LittleJoe

Doug Tudor: our next US Congressman

It has been my pleasure and honor to meet Mr Doug Tudor and to chat with him on several occasions. Doug is running for United States Congress, to represent Florida's 12th District. The seat is currently held by Adam Putnam. OK, so what do I know about Doug?

Doug retired from the US Navy in February 2008. He had reached the rank of Master Chief, an E9 - the highest rank for an enlisted man. PBS ran a great series recently called "Carrier" (about life aboard an aircraft carrier), and one of the gents on the ship described a Master Chief this way: "If you're gonna make Master Chief, you pretty much gotta get up every day for 20 years saying, 'Today I'm gonna kick a little a--.'" That is the kind of man I want representing me in Congress. Someone who has proven his ability to maintain discipline and focus and tenacity over a long period of time. Someone who has worked his way up, proving and reproving himself every single day for years. Doug's website includes much more detail about his distinguished career, but one item that I find quite pertinent today is that along with other extensive travels, Doug has been to Iraq 33 times. As a military man, and someone who has seen Iraq firsthand many times, Doug is uniquely positioned to render a very informed opinion about our involvement there. What else? Well, Doug holds an Executive Juris Doctorate from Concord University School of Law. If someone's going to be writing laws and voting on laws, it makes good sense to have studied law. We've now established that Doug has dedicated decades to serving our country, that he has worked for a living, and that he is very well-educated. What about his positions on the issues?

Doug has outlined his positions on his website's Issues page. In addition to discussing National Security as his top priority, some other of Doug's positions with which I strongly agree include:

• Fiscal responsibility. We need to get back to paying attention to the nation's finances, and Doug is committed to working toward a balanced budget and responsible spending
• Access to high-quality healthcare for all Americans
• Stimulation of the economy, improved national security, better environmental quality through development of renewable domestic energy sources
• Adherence to and support of the United States Constitution

Please take a moment to visit the website of Mr Doug Tudor. And please contribute to Doug's campaign. Unlike Adam Putnam, Doug does not have millions of dollars of family money; he is a working man who will truly represent us! To put Doug in Washington, we need to put some dollars in the campaign. Please help finally get Florida and the country the representation we need and deserve.

Obama made the right financing decision

Obama has raised the ire of the Faux News and others for announcing that he'll forgo federal campaign financing and instead rely on the contributions of supporters. This is absolutely the correct decision. Even though McCain is not the first choice of the far right wing (and I do not believe that the far right wing represents the majority of Republicans, but I digress) ...Faux News and the Murdoch Money Machine will be providing McCain with millions of dollars' worth of 'fair and balanced' publicity. Obama will not be able to match the onslaught withOUT continuing to leverage the financial support of the enthusiastic masses who kept the primary funded with small and steady donations.

Florida Progressive Radio: TODAY (Sun 18May) 2pm - Doug Tudor, US Congress District 12 Candidate

The "Big Show" with Alison & Kenny

Doug Tudor

Candidate, Florida US District 12
http://www.teamtudor.org

Today's Candidate Interview features Doug Tudor, Candidate for FL District 12. Mr. Tudor is running against Republican incumbent Adam Putnam.

You can listen to the show at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fpc.

If you are interested, you can call in at (646) 716-7543. This is not a toll free call, so make sure you check your calling plan. If you call in for any reason, make sure to turn down your radio to minimize feedback or echo effect.

If you missed the live show, you can still listen to the recorded podcast.

Thank you Dennis Kucinich

It's a shame that Dennis Kucinich has dropped out of the race for US President. He has a good message, and ideas that I think offered what this country sorely needs. But it was not to be this time. Nonetheless, I am grateful that he took the time to be heard as much as time and money would allow.

The Democratic nomination is now among Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and John Edwards. I was an early supporter of Obama's, and came to favor Kucinich as I realized just how much my views agreed with Kucinich's. Now that it is down to the 3 remaining candidates, I am again enthusiastically supporting Obama.

Thank you Dennis.
Here's to Barack Obama as the next President of the United States!

Reid stops recess appointments

Harry Reid has surprised me. After so many long months of the Democrats pretty much doing nothing ...lots of talk followed by giving in to Bush over and over and over ...Reid has maneuvered to technically keep the Senate in session over the next couple of weeks, according to this Washington Post article.

So why does this matter? Because it prevents Bush from doing more recess appointments (remember John Bolton?). What this also means is that we can most likely expect Bush to leave more and more departments and agencies being run by 'acting' directors and people with similar titles who are able to avoid confirmation hearings.

Now, the question this does raise in my mind is why the Dems caved and allowed Mukasey to be confirmed. Feinstein, being her pseudo-Democrat self, wrote a piece explaining her vote for Mukasey. She stated that one of the reasons was to avoid recess appointments. Well gosh, so soon after that vote we see that Reid is able to prevent the recess appointments. What the hell is going on?

But at least this is a positive action from the Dems. It's about time.

Kucinich may surprise some folks :)

Support for Dennis Kucinich continues to grow. This is very good news! I was at a gathering for a local campaign on Sunday and was chatting with some of the folks there. When folks were mentioning support for Obama (or any other national candidate), I'd mention that I really like what Dennis Kucinich is saying. Every single one of the folks to whom I said this agreed with me. Thinking back, I wish now that I'd asked why they weren't more vocal about their support for Kucinich.

Regardless, even here in what some think of as conservative Florida, the fact is that:

• support is strong for getting out of Iraq
• support is strong for universal healthcare
• support is strong for fiscal responsibility
• and support is strong for Dennis Kucinich

What surprises me, however, is that people seem to be reluctant to voice their support. Some months back, I asked for and was given a list of the voter registration for our precinct. It surprised me to learn that there are more Democrats and Independents than Republicans. I recently learned that in our county there are more Democrats registered than Republicans. People seem to somehow be intimidated - reluctant to state publicly what they readily share privately: that they recognize how horrible it is that we invaded Iraq, that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are wasting precious lives and bankrupting our country, that it is time to STOP torture, it is time to STOP these illegal wars, and it is time to catch up with the rest of the industrialized world and offer everyone the right of basic health care.

So we will see. Faux News and the other media hacks can continue to pronounce Hillary as the forgone conclusion for the Dem nomination. Of course they want her to get the nomination, since she would be the easiest one for them to campaign against. But the PEOPLE are disgusted with the war crimes of Bush and Cheney, the lies that the neoconservative owners of the current Republican party foist on the masses, the endless brutality and senseless slaughter from the wars the Bush regime perpetuate. The PEOPLE are yearning for peace, for basic human rights, for a compassionate and logical leadership, and the PEOPLE are wise to the bull$h1t that seems to spew ceaselessly from the corporate media.

The fact that one of my conservative friends has commented on my earlier Kucinich post, calling Kucinich a 'dingbat', rather than ignoring him, confirms that the right-wing is fearing Kucinich. And with good reason!

Dennis Kucinich - Leno 24 Sept 2007

As I've learned more about the candidates for president, it has become obvious to me that Dennis Kucinich makes the most sense. He's got a ways to go to win the Democratic nomination. I've adjusted where my donations go based on Kucinich's stance on peace, health care, education, and so many other issues. More Americans will grow to support Kucinich as they hear his message. And it's easy to respect him when you learn his history:

Who's profiting from the Iraq war?

The companies listed below have collectively made over 24 BILLION dollars (over US$24,000,000,000) from the war in Iraq. You think there's not a lot of interest from these profit-hoarding entities to keep the war going? And you better believe they've got plenty of money to pay for lobbying.

This is from this MSN Money article. The data are pulled in large part from the Federal Procurement Data System. Thankfully, MSN Money has taken care of slogging through that system to glean the picture for us.

Top 10 money-makers from this WAR (click image to go to the article):

...and tied in with this, of course, are the huge profits being realized from Department of Defense contracts. Here's the top 7 (again, just click the image to go to the full article):

Read the MSN Money article. Then contact your elected officials and demand that they stop this senseless war. I did that earlier this week, and so far my only response is a form letter from Adam Putnam, telling me that he will not "shortchange our soldiers on the ground and hamper their ability to succeed".  Hmmm... I know several military personnel who have been to Iraq and to surrounding areas and would strongly disagree with Putnam's Bush-parroting position.

