Tutterfly's Excellent Rant

Sorry this is long, but it's not going to be posted anywhere for a while and I thought you'd like to see it:

John Kerry Delivers Kenyon College Commencement Address

Today, John Kerry spoke to students at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio. Thanks to record student voter participation, Kenyon College was among the last polling places in the nation to close on Election Day 2004.

Senator John Kerry

Commencement Address

Kenyon College

Gambier, Ohio

As Prepared for Delivery

Class of 2006 -- fellow survivors of November 2, 2004. I’m happy to be here at this beautiful school, which had my admiration long before that night when the country wondered whether I would win — and whether you would vote.

Your website has a profile of a very smart math major in the class of 2006. Joe Neilson. He said that once, after a statistics course here, he realized “the probability of any event in our lives is about zero.” “I probably spent a week,” Joe said, “annoying my friends by saying: “What are the odds?” Well Joe, what were the odds that we’d be linked by those long hours – not that I keep track – 560 days ago? Like everyone that night, I admired the tenacity of Kenyon students. But what you did went far beyond tenacity.

My wife, Teresa, is honored by the degree you grant her, today. But she’s also here to honor you because when you grow up in a dictatorship as she did, when you don’t get a chance to vote until you’re thirty-one , when you see your father voting for the first time in his seventies, you know what a privilege it is to cast a ballot.

Through that long night, we in Massachusetts watched you in Gambier. We were honored. We were inspired. We were determined not to concede until our team had checked every possibility. If you could stay up all night to vote, we could certainly stay up that next day to make sure your vote would count. In the end, we couldn’t close the gap. We would have given anything to have fulfilled your hopes.

And I also thank those who cast a ballot for my opponent. I wish all Republicans had been just like you at Kenyon — informed, willing to stand up for your views -- and only 10 percent of the vote. Actually, all of you, through your patience, and good humor showed Americans that politics matters to young people. And so I really do thank every student here.

I especially want to thank someone who isn’t a student. Because at the meeting Hayes was kind enough to mention – and I did take notes -- the alums made it clear how much they’d been influenced by great friends, great teachers. Or a great coach.

I know what it’s like to be on a team before an important game. I know how crucial that last practice can be. For the field hockey team, that November 2nd was the last day before the Oberlin game. Winning meant getting into the league championship – and from there to the NCAAs. So I can understand why players were upset after hours waiting in line at the polling place that afternoon. When Maggie Hill called her coach to ask if she should come back to practice — you’d expect the coach to say ‘you better believe it.’

This coach had a different reaction. “I’ll cancel practice,” she said, “and I’m sending the whole team to vote.” In that one moment she became a hero to me, and an example to many. It takes a special coach to know there are more important things than a big game. We should all express our gratitude to Robin Cash. Her values are the values of Kenyon.

By the way, for parents who may not remember — Kenyon played brilliantly – and won that Oberlin game 3-zip.

Now, it’s not as if seeing brilliance here at Kenyon is a surprise. Like everybody, I know that when you look at a resume and see a Kenyon degree, you think, “Smart. Committed. Good writer.” And maybe, “Likes to see a lot of stars at night.”

But there’s more. The Kenyon alums I met with were so eloquent about what it meant to be here, where all your friends live, study, and play along a one mile path in a town surrounded by cornfields. One said, “I came here on a cold, rainy October, but after my interview I saw professors having coffee at the deli, and heard everybody so excited about the Tom Stoppard play they were putting on – I fell in love with the place.” Someone else said, “Intelligent conversation permeates the whole campus.” Another said -- and I don’t think he was kidding -- “Nobody gets drunk at Commencement.”

We talked until I got dragged into an intelligence briefing from the White House. Believe me, I learned more at the Kenyon meeting.

What they said sounded very familiar. And important. Because there are other places where you can find a small community — where the bonds you forge will never dissolve. You can find it on a tiny boat in the rivers of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. You can even find it in the Senate -- sometimes.

Someone described to me what it’s like walking into Gund for dinner after your girl friend breaks up with you. You see every single person staring to make sure you’re all right. I thought, “Sounds like walking into the Democratic Caucus after that first New Hampshire poll.”

The fact is, the Kenyon grads in Washington didn’t agree on everything. But they agreed that Kenyon is a place where you have the luxury of examining an idea not for whether it sounds good but for whether it is good.

Actually, one Kenyon parent told me something that bothered him. His son took Quest for Justice his first semester here. That’s not what bothered him. But, the class met early in the morning, and his son made every class. After years of pushing his kid to get out of bed, the father wanted to know, “What changed?” His son said, “Dad, I could disappoint you. But not Professor Baumann.”

And that brings up one of the things I want to talk about. For the Election Day event that united us was a disappointment. There’s no way around it. Even as we flew in over Columbus this morning, I was looking down at the Ohio landscape, thinking: we came so close. So what. You cannot go through life without disappointment. No team, no politician, no writer, no scientist — no one avoids defeat.

The question is: what do you do next?

It’s simple: you pick yourself up and keep on fighting. Losing a battle doesn’t mean you’ve lost the war. Whether it’s a term paper, an experiment or a race for President, you will learn from experience, and experience breeds success.

That’s important, because frankly there are so many things to fight for. By that, I don’t just mean the things we fight over in the halls of Congress. Kenyon produces graduates that produce our literature and drama -- like E.L. Doctorow did with The March, 54 years after leaving Gambier. Or Allison Janney did on West Wing – the first show ever to portray politics with something approaching the complexity it deserves. Your challenge is to produce and perform the rich imaginative works that move and illuminate your time.

Kenyon has vastly expanded its science programs. And your challenge is to fight in laboratories against enemies like the tiny HIV virus that has created the most devastating epidemic in human history — killing more people every two hours than there are in this graduating class.

At a time when we read about the high-tech jobs of a globalized world, your challenge is to find a way to educate the millions of Americans who can’t get those jobs because they can’t read well enough to understand how to get online.

And now, we are engaged in a misguided war. Like the war of my generation, it began with an official deception. It’s a war that in addition to the human cost — the tragedy of tens of thousands of Iraqis and Americans dead and wounded — will cost a trillion dollars. Enough to endow 10,000 Kenyons. Money that could fight poverty, disease, and hunger. And so, your challenge is also to find a way to reclaim America’s conscience. I have no doubt you will.

For one thing you have great role models. Like your parents, sitting out there under the trees. You may laugh looking at the old photos of your dad in a ponytail, and your mom in bellbottoms and that crazy, tie-dyed shirt. But their generation too faced the task of ending a war. And they did.

And went on to invent Earth Day, march against racism, bring women into the workplace and become the first generation to usher in an acceptance for all people regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality.

They honored democracy by making government face issues of conscience — and I ask you to applaud them for making the world better BEFORE they made it better by making you what you are!

And of course, in addition to those sitting behind you -- you have great role models sitting among you. Students from this class who had a dream, took a chance, and have already achieved great things.

I know, because sitting here is a student who dreamed of being published, and felt ambitious enough to send a poem he’d written for class to the Chatauqua Literary Journal. And so Sam Anderson became a published poet at the age of 21.

I know, because sitting here is a student who, watched a cousin struggle with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, dreamed of finding a way to help – and designed a project that involved her with the leading DMD researcher in the world. Now Amy Aloe’s been invited to work in his ground-breaking lab.

I know, because sitting here is a student who dreamed of returning to the country of her birth, the country that shaped a part of my life. And in Vietnam, Nhu Truong could examine not just issues, but the more difficult job of examining herself..

They all took a chance. If you ever despair of making a difference you’ll have Kenyon people to remind you of what’s possible if you take that chance.

And not just from the class of ’06.

One of the alums mentioned that every week, a group of them meet to talk about issues. They don’t think alike about every idea, he said. But they share a passion for ideas they learned here. Another asked me to tell those of you suspicious of government, that “it’s made up of a lot of people like us, trying to make things better.”

The group included one alum who’s well known here — and getting well known in Washington. But a while back he was just a nervous 24-year old, sitting silently in a meeting with a new Secretary of State. Until he got up the nerve to raise his hand and make a point. “Who’s that young, red-haired kid?” Condoleeza Rice said afterward, to an aide. “Keep your eye on him.” No, she didn’t mean he was a security risk. He’d said something that, as a Washington Post reporter put it, “crystallized her thoughts about foreign policy.” And now Chris Brose, Kenyon 2002, travels everywhere with Secretary Rice, not just crafting her speeches but talking about policy. I wish the policies were a little different, but he’s making a mark. He’s making a difference.

You know, during World War II, my father was flying planes in the Army Air Corps. While he was away on duty, my mother was volunteering to care for the sick and wounded. She sent him a letter about it. “You have no idea of the ways in which one can be useful right now,” she wrote. “There’s something for everyone to do.” She was right about her time. And what she wrote is right about yours too.

In a few minutes you will walk across this stage for your diploma. You’ll line up on the steps of Rosse Hall to sing for the last time. You’ll turn in your hoods, go back and finish packing. Maybe sell that ratty sofa to somebody from the class of 2007. And then you’ll watch the cars pull away.

