Open Thread-Strange News Day

I take Italy.

I'll see how the Korean-American fascists spin the North Korean missiles.

Will they blame it on the leftist elements of the South Korean government, and do everything to install a puppet regime led by the right-wing Grand National Party, which reports not to the Korean people, but to the Republican Party?

Will they somehow talk their overlord W into nuking the hell out of their homeland? (Even the Cubans haven't managed this, but hey, if the Koreans can get a day named after themselves, they can do ANYTHING.)

We shall wait and see, now that I am back in the center of action - Southern California.

DiAnne - thanks again for your hospitality and great discussions during my Seattle visit!

I take Italy.

Posted by: Fe at July 5, 2006 08:02 PM

Italy vs. France... It will be a good match.

A French victory will be a nightmare for the neocons, but so will be a newly leftist Italian victory. But then, the game of football (I'll call it football like the rest of the world does) is beyond comprehension to W and the cowboy diplomats anyway.

I'm hearing that this is the first time in a LONG time that neither Brazil nor Germany plays in the finals.

Hey everybody!

What happened to Karen's thread from this morning?

Be sure to read & send around the Lakoff.
I think it's essential for all as a "frame."

Back to the Mexican election - why isn't Condi Rice speaking out about the importance of democracy in this case? (We know the answer)

Mexico Election Vote Count Begins Today Under Cloud of Uncertainty
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506R.shtml
The credibility of Mexico's electoral process was thrown into question when the
head of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), Luis Carlos Ugalde,
acknowledged that as many as four million votes had not been counted in the
preliminary vote count that began after the polls closed on Sunday.

I would really seriously like to know what people think of the Lakoff et al piece. It means clicking the whole thing open & reading but I think it's worth it. I sent it out to everyone I know on the 4th of July & the heads of both big Dem groups here picked up on it too.
I think we need some uniformity of framing & I think this is just excellent.

Posted by: Carol at July 5, 2006 09:00 PM

I was wondering the same thing? What happened to that thread? I posted a link to a site and I will post it again with the same caveat; boycott Delaware and any product made in Delaware:

http://blogs.salon.com/0003494/2006/07/03.html

The news about Ken Lay is simultaneously a relief and disappointing. One could say he got what he deserved, but at the same time the fact that he never once admitted that he was guilty of a crime against millions of people leaves me empty. Perhaps if he had spent about 15 years in jail, he would have felt a little differently about his actions.

DiAnne,

I thought it was an excellent analysis and sent it to my e-mail list as well. We have to move away from personalities in this debate and focus on policy and philosophy of government. When we can make it clear that it is the conservative philosphy that landed America in this disaster, people will be more open minded about hearing alternative options. I expect that conservatives will say something to the effect, "Hey you know we had a liberal President in Bill Clinton and we were attacked on 9/11." It always comes back to Bill Clinton, and we have to move the discussion away from him to the fact that the conservative philosophy has been a disaster.

