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LIVE BLOGGING-Gore Speech, NOON (EST)
KAREN WILL BE LIVE BLOGGING GORE'S SPEECH BEGINNING AT NOON (EST).
CSPAN will also be showing the broadcasting the event live:
The American Constitution Society and the Liberty Coalition host a speech by Fmr. Vice Pres. Al Gore at the DAR Hall in Washington. Gore speaks about the limits of executive power, the issue of monitoring domestic communications and the authorization of the use of torture in the war against terrorism.
Please join us for this event on the blog or in the IRC chatroom.
Blog item written by Casey Morris and Suz Krueger.
I just heard from Karen. She is IN!
The place is swamped with the faithful supporters of Al Gore and supporters of our Constitution and democracy.
Karen will check in as soon as possible. But for now it appears to be a capacity crowd.
Hey All--this is exciting--we have already run into friends and colleagues from PDA and Velvet Revolution.
Bob Barr is about to introduce VP Gore.
Oh hey...I have to go turn on CSPAN now.
enter Al--standing ovation
enter Tipper!
Ok, please recommend this diary at kos ASAP
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/1/16/12457/9793
so karen can share her insights there as well
Lisa Brown now speaking about MLK and the current situtation. She is referring to the campaign of surveillance against him.
We are here to rededicate ourselves to the RULE OF LAW.
Cong. Barr not quite here yet...on video...someone behind me just yelled--he's a PRIVATE person!
Al Gore is cracking up...
I have no idea who this guy is, but he is having a good day.
Bob Barr,the Congressman who harassed Al's boss, introducing Al today. Gee the world has certainly turned upside down in the last 5 years.
Welcome Mr. Barr to the world of sanity and justice.
Di Fi is here...
It is really about the Constitution today. All over town, the Constitution is the star.
BREAKING THE LAW--and the crowd goes nuts!!
James Madison gets prolonged applause--not an everyday occurrence...
Gulf of Tonkin based on false information.
Iraq War based on false information.
We need truth.
Would love to hear Barr talk about the Rule of Law if he is hopefully reconnected via satellite.
What sweet Justice that would be.
Thanks for blogging this Karen for those of us who can't seem to get cspan.
for those with xm radio at work, its being carried on station 132 CSPAN Radio.
Ira,
Yes, "Rule of Law..." Let's hear it over and over again!
bob Barr would have said, and Gore will say:
in the words of Bob Barr, "The president has dared the American people to do something about it. For the sake of the Constitution, I hope they will."
He will call fora Special Counsel to be appointed.
Also, he will ask Congress--both houses--to hold hearings.
PEOPLE GET READY---
there's a train a COMIN'
this seems to me a great history lesson. He sounds like...
a PRESIDENT. Been a while...
special counsel and subpoena power will be the only way to prevent a whitewash. Dems should call Bob Barr as their first witness.
Ypu know, I hadn't thought about it before, but he has been teaching for the past five years. This speech is a very good history lecture.
HEY--did he read Dick's and my piece from the weekend??
Dumb question...since I can't get the cspan link to work or the tv, is the speech done?
I just e-mailed all the stations and gave them hell for not covering this. Fox got extra .
sparrow--no he is rolling along with the history lesson and historical contexting.
ORWELL moment..Ellen Beth are you here?
MO' POWER, MO' POWER
needs challenging...
Quick answer to Karen's question about MSM coverage of Gores's speech
What speech??
No mention in any major news outlet on the web..
LT--CALL THEM
Yes! He commented that Alito supports UNLIMITED executive power and should not be confirmed.
Good point! That Bush has sought to eliminate both judicial review and congressional power!
Confirming Alito not too popular with this crowd...
WILL THIS SPEECH EMPOWER AND MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO ACT???
Confirming Alito not too popular with this crowd...
apparently the folks in Maine don't seem to care.
Let's hope he also talks about lack of ethics in Congress.
Nice that he spoke about nobody seeing accountability and no oversight!
AND clearly violates the bill of rights. AND he discusses the small leadership who was given a snippet of information regarding the FISA spying.
PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR SEATS AGAIN!
"START ACTING LIKE THE EQUAL...."
Very good!
Go Al Go!!!
WE THE PEOPLE, must get off our asses...
and start acting like the independent an co-equal branch of government which you were designed to be.
WOW...He's really talking the truth about what has happened to our democracy and what we must do!
Al makes a joke about The Federalist Papers..
The administration withheld facts and activily prevented Congress from hearing facts before the vote. (Medicare Act.)