Thanks to my buddy JL up in the northwest for sending me the link to the article.

Lee Nelson running for Supervisor of Elections, Hillsborough County

Most weeks Shirley and I attend the gathering of our local Drinking Liberally chapter. This past Thursday we were visited by Mr Lee Nelson, candidate for Supervisor of Elections, Hillsborough County (click on the thumbnail image to see larger pic; Lee is second from the left).

I know that several of us were impressed that Lee took the time to visit our little group. We typically have 10-15 folks on a Thursday night, so this is not a large forum by any stretch. But we DO all vote, and we DO all follow current events and of course - politics!

Well anyway... we talked with Lee about a number of things, why HE should be Supervisor of Elections, his background, his thoughts on electronic voting (with and without paper trail) versus other systems, etc. I'll make sure that Lee sees this post so he can correct anything I report incorrectly. With that, here's my version of Lee's comments:

Lee believes he's more qualified than Buddy Johnson. Lee has an undergrad degree in IT (Information Technology) and as of this writing has just completed - or is about to complete - his MBA (Masters of Business Administration). He currently works in high tech, and ran as the Democratic challenger for Florida House, District 56 in this last election cycle (lost the election, getting 42% of the vote).

Lee feels that Buddy Johnson (current Supervisor of Elections) has been unresponsive to local voters needs. Lee feels that his high tech experience and Business Administration education position him well to manage the elections systems in Hillsborough County.

I asked about our current electronic voting machines versus ones with a paper trail versus optical scan machines versus other systems. Lee said that he really doesn't think a paper trail will help that much. There are 2 reasons for this: [1] one can program a computer to print anything, not necessarily matching the vote that was recorded inside the machine; [2] if people are issued 'receipts' for their votes, then there could well develop scenarios whereby votes are purchased, with a voter simply showing their 'receipt' to the briber in order to collect the fee. Lee did suggest that we all sign up to vote absentee for now (do so - as I did - at this site), and mentioned that even though an absentee ballot can be rejected if it is felt that the signature on the ballot does not match the voter's signature on file, if we contact the Supervisor of Elections office after voting, they are required to inform us if our ballot has been rejected. My assumption is that if a ballot is rejected, then one can still follow some procedure to get one's vote counted.

Lee said he will be attending some training about the various voting systems and so will be able to offer more detail about possible solutions to the current problems. Personally, I do agree that a paper trail is not necessarily required ...as long as independent audit entities (perhaps one selected by each party?) can have access to a random sample of voting machines to test and verify as accurate. I also believe that the source code (the computer programming) should be ideally open source (where anyone can inspect the programming), but at a minimum should be held in escrow so that the programming is available even if the provider company fails, and the programming should be available for inspection and verification by audit entities.

This will be an interesting election! And I hope we can get several more candidates to come visit us!

A Symphony of Lies (Bush, et al)

IMPEACH!

Dick Cheney on why we should NOT be in Iraq

From 1994. He made some very good points ...back then.

The Plot to Bury Progress

Priceless!

Impeachment is not ALWAYS about politics

Let's say, hypothetically, that the US president were to walk out on the street and kill someone -- shoot some citizen in the head and murder them. If that president were to then be impeached and charged with murder and sent to prison, I do not think one could call that an impeachment motivated by politics. No, that would be an impeachment and an imprisonment based on someone committing a serious crime, and then needing to be held accountable.

OK, now, look at Mr Bush and Mr Cheney. Our Congress is lied to about the reasons for invading Iraq. It is a crime to lie to Congress. There have been over 3600 US military men and women killed in Iraq. This does not count the contractors killed. This does not count the tens of thousands (or hundreds of thousands?) of Iraqis killed. With thousands of people killed ...KILLED!!! ...due to the LIES of Bush, Cheney, et al, how can one say that to impeach them is political?!?

Hello? Is anyone paying attention? Is anyone thinking anymore?

No, this is not about politics. This is about holding senior officials accountable for the incredibly ghastly effects of their illegal activity.

Why is there ANY resistance to impeachment?

It is a crime to lie to the United States Congress. Bush lied to get us to invade Iraq. That constitutes a crime. And the results of that lie have been far FAR more serious than when Clinton lied about his affair. Yet many of the same folks who still trash Clinton every chance they get (and for the record, I am not a fan) - somehow these folks think there's no reason to impeach Bush. This is pure hypocrisy.

Pelosi has said that impeachment is off the table. Obama has said that he does not favor impeachment (that is why I removed the Obama banner from this site -- there's a lot I like about the man, and if he wins the Dem nomination, I will most probably vote for him). The ONLY reason why these folks would not support impeachment is politics. They are afraid to do what is right and noble and honorable. They do not want to offend potential donors.

We need a lot more honesty.

Children's Healthcare bill - and unfair tax

A couple of days ago I posted about Bush preparing to veto a bill that would extend and expand healthcare for millions of children in the US. The good part of the bill, of course, is the healthcare. The bad side is how it would be funded. The current US tax on a pack of cigarettes is 39 cents, and that tax would go up to one dollar. I'm not a smoker, but that does sound like a rather substantial hike.

Even worse is that the tax on a single cigar could rise to US$10! I don't smoke cigars either ...I don't smoke anything. But that is a ridiculous level of taxation. I do like to have a beer or a glass of wine. The beers I drink typically cost me under one dollar per bottle, and the wines are usually under US$10 a bottle. This tax would be similar to me suddenly having to pay an additional $10 per beer or $100 per bottle of wine. And that's a bit crazy.

What would make far more sense would be to repeal the tax breaks that Bush gave to his wealthy buddies, and put those millions to finance healthcare.

Bush prepares to veto children's healthcare

According to this NY Times article (plenty of other media outlets have also reported this), Bush will most likely veto a biparisan-supported bill that would renew and expand healthcare coverage for millions of our nation's children. What a schmuck.

It is time for nationalized healthcare. It is time to get away from these stopgap measures that end up being political battles with people's lives hanging in the balance. It is ridiculous that ANYONE in this nation would have to worry about how they will pay their medical bills. My dad (who died broke one year ago) went bankrupt from medical bills, and he was, by no stretch, a rare case.

Shameful. Thank you, Mr Bush, for again turning your back on the nation.

IMPEACH!

There are many reasons why it is time to impeach Cheney and Bush. The main one is to save our Constitution and retain the United States as a democracy! My gosh, these guys have no shame. One of the latest in a long, long, line of disgraceful activity, was Bush admitting that his administration leaked Valerie Plame's CIA status, and then Bush states that it's "time to move on". NO!!! It is NOT time to just keep letting Bush and Cheney do whatever they please, ignoring the LAW, callously sending so many thousands to their deaths in Iraq for a war of choice based on lies, and increasingly building their false case for military action against Iran.

There are many web sites stating arguments for impeachment. AfterDowningStreet is one of them. Many of the sites are a mix of emotion and reason. For a reasoned argument with proper supporting documentation making the case for the impeachment of Cheney, please see Congressman Kucinich's page regarding House Resolution 333. You can also read the full text of HR 333.

It's not too late to save our nation. Not yet.

I've registered with the Green Party

For the past 32 years I've been a Democrat. The majority of those years was in Washington state. I've represented my neighbors at the precinct caucus, at the county convention, at the congressional district caucus, and at the state convention. I've worked on a number of campaigns (the first was Mo Udall's presidential bid - a 'few' years back). For at least 5 years - maybe more - I've considered switching to the Green Party. I had high hopes when the Democrats won 'control' of the US House and Senate this last November, but have been dismayed at the lack of progress on very serious issues. There is a definite difference between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. And there is even more difference between these parties and the Green Party.

I've read the Ten Key Values over and over and it just fits. I decided it was time to follow my gut, to do what I know is right, and to register with a party whose values match my own.