Jane Mayer | The Hidden Power
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506P.shtml
"Most Americans, even those who follow politics closely, have probably never heard of [David S.] Addington, [Vice-President Cheney’s chief of staff and his longtime principal legal adviser]. But current and former administration officials say that he has played a central role in shaping the administration’s legal strategy for the war on terror. Known as the New Paradigm, this strategy rests on a reading of the Constitution that few legal scholars share - namely, that the president, as commander in chief, has the authority to disregard virtually all previously known legal boundaries, if national security demands it," writes Jane Mayer.
~~~~~
If you like legal analyses (and I do!), this article is very, VERY interesting. It points to David Addington from Cheney's office as being the legal pit viper behind setting up Bu$h and Cheney as de facto dictators. It was written before the Hamdan vs. Rumsfeld decision was handed down, I think.

It's a long article, so grab a cuppa and begin reading (oh, and if you're on blood pressure medication, take a pill first)....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060705/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/war_objector
Army charges officer who refused Iraq duty
FORT LEWIS, Wash. - An Army lieutenant who said he refused to deploy to Iraq because he believes the war there is illegal was charged Wednesday with three counts.

According to calculations by military lawyers, 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, 28, could face nearly eight years in prison and a dishonorable discharge if convicted, said his attorney, Eric Seitz of Honolulu. Watada is charged with conduct unbecoming an officer, missing movement and contempt toward officials.

Robert Scheer | Will the Real Democrats Please Stand Up?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506K.shtml
"Why is it so difficult for the Democrats to grasp that waffling doesn’t work as a form of leadership? The public takes it as a sign of moral disarray," writes Robert Scheer. "It is high time the folks who make up the base of the Democratic Party took a page from the playbook of the Republican Right and backed candidates willing to stand up for their values, rather than wasting their money, time and votes on those who won’t."
Dean Baker | Can Progressives Do Arithmetic?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506J.shtml
"The reality is that the price tag for most anti-poverty programs is quite small relative to the total federal budget. For example, Head Start accounts for approximately 0.2 percent of the federal budget, or 20 cents of every $100 of spending," writes Dean Baker. "The route to increasing public knowledge is not difficult, it is only necessary to change the way that budget items are reported in the media."

Seymour M. Hersh: Last Stand
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506Z.shtml
Seymour M. Hersh reports on the military’s problem with Bush’s Iran policy. Inside the Pentagon, senior commanders have increasingly challenged the President’s plans, according to active-duty and retired officers and officials. The generals and admirals have told the administration that the bombing campaign will probably not succeed in destroying Iran’s nuclear program. They have also warned that an attack could lead to serious economic, political, and military consequences for the United States.

Mexico Election Vote Count Begins Today Under Cloud of Uncertainty
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506R.shtml
The credibility of Mexico's electoral process was thrown into question when the head of Mexico's Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), Luis Carlos Ugalde, acknowledged that as many as four million votes had not been counted in the preliminary vote count that began after the polls closed on Sunday.

Fossil Fuels Said to Damage Ocean Life
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506T.shtml
A science panel convened by the National Science Foundation, NOAA and the USGS reports that the ocean is absorbing CO2 from burning fossil fuels and turning more acidic than it has been for possibly millions of years. Researchers called the pH changes "truly extraordinary." Corals, plankton and other marine life are threatened.

Lester Brown | Rescuing a Planet Under Stress
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/070506EA.shtml
Lester Brown sees promise in our problems: "Participating in the construction of this enduring new economy is exhilarating. So is the quality of life it promises ... The prospect of living in a world where population has stabilized, forests are expanding, and carbon emissions are falling is an exciting one. It should inspire us to make the difficult but necessary decisions ahead."

Judge Bars Shrill Navy Sonar
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/070506EB.shtml
The Navy is forbidden to use an intense form of sonar during combat exercises this month in the Pacific, a federal judge ruled Monday. Environmentalists suing to halt the sonar use offered "considerable convincing scientific evidence" that the exercise would harm or even kill whales, porpoises and other marine creatures.
{Two stories on this link.}

Women Face Growing Disparities in Family Planning
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/070506WA.shtml
A new study shows marked disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion among women of different socioeconomic backgrounds. Women below the poverty line and women without high school diplomas have fallen behind more affluent, college-educated women in their capacity to plan pregnancy.

VIDEO | Troops Home Fast
A Film by Scott Galindez and Geoffrey Millard
