Peace

A Big Thanks to Mac McKinney for sending this in to me.

Happy New Year everybody!

Move Your Money

Investigate Ongoing White House Corruption

Major hat tip to firedoglake and Jane Hamsher!

December 23, 2009

Attorney General of the United States of America
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

We write to demand an immediate investigation into the activities of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. We believe there is an abundant public record which establishes that the actions of the White House have blocked any investigation into his activities while on the board of Freddie Mac from 2000-2001, and facilitated the cover up of potential malfeasance until the 10-year statute of limitations has run out.

The purpose of this letter is to connect the dots to establish both the conduct of Mr. Emanuel and those working with him to thwart inquiry, and to support your acting speedily so that the statute of limitations does not run out before the Justice Department is able to empanel a grand jury.

The New York Times reports that the administration is negotiating to double the commitments to Fannie and Freddie for a total of $800 billion by December 31, in order to avoid the congressional approval that would be needed after that date. But there currently is no Inspector General exercising independent oversight of these entities. Acting Inspector General Ed Kelly was stripped of his authority earlier this year by the Justice Department, relying on a loophole in a bill Mr. Emanuel cosponsored and pushed through Congress shortly before he left for the White House. This effectively ended Mr. Kelly’s investigation into what happened at Fannie and Freddie.

Since that time, despite multiple warnings by Congress that having no independent Inspector General for a federal agency that oversees $6 trillion in mortgages is a serious oversight, the White House has not appointed one.

We recognize that these are extremely serious accusations, but the stonewalling by Mr. Emanuel and the White House has left us with no other redress. A 2003 report by Freddie Mac’s regulator indicated that Freddie Mac executives had informed the board of their intention to misstate the earnings to insure their own bonuses during the time Mr. Emanuel was a director. But the White House refused to comply with a Freedom of Information Act request from the Chicago Tribune for those board minutes on the grounds that Freddie Mac was a “commercial” entity, even though it was wholly owned by the government at the time the request was made.

If the Treasury approves the $800 billion commitment to Fannie and Freddie by the end of the year, it will mean that under the influence of Rahm Emanuel, the White House is moving a trillion-dollar slush fund into corruption-riddled companies with no oversight in place. This will allow Fannie and Freddie to continue to purchase more toxic assets from banks, acting as a back-door increase of the TARP without congressional approval.

Before the White House commits any more money to Fannie and Freddie, we call on the Public Integrity Section in the Justice Department to begin an investigation into the cause of Fannie and Freddie’s conservatorship, into Rahm Emanuel’s activities on the board of Freddie Mac (including any violations of his fiduciary duties to shareholders), into the decision-making behind the continued vacancy of Fannie and Freddie’s Inspector General post, and into potential public corruption by Rahm Emanuel in connection with his time in Congress, in the White House, and on the board of Freddie Mac.

We also call for the immediate appointment of an Inspector General with a complete remit to go after this information.

We both come from differing political ideologies. One of us is the conservative head of a transparency foundation, and the other is the publisher of a liberal political blog. But we make common cause today out of grave concern for the future of our country in the wake of corruption-riddled bailouts. These bailouts continue to rob Main Street to benefit Wall Street, and, because of that, we together demand the resignation of Mr. Emanuel, a man who has steadfastly worked to obstruct both oversight and inquiry into the matter. Rahm Emanuel’s conflicts of interest render him far too compromised to serve as gatekeeper to the President of the United States.

We will lay out the details further below, and are available at your earliest convenience to meet with you directly.

Sincerely,

source

Sign our petition to AG Holder: investigate Rahm Emanuel.

Who is keeping Obama honest?

Radical Republicans Pray for Death

Jesus Christ would not be pleased at what's occurring in his name. Radical religious extremists are in every religion. They are just too busy pointing fingers at others to see their own reflections. Todays Grand Obstructionist Party is actively courting religious extremists.

Happy BNF Holiday.

Israel Harvested Palestinian organs....

It appears it is not just a rumor. Israel actually harvested organs from Palestinians. Allegedly the practice stopped in the 1990's. Allegedly "civilized" governments like Israel and the US appear to routinely violate human rights these days. So much for good guys in white hats. Here's the source.

Listen Up

Lieberman Socks

Forgetful Joe

Is Joe Lieberman crazy? Does he think we all have dementia? Hat Tip to Sam Stein at the Huffington Post.

Obama is selling us out once again.

BREAKING NEWS: Multiple news sources report that the White House is urging senators to cave to Sen. Joe Lieberman! So now we have team Obama-Lieberman carrying the water for the special interests and leaving us with a bill for nothing. It appears that Hillary Clinton would have done a better job on health care than anything that team Obama is doing. My apologies to Hillary Clinton.

Obama gives new meaning to the term--Talk is Cheap.

It turns out that Hillary Clinton was not the worst candidate after all. I'm sick of all the Republicrats who think the purpose of government is to take the money from hard working folks and give it to the special corporate elitists.

Take Away Joe the Jerk's Big Gov Healtcare

Joe the Jerk HATES the idea of Government Health Care. So why are our tax dollars providing him with Health Care. They hypocrisy of this un-principled jerk is almost beyond belief.

The Simple Facts about Cap and Trade

A True Tale of How Angels Came to Congo This Christmas Season

By: Georgianne Nienaber

And so it came to pass that the Angel, Hope, received three children to light, to guard, to love and guide for almost eighty years. You see, there are many more people on Earth than there are angels to watch over them, so sometimes the angels are asked to protect more than one. Hope's duties would require her to keep watch over children in Nebraska, Chicago and the deepest regions of Congo--and from the way Hope saw things, time did not stretch from Point A to Point B. Everything happened all at once, and the actions of people, both good and bad, kept repeating. Only the angels know this, and they often discuss among themselves that if people only knew that time did not march on, but forever marched in place, that then they would truly understand what love was all about and how absolutely necessary it is.