The very unfortunate part is that, now that I have registered with the Green Party of Florida, I can no longer vote for any Democratic candidates in the state primary elections. In Florida, as in many states, we have a closed primary; in the primary election one can only vote for candidates within one's own party. In the General election, of course, one may vote for whomever one wishes.

It's time for us all to think about what is really important. What's important is healing the Earth, helping to take care of people's basic needs in so many places (including right here in our home towns), being honest - always. I see more of these values with the Green Party.

East Hillsborough County Democrats meeting: Tues 12 June 2007

What: East Hillsborough County Democratic Club monthly meeting
When: Tuesday evening, 12 June 2007, from 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Where: Starting this month, meetings are in the private room at Giordano's Pizzeria and Restaurant (11310 Causeway Blvd., Brandon map)

There will be TWO guest speakers this month:

• Mark Biero - With years of experience as a Progressive voice on local radio, Mr. Biero will share his thoughts on the current state of affairs on radio and throw in some entertaining stories.
• Janee Murphy - Secretary of the Florida Democratic Party. She is a member of the Democratic National Committee and served as a Delegate to Democratic National Convention in 2004. Murphy is formerly the Chair of the Hillsborough Democratic Executive Committee. Ms Murphy will have an update on the presidential primary date and what the state party's position is on it so far.

See you there!

O-Train swings through Tampa

We joined 2,000 folks yesterday in Ybor City (the old Cuban / Italian district of Tampa) to see and hear Barack Obama. Very cool. Obama is certainly an engaging speaker. Earlier in the day, we had quite a bit of driving rain and gusty wind. But by the time we had all gathered and Senator Obama was speaking, the sun was shining and it was truly a beautiful day.

Among the things Obama said:
- By the end of his first term as President, the United States of America will have universal healthcare for all Americans
- The war in Iraq was a huge mistake (Barack Obama is one of the few in office who has been saying that since before we invaded). He said the troops should be brought home, and that needs to be complete within a year (personally, I think we should get out now, but it's nonetheless positive to support the troops and bring them home, rather than continuing to escalate).
- The men and women who have served overseas deserve our support while they are away, and they deserve our support and absolutely the best care when they return home injured.
- We cannot allow our children to be the first American generation to inherit a country in worse shape than it was when our generation took the scene. We need to address climate change and global warming and energy policy now. It does not make sense to have energy corporation executives making energy policy.

We're not among the folks who can afford to pay thousands of dollars to hobnob with the national political candidates. Barack Obama's visit - the local visit of the O-Train - reminded me of the whistle stop train tours we've heard about from earlier years, when ordinary folks could hear the candidates speak. And the crowd did look like a cross-section of Tampa, which was very cool: all ages, ethnicities, at least one person I know to be a local millionaire, plenty ordinary schmucks like me, gay, straight, folks who looked like they just came from church, and some who looked like they just got up. A true cross-section, and that is the kind of base that will get a candidate elected to the White House!

Is Obama too young? NO!

The other day I heard someone state that Barack Obama is too young to be president. Maybe they just meant that he looks too young? If he were to win this next election, he would be 47 when he took office. How old must one be? He would be older than Teddy Roosevelt, John F Kennedy, and Bill Clinton were when they each took office.

But far more important than one's age is one's outlook, intellectual rigor, position on the issues, and willingness to be honest in the execution of one's duties ...rather then beholden to the highest bidder as we have seen far too often!

N Korea: Bush administration does something right!

In seeming contradiction to dealings (or more correctly non-dealings) with Iran, the US, via the "six nation talks" to grant fuel aid and work toward better relations with North Korea, in exchange for Pyongyang stopping its nuclear weapons program.

This is good. Sure, we don't know if the deal will hold, but we have to try. So why is it that when Iran (also part of Bush's 'Axis of Evil') has repeatedly tried to talk, Bush will have nothing to do with them? Hmm.... I'm sure it has nothing to do with oil, right?. Shortly after we invaded Iraq, Iran wanted to strike a deal, putting everything on the table. Iran was offering to allow inspections of their nuclear facilities, officially recognize Israel's right to exist ...sheesh, those 2 items right there are pretty huge. And there's not even any proof that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons; it's certainly against the teachings of the Koran. North Korea, on the other hand, has been quite blatant about their nuclear ambitions.

Well, here's hoping that the Bush administration will continue this new-found ability for dialog, and perhaps begin to follow some of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, and actually talk to Iran and Syria.

One can hope.

Meet Barack Obama

Dems win! I am happily surprised

Yes, I am surprised. There were many voting problems including:

• Florida. Some Diebold machines showing votes as cast for Republicans when they'd been cast for Dems. The incorrect selections would appear on the confirmation screen; the voter could go back and again select Democrat candidates, and the summary would sometimes continue to show the choices as being for Republican. The official word was to the effect that these were machines in heavy-voting areas, and the machines were buckling under the strain.
• Indiana. Last night I read reports of 75 precincts that could not vote due to problems with the voting machines.
• Ohio. Of course. Some precincts where not a single machine would work.

I don't know if these and other problems were resolved in time for everyone who showed up to vote to actually be able to exercise their right.

And that's why I'm surprised. In spite of the expected issues with this immature technology, in spite of bad weather in some areas (which often bodes poorly for Dems), in spite of the 'October surprise' I feared would appear - but never did ...the Democrats have won control of the House, have won a number of governor-ships, and appear poised to have the majority in the Senate as well.

After George W Bush was awarded the slimmest of victories 2 years ago, he crowed about having 'political capital' and intending to spend it. I have sadly become cynical enough that I half-expected the Democratic leadership to take a similarly partisan stance and begin gloating.

Happily ...at least so far ...what I've been hearing from Nancy Pelosi (soon-to-be Speaker of the House) and from Rahm Emanuel (chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee) is far more sensible. They have been speaking of the fact that all members of Congress must work together if anything is to be accomplished to truly help better this nation.

Rahm Emanuel has mentioned, among the many issues desperately needing action:

...minimum wage; direct negotiations for lower prescription drug prices; a vote on the 9/11 commission recommendations; an energy policy in which we take the $12.5 billion given to Big Oil and move it towards research for energy independence and alternative energy and new sources; slashing the interest rates on college loans in half; and pay as you go rules on the budget; and also on stem cells and getting a vote on that; and also on Social Security.  ...

The 2006 campaigning is done. I've followed our standard ritual on the day after Election Day and have removed the many candidate bumper stickers from my car. Now the real work starts.

Electronic voting: seemed to go smoothly

Shirley and I each voted today, and things seemed to go very smoothly. The folks working at the polls directed voters through the check-in, to the voting machines, and on to deposit one's voting card (which activates the machine) in a box on the way out. The verification screens correctly displayed my selections. So at least that part of the process was good. The sad thing is that we have absolutely no way to know whether our votes were counted correctly inside each machine, nor whether the totals from each machine will make it to the final tallies, nor whether or not those final tallies will be accurate. And if there are any questions ...well, that's just too bad, because the current state administration does not see fit to require a paper audit trail.

But it's still important to do what we can. If you are a Florida registered voter, you can vote early through Saturday 04 November; if you miss that deadline, then you will cast your vote on Election Day, Tuesday 07 November. Here in Hillsborough County, many libraries are open 10am until 6pm through Saturday for early voting (if voting on Election Day you must instead go to your designated polling location). The county has a web site about voting, and they do list all early voting locations ...but they post it as a Microsoft Word document, which shows yet again how out of touch Buddy Johnson is (local elections supervisor ...known to take time trading his company's stock while he should be working). For those who need the information in a more accessible format, here's the list of early voting sites  converted to a PDF file.

Chris Matthews is a jackass

I'm watching the 'debate' on the local NBC station right now ...this is supposed to be a debate among Jim Davis, Charlie Crist, and Max Linn (the 3 gents running for Florida Governor)- moderated by Chris Matthews. I've watched Chris Matthews on Hardball a few times and am always struck by how incredibly RUDE he is. We don't need more of this impolite behavior in politics. What we NEED is honest debate.

