals are sitting quietly by while Bush does all this Papal worship stuff. I have been a member of many evangelical denominations over the years, and every single one of them preached that the Catholic Church was the anti-christ. I'm not exaggerating.

So what kind of hypocracy have we got going here now? Catholics are all going to hell, I was told so many times by evangelicals and fundamentalists. (I was a Catholic who married an Evangelical.) And I just checked with my evngelical Baptist neighbor, and she assures me that yes, it's still true, all Catholics will go to hell unless they renounce the Pope and the Catholic Church. I wonder if the Left Behind Cult preaches the same?

In Canada, people joke about how gullible and ignorant of the facts Americans are. I never realized how true it really is until I came back here and could see for myself. We really do make decisions based on emotional manipulations, not facts, in this country. Ugh. These neocons are leading Americans around by the nose and laughing all the way to the bank.

Sheesh, it's embarassing.

This free-lance Seattle journalist wrote a five-part series on fascism, what it is, and how it develops - with the help and input of a number of reputable bloggers. He warns not to kick the term around and misuse it or to devalue it, but to understand it for what it is and watch out for its development. Without pointing any fingers at any leader in any country, I want to provide the link and I'm about to read through the whole thing. (Part I was quite interesting).

http://www.cursor.org/stories/fascismintroduction.php

Excerpt: (after nailing Limbaugh as propagandist)

Newspeak permeates the political environment right now. The core agenda of the Bush administration, mouthed by a hundred talking heads on cable TV, is now neatly summed up by two of the core truisms of Newspeak:

"War is peace." [The purpose of the Iraq war, and the War on Terror generally, is to ensure peace and security at home, we are told.]

"Ignorance is strength." [Consider the way Bush's fumbled syntax and express anti-intellectualism is integral to his crafted image of homespun integrity.]

Newspeak serves two functions:

1) It deflates the opposition by nullifying its defining issues, and throws the nominal logic of the public debate into disarray.

2) It provides rhetorical and ontological cover for its speakers' own activities and agenda.

Excerpt Pt V: (after discussing history, KKK etc)

The Patriot (militia) movement certainly is in a down cycle, and has been since the end of the 1990s. Its recruitment numbers are way down. Its visibility and level of activity are in stasis, if not decline. But right-wing extremism has always gone in cycles. It never goes away -- it only becomes latent, and resurrects itself when the conditions are right.

And during these down periods, the remaining True Believers tend to become even more radicalized. There is already a spiral of violent behavior associated with Patriot beliefs, particularly among the younger and more paranoid adherents. As Griffin suggests, we can probably expect to see an increase in these "lone wolf" kind of attacks in coming years.

But there is a more significant aspect to the apparent decline of the Patriot movement: Its believers, its thousands of footsoldiers, and its agenda, never went away. These folks didn't stop believing that Clinton was the anti-Christ or that he intended to enslave us all under the New World Order. They didn't stop believing it was appropriate to pre-emptively murder "baby killers" or that Jews secretly conspire to control the world.

No, they're still with us, but they're not active much in militias anymore. They've been absorbed by the Republican Party.

They haven't changed. But they are changing the party.

Excerpt Pt VI: (this stuff is fascinating - talks about how the Republicans have gradually been able to just "absorb" all sorts of wingnuts)

Then, after Sept. 11, the attacks on liberalism became enmeshed with a virulent strain of jingoism that at first blamed liberals for the attacks, then accused them of treasonous behavior for questioning Bush's war plans. Now we're seeing a broad-based campaign of hatred against liberals -- particularly antiwar dissenters -- that serves two purposes: it commingles mainstream pro-Bush forces in direct contact, and open alliance with, a number of people with extremist beliefs; and it gives the extremist element of Patriot footsoldiers who turned Republican in 2000 an increasingly important role in the mainstream party.

Namely, they are increasingly starting to look like the "enforcers" of the Bush agenda, intimidating and silencing any opposition. In the process, this element gains power and influence far beyond what it could have had as a separate proto-fascist element.