Deprived of the information and now the entire mission is failing.
The American people have the right to expect their elected officials to hear the truth and have been let down.
"The constricted role of ideas...has encouraged efforts...to control the flow of information...to control the outcome of important decisions that lie in the hands of the people."
That IS the problem...
Executive branch is monitoring the information given about global warming and the research.
They've controlled the flow of information. And they promote the fear in order to suppress us and information.
Fear drives out reason and suppresses discourse.
"Men feared witches and burnt women."
sparrow--that gave me chills
"We have a duty as Americans to defend everyone's life and pursuit of happiness."
Barr: "The president has DARED the American people to do something about it...I hope they will!"
"A special COUNCIL SHOULD BE APPOINTED TO INVESTIGATE THE MANY...."
Talking about Fitzgerald...a special prosecutor of integrity.
OMG, my goose bumps have goose bumps listening to this wonderful speech.....
The American people have lost SO much because of the 2000 SCOTUS decision to stop the FL count....
I think I'm going to cry.
As soon as anyone has a link to the entire speech, please post it ASAP. I just have to send this to the people I know who are unable to hear or see Gore's speech......
No media coverage as of yet.
BE THE media and get busy, please.
http://www.democracycellproject.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=469
Good time to blogswarm these addresses.
oh my GOD
Well the place was rocking but now we really need Karen to tell us what people there are saying!
And we have to get busy!
Wowsers. I only got back from the march in time to catch the final 6 minutes of Gore's speech, but I can tell from what I saw in just those few minutes that it was a real barnburner. I can't wait for the replay on CSPAN later in the day.
Okay, that does it. I'm ready for a Gore-Edwards ticket in 2008. Any takers?
boy howdy and then some,
Otter
From Christine, who was in the second row:
"it's a beginning... he asked us to write letters."
From Travis:
"The point about people standing up is needed. But people need tot ake independent action as well--we need to rely on ourn own efforts so Congress has to respond to THAT."
I'm going to the MLK march with Code Pink. I'll look forward to catching all of this later - it's momentous. I hope that most of the population won't get cheated out of seeing it, although I will say it's necessary to dig for truth - it doesn't come knocking at our door nowdays.
Peace
We need a concerted national movement. We can not rely on only the calls and the LTEs. We have to take the message to the streets.
Al said it...sort of like this..."Every country and every person has had to deal with fear and terror, but in the US we've done that while protecting our liberties and our safety and our pursuit of happiness."
Text of Al Gore Speech:
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/Text_of_Gore_speech_0116.html
http://www.bradblog.com/archives/00002288.htm
DiAnne,
Nothing is knocking. Its up to US.
That was quick!
Thanks dianne.
Now lets get the media to show up.
Cut & Paste the text of the speech and send it via email to all the news outlets, then follow up with phone call. Can also fax. Print it out large. Can also distribute it.
Right on, DiAnne.
We have to take this to the streets.
He called out to us; we must respond.
That was the pre-prepared version of the text. There may be some differences between it and the live as-given version.
So will the democrats fillibuster Alito after Al's speech?
Will the Republicans stand by the rule of law.
And will the American citizenry finally hear the truth from the complicit media or will the media pull out a word here and there to denegrate him instead.
Stand up all of us and be heard.
Oh, I think we need to do more than cut and paste the text of this speech.
We need to do a MASSIVE DVD copy job and distribute the speech to everyone we know. SEND the DVD to the friggin news outlets...like to EVERY journalist on any given paper or TV station.
Give it to our country-men on a wide scale.
Seriously... GORE's delivery is what gives this traction. To just 'recite' the words is giving fodder to those supporting the usurpation of exec power or to those people who just don't understand.
This speech is the battle cry to save this republic, and we must present the speech in its actual form (Gore giving it in its entirety) to our people.
I think even a website devoted exclusively to download and distribution is called for.
Great speech!!!
I wrote e-mails to every media source I had e-mail addresses for last night, asking them to report on Gore's speech today.
All of them...
Want to do the same?
Here's a list of mainstream media phone numbers and email addresses.
Contact them and ask for more coverage of Gore's speech.