http://www.truthout.org/multimedia.htm
On July 3, a press conference was held in Washington, DC, to announce a fast to end the war in Iraq. Fasters now include Cindy Sheehan; actress Susan Sarandon; environmentalist Diane Wilson; comedian Dick Gregory; singer Willie Nelson; Dr. Bob Edgar, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches; Dr. E. Faye Williams, National Chair of the National Congress of Black Women; Colonel Ann Wright; Iraq veteran Geoffrey Millard; Kim Gandy, President of the National Organization for Women; and CODEPINK co-founders Medea Benjamin, Jodie Evans and Gael Murphy. Truthout's Scott Galindez and Geoffrey Millard are in Washington providing video updates throughout the fast.

Cindy Sheehan | Starving for Attention
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070506A.shtml
"It is midnight of the 5th of July and 24 hours since thousands of us began the Troops Home Fast," writes Cindy Sheehan. "Some of us will be fasting completely until the troops come home; some will be on liquids only until the troops come home; some will fast for 2 weeks, 2 days; or like me, until at least September 21st."

Springsteen sings "Bring 'em home" on Conan O'Brien. He's the Boss! (hat tip to Turthout.org)

http://tinyurl.com/zg3t7

Karen, not sure where you'll pop in, and too late to call (according to mother's etiquette). Hope you're well.

Please check your email. One message from Mary, and another about a surprise phone call to you, a heads up, from someone who has friends. I don't if the right friends for Fear-Up, but take a look.

Ralpheh,

Now that OBL has released several tapes in the last few weeks, I am even more convinced that he wants a Republican victory in November. Just like right before the last election, he believes that his tapes will influence voters to support the President and the President's party. OBL couldn't have asked for more with Bush in the White House and a Republican majority in the Congress. Hopefully, Americans have grown tired of this kabuki dance. But, I suspect that Americans will act true to form and support those currently in power. Hopefully I am wrong, and despite OBL's best efforts to screw America, Americans wont fall for the same dog and pony show.

Posted by: oncall at July 4, 2006 07:26 PM

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

This not catching Osama (on purpose??) is all very baffling to me. I have not read the Foreign Affairs piece which lays out the theory about letting Osama off the hook, so perhaps I have to do some homework to catch up on.

I believe it was in the PBS Frontline documentary on Cheney which stated that the CIA was the first into Afghanistan (after 9-11) trying to get Bin Laden. Then, according to Frontline, there was a power struggle between Tenet/CIA and Rumsfeld/Cheney/Pentagon as to which arm of government would lead the Afghan operation. That is when Tenet/CIA was squeezed out bureaucratically speaking and Rumsfeld/Cheney/ Defense took over the show.

The PBS documentary speculates that the Defense Department may have dragged its feet getting into Afghanistan (as part of Rumsfeld/Cheney's passive aggressive power struggle with Tenet) and during this time Bin Laden was able to get out of Tora Bora.

Even as Defense went into Afghanistan with troops, Cheney/Rumsfeld were already busy planning the attack/invasion of Iraq. Osama and Al Zwahiri must have thought it quite amusing that Bush/Cheney/Rummy decided to throw 200,000 American troops at Osama's secular enemy Saddam.

oncall our local media has run story after story about the great charitiable works Lay contributed to and barely mentioned the tens of thousands of people he bankrupted. What is staggering is that since his appeal was never finalized he is not technically guilty of anything criminally but can still have his assets seized and civil judgments entered against him. My family has always believed however that we should respect the deceased and I will leave it at that.

Amazingly little word was said about Lay being Bush's largest fundraiser in 2000, a Pioneer contributor and was considered to the appointment to become Sec. of Energy. I just wish the media would ask Bush at his next press conference if he intends to pay his respects at his friend's funeral.

The Lakoff statement that we should emphasize the failures of Conservative Policies rather than Bush's incompitence is right on the mark.

Posted by: Ira at July 5, 2006 11:40 PM

Ira,

Please clarify, I thought Lay was found guilty.

On another subject, I want to share some good news. Gay marriage amendment does not look like it will be on the illinois ballot. A lot of people volunteered to inspect the signatures on the petitions.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/5/192019/5487

I had heard we really had OBL cornered in Tora Bora, but Tommy Franks(?) had our military stand down, giving tribal control (with more loyalty to OBL) ability to let him escape. Although reports that OBL somewhere still in the area.

It always comes back to Bill Clinton, and we have to move the discussion away from him to the fact that the conservative philosophy has been a disaster.

Posted by: oncall at July 5, 2006 09:22 PM

I think you hit the nail on the head.

My husband was reading a bunch of comments about Ken Lay on MSNBC - bunch of them smelled conspiracy - thought he had not died of natural causes or had actually been spirited away to S America or something. The place where he died (Snowmass, Colorado) is where we had our last family reunion).

Anyway, sure glad Snohomish County's utlity here (n of King County which Seattle is in) gets out of paying back millions that Enron tried to bilk them out of.

Hey check this out!

