Duty to Warn
And it's up against the wall American Muthers,
Barbara Bush, who raised her son so well.
Now Dubya's out there smirkin' in God's honky tonk,
Just kickin' soldiers' asses and raisin' hell.
~~apologies to Jerry Jeff Walker
Once a year, George Bush shows up at Arlington National Cemetery and tells a tightly controlled, thoroughly vetted audience that he 'preciates the sacrifice of those who volunteered to die "in freedom's cause." There, surrounded by silent tombstones and armed Secret Service Police, this most infamous of military deserters befouls not only the hallowed ground, but the very air, as he regurgitates words he babbled the year before...and the year before. He reminds us that America is a "reluctant warrior," but we are resolved; our will must not be broken, no matter how many sacrifices it takes.
Barbara Bush, who raised her son so well.
Now Dubya's out there smirkin' in God's honky tonk,
Just kickin' soldiers' asses and raisin' hell.
~~apologies to Jerry Jeff Walker
Once a year, George Bush shows up at Arlington National Cemetery and tells a tightly controlled, thoroughly vetted audience that he 'preciates the sacrifice of those who volunteered to die "in freedom's cause." There, surrounded by silent tombstones and armed Secret Service Police, this most infamous of military deserters befouls not only the hallowed ground, but the very air, as he regurgitates words he babbled the year before...and the year before. He reminds us that America is a "reluctant warrior," but we are resolved; our will must not be broken, no matter how many sacrifices it takes.
You get one chance to make a first virtual impression. Here’s help for creating a dynamic presence online
Any political website is both a persuasion and a fulfillment tool. It should make the case for why people should give money, volunteer and vote for the candidate, and have easy-to-use tools to register for email newsletters, volunteer for the campaign and make donations. Once website viewers have been persuaded to support the candidate, the website should make it easy to act on those impulses.
Convincing voters to support a Green candidate rather than a Democratic or Republican candidate is more difficult because the two major parties have created electoral and conceptual barriers to third-party participation in American politics. Electoral barriers include registration, signature-gathering and money requirements for new party recognition. The main conceptual barrier is the idea that our current two-party, winner-take-all form of democracy is “normal.”
Best democracy of the 18th century
Any political website is both a persuasion and a fulfillment tool. It should make the case for why people should give money, volunteer and vote for the candidate, and have easy-to-use tools to register for email newsletters, volunteer for the campaign and make donations. Once website viewers have been persuaded to support the candidate, the website should make it easy to act on those impulses.
Convincing voters to support a Green candidate rather than a Democratic or Republican candidate is more difficult because the two major parties have created electoral and conceptual barriers to third-party participation in American politics. Electoral barriers include registration, signature-gathering and money requirements for new party recognition. The main conceptual barrier is the idea that our current two-party, winner-take-all form of democracy is “normal.”
Best democracy of the 18th century
Over 500 people in the packed hall applauded eagerly when Dr. Bob Bowman stated he was an advocate of doctor-controlled, single-payer health care for all.
They cheered louder still when the congressional candidate from Florida’s 15th District pledged that his first piece of legislation submitted in the House of Representatives would be articles of impeachment.
But they simultaneously jumped to their feet and roared approval when he leaned over the podium to say he was running with a group of Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Independents and non politicians “…who are all united by one thing. We want to bring our troops home from George Bush’s quagmire in Iraq and expose the lies that allowed him to send them there, including 9/11.”
Experienced in stumping on the campaign trail, Bowman was more dynamic than most of the speakers at the Chicago conference dubbed, “9/11: Revealing the Truth, Reclaiming Our Future,” but many other speakers were just as adamant about referring to the events of September 11, 2001 as the excuse George Bush needed to invade Iraq and Afghanistan.
They cheered louder still when the congressional candidate from Florida’s 15th District pledged that his first piece of legislation submitted in the House of Representatives would be articles of impeachment.
But they simultaneously jumped to their feet and roared approval when he leaned over the podium to say he was running with a group of Democrats, Republicans, Greens, Libertarians, Independents and non politicians “…who are all united by one thing. We want to bring our troops home from George Bush’s quagmire in Iraq and expose the lies that allowed him to send them there, including 9/11.”
Experienced in stumping on the campaign trail, Bowman was more dynamic than most of the speakers at the Chicago conference dubbed, “9/11: Revealing the Truth, Reclaiming Our Future,” but many other speakers were just as adamant about referring to the events of September 11, 2001 as the excuse George Bush needed to invade Iraq and Afghanistan.
