May 2005 Archives

From the New York Times:

In the book and movie "All the President's Men," he was a shadowy figure in a parking lot urging Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein to "follow the money," advising them to investigate the Watergate cover-up that brought down former President Richard M. Nixon.

The two journalists referred to him only as "Deep Throat," and for years the question of the real identity of the anonymous source has endured in journalistic and political circles, as captivating an unsolved mystery as the question of whatever happened to Jimmy Hoffa.

I never was good at math. Numbers make me panic. But these numbers even I can understand:

Cable News stations 6
Television stations 4
Clear Channel Media 600 stations
Sinclair Media 78 stations in major markets
AND
Christian stations 1100

Now this is a tiny bit of mixing apples and oranges, but not much. The point is still here to be made.

Christian networks nearly double the number of media outlets. They reach millions of viewers across the world and yet they are not obligated to pay taxes, despite their obvious political activities. These stations bring in tremendous financial support to those who are willing to promote a religion on the airwaves.

However, given today's infrastructure of internet, radio, and tv media, and the political outreach of these groups, the churches are teetering close to the line of politics and non-profit organizations. Not surprisingly, many people already view that line as having been crossed.

In fact, I remember when I first read about Rove and the neocons going to churches and requesting lists of members. Many clear-minded church leaders cried "Foul!" at the time, but very little was done to prevent it.

So what can we as a community do to insure that non-profit churches are not mixing politics in with their message? We can be alert, document, and report violations, and in the meantime we can organize our own nonpartisan groups as well.

We can work for change by being the change.

Every Memorial Day weekend, the Rolling Thunder motorcyclists arrive in Washington DC to remind us about POWs, MIAs, and veterans of war. But as I listen to the roar of the motorcycles across the city, I can't help but think about what our country has spent on this most recent war in Iraq.

There's a wonderful web site where you can watch the ever-escalating budgetary cost of the war: Cost of War, a project of the National Priorities Project.

What else might we have purchased for so royal a sum? Could we have made a dent in some of the other terrible problems that haunt our world, like hunger, disease, and crushing poverty?

Most people roll their eyes when you start talking about alleviating global hunger, or immunizing every child on the planet. How could we ever afford to pay for such idealistic projects?

As of this posting, the Iraq body count of American soldiers stands at 1647.

The Bush administration accountability count for the war based on a lie, stands at zero.

There is this list of names of those who lost their lives defending the principles of freedom and democracy. They were sent there by people who have no respect for the principles of freedom and democracy.

Each of those listed had a whole community of family and friends, multiplying the loss and grief exponentially.

We don't need any more cold marble walls built to remember our young soldiers who died before they had a chance to live a full life.

Here are their names.

I encourage you to go and read the list. It is breathtakingly long.

We each have our own reasons why we work to restore democracy.

I know that for myself, all the names on this list are a part of the reason I work to restore democracy. The other reason is asleep in his crib upstairs.

Every name on this list was once asleep in a crib upstairs, too.

God bless them all.

[Editor's Note: This piece comes to us from DCP blogger, Michelle Lindsey. Let's take this with us as we move forward on the many fronts where we are engaged in the defense and restoration of democracy. Many thanks, Michelle.]

Everyday Warriors

“Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Those are words that Theodore Roosevelt lived by – and they are words that can, and should, be relevant in all our lives.

We each have a unique voice, and using that voice for good, and for positive change, is a vital element of our democracy, and a vital essence of the vibrancy of our nation. There are so many ways one can make a difference – and on so many different scales.

Within the heart of each of us, in the place where beliefs and conviction unite with action, lies a warrior. When we summon our courage and step up to take action, in ways both big and small, that warrior faces the front lines, where the battle is drawn, ready and waiting to be fought with purpose, courage, strength, compassion, and conviction.

[Editor's Note: I am posting this piece this Sunday morning for two reasons. First, I think it will be a part of the national conversation this week, and second, on this pre-Memorial Day, we won't forget the reason that thousands of parents will be spending this weekend visiting the graves of their children. Some things are beyond despicable, and it's time to move the nation's attention to accountability for the War in Iraq and all that has flowed from it. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Karen.]

Some major groups who were involved with the post-election voting issues have come together to request that Congressman John Conyers open an investigation into the Downing Street memo. the new coalition has a website: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/index.php as well.

This week, a political neophyte reaches out for help in his quest to become involved in democracy... Naturally, I have given him the emotional and practical support he needs as he begins his political journey. God Bless America.

Dear Polly:

I am very disturbed about the recent acquisition of the Republican Party by the Religious Right element of the population. I am a life-long conservative, but this new brand of conservative extremism, I find a little frightening. They willingly trample the Constitution, while claiming to be following the tenets of the Bible. I am a person of faith, but I also believe that in a free country, we must have open debate, honest government, and separation of church and state. These are the founding principles of this country, and I do not want to see them abandoned.

I have watched this movement gain hold over some of my own Senators and Representatives, and am becoming increasingly nervous about it. I have never been involved in politics, but frankly, I think the time has come for me to speak out...

I realize that you and I do not share the conservative viewpoint, but I trust that you will be able to provide some information to help me get started. Your columns frequently talk about your love of democracy, and I assume that applies to people who share your viewpoint, as well as those that don’t. Please help if you can.

Signed,
Scared Conservative In Pittsburgh

I don't know how I missed this, since I tend to love all things Helen Thomas (except her regrettable opinion of blogs, but we forgive), but Will Bunch over at Attytood picked up the ball and headed downfield with it...

In today's column, Thomas Friedman, Middle East political columnist for the New York Times and early cheerleader for the Iraq War, now thinks Gitmo is putting soldiers' lives at risk.

It takes most, if not all, of my discipline as a person not to burn the newspaper, starting with his column. Things like this really piss me off, and I apologize if that turn of phrase offends anyone, but please understand that I am at the edge of my self-control. And in about three paragraphs, I think you will be too.

[Editor's Note: This was submitted by DCP blogger mOnKeY. In keeping with DCP blog editorial policy to help commenters develop their political voices, we are happy to publish this material. This is a place of learning. Thank you, mOnKeY, for your contribution to the blog.]

Washington traditionalists -- veteran Republicans among them -- warn that the new breed of GOP leaders is trampling time-honored procedures designed to ensure that multiple voices have influence on the most important matters in government.

"I would remind my friends that you may one day be in the minority and you won't want to be [run] roughshod over," said former minority leader Robert H. Michel (R-Ill.), who served in the House for 38 years, 14 as leader.

Today's Washington Post sums up quite nicely how the current power mongers are spitting in the face of the founding fathers and the very spirit of a fair and balanced democratic society ... after all, it seems they know better than the likes of Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson et al.

Silly me.

UPDATE: 18:52 PM, The motion for cloture fails 56-42. The Senate to recess shortly. The debate over the nomination will begin next month, when the Senate comes back from a weeklong recess.

Harry Reid and Joe Biden make it clear that this was not a filibuster, and that the Bush Administration is to blame for failing to turn over documents to the Senate that were requested three weeks ago, despite the fact that Majority Leader Frist spent the better part of the day trying to get them.

Hardball covers the vote live, with commentary that makes Fred Flintstone look like a political genius. *sigh* At least they cover actual politics instead of sitting around making inane remarks about it.
----------------------

There are some folks in the Senate who are having a hard time making up their minds about John Bolton and they need to hear from YOU.

Linc Chaffee, (R-RI): 202.224.2921

Mike DeWine (R-OH): 202.224.2315

Chuck Hagel (R-NE): 202.224.4224

Olypia Snowe (R-ME): 202.224.5344

Susan Collins (R-ME): 202.224.2523

Arlen Specter (R-PA): 202.224.4254

Jim Jeffords (I-VT): 202.224.5141

We have until 6PM, so let's get going guys!!

I know you may be tired from the filibuster fight. But we NEED to push on.

Here's what inspired me to write about George Voinovich today...

I was sitting on my bed last night, with my work spread around me from hip to hip. I was determined to catch up on all of the things I had been postponing in favor of working on the filibuster fight. I had CSPAN2 on in the background quietly, keeping me company, as I often do. When you grow up in a huge family as I did, you get used to hearing a lot of voices around when you are working.

I had just decided to start bearing down on going through the "to file" pile, when I heard a pretty amazing thing coming from the well of the United States Senate.

I heard someone speaking the truth.

Today, I had a little bit of time to watch the United States Senate debate the nomination of John Bolton for the post of United Nations Ambassador. It was very enlightening.

During the committee process over the last sixty days, I learned why every Democrat and some Republicans are against him.

Finally, I have heard the other side.

Democrats have argued that Mr. Bolton has a history of violent outbursts, is fundamentally dishonest, and has a habit of "fixing facts" to suit his purpose. His anti-United Nations stance has been well-documented by his own statements and is not in dispute by either party.

However, I found the Republican rebuttal of these arguments to be a unique experience in decoding the "up is down" form of speech so popular in Washington, D.C. these days.

To wit, I heard the following statements:

1. The U.N. needs reform and Mr. Bolton will be tough and reform them.
2. The U.N. has member countries on its Human Rights Commission that endorse torture (I assume that the fellow speaking probably isn't talking about the United States.)
3. The U.N. must be held accountable.
4. Mr. Bolton has been approved for other positions in the administration three times.
5. The President has the right to choose his officers.
6. Mr. Bolton has suffered numerous "allegations that have hurt his credibility for the last sixty days."
7. The tax payers pay for the United Nations, and I think they will be happy to see how their tax dollars are being spent.

Now, let's look at these quickly and see how and on what points Democrats and Republicans can agree.