Hope's job in Congo was not more difficult than it was in Nebraska or Chicago, even though on the surface it would seem that Congo presented the greater challenge. On the grand scale, the physical suffering of hundreds of millions of people under brutal rulers-- exploitation that is truly hell on earth--is certainly greater than the relatively occasional murders and injustices in the Heartland of the United States. But Hope's job was to watch over the souls and minds of her three assignments. If she could guard them with great care, their spirits would forever march in harmony with Time. Hope was no more responsible for the terrible things that people did to one another than God was, but people always seemed to blame God and bad angels for their own doing. Helen from Nebraska, Annie from Chicago, and Domitile from Congo would be under the protection of Hope's great wings from the time they struggled into the world, and only Hope understood how their lives were in tune with each other and with Time.

Helen was born in Nebraska and lived with two brothers and two sisters in a big white frame house. Life in the rural Heartland revolved around the seasons, a close-knit family, and a special love Helen had for God. Faith and religion were the centerpieces of her idyllic existence, and this resulted in what Helen felt was a "calling" to the Catholic sisterhood. Helen watched the sisters who taught her and felt that their lives held a special interest and mystery. The sisters always appeared to be joyful and happy. God seemed close and near, but what Helen could not know was that her life and her soul would soon be in great danger. Not too long after Helen decided to join the convent, she became a stranger to herself and it was only through the warmth of Hope's wings warming her freezing heart that Helen was able to overcome suicidal thoughts. Helen experienced the dark days of the soul that poets and saints know so well. She had given her life to God, and God had seemingly abandoned her, but Helen had Hope and she rededicated herself to service in God's grace.

And so one day Helen found herself teaching at a large high school for girls in Chicago, and Annie was one of her young journalism students. Annie's life was tough from the beginning. Abandoned spiritually by a mother with special mental challenges, Annie had no comprehension of the love strong family ties could offer. But Annie, also, had Hope. In fact, her Granny had given her a locket with a picture of an angel with great wings that stood guard over a young girl who was crossing a dangerous bridge. The brass casing still has tooth marks on it, and no one knew that Annie kept the locket hidden in the breast pocket of her school uniform. It felt good to have that part of Granny with her and the image of the angel was Hope, of course, and Hope had led Annie to Sister Helen's literature and journalism classes. Helen taught Annie all about the basics of journalism, recognized that Annie had a raw talent for writing, and so made Annie Editor of Page Two of the student newspaper. Helen taught Annie the intricacies of photography and often featured Annie's work. Annie found a place and family and encouragement that she never dreamed possible and began to think of Sister Helen's classes as Home. Helen taught Annie that the pen was mightier than the sword and helped her student to develop the beginnings of a strong sword arm that has served her well through the years.

Image: Inside Annie's Locket

What Annie never knew until many years later was that Helen would sit in her room at the convent she shared with forty other sisters and weep as she struggled to get lessons prepared and papers corrected by the ten p.m. curfew. Her jobs as moderator of the school yearbook and newspaper, senior homeroom, journalism and religion classes were simply too much. In later years, Helen would tell Annie that the years of depression, self doubt and thoughts of suicide provided insights that helped her understand hurting and suffering people in her ministry; a ministry, and Hope of course, which eventually led Helen to live and work with the poor of Appalachia who had migrated to Chicago in the sixties and seventies.

There was a very good reason that Helen and Annie shared Hope. Both would live out their youth and middle age plagued with self-doubt, and Annie would be betrayed late in life by someone she loved and trusted, just as Helen once felt betrayed by God. The incident would lead to the same suicidal thoughts Helen once experienced, but the soul is given only the burdens it can bear. Luckily, Annie had Helen as well as Hope, and when Annie called Helen in desperation after returning from Congo one day--feeling broken, bitter and betrayed-- she told Helen that where she once saw light, she could only see black, and this frightened her deeply. Helen told her that she would learn a depth of compassion from these events that she never dreamed possible. And so it came to pass that Helen's life lessons saved Annie, and the skills she taught Annie enabled Annie to write with passion and conviction about the people in Congo who had lost everything.

And then it happened that Hope led Annie to know four gentle songwriters who became her friends. One day, they were driving together on a country road in the Heartland discussing what they could do to bring Hope to the women of Congo who were being brutalized by war. Hope put the idea into their heads that they could offer the women of Congo music and words that proved there were women on the far side of the world who shared compassion for their suffering. Annie and her songwriter friends realized they had an almost impossible job, but Hope encouraged them to press on. Soon, other singers from around the world offered to help them, but they were really angels in disguise. They had no awareness that they were angels, but sometimes that is just the way it works. The singer-angels would soon form a heavenly choir, but no one knew this would happen, since only Time could reveal their power.

The angels Neko, Eliza, Susan, Irma, Sonia, Karen, Theresa, Sarah, Caroline, Karen, Claire, Kim, Mary, Dede, Janet and Leilani offered their songs and poems. Their Hope was that Annie and her friends would bring their words to the women of Congo. Annie, Sonia, Caroline, Susan, and Mary thought they were very clever to name the women "Congo's Angels," but it was really Hope, of course, who was behind it all.

While all of this planning was going on, Domitile was living in the city of Goma in Congo. Her special calling was that of a midwife, and on most days it was only Hope that encouraged her to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Domitile witnessed levels of violence and cruelty to women that most people cannot imagine. Hope used her wings to support Domitile when she carried the raped and wounded women she found suffering in the forests to safety and help. These were the same wings that protected Helen and Annie. Sometimes the women that Domitile bore on her back died, and Hope would escort the souls of the abandoned and brutalized to heaven. Of course, Domitile had no idea that Hope's great wings were protecting her, but as her horrible burdens would pass into the spiritual realm, she would feel a great weight lifted from her shoulders. Domitile also had Hope, and Hope was a powerful ally.