What we have this evening is Chris Matthews blathering on and interrupting the candidates. Each candidate should be asked the same question and have the opportunity to respond to that question. Matthews is trying to run this 'debate' the way he would run Hardball. It doesn't work.

Prior to this evening's show (it's more of a show than a debate), Matthews had said that he considered '5 words' to be the ideal question. Hell, his interruptions of the candidates are each more than 5 words.

I'm afraid NBC has demonstrated that the networks cannot be trusted to broadcast honest political coverage. NBC is a business; they are in it for the bucks, and there is nothing wrong with that ...except when it comes to our elections.

Florida voting machines changing votes

Here in Florida we are able to take advantage of early voting. So tomorrow I'll be heading to the local library and will carefully cast my votes. I'll report back on how it went. I'm rather distrustful of the voting machines, since there is NO paper trail, and therefore no way to do a recount. All we can do is trust that the machines will tally votes correctly and that the totals from the individual machines are properly combined.

Well, I'm a computer programmer, so I know that it is easy to write programs with errors. It is easy to also write programs with intentional 'errors'. It is a much more involved task to write quality programs and to then design and execute detailed test plans to ensure that the programming operates as it should.

An article from Saturday's Miami Herald describes multiple instances during our current early voting cycle in which voters saw their votes for Democrats displayed as votes for Republicans on the confirmation screen.

When you vote:

1. Review your ballot carefully before removing your voting card
2. If ANY of your candidate selections are incorrect when reviewing, inform a poll worker immediately.
3. Go back and attempt to correct your selection. If you still are unable to make your selections, ask for the poll site supervisor to shut down the machine, and write down the machine number, the poll site supervisor name, and ask for another voting machine to made available.
4. Report all irregularities to your local political party (for me, here in Hillsborough County in Florida, that is the Democratic Party (813-876-1945)

It's a very scary time when we cannot trust our elections.

East Hillsborough Democratic Club

Last night Shirley and I went to a 'Meet the Candidates' rally, sponsored by the East Hillsborough Democratic Club. Gosh, it felt like coming home, to pull into the parking area and see all the signs, bumper stickers, t-shirts, and buttons for the progressive candidates. What a wonderful evening. We'd heard about the rally through Joyce at our Brandon Drinking Liberally regular Thursday gathering (7pm every Thursday at Old Chicago Pizza in Brandon map ...we ususally sit in the outdoor area - this IS Florida, after all).

Well, we knew about the rally, but I didn't know much about the local Democrat club. What a great group! We plan to be at the next meeting. The East Hillsborough Democratic Club meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month, from 6:30pm - 8:30pm, at the Valrico Recreation Center (map). So the next meeting will be 14 Nov 2006. See you there!

East Hillsborough Democratic Club - Meet the candidates this Friday (Oct 20)

The East Hillsborough Democratic Club is sponsoring a rally at the Barn at Winthrop (map) on Friday, October 20th from 5:00 to 7:00 pm.  We will have local, state and Congressional candidates in attendance.  There will be live music, food and drinks.  We would like to get over 200 people out there so mark your calendars!!!  With the media anticipated to be in attendance, this is an opportunity to show that Democrats plan to reclaim eastern Hillsborough County.

Directions: Take Providence to Bloomingdale, and turn left on Bloomingdale.  The barn is 1/4 - 1/2 mile on the right (map).

October surprise? Will Cheney stage a 'terrorist' attack?

So with the growing realization that invading Iraq was a monumental mistake, that every U.S. household owes $550 per month (so far) for the next 30 years to pay off the national debt, with the increasing exposure of corruption in Washington (Jack Abramoff, Ralph Reed, the latest bit from Foley, etc), the blatant greed of KBR and Halliburton and others flagrantly overcharging for 'services' in Iraq and elsewhere, the methodical dismantling of the Constitution, torture of 'enemy combatants' (the definition of which continues to broaden), mounting death toll in Iraq and Afghanistan ....

With all of this mess from the Bush Administration, recent polls show Republicans losing ground in the upcoming elections. I can't help but wonder if Cheney will stage some kind of terrorist attack ...something between now and the elections to try and bump up the support for the neocons. Stranger things have most certainly happened.

Hopefully, the elections will come and go and no 'attack' will happen ...and some will think me a fool. I can live with that.

USA economy will collapse if we stay in Iraq

We need to get out of Iraq. Now. The alternative is the collapse of the economy of the United States of America.

Consider:

• The current cost of our occupation of Iraq is over $2,300 per year PER US CITIZEN (cost is approximately $7 BILLION per year divided by the 300 million USA citizens). And the cost is going up.
• The current National debt is over $28,000 PER US CITIZEN. And the debt is rising.
• The average USA household owes about $72,800 ($28,000 x the average household size of 2.6 people). With the additional debt we're incurring in Iraq, the household share is expanding.

If the national debt did not increase, your household's share would work out to $534 PER MONTH for the next 30 years (at 8% amortized over 30 years). The $534 that you need to be paying each month will, of course, be going up rather steadily as Bush continues to steamroll our nation into financial ruin, with the complicity of our rubber-stamp Congress.

A sad prediction along these lines was written almost 2 years ago: The United States damages future living standards

The Iraq war is immoral ...thousands - or tens of thousands or more - civilians have died. Over 2,700 US troops have died; 20,000+ have been wounded. The casualties in Afghanistan number fewer, but are no less tragic. This "pro life" administration has demonstrated a callous disregard for human life - indeed an utter disdain for any semblance of decency. And so, the argument must turn to all that they care about: Money and Power. I am choosing to discuss money, since it can be quantified.

It doesn't matter if the neocons want to call leaving Iraq "cut and run". I don't care what kind of ridiculous spin these bastards want to put on any strategy that calls for ending our occupation in Iraq. Just get us out!

The philosophy behind Bush and the neo-conservatives

I've been struggling for some time to understand just why the hell Bush was so intent on invading Iraq. The reason for the invasion was stated differently as time went on, and Bush has always (as recently as LAST NIGHT) tried to get Americans to associate the attacks of 11 Sep 2001 with Iraq. None of this made sense.

Now it does.

My wife and I have been watching The Power of Nightmares, a 3-part BBC documentary. We have one hour left to watch of the 3 hour series. This series describes the history behind the neo-conservatives in the USA, and the fanatic fringe Arab minority claiming to be Muslims.

A short summary about Leo Strauss, the father of the neo-conservative movement is available for reading in the AlterNet article, Leo Strauss' Philosophy of Deception. The father of the radical Islamist movement, Sayyid Qutb, is outlined in the NPR article, Sayyid Qutb's America. Or you can simply search the web with either gentleman's name for plenty of information.

In short, philosopher Leo Strauss believed that there is a right of the superior to rule over the inferior, and that this requires Deception, leveraging the Power of Religion, and the fostering of Aggressive Nationalism.

The neo-conservative followers of Strauss believe that for the most part Americans are adrift without moral compass, and that this will lead to the downfall of our society. It is therefore necessary to deceive the masses. The masses need to be reigned in by religion (which needn't apply to the enlightened rulers). The masses should be told only what the rulers choose to tell them; the truth is irrelevant and indeed harmful. Order is to be maintained through constant external threat.

Until now, I've not understood why some seemingly intelligent people could also express an irrational total hatred toward Bill Clinton. These folks pressed and pressed to find anything to pin on Clinton, finally impeaching him for lying about a blow job. Meanwhile, Bush starts a war of choice for false reasons, resulting in the deaths of thousands of brave Americans and coalition forces, the deaths of 100,000 Iraqi civilians, and the plunging of Iraq into civil war ...yet there still exist some who think of this man as "pro-life". Incredible. Well, in light of the philosophy of Strauss, I now understand the basis of the neo-conservative agenda. These deluded folks believe they are saving humanity, just as the radical Islamists believe that they are fighting to save humanity . But they are all trying, if you will, to cut off the nose to spite the face.

