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In 2006, exit polls found ending the war on Iraq (and would have found impeaching Bush if they’d asked) to be the top demand of voters who handed the Congress over to Democrats. The Democrats took control in January 2007 and escalated the war on Iraq and refused to impeach Bush. According to then Congressman and now would-be president Rahm Emanuel, Democrats needed to keep the war going in order to “oppose” it again in 2008. According to the wealthy liberal funders of anything good or decent, 2007 was the moment to drop any efforts other than electing a Democrat to the throne in 2008. The sizeable peace movement of 2002-2006 shriveled away. The military budget soared, the pivot to Asia pivoted, the nuclear weapons bonanza bonanzaed, the drone murder spree sprung, Libya would be attacked, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan kept killing.
Now, in 2026, the critical question comes, as always, from Father Dubya: Is our children learning?
REJOICE!!!
Mississippi goddam!!!
(Nina Simone https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJ25-U3jNWM
Live in Antibes, July 24-25, 1965.)
We celebrate the wave with the great Andrea Miller!!!
Goddess of green grassroots organizing!!!
How Did America Turn to Democracy???
Did Relational Organizing Turn the Tide?
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Always find us at:
https://grassrootsep.org/upcoming-zooms
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker has joined city and state officials in condemning a planned boycott targeting six Jewish- and Israeli-owned businesses in the city.
The protest, organized by Philly Bike On Your Left, is scheduled for Sunday, November 8, near Rittenhouse Square. The campaign targets six businesses that organizers describe as supporting Israel. The controversy has drawn criticism from the mayor, City Council members, the district attorney, and Jewish organizations.
Parker has described singling out Jewish-owned businesses as unacceptable and directed police to coordinate security measures while protecting the rights of peaceful demonstrators.
Hala Ashraf was identified as a lead organizer of the Boycott Ride. Demonstrators are expected to carry slogans such as “No Business for Zionists!”
According to a November 5 report by 5 Towns Central, the targeted establishments include Mac Mart, K’Far Cafe, and businesses associated with Israeli-American chef Michael Solomonov’s CookNSolo restaurant group.
Decades ago, while at an academic conference, a well-known African American political scientist who died in 2023 referred to Georgia in off-handed fashion as the “Cracker State” – a year or so before Andrew Young had launched a 1990 campaign for governor of Georgia that was doomed from the start. In my conversations with former Governor Douglas Wilder, Young committed a serious error in judgment. “He picked the wrong time to run for governor,” said Wilder. Wilder encouraged Young to run for Lt. governor and use that post as a steppingstone to the governor’s mansion eight years later, advice that Young ignored. Instead, Young chose to square off against Zell Miller, the state’s popular incumbent Lt. governor. Young advanced to the runoff only to lose badly to Miller who garnered approximately two-thirds of the vote and went on to win the governorship and serve eight years.
Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon is acting like it’s absurd for American voters to have gotten it into their heads that Israel had something to do with the Iran war that’s costing them so much money.
A salute to American human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, who has publicly rebuked her brother, U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., following his claim that more than 500 million Arabs worldwide have failed to produce meaningful scientific or literary achievements.
Kerry described her brother's remarks as false, cruel, and insulting.
In a post on X, she wrote: "There was a time when I completely agreed with my brother; today, however, I feel deeply ashamed of him."
She recalled a 2016 statement by her brother warning against politicians exploiting bigotry, hatred, and xenophobia.
Kerry challenged his sweeping generalizations by highlighting the extraordinary contributions Arabs and Muslims have made to science, medicine, mathematics, and literature.
Among those she cited were scientist Omar Yaghi, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Egyptian scientist Ahmed Zewail, who won the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; and Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, awarded the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature.
The results of the midterm elections were unmistakable: Republicans lost ground, and Democrats made significant gains. But it would be a mistake to interpret these results simply as a Democratic victory. The election sent a message in two directions.
First, Republicans received a clear warning that their current political direction is increasingly out of step with voters. Policies associated with Trump, particularly on immigration, foreign policy and wars, have consequences at the ballot box. The results also demonstrate that gerrymandering, campaign spending, and the financial influence of corporate donors cannot guarantee electoral success. Political manipulation and financial power have their limits when voters decide to make their voices heard.
But the second message may be just as important: Democrats should not mistake Republican losses for an endorsement of their own political establishment.