Both agree the U.N. needs reform. Both agree the President has the right to nominate people of his choosing. Both agree the tax payers want their money used wisely.

So they agree on everything, right?

A national database with your driver's license, social security, and all your records will keep us safe, right?

Well, let's consider two recent reports I've heard. First, from the alumni office of MSU: their database was hacked into and names and credit cards were stolen. We were just notified that somebody might be using our credit cards.

Then, let's consider the latest hacked database from some MAJOR credit companies. MSNBC states:

More than 100,000 customers of Wachovia Corp. and Bank of America Corp. have been notified that their financial records may have been stolen by bank employees and sold to collection agencies. In all, nearly 700,000 customers of four banks may be affected, according to police in Hackensack, N.J., where the investigation was centered.

Consider this: Identity theft is one of the biggest crimes Americans are facing today. Statistics show that 10 million Americans were victims of identity theft. Furthermore, Identity theft is getting more sophisticated and more profitable. According to Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, "Rings of international terrorists, money launderers, and petty street thieves are in the business."

Remember those "terrorists"? We all know terrorists are law abiding citizens and will certainly drop into the local Department of Motor Vehicles to properly obtain a drivers license...

Seriously! If it's this easy to steal an identity from a corporation, how will our identities be protected from a terrorist who happens to be a pretty good hacker too?

Maybe we need to rethink the national database after all. Or, rather, maybe we need to get used to living in a police state and taking charge of the information access we now have. We can fight back.

There is something called the "Darknet"--it consists of the databases that cannot be accessed by Google or other search engines. But those databases are accessible to those who know how to use them. Maybe we need to learn too...

The game is confusing today, isn't it? Who's at bat now?

Priscilla Owen walked; it seems the team sort of stopped paying attention.

John Bolton is getting tossed around like a Keith Foulke pitch. Who is for him? Who knows something? What does John Negroponte REALLY think?

And then there's that bad filibuster--the one that should be eliminated in favor of an up-or-down vote--except on stem cell research funds. Then we are going to have it, because we don't want to make any bad decisions THERE. Better meet in the dugout on that one.

So what are YOU learning as the day goes on? Share here>>>>

Sometimes it's hard to believe that the NY Times and I live in the same universe, let alone on the same planet.

From this morning's NY Times editorial* regarding the filibuster showdown/compromise (*happy, fluffy puppies writing alert):

If nothing else, the deal to end the Senate's "nuclear option" showdown was heartening in that it did demonstrate that moderates still exist in Washington, and actually have the capacity to work together to get things done.

So, first the NY Times says it's nice that moderates still exist.

On the other hand, it's not terribly encouraging to see how low the bar is for joining the moderate camp. The seven Republicans who played the critical role in brokering an agreement include several staunch conservatives whose claim to centrism lies in their desire to avoid devoting the rest of the year to procedural battles between the hamstrung Democrats and the overbearing Republican majority.

And then NYTimes says that moderates don't exist.

The pact they forged will preserve the minority's right to filibuster-- block a bill or nomination unless a supermajority of 60 senators votes to proceed. To get there, the seven Democrats involved in the negotiations paid a high price - allowing the nominations of three of President Bush's most controversial nominees to the federal Courts of Appeals to go through to an up-or-down vote that they will undoubtedly win.

The NY Times says that the pact will save the minority's right to filibuster.

In return, the seven Republicans appear to have promised - or at least vaguely indicated - that they will protect the Democrats' right to stop progress on two other nominees, including William Myers III, a former lobbyist for mining interests who would otherwise end up serving on a California appeals court that considers many critical environmental cases.

Then the NY Times tells us the pact will not save the minority's right to filibuster.

Continuing downward in the editorial...

Why does MSNBC have "The New Iraq" written at the top of its page reporting about the continuing carnage in Iraq?

Iraq, May 25, 2005

The military announced that 14 American troops have been killed since Sunday. Those reports came as insurgents carried out a string of explosions, suicide attacks and drive-by shootings around the country that also killed 49 Iraqis.

At least 620 people, including 58 U.S. troops, have been killed since April 28, when Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari announced his new Shiite-dominated government.

Iraq, May 12, 2004
From Reuters via The Moscow Times

BAGHDAD, Iraq-- Four suicide bombs killed at least 71 people in Iraq on Wednesday, the latest attacks in an escalating campaign of violence that has killed nearly 400 Iraqis since a new government was unveiled two weeks ago.

In Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, a suicide car bomber blew up his vehicle among a crowd of mainly Shiite migrant laborers from southern Iraq who had gathered to look for work.

Meet the New Iraq.

Same as the Old Iraq.

Across the world, the United States is becoming increasingly identified as a nation that condones and conducts torture. This morning find three stories in the headlines which demonstrate this point. One story is from India, one story is from Sweden, and the last story is from Michigan.

Headline, NY Times, Guantánamo Comes to Define U.S. to Muslims.

NEW DELHI, May 20 - In one of Pakistan's most exclusive private schools for boys, the annual play this year was "Guantánamo," a docudrama based on testimonies of prisoners in Guantánamo Bay, the United States naval base in Cuba.

Accusations of abuses at the American detention camp at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba permeate media in various countries. An image of a detainee was televised Friday on a program on Al Jazeera. The cast was made up of students between 16 and 18 years old, each playing the role of a prisoner being held on suspicion of terrorism. To deepen their understanding of their characters, the boys pored through articles in Pakistani newspapers, studied the international press and surfed Web sites, including one that described itself as a nonsectarian Islamic human rights portal and is called cageprisoners.com.

I spoke with some of the Princeton Fristibuster organizers last week about what they had to share with us. Their effort was a success in many ways, not the least of which was that they stayed with an action long enough to get national press and attention. At best, they may have re-ignited a student-led movement to restore democracy to this country.

Pete Hill, Peter Turner, Cathy Kunkel, and Karen Wolfgang were kind enough to reflect on the actions of the previous two-plus weeks and to discuss their own recommendations.

Breaking News...The Senate has achieved a deal to avoid the filibuster showdown. Details upcoming...

Senator John McCain (R-AZ), along side a number of his colleagues from both sides of the chamber, has announced a bipartisan agreement to avert the threatened filibuster crisis.

The agreement would clear the way for some of President Bush's nominees to receive and up or down vote, but there are no guarantees, and it is an agreement based on good faith.

In speaking about the agreement, Senators Warner (R-VA), McCain (R-AZ), Byrd (D-WV), and Leiberman (D-CT) appeared relieved that the institution they so love would remain unharmed.

Lindsey Graham (R-SC), spoke clearly and put the filibuster fight in perspective in talking about the business of the Senate needing to go on, reminding the White House specifically, that the Senate is not a rubber stamp, and that kids are dying in Iraq.

Olympia Snowe (R-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME), were elegant and heartfelt in their praise of their fellow moderate colleagues and their hopes that the Senate will become a more cordial place.

And in other news, Mike DeWine (R-OH), invoking the Republicanspeak of "constitutional option", and threatening, "if they [his democratic colleagues] didn't go along, I was prepared to vote yes on the rule", was the lone voice that sounded partisan, making him seem, as usual, like an idiot. There's always one in every group, isn't there?

The most interesting thing that may come out of this whole filibuster fight, is that the moderates, a coalition of fourteen US Senators who came together to avert a power grab by one party, and the threat of halting all Senate business by the other party, may have just seized control of the United States Senate.

Now we will see if the center will hold.

Beating CNN and the newswires once again, Karen Bradley, reporting from the steps of the Capitol, where she has been taking part in the protest of the Nuclear Option with the group, America Speaks (www.stopabuseofpower.org) in Washington DC.

From Karen:
The protest has been moved indoors due to rain.

Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) just walked in with colleague Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA). Senator Schumer will be speaking first.

[Editor's Note: As blogger Victoria Ellen posted below, there is an ALL HANDS ON DECK ALERT over at The Daily Kos with some excellent tips about how to take all kinds of action on the filibuster. Please go look and get involved.]

The Union Leader blares out the headlines, "Big lie on filibuster:
Democrats are subverting Senate role!" The article stated:

"The idea that the Senate Democrats are merely employing the "checks and balances" built into our system of government is hogwash and insulting to the intelligence of the American people."

Gosh, what is a regular ole' Jane or John Doe suppose to think with that headline blaring out there? And when the article states:

[Editor's Note: DCP blogger Victoria Ellen uses her considerable insight to distill the political agenda at work behind the filibuster and the reason why Bill Frist will never strike a compromise, even though it is in the best interests of all concerned.]

Compromise with Dobson, er, I mean Frist? I don't think so.

Honestly, I couldn't believe it at first. Rick Santorum, in a tirade on the Senate floor, compared Democrats' desire to preserve the filibuster to Hitler in Paris in 1942. Yeah.

Now, before I go any further, let me be the first to ask Robert Novak to please demand an apology from Mr. Santorum. Mr. Novak is, after all, frightfully appalled at the level of discourse in Washington these days. Of course, really, the "I'm appalled" rule only applies to Democrats. Republicans are free to say anything, regardless of the damage it does to our country.

But now I'm glad it happened. It shows how far, how completely unhinged, how greedy and irresponsible the far right has become in their quest for total control of Washington.

(ED. NOTE: Our regular Sunday columnist, Matthew Carnicelli, is on a short sabbatical. We wish him a speedy recovery from recent illness. Beth Chambers, who wrote the original democracy cell piece on the About Us page, has returned with her recent thoughts on a biological understanding of the filibuster issue.)