The real-life implications are, sadly, orders of magnitude more tragic than the loss of a nose.

Know a Liberal: Gay Marriage

(This post is another in my personal 'Know a Liberal' series. Note that the category is Know a Liberal, not Know all Liberals)

If two adults love each other and wish to declare that love publicly and commit to each other, they should be able to do so.

I absolutely do not understand the fear or hatred or whatever the heck is the motivation behind the Defense of Marriage Act that Clinton signed. Even more ridiculous is Bush's proposal for a Constitutional Amendment "protecting marriage". Protecting marriage from what? With the most recent available numbers putting the divorce rate in the USA at 43% it would appear that we heterosexuals don't have such a good track record when it comes to respecting the sanctity of marriage.

As far as marriage needing to be between two individuals of the opposite sex, just why is that? It seems to me that this 'requirement' is based on individual prejudice. That prejudice may well come from one's religious affiliation, but that should have no bearing whatsoever on public law. Many religions have rules or teachings to which others do not adhere. Some Jews wear a yarmulke (skullcap); muslimas might wear a khimar (headscarf); Hindus might refrain from eating meat. Religious practices differ widely, and as long as these practices do not restrict the rights of non-believers, that is fine. Preventing two people from marrying on the basis of one's own religious beliefs is wrong.

Know a Liberal: Gun ownership / gun control

I am a liberal. To many (especially those who unfortunately rely on the likes of Fox "News" for their information), that immediately defines everything about me, and there is no need to even bother with an attempt at further definition. Bill O'Reilly, Ann Coulter, and the other prophets of the Right have already spoken.

Well, just as there are all manner of individuals who regard themselves as "conservative", there are many different views among self-declared liberals. Time for some clarification to hopefully dispel (or confirm :) some of the stereotypes.

So I'm starting a little series to talk about how THIS self-proclaimed liberal feels about various issues. Today's topic in the 'Know a Liberal' series: guns.

I don't own a gun. But I've been considering it for 20 or 30 years, and may buy one this year (or next ...or never). I enjoy shooting -- shotguns, rifles, pistols, whatever. Though I certainly don't go shooting very often (sometimes years go by between outings at a range). I'm not a great shot (especially with revolvers), but not horrible either. There is absolutely no reason for any civilian in the USA to own an assault weapon. Period. There is a Constitutional right to own a rifle, shotgun, handgun, etc ... firearms that are legitimate for hunting and protection. Concealed weapons permits are fine by me; gun safety education should be required before being granted a concealed weapons permit.

The reason for starting with a topic of Guns? Well several of us at a recent Drinking Liberally meeting were talking about how we like to shoot and were talking about getting together at a local range to do just that. And we were also chatting about how it seems that the stereotype of liberals is that we are all for registering all guns, or flat-out prohibiting ownership or something. Nope.

Debate: Florida Senate Dist 10

A debate among Florida Senate District 10 candidates Stephen Gorham (D), Sandy Murman (R), and Ray Young (R) will be held this week:
    When:  Thursday, 10 Aug 2006, 6pm
    Where: Riverview High School, 11311 Boyette Rd (map)

The debate will be moderated by St Pete Times political editor Adam Smith, and by Bay News 9 anchor Al Ruechel. A recording of the debate will air on Sunday, 13 Aug 2006, at 11:30am on Bay News 9.

Insane Tony Katz hits Joe Redner with chair

I received this update in my email yesterday. I wholeheartedly support Joe Redner for Hillsborough County Commissioner. Local internet talk show idiot Tony Katz disagrees - violently (the debate will be replayed on TBCN on Wed, 09 Aug 2006, at 6pm).

Local Republican buffoon Tony Katz goes nuts and hits Democrat Joe Redner in the head with a chair on live television. Joe refuses to press charges but challenges Mr. Katz to boxing match for charity to even the score.

watch the whole thing here...
http://www.bleepintruth.com/joe-tony.html

Seems like a microcosm of the neocon reaction to anything.

Israel has no right, even under attack . . .

I received an email from an overseas friend last week - decrying the horrific terror that Israel is raining down on Lebanese civilians with reckless abandon and the blessing of the US. Having just lost my father, I feel especially tuned to the feeling of loss that so many in Lebanon (and Israel and Afghanistan and Iraq and Congo and so many other violent places in the world) are suffering with now. This letter is reprinted, unedited and with permission:

I'm angry again. They say that you should never write a letter when you're angry, but too bad. I can't vent in any "letters to the editor" sections and I don't have a blog, so I'll leave it to you to carry the torch.

I consider myself a friend of Israel. I believe that it has a right to exist and to defend itself. I cringe every time a suicide bomber kills innocent civilians in Israeli cities, or when blindly aimed rockets land in populated areas. Think of the terror.

Even so --and, yes, I dare to say even with all the moral credibility behind Israel due to the  Holocaust,--  Israel has absolutely no right to to go on a civilian killing spree to answer the current attacks against their population. Even many Israeli's --under  attack-- are saying the same thing. Bush nicely suggests that Israel give a "measured response" and they have instead been killing a fly with a sledge hammer ... and too bad for any "collateral" damage. Those are KIDS, damn it! Screw the concept of "acceptable losses"! Hizbollah (correct spelling) MUST stop their attacks, yes. But Israel MUST find a way of dealing with this problem which doesn't KILL KIDS EACH TIME THEY ATTACK (Funny, no one has mentioned this about Palestine, by the way. Guess we're used to it.  Maybe Israel was counting on this apathy for their Lebanon operation too?). I'm very much afraid that today's horrible massacre will only motivate more crazy Hizbollah members to take revenge in an equally horrible way. And round and round we go.

Israel's president Olmert wants "just 10 more days" to "put things in order". Jeez. I'm getting shivvers from memories of VietNam catch-phrases.. Anybody else reading this (who is old enough to remember) know what I mean? Bet you a nickel that "ten days" will drag out to ten months, if Bush doesn't use his wild card as Israel's billion-a-year big brother.

Time to mount up, peeples. Don't let this go on for ten more days. Our inaction is just as immoral as the massacre. Get the word out, please, today. INUNDATE Congress and White House with emails, of course. But PLEASE, spread the word actively and try to get at least a couple of friends to act too... and ask them to do the same. Then you can feel like you've really done something this year.

To the friend I have reading this whose parents were in the death camps, I repeat: I am a friend of Israel, and you know that very well. But I also repeat: Israel has absolutely NO right to massacre all the innocents and kids among Hizbollah. If you want to email me about it seperately, I'll be glad to discuss it with you, but I warn you, I won't put up with anymore hypocrisy (the Israeli Army is going to investigate itself), santimonious "how dare you's" , cynicism ("they bombed themselves" or "yes,
Israel bombed those women and kids, but they were actually victims of Hizbollah") or "me, me, me" selfishness. When Israel can start crying foul when OTHER genocides occur (complete silence during Cambodia, Rwanda, et al), they'll make up for the some of the credibilty they've lost in these unreasonable attacks. Time to cut the shit.

To my other friends, your comments are equally welcome.

Sincerely yours,
Christopher N.

Well said. And sadly, the killing only continues. The grieving only swells. The defense companies get richer. And the USA has agreed to a 'rush' sale of bombs for Israel.

Hug your children. Kiss your spouse or partner and tell them that you love them. Try once each day to take a peaceful approach when you might be tempted to curse someone (even if silently; thoughts matter). It's time for any step we can take to increase the love in the world.

Gay & Lesbian Pride Month

Yesterday was the last day of June - the last day of Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. I've never understood why some folks get so crazy about homosexuality. Gosh, if 2 people love each other and want to be together, that's great. So many people spend an entire lifetime never knowing true love - never knowing what it's like to have found someone with whom to share a life. The fuss, the rabid anti-gay sentiment of the religious right misled just makes no sense.

For any who may not know, June became known as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month due to the Stonewall Rebellion in 1969 in New York. The Stonewall Inn was finally recognized as a National Historic Place 7 years ago.