Of Faustian bargains and disposable human beings
(I am dedicating this essay to the memory of the millions of victims of the Capitalist Imperial wars of conquest waged by the United States under the patently false pretexts of spreading freedom and liberty).
Rolling through virtually any reasonably populous city or town in America, one encounters a surreal landscape blighted by grotesque temples to America’s twin gods of Capitalism and Consumerism. As an increasing number of individual proprietors are driven to extinction, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, and hundreds more leviathan corporations continue their rapid construction of more houses of worship to serve their zealous congregation. Once inside, many Americans gleefully sacrifice an abundance of their greenbacks at altars attended by Consumerism’s unwitting acolytes.
For appallingly meager wages and benefits, the cashiers tending the sacred Churches of Capitalism and Consumerism gather the offerings which enable their fellow faithful to reap the fruits of practicing their devotion.
(I am dedicating this essay to the memory of the millions of victims of the Capitalist Imperial wars of conquest waged by the United States under the patently false pretexts of spreading freedom and liberty).
Rolling through virtually any reasonably populous city or town in America, one encounters a surreal landscape blighted by grotesque temples to America’s twin gods of Capitalism and Consumerism. As an increasing number of individual proprietors are driven to extinction, Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, and hundreds more leviathan corporations continue their rapid construction of more houses of worship to serve their zealous congregation. Once inside, many Americans gleefully sacrifice an abundance of their greenbacks at altars attended by Consumerism’s unwitting acolytes.
For appallingly meager wages and benefits, the cashiers tending the sacred Churches of Capitalism and Consumerism gather the offerings which enable their fellow faithful to reap the fruits of practicing their devotion.
The grass roots are just that--roots. The thought is often lost on those at the top of the political food chain. Without roots, the top topples. The grass roots are not impressed with the way that John Kerry conceeded in the face of overwhelming upset at fact and suspicions of foul play, fraud and supression. Some of the 'roots' are disillusioned to the point of jumping ship to Green territory. Some are just not going to choose any alternative. Some secretly wish Al Gore would reconsider and enter.
What the top seldom realizes as they create the campaign blueprints that they expect everyone like sheep to line up and follow, providing the competitive footwork and fund with every agressive email solicitation, is that the grass roots on the last campaign, staked not only their credibility, but took considerable abuse for doing so in backing Kerry. Many of them worked volunteer for many long months at considerable personal sacrifice and negative personal cash flow because they believed it that important to stop the agenda of this Administration.
What the top seldom realizes as they create the campaign blueprints that they expect everyone like sheep to line up and follow, providing the competitive footwork and fund with every agressive email solicitation, is that the grass roots on the last campaign, staked not only their credibility, but took considerable abuse for doing so in backing Kerry. Many of them worked volunteer for many long months at considerable personal sacrifice and negative personal cash flow because they believed it that important to stop the agenda of this Administration.
"It's past time for HIV and AIDS to be relegated to history so that 25
years from now, we can look back at what was and what is no more," said
Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese.
WASHINGTON - Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the following statement on the 25th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS:
"In a heartbeat, a generation of Americans was lost to AIDS," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "While the government's reaction was slow, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community united into a political force that demanded action and, with an enduring commitment, secured it. Today is a day to honor the lives lost, to pay tribute to the many who took action, and to recognize the great challenges that still stand before us in fighting the scourge of HIV and AIDS.
WASHINGTON - Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese made the following statement on the 25th anniversary of the first reported case of AIDS:
"In a heartbeat, a generation of Americans was lost to AIDS," said Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese. "While the government's reaction was slow, the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community united into a political force that demanded action and, with an enduring commitment, secured it. Today is a day to honor the lives lost, to pay tribute to the many who took action, and to recognize the great challenges that still stand before us in fighting the scourge of HIV and AIDS.
Setting: a bar.
Time: midnight
Characters:
BROOKS and SANDY: two people. Age, gender, ethnicity to be determined by production group.
BROOKS and SANDY sit at bar, large, full glasses of beer in front of them.
BROOKS: You ever think it’d be like this? A glass of beer at midnight?
SANDY: Nope.
BROOKS: I mean, I always thought there’d be, I don’t know, a bit more anticipation, a bit more preparation, you know?
SANDY: Yeah.
