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

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Healther Skelter
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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.

Food Inc At the Naro

PREVIEW--FOOD INC. With Speakers and a Discussion.
Wednesday 7/29/09 at 7:15 pm at the Naro Cinema.

Filmmaker Robert Kenner lifts the veil on our nation's food industry, exposing the highly mechanized underbelly that's been hidden from the American consumer with the consent of our government's regulatory agencies FOR FOOD, the USDA and FDA. Our nation's nutrition is now controlled by a handful of corporations that often put profit ahead of consumer health, the livelihood of the American farmer, the safety of workers, and our own environment. We have bigger-breasted chickens, the perfect pork chop, insecticide-resistant soybean seeds, even tomatoes that won't go bad, but we also have new strains of e-coli, the harmful bacteria that causes illness in an estimated 73,000 Americans annually. We are riddled with widespread obesity, particularly among children, and an epidemic level of diabetes among adults. Featuring interviews with such experts as Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Michael Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) along with forward-thinking social entrepreneurs like Stonyfield Farms' Gary Hirschberg and Polyface Farms' Joe Salatin, Food, Inc. reveals surprising—and often shocking—truths about what we eat, how it's produced, who we have become as a nation, and where we are going from here. (PG, 94 mins) Discussion to follow the film.

Click here to visit official site.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE

Local folks should be able to shape their own communities. Unfortunately, this is not the current standard. The people of Dendron have won this battle. Let's join them so we can all win the war and each of us, in our own communities, will strengthen our power to act locally and live free.


Buzz....Buzz....

Health Care Truth Telling

Obama's Rule of Nonsense

President Obama refuses to reverse course on his decision to allow high level Bush administration war criminals to literally get away with murder and war crimes. President Obama refers to this as "not looking back."

If President Obama continues on this course he needs to make his decision apply to everyone. Fairness and equal justice for all is the essential foundation of the United States government. Therefore, President Obama's decision guts our justice system. To make this "not looking back" fair and just President Obama will have to dismantle our criminal justice system, eliminate courts, prisons, judges, police officers, prison guards, and lawyers. Who needs a Congress if there is no law? Dismantle the rule of law so that ALL of us are treated fairly.

Does this sound preposterous? How is it more preposterous than a United States government that only locks up poor people. You might be thinking, "but Bernie Madeoff just went to prison for 150 years." Yes but Bernie Madeoff made the mistake of robbing the rich. Only crimes against the rich appear to matter to the Bush and Obama administrations.

Obama's mantra of "not looking back" is nonsense. There can be no rule of law unless one looks back. That is what our courts do....they have to look back to determine guilt or innocense. President Obama is an attorney so he has no excuse for not enforcing our nation's laws in a fair and just manner. President Obama needs to do his job and do it properly. There are no excuses when it comes to the rule of law.

Mr. Obama needs to carefully read the New York Times editorial--Illegal and Pointless. According to the NYT:

President Obama has refused to open a full investigation of the many laws that were evaded, twisted or broken--pointlessly and destructively---under Mr. Bush. Mr. Obama should change his mind. A full accounting is the only way to ensure these abuses never happen again.

Many of the same folks who participated in the Iran Contra affair are participants in the latest atrocities. Atrocities continue to happen if there are no consequences, no trials, no prison sentences. We MUST have a full investigation or more atrocities, more crimes against the people of the US and the world will continue to occur.

Call the White House AND Attorney General Eric Holder and insist that they do the jobs we are paying them to do.

Buzz...Buzz... White House telephone-- 202.456.1111 Attorney General Eric Holder--202.353.1555

The Joy of Sachs

The American economy remains in dire straits, with one worker in six unemployed or underemployed. Yet Goldman Sachs just reported record quarterly profits — and it’s preparing to hand out huge bonuses, comparable to what it was paying before the crisis. What does this contrast tell us?

First, it tells us that Goldman is very good at what it does. Unfortunately, what it does is bad for America.