I'm a white, heterosexual male, and so really have no way to comprehend what it would be like to live with the irrational prejudice with which one is faced if one is non-white, female, gay, physically or mentally challenged, or any of the other scenarios for which some ignorant folks choose to discriminate. But at a previous job I did have a coworker who summonded the courage to come out to the rest of our group and tell us he was gay. It was no big deal at all to any of us, but the obvious struggle this gentleman had endured was heart-wrenching. Why on earth anyone should have to suffer so much is beyond me.

We are all brother and sisters on this earth. Let's start acting like it.

55mph speed limit and energy sense

I like driving fast. Here in Florida, if you're not doing at least 10-15 mph over the speed limit, you're almost a hazard on the road. Quite often, I'm driving 75-80 mph.

Well, as much as it pains me (for multiple reasons), I must admit that Nixon was correct in implementing the 55 mph national speed limit. Driving more slowly save gas, and saves lives. If we are serious about conserving fuel, reducing pollution, restoring at least a little sanity to our lives ...we will drive more slowly. So I've taken a first step of trying to hold my speed limit to no more than 5 mph over the limit. Believe me, that is not very cool during the morning commute! For the parts of the drive during which traffic is flowing, I have to be very careful. Folks get pretty pi$$ed - even with me in the 'slow' lane - if I'm 'only' doing 5 mph over the limit.

Well, most people are self-absorbed enough that I do not think we'll achieve more sensible driving without legislating it. OK, so who out there among the elected officials has the balls to take a stand and make a positive difference?

In a related vein, many are touting bio-diesel, ethanol, and/or hydrogen fuel. Well currently, it takes more energy to produce these fuels than the energy we get out of them once produced. So the process needs attention. How about using renewable energy sources - solar, wind, wave, geothermal - to supply the energy needed to produce these fuels for transportation?

We're taking baby steps here at home. Solar-powered battery chargers that I don't use often enough (I tend to not plan ahead enough and use a plug-in charger more often); a solar powered attic fan, which has reduced the attic temperature by 10 degrees, but we need to add another fan yet; keeping the thermostat adjusted to 78 or so to help reduce cooling; converting the back yard to mostly xeriscaping to minimize the water and fertilizer that a traditional lawn would consume; slowly converting the indoor and outdoor lights to fluorescent; taking advantage of my employer's allowance and telecommuting a day or two a week and carpooling some of the other days. And I'm going to call the company that did our solar pool heat and see what they can do for us with photovoltaic on the roof. We already pay a small extra charge each month to get 25% of our power from renewable sources, but we need to take advantage of being in the SUNSHINE State and generate some of our own electricity. No, it won't 'pay for itself' in 5 years or whatever using current economic models, but that's not the point. The point is that we all need to do what we can to make some progress. If I'm just sitting on my a$$ hoping things will change, then I'm not really helping anything.

So we'll see what we can get the local and national government to do, and I'll report back on progress here at home. Cheers :)

Republican Culture of Corruption - deeper and deeper

I try to read a lot: the newspaper, several periodicals, news web sites, blogs, emails. I follow links from the various sites and try to verify references and check sites like Snopes and FactCheck, or search the web for the US government sites that have the actual law referenced, or locate the original news story or actual film footage when possible. And there is a LOT of stuff that's going on and has gone on in the past several years that has me believing that the Bush administration is comprised of the most dishonest, unethical, misleading, hypocritical slime this nation has seen.

Often I'll skip blogging because I need to read something more uplifting. It becomes a matter of maintaining sanity. There's still plenty of good in the world, and we all need to expend the effort to realize that, and to be very conscious of the positive. But I'll let you do that as a homework assignment. Here are a few of the things that have me pissed off at the Bush Republicans and their Culture of Corruption of late:

• Diebold Whistleblower Facing Three Felony Counts
• Bush administration's NSA spying and refusal to comply with FISA (Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act). As I read it, the Attorney General has failed to meet the requirements to report to the court and to the Senate. Either George W Bush broke the law, or John Ashcroft and Alberto Gonzales broke the law. Quite possibly all three. So does Gonzales, to perform his duty, need to file charges against himself?
• Did 308,000 cancelled Ohio voter registrations put Bush back in the White House? OK, I don't really believe that. I believe that this is just one piece of the rampant electoral fraud - very well-executed - in the past 2 presidential elections. Read the post at The Brad Blog and download the PDF of the Affidavit. Read the report from Rep John Conyers (House Judiciary Committee) and read the blog about the hearings.
• Just how much did the Bush Administration know - or allow (or worse) regarding the attacks of 11 Sept 2001?
• Bush chose to wage an unnecessary war on Iraq, ignoring the CIA, resulting (so far) in close to 2,300 deaths and nearly 17,000 wounded military persons. And then there are the tens of thousands (or many times more) of Iraqis killed. We send our troops over there ill equipped, and render the National Guard units here at home ever more-depleted in their supplies (we're talking really fundamental supplies like rifles!)
• The Bush policies have plunged the USA into incredible debt while cutting taxes for the wealthiest Americans. He has ignored the true conservatives that had belonged to his party in the past, and has instead reduced taxes during a time of war. It would appear that the notion of a balanced budget and fiscal responsibility has become, as Alberto Gonzales referred to the Geneva Conventions in a 2002 memo to Bush, "quaint".

Bush is, without a doubt, the worst president ever. I love this country and I truly am afraid of how much longer this can go on.

Word for the day: Kakistocracy

As in:
Here in the USA, we live in a kakistocracy

(courtesy of my buddy JL, up in Washington state)

Voting irregularites from Florida machines

OK, for anyone who still doubts that there were serious problems (if not more nefarious issues) with the "election" of 2004, read this latest story about Sequoia voting machines in Palm Beach County, Florida. The election was on 02 Nov 2004. But somehow there were votes recorded as cast before the early voting had started, and even some data that was dated 2010!

Fortunately, we've been told that everything was fine. I feel better knowing that, because otherwise I would be concerned about the over 100,000 errors on the machine logs just in that one Florida county.

PROOF: Invasion of Iraq forgone conclusion

"What the hell!  What are these guys thinking about? . . . Can't you get these guys back in the box?" - Secretary of State Colin Powell to General Hugh Shelton after Rumsfeld had brought up the possibility of attacking Iraq in a September 16, 2001 National Security Council meeting.

This and several other Quotes on Bush's Policies are posted on Thad Anderson's site (with references). So what's this have to do with "proof"?

Well, Anderson posted last March about a CBS story of 2002 talking about Donald Rumsfeld meeting with staffers the afternoon of Sept 11 2001 and trying to dredge up some way to use the murders and devastation of that day to justify invading Iraq. But Anderson didn't stop there. In July 2005, he filed a Freedom of Information Act request with the Department of Defense to get copies of the handwritten notes of Stephen Cambone - a staffer who was in the meeting with Rumsfeld. And 2 weeks ago Thad Anderson received the material from the DoD. Anderson has posted PDFs of the notes, and has also made these available on Flickr.

The fact is that the USA invasion of Iraq was decided ...I don't know when. But it was before 11 September 2001. It was a war waiting for a reason ...a reason that has been - and is still - lacking.

Your share of National Debt: $27,613

Now, if you are a family of four on one income, that income needs to cover US$110,452. Sucks that we're at a savings rate of negative 0.05%

Oh, and that's the number for today (18 Feb 2006). It goes up $2.21 billion every day. So the family of 4 needs to cough up thirty bucks a day just to keep from sliding deeper. Time to look for that third job, 'cause Bush likes to start wars and cut taxes and that's pretty much a formula for disaster.

Numbers are from Ed Hall's National Debt Clock, which includes links to a lot more info. The US Treasury Department's number is slightly higher (ok, that's relative - but when the numbers get this huge, the difference is a tiny fraction).