In Tennessee a megachurch has put up a Statue of Liberty that is holding a cross. Not only no separation of church & state, but the premises that the church IS the state.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/5/19237/86715

Busted for wearing a peace T-shirt; has this country gone completely insane?

Mike Ferner | July 5 2006

Friday afternoon, drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in the Jesse Brown V.A. Medical Center on Chicago's south side, a Veterans Administration cop walked up to me and said, "Okay, you've had your 15 minutes, it's time to go."

"Huh?" I asked intelligently, not quite sure what he was talking about.

"You can't be in here protesting," Officer Adkins said, pointing to my Veterans For Peace shirt.

"Well, I'm not protesting, I'm having a cup of coffee," I returned, thinking that logic would convince Adkins to go back to his earlier duties of guarding against serious terrorists.

Flipping his badge open, he said, "No, not with that shirt. You're protesting and you have to go."

Beginning to get his drift, I said firmly, "Not before I finish my coffee."

He insisted that I leave, but still not quite believing my ears, I tried one more approach to reason.

"Hey, listen. I'm a veteran. This is a V.A. facility. I'm sitting here not talking to anybody, having a cup of coffee. I'm not protesting and you can't kick me out."

"You'll either go or we'll arrest you," Adkins threatened.

"Well, you'll just have to arrest me," I said, wondering what strange land I was now living in.

You know the rest. Handcuffed, led away to the facility's security office, past people with surprised looks on their faces, read my rights, searched, and written up.

The officer who did the formalities, Eric Ousley, was professional in his duties. When I asked him if he was a vet, it turned out he had been a hospital corpsman in the Navy. We exchanged a couple sea stories. He uncuffed me early. And he allowed as to how he would only charge me with disorderly conduct, letting me go on charges of criminal trespass and weapons possession -- a pocket knife -- which he said would have to be destroyed (something I rather doubt since it was a nifty Swiss Army knife with not only a bottle opener, but a tweezers and a toothpick).

After informing me I could either pay the $275 fine on the citation or appear in court, Ousley escorted me off the premises, warning me if I returned with "that shirt" on, I'd be arrested and booked into jail.

I'm sure I could go back to officers Adkins' and Ousleys' fiefdom with a shirt that said, "Nuke all the hajis," or "Show us your tits," or any number of truly obscene things and no one would care. Just so it's not "that shirt" again.

And just for the record? I'm not paying the fine. I'll see Adkins and Ousley and Dubya's Director of the Dept. of Veterans Affairs, if he wants to show up, in United States District Court on the appointed date. And if there's a Chicago area attorney who'd like to take the case, I'd really like to sue them -- from Dubya on down. I have to believe that this whole country has not yet gone insane, just the government. This kind of behavior can't be tolerated. It must be challenged.

I was at the Jesse Brown V.A. Medical Center because I'm participating in the Voices for Creative Nonviolence's 30-day, 320-mile "Walk for Justice," from Springfield to North Chicago, Illinois, to reclaim funding for the common good and away from war.

Poor Mexico, I feel your pain

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/06/world/americas/06mexico.html?hp&ex=1152244800&en=16f3524a68e97ab0&ei=5094&partner=homepage

"Recount" sounds like one of our recent farcical elections - when are "mistakes" ever made in favor of the common people vs the aristocracy & business?!!!

Posted by: DiAnne at July 6, 2006 12:43 AM

DiAnne,

I read that diary and some of the posts from it as well. Earlier this evening somebody e-mailed me that same article with the subject: spooky.

Here are two links that were posted in the comments section of that diary. Bush the vampire is an excellent graphic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pantufla/114081011/
http://www.villagevoice.com/news/0409,conaway,51511,1.html

In Tennessee a megachurch has put up a Statue of Liberty that is holding a cross. Not only no separation of church & state, but the premises that the church IS the state.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/7/5/19237/86715

Posted by: DiAnne at July 6, 2006 12:43 AM

Just got that in my inbox too. Thanks DiAnne.

Note that it's an African-American church, and the spectators are also African-American. What are we doing about religious and social conservatism in nonwhite communities (other than writing it off in political correctness)?

A driven president faces a world of crises
Beyond Iraq, Bush confronts a bleak foreign policy landscape

ANALYSIS
By Michael Abramowitz and Robin Wright
The Washington Post
Updated: 1 hour, 30 minutes ago

From deteriorating security in Afghanistan and Somalia to mayhem in the Middle East, confrontation with Iran and eroding relations with Russia, the White House suddenly sees crisis in every direction.

North Korea's long-range missile test Tuesday, although unsuccessful, was another reminder of the bleak foreign policy landscape that faces President Bush even outside of Iraq. Few foreign policy experts foresee the reclusive Stalinist state giving up the nuclear weapons it appears to have acquired, making it another in a long list of world problems that threaten to cloud the closing years of the Bush administration, according to foreign policy experts in both parties.

"I am hard-pressed to think of any other moment in modern times where there have been so many challenges facing this country simultaneously," said Richard N. Haass, a former senior Bush administration official who heads the Council on Foreign Relations. "The danger is that Mr. Bush will hand over a White House to a successor that will face a far messier world, with far fewer resources left to cope with it."