Then something truly amazing and wonderful happened in Congo. Domitile was feeling especially frustrated and abandoned and she wrote the words on paper because her thoughts were so overwhelming. The sexual violence and brutality made her feel alone and all around her she could see only black. One especially dark day, Domitile was in the city of Goma and heard music coming from the tiny station, Radio Television Communautaire Tayna, RTCT. The sound of the music saved her from the blackness and provided a huge relief. It was the songs of the Congo's Angels, and it made her realize that there were other women who understood what was happening--women who would stand in solidarity with her against the rape and killing as she carried her lovely burdens along the lava roads in Kivu. Domitile wrote that she knew then and there that that through song and words, millions of people would learn about the atrocities taking place in Congo and condemn them.

And so it came to pass during Christmas 2009 that the music of Congo's Angels filled the heavens above eastern Congo. And there were midwives living out in the fields and refugee camps nearby, keeping watch over the babies at night. And Congo's Angels sang to them, and the glory of Hope sounded around them. And the angels sang to them, "Do not be afraid. We are with you and we love you."

####

Special thanks to midwife Domitile Posho Mbili, Sister Helen Gourlay, BVM (Whatever Happened to the Good Sisters? ), Sonia Tetlow, Caroline Herring, Susan Cowsill, Congo's Angels, and Hope--for watching over us all.

Time to Think about Meat

Find out more at Meat.org.

My Fave Senator

We need more Senators like this.

Republicrats

We need campaign finance reform. Until them legalized bribery--lobbying--will continue and all laws from DC will be tainted, corrupt and NOT in the people's interest.

Welcome to the United States of America, INC.

Honduras: Elections as coup laundering

Imagine this....In spite of multiple military coups that we support around the world, some Americans think that the US government exports democracy. Multinational corporations continue to use military might to decide who will set the economic policies around the world.

Check it out.

Diana Jones A Present for Music Lovers

I'm still busy with settling in and trying to unpack so here's an artist I heard in this area a few months ago. I'm planning on going to keep an eye out for future concerts of hers. She is definitely worth supporting.

Humans Should Be Killed - ALL OF THEM

I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in the human race as I am now that this new report has come out. I hope EVERYDAY that there IS an alien race out there that will come and save this planet from us, just kill off the human race. We are so cruel, stupid, selfish, self-involved, greedy and I could go on. There truly is no saving ourselves from ourselves.

Al Gore's Gone Crazy

Great BeIng in the World

Ditto Jon Stewart

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Daily Show: The Rogue Warrior
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Oh Obama!

Mountain Music to help Star pack. :) :) :)

Buzz....Buzz....

Psalm 109.8; Trolling for Assassins

When I was young I learned that yelling fire in a crowded theatre was not only irresponsible but illegal.

Criticism of a President is something I have no problem with. I am very critical of how Obama is NOT representing the progressive base who fought so hard to put him in office.

The current antics of the radical right wing and the Republican Party should not be tolerated. Americans need to stand up and speak out against violent, treasonous speech that encourages violence against our President.

Why does the corporate media NOT do fact checking. Why do they allow folks like Dick Cheney to come on TV repeatedly and spread misinformation and lies? I am sick of the extreme partisans who lied us into war and now want to lie us out of a President.

Thank you Frank Schaffer for standing up and speaking truth to the evangelical groups and FOX news for "trolling" for assassins. The Republican far right is displaying treasonous behavior and they need to be called out for this. Every Republican in Congress should be speaking out strongly against this paranoid, delusional and treasonous speech.

I will not support "trolling" for assassins.

Schaffer is right....these folks are the American equivalent of the Taliban.

Our country needs more truth tellers like Rachel Maddow on the tv.

(I am supposed to be on hiatus...but this lunatic fringe cannot continue to unravel what remains of democracy in these Corporate States of America.)

Buzz....Buzz...Buzz....

Getting a Move On

I'm going on hiatus through Thanksgiving holidays. We are moving our household to Virginia's Blue Ridge mountains. I'm looking forward to living in a one stop light town that is filled with folks of differing beliefs who are able to create a community that is active, artistic and compassionate. What a combination.

I'm not sure what's in store for 2010 but it sure looks like it's not going to be boring, to say the least. I hope everyone is able to recharge their batteries and enjoy a great feast with great friends and family.

Take care folks. See you soon.

Caroline Herring: Music for the Writer's Soul

Writers don’t exist in a vacuum, but sometimes we are forced to do so. I struggle with this on a daily basis as stories and press releases and pleas from Africa stream across my desk. In this day and age there is a melding of blogging and journalism that can be quite confusing for those of us raised in the rules of “old school” journalism. The bottom line is that when reporting about the sheer inhumanity of it all, no matter how much one tries to meditate or pray, a deep scar is left on the psyche and compassion can be lost if one does not allow the passion to surface. There is so little independent analysis coming out of Congo that writers end up creating one woman/man news bureaus, with no colleague nearby to deflect the horror of it all through gallows humor or a drink after work. Camaraderie and comfort are nowhere to be found.

Rediscovering a love of music has been my stress reducer and consolation during these past few years. I want to write about the great poet/writers who have become friends if only to share my joy of these new discoveries and friends made along the way. Perhaps I am creating my own conflict by worrying that if I happen to “know” someone who is a wonderful writer and happens to be a musician that I am crossing some sacred line of journalism. Am I? Journalists quote other writers and analysts on a regular basis when examining in-depth stories.