If you're a USA citizen and you're reading this after Saturday 18 Feb 2006, just add $7.40 per day per person in your household to that $27,613. Have a nice day :)

Bush approval rating: 39%

There is hope. As America learns more about the lack of integrity (to put it extremely mildly) of the Bush Administration, as evidence mounts about the 911 cover-up, lies to start the Iraq War, gross mismanagement of the war and reconstruction, ineptitude dealing with tragedy of the hurricanes and flooding in New Orleans and along the Gulf, skyrocketing debt, deficit spending, illegal NSA wiretaps, secret CIA prisons, and on and on and on ...

The latest Gallup poll (14 Feb 2006) shows Bush's approval rating now at 39%.

Wiretaps: Who cares about the Constitution?

From Ohio (of course) Sen. Mark DeWine:

...there’s been some controversy about whether or not this program is legal or is not legal. I think we need to get beyond that... we don’t want to have any kind of debate about whether it’s constitutional or not constitutional.

That quote is from DeWine's appearance on Fox News, as reported on the Think Progress site yesterday. The White House supports DeWine's proposal to exclude the NSA wiretaps from FISA law. Just more demonstration that this administration is determined to do whatever the hell they want, and in their eyes, the Constitution is just a quaint piece of paper.

Don't believe the 9/11 conspiracy story...

The video link below was broken. It is now working. We have been LIED to ...many, many times. And the lies keep coming from Bush and co. WATCH THE VIDEO!

The Bush camp would have us believe that the horrible events of September 11, 2001 were the result of a conspiracy of Arabs who acquired incredible skill flying jet planes and made the impossible happen. Before you believe the official conspiracy theory,  watch the Loose Change 2 video ...all 1 hour and 21 minutes of it.

I'm not saying that this video answers all the questions. But it does ask some very good questions and provides some solid evidence for why we should be skeptical of the official story.

Good Night and Good Luck

Good Night and Good Luck: If you don't see this movie, you're a Communist. Or even worse - a supporter of current President George W McCarthy :)

This evening we popped down to Sunrise Cinemas, our favorite Tampa theatre. After a wonderful dinner and some great wine at The Wine Exchange - the attached restaurant that could do well anywhere - we watched "Good Night and Good Luck". This movie was directed by George Clooney, who also co-wrote the screenplay and co-stars in the movie. The story is about Edward R Murrow of CBS News speaking out against Senator Joseph McCarthy during the time of McCarthy's crusade against Communism.

The parallels to current events are striking. The "you're with us or against us" stance. Accusations without allowing the accused to face their accusers. A preponderance of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt). How can anyone not see this?

Next movie I want to see: Why We Fight

Danish cartoon re Mohammed - misc thoughts

Flemming Rose, the editor of the Danish paper that published the cartoons is now on indefinite vacation. That might be appropriate, given his incredibly poor judgement.

The newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, had invited caricatures of Mohammad. 25 cartoonists responded, and some of the drawings / cartoons were published. I hope that most people could understand that these cartoons would be offensive. But I'm hesitant to join those chanting about free speech rights if they ignore that Muslims would be offended. Here is the USA, there are millions who profess to be Christians. Imagine how Christians would feel if there were caricatures of Jesus - in an uncomplimentary portrayal.

In fact, there had been some caricatures of Jesus submitted to Jyllands-Posten, but the editor refused to publish them, believing that many of the 175,000 subscribers to the paper - mostly conservative - would be offended. Shouldn't it be obvious as well that Muslims would be offended by the cartoons that were published? ...Especially given that the Muslim religion teaches that there should be no worship of idols and that there should be no paintings or statues of Mohammad.

Unfortunately, Mr. Rose must have thought that his newspaper would not be seen by many Muslims. It must have not even entered his mind that anyone viewing the paper would have a problem with the cartoons. Well, some lessons are not easily learned. In a further display of incredibly poor judgement, Mr Rose actually offered to assist Iran in their quest to acquire and publish cartoons of the Holocaust! Two wrongs do not make a right.

Yup. An indefinite vacation is a good idea.

Culture of Corruption: Convicted in New Hampshire

OK, I missed this story back on Dec 16 2005. As reported by the Concord Monitor in New Hanpshire, James Tobin, who (among other Republican Party posts) served for a time as the New England chair of the 2004 Bush campaign, was convicted on two counts related to his work to jam Democratic phone lines on Election Day in 2002. A Washington Post article last year reported that John Durkin, attorney for Allen Raymond (convicted last year for his part in this scheme), had told the judge that Allen Raymond was acting on orders from James Tobin.

Democrats who kept pushing for investigation had been chastised by some - folks who would say that the Demo's were just pouting over a lost election. Well it's important to keep fighting for the truth to be revealed.

And now Tobin and Raymond have both been convicted, and the civil trial against Tobin - that had been on hold pending the federal investigation - can move forward.

More evidence re lying and spying from Bush camp

Articles on Daily Kos and on Slate discuss details from yesterday's Senate Intelligence Committee hearing and possible law-breaking by the Bush administration regarding data mining of citizens' personal data (emails, phone calls, banking records, travel records) in direct violation of congressional ban of Sept 23, 2003. Interesting reading.

And sadly, not surprising, as the details of the Culture of Corruption continue to be revealed.

Dubya is not a liar

OK, personally I think of Bush as a murderer. He started a war based on deception ...he never said that Saddam had anything to do with 9/11, but he implied it over and over by mentioning Saddam and 9/11 together ...and of course the whole WMD deception. Thousands have died (Americans, Iraqis, and coalition partners), for Bush's war started on false pretense.

And Bush - through inheritance - stands to make a handsome sum of money in war profits, since his dad has been heavily involved with The Carlyle Group (Bush senior retired in Oct 2003).

The Iraq war and Bush's statements about it are just one of a series of deceptions from Dubya. But he rarely tells an outright lie; he says things that are usually literally  true, but intentionally misleading. Well, personally I couldn't stomach watching and listening to the SOTU address last night; the man makes me sick. I think I lasted about 3 minutes. But fortunately the good folks at FactCheck.org (who rip apart misleading statements from any party) have posted an analysis of the speech.

The Culture of Corruption and the Dubya Deceptions haven't changed a bit.

Listen to Barak Obama's podcasts

If you have not already been doing so, DO be sure to listen to Barak Obama's podcasts. You do not need an iPod to listen to a podcast; podcasts are simply audio files (usually ...sometimes there can be video as well). Basically if you have a personal computer that allows you to listen to music or other audio, you can listen to podcasts.

Senator Obama has been recording and posting podcasts since at least September 2005, and now has many of them available and easy to listen to from the podcast page on his site.

I was impressed as heck by Senator Obama at the Democratic convention (before he was a senator) and have been more and more impressed with him each time I hear him speak. At this point I believe that there will come a day when this man is our president.

Voted for Clinton once; don't know that I can vote for Clinton next time

The first time that Bill Clinton ran for president, I voted for Ross Perot. I thought then (and still do today) that it was critical to have someone in the White House who would take fiscal responsibility seriously, and I saw Perot as being far more direct with his discussion of the economy. As it turns out, Clinton won the election, and I did vote for him the second time around. There were many good things about him; integrity wasn't one of them. Of course, the current president makes Bill Clinton look like an altar boy.

There has been a lot of speculation that Senator Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2008. But I no longer think I can support her. I'd been feeling more and more over the past weeks that her statements are far too political - trying to appeal to all sides. I like the idea of a woman president - or a 'minority' president - I pretty much just like the idea of moving beyond the notion that the president has to be some white guy. But I'm caring for Hillary less and less as time goes on. And then today I read this article by Molly Ivans. I don't agree completely with everything that Ivans writes ...but pretty darn close :)

Don't tick off the US; we'll kipnap your wife

OK, this story is just the latest among the many disgusting things for which the Bush Administration is responsible.  On more than one occasion, when the US has wanted to locate and imprison an Iraqi, the US has kidnapped that individual's wife (including seizing a nursing mother - just how LOW will this administration stoop?) - in hopes of enticing the wanted individual to turn himself in.

Yup, these are compassionate conservatives all right. Bastards.