By first subsuming the Patriot element under the Republican banner, the Bush regime has effected an apparent alliance -- not explicitly, but systemically. And it is clear that while Bush's charisma may not appeal to everyone, he has the power to electrify this base.

Excerpt:

Three Sectors of the Right:

The secular conservative right. This comprises mainstream Republicans and white-collar professionals, glad to play government critic but strong defenders of the social status quo.

The theocratic right. So-called 'conservative Christians' and their like-minded counterparts among Jews, Mormons and Unification Church followers, as well as Christian nationalists. Some of the more powerful elements of this faction argue that the United States is a "Christian nation," and still others -- called "Reconstructionists" -- argue for remaking the nation as a theocratic state.

The xenophobic right. These include the ultra-conservatives and reactionaries who make broad appeals to working-class and blue-collar constituencies, particularly in rural areas, with a notable predilection for wrapping themselves in the flag. [See Pat Buchanan.] This faction ranges from the relatively mild-mannered Libertarians -- who also have made big inroads into the computer-geek universe -- to the more virulent and paranoid militia/Patriot movement, and finally to the hard right: the neo-Nazis, Klansmen, Posse Comitatus and various white supremacists -- including some of the nastier elements of the Patriot movement -- all of whom wish nothing more than to tear down modern democratic America and start over. This is the faction where some of the more insidious ideas (like bizarre tax-protest theories) and conspiracies (from black helicopters to the Protocols) originate, making their appearance in mainstream settings somewhat disturbing.

Excerpt: (There are many more chapters than I said but it's a keeper!)

The fundamentalist right and the extremist right have always done a certain amount of commingling -- witness, for example, Pat Robertson's "New World Order" skirmish, and the white-hot rhetoric over abortion. And since the early 1980s, conservative Christians have had an explicit alliance with the secular corporatist right; Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush represented this latter bloc, and their alliance with the Christian right was as much tactical as heartfelt.

Not so the presidency of George W. Bush. While secular neoconservatives are in charge of Bush's foreign policy, on domestic policy the Christian right has been almost completely in charge, beginning with Attorney General John Ashcroft's numerous assaults on individual and privacy rights, and running through the Ted Olson-led White House, which has endorsed attacks on everything from affirmative action to the Miranda ruling. Most of all, Bush himself has given his own fundamentalist beliefs an extraordinarily high profile -- to the point that fundamentalists' very beliefs are now identified with the president's agenda.

This is strange, if you think about it. If you look up and down the roster of the Bush administration, what's clear is that it is dominated by corporatists. And when you look at the Bush agenda -- from tax policy to "corporate reform" to media ownership to environmental policy to the war in Iraq -- nearly every aspect of it is controlled by corporate interests. This is disquieting enough; after all, the historical record is clear on one thing: When fascism has succeed at Paxton's "second stage," it has done so through an explicit alliance with the mainstream corporatist right.

Last excerpt I will post:

So far, grass-roots support of the pro-war faction is moderate at best, but it has grown steadily as talk-radio hosts have raised the hyperbole. The massive propagandizing of the right against liberals generally and antiwar elements specifically is an area where a number of disturbing trends are beginning to coalesce:

* The increasing tendency of extremist memes to appear in mainstream discourse as an acceptable version of conservative thinking, propelled especially by the now-apparent bias among most national media outlets favoring conservative propaganda.

* Bush's purposeful projection of religious motivations for his war effort, with overt suggestions that his decisions are divinely guided.

* The extremist right's growing identification with Bush, and their apparent willingness to use thuggish tactics of intimidation on his behalf.

* Likewise, the Bush regime's increasingly apparent willingness to make use of such factions for their own political ends.

* The rising demonization of antiwar liberals, complete with vicious eliminationist rhetoric.

* The constant framing of the war in jingoistic "national renewal" sentiments, both in political and religious terms.