Music touches the soul, so is it wrong to write about a friend or acquaintance who creates wonderful art—art that heals the heart and helps one to put one foot in front of the other while grabbing that cup of coffee and limping over to the laptop to see what is happening to the poor, the beleaguered and the dispossessed? Music can be like a morning prayer, and if the composer happens to be someone with whom you are acquainted or simply admire, should it be off limits to write about it? I am asking you the question while trying to walk that tightrope.

I may never be able to write a music review again, but it feels honest and ethical to explain how someone’s music can give you the courage to face the day. The true artist will impart that universal sense of understanding and speak directly to the observer. Mississippi native Caroline Herring is one of those unique artists who can help this writer get centered in the morning, wipe the tears away, and approach the job that needs to be done. Perhaps by writing about her artistry here, in this simple space, it will encourage those of you who visit this arena to learn about her art and her music and use it as a personal prayer.

Golden Apples of the Sun is Caroline Herring's fourth release and with this stunning compilation Caroline will certainly claim the mantel held by icons such as Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell and Buffy St. Marie. In their own way each of them was a freedom fighter for truth and justice in this sorry world—women who inspired me to make my own way.

Caroline’s "Tales of the Islander" is part homage to Mississippi Gulf Coast artist Walter Anderson and part celebration of the wondrous sense of place and nature that inhabits the Deep South. At once highly literate and completely accessible, Herring's original compositions as well as her takes on old favorites like "Long Black Veil" and "True Colors" prove once and for all that folk music is an art form. "The Dozens" is simply amazing and I will not do anything to "explain" it except quote this incredible line, which speaks volumes: "I'm just a white girl, from a segregated town, and I'm looking for some answers that I haven't found."

Herring does not manipulate with words, she simply asks the universal questions, tells the truth, and truth is in short supply these days. Before I had the opportunity to meet her and work through the serendipity of developing a friendship, I wrote several reviews of her work. The line we joke about is one in which I said she had ridden through the southland like Joan of Arc and firmly planted her flag in the red dirt of the Mississippi Delta. The review was about her album Lantana, and I can tell you that with Golden Apples of the Sun Caroline has cemented that flag so firmly into the red delta dirt that there will be nothing, not even a hurricane, which will dislodge it.

As a writer who leans heavily upon finding the correct words to describe the connections between soul, heart and place, I find Caroline to be an inspiration. But more than that, it is the way her music reaches deep into the soul, without effort and without artifice, that is so compelling. Only truth can provide protection and healing, and isn’t that what music is all about?



--

International Court Acquits Suspect in Murder of Dian Fossey

By Georgianne Nienaber

In a very sad day for Rwanda, The International Crimes Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) announced it has overturned a 20-year sentence and acquitted Protais Zigiranyirazo, accused genocidaire and suspected murderer of American primatologist Dian Fossey. Citing "serious errors" during the 2008 trial, ICTR Chamber Judge Theodore Meron ordered the immediate release of Zigiranyirazo, known as Mr. Z. This news came at the same time that international prosecutors were meeting in Kigali, Rwanda to discuss the future of international criminal justice.

The Appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, composed of Judges Theodor Meron, presiding, Mehmet Güney, Fausto Pocar, Liu Daqun, and Carmel Agius, today reversed Protais Zigiranyirazo's convictions for genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity and entered a verdict of acquittal. It then ordered his immediate release from the United Nations Detention Facility in Arusha, Tanzania.


On 18 December 2008, Trial Chamber III found Zigiranyirazo guilty of committing genocide and extermination as a crime against humanity by participating in a joint criminal enterprise to kill Tutsis at Kesho Hill in Gisenyi Prefecture on 8 April 1994 and sentenced him to two terms of 20 years of imprisonment. He was also found guilty of aiding and abetting genocide in relation to the killing of Tutsis at a roadblock in the Kiyovu area of Kigali and sentenced to one term of 15 years of imprisonment. The Trial Chamber ordered that these sentences be served concurrently.

Image: Genocide Memorial

It appears that Zigiranyirazo got off on technicalities. Judge Meron cited misstatements of law regarding the burden of proof with respect to Zigiranyirazo's alibi, and errors in the handling of evidence as rationale for his order of acquittal. The murder of Dian Fossey never entered into the equation, since it was considered a lesser crime as compared to the murder of 800,000 in Rwanda in 1994. The evidence remains overwhelming that Zigiranyirazo instituted the roadblocks in and around the city of Gisenyi and ordered the immediate execution of anyone carrying a Tutsi ID card. One can only imagine the angst the people of the province are feeling today. The survivors are mainly young people who witnessed the execution of their parents and grandparents.

Protais Zigiranyirazo was governor of Ruhengeri Province in Rwanda when Fossey worked there. Zigiranyirazo was also the brother-in-law of the Hutu President of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, whose death in an as yet unsolved plane crash ignited the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In a recent controversial ruling, a French tribunal also implicated the current President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, in the plane crash.

Zigiranyirazo remains a likely suspect in Fossey's murder. He was involved in illegal trading in endangered species and gold smuggling out of Congo, and there is much additional evidence in the historical record that Fossey was about to expose him when she was murdered. He was also the brother-in-law of then Rwandan president Habyarimana and member of the "Akazu", a term literally meaning "a small house," the inner circle of President Habyarimana.

Shortly before Fossey's murder on December 26, 1985, the acting chargé d' affaires of the U.S. embassy in Kigali, Helen Weinland, returned to the States for some routine medical exams that took longer than necessary. It was this turn of events that left Emerson Melaven as her temporary replacement after the Christmas holiday. In early interviews with the international media, Melaven stated that he and his colleagues were impressed by the Rwandan government's response to the murder.

Helen Weinland's memoirs of those days paint a different picture. She indicates that she followed initial events surrounding the murder with some frustration that she was not back at her post in Kigali. By the time she returned very little progress had been made in the murder investigation. Weinland states unequivocally that "...it is difficult to believe that the trial to find Dian's killer was a rigorous search for the truth."