IMPEACH BUSH

I believe that George W Bush and his cronies engaged in election fraud in each of the past 2 Presidential elections. There was, at a MINIMUM, a willful lack of comprehensive investigation after the attacks of Sept 11, and there is mounting evidence that our government had at least some knowledge of the impending attacks; reality may be much more dastardly (there is a long history within the United States and around the world of nations deceiving their populations in order to garner support for armed aggression; there is suspicion or evidence of the US doing this to stir support for wars with Mexico, Japan, and North Vietnam).

Bush tries to be portrayed as a president who respects life. He seems to be anti-abortion and anti- stem cell research; that is the end of his pro-life stance. He is FOR killing thousands of innocent civilians in Iraq, for a war knowingly started on false pretense. He is FOR capital punishment, even when there is an ever-growing number of inmates found via DNA and other evidence to be innocent. He is FOR tax cuts for the wealthy and reduction of social support for the very lives he would bring into the world - witness the growing disparity between classes of rich and poor. In other words, George W Bush will claim that life is sacred ...and then fail to respect that life once born. And if you claim to be pro-life, and yet support capital punishment and do not support a social system to offer a solid foundation for the young children born into poverty, then you are a hypocrite.

The most blatant recently-disclosed impeachable offense - if proven to be true - is the illegal spying on United States citizens. Courtesy of my friend  'Dr Lavine', I listened to this stirring clip from Al Gore. And courtesy of fellow Tampa liberal Cookie Christine, I've been turned on to this incredible article.

It is time to call or write your elected representatives and demand that an investigation be launched into what appears to be an attempt by Bush to operate above the law. It is time to very seriously investigate grounds for impeachment.

USA paying Iraqi media to write positive stories

The LA Times has a story reporting that we've apparently been paying Iraqi media to publish positive stories about US involvement in Iraq. Here's an excerpt:

The operation is designed to mask any connection with the U.S. military. The Pentagon has a contract with a small Washington-based firm called Lincoln Group, which helps translate and place the stories. The Lincoln Group's Iraqi staff, or its subcontractors, sometimes pose as freelance reporters or advertising executives when they deliver the stories to Baghdad media outlets.

The military's effort to disseminate propaganda in the Iraqi media is taking place even as U.S. officials are pledging to promote democratic principles, political transparency and freedom of speech in a country emerging from decades of dictatorship and corruption.

OK, I have never been a fan of Mr Bush. For that matter, I have pretty much always regarded his administration as unethical, deceptive, elitist, and hypocritical. Yet I still am surprised and disgusted each time we learn more of the sleazy tactics of this president and his staff. How can we possibly lend credence to anything this team says?

But don't get me wrong. This blame for this latest discovered wrong (yes, I am most definitely "playing the blame game"!) lies squarely with Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. The military must follow orders. The blame must be focused at the top, from whence the slime continues to ooze.

Wal*Mart - just say NO

Some time back Shirley had ordered a DVD of Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price. We watched the movie this evening, and as much as I already hated WalMart and refuse to shop there ...I'm far more disgusted now with this corporation.

OK, the first thing to do is to either buy the DVD or find a local screening and watch the movie.

The next thing to do is to boycott the store. Support the locally-owned businesses where the owners are part of the community. Yes, you will pay a little more, but you will also help keep your community alive ...oh, and you'll probably get better products.

I may watch the film again and take some notes and publish details with references ...but for now, you can easily find more info scattered around on the 'net, and it's real easy to start by following the posts in The WAL-MART Movie Blog.

Sen Harry Reid: A toast to you sir!

"The U.S. Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leaders".

That's how Bill Frist reacted to the democrats FINALLY speaking up and taking a step to getting the Bush administration and the neo-conservative right to own up to the lies and deception that led the United States to invade Iraq. What the heck is Frist so riled about? That someone had the unmitigated audacity to suggest that the investigation into the lead-up to the Iraq War - an investigation that was promised a YEAR ago - that someone might actually want the "moral" right to honor their promise? Oh, the horror! Yes, Mr Frist, this is most certainly an outrage.

Ever since the Supreme Court appointed George W Bush as president after the 2000 election, we as a nation have been subjected to the lies, diversions, and repression of a regime the likes of which we've not seen (at least not in my lifetime in this country). Sure, Roosevelt tried to expand and pad the Supreme Court to further his agenda, Nixon had Watergate, Johnson lied and got us into Vietnam ...these have all gone before and plenty of other dishonorable activities by our leaders.

Clinton's stupid lying about his affair with Lewinsky doesn't belong in this conversation, in case anyone reading this was starting to foam at the mouth. Clinton cheated on his wife. He lied about it. That's wrong. So WHAT? That's got NOTHING to do with Bush ...except that GW Bush has kept trying to make folks think that he's taking the high moral road after the "shame" of the Clinton years. The Republican craziness over Clinton has always struck me as absurd. But that's politics. Heck, they had to focus on SOMETHING when things seemed to be going pretty well with the economy and we weren't in any long-term wars. Of course, we had the likes of DeLay and others at the time talking about how shameful Clinton's use of the military was, and how it was certainly possible to support the troops and not support the president. But that was Republicans talking about a Demo president. Now that it's a Republican in the White House, it's suddenly NOT possible to support the troops if one does NOT support the president. Right.

Johnson's lying about the Gulf of Tonkin is the only thing at all similar to what Dubya has been doing to this country and the world. But at least there were POSITIVE things to come out of the Johnson administration (Johnson had a rather dismal record on civil rights from his Texas days, but as president he did support and see the passage of the Civil Rights Act).

Meanwhile, we have George W Bush and the neo-cons running roughshod over the economy, repeatedly deceiving Americans into thinking there's some kind of connection between Sept 11 2001 and Saddam Hussein (admittedly, Americans should exercise a LOT more skepticism before believing what politicians imply), starting a war we had NO RIGHT to start. Ransacking any semblance of the fiscal responsibility for which Republicans of generations past had been known ...And for what? Record debt,thousands ...THOUSANDS!!! of our men and women dead for a war orchestrated from deception.

Mr Bush is "pro-life", yet has no problem with tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis dying.

Did anyone else notice that about the same time Patrick Fitzgerald was speaking to the press about the Libby indictment, we had Cheney addressing the troops and Bush talking about raising the terror alert ...hmmm. Funny how every time there's bad news around the Bush camp, there's suddenly a new terror alert.

How'd that go, George? Wasn't it something like, "Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again". Well, America has GOT to be getting tired of letting itself be fooled.

The emperor has been naked since before he took the throne, and folks are starting to notice that it's not a pretty sight.

He talked what I needed to hear...

Many sites have already linked to this ...the Speechalist. But this one cannot be linked too often. Take a moment and enjoy a good laugh. OK, it's also sad ...but still funny.

Yup, I'm a Demo

Via Wayne, I'd seen this little quiz a while back and decided to take the test. Given that I think Bush, Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, et al, are driving this country into the ground, given that I believe Dubya to be lacking in any hint of intellectual curiosity or rigor - and even more void of compassion, given that I have come to believe that many in the Republican party who claim to be driven by moral values are, in fact, driven by intense and absolute greed and little else ....it came as no surprise to me that I scored a 10 on this most unscientific quiz. But hey, at least with this Democrat version of loyalty quiz, no one will be denied entrance to a political rally based on their score (well, at least they won't be denied entrance to a Democrat rally).

Note: I do have friends and family who identify themselves as Republicans, and who I love and respect very much. They are among the many "true" Republicans - vastly different than the lying, cheating, deceiving right-wing neo-conservative faction now in control of the party. I may disagree with some of the opinions or reasoned conclusions of these friends and family, but they are honest and trustworthy. Bush is neither.

Electricity on for Bush speech, then cut when he's gone

According to this MSNBC article, the electricity in part of New Orleans was turned ON about 30 minutes before Bush made his speech the other night ....and then turned OFF within 30 minutes of the Bush party leaving. The deception continues.

Bill Maher video clip

I discovered this link on Volker's site. This is a great video of Bill Maher telling it like it is. Maher's full-on skewer