We need peace keepers not military cops...

Once again another story about how police have shot and killed a mentally ill person. This incident involved a man who allegedly was stabbing himself with an ax and then walking around a market with an axe.

This sort of thing is so avoidable. Why aren't the police all equipped with nets and trained to use them so they can safely capture mentally ill folks who are wielding sharp objects? Where is the community dialogue on safe and humane ways to control folk instead of the deadly force that is used much more than it should be. I guess wielding a net is not seen as "kewl" as a gun or electric taser but it sure is cost effective and could keep everyone safe.

In the meantime the corporate government would prefer to scare folks instead of develop safe and humane ways to deal with people. Don't forget we now have killer drones patrolling our borders...how long before they patrol our neighborhoods?

And where is the dialogue about the pros and cons of utilizing deadly force including killer robots?

The Magic of Pharmaceuticals!

The Story of Bottled Water

According to Ethical Investing:

If you choose to avoid investing in Monsanto, you probably would like to avoid purchasing their products as well. After all, purchases of their products directly funds the destruction of people's health around the world. Fortunately, there are alternatives to all of their harmful products.

Here's a list of Monsanto products to avoid and a list of alternatives.

If we want control of our food production then a big first step is to STOP supporting Monsanto.

Dear Dennis Kucinich

Dear Dennis Kucinich,

I have been a huge fan for years. After meeting David Swanson and hearing that if everyone who supports you would/could donate 50 bucks to your presidential campaign then we would have you as our President I stepped up to the plate and sent you money for your congressional campaign when folks wanted to challenge you and had resolved to send you at least 50 bucks henever you run for President. (However, with the recent "horrendous" Supreme Court decision this theory probably became null and void).

Given my belief in your ethics and your authentic representation of the people you represent I want to know what prompted you to support the Obama Health Care Plan. I am seriously opposed to this plan because I worry it will strengthen the health insurance industry and weaken future attempts to correct the US health care system. IF insurance is marginally improved for people who maybe able to afford health insurance (and/or folks who still have a job) I believe this may stop any serious health care reform that is truly affordable and accessible for all Americans.

So Dennis can you tell us why?

Sincerely,
Star Womanspirit

26 Democratic Senators Holding up Healthcare Reform

45,000 Americans die every year because they do not have health insurance and cannot access quality healthcare.

Actions speak louder than words. Every day at least 123 Americans will die. Why are these Senators not doing what is necessary to get a Health Insurance Reform bill passed so that everyone can have access and choice of a private or public plan?

Here are the 26 Democratic Senators currently holding Up Healthcare Reform and supporting the Republican Party of NO:

Daniel Akaka HI
Max Baucus MT
Evan Bayh IN
Mark Begich AK
Robert Byrd WV
Maria Cantwell WA
Thomas Carper DE
Kent Conrad ND
Cristopher Dodd CT
Byron Dorgan ND
Russel Feingold WI
Kay Hagan NC
Tom Harkin IA
Ted Kaufman DE
Herb Kohl WI
Mary Landrieu LA
Blanche Lincoln AR
Claire McCaskill MO
Bill Nelson FL
Ben Nelson NE
Mark Pryor AR
John Rockefeller WV
Jon Tester MT
Mark Udall CO
Mark Warner VA
Jim Webb VA

Is your Senator on this list?

If you are from VA BOTH of our Senators are on this notorious list. This is not a moderate position but it maybe an "self richening" experience for many if not all the Senators on this list.

Quote of the Week

"Nationalism is our form of incest, is our idolatry, is our insanity.

'Patriotism' is its cult. It should hardly be necessary to say that by 'patriotism', I mean that attitude which puts the own nation above humanity, above the principles of truth and justice; not the loving interest in one's own nation, which is the concern with the nation's spiritual as much as with its material welfare - never with its power over other nations.

Just as love for one individual which excludes the love for others is not love, love for one's country which is not part of one's love for humanity is not love, but idolatrous worship."

-Erich Fromm (1900-1980), U.S. psychologist

Ima Democrat Ima Republican....

Is Glenn Beck Ignorant or a Communist?

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Rage Within the Machine - Progressivism
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Crisis

Glenn Beck thinks the Library is Free. I guess he also thinks that the roads, schools, teachers, fire fighters, cops, just materialize from nothingness.

It's all about Money versus Personal Freedom.