* The dislocation caused by the flailing economy and terrorism fears, both of which raise the conditions under which people become willing to turn to totalitarianism.

These rivulets have been coalescing in a campaign directed against antiwar liberals, and creating a powerful undercurrent that hasn't yet broken through the surface. What hasn't happened yet is that the thuggishness has not directed itself on any kind of large scale at all (there have only been a few isolated incidents); neither has the Bush regime made any kind of open signal that such activities are viewed approvingly.

If they do signal such an alliance, however, then I am convinced that the nation is in serious danger of submerging under a tide of genuine fascism. And as I've been arguing all along, it won't be a fascism we can easily recognize. It won't be German-style or Italian-style; rather, it will be uniquely American -- probably, if history is any guide, one with a veneer of Christian fundamentalism, but underneath, one predicated on a coalescence of corporatist power with proto-fascist thuggery.

That said, even though the danger is clear, it's important to understand that we are not there yet. More to the point, we can stop this slide. We only need to be aware that it is occurring.

My advice would be nearly identical to that which I give those little community groups like the one in Kalispell: Stand up for democracy. Don't threaten and don't cajole. And don't back down.
Most people -- conservatives especially, who view analyses like mine as merely an attempt to smear Republicans -- are in denial about these trends.

Posted by: oncall at April 9, 2005 12:09 PM

That was one scary article. All I can say is:

Justice Kennedy for Chief Justice.

Hope I didn't get too carried away with all the excerpts. I found it fascinating because the author studied alot of the extremist rightwing groups (over 200 line the I-5 corridor!) & though our government isn't as extreme in toto as most of the groups, the middle-line of the spectrum has definitely been pulled to the right by their collective influence over time. I think there is also alot of truth to what Hillary Clinton has called "the vast rightwing conspiracy." I have to say I am in some ways not looking forward to 2006 and 2008, as I believe we will have to work harder than ever. We have to do it though, day by day. I also think that we need all the help we can get worldwide - to balance the forces.

Dianne,

I agree with you about not using fascism lightly. (Same with the Hitler analogy.) And I agree--we DO HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US!

Regarding your post about the extreme's (Right's and Lefts here and in Europe), I also agree with that; however I disagree on one account. Many people are saying Kerry tried to go to the middle and I just don't agree with that assessment. Sure, he tiptoed a tightrope, but I don't agree with anybody who says someone should move right or left for an election. I believe all of us, no matter if we're a Republican or a Democrat, just want our elected officials to be HONEST and to STAND FOR OUR INTERESTS and not the lobbyiest or the Big Business.

The average moderate Republican doesn't "get" the Halliburton corruption like the average Democrat does.

However, the average American does understand CORRUPTION when it's actually reported to them. This is the lesson the NeoCONS took from Watergate and the Nixon resignation. They learned back then how the media took down one of their own. That's why and when they decided to take over the media.

Not sure of the reliability of this site. But here's some interesting information about the Bush Propraganda machine.