-snip-

A lot of issues’
National security adviser Stephen J. Hadley said in an interview yesterday that such criticism is misplaced, adding that victory in Iraq is crucial to success in fighting terrorists and in creating a new democracy that could serve as a beacon to other Middle Eastern countries. "Is it a major investment? Yes," he said. "The stakes are high [in Iraq], but we think the rewards are commensurate to the effort, and the consequences of lack of success are sobering."

Hadley agreed that there are "a lot of issues in motion right now" on the international front. "In some sense, it was destined to be, because we have a president that wants to take on the big issues and see if he could solve them on his watch."

-snip-

Even neoconservative hawks who have been generally supportive of the administration on Iraq and other issues said they are worried about the direction of American foreign policy, and hope for a muscular response from the Bush administration toward the latest North Korean provocation.

"North Korea is firing missiles. Iran is going nuclear. Somalia is controlled by radical Islamists. Iraq isn't getting better, and Afghanistan is getting worse," said William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard and a leading conservative commentator. "I give the president a lot of credit for hanging tough on Iraq. But I am worried that it has made them too passive in confronting the other threats."

more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13709074/

Not once does it mention even the possibility that American foreign policy has CAUSED this global instability... and now the chickenhawks want this admin-astraytion to exert MORE muscle around the world???

Stephen binHadley says it was "destined to be" because of the president. God... if yer up there... come on, man.

“Troops Home Fast” Hunger Strikers Greet Canadian PM and Mark President Bush’s 60th Birthday

Colonel Ann Wright, Diane Wilson, Medea Benjamin, Veterans, Iraqi citizens, and others gather in front of the White House on third day of their fast

When: Thursday, July 6, 2006

Where: In Front of the White House, Penn. Avenue between 15th and 17th

At 10:30am, right before Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada meets with President Bush, fasters will demonstrate in front of the White House to request Canada become a refuge for US soldiers who refuse to serve in the Iraq war. There are several hundred U.S. soldiers who have gone to Canada to avoid the war in Iraq, and so far, but the Canadian government has not granted them refugee status. We are calling on the Canadian prime minister to reclaim the policy of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau who said that Canada should be a refuge from mlitarism.

At 12:00pm, fasters will write birthday wishes on empty plates and make a giant greeting card to mark the President’s 60th birthday and call for the troops to come home from Iraq. They will take their birthday offerings to the White House gate.

Organized by CODEPINK: Women for Peace, a group of long-term fasters launched a historic hunger strike against the war in Iraq on July 3, 2006. They will continue to stand outside of the White House until August 15, when they will move to Camp Casey in Crawford, TX.

The organizers call on a long history of fasts for political purposes, claiming their place among the Suffragettes, Mahatmas Gandhi and Cesar Chavez.

Diane Wilson, who has engaged in several hunger strikes in her history as an environmental activist, says she will not set an end date to her fast. “My goal is to bring the troops home. I don’t know how long I can fast, but I’m making this open-ended,” she says. “I plan to take this as far as I’ve ever taken anything in my 58 years. I fear our future is at stake, and I’m ready to make a major sacrifice.”

Over 3000 celebrities, veterans, mothers, and concerned citizens across the country are also participating in a rolling fast over the summer, fasting as long as they are able and then passing the fast from person to person. Many will fast in solidarity from their hometowns, urging local leaders to stand for peace. Fasters include musicians Willie Nelson and Michael Franti, actors Danny Glover, Sean Penn and Susan Sarandon, Gulf War vet Michael McPherson, writer Alice Walker, and labor leader Dolores Huerta.

The rolling fast will last until September 21, International Peace Day, when activists around the country will initiate a week of nonviolent actions against the war as part of the Declaration of Peace.

For more information, including a full list of fasters, please see http://www.troopshomefast.org.

China to ban news reports of major disasters
By Clifford Coonan in Beijing
Published: 05 July 2006

News reporting about disasters and public disorder in China could become a crime under a proposed bill which would ban the spread of information about catastrophes without official permission.

Government officials say the legislation is aimed at stopping "irresponsible journalism", but there are fears it could be used to stop any reporting that does not meet official approval.

The proposed Law on Response to Contingencies threatens fines of up to £7,000 for misleading reports and requires journalists to get government approval before divulging news of natural disasters, outbreaks of disease, riots and other unspecified "sudden events" or "contingencies".

http://tinyurl.com/fmm77

Have the Chinese infiltrated the Republican party?

Camp Democracy

Stop the Wars at Home and Abroad:
Bring Democracy to DC Beginning Sept. 8, 2006.
