Random RecitalsThe twin viral ideas are that money is speech and corporations are people. If money is speech, then those with more money have more speech. That idea is antithetical to democracy. It makes us no longer equal citizens. This perverse notion, and the general, unrestricted participation of corporate and - yes - union money in our elections, must be stopped if democracy is to survive. That riding-out-of-
town-on-a-rail was done a century ago when Republican President Theodore Roosevelt pushed corporate money out of politics. It is time for us to get out that rail again. Lively LinksLinks change randomly each time the cache is refreshed. |
Article by Aneurin on February 12th, 2007 at 1:07 pm 
We’re supposed to believe that a so-called Iranian manufactured rocket propelled grenade would have a United States date format silk screened onto the munition? As any good computer geek knows, the rest of the world uses DD/MM/YY date formats. After “evidence” like this provided by our government before (see Gulf of Tonkin, Colin Powell’s UN presentation), color me skeptical. But watch our media whip the country into a frenzy pushing for the bombing of Iran, since there’s no ground troops left. What we’re seeing in slow motion here is a repeat of Nixon’s widening of the Vietnam war into Cambodia and Laos, to have “peace with honor”. Meanwhile, in the real world, more American troops and Iraqi civilians continue to die for a war based on a neo-con wet dream. You know the one, with soldiers greeted with flowers, and democracy springing forth from Babylonian gardens. The clock has run out, there is no overtime period here, no Michael Jordan last second shot. When former National Security Agency directors are saying that it’s time to go, it’s time to go. The question is, will the Democratic majorities in Congress provide the necessary leadership to push for withdrawal? Again, color me skeptical: Yet the Democratic-controlled Congress is clearly not going to attempt to exercise its power to compel the end of this war — at least not any time soon. And, with some exceptions, there seems to be very few objections over that failure, very little clamoring that they do more. Why is that? What accounts for the seeming willingness — even among more vocal war opponents and bloggers — to give Democrats a pass on actually ending the war (as opposed to enacting symbolic, inconsequential resolutions)?
We’re at the point when non-binding resolutions will not do. When VPOTUS claims that he’s not subject to the same checks as the Executive branch, since he claims that he’s the Fourth Branch of government, nothing less than impeachment will do.
Article by John on February 11th, 2007 at 10:42 pm 
The US Says it is Fighting For Democracy – But is Deaf to the Cries of the Iraqis
They are not building a palatial embassy with the intention of going
by Noam Chomsky
There was unprecedented élite condemnation of the plans to invade Iraq. Sensible analysts were able to perceive that the enterprise carried significant risks for US interests, however conceived. Phrases thrown in by the official Presidential Directive from the standard boilerplate about freedom that accompany every action, and are close to a historical universal, were dismissed as meaningless by reasonable people. Global opposition was utterly overwhelming, and the likely costs to the US were apparent, though the catastrophe created by the invasion went far beyond anyone’s worst expectations. It’s amusing to watch the lying as the strongest supporters of the war try to deny what they very clearly said. On the US motives for staying in Iraq, I can only repeat what I’ve been saying for years. A sovereign Iraq, partially democratic, could well be a disaster for US planners. With a Shia majority, it is likely to continue improving relations with Iran. There is a Shia population right across the border in Saudi Arabia, bitterly oppressed by the US-backed tyranny. Any step towards sovereignty in Iraq encourages activism there for human rights and a degree of autonomy – and that happens to be where most of Saudi oil is. Sovereignty in Iraq might well lead to a loose Shia alliance controlling most of the world’s petroleum resources and independent of the US, undermining a primary goal of US foreign policy since it became the world-dominant power after the Second World War. Worse yet, though the US can intimidate Europe, it cannot intimidate China, which blithely goes its own way, even in Saudi Arabia, the jewel in the crown – the primary reason why China is considered a leading threat. An independent energy bloc in the Gulf area is likely to link up with the China-based Asian Energy Security Grid and Shanghai Cooperation Council, with Russia (which has its own huge resources) as an integral part, and with the Central Asian states (already members), possibly India. Iran is already associated with them, and a Shia-dominated bloc in the Arab states might well go along. All of that would be a nightmare for US planners and their Western allies. Continue reading building a palatial embassy in Iraq
Article by John on February 10th, 2007 at 4:46 pm The following occurred to me the other day and then today I read this: Is it all a charade? by Angry Annie February 8, 2007 When Democrats were in the minority, we couldn’t get them to filibuster the most vile, the most evil judicial appointments in decades. As a result we’re stuck with decades of utter assholes like Alito. But Republicans filibuster to block a non-binding resolution that merely questions (doesn’t block) a major increase in troop power in Iraq. What does this mean? Is it all really a charade to mask one-party Republican rule, as Kathy and Leon maintain? Angry Annie On bleak days I’d say yes, on better days I’d say maybe. On your filibuster question, I think a certain percentage of the explanation — 40%? 60% — is that, broadly speaking, the Republican/authoritarian/fascist mindset is all about following orders, including the order to filibuster, while the Democratic/progressive/liberal mindset is about each individual thinking things through. Helen & Harry
I favor the bleak day explanation. Makes no sense to me the R’s can filibuster and the D’s can’t except to believe both sides are hiding behind the same rules, ergo what we really have is one-party rule. And it doesn’t therefore matter what name you give that party.