http://100777.com/node/576

I'm going to say something here that I think might meet with some disagreement- that I'm not sure that right-wing radio actually converts that many Americans to their cause. What I honestly think is that the Limbaughs and Hannitys of the world are simply preaching to the choir. They may rally the choir to be more activist in their methods, but those who listen tend to listen to hear their own views be given a voice, and perhaps to find some talking points to use around the water cooler the next day at work to reinforce their opinions.
I think that the fascism that has arisen in this country (and it's not coming, it's already here in full force) arose out of fear, just as the fascism in Nazi Germany was bred of fear. Bush took advantage of that fear in the same way Hitler did- he seized power, he solidified that power, and he's spending his collateral in this second term. I don't think Bush cares a bit about public opinion of his programs anymore- he's a purist and he's going to push them through no matter what because he now has the power to do so.
And we are partly responsible for being so politically correct that we refused to make the comparison. Remember, Move On removed the entry to it's contest that compared Bush to Hitler because the Republican party screamed about how UnAmerican it was to make a comparison like that. No, if the comparison was there, and it was, it needed to be made. Bush is a man, he's not a God, but we backed down. We let the other party set our agenda. And we never, ever made a serious distinction in how we felt about the Iraq war and how the Republicans felt about it. We allowed them to continue to ask how we could support the troops if we didn't support the war. No Democrat, other than maybe Michael Moore, ever explained himself fully on that issue. No one ever had the courage to stand up and say that it is possible for our military to be wrong in their actions, especially if they're following the orders of an irresponsible and immoral president. And that it's not "my country, right or wrong." The rest of that quote goes something like "when right, to keep it right, but when wrong, to make it right." We lost the election, and the trust of the people in this country, because we did NOT take a stand. Not because of talk radio, or because of the media (though the media didn't help, that's for sure.) We are our own worst enemies. We are too apologetic. It's been years since a Republican apologized for anything- and that's why so many people vote for them. Apologizing seems weak, and the people in this country are simply too frightened to accept any sign of weakness. We have to become more bold and brazen the next election, and emphasize the differences. Otherwise, we're doomed to be the minority party for years to come.

~Are we safer yet?
The following is a speech before the House of Representatives by Ron Paul (R-TX)
We desperately need more Republicans like Rep. Paul. The speech is too long to post, here's a few excerpts & the link. Worth reading!

HON. RON PAUL OF TEXAS
BEFORE THE US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 6, 2005

Who’s Better Off?

Whenever the administration is challenged regarding the success of the Iraq war, or regarding the false information used to justify the war, the retort is: “Aren’t the people of Iraq better off?” The insinuation is that anyone who expresses any reservations about supporting the war is an apologist for Saddam Hussein and every ruthless act he ever committed. The short answer to the question of whether the Iraqis are better off is that it’s too early to declare, “Mission Accomplished.” But more importantly, we should be asking if the mission was ever justified or legitimate. Is it legitimate to justify an action that some claim yielded good results, if the means used to achieve them are illegitimate? Do the ends justify the means?
snip~
We have seen none of the promised oil production that was supposed to provide grateful Iraqis with the means to repay us for the hundreds of billions that American taxpayers have spent on the war. Some have justified our continuous presence in the Persian Gulf since 1990 because of a need to protect “our” oil. Yet now that Saddam Hussein is gone, and the occupation supposedly is a great success, gasoline at the pumps is reaching record highs approaching $3 per gallon.
snip~
The whole process is corrupt. It just doesn’t make sense to most Americans to see their tax dollars used to fight an unnecessary and unjustified war. First they see American bombs destroying a country, and then American taxpayers are required to rebuild it. Today it’s easier to get funding to rebuild infrastructure in Iraq than to build a bridge in the United States. Indeed, we cut the Army Corps of Engineers’ budget and operate on the cheap with our veterans as the expenditures in Iraq skyrocket.
snip~
But there’s another question that is equally important: “Are the American people better off because of the Iraq war?”

One thing for sure, the 1,500 plus dead American soldiers aren’t better off. The nearly 20,000 severely injured or sickened American troops are not better off. The families, the wives, the husbands, children, parents, and friends of those who lost so much are not better off.

The families and the 40,000 troops who were forced to re-enlist against their will-- a de facto draft-- are not feeling better off. They believe they have been deceived by their enlistment agreements.

The American taxpayers are not better off having spent over 200 billion dollars to pursue this war, with billions yet to be spent. The victims of the inflation that always accompanies a guns-and-butter policy are already getting a dose of what will become much worse.

Are our relationships with the rest of the world better off? I’d say no. Because of the war, our alliances with the Europeans are weaker than ever. The anti-American hatred among a growing number of Muslims around the world is greater than ever. This makes terrorist attacks more likely than they were before the invasion. Al Qaeda recruiting has accelerated. Iraq is being used as a training ground for al Qaeda terrorists, which it never was under Hussein’s rule. So as our military recruitment efforts suffer, Osama bin Laden benefits by attracting more terrorist volunteers.