For Immediate Release: July 6, 2006

Contact: David Swanson
http://www.campdemocracy.org

Cindy Sheehan to Move Camp to National Mall

Washington, D.C., September 8 to 21

Camp Casey to Expand into Camp Democracy

Cindy Sheehan and activists in the growing peace movement plan to establish Camp Casey in Crawford, Texas, again this August 16 to September 2. They then plan to move the camp to the National Mall in Washington, D.C., beginning September 8.

The camp on the Mall will carry the name Camp Democracy, and details are available at www.campdemocracy.org . Organizers intend the camp to bring together peace activists and activists for social justice here at home, united in demanding a shift of public resources from war to the needs of people. Participants will lobby Congress to end all funding of the occupation of Iraq, and will demand that Congress hold the Bush Administration accountable for the falsehoods that launched the war and the abuses of power here at home that have accompanied it.

President Bush has yet to answer Sheehan's question, "For what noble cause did my son die?" If it chose to do so, Congress could compel the President and members of his administration to answer that question. Participants in Camp Democracy will encourage Congress Members to do so.

Organizations participating in Camp Democracy include Gold Star Families for Peace, AfterDowningStreet.org, National Immigrant Solidarity Network, CODE PINK, Global Exchange, Progressive Democrats of America, Democrats.com, Democracy Cell Project, The World Can't Wait, Velvet Revolution, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), New Orleans Voices for Peace, Cities for Peace, Backbone Campaign, Hip Hop Caucus, Democracy Rising, Voters for Peace, DC Labor for Peace and Justice, U.S. Labor Against the War, National Organization for Women, and Traprock Peace Center. Others are being encouraged to join here:

http://campdemocracy.org/node/3

The Camp Democracy website describes the event as "a camp for peace, democracy, and the restoration of the rule of law…focused not only on ending the war but also on righting injustices here at home and on holding accountable the Bush Administration and Congress."

Tents will provide activist activities, trainings, workshops, and entertainment on these themes:

War/ Peace

The Constitution/ Accountability/ Censure/ Impeachment

Poverty/ Katrina/ Immigration/ Labor

Environment/ Health Care/ Education

Participating organizations and guest experts and celebrities will provide workshops and training sessions on the above topics, as well as on communications, voter registration, nonviolent civil disobedience, lobbying, organizing, media production, and performance arts. Congress Members and congressional candidates will take part. Local elected officials will instruct participants on participation in local government. Musicians will perform concerts. New films will be shown on a large screen. The intention is for participants to go home having acquired useful skills for civic participation, to enjoy themselves, and to demand fundamental change from a government whose actions so rarely follow majority opinion.

While civil disobedience is not planned for Camp Democracy, education in civil disobedience will be provided in preparation for the activities of Sept. 21 to 28 being organized by the Declaration of Peace: http://www.declarationofpeace.org

Tim Carpenter, Director of Progressive Democrats of America, said: "Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) is proud to be a part of this historic effort to organize and mobilize the progressive community from across this country to focus the upcoming election on ending the occupation of Iraq, cutting off funding for the war and holding the President, Vice President and the entire Bush Administration accountable for the lies that lead to this war."

Kevin Zeese, Director of Democracy Rising, said: "Anti-war and social justice voters need to bring their message to Washington, DC, to kick off the final months of the mid-term elections. Join us so we can present a unified presence and energize anti-war voters throughout the United States. Let's make the anti-war vote a powerful one in 2006 and 2008."

_____________

Karen -

I hope to attend camp democracy for a couple of days, anyway. Thanks for posting that.

I hope everything is going well, and that the Canadian PM takes note. I know you must be pretty hungry right now. Keep drinking that water.

oncall our Code of Criminal Procedure states that a criminal conviction is not final until the defendant has either waived or exhausted all of their appelate rights.

from today's Houston Chronicle:

"What he couldn't do in the courtroom, former Enron Chairman Ken Lay may finally be able to achieve in death — avoid a criminal record.

Lay, 64, who died of a heart attack in Aspen, Colo., early Wednesday morning, will likely have his case vacated, meaning it will be as if he were never charged.

Government efforts to seize more than $43 million in assets from him through criminal proceedings will likely also end with his death, although the government could file civil forfeiture proceedings.

"The messages will remain there from the trial but legally there is nothing left to do on the criminal case because there's no defendant any more," said Sam Buell, a former federal prosecutor with the Enron Task Force who now teaches law.

The two large civil lawsuits against him and others linked to Enron will also move forward, but it's not yet clear if either will continue to seek damages from Lay's estate."

He died in Aspen not Snowmass. Neverthelss death seems to have cheated the legal system.

I am more interested in hearing the Bush/Lay fundraising connections which has apparently gotten lost in the conversation oncall.