Second, it shows that Wall Street’s bad habits — above all, the system of compensation that helped cause the financial crisis — have not gone away.

Third, it shows that by rescuing the financial system without reforming it, Washington has done nothing to protect us from a new crisis, and, in fact, has made another crisis more likely. -- Paul Krugman

This is a must read!

Help Save Alaska's Tongass Rainforest

A friend sent me this photo with the explanation that the little boy wanted to know if his hair was like President Obama's. This reminded me of a video that was posted to The Women's Post by mosquito in February. I've posted the video below.

When Video is Picture to the Tenth Degree

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Oh yeah...I can hear it now. America's Number 1...BUZZ...BUZZ...

More Bush War Crimes....

Isn't the United States of America's history one of fighting war criminals not Be-ing War criminals?

Since when did the belief in justice become an "extremist" view in the United States

?

You Tube National Equality Project

Okay LGBT folk, friends and family members. Get out those video cameras and make those plans to go to Washington on October 11th.

Are you "some" people?

John from InvisiblePeople.tv on Vimeo.

If you do fit the stereotype of "some" people you need to work on expanding your compassionate nature. Unfortunately our economic crisis may worsen....remember the adage, "There but for the grace of God......"

Thanks to the invisible people website for their work for documenting these important voices.

Economic Meltdown 191

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand what has happened in our capitalist economy. Robert Scheer, an economic reporter and now editor at Truthdig, has compiled an encapsulated timeline. Now there's no excuse for getting caught up in the corporate media's destructive jingle jangle distraction devices that continue to thwart our economic recovery. So enjoy this concise onloine educational treasure trove-- Economic Meltdown 101.

A Crow in the Know

H/T to Katherine Goldstein at the Huffington Post for this. Maybe our concept of animal intelligence is intricately connected to the current SAD diet which entails eating meat and fake food.

A Simple Truthful Message

Thomas Jefferson would be leading this fight in Virginia...."you betcha!"

Buzz....Buzz....

Sarah Palin Whines & Forgets her Statement Against Whiners

So let's refresh her memory shall we?

Illegal Immigration is a Humanitarian Issue

I agree with Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's opinions on immigration. According to the AFP:
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva issued a law giving tens of thousands of undocumented immigrants legal status and criticized rich nations for taking a tough stance against illegal migrants....

"In our eyes, repression, discrimination and intolerance do not address the root of the problem," he said.

"Illegal immigration is a humanitarian question that should not be confused with criminality," added the Brazilian leader, who was wearing the traditional clothes of Bolivia and Paraguay, the home countries of many of Brazil's immigrants.

The law issued by Lula allows all undocumented foreigners who entered Brazil before last February to obtain two-year provisional residency permits that can be made permanent.

All recipients will be entitled to work and receive public education and healthcare.

Brazil's Justice Department says there are around 60,000 undocumented foreigners in the country, but non-governmental groups believe the number could be as high as 200,000 illegal immigrants, with most coming from Latin America and China.

More Americans should make an effort to make friends with folks around the world to broaden theirperspectives. We need to learn to live together peacefully. The USA needs to learn how NOT to be a bully....the latest example we could set is in Honduras. Obama needs to label this a coup, illegal, and stop ALL aid to this country. THEN we would see Honduras get back to the rule of law and their constitution. It would also be an end to the US participation in overthrowing popular democratically elected leaders in South America. Why stop there? Why not close down the infamous School of the Americas right away?

But supporting the Honduran people would mean real change wouldn't it?

Buzz...Buzz...

Ingenius People Don't Need Nuclear Energy

LooWatts--what will they think up next? Buzz....Buzz.....

Senator Al Franken will be seated at last.

Finally--Minnesota has a new senator. Welcome Senator Al Franken.

Nothing like a sore loser to stop up the whole process. Norm Coleman will go down in history as the biggest sore loser of all time and Governor Pawlenty will not be able to scrape the stench of devious political partisanship getting in the way of him doing the job the voters elected him to do.