I know you’ve heard too many times the old saying that commencement is not an end but a beginning. The truth is, it’s both. It is a day to feel sad about leaving Gambier. It’s a day to feel eager about what lies ahead.

Because you have a special mission. Those who worked to end a war long ago, now ask you to help end a war today. Those who worked to end poverty ask you to finish what we have left undone. We ask you to take a chance. We ask you to work for change. Promise yourselves, promise your parents, promise your teachers that you will use what you have learned. Don’t doubt for an instant that you can. Only doubt those pessimists who say you can’t. For all along the way, I promise, that while you leave the campus, Kenyon will never leave you.

You will be linked by the experiences vividly brought to life today by Hayes Wong, who experienced them with you.

As you fight for justice in this world, you will be linked by the insights you all had in courses like Quest for Justice. You will be linked to classmates whose success you predict will take the world by storm — and to some whose success takes you by surprise. You will be linked by the times you sat on a bench in Middle Path and argued about politics with people whose views you opposed — and learned you could disagree and still be friends. At some point you’ll see that this small campus that changed you has already produced enormous change in the world.

But much more is urgently needed.

Remember that the bedrock of America’s greatest advances—the foundation of all we take for granted today -- was formed not by cheering on things as they were, but by taking them on and demanding change. No wonder Thomas Jefferson himself said that "dissent is the highest form of patriotism."

So if you’re not satisfied with the dialogue today, if you feel your issues are being ignored, speak out, act out, and make your issues the voting issues of our nation.

You might say, "who's he kidding? We can't do that." Well, I remember when you couldn’t even mention environmental issues without a snicker. But then in the ‘70s people got tired of seeing the Cuyahoga River catch on fire from all the pollution. So one day millions of Americans marched. Politicians had no choice but to take notice. Twelve Congressmen were dubbed the Dirty Dozen, and soon after seven were kicked out of office. The floodgates were opened. We got the Clean Air Act, The Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water. We created the EPA. The quality of life improved because concerned citizens made their issues matter in elections.

So it's up to you now to take up the challenge of your times if you want to restore a politics of big ideas, not small-minded attacks.

Make no mistake -- you'll meet resistance. You'll find plenty of people who think you should just keep your mouths shut or that by speaking out you're somehow less than patriotic. But that's not really new either. When we protested the war in Vietnam some would weigh in against us saying: “My country right or wrong.” Our response was simple: “Yes, my country right or wrong. When right, keep it right and when wrong, make it right.”

Graduates of the Class of 2006, you know how to make it right -- and you will see that it came from what you learned here: from a class so compelling you were awake at the crack of dawn to learn… from that night Teresa and I will never forget when you waited patiently till 4:15 at a polling place in Gambier … or from a coach who knew that her mission was to teach you how to win on and off the field.

Congratulations – and God Bless.

I posted Tut's piece at Kos, where it could use some love:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2006/5/20/92434/8385

I read Tutter's post last night. Having Kerry's speech following it makes me wonder why barely 50% of eligible voters will vote in national elections?

I agree with Tutter that we need to engage our friends, coworkers, and neighbors in order to get Americans interested in the process that is effecting (destroying?) their lives. We can't trust the media. We have to trust what we see is going on around us everyday and not be afraid to talk about it.

We have an active petition process in our county to get a measure on the November ballot asking if America should withdraw from Iraq. It is an excellent opportunity to let Progressives and Conservatives let their views be known. We hope to get Conservatives to sign the petition by explaining that having the referendum on the ballot will allow their county to demonstrate how it really feels about the war issue.

McCain & students:

The Senator spoke in a dull monotone, without his usual charisma or charm. He was noticeably deflated by the crowd's harsh reception towards him. Remarks such as "I supported the decision to go to war in Iraq," were met with loud boos.
"I stand that ground because I believed, rightly or wrongly, that my country's interests and values required it."

"Wrongly!" one student boomed from the back. Sitting directly behind us, Maureen Dowd and Adam Nagourney of the New York Times, chuckled.As McCain droned on, students became increasingly restless. One cried, "This speech sucks!" Several students walked out early.

(posted twice last thread, above is excerpt)

Kerry:

And now, we are engaged in a misguided war. Like the war of my generation, it began with an official deception. It’s a war that in addition to the human cost — the tragedy of tens of thousands of Iraqis and Americans dead and wounded — will cost a trillion dollars. Enough to endow 10,000 Kenyons. Money that could fight poverty, disease, and hunger. And so, your challenge is also to find a way to reclaim America’s conscience. I have no doubt you will.

For one thing you have great role models. Like your parents, sitting out there under the trees. You may laugh looking at the old photos of your dad in a ponytail, and your mom in bellbottoms and that crazy, tie-dyed shirt. But their generation too faced the task of ending a war. And they did.

And went on to invent Earth Day, march against racism, bring women into the workplace and become the first generation to usher in an acceptance for all people regardless of race, religion, gender or sexuality. They honored democracy by making government face issues of conscience — and I ask you to applaud them for making the world better BEFORE they made it better by making you what you are!

And of course, in addition to those sitting behind you -- you have great role models sitting among you. Students from this class who had a dream, took a chance, and have already achieved great things.

(MS Senate office)

Old pirates, yes, they rob I;
Sold I to the merchant ships,
Minutes after they took I
From the bottomless pit.
But my hand was made strong
By the hand of the Almighty;
We forward in this generation
Triumphantly

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our minds.
Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them can stop the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look? Ooh!
Some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfill de book.

Won't you help to sing
These songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever have:
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs;
Redemption songs.

Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery;
None but ourselves can free our mind.
Wo! Have no fear for atomic energy,
'Cause none of them-a can-a stop-a the time.
How long shall they kill our prophets,
While we stand aside and look?
Yes, some say it's just a part of it:
We've got to fulfill de book.

Won't you help to sing
Dese songs of freedom?
'Cause all I ever had:
Redemption songs
All I ever had:
Redemption songs:
These songs of freedom,
Songs of freedom.

bob knew,
Otter

We do *so* hate it when you equivocate and vacillate like that, friend Tutterfly.

Rant ON, grrl!

:0)

Separated at Birth: Hugo and Dubya?

May 20, 2006
Seeking United Latin America, Venezuela's Chávez Is a Divider
By JUAN FORERO

BOGOTÁ, Colombia, May 19 — As Venezuela's president, Hugo Chávez, insinuates himself deeper in the politics of his region, something of a backlash is building among his neighbors.

Mr. Chávez — stridently anti-American, leftist and never short on words — has cast himself as spokesman for a united Latin America free of Washington's influence. He has backed Bolivia's recent gas nationalization, set up his own Socialist trade bloc and jumped into the middle of disputes between his neighbors, even when no one has asked.

Some nations are beginning to take umbrage. The mere association with Mr. Chávez has helped reverse the leads of presidential candidates in Mexico and Peru. Officials from Mexico to Nicaragua, Peru and Brazil have expressed rising impatience at what they see as Mr. Chávez's meddling and grandstanding, often at their expense.

Diplomatic sparring has broken into the open. Last month, after very public sniping between Mr. Chávez and Peru's president, Alejandro Toledo, the country withdrew its ambassador from Caracas, citing "flagrant interference" in its affairs.

"He goes around shooting from the hip and shooting his mouth off, and that has caused tensions," Jorge G. Castañeda, a former Mexican foreign minister, said by phone from New York, where he is teaching at New York University. "The difference now is that he's picking fights with his friends, not just his adversaries."

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/20/world/americas/20chavez.html

Can somebody explain to me why the Right wing of the Republican party can get its base to get out and vote and the Democrats can't get its base out?

I will not accept weak answers such as workers (democrats) can't take time off on those Tuesdays, or they did vote but the election was stolen (even though I believe it was stolen). The stolen election argument would fall apart if the tens of millions of Democratic supporters elgible to vote actually did vote, or the system was unfairly "gamed" against those that wanted to vote Democratic.

Otter
That one's great

I looked up Redemption Song yesterday too--my son just got a CD for his nirthday and we have been paying it over and over.

I am so proud of his love of Marley and Cliff...shows he is heading in the right direction!

Voting patterns in America are keenly analysed statistics by party officials. In 1996 the turn out at the general election was 49% which was the lowest turn out since 1924. This was despite a record of 13 million new voters registering to vote in1992. This could simply have been because so many potential voters considered the result a forgone conclusion rather than America developing a sudden apathy towards politics. However, if the latter is true then the consequences for America in the future could be dire if only a certain section of society involves itself in politics and the rest feel that it is an area they should not concern themselves with. The election result of 2000 replicated the 1996 election in terms of voter participation with only about 50% of registered voters participating and this was in a campaign where there was no foregone conclusion regarding the candidates - Al Gore and George W Bush. The 2000 election was considered to be one of the most open elections in recent years.

http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/voting_patterns_in_america.htm

This July 2004 report from the U.S. Census Bureau provides some very useful statistics regarding the voting patterns in the U.S. November 2002 elections.