It’s been a few months since my post “What Kind of Cell are You?”. But, I had to post this because I’ve been hit by what I think is another interesting biological metaphor for what our democracy is currently undergoing, and how democracy must respond.

The metaphor is homeostasis. Specifically, the idea that in biological systems, the key to stability and health is homeostasis brought about by feedback control. Perhaps sociopolitical systems are the same. I propose that we are in a potentially dangerous situation of a run-away, positive feedback control, where the rich are gaining wealth, the powerful are securing power, the corporations are becoming sovereign, and the hard right is turning what was the Republican Party into The Party, as in the only party of power in a totalitarian state. Meanwhile, we seem to be watching the freedom and protection of mere lowly citizens fall to the wayside.

Greetings, dear reader… It seems like forever since I’ve had good news to report, what with all the skullduggery afflicting our country… but today I bring great tidings. In response to the unprecedented abuse of majority status about to be launched on the floor of the U.S. Senate, the citizens have organized a filibuster in my home town of Andersonia.

The brave pines are bending to the winds of adversity, my friends, but they shall not break. No, they stand proudly, providing shelter to a large number of Andersonians, as we hold forth in protest of the destruction of our beloved Filibuster. The filibuster is one of the prized checks and balances that keep the majority party from going completely mad – mad – mad I tell you – with power.

Approximately 200 citizens have joined me on the steps of the Public Library here in Andersonia, where we have also organized a potluck, 3-legged races for the kids, and a rollicking game of “pin the problem on the donkey.”

At the DCP, we have been encouraging (root word=COURAGE) ourselves and others to engage in ACTION, rather than merely staying in discussions. The time has come.

We have made phone calls to Congress, we have attended conferences, we have written letters, we have created democracy cells, we have built this website, we have talked deeply into the night, we have gotten to know each other well enough to understand who is talented at what, we have learned much from what we have researched and written for each other.

It is time to put what we have learned into action.

As some of you know, I teach at a university--a place of strange schedules. Graduation is this weekend. I liken where we are in this venture to that of my students: the papers are in, the lessons processed, the learning ready to be applied.

It is time to create the space for the work that needs to be done.

Here is what MoveOn is asking of us:

Citizen Filibuster to Stop the Right-Wing Power Grab

Senators are right now debating the future of our courts and our democracy in Washington. Join MoveOn members across the country in round-the-clock, 24-hour Citizen Filibusters starting Tuesday May 24 at 12 Noon to send a message that senators should do the right thing.

This is an emergency.

If they succeed, they’ll have complete power to reshape the Supreme Court, appointing justices who oppose the worker protections, women's rights, affirmative action, habeas corpus, search and seizure, separation of powers, Miranda warnings, and environmental laws.

This could be the most important decision the Senate makes this decade, because the impact of these lifetime appointments will be felt for a generation.

Please consider changing your schedule for the next couple of days to help out starting this Tuesday, May 24, at 12 noon. Host your own Citizen Filibuster to Stop the Right-Wing Power Grab or sign up for an event near you.

http://www.moveonpac.org/event/events/index.html?action_id=17

As the debate continues throughout the day on the Senate floor to end the rights of the minority party, please use the comments section here to document your thoughts, quotes from speeches given, give a “heads up” on speakers to come, et cetera.

But, as important as this debate is to watch, there is something much more important to do. We must act, and act now. There are people of good conscience who need to know they will not be alone or abandoned by their constituents or colleagues if they act on behalf of justice.

Call them, write them, e-mail them. Work from your heart. Speak to the human being behind the title of Senator. Help them to find the courage of their convictions. Remind them that this decision is not just for this Congress, but for their children's and their grandchildren's representation. Remind them that this decision will not just change lives, it will change the way we live those lives--with either freedom and protection from the tyranny that tempts any majority, OR forever swinging from one extreme to another.

We do not want the voice of thoughtful and moderate judgment to be silenced.

This vote is not about these ten judges. It is about the next ten, and the next ten, and the next. It is about the next Supreme Court Justice, and whether all of the voices of the Senate shall be heard, or just the voices that say what the majority wishes them to say.

It is about a future that has as much to do with how we make decisions, as deciding what level of quality and character will be used and displayed.

If these lawmakers, in their lust for power, are willing to go against the directly known wishes of the American people, and move to press the button on the nuclear option for their own personal gain, why would anyone trust them enough to give them more power?

Should people who clearly cannot manage the power they have, be given even more?

Call, write, e-mail--speak up, speak out, speak from the heart, to the heart, but please do it now, and get everyone you know to join you. Time is running out for the sane people to be heard.

Here's the link to find your Senator's contact information.

Here's the link to the front page for the list of Senators to whom we are making a concerted effort to reach.

[Editor's Note: This story was sent to us by DCPer Marianne Wood. We are proud to publish this story, and we are saddened to have to report this story as well.]

First, the bad news...the very bad news.

The story in today's New York Times "In U.S. Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' Deaths" is absolutely horrifying. The first statement sends chills up my spine: "Even as the young Afghan man was dying before them, his American jailers continued to torment him."

And then there's this: "In some instances, testimony shows, it was directed or carried out by interrogators to extract information. In others, it was punishment meted out by military police guards. Sometimes, the torment seems to have been driven by little more than boredom or cruelty, or both."

The New York Times reports that it has obtained a copy of the nearly 2000 page confidential file of the Army's criminal investigation into the case of the two Afghan inmates.

There are many more points to make about this article, other than the fact that we're mistreating humans, such as who'll take the fall for this -- certainly not the Bush administration or the top officials at the Pentagon.

From the Washington Post, we find out that the plan to break the Senate rules, overrule the Republican appointed Senate Parlimentarian, and banish the rights of the minority by abolishing the filibuster, had its origins in a 2003 outburst from Pro Tempore Senate President Ted Stevens(R-AK), and the Republicans have been plotting to push the button on the "nuclear option" ever since.

We pick the story up, buried on page A15 of the Washington Post, below the fold:

[Editor's note: This is from new DCP blogger, Michelle Lindsey. It is an op/ed piece that she posted in the forum. She kindly consented to let us post it as a thread. Thank you, Michelle, and welcome to the DCP!]

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." For the United States Senate, this is one of those times. As the battle over the filibuster reaches an epic climax, we must see this as a battle not merely for a political tradition, but for what is right, just, honorable, and fair in our free and democratic country.

This isn't about one political party or the other. This isn't about a certain judge or nominee. This is about us as Americans. This is an historic checks-and-balances element of our democracy that has been in place for over 200 years. This is about who we are, the survival of our democratic system, of what makes us strong, of what helps us endure and prosper. This isn't even about them, or about you, or about me, or even right now today. This is about tomorrow and all the tomorrows after that. This is not about us, but all those who will come after us. Beliefs must be judged by the actions they inspire. Our nation, our democracy, our way of life, must be judged by how we hold onto it, live it out, and protect it. It's not a rule or right of law and government that needs to be altered -- but rather those of us who serve -- and not just those on Capitol Hill, but all of us, across this nation. We're all servants - servants of our faith, our freedom, our families, our friends, our neighbors and communities, and all that we hold dear. This isn't about the filibuster. This is about all of those on the Hill - and all of us in our own communities - to say that this element of our system is good; it is sound; and it is necessary. We must be willing to set aside our predilections, preconceived opinions, and political loyalties to seek out what is right, just, honorable, and fair - even if the outcome is different from what we had preconceived in our oft-times stubborn and selfish human tendencies. We must remember and embrace our history, fight for and preserve our present, and believe in a brighter hope for a better tomorrow --- by working together with open minds, willing hands, and a spirit of unity, truth, justice, and honor that has served our nation, our citizens, and our way of life for over two centuries. As the saying goes: "We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box."

So, find your courage and hold fast to it, America. Trying times call for heart, courage, and the willingness to work together, as one people and one nation, to solve our problems. The answer is not to tear down, dismantle, and restructure the system to suit one side or the other, but rather the answer is to tear down, dismantle, and restructure the walls and barriers that prevent us from working together to find solutions that benefit all Americans.

DCP Blogger attends White House meeting on Social Security. John Sweeney of the AFL-CIO (not the Congressman from New York) also shares his perspective.

I was part of a delegation that attended a meeting at the White House Monday morning to discuss Social Security with several Bush Administration officials. After our morning session at the White House, we attended further meetings in the DC area where we met with John Sweeney from the AFL-CIO and also listened to a panel discussion on Social Security reform.

From the SF Gate story posted in the thread below by Victoria Ellen:

It's called Real ID. It is, in short, a new and genetically mutated type of driver's license for all Americans, replacing your current license and replacing your Social Security card and replacing your sense of well being and privacy and humanity and part of a new, uniform, deeply sinister, national uniform card system whereby every person living and breathing in these paranoid and tense times shall henceforth be much more traceable and watchable given how we will all soon be required by law to carry this super-deluxe computerized ID card with us at all times, packed as it will be with more personal, digitized info about you than even your mother knows.

Real ID is coming very soon. The legislation was passed with little outcry and zero debate by both House and Senate just last week because lawmakers snuck it into a massive $82 billion military spending bill, and therefore no one was really paying much attention and this is the way you get thorny disturbing culturally demeaning bills to pass without resistance from smart people who should know better.

Given the current swirl/haze/smokescreen surrounding the Newsweek/ Michael Isikoff story, I am reluctant to join in. But as usual, the White House overplaying its hand forces mine.

A few thoughts--

First, reporters make mistakes. Everyone makes mistakes. And a sad fact about war is that the number of mistakes made increases exponentially if it involves the use of judgement. That includes reporters, too.