Wow what a system we have.

Another Small Step Restoring Justice in America

US District Judge Jeffrey White has ruled that a person who was detained for four years and tortured without any trial or legal recourse can now sue the government lawyer--John Yoo--who created legal argument to allow this unconstitutional abuse to occur. Source

What is Single Payee? Why do we need it?

Ask Obama.....

If health care is an important issue for you then take a few minutes and send your question into the President?

Hope all is well out there.....Mosquito is buzzing through today.....

Buzz...Buzz...

Americans in Revolt....Surely you jest.

What would it take to send Americans to the streets?

A stolen election? NOT

More deaths than soldiers in wars due to no healthcare? ....well actually there are some folks gathering to rally and lobby in D.C. tomorrow on this issue. So if you can't make it to DC give your Senators a call and/or visit their local offices.

Weapon X--Time for a Change

Revolutionary spirit for people who value democracy.

Unlike the people of the United States, Iranians refuse to let the "evildoers" steal their elections. Iranians are brave enough to stand up and fight corruption in their government.

I pray for the day when US citizens demand Campaign Finance Reform and refuse to allow the corporations to continue ruling and profiteering at our expense.

Recognize the bravery of the Iranian people.

buzz....buzz.....

Visitors and Hosts in Pakistan

A friend of ours has travelled to Pakistan to see what effect our military there is having on the ordinary people, the people and their families. The reality is chilling.

I have to wonder where the change is....How in the world is this going to improve our national security? How are these actions and events different from the Bush Administration? Didn't we GOTV to stop this sort of insanity?

Visitors and Hosts in Pakistan
by Kathy Kelly

Kathy Kelly co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence (www.vcnv.org). She, along with Dan Pearson, Gene Stoltzfus, and Razia Ahmad, is part of a Voices delegation to Pakistan.

June 10, 2009

In Jayne Anne Phillips’ Lark and Termite, the skies over Korea, in 1950, are described in this way:

“The planes always come…like planets on rotation. A timed bloodletting, with different excuses.”

The most recent plane to attack the Pakistani village of Khaisor (according to a Waziristan resident who asked me to withhold his name) came twenty days ago, on May 20th, 2009. A U.S. drone airplane fired a missile at the village at 4:30 AM, killing 14 women and children and 2 elders, wounding eleven.

The previous day, some travelers had come to Khaisor, and the villagers had served them a meal. “This is our custom,” my friend relates. “It is our traditional way.” But these travelers were members of the Taliban, and their visit was noted by U.S. forces. It is possible they were identified through pictures taken by unmanned U.S. drones. Although the visitors had left right after their meal, the U.S. responded to this act of hospitality by bombing the homes of the hosts early the following morning.

I asked my friend how families cope, when a bomb suddenly blasts their20home in the middle of the night. Do they have any kind of first aid available to help the wounded? “You see this,” he said, pointing to the long shawl that I happened to be wearing, a customary part of every village woman’s dress, “they try to use this [as a bandage] because it is all they have.” I imagined the shawl rapidly soaking up the blood of a dying Pakistani man, woman, or child.

On the morning of the 20th, the other villagers had rushed to the section where the missile had hit, hoisting injured survivors onto their shoulders and carrying them across rough, hilly terrain to the nearest road (about five kilometers away from the village) where, lacking vehicles of their own and with no hope of receiving an ambulance visit, they waited for a car to stop, their only means of reaching a hospital.

The first car they saw did stop, but its driver refused to take any of the wounded for fear that his action would be noted by an unmanned U.S. drone, and that he himself would face the reward for his hospitality which the village had received.

The villagers walked along the road until another car stopped and did agree to take some of the wounded to a nearby center run by the International Commission of the Red Cross.