In 2002 & 2004 elections, 42% of total population, 46% of the citizens and 69% of the registered voters actually voted. Some 27% of registered voters who do not vote give the following reason for not voting: "Too busy, conflicting schedules". That is 27% of 39 million people, i.e. some 10.5 million of those registered to vote.

Republicans target the most faithful for political conversion so aggressively that critics say they skirt the law. At the White House, President Bush has courted people of faith with his policies and language. They are a huge group: In 2000, one in four voters said they attended church every week.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2004-06-02-religion-gap_x.htm

Election stats sites
http://www.gwu.edu/gelman/guides/social/election.html#section2

Strangely most data is on 2000 election, compared to 2004

"You can easily judge the character of others by how they treat those who can do nothing for them or to them."

-- Malcolm Forbes

listen up mister boosh,
Otter

Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 10:38 AM

DiAnne,

Those are very interesting indeed, but it makes me wonder, have the Democrats conceeded the "church vote" to the Republicans? Or, do the Democrats not have an effective message that appeals to Americans who regularly attend church?

I saw a lot of "church" energy at the Spiritual Progressives event the other day. And I'll tell you the secret.

MUSIC.

OnCall
I think Democrats try - Kerry & the other made religious references, spoke about the difference between words & actions. There is the rise of the liberal church, which has always been a factor (against the Vietnam war, through the civil rights era etc).

What I don't see is liberal MEGA churches. I read a big article awhile back (Atlantic Monthly?) about how those megachurches sucked in alot of "exurbanites" by offering services like daycare & marriage counselling, but not letting recruits know how far-right & radically literal their program was til they got them into the fold.

I think that one good strategy would be to find out what issues really matter to some of those church goers. It can't be all about gays, guns & fear. If there are enough churchgoers who care about poverty & favor social justice, then the Democrats should have an edge with those people.

Are there enough religious Americans outraged by Abu Graib or do they tune things like that out?

PS I work with "exurbanites" - what they care about is square footage.

Does Righteous Rick really live in Pennsylvania?

http://kdka.com/local/local_story_138235556.html

Patrols Beefed Up Near Santorum's Home
http://kdka.com/bios/local_bio_053114131

(KDKA) PENN HILLS KDKA has learned that extra police patrols have been called in to keep an eye on Senator Rick Santorum's home in Penn Hills.

Rick Santorum's residency in the area and, in fact, his residency in Pennsylvania, has become an issue in this still young U.S. Senate campaign.

KDKA.s Ralph Iannotti reports Santorum?s residency is no longer just only a political issue... it's now become a police matter, as well.

"The house he's registered to vote out of, is vacant -- no curtains, furniture, nothing in there. It's abandoned for over a month. So, I feel it's my right to contest his vote."

Those comments from the husband of the head of the Penn Hills Democratic Party led police to beef up patrols around the home of U.S. Senator Rick Santorum.

The increased police presence began late Tuesday, after authorities in Washington D.C. contacted Penn Hills authorities.

U.S. Capitol Police received a complaint from Karen Santorum.

She was worried that someone was trespassing or prowling on their Penn Hills property.

The Santorums are under fire from some Democrats who have long questioned their Penn Hills residency.

They admit they spend most of their time at their home in Leesburg, Virginia.

Rick Santorum's in-laws told KDKA the senator and their daughters were in town this week.

"They were here for five days over Mother's Day, and they left early Wednesday morning, to go back to Washington," said Betty Lee Garver, Senator Santorum?s mother-in-law.

Penn Hills Public Safety Director Ron Machesky said he's asked his officers to document their Santorum house checks whenever they're free, after they finish regular duties.

Machesky said the beefed up security around Santorum's house does not detract from police service to the rest of Penn Hills.

John Braebender, a Santorum strategist, thinks leaders of the Penn Hills Democratic Party are involved.

Braebender says: "It's hardball politics, looking into people's homes... For someone to be stalking their house for political reasons is nothing short of unconscionable."

Right now, Penn Hills Police don't know who, if anybody, trespassed on Santorum's property.

No one has been charged.

As for the Santorums, they think someone would have had to go onto their property to know what is, or isn't inside.

Are there enough religious Americans outraged by Abu Graib or do they tune things like that out?

Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 11:04 AM

My personal opinion - without data to back it - is that there are not enough religious people outraged about abu ghraib because the American actions are due to the "moral" authority to "protect" America.

As far as the gay issue goes, I believe that the Democratic party as a whole has walked away from supporting gays. The Senate measure this past week is an example. We saw Russ Feingold speak up, but not the Demcratic party. When the Democrats are too timid to actively support gay rights and gay marriage, why should regular church attendees even reconsider their objections to gay rights? Yes, it easier to appeal to people regarding issues about social justice and poverty, but as we have seen, regular church goers are influenced by the three G's.

correction to my above post: The last sentence should read .....regular church goers are *more influenced* by the three G's.

Oncall, Your timing is exquisite:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12879318/

Religious liberals gain new visibility
Left-winged group no longer overshadowed by Christian right

By Caryle Murphy and Alan Cooperman

Updated: 12:59 a.m. ET May 20, 2006

The religious left is back.

Long overshadowed by the Christian right, religious liberals across a wide swath of denominations are engaged today in their most intensive bout of political organizing and alliance-building since the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the 1960s, according to scholars, politicians and clergy members.

More here:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12879318/

This is from the last census data: (pdf) There are many implications for things we could do - get out the vote, make sure the transient young population has re-registered each time they move, get more minorities & others to feel they have more stake in the system. When people are registered, they do vote.

These are trends I found from pages & pages. In 2004, there were more voters for Kerry than in 2000 for Gore, but the Republicans also got out the vote. I did this when I'm supposed to be cleaning my house. CAPS ARE MY WORDS.

1. Immigration. NEW AMERICANS NEED TO VOTE PROGRESSIVE
Increase in the proportion of noncitizens in the voting-age population during the past three decades. The proportions of noncitizens in November 2000 were particularly high among Hispanics (of any race) and Asians and Pacific Islanders and reflect large-scale immigration to the United States. Recent immigration has differentially affected the proportion of noncitizens in these groups — 2 percent of White non-Hispanics were not citizens, compared with 6 percent of Blacks, 41 percent of Asians and Pacific Islanders, and 39 percent of Hispanics.

2. Registration. WE NEED TO REGISTER MORE - THEY VOTE!
Every state requires eligible voters to register to vote with the exception of North Dakota. Most people who are registered to vote do vote — 86 percent in the 2000 election. In November 2000, of the 203 million people who were 18 and older, 186 million were citizens, and 130 million were registered. In the election, 111 million people voted. Thus, the voting rates for the population 18 and older were 55 percent of the total population, 60 percent of the citizen population, and 86 percent of the registered population. This was up from 82 percent in the 1996 election. Historically, the likelihood of actually voting once registered has remained high, with the peak at 91 percent in 1968.

Stake in the System: CONVINCE PEOPLE THEY MATTER
Who votes? The characteristics of people who are most likely to go to the polls are a reflection of both the racial/ethnic composition of the citizen population and the attributes of people with the biggest stakes in society: older individuals, homeowners, married couples, and people with more schooling, higher incomes, and good jobs. White non-Hispanics top citizen voting-age population. Women, older people, and married people are more likely to vote.

Gender: CONVINCE WOMEN TO VOTE IN OWN INTEREST
Women were more likely than men to vote. Although men historically have voted at higher rates than women, women’s rates surpassed those of men in the entire 18 and older population for the first time in the Presidential election of 1984. This trend coincides with a number of social changes for women over the past few decades.

Age: GET MORE YOUNG TO VOTE & STAY REGISTERED
The voting rate is much higher among older age groups than younger age groups The peak age group for voting participation is 65 to 74 years, where 72 percent of citizens voted in the 2000 election. The lowest voting rate (36 percent) is for 18- to 24-year-old citizens, who were half as likely to vote as people 65 to 74 years. A key difference between these two groups is registration — while 79 percent of older citizens were registered, 51 percent of younger citizens were registered. Young adults, especially people in their twenties, are the most transient and must re-register after each move, possibly leading to lower registration levels.

Education: EDUCATE ABOUT REGISTRATON & PARTICIPATION
Citizens who had bachelor’s degrees were twice as likely (75 percent) to report that they voted as those who had not completed high school (38 percent).

Income: CONVINCE NONWEALTHY TO REGISTER & VOTE
The votingrate among people living in families with annual incomes of $50,000 or more was 72 percent, compared with 38 percent for people living in families with incomes of under $10,000. Together, about one-half of those who voted in the November 2000 election lived in families with incomes of $50,000 or more.

Employment: VOTING COULD MEAN MORE JOBS
61 percent of employed citizens reported voting, compared
with only 40 percent of those who were in the labor force but not employed. Citizens who were not in the labor force, a group that included many retired people, reported the second highest voter participation rate (59 percent).

Home Ownership: BUSH TARGETED BY PROMISING "OWNERSHIP"!! (ESPECIALLY TO MINORITIES!!)
Sixty-five percent of homeowners reported voting in 2000, compared with 44 percent of citizens who rented housing. Similarly, citizens who had lived in the same home for 5 or more years had a voting rate of 72 percent, significantly higher than rates for indivduls who moved.