To say that this reporter's mistake got people killed, is to fall into a common fallacy that just because one thing happens and is followed by another thing happening, the two events must somehow be related.

In this instance, when it is the White House pushing that very meme, I am very suspicious.

And further, when it's a White House that went to war on primarily single sourced evidence, that was later proved false, and still later proved to be a deliberate crafted, as in lying... well, just how many rocks do they expect to throw from the glass White House before their credibility dies from the cool air of truth pouring in through the many broken windows?

In seeing the inspiring political involvement and activities of the Princeton students, I started thinking about what is, or more important, what isn't being taught in schools today. In order to understand the complex world in which we live, there is a necessary baseline of information that all future voters will need. Are they getting that critical baseline of knowledge in our schools? In our homes?

I am afraid the answer is no. Consequently, I am worried about the quality or even the existence of democracy education in America, both in schools and in our homes.

My particular concern is this--Are we preparing our children to become full and active participants in our democracy? Again, the answer is no.

The lack of a basic understanding of the interpolation of world history and religion should be a deep concern for all members of our democracy, not just parents. For some time now there has been a movement fully engaged to mandate the teaching of creationism alongside the theory of evolution in schools. Now they are moving ahead with plans to reduce the factual basis for science education. Science no, God yes. But let's not lose sight of the larger issue here, which is how these decisions get made at their very roots, which is by voters.

[Editor's Note: Please send this to all of the college students you know and ask that they forward it to their friends. Thanks.]

Now that they’ve completed their filibuster on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, the students at Princeton University are inviting their fellow students across the nation to pick up the filibuster torch.

As Senators contemplate changing Senate rules to ensure passage of a few radical nominees, students across America are encouraged to start a filibuster of their own. Starting at noon, TODAY, young Americans are going to make their voices heard.

More information on how to start a filibuster can be found at here . Created by Princeton students, the site gives you all the details on how to start talking and keep talking to bring attention to the unprecedented use of the “nuclear option.”

The filibuster is a tool that enables the minority to have a voice in policy making. Don’t let Republicans in Congress destroy this valued part of our system of checks and balances.

Visit www.filibusterfrist.com and find out what your campus can do.

We just got through a panel discussion on how to integrate the technological with the content development for a website. We'll be adding some thoughts from this session to the Forum--Tool Kit soon.

Meanwhile, here is Casey with one of her heroes:

Casey and I are sitting here and looking at various models of connectivity and cellularity. We are hearing about campaigns--how useful the viral nature of the internet can be to convince and demonstrate commitment to a cause.

We will be on and off all day, sharing ideas with all of you--so please write back to us and we can bring a DCP perspective to this event.

Happy Monday! It's an important week and we can all work together to bring change...

Newsweek's Christopher Dickey writes about accidentally released "classified" information which show that the Bush administration's public claims about progress do not reflect the continuing attacks and deaths on the ground. The report's statistics, which were compiled earlier in the spring, do not reflect the increased level of violence in the last couple of weeks.

So for another taste of the difference between a "faith-based" view of reality and a "fact-based" view, click here.

[Editor's Note: Polly Sigh is the DCP's own healing columnist who visits us weekly to bind our political wounds with a laying on of the keyboard. We give her thanks and praise.]

My series to heal the politically lame continues with this week’s installment... I will advise the reader that this week’s offering is not of a humorous bent. I received this note from ‘the man from Missouri’ and have included my response. Alas, although I try to lighten the lives of the lumpen masses, there are some things which even I cannot make humorous.

Well, last week, we found out how truly marginalized the President seems to have become.

During a national crisis that had the Department of Homeland Security's Terrorism Threat Assessment apparatus at its highest level, Red Alert, nobody bothered to interrupt the President's bicycle ride to tell him. Interestingly, it seems that no on even considered it.

The following transcript from last Thursday's edition of Judy Woodruff's Inside Politics documents an exchange between Fay Buchanan and Donna Brazile, discussing the management of Wednesday's national security event:

WOODRUFF: With me now, former Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile and Bay Buchanan, president of American Cause. Let's talk first about yesterday's scare here in Washington, the little plane flew close to the White House. Donna, the president was riding a bike, not too far away from Washington, but he wasn't told about what happened until afterwards. Is that a cause for concern?

DONNA BRAZILE, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST, FMR GORE CAMPAIGN MGR: Absolutely. The president should, you know, ask the Secret Service to go back and look and see what procedures can be put in place in the future so that he's involved in the decision-making. Look, this was a red alert, and I understand that the plane didn't get within, you know -- didn't come close to the White House, but he should have been told. He should be angry that they kept him in the dark.

BAY BUCHANAN, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN CAUSE: Yes, you know, every time a plane comes close and violate the airspace here, you can't be talking to the president and certainly you don't want the president making security decision.

So Bay Buchanan doesn't think that the President should be making security decisions? It certainly begs the question--what exactly does she think his job is?

Update at 6:44 pm eastern / 5:44 pm central from Marianne

Many thanks to Dwahzon for posting my reports from the conference. I have so much information to assimilate and articulate, and as Dwahzon said, I will do so in the next week or so, and I will share the wealth of knowledge from this conference with you. Some of the info I'll pass on is from sesssions I've attended about:

- Holding media accountable through policy and activism, panelists David Brock (Media Matters for America) and Adam Werbach (Common Assets Defense Fund)

- Citizen pressure & media policy - Tips from legislators: a really great session with Rep. Hinchey (D-NY), Rep. Sanders (I-VT), & Rep. Watson (D-CA), all of whom encouraged us to speak out, to use our voices, that our voices do make a difference, even though it may not seem like it. It does matter. But we have to be heard. By the way, in this session, a participant asked why Congress isn't moving to impeach the president. Rep. Hinchey said that yes, there are indeed enough reasons to start impeachment proceedings, but we have a monolithic government that won't do it and won't oversee it, and that "Congress is not doing it's job." But he brought up an interesting point: if we impeach, we'll get Cheney, and that's certainly not an improvement! I will write more about this session, but I will tell you right now the most important thing on our horizon is the 2006 elections when EVERY representative's seat in up for grabs. Their bottom line message: Get involved, get energized.

- Engaging new constituencies in media reform with panelists from Global Exchange and Moveon.org, which brought up the point that one thing we're doing wrong is being too cynical. Cynicism moves people to inaction. We need leadership and coordination among groups.

- Framing and messaging for media reform with George Lakoff and Makani Themba-Nixon (The Praxis Project). Of course, this was a great session and I've much to tell you about this. Here's a reframed message I'll share with you: There is little difference in height between Dr. Lakoff and me! (Bonus points to whoever figures out our height...)

I'm off now to the Meet & Greet session, followed by the Keynote event of the conference. Rumor has it that Bill Moyers will be at our concluding session tomorrow morning.

If I get a chance tonight after the fun, I'll come back and tell you who was inducted into the Big Media Hall of Shame. But feel free to start making your recommendations here!

Update at 3 pm eastern / 2 pm central from Marianne

More Phone Notes on the Conference from Marianne:

Heard this morning that over 5000 people attempted to register for this conference. Only 2500 were able to attend. There are a lot of eyes focused on this conference.

The diversity of people is overwhelming, very encouraging. They’re just regular people, older citizens… lots of them, younger people. Suits, ties, red hairs, beards, ponytails, running suits, just people you’d meet in the grocery store. … And the T-shirts, the t-shirts are great.

Saw this one on an older person. Fascism Sucks and a web address on the front, and the points of fascism on the back. Check out this tshirt and others at: http://www.syrculturalworkers.com/catalog/tshirts/tshirt4.html

If you could see what I see today. The more I hear… the people talking… the questions being asked… DCP is doing the right thing, absolutely on the right track. You all are amazing.

I have much to tell you. Some I’ll share later on today. Other parts I’ll report on over the next 2-3 weeks in more depth. There is so much here; a lot for us to talk about. But more than anything else, I am so proud to be representing Democracy Cell Project here. I’ve handed out lots of cards and postcards. I’ve introduced DCP and given a card to every major speaker I’ve seen. …Your energy and vision and actions are absolutely right on track. We need to keep moving forward… we are absolutely on the RIGHT track.

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

[Editor: DCP Blogger Marianne Wood sent in these pictures. She'll be following them up with new reports on today's sessions.]

Opening session with 2500 people

Phil Donahue, one of the many people of conscience at the Media Reform Conference

In the aftermath of last Wednesday's non-event of two pilots getting lost in the restricted airspace of Washington, DC, Judy Woodruff (of CNN's Inside Politics) had political wonkies Donna Brazile and Bay Buchanan on the Thursday edition of her show to discuss the national security protocol and whether the right measures were taken during the timeperiod when the nation's terrorism threat level was raised to its highest level of a red alert.

While I hesitate to point out the obvious, in what way are Donna Brazile and Bay Buchanan even remotely qualified to discuss national security protocol? Sure, they are entitled to an opinion like everyone else, but when CNN puts them on an internationally televised program to discuss the event itself, as opposed to what political effect the event might have, they are dishonestly conferring upon them a level of authority, education, experience and expertise they do not have.

Update from St. Louis - 9:00 p.m. EST, 8:00 CST in R&B town!

Hello from St. Louis -

Many thanks to Dwahzon for taking my scattered report earlier. There's so much to report; I don't even know where to begin. As Phil Donahue said, it's great to be here with an "assembly of people of conscience."

The one message I take away from today's sessions is that there is so much more happening in the world -- and specifically Iraq -- that we're not being told. This is nothing new to many people here at the DCP, but it was amazing and enlightening to hear in a public venue from notable people/jounalists/reporters who have been there and have seen what's happening, only to return to the US and find out how they're being silenced by corporate media.