ABC NEWS
77 W. 66 St., New York, NY 10023
Phone: 212-456-7777
World News Tonight (put show in subject line): NETAUDR@abc.com
Good Morning America (put show in subject line) NETAUDR@abc.com
World News Now: wnn@abcnews.com
Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com
This Week with George Stephanopoulos: thisweek@abc.com
Primetime: abc.news.magazines@abc.com
20/20: 2020@abc.com
World News Weekend (put show in subject line): NETAUDR@abc.com
CBS NEWS
524 W. 57 St., New York, NY 10019
Phone: 212-975-4321
Fax: 212-975-1893
CBS Evening News: evening@cbsnews.com
The Early Show: earlyshow@cbs.com
48 Hours: 48hours@cbsnews.com
Face The Nation: ftn@cbsnews.com
CBS News Sunday Morning: sundays@cbsnews.com
Up to the Minute: uttm@cbs.com
NBC NEWS
NBC
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112
Phone: 212-664-4444
Fax: 212-664-4426
NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams: nightly@nbc.com
Today Show: today@nbc.com
Dateline NBC: dateline@nbc.com
Meet the Press: MTP@NBC.com
Weekend Today: WT@nbc.com
CNN
One CNN Center, Box 105366, Atlanta, GA 30303-5366
Phone: 404-827-1500
Fax: 404-827-1906
CNN asks for emails to all shows to go through this form:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv/
CNN Daybreak
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?1
CNN American Morning
'Extra Effort'
Do you know someone who is making a difference? Someone whose extra efforts are having a positive impact? "American Morning" wants to tell the stories of these unsung heroes. If you know someone who deserves recognition for his or her unique contributions, e-mail us! Then watch "Extra Effort" on "American Morning," Fridays at 9 a.m. ET.
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5e.html?1
CNN Live Today
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?3
CNN Your World Today
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?39
CNN Live From
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?5
CNN The Situation Room
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?65
CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?9
CNN Anderson Cooper
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?10
CNN Paula Zahn Now
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?11
CNN Larry King Live
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?12
CNN News Night
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5.html?13
FOX NEWS
1211 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (212) 301-3000
Fax: (212) 301-4229
Special Report with Brit Hume: Special@foxnews.com
FOX Report with Shepard Smith: Foxreport@foxnews.com
The O'Reilly Factor: Oreilly@foxnews.com
Hannity & Colmes: Hannity@foxnews.com, Colmes@foxnews.com
On the Record with Greta: Ontherecord@foxnews.com
DaySide with Linda Vester: Dayside@foxnews.com
FOX & Friends: Friends@foxnews.com
FOX News Live (put show in subject line): Feedback@foxnews.com
Heartland w/ John Kasich: Heartland@foxnews.com
Studio B with Shepard Smith: Studiob@foxnews.com
The Big Story with John Gibson: Myword@foxnews.com
MSNBC
One MSNBC Plaza
Secaucus, NJ 07094
Phone: (201) 583-5000
Fax: (201) 583-5453
Hardball with Chris Matthews: hardball@msnbc.com
MSNBC Reports with Joe Scarborough: msnbcreports@msnbc.com
Imus in the Morning: imus@msnbc.com
MSNBC Live: Newsforce@msnbc.com
Connected Coast to Coast with Ron Reagan and Monica Crowley: Connected@msnbc.com
The Situation with Tucker Carlson: Tucker@msnbc.com
PBS
1320 Braddock Place, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: 703-739-5000
Fax: 703-739-8458
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: newshour@pbs.org
NPR
635 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001-3753
Phone: 202-513-2000
Fax: 202-513-3329
Jeffrey Dvorkin, Ombudsman ombudsman@npr.org
All Things Considered: atc@npr.org
Morning Edition: morning@npr.org
Talk Of The Nation: totn@npr.org
LA TIMES
202 West First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Phone: 800-528-4637 or 213-237-5000
Fax: 213-237-4712
Readers' Representative: readers.rep@latimes.com
National News Department
NY TIMES
229 W. 43rd St., New York, NY 10036
Phone: 212-556-1234
Fax: 212-556-3690
D.C. Bureau phone: 202-862-0300
Byron Calame, public editor: public@nytimes.com
National Editors: national@nytimes.com
USA TODAY
7950 Jones Branch Dr., McLean, VA 22108
Phone: 800-872-0001 or 703-854-3400
Fax: 703-854-2165
General Comment
WALL STREET JOURNAL
200 Liberty St., New York, NY 10281
Phone: 212-416-2000
Fax: 212-416-2658
Letters to the Editor: wsj.ltrs@wsj.com
General comment: wsjcontact@dowjones.com
WASHINGTON POST
1150 15th St., NW, Washington, DC 20071
Phone: 202-334-6000
Fax: 202-334-5269
Ombudsman: ombudsman@washpost.com
Michael Abramowitz, national editor (be polite):
abramowitz@washpost.com
AP
Dallas Bureau
4851 LBJ Freeway, Suite 300
Dallas TX 75244-6002
(972) 991-2100 News
(972) 991-7207 Fax
Links with media email addresses and phone numbers:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/1202
http://www.democracycellproject.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=46
"So will the democrats fillibuster Alito after Al's speech?"