Geography: GOTV - BLACK VOTERS NEEDED
People in the Midwest are most likely to register and to vote.
73 percent of citizens in the Midwest were registered to vote, and 63 percent of citizens voted. The high levels of registration and voting recorded in the Midwest may be due in part to the fact that people are able to register on election day in some of these states. The voting rate in the Northeast was 60 percent, and the lowest voting rates were in the West (58 percent) and South (57 percent). Some, but not all, of the increased share is due to the population shift to the South during this period (from 29 percent to 35 percent of the voting-age population). In 2000, White non-Hispanics had lower voting rates in the South than in the other three regions. For Blacks, voting rates were lowest in the West and highest in the Midwest. In fact, in the Midwest, voting rates for Blacks were not statistically different from those for White non-Hispanics.

Type of Ballot: MAIL IN? ELECTRONIC? SAME DAY? REGISTER ON SITE? LET EVERYONE VOTE & DON'T TAMPER - SECURITY
In 2000, the highest voting rates were found in the District of
Columbia, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Maine, and Minnesota. Hawaii was the state with the lowest level of voter participation. In Oregon, where all ballots were mailed in for the first time, the citizen voting rate was 67 percent, higher than in most other states. All of the states that allow registration on election day had registration rates that were at or above the national average. In the 2000 Presidential election, 86 percent of voters reported thatthey voted in person on election day, In the West, absentee andearly voting were quite popular.Oregon required all voters to casttheir ballot through the mail byabsentee ballot. High rates of absentee and early voting occurred in other Western states — Washington (52 percent); Colorado, Nevada, and Arizona (all about35 percent); and New Mexico and California (both about 22 percent).

WHY DIDN'T SOME PEOPLE VOTE:
Of the 130 million people who reported that they were registered to vote, 19 million (14 percent) did not vote in the 2000 election. Of these registered non-voters, 21 percent reported that they did not vote because they were too busy or had conflicting work or school schedules Another 15 percent reported that they did not vote because they were ill, disabled, or had a family emergency, 12 percent did not vote because they were not interested or felt their vote would not make a difference, and 10 percent were out of town. Other specified reasons for not voting included not liking the candidates or campaign issues (8 percent), confusion or uncertainty about registration (7 percent), forgetting to vote (4 percent),
and transportation problems (2 percent).14 Blacks were more likely than White non-Hispanics and Hispanics to have transportation problems. Men, White non-Hispanics, and more educated people were more likely to report that they were out of town.

- Please offer thoughts & strategies. How can we keep elections from being stolen?

Recently Washington State passed a progressive measure guaranteeing civil rights for gays.

Now a local neocon has enlisted the Onward Christian Soldier Brotherhood to help him repeal the law.

Eyman, Churches Link Up -- Initiate King Seeks Out Evangelicals' Help to Repeal Gay Rights Law

OLYMPIA -- Using a page torn from the Karl Rove playbook, initiative salesman Tim Eyman has turned to a network of evangelical churches to help repeal the gay-rights law that the Legislature passed this spring.

Eyman needs to round up 112,440 valid signatures from registered voters by June 6 to get Referendum 65 on the ballot this fall.  
   
  Tim Eyman needs to gather 112,440 signatures.

Though early reports indicated a lackluster response to the measure, Eyman is banking on an eleventh-hour surge from as many as 5,400 churches he hopes will participate in "Referendum Sunday."

"That means that this weekend nearly 500,000 voters are going to hear about and talk about our effort to get a public vote on House Bill 2661," Eyman wrote in an e-mail sent to the media and supporters. "They'll be asked to not only sign the petition, but to take petitions home and fill them up and return them next Sunday."

After nearly three decades of debate, the Legislature passed the bill this year outlawing discrimination in employment, housing and lending based on sexual orientation.

Read the rest at the link.

Kerry Address Focuses on Counting Votes
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052006Y.shtml

Today, John Kerry addressed the graduating students at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, as his "fellow survivors of November 2, 2004." Thanks to record student voter participation, Kenyon College was among the last polling places in the nation to close on Election Day 2004.

TruthOut promises a more comprehensive update on the Rove indictment matter tomorrow around noon.

Link for Eyman & Evangelicals

Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 11:04 AM

I used to attend one right here in NY City - Unity, led by the late Eric Butterworth. Unity was unlike almost any traditional religious Christian or Jewish community that I knew of.

The problem is that a lot of us have gone secular - or as I prefer to phrase it, Secular and Spiritual. That is, allergic to dogma but sensitive to authentic spiritual energies and cross-cultural spiritual themes.

At this point in my life, I can't think of a single religious community that espouses the psycho-spiritual principles, in their totality, that I find self-evident.

- Please offer thoughts & strategies. How can we keep elections from being stolen?

Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 12:11 PM

David Corn says:

The public does deserve any information that would allow it to evaluate vote-counting. Beyond that, extensive election reform is necessary. Electronic voting ought to produce a paper trail that can be examined. There should be national standards for voting systems and for verifying vote tallies. And vote counters should be nonpartisan public servants, not secretive corporations or party hacks. The system ought to be so solid that no one would have cause even to wonder whether an election has been stolen.

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20041129/corn

I would concur, But I would also add that the Secretary of State should not be a partisan position. We need local and media oversight of preregistration processes, with appeals completed in a timely way.

Examples of hypocrisy:

I used to live in South Dakota. Look what's happening.

On March 6th of this year South Dakota’s conservative Governor, Mike Rounds, signed into law HB1215 – the most extreme anti-abortion legislation in the 33 years since Roe v. Wade became law. HB1215 bans all abortions in South Dakota – including those resulting from cases of rape and incest.

In fact, in South Dakota right now if you were a victim of rape and got pregnant as a result, not only would you have to carry the pregnancy to full term, but once the child was born, the rapist would have visiting rights!

Let the extremists know that this is unacceptable http://advocacy.grassrootsarena.net/ts/ref.cfm?ref=https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/direct/9517

We need local and media oversight of preregistration processes, with appeals completed in a timely way.

Posted by: karen at May 20, 2006 12:32 PM

I am sorry, but I don't trust the media to do its job. We have to be the media.

Posted by: karen at May 20, 2006 11:55 AM

No, I did not plan that ;-)

Interesting article, but the point is also raised that it is unclear how much of an effect the progressive community is going to have. Another point that I agree with is regular church goers (~20% of the voting population) tends not to agree with the progressive agenda. Yet, the fact that Progressives are taking a stand in the religious community is heartening.

More hypocrisy:

Hookergate: The Early Years http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000646.php

We've noted http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000524.php Brent Wilkes' and Dusty Foggo's reputations as hell raising ladies' men before http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000616.ph , but recent reporting has added a slew of details to the picture.

First, on Brent Wilkes, the crooked defense contractor who allegedly provided prostitutes to Duke Cunningham and others, there's this from The San Diego Union-Tribune http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/nation/20060513-9999-1n13foggo.html : Foggo's first foreign posting [at the CIA] was to Honduras, the center of the U.S.-backed Contra guerrilla fighters who were trying to topple the Marxist government of Nicaragua. About that time, Wilkes launched a Washington-based financial firm and accompanied lawmakers on trips to Central America, where they met with Foggo and Contra leaders.

Three of Wilkes' former friends say he told them he was involved in assignations between some of the legislators and prostitutes in Central America. The former friends " each of whom has known Wilkes and Foggo since high school" would speak only on the condition that they not be identified. "Brent Wilkes adamantly and vehemently denies ever being involved in getting anybody prostitutes, and that includes congressmen and any other officials," Wilkes' attorney said.

And on Dusty Foggo, the CIA's now former Executive Director, who was at Wilkes' poker parties, but claims never to have seen a prostitute there, there's this from Harper's http://harpers.org/sb-dusty-foggo-21-20060513.html Ken Silverstein:
Over the past few days, I've spoken to six former CIA officials - all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity - who know Foggo or are well acquainted with his work at the agency. They provided a number of previously unreported revelations about Foggo's career, particularly regarding his years in Honduras in the early 1980s, when the agency was using the country as a base both to support the Nicaraguan contras and for a variety of other covert programs in Central America....

Foggo, said my sources, was also a regular at a local bar named Gloria's, which one source said was chiefly known for having "a brisk hooker trade." While my sources had no direct knowledge of Foggo consorting with prostitutes, several said that simply being at a place like Gloria's was deemed to be a serious security problem and that Foggo's nocturnal habits were a source of great concern within the local CIA station.

And from Newsweek's Mark Hosenball http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12779088/site/newsweek/page/2/ :
During his time in Vienna, Foggo was also the subject of a CIA investigation for allegedly pursuing relationships with women without properly informing his employer - a potential security risk - according to two former CIA officials who also would not be named talking about agency procedures. Foggo's lawyer, William Hundley, did not respond to numerous requests for comment. But according to a source close to Foggo, who wouldn't speak about intelligence matters on the record, Foggo denied improprieties with women. Investigators concluded that Foggo hadn't posed a serious security risk.

