Global
On Monday, George W. Bush launched an unprecedented attack on poor and working people in the U.S. His proposed a $2.57-trillion budget will cut domestic programs to seniors, veterans, children, and the poor by $20 billion dollars next year.
This budget proposal is an outright declaration of war on working people. It is part of a neoconservative effort to attack the welfare of working people and force working people in this country to accept third world working conditions – no health care, no pensions, no rights. These cuts are not necessary. They the intended result of tax cuts for the rich and massive military spending for a needless war. They are part of a neocon plan to “starve the beast”, to create artificial crises in order to justify slashing spending for the welfare of the people, while at the same time increasing spending for the welfare of the rich.
This budget proposal is an outright declaration of war on working people. It is part of a neoconservative effort to attack the welfare of working people and force working people in this country to accept third world working conditions – no health care, no pensions, no rights. These cuts are not necessary. They the intended result of tax cuts for the rich and massive military spending for a needless war. They are part of a neocon plan to “starve the beast”, to create artificial crises in order to justify slashing spending for the welfare of the people, while at the same time increasing spending for the welfare of the rich.
I attended the J20 inauguration protests in Washington DC. It was cold as hell that day. The sidewalks were filled with that black stuff that really isn’t snow but isn’t water either. Washington DC was a police state and made no attempts to conceal this.
Congressional Democrats are faced with a challenge,
the challenge of an out-of-control fascist regime. How
did the Democrats respond today?, they gave the regime
what it wants, another impediment to citizens' rights
in the courts. Way ta go Dems, you're doing great IF
what you are trying to do is run interference for the
fascists. Where are the bills of impeachment? Where
are the fillibusters? where are the ten-million-person
marches? Dems, are you listening?
Maybe we better leave the Dems behind, and start
with step one, a ten-million-person march on
Washington
demanding the end of the corporate-fascist regime,
and the return of the government to the people.
A. Attlee
A. Attlee
Dear Editor:
I shudder to think what Gov. Taft's state of the state
address is going to be like. From hearing Pres.
Bush's state of the union address, he and the
Republicans (The real "Evil Empire") didn't mention
one word about jobs, healthcare, or education, which
I've come to a conclusion that the Republicans don't
have too high on their priority list. As a
citizen of Galion (population 11,200) and volunteer at
the Galion Public Library, I for one, disapprove of
the job that Gov. Taft is doing during his final term
in office. I knew
from the very outset that Taft was going to cut back
on state funding on both education and library
expenses, and not to mention create a very dismal
unemployment rate, which I believe we are still
suffering to this day.
Since the 1950s, many young Americans have first encountered critiques
of mass media in the pages of Mad. With its intricate cartoons and satirical
sendups, the monthly magazine gained a reputation for skewering politicians,
advertisers, TV shows and a variety of print outlets.
One of Mad’s recurrent shticks has involved making fun of gaps between words and meaning -- an especially welcome form of humor because mainstream news so often amplifies the words of public figures with scarcely a hint of irony, much less deprecation. Notwithstanding the zany image of Alfred E. Newman, the magazine’s grinning icon of absurdity has overseen plenty of sobering antidotes to the phony self-importance of major media.
One-third of the way through February, looking at a few of the day’s top news stories, I tried to imagine the properly Mad way to annotate them. Here’s what I came up with:
* Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said to an audience at a university in Paris: “It is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past. It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship and a new chapter in our alliance.”
One of Mad’s recurrent shticks has involved making fun of gaps between words and meaning -- an especially welcome form of humor because mainstream news so often amplifies the words of public figures with scarcely a hint of irony, much less deprecation. Notwithstanding the zany image of Alfred E. Newman, the magazine’s grinning icon of absurdity has overseen plenty of sobering antidotes to the phony self-importance of major media.
One-third of the way through February, looking at a few of the day’s top news stories, I tried to imagine the properly Mad way to annotate them. Here’s what I came up with:
* Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said to an audience at a university in Paris: “It is time to turn away from the disagreements of the past. It is time to open a new chapter in our relationship and a new chapter in our alliance.”