Naomi Klein gave a very compelling speech about how media is really the meta-issue to all the social movements that are happening in our country and the world. Media reform is a global issue because all nations have to live with the US's lack of democracy, but the source of the problem must be tackled from within the US. Our task is not to plea for the corporate media's attention, but to revolutionize the media! Electronic media is one system we can use to manage public outrage and compassion.

Ms. Klein, who is a Canadian, born to US parents who left during the Viet Nam War, says we must root media reform in the War in Iraq. There is more than enough news out there on a weekly basis to show how weak our administration and media monopoly is. We’ve seen horrendous photos from Abu Ghraib, but the media is consistently "turning down the volume" on the issues we face, treating them as if they really weren't there. The result: compassion fatigue. But we need to ask, “Where’s the justice? Where’s the empathy?”

We must amplify the war; we should demand that the war be covered – demand to know why we are fighting this war, what the economic impact is. It’s a deep insult that we can’t get more news and we should be morally outraged. “We can’t bring the troops home if we can’t see them!”

Being outraged alone makes people think you’re crazy. Outrage needs company. But we cannot ignore the need to amplify the issues. We certainly need to understand the methods of amplification as well as find our own methods of amplification.

And that, my fellow DCPers, is what we’re all about and why we’re here – to give voice to our outrage, and to turn that outrage into action.

I also attended a session where Patti Smith, poet, singer, songwriter, musician extraordinare very eloquently paraphrased something she heard Ralph Nader say: “When something is worth having, you have to be able to fight, and to lose and lose and lose until you win.”

Now I'm off to hear some of that great local R&B...more tomorrow and tomorrow night, when Al Franken will be hosting the induction ceremony for the Big Media Hall of Shame. Any guesses who will get it???

REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA REFORM:

Marianne Wood is representing the Democracy Cell Project (DCP) in St Louis at the Freepress National Conference for Media Reform. She’s just reported in after the opening session.

There’s a lot of energy and a lot of people here. The theme of the opening session was:

People get ready, there’s a train a-coming. We are here to celebrate successes and gather the momentum.

Other interesting notes from the opening session:

St Louis is the home of Joseph Pulitzer… he would be horrified at what the media has become.

There are 2500 people registered to attend the conference… they had to close off registration. All 50 states and DC and 8-10 countries are represented.

Robert McChesney – President of Free Press spoke… opened with a Chinese proverb about crisis and there is both danger and opportunity in crisis. Said we have to recognize the danger and the spectacular opportunity. …Had a Freepress Media Reform conference 18 months ago. This conference has doubled in size. Plan to have another one in another 18 months. ...We have to make media reform an issue that people talk about it… have to take it to the public.

Amy Goodman spoke; she gave a history of grassroots movements. …Said we have extreme media today, not mainstream media. …We need to address the question: how do we un-embed the media? Embedded media as we have today is co-opted and we have pundits who know so little about so much. …We need less reality TV and more of the reality of war. Injured soldiers brought home at night so they don’t draw attention. That’s how we’ll stop the war.

The Fristibuster ended yesterday, in a gentle rain, with inspiring words from Rep. Rush Holt, Sen. Jon Corzine, Rep. Frank Pallone, Ralph Neas from People for the American Way, and finally, from Peter Turner, one of the Princeton students.

Peter had the job of summing up the how and why of the event. He said that when they started, they had no idea how long the filibuster would go on. They hoped it would last a couple of hours.

They had a point to make about the value of the filibuster. They could not have imagined how much they would come to understand about the filibuster idea itself.

Peter pointed out that the Princeton students were not activists prior to the filibuster. They had voted for Kerry, for Bush, for Nader. Some were independents, some were Green Party. In order to keep the filibuster going, and to let the event build organically, they had to do something that lead them to understand more deeply WHY we need the filibuster option.

They had to LISTEN to each other, and to find common ground.

Back in the day when I was young enough to participate in this same kind of action--agaist the Vietnam War then--we were often hijacked by "special interests"--the socialists, or the Young Communists, or the whatevers. We always suspected they were infiltrators, but in our desire to be inclusive, too often we allowed them to take away our own messages and agenda. Not so these kids. They maintained their focus on the task at hand, they worked in concert with each other, and they did not get into petty ideological arguments.

They agreed to utilize every message, whether it be a message of Jeffersonian ideals, states' rights, freedom of choice, minority rights, Constitutional law, creative anarchy, etc etc. The goal was clear and simple: preserve the freedoms provided for in the Constitution.

I am hoping to have a conference call with some of the organizers to follow up on what Peter said in his final remarks, to ask them what they did that worked, what didn't, and what they would recommend to citizens as follow-up to their efforts.

But in the meantime, Peter and I did have a brief conversation about the nature of political theatre (why the already-marginalized students can carry it off better than their parents), how the idea began (a very modest and brilliant post-graduate student, in a discussion with other students about what they COULD do), and how they were able to recognize that they had an idea with some legs on it.

As I watched the effort over the two days they were here, I observed the role delineations they had evolved, the consideration they showed for each other's divergent perspectives, and the quiet intelligence they utilized when counter-demonstrators showed up, yelling "UP OR DOWN" in unison, drowning out Rush Holt.

They were problem-SOLVERS. And that, they came to understand, is why the filibuster is so critically important to this democracy. It is only through proactive dialogue that all voices can be heard and the true pathway be revealed. It's not about winning, it's not even about being right. It's about listening, considering, and keeping the flow of democracy alive and vital.

So, from the DCP to the Princeton students who took time from their academic lives to teach us all, even as they learned themselves: Thank You.

And especially to Josh Weitz, who quietly paced the "back of the house", overseeing the flow of ideas and acting as the visionary director of a hit play--you have a stunning future. Heed the call, man.

From Media Matters, just follow the link.

Really, I can't make this stuff up. Could you?

Remember, THEY report, YOU decide. Contact information for Fox News is at the bottom of the Media Matters story should you feel inclined to congratulate them on accidentally getting the story right.

(via Atrios)

The nomination of John Bolton for US Representative to the United Nations has just been voted out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, with no recommendation, on a vote 10-8 vote, strictly along party lines.

If Senator George Voinovich's (R-Ohio) blistering criticism of his party's best choice for the position at the UN is any indication, the floor fight promises to be an event better suited to a ring in the center of Madison Square Garden, than the speaker's well on the floor of the United States Senate.

Let's hope that the Senators remember that they are representatives and that they are there to serve the public's best interests, not any one party's special interest. Frankly, I thought the committee fight was a disgrace on the part of Senator Lugar's leadership, and a moment of real revelation for George Voinovich about how Washington intends to operate.

Stay tuned. It ought to be interesting to watch.

UPDATE: LIVE BLOGGING FROM THE FILIBUSTER FRIST EVENT, WASH,DC
11:26AM UPDATE FROM KAREN:

Rush Holt is reminding us that the House of Representatives is there to provide the representation from across the country and that the Senate is constructed to allow the protection of the rights of minorities.

Senator Jon Corzine is now speaking. Rough transcription: " Make sure that the rights of minorities are respected in this country, that every voice is respected. Senator Schumer talked about the differences between NY and WY, 6 million vs 600,000; both have 2 senators. This was put into place to protect right of minorities in every part of this country. ...We are grateful to these students who are standing up and protecting our rights... and maybe missing a few exams."

Congressman Frank Pallone from NJ spoke next; the Princeton filibuster was the topic of conversation on the floor of the House. 7 Representatives spoke out about the filibuster and mentioned the Princeton students.

He said that members of Congress don't believe that the American people care about the filibuster.

ACTION PLAN: Sounds like we need a major wakeup call to ALL members of Congress letting them know we care about the filibuster. Friends, neighbors, co-workers... everyone needs to fax, email or phone and let Congress know that the filibuster is essential to our form of government and that messing with it will not be tolerated.

To find out who you Congressmember is, click here and enter your zip code. You will be able to find all of your contact information for them there as well. For information on who your Senator is, and how to contact him/her, please click here.

The buses have pulled up and the students' 26 hours in front of the Capitol are about to come to an end. It's up to us to carry on with the spirit they've shown us all.

Please honor the committment of the Princeton students with a call, fax or letter to your elected official today and tell them to preserve the filibuster.

UPDATE: LIVE BLOGGING FROM THE FILIBUSTER FRIST EVENT, WASH,DC
11:11AM UPDATE FROM KAREN:

Congressman Rush Holt from NJ was addressing the students. Some counter-demonstrators showed up and started chanting "Up & down". The Fristibuster students chanted back "Checks & Balances".

Then they quieted down when Senator Chuck Schumer from NY began to speak. "... checks & balances, our constitution, is in danger if they invoke the nuclear option..."

Karen also ran into Ari Rabin-Havt from the Kerry Blog.

Also CSPAN cameras are there now but haven't yet verified what or when they would be broadcasting.

Good Morning from slightly overcast DC, where the Princeton students have been going all night long. You can check in on them at their site.

From last night:

I talked with several of the people there about participatory democracy. First of all, know that, like the DCP, there is a wide range of political affiliations among this group. Several say they are Republicans, concerned abut the loss of the minority voice when the pendulum inevitably swings back the other way. Several are Independents, and many were motivated originally by Howard Dean.

Matt is one of the local DC people who was there becuse he was inspired by Dean. He worked hard in the primaries because "I can't leave it up to everybody else." "After Dean lost, it just didn't make sense to stop."