Guardians of our Morals ..

WHERE are the whistleblowers?

Results 1 - 10 of about 4,710,000 for is karl rove gay.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/20/DDG85IUFA71.DTL

It's still Vietnam for writer and rapt audience at vet center

Justin Berton, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, May 20, 2006

Gaz Crittenden pulled a green compass from his back pocket and took a long look around the Veterans Academy courtyard in the Presidio on Thursday afternoon. It was packed with 40 or so vets, many of whom were dressed in heavy coats and stocking caps. They'd come down from their housing units on a cold day to hear Crittenden read from his book, "Jungle Rules" (Dan River Press; $16.95), a novel about a soldier who loses his humanity in Vietnam.

The white-haired author was dressed in a sensible polo shirt and nice blue jeans -- a touch more spiffy than his audience -- but he also wore the same pair of jungle boots he'd been issued as a teenager when he entered the Army 35 years ago.

"I know where I am," Crittenden joked as he closed his compass. "I'm in San Francisco, the place I spent my last night before I shipped out."

Crittenden received some knowing laughs. Many of the men spent an evening in the city before heading to Travis Air Force Base, the last stop in America. The comment earned Crittenden the blessing of legitimacy from his fellow vets.

For Crittenden and his brothers, Vietnam is still very much alive, still being managed within their heads, despite the more recent wars that occupy much of the world's attention. The residents at the Veterans Academy have struggled with homelessness and addiction; they're still learning to cope together after the war. Veterans from all wars share a bond.

"Maybe what's true," said John Keker, Crittenden's friend and Vietnam veteran, "is that regardless of politics, whether you believe in it or not, all wars eventually become about you and your buddies -- how you survive it together with them."

Shortly after the young Crittenden returned to the World (vet slang for America), he enrolled in law school. He lived a mostly quiet life as a lawyer in Lexington, Mass. All that time, he maneuvered around discussions of Vietnam.

"I knew people for 30 years who never knew I served," he said. "But after I retired, I thought I'd sit down to do a little writing. What wanted to come out was Vietnam."

Crittenden's novel centers on the character of Andy Cullen, a teenager who, like Crittenden, found himself overwhelmed by the life-and-death responsibilities placed on him at such a young age. And not just responsibility for his own life but for an entire platoon.

"What Gaz captures," said Michael Blecker, who served from 1968-69, and listened to the author, "is that we were all thrust into these leadership roles, when we didn't even know what was going on ourselves. You'd be there three months and you're suddenly responsible for 15 other guys' lives in the jungle."

To cope, soldier Cullen develops a hardened worldview. He's not yet of drinking age, but he's heard mortars blow up over his head, shot and killed "small brown men" who emerged from the jungle's darkness and patched together the mangled body of a friend he'd shared a cigarette with moments earlier.

"He soon learns," Crittenden read to his audience, "he's in a world filled with hurt."

To function in this world, the soldier blocks out the horror altogether. He kills himself inside, Crittenden explained to his audience, "because if he's dead, how can the enemy kill him?"

Cullen feels nothing for anyone, especially the Vietnamese, for they are the ones he is allegedly liberating, and they are ungrateful. For them, Cullen reserves a deep, seething anger.

Crittenden looked up from his reading podium and offered to his audience, "For this reason, it's not surprising to me that the My Lai massacre occurred. It's surprising there were not more of them."

The audience nodded in agreement. After Crittenden closed his book, a vet from the audience asked the author, "How much of that is true and how much is fake?"

"I felt like if I stuck to the truth of my own story, I wouldn't have enough material to make the point I wanted to make," Crittenden said. "This is about how, you guys know, war dehumanizes the individual. No one is immune. It's a question of to what degree."

Overhead, a Coast Guard helicopter whooshed near the audience, but no one paid it much attention.

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

OFF TO SEE RUSS FEINGOLD get a BACKBONE AWARD!!

Goon Squad
by Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Mother, Father, I'm here in the zoo
I can't come home 'cause I've grown up too soon
I got my sentence
I got my command
They said they'd make me major if I met all their demands

I could be a corp'ral into corp'ral punishment
Or the gen'ral manager of a large establishment
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...

Goon squad
They've come to look you over and they're giving you the eye
Goon squad
They want you to come out to play
You'd better say goodbye

Some grow just like their dads
And some grow up too tall
Some go drinking with the lads
Some don't grow at all

And you must find the proper place
For everything you see
But you'll never get to make a lampshade out of me

I could join a chain of males or be the missing link
Looking for a lucky girl to put me in the pink
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...

Good squad ....

Mother, Father, I'm doing so well
I'm making such progress now that you can hardly tell
I fit in a little dedication
With one eye on the clock
They caught you under medication
You could be in for a shock

Thinking up the alibis that ev'ryone's forgotten
Just another mummy's boy gone to rotten
They pat some good boys on the back and put some to the rod
But I never thought they'd put me in the...

Goon squad....

...once more, into the breach....

I'm going to talk about voting again. I don't think we can focus on it enough. For those of us who vote in every election, it must seem like a no-brainer that in order to be heard you have to use your voice. I've scratched my head, or gotten angry, or puzzled over the people who don't vote for years, long before we landed in this place, just like everybody else.

Think about all of the reasons you DO vote. You want something to happen or to stop happening. You want a policy to change, or you want a policy strengthened. I'm talking about just your most basic reasons for voting. Don't think current or prior candidates, just why you exercise your right to vote. Okay? Now answer this:

Who taught you that? By what method did you come to the conclusion that voting was not only your right but your duty? Did you use the words obligation, freedom, responsibility, etc?

Whatever spurred you to become a regular, dedicated, informed voter, I'll bet you that you used colorful words to describe your dedication to voting, and perhaps even remembered the persons or events that were instrumental in forming your inspiration to become a voter. You own memories that have formed and informed your participation in the process.

So, here is the task that falls to us now. Half this country does NOT vote. Big vote, little vote, local or national, they just don't vote. Oh, they complain about their schools, or their roads, or their taxes, but they don't take their complaint to the ballot box. Somewhere between, 'this isn't right' and 'something has to be done' the connection to themselves just isn't there.

I've spent my whole life being endlessly interested in people. It's fascinating to listen to people describe who they are, what they think, what they believe. But, there people I'm thinking of right now, are the people who for some reason know, just know for 100% sure that they don't really matter all that much. The non-voters among us.

'My vote doesn't count.'
'Nobody listens to people like me.'
'Elections are a waste of time, they are all crooks anyway.'
'I'd vote, if I knew any of them.'
'Voting is for rich people, they stomp all over the poor anyway.'

I've spent nearly a week on this now, since our primary day. And, to tell you the truth, I'm worried. Because come November, not enough people are going to vote. If we are depending on the 'anybody but Bush' votes, please go home now, and SHOOT YOURSELF IN THE FACE!

I don't know everything, but these are the things I know:

Calling the 'R's' the 'culture of corruption' is not going to inspire 'D' votes. Rather than being a reason to vote, it's a reason to be repulsed. Since a vast number of people consider politics as a crooked business anyway, pot calling kettle black is not making anyone look good.

Waiting for the 'R's' to do themselves in, so that the 'D's' can sit back and reap the benefits of their internal collapse is cowardly. I've talked to at least a half a dozen people who are NOT inspired to vote 'D' or at all, on the strength of watching an implosion. Sure, it's human nature to rubberneck past the car wreck, but how many people actually STOP to render assistance?

Everyone considers that their representation doesn't represent them on some issue. And, they do not believe that anyone can be all things to all people. Let a non voter tell you what their issues are, the environment, healthcare, taxes, war, and you are going to hear more about how it's a mess with no way to fix it, than you will hear concrete ideas, because they know in their heart of hearts, not one politician of any party gives a flying flip about fixing anything. They are trying to get elected or re-elected, no more, no less. And, if you think we have been given a whole lot of ammunition to prove that thats wrong, I want what you're smoking. Moses led his people in the wilderness for a long time, and today's political landscape looks just as vast right now.

Get someone to tell you what they are afraid of. Go ahead, ask them if they are quivering in fear about the next 9-11. To a person, everyone I know does not think they are going to get killed by a terrorist. They abhor that tragedy being flung in their faces as a reason to do ANYTHING. Including being a reason to vote. When an 'R' tries to scare them into a position, or a 'D' tries to tell them about the cargo containers at the ports, they will come back at you with, 'right, we get it, not safe, thanks for nothing.'

And, the wiretaps, the warrentless snooping, the Patriot Act, CIA, NSA. Please, help me out here, and tell me why I'm the only one who I hear saying this. IF YOU HAVE OVER 50% OF THIS POPULATION THAT DOESN'T EVEN PRACTICE THE FREEDOM TO VOTE, HOW THE HELL DO YOU EXPECT THEM TO GRASP CIVIL LIBERTIES IN ANY CONTEXT? They don't vote, (ring ring) you know, voting, that simple act of going a few blocks from home, completing a ballot, and being proud of doing their civic duty. Exactly how do you impart to these people that won't follow through on a relatively easy task to PAY ATTENTION to something that's much bigger? Look, go cut out a picture of W. Make a coupla hundred copies, then go tape it on the front window of every house in your neighborhood. We need some 'in your face' because not enough people get it.