Perhaps this turn of events will propel Rwanda to institute a rigorous investigation of Fossey's murder. It may be that the murder of one will end up to be the undoing of the man who got off on a technicality for the murder of thousands.

This news might also serve as a caveat for the United States as we wrestle with the problems of the trail of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. There is no doubt regarding the numbers of people who died on September 11, just as there is no doubt as to the carnage of 1994 in Rwanda, which has since spilled over into Congo. As Coleen Rowley indicates, there are many legal pitfalls, and if we are not careful, what we consider to be "obvious" could very well result in an acquittal.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial will undoubtedly be even more challenging for prosecutors than Moussaoui's was given the fact that Sheikh Mohammed was waterboarded 183 times and that none of his statements elicited as a result of torture will be admissible. The purely voluntary statements that Sheikh Mohammed made, however, before his capture, in April 2002, to Al Jazeera-London reporter Yosri Fouda may be used against him in court. Sheikh Mohammed's admissions which came almost a year before he was captured and tortured, are documented in Fouda's and Nick Fielding's book: Masterminds of Terror and they counterdict Dick Cheney's statements that waterboarding was essential to getting information from Sheikh Mohammed. (I happen to have met Al Jazeera reporter Yosri Fouda once in the course of an interview in November 2004 but I didn't get much of a chance to question him about his experience.)

On the day I visited the grave of Dian Fossey, raindrops covered the surface of a marker that was written in Kinyarwandan. The raindrops looked like tears.




"You Nyiramacyibili, that loved Rwanda-you gave your life to the gorillas in Virunga. This Karisoke you created has reserved for you peace and love that cannot be threatened by a spear."

As for the ongoing conflicts in the Great Lakes Region of Africa, perhaps it is the ghost of Dian Fossey that will generate interest in a rigorous search for the truth. Perhaps outrage at the death of one will put the deaths of 3000 at the Twin Towers, 800,000 in Rwanda and six million in Congo into perspective.

Another Reason to NOT Shop Wal Mart

Wal-Mart bans gay couple for NOT shoplifting. Hopefully these folks are suing Wal Mart for their outrageous behavior.

Don't Ask Don't Give

Finally the LGBGT community is insisting on an end to all talk no action. The Dems will have to start to actually do something fror the folks who vote to put them in office. Wow....remembering your base....what a novel concept.

Aericablog are the instigators of this movement for political self respect for the LGBT community. It's about time.

Spend the money on educating people and stop throwing it away on empty promises from professional politicians. When the Dems show they are worthy of our money and our trust...and only after actions displaying they will walk their talk...then maybe Obama and the Dems will see a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Kudos to Americablog!

Carry me back to ole Virginia....

"Some Virginians advocate letting the corporations control our essential needs and resources. Are these folks yearning for the good old days when corporations used to lock workers in the factories for the day (who needs stuff like unlocked exit doors with fire signs on them)? While we're at it let's get rid of those laws that prevent children from working in those factories. We can lower our taxes by not providing education to the children. In these economic times let's put those children to work in factories or farm fields. Oh no, the corporations have moved the factories overseas....go figure.

Ah...the good ole days are coming back. The mindset of let's kill the government and let the corporations take over. "Some would say" that "some" Virginians are watching too much Fox News. We can depend on Fox News to scare the government right out of you.

Republican Runs When Truth is Spoken

We need more truthtelling (especially on the boob tube.) If someone can't take it let them walk off the set. At least they don't get to spin their tales without the truth of historical context.

To Big To Fail.....

If you are to big too fail then you are to big to exist....In order to prevent another tax payer bail out for the Big Boys Bernie Sanders is introducing a no nonsense bill to put a stop to government bail outs. Tell the US Congress they need to support the To Big To Fail Bill.

STOP THE PLUNDER

STOP THE DIRTY LIES ABOUT COAL....and remember it has nothing to do with jobs or healthy communities. It's all about the greed of a few ruining the health and community life of many.

Bully Base

It couldn't be anymore clearer that the base of the Republican Party has no intentions on compromising. They're bullies who want it their way or no way, and why politicians continue to listen to them is beyond me.

The bullies have bullied Republican Party candidate Scozzafava right out of the race. They make it perfectly clear they have no respect for the Republican black leader Michael Steele, nor any Republican member of the House or Senate who believes in bi-partisanship, of course who that member is, is also beyond me.
It should be more than clear by now that the Republican Party base of racist bullies will stop at nothing to catapult the Republican Party back to the 1950s.
However, it is one thing for the Republican Party to kowtow to these white, backward-thinking, uneducated party members, but it appears Democrats are listening and responding to them as well, and THAT is certainly beyond my comprehension.

These right-wing loons do one thing, and that is listen to and respond to FOX (so-called) News. It should be clear by now that BOTH parties should ignore this lunatic (so-called) media outlet.

A few others that should ignore this lunatic fringe is MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS and NBS. To respond to FOX means you legitimize them. Ignore FOX, ignore their fringe and they're less likely to make an impact.

The bully base of the Republican Party may be voters, but they ARE NOT the majority, and keeping them in the limelight only propagates their lunatic logic.

Joe Lieberman is an ultimate Republicrat

Lieberman will do what what's best for Joe Lieberman...

The Empty Wheel has it right....Lieberman is either stupid or lying when it comes to his reasoning to support a filibuster on health care.

I betcha this is Joe Lieberman's last term in congress...betcha he's going to make lots of money for this one.

Why vote for any Republicrat anywhere?

Okay Republican Party....You can count me out as far as voting for any Republican anywhere. In my lifetime this party has NEVER given me a reason to vote for them. The covers have come off and the lunatic fringe is out in full force. As long as your candidates view women as a separate species and want us to stay out of the workforce...I don't see any self respecting women voting for McDonnell or any other wacky Republican.