BROOKS: Something big, something spectacular—like all those movies with what’s-his-name and sand and stuff.
SANDY: Who?
BROOKS: You know, the actor. Big guy. Did lots of movies in the 50s and 60s. Based on Bible stories. Then became a gun nut. NRA and all that. Cold dead hands.
SANDY: Cold dead hands???
BROOKS: The bumper sticker. Don’t you remember? “The only way you’ll register my guns is to pry them out of my cold, dead hands?”
SANDY: Oh. Yeah.
While in Los Angeles, I met a friend who bemoaned the fact that a credit reporting agency refused to remove an item that was misreported recounting years of horror stories concerning his efforts to get them to correct it which resulted in the slander of his credit -for years- ultimately denying him a car lease. Then in today's Sunday Los Angeles Times there is a front page business section article on how to challenge false credit reporting noting an incident where someone was jammed on his report for items not his listing an address in Fresno where he never lived. This false reporting and slander of credit is so widely now in the press because it is epidemic. Recently we saw the report on the Veterans information stolen. All their social security numbers now are subject to false credit jamming and it will happen.
This could be, if you forgive the conspiratorial mind, an excellent way to shut up dissenters. If one creates havoc and mayhem in their personal financial life they have little energy left to protest.
This could be, if you forgive the conspiratorial mind, an excellent way to shut up dissenters. If one creates havoc and mayhem in their personal financial life they have little energy left to protest.
Anticipating that the U.S. federal government would invoke the so-called "state secrets" privilege to block any lawsuit calling for the disclosure of details about allegations that phone companies shared customer records with the government's biggest spy agency, a major civil rights group has embarked on an alternate course.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed complaints in more than 20 individual states demanding that their utility commissions and attorneys general convene public hearings and call phone company executives to testify.
The ACLU action in Massachusetts is typical of the approach being taken by the civil rights group. Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU in Massachusetts, said four mayors had complained to the state's utility regulatory board, where. State law requires the board to conduct public hearings when a mayor complains.
Michael D. Bissonnette, mayor of Chicopee, Massachusetts, said he joined the requests because privacy was fast becoming the key civil rights issue.
"This is likely the greatest invasion of consumer privacy in our nation's history," he said.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has filed complaints in more than 20 individual states demanding that their utility commissions and attorneys general convene public hearings and call phone company executives to testify.
The ACLU action in Massachusetts is typical of the approach being taken by the civil rights group. Carol Rose, executive director of the ACLU in Massachusetts, said four mayors had complained to the state's utility regulatory board, where. State law requires the board to conduct public hearings when a mayor complains.
Michael D. Bissonnette, mayor of Chicopee, Massachusetts, said he joined the requests because privacy was fast becoming the key civil rights issue.
"This is likely the greatest invasion of consumer privacy in our nation's history," he said.
Excerpt from Armed Madhouse - Greg Palast's new book to be released June 6.
Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills. May 17, 2001. The Financial Criminal of the twentieth century, not long out of prison, meets with the Financial Criminal of the twenty-first century who feared he may also have to do hard time. These two, bond-market manipulator Mike Millikin and Ken Lay, not-yet-indicted Chairman of Enron Corporation, were joined by a selected group of movers and shakers -- and one movie star.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had been to such private parties before. As a young immigrant without a nickel to his name, he put on private displays of his musculature for guests of his promoter. As with those early closed gatherings, I don't know all that went on at the Peninsula Hotel meet, though I understand Ahnold, this time, did not have to strip down to his Speedos. Nevertheless, the moral undressing was just as lascivious, if you read through the 34 page fax that arrived at our office.
Peninsula Hotel, Beverly Hills. May 17, 2001. The Financial Criminal of the twentieth century, not long out of prison, meets with the Financial Criminal of the twenty-first century who feared he may also have to do hard time. These two, bond-market manipulator Mike Millikin and Ken Lay, not-yet-indicted Chairman of Enron Corporation, were joined by a selected group of movers and shakers -- and one movie star.
Arnold Schwarzenegger had been to such private parties before. As a young immigrant without a nickel to his name, he put on private displays of his musculature for guests of his promoter. As with those early closed gatherings, I don't know all that went on at the Peninsula Hotel meet, though I understand Ahnold, this time, did not have to strip down to his Speedos. Nevertheless, the moral undressing was just as lascivious, if you read through the 34 page fax that arrived at our office.