Net Neutrality comes down to Personal Internet Freedom vs. Corporate Internet Control. Check it out here.

PS--Hard Drive is dying so we'll be offline until next week.

Food Revolutions

All over this country communities are getting back to the basics. These efforts will strengthen individuals and their communities.

Rethink Afghanistan

"Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?" -- Holly Near

There is no excuse for the USA's continuous state of war and the willingness of our government to kill numerous civilians in any attempt to get one alleged "terrorist." If this is such an okay thing to do before long we may see our own police departments stop negotiating during hostage situations and just kill everyone involved no matter how innocent. That would be what Ward Churchill described as a "chickens coming home to roost."

Randal Amster has written a beautiful essay--Empire of the Sunset. Americans should insist that our government stop the imperialist corporate wars and actually create a government that protects flesh and blood people instead of corporate profits.

The American dream is lost due to our bloated and growing military budget that remains "untouchable." Our corporate owned Congress insists on protecting corporate profits and cutting vital domestic programs which are already slashed to the bone.

When will we ever learn? When will we ever learn.....

Britain's Robin Hood Tax

Why aren't the people demanding that the bankers and the wallstreet corporations paying their fair share of taxes?

Obama won't listen and Corporations BLOCK FREE SPEECH

Two Big Issues in this video.

First Obama LIES everytime he says he's open to new ideas. Obama has consistently REFUSED to listen to the MAJORITY of the American People who want Medicare for All. But the corporate cronies don't want this. Obama has actually BLOCKED anhyone with a health care idea to the left of the center from having any seat at the healthcare table. Meanwhile, Big Pharma and Big Healthcare all paid lots of money and "viola" they filled the seats at the table. Then the doors were closed and the dark, back room deals took place.

Corporations would rather pay high health care premuiums and block the competition that would evolve as more people would start their own local businesses to compete against the corporations if we had healthcare for everyone. So as long as the only way to afford health care is to work for a corporations they have a cheaper labor pool available to them.

How can corporations yell private property and want to arrest anyone who is not marching in lockstep with the corporate agenda?

Hotels are NOT private residences.....There is a BIG? difference between private property and malls, etc that are open for public business.

Do you support unnecessary cruelty?

Every dollar spent on food is a vote for cruelty or cruelty free farming. How are you voting?

Here's an example of CORPORATE Factory Dairy Farming. OF course the corporate media will never show you this truth. In fact, the corporate US government considers many of the whistleblowers of factory farm practices to be eco-terrorists.

DEMOCRATS DOUBLE STANDARD

If it's a progressive issue (such as Health Care, Wall Street Regulations or a Consumer Protection Agency) 60 votes are needed in the Senate. IF it's for a conservative or corporate cause--confirming Wall Streets Inside Man, Ben Bernanke--only 51 votes are needed.

This double standard is not just obvious in the Congress. Obama's promise of giving everyone a seat at the healthcare table was glaring in not giving a single seat to a progressive advocate of single payee and allowing Big Pharma and the Health Insurance Industry to buy seats and pack the healthcare debate. The writing is on the wall. Progressives should be creating a new party or making a bee line to the Green Party ASAP.

Wall Street is Blackmailing US Congress Again!

Timothy Geithner says that Wall Street markets will plummet if Congress does not confirm Ben Bernanke.

I am sick of Wall Street threatening to plummet whenever they want their way. Wall Street needs to go ahead and plummet and the US Congress needs to clean house and confirm a Federal Reserve Chair who is competent and can do the job in the public interest (not the Wall Street Interest).

Ben Bernanke was asleep at the wheel and did NOT see the financial crisis coming. We don't need a Federal Reserve Chair who prefers back room deals to sunlight. Ben Bernanke has failed on all counts and he is leading the cover up to prevent the US Congress and the American people from knowing where our money went.

Why Bernanke is even under consideration for another term raises the question of who remains in our federal government and Senate who is not captive to the Wall Street special interests?

Our Senators--Webb and Warner--need to decide of they are going to represent Virgnians or become Wall Street Waterboys.

Wall Street Republicrats are at it again....

The same sold out corporate Republicrats who gave us the Wall Street Bailout are at it again. Senator Harry Reid and Mitch McConnel are trying to work together to get 51 votes so they can keep one of the Wall Street Masterminds in power. Instead of FIRING Bernanke they want to work against the wishes of the American people and push this confirmation through.