Democrats....Well so far you have shown that you are not just spineless but you are sell outs....you are following the Republican's example of a party that is in control....it's called "take the money and run." I don't hear any professional politicians (from either of our "two parties") advocating for public elections so that our elected officials would actually be attentive to the votes who vote them into office.

Why should I waste my time voting for any Democrat anywhere when I see the Democrats with a 60 seat majority selling out single payer (no debate no nothing....b/c a debate would have shown everyone everywhere that this was the cheapest, simplest, easiest and best way to go....so no serious looking at the best option). So the people compromised for a strong public option and the Democrats can't seem to pass even this modest proposal.

So do the Democrats want folks taking their valuable time to go to the polls on November 4th and vote for them? IF so the Washington Democrats better show us that they can deliver. Unless a strong public option and a decent health insurance reform bill passed and signed into law quickly LOTS of people (including myself) will be sitting out this election.

Unlike our elected officials...when we the people say they are going to do something we do it.

Enough talk...we need action now. IF we don't get the action we are demanding you will see McDonnell become the next gov of Virginia due to his strong extremist minority following. But keep a look out...if this does happen the next step will be more parties springing up and the two party system will end up being challenged by parties of the people. It could get very interesting indeed.

Independent Senator Speaks Out on Healthcare

Independent Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont. We need more Senators who REPRESENT PEOPLE NOT CORPORATE INTERESTS!

Blowing Senator Warner's Cover

The Huffington Post has reported that Senator Mark Warner is working behind the scenes to "tinker" with a public option. I believe Senator Warner is trying to stop or weaken the public option. I contacted Warner's office and one of his aides tried to give me the line that I shouldn't believe Arianna Huffington. I replied why shouldn't I? Senator Mark Warner consistently has REFUSED to publicly state his position on the public option. I did NOT get the aides name because he hung up on me before I could finish my one sentence statement. (This would NEVER happen to a constituent of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. I have always found his staff incredibly respectful even though I am not a constituent.) BTW, Senator Bernie Sanders is NOT a Republicrat; he is an INDEPENDENT. (I cannot tell the difference between the Democratic party that I supported with my money and my vote in this election and the Republicans who used to run our Congress. Most of the Republicrats cater to the lobbyists to pocket the cash......so....

I repeat. I have NO REASON to trust Senator Mark Warner's support for Health Care Reform that benefits me. It appears that Senator Mark Warner is more interested in collecting money and working behind the scenes for the health insurance companies.

Well Senator Warner I would love to see you prove this post wrong. I challenge you to come out of the shadows and publicly make an honest stand on health insurance reform so your constituents will see who you are representing on this issue.

Posting this twice due to request for labels and the huffington post source so I did a bit of editing) The challenge to Senator Warner stands....Please please prove me wrong...

Blowing Senator Warner's Cover

The Huffington Post has reported that Senator Mark Warner is working behind the scenes to STOP a public option. I contacted Senator Warner's office and one of Warner's aides tried to give me the line that I shouldn't believe Arianna Huffington. I replied why shouldn't I since Senator Mark Warner has REFUSED to publicly state his position on the public option. I did NOT get the aides name because he hung up on me before I could finish my one sentence statement. (This would NEVER happen to a constituent of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. I have always found his staff incredibly respectful even though I am not a constituent of Senator Bernie Sanders who is an INDEPENDENT Senator and not a "Republicrat." ( cannot tell the difference between the Democratic party that I supported with my money and my vote in this election.....so....

I repeat. I have NO REASON to trust Senator Mark Warner's support for Health Care Reform that benefits me. It appears that Senator Mark Warner is more interested in collecting money and working behind the scenes for the health insurance companies.

Well Senator Warner I would love to see you prove this post wrong. I challenge you to come out of the shadows and publicly make an honest stand on health insurance reform so your constituents will see who you are representing on this issue.

Freedom in the Americas but NOT in the USA

Mexico, Argentina, and Columbia have legalized personal drug use. Their citizens can now choose between alcohol, pot, and other drugs without fear of the state locking them up in prison for their personal choice.

The Global Post reports:

Almost two months after Mexico decriminalized the possession of small amounts all major narcotics — including marijuana, cocaine and heroin — the most notable thing is how little has changed.

One thing has changed. The government is saving money by not imprisoning people for exercising their freedom to choose. I betcha they don't have privatized prison systems legally bribing, "lobbying," their elected officials for mandatory sentencing. BUZZ....BUZZ....BUZZ....

The Middle Class is Disappearing

SNL On Obama's Record

Shame on the Republicrats!!

heal

ALL of our elected officials need to be taken to task if they are selling out to Big Pharma and the Health Insurance Industry. 45,000 Americans die every year due to no health insurance coverage. SHAME on Webb and Warner for not coming out for a strong public option. They should both be ON THE RECORD supporting a strong public option and the right for us to choose for ourselves whether we want public or private health insurance.

Obama's Pharma Deal

Support Real News because a democracy needs truth to function.

Stand Up and Fight The Lies

Stand Up and Fight....Do It Now!

Tell Your Truth to Jim Webb

I seriously disagree with Jim Webb's analysis--that most people are understandably satisfied with their health care.

Jim Webb's peers in Congress are definitely satsifed with their health care. But this is NOT the reality for the people that Jim Webb represents.

Please take the time to contact Jim Webb asap. Senator Webb is known to be a fair and ethical man. Let him know that his analysis is wrong and he needs to get on board and heartily endorse a strong public option asap.

I've enclosed Senator Webb's correspondence on health care below.

Thank you for contacting my office regarding health care reform. I appreciate your taking the time to share your views.