How's the League of Women Voters doing in your town? Seen many registration drives lately? How come we aren't going to hear anything till we hear about the deadline dates for our areas, and the horror it's going to be when we wait till the last minute to register and there's going to be a mistake in your registration that's going to prevent you from voting or make you vote provisional ballot? Where is the urgency?

Finally, and maybe most importantly, we come to messaging and where people get their information from. People, its been a long six years of holding the media's feet to the fire, and demanding the truth. By all means, holler till you're horse, write LTE's, blog till your fingers are down to the nubs, call talk radio, whatever blows your dress up. The media is not your friend, it isn't an agent for change, or causing a massive wake up to the populace. People are turning off the media as fast, if not faster than they are turning off the politicians that pollute the airwaves. There may have been a time when mass media offered the widest distribution of information, but if we don't get serious about one on one communication, the non-voters are going to stay non-voters.

The saddest thing, going forward from here, is battling hatred. It's been too easy, and too successful, teaching that it's good to hate. 'Yes, indeed, step right up and hate somebody today, it's the American way. And, we'll even teach you how to use hate speech to keep from actually having to say or do anything that is actually good for humans. Learning good hate language is gets you on teevee, it gets you quoted. And, as an added bonus, if you hate what I hate, I'll go to Congress and hate on the Hill, for your benefit.' Except that there hasn't been any benefit to the hatred, and the only way to keep people from noticing is to keep giving them more to hate, louder, and with more violent imagery attached. I've been calling it the national sickness, our pandemic, spreading and getting bigger and killing more spirit and ruining more lives every day. It's not a cure, but a refusal to be a part of it can at least be my personal goal. So it can be yours to.

No change in the make up of Congress will help unless more people participate in the make up of that Congress. Those of us who vote, we are not failing in that civic duty, but we are failing to impress those who do not vote simply by voting ourselves. I shamed a few people into voting this week. What did you do? In the end, it's going to come down to asking yourself that.

Nice!

(And also appended to the Tutterfly thread at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/20/92434/8385 by a secret admirer, ahem, ahem...)

vote dammit vote,
Otter

Tutter,

Now your talkin'

I hope your community has even more elections. That way we will be the beneficiaries of your insightful posts.

To answer your question about voter registration drives, a local organization DAWN (DuPage Against War Now) has had several very successful voter registration initiatives within the last two years; registering over two thousand new potential voters. Visit their site and check out their initiative to get the Iraqi referendum on the November ballot. This is a good way to get people talking to each other. When I present the petition I am sure to get a good conversation going.

DAWN has worked with the cell that I formed in our area. Along with DAWN the DuPage Chapter of the Illinois Ballot Integrity Project (IBIP) - another group in our cell - has been very actively challenging our local election commission. Their challenges have been so successful that the Illinois Election Commission has charged the DuPage County election commission with breaking the law as regards to destroying poll tapes without permission. There has been an article in the Chicago Tribune about this. But of course the sheeples in our ultraconservative county took little notice.

http://tinyurl.com/l3oe8 (Chicago Tribune story)

http://d-a-w-n.org (DuPage Against War Now)

Tutter - Once again, I unabashedly admire your ability to write well, and get to the heart of the matter with divine clarity!

Kudos!!! :-)

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=1982324&page=1
Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 09:21 AM
(from previous thread)

Okay. I'll support this bogus asinine idiocy... IF they take the genuine smut off TV... like those less-than-classy ads for the reality shows where women (especially) and even men are wearing almost nothing but strings for clothing on those desert isles (I've never watched any of the reality shows 'cuz I just can't abide even the sleazy commercials for them)... IF they take things like obscene ads for gas-sucking hummers and SUVs off the air waves, IF they take the pill-pushing ads off of TV and have pharmaceutical companies who are profiting from our tax dollars use the money for those ads to pay for pills necessary for low-income people so they don't have to choose between meds to stay alive and paying the rent or for buying food.... and just what do legislators consider "obscene?"

War is obscene, torture is obscene, 'leaders' of this country breaking every law they ever met and making our Constitution into toilet paper is obscene, corporations raiding our treasurey are obscene, signing statements are obscene, polluting the environment is obscene, legislators giving a de facto dictator everything he wants is obscene, passing legislation to take away our civil rights and invade our privacy is obscene, scaring sheeple silly with 'terra' talk is obscene... and so is Lamestream Media for broadcasting hate-filled propaganda spoken by politicians that only encourages mass paranoid xenophobia in sheeple too stupid to think for themselves.

So, for wasting our tax dollars while they "earn" their salaries by passing such trivial legislation like they've done recently, I believe we need to vote them out of office so they can take permanent vacations and enjoy all the obscenity on TV that will never be taken off the air anyway. True, I don't watch much TV, but what little I do watch is monitored faithfully by my little mute button that at least silences the obscene ads I see on the screen, so only my visual senses are assaulted and not my hearing (gawd, but that 'background music' is awful!)....

Tell me, legislators, how do you define "smut" and what's your definition of "obscenity?"

Karen
Bill Moyer of Backbone Campaign said to tell you Hi.

Bonsoir, tout le monde

I've been awfully busy with old members of my family getting sick, trying to get them in appropiate nursing homes; and sincerely I don't know what is going on.
In the meantime, I watched so called political blogs raising in France. Jesus Christ, they don't know a thing, about it.IIm badly trying to explain......

Thanks to you all. I learned a lot.

Thanks to you, Andree, for helping us learn it too.

(cross-posted at kos)

That Dog Won't Hunt? (0 / 0)
Many Republicans are out in the lame stream media saying that even though a lot of America is pissed off at this misguided administration, these folks will not express their anger at the polls in November. They say that dog won't hunt. They are also trying to get their base out by drumming up the party-line wedge issues like a gay marriage amendment and Roe v. Wade.

I'll be working my ass off getting Dem voters to the polls this November to vote the hypocrite R's out of office. I urge all angry voters to go to the polls and vote and to bring a friend to vote, too.

abqjohn

One of the local representatives I heard speak today said we should channel our anger & think about the generations of kids coming up and the love we have for them, rather than just our hate of what's happened to the system and our desire to get the !@#$%^& out of office.

He characterized canvassing, phoning and mailing as "an athletic event" where we keep our head down and RUN!!!!! Others may be in movies or at the lake but we shouldn't let that stop us.

Another said that meeting people face to face had been shown again and again to be more effective than any electronic or mailed media in convincing people to vote for a candidate.

We heard from several who have won in overwhelmingly hostile ditricts, just by putting in miles and miles of walking to meet constituents.

I know they were trying to get us psyched up, but as Lou used to say, "Failure is not an option."

Andree

I don't know how to say "you rock" in French!!

Getting somebody to vote for something is easier than getting them to vote against something. The Republicans have obfuscated their agenda as if to seem their proposals are actually in support of something (the marriage act, the clean air act, no child left behind, etc, etc) instead of in opposition to America's best interests. Therein lies the Democrat's problems; they have not articulated what they are for. Yes, I know what the Democrats are saying and they are actually not just an opposition party. However, they have done a lousy job of publicizing their positive positions.

My post above is in reply to abqjohn's post.

Gee whiz, those pesky Democrats, can't live with 'em & can't live without 'em...

A few threads back, Karen asked us to read this article by Malcolm Gladwell from the online New Yorker site...

Dog Days
http://www.newyorker.com/online/content/articles/060522on_onlineonly01

Do it, for Karen. And then go read the article in the printed magazine, even if you have to buy it. You won't be disappointed. The article in the printed magazine is:

What the Dog Saw
by Malcolm Gladwell
Cesar Millan and the enigma of presence.

Cesar is proof that Dog loves us and wants us to be happy.

sorry but I must've left the dog saw in my other toolbox,
Otter

"Dog is my Co-Pilot"

Beats "Pontius Is My Co-Pilate" as far as stumper-bickers go, that's for sure.

...although I did see a really good one on a pickup truck the other day that said "The Road to Hell is Paved with Republicans"... which was all the more amazing considering that the truck also had a number of older, faded NRA stickers like "Charlton Heston is My President" and a couple of AFL-CIO untion stickers on it... along with a new-looking "Bush Must Go" sticker, too...

ya gotta love it when even their own base jumps ship,
Otter

DiAnne,

Due to the circumstances, it's just "Tu assumes" = "You get along with it".
Even if it's tough, I'm happy to belong to what might seem to Americans as Irish clans. Yes, I do say clans, we are the same, and deal about problems among ourselves...that's why administration gets mad with us. When things go properly, it's OK, if not...we fight, until we get what we want. It's just a matter of decency for the sick one....... respect, and love. But it takes so much time.
My part? Speaking smart flawless French, not being impressed by doctors, hammering on basic questions...which is not my basic purpose. I just love my people going away, while they represent money for the state.