Feinstein and Snowe said no. Without both of them on board I just don't know how that it will happen.
It's 1:40, and all CNN has talked about has been MLK and the flu season.
No newsbreaks about a major political figure in American politics calling for a special investigation of W.
Nothing.
That was what the reference about the MSM basically being there to "entertain itself" was about.
He's ticked 'em off, so they're ignoring him.
Otter: the big question is whether Feinstein, who was present, will retract her absurd 'warning' against filibustering.
INGENIOUS that Gore called out to her 'welcoming' her. I am *sure* he caught her insane call to be subservient to bush by warning *against* filibuster.
A vote for Alito, now, is a vote against everything Gore talked about.
Thank you, Karen and crew, for ALL you do!
Thanks too to all other contributors!
Wonder if we could get Leher to air this speech in its entirety... just by-pass the whole News Hour... and air this speech?
As much as I've always detested Bob Barr (over the Clinton impeachment), this is not a change for him. He's always been more of a libertarian than he was a Republican.
He's an actual conservative.
That's not what the Republicans in control of congress today are.
And here is the mp3 of the speech...
Download it, spread it.
Would prefer to have a DVD of it, though.
http://news.globalfreepress.com/mp3/gore/2006/01/16/Gor...
Posted by: Robin at January 16, 2006 01:40 PM
Robin I agree. We need a easy downloadable site. Distribution and maybe even mass mailings on this.
We are the media!
WHO owns the record of this? Al Gore? Cspan? We need to get this sent out.
So sorry, Sparrow, just saw your post and link.
No media coverage as of yet.
BE THE media and get busy, please.
http://www.democracycellproject.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=469
Good time to blogswarm these addresses.
Posted by: sparrow at January 16, 2006 01:23 PM
Robin, that's a bad URL link. Care to try again?
AND...thank God Al spoke like this on MLK's day. He does it justice!
Here it is:
http://news.globalfreepress.com/mp3/gore/2006/01/16/Gore_Constitutional_Crisis-01-16-06.mp3
Not to worry, just go to the FTP site listing here and then you'll see the actual mp3 file for download easily enough:
http://news.globalfreepress.com/mp3/gore/2006/01/16/
ars gratia pecuniae,
Otter
Yo Robin
Thanks! I just sent that link to France (& heading out on the bus)
In solidarity with the dockworkers of Europe!
sparrow- EXCEPT that doing it on MLK day gives the mecia something to talk about except the speech. And now there's been a video of a chopper coming down in Iraq.
I actually thought giving it on some day besides a major holiday would be a good idea, but I'm not a political consultant.
http://geniusofinsanityworld.blogspot.com
I would rather someone was wrapped in the Constitution burning the flag than wrapped in the flag burning the Constitution.
Ah, but you see, Linda, on a national holiday there are more people at home during the day watching teevee than there otherwise would be. And for the most part, what with the gummint offices being closed and all, non-critical holidays such as this one are generally slow news days anyway. And, most importantly, today being MLK Day puts Gore's words in a ringingly-historical context even before he opened his mouth to speak.
speak now or forever lose your peace,
Otter
AP and Houston Chronicle report on Gore speech a few minutes ago.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-5549678,00.html
Gore Assails Domestic Wiretapping Program
(I missed my bus)
Heard this from Arlen Specter on This Week yesterday:
"Specter, speaking in general terms, noted that impeachment and criminal prosecution are possibilities in the event a president acted unconstitutionally." in response to a question from George about domestic spying.
he went on to then say that Bush was co-operating though and no one has talked about impeachment, yet.
I sent the full text of Gore's speech (with the RawStory link) to the in-state TV stations, plus ABC, CBS (I don't get NBC), including the News Hour, with a very short message at the top:
"Al Gore delivered this speech at Constitution Hall today at noon (WA DC time). It was broadcast live on C-SPAN. If you can get footage of this speech, it is well worthwhile to do so for the evening news. It was one of the most stirring speeches I've ever heard in my life."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thanks, DiAnne for the link to the Guardian story. How VERY refreshing to see a story about a Dem without a neoCon rebuttal dissing Gore's comments....