At the outset, I believe that the Obama administration should have begun the reform process with a clear proposal that could have been the starting point for our work here in Congress. Without a specific framework, Congress has had difficulty crafting a bill of such challenging scope and complexity.

Currently in the Senate, two committees have jurisdiction over health care – the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and the Finance Committee. The bills produced by the two committees will be combined into a single package, to be considered by the entire Senate in the coming weeks. Although a final bill for debate in the Senate has not yet been agreed to, I am reviewing the bills that have been produced based on the need to contain costs, expand access to health care, and address systemic concerns, such as health insurance reform. It is important for us to be very deliberate on an issue of such importance to the lives of so many Americans.

While most people are understandably satisfied with their health care, the system is not working for millions of American families. Spiraling costs for health care have placed our biggest industries at a severe competitive disadvantage, as employers struggle to provide insurance for their workers. By the same token, families are increasingly unable to depend on their health care plans when they need them the most. This has contributed to the mortgage foreclosure crisis and the rise in personal bankruptcies. In short, our nation’s continued economic recovery would be advanced by meaningful and effective health care reform. At the same time, such reform must emphatically be reasonable in scope, cost, and impact.

In the coming weeks and months, I encourage you to visit my website at www.webb.senate.gov

for updated information about the health care reform debate. Additionally, the Senate Committee on Finance www.finance.senate.gov

and HELP Committee www.help.senate.gov/index.html

have posted on their websites useful information about their respective proposals.

As the Senate continues to debate health care reform, please be assured that your views will be very helpful to me and my staff. I hope that you will continue to share your views with us in the years ahead.

Thank you once again for contacting my office.

Sincerely,

Jim Webb

United States Senator

JW:kw

Health Insurance Corporations Are The Deadbeats....

Colbert's Truthiness on Race

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word - Blackwashing
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

US Govt Violates Constitutional Rights at G 20

This is what a police state looks like. This is what is happening in the Philadelphia PA



Looks like a very public rendition. Who's policing these bullies?

H/T to Huffington Post

Go Eco Activists Go!

Eco Activists in action at the G-20

Insurance Company PSA

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

Debtor's Revolt Update

One Battle "MAYBE" Won in Credit Revolt...IF the bank executive is good on his word.....

Credit goes to Arthur Delaney at the Huffington Post for this update.

Policemen and their Tasers

Some Policemen LOVE to use those tasers whenever the opportunity presents itself.



This is NOT the only instance of police tasering folks in a wheelchair.

When are communities anywhere in the USA going to start policing their police?

Buzz....Buzz....

Joe Liebermann wants to take us backwards!!

Alternative CLEAN energy will allow regular folks to STOP losing our hard earned money to the fat cats. But Joe Lieberman wants to make sure that the fat cats stay fat, lazy and happy.

Besides....don't we all want fish with our mercury??

Joe Lieberman wants the USA to invest in the technologies of the past--Nuclear and Coal instead of devoting the money to newer technologies like solar, wind, geothermal.......

Joe needs to go!! I "betcha" Joe doesn't survive the next election b/c his constituents KNOW he lied to them and he has sold his soul to the special interests fat cats.

Check It Out

Robert Creamer puts some perspective on the Acorn controversy over at the Huffington Post.

According to Creamer:

Bear in mind, as outrageous as the employee's conduct was, no one was injured, no money was stolen, no deal was fixed. There was no victim of their acts. No matter, within days the Right Wing noise machine went into full "fury" mode. Republicans used their procedural prerogatives in Congress to force votes cutting off any federal funding for ACORN. Enough Democrats went along, and the motions passed both Houses.

Compare that to what happened when Boeing was caught fixing bids for a giant tanker project, or AIG created the massive Credit Default Swap scheme that helped sink the entire financial system, or the greed of traders who received tens of millions in personal compensation caused millions of retirees to loose half of their 401K plans. Remember the hundreds of millions of dollars in overcharges for fuel in Iraq by KBR, the subsidiary of Haliburton. Or compare it to what happened to the security contractor Blackwater when its personnel opened fire and killed 14 civilians in Nisoor Square in Baghdad.

No Republican demanded that these firms be "defunded" by Congress. No, instead AIG and the banks that were "too big to fail" received billions in bail-out money. The brilliant traders who sunk AIG got multi-million dollar bonuses. KBR, Haliburton, Boeing and even Blackwater still have huge government contracts.

Think about it. An amateur Right Wing journalist finally finds an ACORN employee who provides him and his faux hooker cohort with some outrageous advice, and the Republicans get Congress to pass legislation cutting off funding in little more than a week. Blackwater employees kill 14 Iraqi civilians, endangering America's mission in Iraq and the Republicans don't utter a peep.

Then again, what do you expect from the political party that last week promoted a "values summit" and is lead by philanderers like former Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator David Vitter, Governor Mark Sanford, and Senator John Ensign. The Republicans have always been the kings of the double standard.

Read more.

KILL BILL...the Baucus Bill

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

The Baucus Insurance Industry Profit Protection and Enhancement Act

Republicrats are set to pass another bill that benefits corporate special interests at the expense of their constituents. Same old Same old US Corporate Congress.....where's the change?

Civil Disobedience--Debtor's Revolt Against Greedy Banks

Hopefully NO ONE will pay such usurious rates. Fifteen percent is too high....thirty percent is horrendous.

,

Wall Street OWNS US "Corporate" Congress

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

So it goes.....UNTIL we have publicly financed elections in our country this LEGALIZED Bribery that goes under the code name of "lobbying" is going to be the death of US!

A Real Socialist Speaks

Ever wonder WHY Corporate Media tries to scare the socialist right out of you?

WE Can't Afford To Wait

Save Us Rachel Maddow

Huffington Post Fave Wedding Couple

En Joy!!