Oil was approximately $27 a barrel before the war, now it’s more than twice that. I wonder who benefits from this?

Because of the war, fewer dollars are available for real national security and defense of this country. Military spending is up, but the way the money is spent distracts from true national defense and further undermines our credibility around the world.

read entire speech~
http://www.house.gov/paul/congrec/congrec2005/cr040605.htm

Off-topic but check out this awesome picture of audience with the Pope:

http://www.traditioninaction.org/RevolutionPhotos/Images/041_BreakDancing1.jpg

OK bloggers. I'm sort of new at this. Tell me what to make of this:

pentagon.mil domain has been milling on my site all day and house.gov domain makes it there a couple times each week now.

Are they planning to protect America from me?

Linda
I liked the media analysis in the series that I posted the link for and the excerpts from - the author considered media people "transmitters" and talked of those hearing in terms of "receivers."
It is worth me hunting out a relevent "excerpt" when I get a chance! They do have many "converted" but it also blew my mind when Cheney actually made kind of an alliance with Limbaugh at one point & so on. & Limbaugh is something the US Armed Forces are allowed to listen to & didn't we taxpayers also pay for him to go to Afghanistan to "entertain?" Whereas Jim Hightower is censored, says my friend at a German Army hospital.

Sparrow:
I don't agree that Kerry went to the middle either - I think he was pragmatic but honest and used his career depth and breadth to make an assessment of what this country needed and wasn't listened to or formatted properly. He spans from his combat veteran to antiwar activist range, from his NE liberal Kennedy-similar voting record to his participation with the New Democrats such as Clinton & Gore & ability to work across the aisle even with McCain and Lott, when the issue called for it. The "wishy washy" thing was a propaganda coup which the Republicans saw work some in the primaries by the Deaniacs so Rove stole it - we watched this happen. Kerry/Edwards had a nice synergy with their voting records and current viewpoints and energies.

God this country can be dumb. I hate to think what the sprawl of rightwing groups would have done to undermine them - we're seeing it with what they're doing with Congress and the Judicial system. The fight needs to go on - whenever, wherever. Re. fascism - I don't want to call people fascists, especially in the sense of Germany, which was in the past & with a different place and set of cnoditions. I do want to understand various totalitarian and nondemocratic systems and how they develop - propaganda & so on. It's all related to "framing" and also, there are high-rollers we would never expect who sometimes surreptitiously fund things.

On To Victory
Thanks for posting Congr. Ron Paul - though a Republican, he's a bit of a renegade & more of a Libertarian type. I've been watching him since he alerted people to certain nefarious aspects of the Patriot Act and related legislation.

John Dean on the "nuclear option":

Senate Republicans' Bid to Destroy the Filibuster Option, And Push Through Ultraconservative Federal Judges:
It Seems Likely the "Nuclear Option" Actually Will Be Used
By JOHN W. DEAN
----
Friday, Apr. 08, 2005

A new political campaign is underway. It was launched this week.

On one side are the Bush White House and Senate conservatives. The White House seeks to pack the federal judiciary with ultra-conservative judges and justices. Ultimately, the goal is to place far-right justices on the U.S. Supreme Court.
snip~
Even Republicans Should Oppose The GOP's Tactics on the Filibuster

Almost two hundred editorial page writers have expressed deep concern over these GOP tactics - both Bush's bid to pack the federal courts with hard-right conservatives, and Senate Republicans' White-House-supported bid to destroy the Senate's quality as a uniquely deliberative institution.

Among the more illuminating of the editorials is one by Stuart Taylor Jr. -- the legal writer for the nonpartisan National Journal. Taylor counsels moderate Republicans to think twice about joining their fire-breathing brethren.