Jen said she didn't get involved until AFTER the 2004 election. "I was totally shocked that Kerry didn't win," she said. She realized she had to get out there and do something. She is a Georgetown Law student, and she suggested the DC trip for the filibustering Princeton students; something they had already been considering.

Here are photos from today:

Just a sampling: they are still going strong!

UPDATE FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT IN WASH.,DC:
14:23 LIVE UPDATE FROM KAREN-SEN. FRANK LAUTENBERG SPEAKS TO THE CROWD

Senator Lautenberg just took the microphone. He states in a clear strong voice that "the minority party has its rights." He states that, "Senator Frist should have more sense, having graduated from Princeton!" He continues, "the Senate is supposed to represent everyone...What Senator Frist is doing is a matter of politics over policy."

Lautenberg reminds the audience of the rank hypocrisy being practiced by the Republicans, given the fact that the Republicans themselves blocked 69 of President Clinton's judicial nominees for the federal bench.

Senator Lautenberg, speaking directly to the Princeton students at the Filibustering Frist event in Washington, DC., just moments ago:

"When you're stuck in the hole, you've got to stop digging. [Senator Frist] keeps digging further. I want to leave a country in harmony for my grandchildren. My oldest grandchild has childhood onset asthma and I want a country where a child can get through an event like this without his mother having to stand by his side, ready to take him to an emergency romm because he can't breathe the air."

Filling the warm spring air with strength and emotion, Senator Lautenberg raised his voice and called loudly toward the Capitol, "Look at what you're doing Senator Frist! You're taking away the rights of the minorities! You're taking away the rights of the minorities to have a voice. There's no mistake you want to run for President. Is that what you want to run on? "

Senator Lautenberg closed his remarks by congratulating the students on their courage for standing up for their convictions.

Thank you Senator Lautenberg, for standing with the courageous students from Princeton.

UPDATE FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT IN WASH.,DC:

13:45 LIVE REPORT FROM KAREN

Hey Gang--it's hot out here! I'm going to get ice for these kids--Lautenberg at 2! Karen

ALSO, let's remember, these are students, as in POOR, BROKE, etc., so they could always use some greenbacks thrown their way if you can spare it. To help, please click on the Make A Donation button HERE.

UPDATE FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT, WASH.,DC:

12:26 PM PHONE REPORT FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT

Karen just called.

The Capitol Police have evacuated the Capitol. There was a low-flying plane that appeared to be headed for the White House, so they moved us all further down the Mall CLOSER TO THE WHITE HOUSE!!!

More will reports will come in throughout the day, and later on, Karen will get online and try to upload more of the pictures she is taking.

The Princeton kids are remaining calm keeping things orderly, and not losing focus!

UPDATE FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT, WASH. D.C.:

12:05PM PHONE REPORT FROM KAREN AT THE FILIBUSTERING FRIST EVENT

The weather is gorgeous. The filibuster has started. There are a number of tents set up with tired Princeton students in them. Right now there’s a student from Trinity College reading passages from Virginia Woolf.

So it’s just getting going… we've heard rumors that Senator Lautenberg, Senator Corzine and Congressman Rush Holt will speak in the next 24 hours. If anyone knows anyone in the DC metro area, please call or email them and tell them to go down to the Third Street end of the reflecting pool in front of the Capitol and offer the students their support.

Karen will be sending in more updates shortly.

Dear DCPers,

The Princeton kids are on the bus heading towards DC. They'll be setting up in front of the Capitol. I'll be over there around noon today, bringing them food and water, taking photos, and reporting here on the blog.

Please help. Let the blogs know that these kids, along with students from Georgetown, GWU, Trinity, Howard, and maybe a few others are standing up for the rights of all of us to have a say in the judicial process.

In addition to water and pizza, the best thing we can give them is our attention. The MSM will have a tough time covering this story because it is a story of consciousness, not lack thereof. So we have to help. Contact your local media, especially if there is a fristibuster near you (several campuses are holding these, including Stanford, Berkeley, Cornell, and several of the Boston colleges).

Filiblog the Filibustering Frist Event in Washington, D.C.!

Getting ready for the trip

"Through rain, exams, and dead of night... since April 26th!"
(on the Filibuster Frist website)

Today concludes the 15-day extravaganza in front of the Frist Center at Princeton University. The intrepid kids have been highlighting:

Beowulf in Old English
Readings from "Where the Sidewalk Ends" and US Weekly, while shaving moustache
The entire 'Q' section of Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Prof Wilczek reading from Einstein's classic papers
The Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Revelation, and Psalms
Improvisational literary interpretation of The Pet Goat
Reading of 3500 digits of pi
Proof of Godel's Incompleteness Theorem
Impromptu rant about how "we're not on anybody's food chain" and "this is 'community action'"
Prof Sam Wang reading from his own work on brain evolution as measured by looking at cerebrotypes and Frankfurt's "On Bullshit"
Poetry in Hindi, and excerpts from Gandhi's autobiography
Congressman Rush Holt reading Aesop's fables
(Go HERE for more!)

Today is the last day, however. Are they giving up? No way. Early tomorrow they head south, to Washington DC, to join student groups from local campuses here in front of the Capitol, where they will continue the Fristibuster for 26 hours. The last hour will be filled by Senators.

The New York Times lecturing about "blogger ethics"?

Wait, is this an article from "The Onion"? It isn't?

Oh, the irony...

You know, there ought to be a law--if you are a newspaper that continues to employ a certain writer (whose name may or may not be Judith "Queen of All Iraq" Miller), who was the pipeline for Ahmed Chalabi's lies and manipulations which was key in garnering public support for the US invasion of Iraq, and, if you are the newspaper that went along with all of these bogus statements unquestioningly--then you don't ever, I mean EVER get to open your piehole about "blogger ethics".

As a matter of fact, Adam Cohen and the New York Times are cordially invited to sit down and shut up on the subject of writers and ethics, period.

Well, it appears that things will come to a boil mid-week concerning the Judicial Filibuster. The Senate comes back from a week-long recess to take up this issue once again, all guns ablazin' and full of...rhetoric.

But let's take a moment to examine what the Senators did during their spring vacation. Nope, not Fort Lauderdale for these folks. It was ads, ads, ads for them. And who were these ads aimed at? The opposition? No again, they were aimed at the constituents of their fellow republicans. Don't you want these people as your friends?

They ran ads in the states of the republican senators who are on the fence about the filibuster, in an effort to intimidate them and sway their votes.

Shorter version: Vote with us or we will make your supporters hate your guts.

Paul Krugman delivers the smackdown to the likes of David Brooks and John Tierney in this morning's column. But what is more important to me, is that he reminds us of the President's previous scams in trying to get America to buy into his Social Security scheme.

Hell hath no fury like a scammer foiled. The card shark caught marking the deck, the auto dealer caught resetting a used car's odometer, is rarely contrite. On the contrary, they're usually angry, and they lash out at their intended marks, crying hypocrisy.

And so it is with those who would privatize Social Security. They didn't get away with scare tactics, or claims to offer something for nothing. Now they're accusing their opponents of coddling the rich and not caring about the poor.

Well, why not? It's no more outrageous than other arguments they've tried. Remember the claim that Social Security is bad for black people?

It reminds me of the run up to the Iraq War--the White House casting about to see what will convince America that it's okay to invade a sovreign nation. Now we have the Social Security version of this same tactic.

Fortunately, Paul Krugman separates fact from fiction on the President's latest sales pitch:

I haven't watched too much news since discovering the corporate media isn't worth whatever they pay themselves. But I do remember the few scenes I saw of protestors outside Terri Schaivo's hospice, all praying for her life and for her hospitalization and feeding tube to continue. Now let's take a peek at the other side.

On that other side, I've witnessed inspirational unity on all the blogs (but especially Democratic Underground) to raise fifty thousand dollars to cover the surgery Andy Stephenson requires to possibly save his life. Andy was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer but he is one of the millions who does not have health insurance. (His name sounds familar to most of us because he was part of BlackBoxVoting).

Some friends of his and a bunch of strangers have raised close to 46 thousand in two weeks time to cover Andy's surgery so that he will be able to devote his energies to getting better instead of battling with bureaucratic hospital policies.

We have many mothers, past and present, to think about today; I thought I would start off with two:

Mother Earth/Gaia: She needs some attention, don't you think?

Mother Jones: She was a real person, Mary Jones. She saw injustice and she fought for justice. The magazine named after her lives on, exposing truth and promoting justice.

And Happy Mothers Day to all the Moms here at the DCP: Casey, tutterfly, dwahzon, Karen, sparrow, madame defarge, DiAnne, Beth, Andree, Carol, Tela, PattiF, Truth Shall Prevail, Sandy, Sunflower, rossiann, Pamela, Christy, Karina, and all the other mothers we do not know about, and all the women (and men) who mother all of us, and most especially our friend, April. Here's the quilt that DCP members made for April, in memory of her daughter Angelica.

Who are YOU honoring today? Pay homage here--

[This is the latest installment of my weekly series for the tired, poor, huddled masses who dot the charred American political landscape. May god bless you all. You are my people.
-- Polly Sigh]

Dear Polly:

Tuned In Psychic Student in Yarmouth

Dear TIPSY:

Drop the chicken entrails and back away from the keyboard...

In his online column, James Wolcott called Molly Ivins "the voice of sanity". I agree.

Molly Ivins:

05.05.05 - AUSTIN, Texas -- When the history of this administration is written, I suspect the largest black mark against it will be wasting time. The energy bill just passed by the House is a classic example of frittering away precious time and resources by doing exactly nothing that needs to be done about energy. The bill gives $8.1 billion in new tax breaks to the oil companies, which are already swimming in cash.