Verizon is NOT Green

Verizon Wireless needs to reconsider its “Friends and Family” feature—or, more pointedly, withdraw its support for Massey Energy’s outrageously bogus “Friends of America” rally on Labor Day weekend.

Verizon should withdraw its sponsorship of this bogus rally immediately—or explain its support of mountaintop removal, climate-change denial, and union-busting to its 87 million customers.

Call or text or email Verizon Wireless corporate leaders and let them know. CEO Dennis Strigl can be emailed at Dennis.Strigl@verizonwireless.com. Verizon HQ is here:

1 Verizon Way
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920-1097
(908) 559-7000

Contact the Environmental Defense Fund and question their promotion of Verizon as a green company.

The folks over at Credo Action are encouraging Verizon customers to communicate their displeasure with the company’s sponsorship—via Twitter, Facebook and Email.

H/T to Jeff Biggers at grist.org

Healthy School Lunches

Hatch Closed to Plight of Poor

Orin Hatch continues the long tradition of the Republican Party in championing the wealthy and the corporations. I can only guess Senator Hatch has no poor constituency, because on the Sunday after the burial of his good friend, Senator Ted Kennedy, instead of thinking of those without health care, he reiterated the need for the health insurance industry as it is, because it is 1/6Th of the United States economy, something, I'm sure he has helped to bring about in his time in the Senate. So, again, a Republican thinks "money" instead of thinking of those who suffer without adequate health care.
It is amazing to me that anyone who works for a living could stand with a politician such as Orin Hatch and the Republican Party.
It would help if we all remembered what Teddy Kennedy said back in 1968 in Alaska, because it is SO fitting today as it was then, "We have let the haters take the lead, and we are all paying for it."

Gas Attack

I had my gas cut off via mishap yesterday, (you
know those husband/wife mishaps, right? "Did you
pay the gas and electric before we left for
vacation?" Sure honey, don't you remember, I
paid it online." "Okay, so I can throw this
notice away?" "Well yeah, in the recycle bin.")

The representative left a little door hanger
saying, "sorry I missed you," meaning he/she
made an attempt to see me, right? WRONG!

The phone representative, Lisa, told me the person
coming to shut off the gas is not supposed to
attempt contact with the tenant.

Well, EXCUSE ME, but then why does he/she leave
a note that states, "sorry I missed you?"
What's even more confusing is why right-wing
anti-health care reform fanatics haven't been
screaming about our utilities. We no longer
have a center for gas or electric IN the area
they service. We do NOT have a competing
source for gas and electric, meaning they
have a monopoly, AND whenever you contact
them, you get a person living in India taking
your call!

Talk about potential terrorist attack
opportunity. All they need to do is take over a
call center in a foreign country and have those
guys issue disconnect notices for EVERYONE in a
particular area.

And what is seriously wrong with this situation
is that WE did this. We turned a blind eye and
allowed legislation from our representatives to
pass that allows this from our basic utility companies!

If you think keeping utilities in the hands of foreigners
is okay and monopolies are okay, then do nothing.
If you think this is a problem, for crying out loud
write your representatives and tell them you want
competing FREE market utilities.

Helter Skelter Buzz Thru

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Healther Skelter
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Spinal Tap Performance

Stop the Madness....Get the Facts

The insurance industry and the Republican Party are spreading lies and rumors in order to continue the status quo in our health insurance system. A status quo that will become increasingly expensive (and worthless with denial of claims, etc).

The town hall mobs are just one aspect of their plan. If they can prevent folks from discussing the issues they think "they" might win and keep this extremely profitable corporate insurance system in place with little to no competition.

There's a remedy. It's called truth. So let's stop the mob rule and the rumor mill that the corporate media is promoting for their clients. Corporate media loves to fan the chaos because more groups will buy ad time. They get rich off of controversy even if it is controversy manufactured by the corporations.

Visit WhiteHouse.gov/Reality Check get the facts and spread the truth.

The stakes are just too high to do nothing.

Looks like a Third World Country to me

When Profit and Corporations are seen as Godlike and people and government become the enemy.....

Unfortunately, if we don't do some serious reform many folks who currently have health insurance will lose it within the next 5-10 years.

Too bad we don't have any real journalists on the tv and radio who could bring folks the real picture and he real facts instead of the corporate media's slanted corporate perspective.

It's a crying shame.

Obama Sold Us Out to Big Pharma!!

Obama promised to this system of outrageous overpayments to Big Pharma of 10-20 BILLION per day (at "our" expense).

Obama needs to find that infamous "non-existent" Democratic backbone and make good on this campaign promise to us.

We did NOT elect Obama to entertain his bi-partisan urges at our expense!!

Fight back against health insurance lies

Short Simple Truth about the Dirty Work of HMO

Health Care Ads are Talking Sense and Taking Aim

Countering the Propaganda

Propaganda works...that's why the corporate media uses it a lot to promote the interests of the private insurance industry over the interests of the American People. Propaganda (to borrow a phrase from a recent comment on my blog) "exploits the stupid" and it does it effectively. This is why less than corporations own the

US supports the overthrow of a democratic government

Yes, Virginia...the US government is NOT exporting Democracy to Honduras. It looks like the US government wants to continue to support the capitalist Robber Class and their exploitation of the South American people. Check it out here.

Where's the change? Why is the School of the America's still being supported by Obama and the Republicrats? What will it take to effect real change and real democracy in our own country?

CNN has a Dobbs Problem

Tell CNN to address their Dobbs problem here.

William Shatner Interprets Sarah Palin's Tweets

Resolution

H/T to David Swanson

Join With Us

Over 70% of Americans want real choice and real competition in our health care system. Let your elected officials know that this is a bottom line issue. Their vote will let you know if they can be bought by corporations or they represent your interests.