Taylor notes the Democratic filibusters are merely employing tactics similar to those of Republicans used from 1995 to 2000 to kill some sixty-five Clinton judicial nominations. And he points out that these tactics, "together with Bush's insistence on total victory -- have brought the process to the brink of total war. And unless six or more Republicans show more restraint than anyone else has shown, the war will come." Taylor concludes the stakes do not justify the drastic action of destroying the Senate, and transforming it "into a rump stamp" for any president's judicial selections.

Let us hope Americans - Republicans and Democrats alike - heed Taylor's counsel. If not, then at some point, Americans are going to see the havoc Republicans have caused, and perceive to whom the labels of "radical" and "extremist" rightly belong.

Destroying the Filibuster May Seal Frist's Fate

Senator Bill Frist, in particular, should consider giving up the nuclear option. Frist plainly wants to be President of the United States. But if he pulls the trigger on the nuclear option, that will be the end of his chances.

Certainly, using the "nuclear option" will give Frist an IOU with the hard right. It may even gain him the Republican nomination in 2008 or thereafter. But it will also guarantee that when he runs, he will lose. When the rest of the country understands that it was Frist who was responsible for the destruction of the Senate, his chances for the Presidency will be over.
read entire article~
http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20050408.html

Auction of Klan Items Canceled in Mich.

http:/www/guardian.co.uk

MASON, Mich. (AP) - A planned auction of Ku Klux Klan items was canceled Saturday after fliers encouraging KKK membership were distributed in the community where the event was to be held.

Residents in Mason, a Lansing suburb where civil rights leader Malcolm X lived for a time, awoke to find the fliers in front of their homes on Saturday. The fliers did not mention Sunday's auction, but the Ole Gray Nash Auction House in Howell canceled the event regardless.

``We don't believe (the fliers were) actually authentic, but someone went to a lot of trouble,'' said Becky Hinz, an auction house employee. ``It was something we chose not to partake in or assist in any way shape or form.''

Hinz said there were no plans Saturday to reschedule the auction.

Gary Gray, who owns the Ole Gray Nash Auction House, has said he is not a KKK supporter and was simply interested in the items' historical value. A January auction of KKK memorabilia packed the auction house with spectators, while protesters called it insensitive. The items sold raised at least $24,000, the auction house said.

Gray said he wanted a bigger venue for the second auction. Three sites pulled out before the auction was finally scheduled for an events center in Mason.

No protests had been organized for the second auction.

Items to be sold included about 20 Klan uniforms, KKK knifes, T-shirts, patches, bumper stickers and pamphlets with titles such as ``Jewish Press Control.'' Nazi, Black Panther and South African apartheid-era items were also expected to be sold.

Most of the items came from the estate of Robert Miles, a former Klan leader who lived in Michigan.

Malcolm X lived in Lansing and Mason as a boy until 1941, when he left Michigan.

-- also, new Hitler real footage has been discovered that is all in "colour" and will be released in a new documentary in a few weeks. Most previously seen Nurenberg rallies, etc. were in B&W.

This was sent to me by someone to whom I sent the Congressman Ron Paul speech.

Another Republican with a conscience.

http://wwwmiddle-east-online.com/english/?id=13180

US Representative Walter Jones, a conservative Republican, does not hide his anger when he says bad information led him to vote for the Iraq war.

"If I had known then what I know today, I wouldn't have voted for that resolution. Absolutely not," he said Thursday in an interview.

His comments reflect concerns of other Republican lawmakers in Congress, and polls show a lingering debate over the reasons for going to war have hurt the administration even as the Iraq operation shows signs of success.

A day earlier, during House Armed Services Committee testimony on the Iraq war, Jones demanded an apology from the administration of President George W. Bush.

"To me, there should be somebody that is large enough to say, 'We made a mistake'," Jones said, almost in tears with frustration. He said he and other lawmakers want to ensure they are never again asked to authorize a war with bad information.

Jones felt so bad he decided to write personal letters of condolence to the families of each of the more than 1,600 US soldiers killed.

He has so far sent more than 900.