It's ironic isn't it? If it's a bill that will benefit the American people it needs 60 votes....but if it's a bill that benefits Wall Street they only need 51 votes.

FIRE the Wall Street thinkers--Bernanke, Summers, and Geithner-- who created this huge disaster. Congress needs to start representing the people NOT the Wall Street Bankers.

Protect the American People NOT the wealthy corporate Interests.

Disaster Capitalism at Work in Haiti

Why is a bag of rice (or any food/water/shelter/clothes) worth more than a human life?

The Haitian people have done an OUTSTANDING job of working together to do what they can during this horrible crisis.

Unfotunately capitalists (backed by the Corporate tools--USA military, IMF, WTO) use violence in an attempt to push the Haitian people over the edge so they will riot and then provide the corporations with an excuse to take over the island. Then the profiteers that go everywhere with the US Corporate Army so they can pilfer the people's resources.

Unfortunately the USA thinks that importing troops and guns is a higher priority than medical supplies, doctors, water and food. But they will need those troops there for the riots that are supposed to be happening. A number of foreign governments trying to get necessary supplies into Haiti have complained to the United Nations about the US military's agenda of putting guns and troops before humanitarian aid.

REMEMBER how badly the US government treated it's own citizens in New Orleans? Now imagine what we do in foreign lands....and then THINK about how violence against others creates terrorism.

These Haitian police officers are the tools of the Haitian government that came to power with a US backed military coup that kidnapped the democratically elected President of Haiti and shipped him off to Africa.

Let's demand some real democracy instead of exporting this awful corporate agenda. Let's return President Aristide to Haiti. The Haiti people surely deserve to have the leader they elected and continue to support instead of these corporate police thugs who inflict violence so that maybe they can force the pople to riot.......

HB 1134 is a Republican sponsored bill

Finally there is a leader in Virginia that is willing to reform the current draconian, medieval (and very expensive to enforce) drug laws. This will definitely make Virginia a much better place to live. The majority of Virginians support change such as this. At this moment (before any side has had a chance to mobilize their frenzied supporters to skew the results) the Daily Press poll shows these results:

POLL: Do you agree that punishment for marijuana possession should be reduced in Virginia?

Delegate Harvey B. Morgan (R) is the chief patron of the Virginia House Bill 1134 which does not legaize marijuana but would reduce simple possession to a civil infraction - punishable by fine rather than by the current, prison sentence of 30 days. Read the story here.

• Yes. A fine rather than prison time seems reasonable. (535 responses)

  37%

• No. Marijuana is still an illegal substance and a stronger message should be sent to users. (219 responses)

  15%

• No, because it shouldn't be illegal at all. (194 responses)

  14%

• No. Virginia should control sales just like they do with alcohol and there would be enough tax money to run the state and then some (458 responses)

  32%

• I don't know. (25 responses)

  2%
  

Finally there is a Republican in Virginia that this independent can endorse what he's doing. So, it looks like I will get an opportunity to actually send in a campaign donation to a Republican in this lifetime. Awesome. We need more Republicans like Del. Morgan who are willing to take a stand and do whats right. Info on the bill follows.

HB 1134 Decriminalization of possession of marijuana.

Sponsor -- Harvey B. Morgan, Republican

Summary as introduced:

Decriminalization of possession of marijuana. Decriminalizes simple marijuana possession. The bill does not make marijuana possession legal but creates a civil penalty of $500 for simple possession of marijuana, a penalty equal to the current criminal fine for simple marijuana possession. The bill also raises the quantities necessary for punishment of possession with intent to distribute so as not to punish amounts that may be possessed for personal use. The bill creates a rebuttable presumption that a person who grows no more than five marijuana plants grows marijuana for personal use and not for distribution, an offense punishable by the $500 civil penalty. The civil penalties collected are payable to the Literary Fund. The bill removes the two-year mandatory sentence for distribution of less than one ounce of marijuana and the five-year mandatory minimum sentence for distribution of more than one ounce of marijuana. The bill requires forfeiture of the driver's license of any minor found to have committed the violation of possession of marijuana. The bill reduces the penalty for possession of marijuana by a prisoner from a Class 5 felony to a Class 6 felony, the same punishment as is currently imposed for possession of a firearm or a knife by a prisoner or for setting off an explosive device in a prison.