AUSTIN, Texas -- I feel snakebite about praising any proposal by George W. Bush. Every time I write a column saying, "Look, he's done something good!" he does something else that makes it either not so good or just plain bad. He welched on his deal with Ted Kennedy in the Lots of Children Left Behind Act, now underfunded by $12 billion. And nobody has ever seen that $15 billion he promised to fight AIDS in Africa.
Next week, the Kyoto Protocol, an international treaty to curb global warming emissions, will officially come into effect without the involvement of the United States. While the rest of the world has affirmed the serious threat of global warming and has taken action to move forward, the U.S. remains a mere bystander, watching the parade pass by while refusing to tackle the problem head-on.
As the world's largest contributor to global warming pollution, it is time for the U.S. to establish our own national emissions goals. The U.S. global warming bill, known as the Climate Stewardship Act, is a good first step toward solving the real and serious environmental threat that we can't afford to ignore any longer.
Please take a moment to ask your senators to support the Climate Stewardship Act. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on the link below: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=35&id4=OHFreep
Background
As the world's largest contributor to global warming pollution, it is time for the U.S. to establish our own national emissions goals. The U.S. global warming bill, known as the Climate Stewardship Act, is a good first step toward solving the real and serious environmental threat that we can't afford to ignore any longer.
Please take a moment to ask your senators to support the Climate Stewardship Act. Then ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.
To take action, click on the link below: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=35&id4=OHFreep
Background
Under directions from Governor Taft, ODJFS has filed an emergency rule that will cut people off from Disability Medical Assistance after 6 months and leave the program closed to new applicants. By June, there will be no one left on DMA!
The Governor is, therefore, ending DMA without input from the legislature or the public. He is ripping the net from under some of our most vulnerable citizens, people with very low incomes (countable income of $115/month) who are dependent on medications to live. We cannot remain silent.
PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR AND ASK HIM TO RESCIND THE RULE ENDING DMA. (614) 466-3555. GET YOUR NETWORKS TO CALL THE GOVERNOR AS WELL!
The Governor is, therefore, ending DMA without input from the legislature or the public. He is ripping the net from under some of our most vulnerable citizens, people with very low incomes (countable income of $115/month) who are dependent on medications to live. We cannot remain silent.
PLEASE CALL THE GOVERNOR AND ASK HIM TO RESCIND THE RULE ENDING DMA. (614) 466-3555. GET YOUR NETWORKS TO CALL THE GOVERNOR AS WELL!
It is time that the Karl Roves and Dick Cheneys take their place on center stage of the Bush puppeteer and puppet show. Bush is the puppet. Jumping and frilling about in the stick while the brains of Roves and Cheney’s are during the day-to-day planning!
Rove-Cheney-Bush a year or so ago decided essentially that, “We are an Empire now through ‘The New World Order,’ Therefore, when we speak and act we create our own ‘Reality’ a reality that is based in crisis, fear, misinformation, confusion, promotion of mass ignorance, and mass need to be saved from these images of our manufactured crisis. Fear and crisis themes evoke emotional leverage and facilitate easy mass control. Creating this New Reality is really God like; therefore, we can then carefully claim our image of God like. This brings ‘Religious Initiative’ the thinking public will be left a ‘study’ what we do, therefore, they can only react after we have finished and are safe!”
Rove-Cheney-Bush a year or so ago decided essentially that, “We are an Empire now through ‘The New World Order,’ Therefore, when we speak and act we create our own ‘Reality’ a reality that is based in crisis, fear, misinformation, confusion, promotion of mass ignorance, and mass need to be saved from these images of our manufactured crisis. Fear and crisis themes evoke emotional leverage and facilitate easy mass control. Creating this New Reality is really God like; therefore, we can then carefully claim our image of God like. This brings ‘Religious Initiative’ the thinking public will be left a ‘study’ what we do, therefore, they can only react after we have finished and are safe!”