Article by John on February 8th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
Article by admin on February 8th, 2007 at 3:22 pm Attend Vow To Take A Stand, an event for coalition building, education, advocacy, and getting people excited about GLBT Rights and the upcoming Equality Day on February 26th in Olympia. Special Guest Speaker State Representative Jim Moeller (Rep. Moeller had to cancel at the last minute but the event is still happening, comment below). For information on registration or to learn more about the Vancouver Workshops, please go to www.gayvancouverwa.org
When: Sunday, February 11, 2007
Legal Family Matters Workshop: 3 p.m.-4:30 p.m.
Vow To Take A Stand: 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m. For more information, please go to the above website and register. Thank you. A second, shorter version of the “Legal Family Matters” workshop will take place Sunday February 11th in the afternoon, from 3 to 4:30. Use this web form to register.
The workshop is going to be part of the “Vow to Take a Stand” event which starts at 4:45 and goes until 6 that Equal Rights Washington is putting on. The event will be at Vancouver Heights United Methodist Church (5701 MacArthur Blvd. Vancouver WA 98661). Washington State Rep. Jim Moeller will be speaking at the event, along with local community members who have been impacted by the lack of marriage equality in Washington.
Article by Chief on February 8th, 2007 at 3:15 pm  The Administrator of D4V has very graciously asked me to write a piece here about the sign campaign against Light Rail that my website kicked off last week here in Clark County. You may have seen one of them around out here in East County….
You can find all of the details about it at this link.
http://clarkblog.org/index.php?topic=637.0
Clarkblog.org is hosting a Public Education Campaign in an attempt to draw voters of all political persuasions in, to examine the facts surrounding the proposals being prepared by the Columbia Crossing Project, and educate themselves in such a manner that they are fully prepared to make an informed decision when called upon to do so. I believe that there will in fact be a County wide referendum as early as this year, to once and for all settle the matter of whether Clark County truly does “Like Light Rail”. I submit that every Voter has a responsibility to educate themselves about this issue, and Clarkblog is attempting to use the internet to facilitate those who want to examine the facts.
Do not delude yourself into thinking that this project is going to be paid for with “Federal Money” , or some sort of new “Peace Dividend” that is going to be created by the United States withdrawl from Iraq. If Light Rail is going to come to Clark County, it will because the voters got together and finally made a decision that our Elected Leaders can no longer ignore. If there is no consensus on this up front, the project simply has no prayer of surviving the Federal Funding process. You do not have to log in and comment at Clarkblog unless you want to. If someone finds the site because of one of the signs, and in reading any of the material there, learns one thing about Light rail that they did not know before, then the sign campaign we have started has succeeded. Some of you anarchists over here will love the way we’re going about this, we are screen-printing them ourselves inexpensively, and I believe faster than the County road crews can remove them. I am looking for a very few assistants who have done screen printing before, and are up to helping to make several hundred more signs… As I have said here before, there are things in real life that the Left and Right are going to have to find common ground on, and this project is one of them, Please come have a look, and help out if you can agree with us on this one. All Politics is local, and this is your Crossing too…
Article by Rich on February 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pm Many people, including scientists and some big companies believe that we are running out of oil. What oil there is, is located mostly in very hostile environments. One possible alternative to oil is ethanol. Lately, there has been a high demand for ethanol. Even U.S. President George W. Bush said “We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol…” Ethanol is primarily made out of corn. The more demand there is for ethanol, the more expensive corn becomes. But ethanol is not the only product made out of corn. So are corn tortillas. Over the last six months, the price of corn meal for tortillas in Mexico has doubled. Most Mexicans rely on corn tortillas to keep from going hungry. Entonces: many Mexican families are now worried about going hungry because we may be running out of oil.
Visit Website Plus, I remember reading somewhere that corn takes out something like five bushels of nutrients out of the soil for every bushel produced. How long would it take to turn a country into a desert with our current rate of fuel consumption? Chances are, we would grow it in countries where land and labor is cheap, meaning – as with land used for livestock slated for American fast food – that farmlands and access to food sources will be even scarcer in developing nations. We would be shifting the misery and depredations created by our oil wars to another theater, probably throughout Latin America. | Local TV Connect with Facebook |
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