Why I Spoke Up
by Jean Rohe

When I was selected as a student speaker for the New School commencement about two months ago I had no idea that I'd end up on CNN and in Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times, among other places, when it was all over. One day after the big event I'm still reeling from all the media attention and emails from professors, students, and other supporters from all over the country, so forgive me if my writing is a little scattered.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jean-rohe/why-i-spoke-up_b_21358.html

You can't read the Maureen Dowd column that Ms. Rohe mentioned in situ unless you are a paid subscriber to the New York Times' online service. You can, however, read it here: http://tinyurl.com/z7w49

news you can cruise,
Otter

Gee whiz, those pesky Democrats, can't live with 'em & can't live without 'em...

Posted by: Otter at May 20, 2006 06:42 PM

I would much rather live with the Democrats. But I also wish they had the sense to get people to vote for them and not just against the Republicans.

This is one of my longest posts ever. I believe the message that is given to voters for the '06 election is critical. I have taken some posts from an excellent diary on dailykos and posted them here. Here is the Readers Digest version of an excellent conversation from Daily Kos:

Our government is a failure because it's based on a failure: right-wing conservatism. Vote for success.

When you elect people who believe government is bad, you get bad government

A well defined positive agenda is the key to success.

His professor at Harvard John Kenneth Balbraith said one time in class, (I’m paraphrasing) the difference between Conservatives and Liberals is that Conservatives are concerned with property rights, and Liberals and concerned with human rights.

When you vote for people who believe government is the problem, you get a problem government.

Fact is, Reality is a cruel bitch with a bad temper and a mind of her own and you just don't get to make up your own.
But NeoCons really believe that they lower taxes and it will increase tax revenue or start a war for peace or tapping phone is for freedom.
It is all nonsense and gibberish and we on the left know it, but it is what they have been spinning for decades now. And while the left needs its own platform, we also need to continue to confront the wingnuts and challenge them every time they claim up is down and black is white.

Eisenhower warned about the military industrial complex, and it has now performed the slowest motion coup in history.

... it might have something to do with conservatives' hatred of three things:
Government of the people
Government for the people
Government by the people
Not exactly the party of Lincoln, are they, today's conservatives?

I particularly like the idea that W hasn't been a failure--this is conservatism in action. This is what happens. This is "starving the beast." (insert ironic jab that the beast isn't getting any skinnier, just less effective)

We're the party that actually believes in a Democratic government. We don't want to drown it in a bathtub. Democrats represent the People, not the corporations.

.....harnessing the power of corporate america for the good of america, not just profits at the top.

My own: Democrats for the Public Good and for Public Service.

Conservatism is bankrupt. This really does have to be our core message.

The time has come for Democrats to confront this decayed philosophy of 'conservatism' that Republicans espouse. Don't dance around it, don't be fearful of it, don't consider it an insurmountable obstacle.
Confront it head on. You'd be surprised how porous that defense is.

"Conservatism makes no poetry, breathes no prayer, has no invention; it is all memory." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

you attack the conservative philosophy, you are attacking the philosphy of republican voters
the conservative philosophy is not what is at 29% approval, it is george w. bush
the conservative philosophy is not what is at 18% approval, it is richard cheney
when the republicans stormed congress in 1994, you know what they had going for them?
congressional democratic corruption, and a president who was blundering around making himself look stupid
we have the same factors now, and to ignore them would be ... unsound

Let's vow to inform each and every Kossack in each and every diary, that the November elections are about a failed conservative agenda, fully played out in front of the American people and the world. There is no more argument left for the cause of conservatism.
They controlled the Legislative, Executive, and pretty near the Judicial branches, had control of the national purse, the military, and all the nation's reserves and atributes.
And their policies have failed a huge majority of Americans.

When you elect people who don't think government can do any good, then you get incompetent government that works badly (katrina ?)
When you elect people who think helping giant corporations is more important than helping people, you get wasteful spending which doesnt help anyone but pet industries(Eg medicare D).
If you will elect people who believe goverment can do good - who truly believe government is more responsible to individual rights than the rights of the big companies who can afford to pay to play, then you will get programs (Social security) which work well and bring more prosperity to all Americans.

Traditional conservative values, and I'm talking Lincoln Republican values -- and progressive values hold responsibility, personal privacy, freedom of religion, seperpation of church and state, personal liberty, rule of law, federal economic responsibility, land conservation in common.
Progressives are the alternative to the right-wing culture of corruption.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/5/20/145812/674

This is a comment that stuck with me from diary that I read:

Democrats for the Public Good and for Public Service.

Dick and I just watched a double feature of "Sir, No Sir" and "Winter Soldier". We both feel our hearts hurt; we have been stabbed by history.

What hurts so much is this:

We have learned NOTHING.

I don't even know what to write here. Listening to the raw testimony and the visual images of Vietnam is seering enough. Writing FEAR UP and listening to the stories we heard in London of renditioned men, sent to Syria to be tortured so their blood and pain is not on our hands--as if it could ever be washed FROM our hands--I am ashamed and angry and horrified.

What we do to the world is depraved. What we do to other people is horrific. What we do to ourselves and the future of our children is unforgiveable.

I must do better. I must do more. We must be effective.

I agree the Democatic party does not advocate for gay rights. They will cater to them when they need them. It's frustrating to think that a large segment of the American populace not only doesn't care about minorities, gays, immigrants, feminists, secular humanists, professors, urbanites, people who enjoy life, music, art, sex, laughter - but actually DISLIKE such people!!!!!
& alot of those do vote - against life, liberty & the pursuit of happiness.

Just take a look at the Sam Brownback stories on "smut" today.
Frist backs it too. Those guys know only one way to enjoy themselves when away from their wives while in Washington. I wish we would get some whistleblowers from the big DC hotels.

Posted by: DiAnne at May 20, 2006 12:57 PM

Absolutely agreed, DiAnne and oncall. I don't consider the Dems to be a reliable ally on LGBT (especially T) rights anymore. The likes of Ted Kennedy have sponsored federal anti-discrimination bills that would leave out the trans population; honestly, that would cover only the straightest-looking 1/3 of the LGBs.

As for Brownback, he is the puppet of the Korean-American community. He cares far more about North Korean refugees than he ever does about AMERICANS. He needs to be deported on the next Korean Air flight.

Ally McLesbian
Brownback is Korean? Wow

I just went to a birthday party with a very "mixed" crowd - it was so nice to hear intelligent conversation & wall-to-wall with haters of the status quo!

Karen
Interesting reading what you wrote = one of our conversations around the campfire tonight was how little was learned from Vietnam & Watergate. Now here we are with Iraq & all the conservative scandals.

Oncall,

In reference to your comment about the Dems being too timid to actively support gay rights,
I think fear of reprisal from Dobson (with the help of Rove perhaps) could be a reason.

Dobson threatened several Dem Senators last year by telling them he would see to it that they were not re-elected this year if they didn't bend to some of the things the religious right wants. I have seen a bit of a change in one of my own senator's votes since that threat. I think even without the threat several Dem Senators figured out that it is safer to leave some issues alone (the wedge issues).

I personally think it is much better to focus on the issues all people agree on, and there are many. Not for personal or religious reasons, but because I think it is more practical. We can win alot more votes by appealing to the moral code in most people ~ one that makes people FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES AFTER THEY HAVE VOTED A CERTAIN PARTY. Most people of faith (and this IS a pretty religious country) feel better ABOUT THEMSELVES after they vote a certain way if they think they are voting that way because they are doing something good for people.

We MUST minimize the differences, difuse the polarization the three G's and the abortion issue cause, and TELL the people what GOOD they would be doing when they vote for an end to suffering, injustice, corruption, and poverty. But we have to make our words grab their psyches and their hearts. In a big way. Otherwise, the three G's and the abortion issue will continue to sway them.

We must be effective.

Posted by: karen at May 21, 2006 12:47 AM

There are members of the 'opposition' party who are not going to oppose Hayden you know.

They voted for Roberts and Alito.

They confirmed Gonzales.

They passed the bankruptcy bill.

They passed that sickening 'coddle the rich' budget.

Think about it, Karen, WE must be effective??

What brave, forthright, unafraid Dems came forward to support Russ Feingold on his censure measure?

When Specter refused to swear Gonzales in for his illiegal wire tapping testimony, which Dems got up and walked out?

When Russ walked out on Specter during that shameful committee vote to put a gay marriage ban into the Constitution, who walked out with him?

How many times do we have to see Nancy Pelosi say 'culture of corruption' on teevee, but not stand with John Murtha even once?

WE have to be effective? No matter how much you want to take this MESS on your shoulders, let it never be forgotten that some of our 'own' have been only to happy to enable the tragedies we are all witness to everyday.

And, now, they want our votes. They need our donations. They need us to believe in their devotion to representing the 'little guy.'

I've figured something out, and it's making me sick. There is a spreading Dem. assumption that in order to get elected or re-elected, they need to be mushy and mousy and not make any waves while things are going 'so well' in the polls.