Chris Dugan came to town to speak about his background as a Marine recruiter and to encourage us to get onboard the counter-recruitment movement.

He told us his story (read it here) and reminded us that the armed services are way, way down in meeting recruitment quotas. Therefore, they are becoming even more aggressive in going after the poor, the under-educated, and the gullible.

They lie to these young people, telling them that they will be trained for work afterwards (most of the training licenses do not transfer to the private sector); that they can go to college (few actually are able to utilize the GI Bill and, of those, only 15% graduate from a four-year college or university), that they can get out if they change their minds.

Chris told of a friend who was recruited after the agent took him to the beach and got him high. When he reported for processing, he was given drugs to clean out his system, so the illegal substances would not turn up in a urine test.

All of this is standard operating procedure, according to Dugan. "You make that quota. They don't care how you do it. They will deny all this later."

In the coming weeks, I will be making an effort to identify some good blogs who are writing about single political issues. Hopefully, this will achieve a few goals.

First, it's nice to have different sources and opinions on issues.

Second, it's also nice to give some less well known blogs who are very good in their own right, some wider recognition.

Third, it gives all of us feedback on what we are doing here, and blogs are a good and useful way of sharing message and building another branch in political communities. When we talk to people about issues, it would be helpful to give them a site where they can get more information.

Four, I didn't want to do this. Or rather, I didn't want to have to do this, but Josh Marshall is on his honeymoon, so I am forced to hunt down other resources for a reasonable explanation of the Social Security "plans" from the White House and Capitol Hill.

Lastly, to make this work to its best effect, we need you and your input and opinions. We would appreciate your comments on the sites we are featuring and we would love to hear about some of your favorite issue blogs.

Thanks, and we now return you to your regularly scheduled blogging.

Froomkin brings us news from the battlefront between reporters and the White House Press machine. The battle began last Friday with reporters confronting Scott McClellan about the administration's long-standing love affair with giving official but anonymous "background briefings."

At last, they are tired of being tools of the administration. I suppose after the six or seven hundreth time of being used by the White House to spread GOP talking points on any range of issues, they are beginning to catch on.

I think this is an interesting story, for several reasons. For starters, it's the first time in five years that the White House Press Corpse has shown anything but deference in covering this administration. Next, this all began after the White House Correspondents Association installed a new president, Ron Hutcheson (of Knight-Ridder). That is the same Ron Hutcheson that was chastised by President Bush at last week's prime time press conference for taking a cheap shot at Dick Cheney. Finally, I find this newly waged fight interesting because it comes on the heels of the President's very weak performance at the press conference (sic). Is it possible that the WH Press Corpse is already beginning to think of Bush as a lame duck this early into his second term?

More below the fold:

In a move that shocked many, if not most observers in the court-martial of Pvt. Lynndie England, the judge abruptly stopped the proceedings and rejected the plea deal offered, saying he did not believe that England knew at the time her actions were wrong.

The story from the Washington Post:

An Army judge on Wednesday abruptly ended the court-martial of Pfc. Lynndie R. England -- the soldier who appeared in iconic photographs of inmate abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison -- saying that her guilty plea was not believable.

http://www.princeton.edu/~petehill/filibuster.html

It is Hour 214. They have endured rain, cold, no sleep, Chris Matthews, right-wing insults, even water balloons, and yet they carry on.

(photo: DaveFromPrinceton)

Why? From their website:

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Class of '74, is preparing to change Senate rules to prevent a Democratic filibuster of judicial nominees. This "Nuclear Option" would end the constitutional role of the Senate as a deliberative body that respects minority views, and judicial nominations could be approved without even the minimal degree of mainstream acceptability that has been traditionally required. The implications for the federal judiciary, and the nation, are tremendous: the next round of appointees to sail through would no doubt be extremists ideologically committed to dismantling post-1937 constitutional jurisprudence (meaning no EPA, no FDA, no corporate liability, no healthcare or social welfare programs - ever). In short, Professor Robert P. George (or another "Constitution-in-exile" activist) could be our next federal judge or Supreme Court Justice.

To protest this destructive move, members of the Princeton University community have come together to hold a non-stop "filibuster" outside the Frist Campus Center (a building sponsored by Senator Frist's family). The response from students has been overwhelming, but we encourage everyone to try to sign up for a time slot. Bring a friend, bring a phonebook, and show your support for democratic institutions.

Let's support them, shall we? Donate HERE.

Today, for my five minutes of democracy, I looked for a website that I could share with my college-age nieces and nephews. I found a wonderful site called May 4 Archives and I e-mailed it to all of them, and asked them to respond to what they read and saw there.

Why share it with them?

Because I believe Kent State could happen again.

Because we are beginning to see the seeds of protest rise and grow--Princeton's protest of the filibuster is one example of that.

Because telling the stories of our lives, as we live them, and about the times in which we live them, is a sacred duty and a trust which must be honored from one generation to the next.

Why this site over others?

I chose this site because it was done by people who knew the four students who were killed on that day, thirty-five years ago at Kent State. They were their classmates and friends. From an historical, artistic, and contextual sense, the information and the storytelling here are both comprehensive and compelling.

From the site, in their words:

It is in remembering the events of May 4, 1970 and the communication failure prevelant throughout all aspects of American society, from the President to each member of the public and to the lives of Jeff, Bill, Sandy, and Allison, that this website and research are dedicated. as Santayana said, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

To a generation unfamiliar with the facts of Kent State, an excerpt from Kent State: A Requiem: "Kent State is not about the past - it's your tomorrow."

These are the names of the four students killed that day.

Allison B. Krause

Sandra L. Scheuer

We honor them by remembering them.

Today we ask that you share the story of Kent State with your family and friends and the next generation that is already here.

We ask that you do so to make them aware that the past is indeed prologue.

And we ask that you do so because we are tired of seeing the names of children, etched in stone, on yet another cold grey wall.

Thirty-five years ago today, we woke up to new intimations of an expansion of war--the invasion of Cambodia. We went into the streets and onto the campuses to protest. At a small school in Ohio, the governor and state officials decided to send in the National Guard--the same kind of weekend warriors now in Iraq.

No one claims ownership of what happened. The soldiers fired. Many fired into the air, so no one would be hurt. At least one fired into the crowd. Four died. Others were crippled for life.

And who was prosecuted?  The student leaders.  Was this a nasty confrontation?  Here is the real shocker:

THE DEMONSTRATION, WHICH WAS PEACEFUL, WAS ALSO OVER. Students were dispersing.

I remember a part of this story from last summer, but I have to be honest here and say, I don't remember the most aggrieved part of it and I almost missed it this time, too. Thankfully, Digby over at Hullabaloo didn't.

Two teachers arrested at a 2004 campaign rally for President Bush and strip-searched at a county jail have filed a lawsuit alleging law officers conspired to violate their constitutional rights.

Alice McCabe and Christine Nelson, both in their 50s, were among five protesters arrested at the Sept. 3 rally. The pair were handcuffed, taken to the county jail, strip-searched and charged with criminal trespass.

Abu Ghraib, American Style.

The charges were dropped months later.

"I believe the federal government behaved very badly in this situation," said David O'Brien, the women's attorney.

The lawsuit claims the strip search violated constitutional protections against unreasonable search and seizure. Typically suspects are searched only if authorities have cause to believe they possess a weapon or illegal drugs, O'Brien said.

"We don't think they had a reasonable belief that these two, 50-year-old school teachers had a weapon or contraband in their possession that day," O'Brien said, whose clients requested a jury trial and unspecified damages.

Howard Zinn returned to Washington DC yesterday. For those of you who read last month's book selection, You Can't Be Neutral on A Moving Train, or who listened to/read the transcript from our podcast with Professor Zinn, you already know that he is a clear and inspirational man. He can peer around the corners and over the wall and describe the landscape of justice and peace better than most.

He came with his co-editor, Anthony Arnove, on a tour for their book, Voices of the People's History of the United States, giving voice to ordinary and extraordinary people. The book contains the writings of such people as Fannie Lou Hamer, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, Eugene Debs, Martin Luther King, Jr., Sacco and Vanzetti, and others not so well known, but eloquent nonetheless.

Here's how your tax dollars are NOT being spent (via The Washington Post):

When asked during the campaign debates to name the gravest danger facing the United States, President Bush and challenger Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) gave the same answer: a nuclear device in the hands of terrorists.

But more than 3 1/2 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the U.S. government has failed to adequately prepare first responders and the public for a nuclear strike, according to emergency preparedness and nuclear experts and federal reports.

Think we should do something about the millions of children in America who aren't covered by health insurance? Then you might be interested in John Kerry's Kids First proposal. He stopped in Seattle on a week long national tour to build support for Kids First, and I got to hear him speak about this bill, and about the importance of citizen organizing. (The other co-sponsor is my senior Senator Patti Murray, a mother and former preschool teacher.)

Kerry was fiery: "I suspect you are as tired as I am of a whole bunch of people running around telling you what God told them to do." He pointed out that nowhere in the New Testament did it say to take from children and give to the rich.

Get ready for your relaxing retirement of eating catfood, because according to the Bush administration, if you make over $25,000/year, you are rich enough to be able to absorb the cuts to Social Security they propose. Naturally, if you make $1 million/year, the Bush administration asks nothing of you--as Paul Krugman of the NYTimes characterizes it below, it's a fleabite for the rich, a gutpunch to the middle class:

This is what happens when Senators have cement where they ought to have cerebrums:

"And moreover, in the event that a personal savings account approach is taken, allowing them to invest in a home in addition to right now, it's stocks, bonds and other financial instruments, if people can invest in their own home, they'll know it. They'll understand it. They'll take care of it. And they'll enjoy it and they don't have to worry about mergers and acquisitions and scandals and market share. And by the time they retire, they're going to have a pretty good nest egg there and they don't need as big a house, usually, because they don't want to be cutting grass and trimming hedges, and that is good for the economy as well."