Otter- yes, but not a word on CNN about the speech yet, so, unless those folks staying at home today were watching C-Span instead of The Young and the Restless, they won't hear it. Inside Politics comes on in a little while though, and I expect some snippits to air on there.
I always just hope that any major speech by a Democrat happens on a day when there's absolutely no other news. Otherwise, CNN will ignore it completely.
Which they've done for an hour and a half now.
2 PM- CNN finally covered the speech an hour and a half after it was finished
Posted by: Linda Enterkin at January 16, 2006 03:12 PM
The spin cycle must be set on 90 minutes.
I'm pre-shrunk.
Sparrow,
Might you be blessed about your message.
"We need a concerted national movement. We can not rely on only the calls and the LTEs. We have to take the message to the streets."
===========================================
This afternoon I just sent a mail to DiAnne about the way union workers from all over Europe rallyed in Strasbourg to protest and it was quite tough. They even attacked the EU Parliament...but the law they resented won't pass.
Now, this just what I wrote to her. It may seem harsh to you, but we know each other well enough to speak our minds, and don't forget, my whole family was in the French Resistance against the Nazis. That's how I grew up, with the stories they told me.
DiAnne,
You didn't get me. I sent you an example of what can be achieved when you unite to fight...and it doesn't seem to have reached any dem's mind for the time being.
I don't know what you intend to do, but MLK protested upon the streets, made big rallyes, put his life in danger (as in war time) and died for it, as we did in front of the Nazis.
Who is ready to take a real risk for democracy in the States nowadays, as many did in the 70's?????
That's my big problem with the wining/complaining/opposing on internet. It's virtual, purely virtual except for some local protests.
The number makes the difference. You are millions fed up of Bush. What do you intend to do, out of the number?
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at January 16, 2006 01:51 PM
No problem.
Posted by: Andrée - France at January 16, 2006 03:21 PM
Your message needs to be posted across the internet. Because though to some it may sound harsh, to others it's the truth. They sit in their homes and blog or they sit at dinner parties and complain. But yet nothing is done.
I know karen has posted about everyone coming to DC on February 4th. Of course not everyone can afford it. BUT a national movement can include mass demonstrations across cities and states locally.
And Sept. 24th showed that people were dedicated to coming to DC and in fact the AMTRAK was shut down along the eastern coast preventing even more protestors from showing up.
But the national movement means maybe it's time to start going door to door and asking people for a commitment. Maybe it means filing the requested materials for a protest march or rally. Maybe it means civil disobedience--perhaps in front of the media networks. And maybe it means pulling out the white pages and calling the whole dang book.
But we have to fight hard and not just by blogging.
Posted by: marc trager at January 16, 2006 03:15 PM
Hmmm...perhaps they took 90 minutes because they needed to verify the story with unidentified White House officials.
Buying time: Part 1...
http://www.conyersblog.us/default.htm
After bouncing up to 45%, Zogby's 1-15-06 poll of Bush reflects that he is once again dipped below 40% in overall appoval with a 39% poll rating. Zogby states it is somewhat impacted by negative stories on Alito along with the war.
Just for the record, the Washington Post has assembled a special section on their website called the "Abramoff Investigation"
You can find it in this section: washingtonpost.com > Politics > Special Reports > Abramoff Investigation
Within it, it lists all the current and past articles that they've done. Plus at the top, there are 4 buttons/links to sections titled:
The Players .... Timeline .... Follow the Money .... The "A" Team
Each section is worth looking at. This is what Al Gore was referencing when he said it was the most explosive thing in Washington.
Here's the link to the Abramoff Investigation Special Report...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/06/22/LI2005062200936.html
Here's the link to Special Reports section -- look for the following in the sidebar on the left...
Special Reports
- Social Security
- Taxes and Spending
- Filibuster Fight
- Delay Ethics Case
- Stem Cell Debate
- The Watergate Story
- Plame Investigation
- Abramoff Investigation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/politics/special/index.html
Sparrow,
"Maybe it means civil disobedience--perhaps in front of the media networks"
==========================================
Perhaps?
There's no perhaps.
That's your vital need : to be seen and heard.
Thanks for understanding what I meant.
In comparison, check out this diary that was promoted to the front page of daily kos yesterday. It is a phenomenal exercise in pulling all the strands together, fully documented with reliable sources. It looks like "real journalism".
Please take the time to read it...
A Million Tiny Strands
by Hunter
Sun Jan 15, 2006 at 09:21:32 PM EST
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/1/15/131258/767
Posted by: Andrée - France at January 16, 2006 04:04 PM
Of course I understood Andree.