I've imagined the great campaign literature thats going to be flooding our mailboxes, to say nothing of the television ads:

Dear Mrs. Tutterfly,

________ wants to be your voice in congress. The culture of corruption has got to be stopped. Send money. Americans are losing their jobs and their healthcare. Send money. We had a surplus six years ago, but now the country is broke. Send money. K Street lobbies are making corporate special interests richer every second of the day, while the little guy goes broke. Send money. All kinds of bad things have happened while the 'R's' were large and in charge. Being in the minority means you can't blame me for voting with them a bunch of times. It wasn't my fault. Send money. I want to make a difference in Washington, and as soon as I get there, I'll roll up my sleeves and um, do things different. This is going to come as a surprise to you, but in order to further this PROGRESSIVE agenda, I need you to SEND MONEY! Please make your donation today, and I'll send you another letter as soon as I get your check asking you for more.

Thank you,
Candidate Schmuckalovitz

I too want to hope for a change in our Congress, but I do not have great faith in a campaign season that is going to tell me what I already know 'they' did wrong. And, back to getting non-voters to vote, can I just say, that if the plan is to say: BUSH BAD! well thats going to inspire the apathetic in droves. (NOT!)

Candidates can't get away with telling us that 46 MILLION!!!! Americans have no health care, and more are losing their benefits every day and let that be the end of the sentence, because there are lots of the healthcareless out there who are going to reply: AND?

Karen, between WE and thee, running for office by saying that we need safe ports and protected borders is a no brainer. Yup, we need em, but needin' ain't gettin. How you gonna get em for us, candidates?

We are going to hear about how super-dee-duper the rich are doing with their big tax cuts, along with the promise that they're going to get rolled back to fund education, medicare, Katrina victims, get body armor for the soldiers, and take care of the veterans. And, of course those rich people are going to sit back and give up all that money without a fight because it's the right thing to do. When we hear about wage disparity between the working stiff and the CEO's, and the defunding of pension programs, and how hard it is to save a buck, what is it that the candidate is going to do after he/she tells everyone what they already know?

Where is the candidate on gay's? Is it okay for gay people to adopt, get married, make medical decisions for their partner, or maybe not, depending on what position will get the most votes. Does a Dem candidate in the 'come to Jesus' parts of the country have to do a bit of hate and bashing to get a vote? And, if they do, is that okay with the rest of us, who want people to take a stand, and then stick to it?

I'd like a straight answer from some one who asks me for my vote. Tell it to me straight, I can take it. If Iraq was a fraud, and you've tried eleventeen ways to say it without saying it, then I have no use for you. If wiretapping without warrants is a crime committed by the pResident, and you are 'paying attention' to the hearings and 'listening to the testimony' and planning to make a plan that plans out what to do about it, just shut up, you already lost me.

I own my vote, and I employ it. I have questions and I go looking for answers. I don't like things that are being done in my name, with my tax dollars, that ruin my kids future, and I don't appreciate being talked to as though I'm too dumb, or too angry, to accept the 'nuanced balance' that is required in politics. You walk that line any finer, candidate, (I really wanted to say Pilgrim there) you're gonna fall right offa your Sunday talk show perch.

I'm going to vote in the fall, no matter what. I may have to hold my nose, even. There are people out there who aren't going to vote at all, because they will have spent the next six months with their fingers in their ears, and their eyes closed to shut out the posturing. Obfuscation and mendacity are sins too, when you have a country full of people who are paying dearly for answers and solutions that they know they aren't getting. WE all have a right to demand that our vote will be put to good use, and for the people who have come to the conclusion that being ill used is politics from all sides, then staying home on a chilly November day is the answer and solution for millions.

WE are effective Karen. There are just a whole bunch of people running with a 'D' next to their names, who had better take up the CAUSE, don't you think?

Look what’s happening out in the streets
Got a revolution got to revolution
Hey I’m dancing down the streets
Got a revolution got to revolution
Ain’t it amazing all the people I meet
Got a revolution got to revolution

One generation got old
One generation got soul
This generation got no destination to hold
Pick up the cry

Hey now it’s time for you and me
Got a revolution got to revolution
Come on now we’re marching to the sea
Got a revolution got to revolution

Who will take it from you
We will and who are we
We are volunteers of America
Volunteers of America
Volunteers for America
Volunteers for America

(Marty Balin / Paul Kantner, 1969)

jefferson airplane knew even way back when,
Otter

May 21, 2006
Voters Re-elect Nagin as Mayor of New Orleans

By ADAM NOSSITER
NEW ORLEANS, May 20 — C. Ray Nagin, the unpredictable mayor who charted a sometimes erratic course for his city through Hurricane Katrina and after, won a narrow re-election victory here Saturday.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/us/21election.html?_r=1&th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

Op-Ed Columnist
The Rove Da Vinci Code

By FRANK RICH

When senators as different as Mr. Frist and Mrs. Clinton both earn bipartisan ridicule for their pandering, you have to believe that there's a god other than Karl Rove watching over American politics after all.

http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/21/opinion/21rich.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print

If you wondered where Richard Perle was:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2189887,00...

Fugitive pleads with US to 'liberate' Iran

FOR almost eight months, Amir Abbas Fakhravar was held in solitary confinement in a soundproof cell in Iran. His bare, constantly lit surroundings were all a creamy white ˜ the walls, the floor, his clothes and the door, with a slit through which white rice would be delivered in a white bowl by guards wearing slippers to muffle their footfall.

Amnesty International calls his case the first known example of „white torture‰ in Iran and it nearly drove Fakhravar mad. He was stuck in a terrifying, real-life version of the George Lucas film, THX 1138, about a dystopia where dissidents are imprisoned in a white room.

...

He surfaced at the end of last month in Dubai, where 24 hours later he was met by the leading American neoconservative, Richard Perle. Fakhravar was whisked to America last weekend and has already met congressmen and Bush officials. He said he was in Washington to spread one message only: „Regime change,‰ he said, breaking from Farsi into English to deliver it.

In Iran, Bush is regarded as a liberator, Fakhravar said. „People are afraid to express what is in their hearts, but in small, private gatherings, they see him as a saviour.‰

Tutterfly

I think the problem is that the big donors still hold alot of sway & are courted by the Dems. There are political money sites that prove this. Despite all the internet fundraising & grassroots house parties & my $10 to so & so candidate, such & such group - most of the money comes from Upper West Side NYC & a certain part of LA. On the donor map, these areas stand up like skyscrapers.

Latest email from fundie inlaws...

Jane Fonda (the 'traitor') don't let her win this award.

Pa lease. Jane Fonda isn't the traitor.

George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, Scooter libby, and maybe more, they are the traitors. Pure diversionary tactics.

Reality As I see it.

Everyone even Democrats in this country need to wake up. Years ago during the civil rights movement there was a group that splintered off from mainstream dems. They called themselves the Dixicrats, they did not believe in civil rights and host of other issues that the Democratic party at the time embraced, they may have been at opposite ends of the spectrum but they were for all intents and purposes like the so called Progressives. They believed their views were more important than those of the majority of the party and in the end they weakened the party. I have always been proud of the huge tent the Democratic Party has where people with many different opinions and view points can come together.

I know none of you care but the reason I quit participating in this group is because while I agree that there are some so called Democrats that aren’t really (Lieberman) I also realize that there are some who may not always agree with me that are still at the end of day wonderful assets to this party free thinkers who love this country and her people over party identity, when we elect someone to represent us we are electing someone to represent our part of the country in a way consistent to the beliefs in our area, During the Robertson and Alito confirmations one representative did this I did not agree with his choice however I did agree with his reasoning. On these boards he was put on a list of people who needed ousted because of their vote. Byrd has shown himself overtime and a long time I may add to be a free thinker who does things even the hard things for the right reasons, he does not vote on issues because the party tells him to, he votes not only his conscience but that of the state he represents, if we had more people like him representing us we would not be in the shape we are today.

Tutterfly is right, about everything in her thread but we need to remember when we promote the kind of divisiveness we do we hand every Bush Republican out there the win and they don’t even have to spend any money, we do the attacking for them.

Bush is writing the end of the Republican Majority as we type he is moving his party so far towards not the right but the neither reaches of hell(the neo con agenda) he is even scaring his own people. As he does this we need to keep in mind that this party our party the party that values all Americans and their right to think and feel the way the do, draws more and more to our cause, but when they come and they stop into a new and terrifying place for them the DCP or other such groups we don’t want to terrify them away because we are every bit as extreme as what they have come to fear from their own party.

Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, Conservative, Progressive all these groups just mean one thing America, what we need to keep in mind is there is only one group out there that cares nothing for this country or how it feels on every issue and believe it or not that group resides right here its not some Muslim extremist group, it is the Neo Cons who are running this country today. When we all realize this everyone will win.

Hear, hear April. Well said and I agree with you. It is GOOD to hear from you again!

It is okay to disagree and still call yourself a progressive or liberal or whatever label you want or choose not to be labelled.

We cannot afford to be one-issue voters... ie., Sen. Lincoln Chaffee (R-RI)and his endorsement by NARAL.

Some more of your straight-forward plain speaking would be greatly welcomed here.