Senator George Allen (R-VA), On "Meet the
Corporate Press", May 1, 2005, giving his learned opinion on Social Security

Using this line of logic, old people don't need to eat, because, you know, they are at a time in their lives when they don't want to take out the garbage. And they don't need to sleep, because, when people are old, sometimes they have trouble making the bed. And old people don't need _________________ (fill in the blank) because, you know, when people are older ______________ (add stupid remark here)...ad infinitem.

At time when the pastor of Looneyville, Rev. Pat Robertson, is going on "This Week" and seriously suggesting that people have to pass a religious test to serve in top positions in government, I would suggest that it's high time we have intelligence tests for the members of Congress, not to mention other high office holders.

I called CNN this morning (phone: (404) 827-1500). Here's the call transcript (to the best of my recollection):

CNN: Good Morning, CNN, how can I help you?
Me: Comments, please.

on hold, listening to something that was not CNN (weird)...

CNN: Comments, may I help you?

Me: Yes, I'd like to comment on the runaway bride story?

CNN: Okay, go ahead.

Me: STOP. STOP, just STOP. PLEASE. STOP. NOW. No more runaway bride, no more interviews with bridesmaids, no more speculation on what the bride could have been thinking then or now, no more interviews with police chiefs from Florida about what the law enforcement officials may do in Georgia, no more psychologists speculating on bridal stress, just STOP ALL OF IT. STOP IT NOW. YOU ARE HURTING AMERICA WITH THIS GARBAGE. STOP IT NOW. In case CNN hasn't heard, there is a war in Iraq. Soldiers and scores of Iraqis are being killed. You are spending 10% of your time on Iraq and the rest on newsmanure. So here's my message in a nutshell--STOP. STOP. STOP. You're hurting America, CNN. Just STOP. Please.

Do you have it?

CNN: Yes, and just so you know--the operators here are not allowed to comment on what people say to us, no matter how much we might agree, you know?

Me: Oh, yes. And thank you very much.

CNN: Thank you, too.

Me: Bye [hang up]

Even people who answer the phones at CNN know what dopes the bosses are...paging Jon Klein to the white courtesy clue phone, Jon Klein to the white courtesy clue phone, please...

UPDATE: Why leave MSNBC out? Here's my letter to MSNBC's Connected and Mark Effron, Vice-President News, Daytime Programming, MSNBC

Dear Connected,

In the third day of increasing violence in Iraq, resulting in the deaths of American soldiers and scores of Iraqi citizens and police, what is MSNBC covering as its lead story? The Runaway Bride newsmanure story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3096434/).

Can you imagine what the families of any of the soldiers killed in Iraq over the weekend must be feeling when they turn on MSNBC and see the screen filled with the bridal registry of "the runaway bride"?

When you ignore important stories by giving them significantly less exposure than stories which have no effect on people's everyday existence, you are hurting America.

When you trivialize the importance of the Social Security debate by spending more time reporting on runaway brides instead of taking the time to give people fact-based information they can make decisions with, instead of punditry-based talking points, you are hurting America.

When you take the easy way out, and report on the Michael Jackson trial, instead of the trials that people face everyday in trying to find a job and survive in this economy, you are hurting America.

Stop.Hurting. America.

Yours truly,

Casey Morris, Saratoga, NY The Democracy Cell Project www.democracycellproject.net/blog

cc: Mark Effron, Vice President, News, Daytime Programming, MSNBC

From Bob Herbert:

I spent some time recently with Aidan Delgado, a 23-year-old religion major at New College of Florida, a small, highly selective school in Sarasota.

On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, before hearing anything about the terror attacks that would change the direction of American history, Mr. Delgado enlisted as a private in the Army Reserve. Suddenly, in ways he had never anticipated, the military took over his life. He was trained as a mechanic and assigned to the 320th Military Police Company in St. Petersburg. By the spring of 2003, he was in Iraq. Eventually he would be stationed at the prison compound in Abu Ghraib.

Mr. Delgado's background is unusual. He is an American citizen, but because his father was in the diplomatic corps, he grew up overseas. He spent eight years in Egypt, speaks Arabic and knows a great deal about the various cultures of the Middle East. He wasn't happy when, even before his unit left the states, a top officer made wisecracks about the soldiers heading off to Iraq to kill some ragheads and burn some turbans.

"He laughed," Mr. Delgado said, "and everybody in the unit laughed with him."

The officer's comment was a harbinger of the gratuitous violence that, according to Mr. Delgado, is routinely inflicted by American soldiers on ordinary Iraqis. He said: "Guys in my unit, particularly the younger guys, would drive by in their Humvee and shatter bottles over the heads of Iraqi civilians passing by. They'd keep a bunch of empty Coke bottles in the Humvee to break over people's heads."

He said he had confronted guys who were his friends about this practice. "I said to them: 'What the hell are you doing? Like, what does this accomplish?' And they responded just completely openly. They said: 'Look, I hate being in Iraq. I hate being stuck here. And I hate being surrounded by hajis.' "

Mr. Delgado said he had witnessed incidents in which an Army sergeant lashed a group of children with a steel Humvee antenna, and a Marine corporal planted a vicious kick in the chest of a kid about 6 years old. There were many occasions, he said, when soldiers or marines would yell and curse and point their guns at Iraqis who had done nothing wrong.

He said he believes that the absence of any real understanding of Arab or Muslim culture by most G.I.'s, combined with a lack of proper training and the unrelieved tension of life in a war zone, contributes to levels of fear and rage that lead to frequent instances of unnecessary violence.

This is a disturbing story on many, many levels. How can the folks in charge at the Pentagon expect to win the hearts and minds of a culture they refuse to understand on even its most basic level? Mind you, I am not suggesting sensitivity training here, but a basic understanding of the values of the culture (in which you are trying to be accepted and seen with a positive viewpoint) should be part of the training for the soldiers they are sending to Iraq.

I would also like to mention that Bob Herbert is a columnist who does the kind of work that all journalists should be doing, but aren't. Here is the contact information for Mr. Herbert, should you wish to send him a note of appreciation: bobherb@nytimes.com

[Editor's Note: This morning's news finds our values under attack from many quarters, so the blog thread will be moving along at a brisk pace today.]

Leading--Iraq: Worse and Worse

From the NY Times:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 1 - Insurgents using car bombs struck a Kurdish funeral near Mosul and American soldiers handing out candy to children in Baghdad on Sunday in the worst of a spate of attacks that killed at least 35 Iraqis and wounded 80. It was an ever grimmer backdrop to efforts by Iraq's first Shiite-majority government to fill gaps in the new cabinet from the restive Sunni minority.

[On Monday, the Associated Press reported that car bomb exploded in an upscale shopping district in Baghdad, killing at least six Iraqis and setting fire to an apartment building, police said.

Two other bombs exploded in Baghdad, narrowly missing a top Iraqi security official and a U.S. patrol. In southern Iraq, a British soldier was killed in fighting, the British government said.]

The attacks extended a surge in insurgent mayhem since the government was formed Thursday and capped the bloodiest three-day period of violence in two months. More than 100 Iraqis have been killed and 200 wounded since Friday, as insurgents try to undermine and intimidate the new government.

Leaders of the dominant Shiite political alliance pressed efforts to complete the new cabinet ahead of a swearing-in ceremony now set for as early as Tuesday. But a government without the prominent role the Shiite leaders have promised for Sunnis would be an embarrassing start for the Shiites, who have said they intend to lead a national unity government that broadly reflects the proportions of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds in the Iraqi population of more than 25 million.

(Editor's Note: We called Dave from Princeton when we got word about the "democracy cell" forming at Princeton University in New Jersey. Dave has been a longtime supporter of the DCP and was a good friend of the Kerry-Edwards Internet Team, as chief provider of barbeque...)

Frist Campus Center Filibuster @ Princeton University

www.FilibusterFrist.com

Princeton University students have been "filibustering in support of the filibuster" in front of the new Frist Campus Center, built with a donation of over $20 million to PU in 1997 by Senator Frist and his family. The FCC is located across Washington Rd. from PU's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and the Eating Clubs of Prospect Ave. I stopped by the FCC on my way back from Baltimore Saturday evening.

The students feel that ending the ability to filibuster the appointment of extremist judges is a threat to our democracy and freedom:

*That throughout U.S. history, the Senate filibuster has served as an important element of the checks & balances system, preventing a partisan majority ruling through tyranny, while promoting bipartisan compromise and moderation. They are extremely dismayed at Princeton alum Senator Frist's plan to attempt to dismantle one of the only protections of the minority party.

*That Federal judicial appointments are for life and the courts belong to all Americans, not just the party in power. They are trying to spread the urgency of protecting the right of the filibuster by getting the attention of the national media and thereby the nation.

[Editors Note: The next part of our ongoing Sunday series examining the intersection of religion and politics and its relationship to our present state of democracy, written exclusively for the DCP, by Matthew Carnicelli]

Tom Delay’s House of Representatives passed legislation on Wednesday night that foreshadows the future of reproductive rights in any era after Roe v. Wade is overturned.

The bill, the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, would make it a Federal crime for any adult to accompany a minor across state lines in order to have an abortion without parental consent.