For three days following the attack, people collected in the village, coming in from all over the region for the funerals. My visitor told me that20whether people know the villagers or not, they will come to pray. “On the cell phone you get the word,” he said, “Look, this bloody thing again happened. People share the sorrow, but the anger increases. Everyone says we should get rid of the Americans.”

At the funeral, the villagers showed casings from the missile to demonstrate that it was a U.S. missile that killed their neighbors.

About 40 – 50 families live in the area of the village. My friend said that the people are hospitable and sturdy, tough enough to live in harsh conditions.

Villagers have become accustomed to the drone attacks. At first, some were paralyzed with fear –but since 2001, they’ve endured about 70 such attacks, and drone surveillance has become a routine fact of life. Even the children can identify the drones flying overhead. “When there is a drone up above the children don’t play in a group because they don’t want the drone to hit them,” said our visitor. The pilots of the drones, looking through monitors at their consoles in Nevada and elsewhere in the U.S., are more likely to mistake groups of people for their designated targets than people standing alone. Groups of children have been attacked. “The children scatter and run away, and they stop playing for some hours.”

Asked if he saw any alternatives to the fighting, my friend immediately said20that the attackers – the people from the United States - should come and sit with them. “If they come and discuss and throw away the arms, I hope it will be far better than if they are hitting us and trying to bring the peace through arms. Even if the peace comes, through arms, we will never forget after 100 years, and we will take revenge.”

“Our area was the most peaceful,” he continued, “but when the army came to Afghanistan it also affected us and our area became more violent. They should come and sit with us, assess our need, they should help us get drinking water, they should give us education, they should give us loans, they should help us in agriculture.”

My friend has already organized a “jirga”, or discussion, between local people and Taliban to consider how peace might come to the area. He asked the jirga members if they wanted peace and they responded, “Yes, why not? Who is such a person that they would not want peace? If the Americans stop the drones and go out from Afghanistan and if the Pakistan army stops the mess they are making in our agency, yes, we want peace.”

The U.S., and some segments of Pakistani society, want other things from these villagers. It's difficult to know what fuels the ongoing attacks, particularly when media are banned from the areas under attack.

But the duty these villagers were bombed for carrying out, this time, was hospitality. Strangers come to your home and you feed them. During my visit here in Pakistan, soon to end, I’ve been shown profound respect and hospitality, although I've come here from the land of an enemy, from a country that brings terrifying robotic planes here, constantly surveilling and routinely killing from the skies in a manner reminiscent of science fiction. The drones are a daily fact of life here, brought by visitors; U.S. bombs are now part of their sky: new planets on rotation.

Here, the enlightened West now stands for mechanized death from the skies, “a timed bloodletting with different excuses.”

Yesterday, the "excuse" our visitor described, the rationale for incinerating women, children and elders, was a mere act of hospitality – the extreme, obligatory hospitality shown to friends and enemies alike in this part of the world.

I’m soon to leave Pakistan and its targeted regions. Last week, U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke and a small delegation left after a short visit. It's likely that U.S. generals and advisers will continue to shuttle back and forth between the U.S. and Pakistan.

All who come from the U.S. are guests here.

How do we hope to be treated?

Kathy Kelly (kathy@vcnv.org) co-coordinates Voices for Creative Nonviolence (www.vcnv.org). She, along with Dan Pearson, Gene Stoltzfus, and Razia Ahmad, is part of a Voices delegation to Pakistan.

Insider Shenanigans

Is anyone going to be held accountable for the disappearance of trillions of dollars? Are the American people going to allow a few powerful wealthy insiders to rob us blind?

When are we simply going to put the Federal Reserve and the Banks under the control of our government and put some folks in jail who have literally ripped us off from the inside.

Where's the change we were promised? When are the folks behind this going to be held accountable?

Where's the justice in America?

Great Online Film

The HomeProject is a great film explaining global warming Pop some popcorn and sit down with the family for an hour and a half of educational pleasure via the wonderful internet.
H/T to Mac McKinney for turning us on to this.