And so many people here at the DCP are working hard to make changes as well.
And I believe if we can get everyone on the blogs to go out in the streets--in mass OR to stand at an intersection by themself with a giant sign--then that can create change too.
But the internet has been both a blessing and a curse. Yes, we can educate ourselves about what the media is hiding, BUT we also get addicted to sitting at the chair and reading and blogging.
Andree knows...
Posted by: dwahzon at January 16, 2006 04:06 PM
Good article. Thanks for pointing it out to us.
Sparrow, Mark,
For having been watching you for months and months, I really wondered if there was still "a pilot on the plane"?
As you have no unique opposition leader, I just wondered who might be the pilot.? Howard Dean. Ok, so I just went to his site (I know, I cannot say D..) with A PROGRAM and a calendar, that really made sense.
Who checked it in order to get ready for the battle?
I'm supposed to come last, as Lafayette....but I read the program... sorry for cheating.
And Sept. 24th showed that people were dedicated to coming to DC and in fact the AMTRAK was shut down along the eastern coast preventing even more protestors from showing up.
Posted by: sparrow at January 16, 2006 03:38 PM
I was not aware of that... excuse my ignorance.
If Amtrak was indeed shut down just to prevent the September 24th protests from getting larger, the scumballs running the organization must be put in jail. And since Congress funds Amtrak, this could be something to pressure members of Congress about.
It's bad enough that Amtrak is running its trains on "Papers Please" basis. Requiring IDs of even short-distance passengers does NOT make Amtrak any safer.
Posted by: AllyMcLesbian at January 16, 2006 04:30 PM
It would be difficult to prove the "just to prevent..." part.
sted by: Andrée - France at January 16, 2006 04:25 PM
lol--sadly Andree.
You cheated? So you know the answer. How about if YOU lead and we'll follow?
I was thinking earlier today how much stronger and personable Al Gore became after losing in 2000 and becoming a teacher. He has twice come out with fantastic, hard hitting, and accurate speeches. Could this be because THE PRESSURE IS OFF HIM PERSONALLY? He's got nothing to lose so why not go for it?
So perhaps that's your key. The leader has to be someone who has nothing to lose and nothing at stake if they lead in the fight.
I think that tells you why there ought to be a lot of people running against incumbants this year.
http://www.libertycoalition.net/
Mr. Gore spoke in DAR Constiution Hall at an event co-sponsored by Liberty Coalition and the American Constitution Society. The speech focused on the unchecked growth of executive power in the federal government, with a spotlight on the NSA domestic spying scandal
http://www.libertycoalition.net/about-liberty-coalition
Partner Organizations
FDL has a comment about Gore's speech today.
Well worth the read.
http://firedoglake.blogspot.com/2006_01_15_firedoglake_archive.html#113743517908365758
new thread.
(As I sit here talking to myself.)
Andree,
I did get that message.
I just came from the MLK rally & have been out on the streets in the rain. I haven't even seen Gore's speech yet - can't do 2 things at once so that comes next.
I did get an email from a list I'm on & people are raving about it but they don't have a link to watch it so I'm here to provide that.
Everyone thinks they know what we "should" do but we didn't stop the war or 2 elections from being stolen. I'm open to ideas but sick of kneejerk reactions when one event, politician or place is taken out of the larger context of space (the world) and time (history).
Someone like Al Gore has seen alot by now. He should be listened to.
Sparrow,
You may be siting talking to yourself, but I went through your Partners organizations link...that was pretty interesting. Thanks, I've been able to learn more.
DiAnne,
Try to get dry and pass Gore's message along. I read it as well. It's strong. I just hope it reaches mainstream people.
Andree,
I have the link for watching it & it'll probably be archived on C-span. This is worth making popcorn for!
I saw all of Gore's speeches on MoveOn & they made me wish I'd worked harder for the man, not just voted. For Kerry I worked so much harder, but had no way of knowing how ruthless the political climate was out there. I feel like I've been politically active all my life, but relaxed too much during the Clinton years. How could we know how vigilant we had to remain?!!
Also, what's happening now is not new - it's the culminatin of plots long in the works, since the days of Nixon. The neocons apparently never sleep. Or maybe they sleep too well, thinking they lack any predators any more.
Ourgore can beat up theirchimp.
al he is saying give impeach a chance,
Otter
Just called Senator Kerry's office and spoke with Bob and urged the Senator to support a filibuster of Alito. I urge others to do the same before tomorrow's meeting.
(877) 851-6437 Congressional Switchboard.