Decision List

RED TAILS

2012-01-19T20:39:00.000-08:00

The new movie, RED TAILS, about the Tuskegee Airmen of World War II, premieres this weekend. Executive Producer, George Lucas, has put his heart, soul and lots of his own money into bringing this important story to the screen. As an independent filmmaker working on the fringes of Hollywood, Lucas has brought us a variety of films. Time and again, he has proven himself as a master craftsmen with a unique artistic voice that is truly American. His characters are distinctly drawn. In the case of RED TAILS, he depicts black men inhabiting a world of pre-Civil Rights victories, distinguishing themselves in the major battle of their time--World War II.

Director Anthony Hemingway brings a cool hand and a brilliant understanding of the dynamics between black men. He portrays black men with a range of emotions. He elicited strong performances from the actors with deft confidence and assurance. His impressive handeling of the of the fight sequences in conjunction with the gnomes at Industrial Light & Magic was outstanding. The realistic battle clips in which the Red Tails showed off their aerial acrobatic skills caused one woman in the audience where we screened the film to say: "I almost tore a hole in my hand during the combat, I was so nervous."

Major General Lucius, Ret

RED TAILS SITE
TUSKEGEE AIRMEN SITE

Chapel at Tuskegee University
Photo ©2012 Frederick Douglass Perry, All Rights Reserved

CONTINUATION OF A POEM TO MYSELF

2012-01-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

Continuation of a Poem to Myself by Frederick Douglass Perry | Make Your Own Book

Olympian Lee Evans Has a Brain Tumor and No Health Insurance | The Nation

2011-12-24T22:18:00.001-08:00

UPDATES (last update 1/5/2012)

POST YOUR COMMENTS BELOW

DONATION PAGE - SCROLL TO BOTTOM LOOK FOR PAY PAL

UPDATES

Lee Evans takes gold in 1968 Olympics.

BACKGROUND

"Black Power Salute" trailer (2 min)

Interview with John Carlos on Democracy Now (15 min)

Interview with Tommie Smith on Democracy Now (5:30)

Lee Evans anchors the 4x400 relay at 1968 Olympic Games

In 1968, Lee Evans wore a black beret when he accepted his gold medal as a sign of pride, dignity and affirmation. Now, Lee Evans faces a brain tumor...without medical insurance. We hope and pray that he will have another miraculous finish like the one etched in history at the 400 meters in Mexico at the 1968 Olympics.

| THE NATION |

Dave Zirin on December 24, 2011 - 7:25am ET

Lee Evans needs our help. The Olympic Gold Medalist and political activist, who exploded all records in the 400 meters at the 1968 Olympics, has been hospitalized with an aggressive brain tumor. The prognosis for the 63-year-old Evans is not good. As his fellow 1968 Olympic activist, John Carlos, said in an email, “All of our teammates want to go out and say some prayers. All there is left to do is pray.”

[An account and donation page are being set up for Lee Evans but until then, checks can be sent to
Lee Evans * 49096 Valeria St; Dos Palos, California 93620]
DONATION PAGE - SCROLL TO BOTTOM LOOK FOR PAY PAL

Links:
Get Vision (This is the sibling of Decision List leaning more toward culture)
NATION ARTICLE that inspired this page (if you read nothing else, READ THIS)
sporting-heroes.net Evans Profile
WIKIPEDIA PROFILE
UPI ARTICLE
PROJECT AVALON BLOG
LEE EVANS TRIES TO SELL GOLD MEDAL

MADE IN A MERICA [-THE 5%-]

2011-12-09T10:37:00.000-08:00

Thanks to our reader Hakim for this video from ABC News which aired this story of how to create nearly 250,000 new American jobs by sourcing building materials from U.S. manufacturers.

video platform video management video solutions video player

ANTI PIRACY VIDEO DEBUTS

2011-12-06T03:13:00.000-08:00

Company Town

Creative America releases new anti-piracy video
Creative America, the group launched this summer to muster support in the creative community for tougher anti-piracy laws, recently debuted a 12-minute video that highlights the impact of content theft on all aspects of the filmmaking chain

Content Theft: The Big Picture from Creative America on Vimeo.

DECLARATION of INTERDEPENDENCE: a crowdsourced short film

2011-12-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

A rewriting of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, A DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE is a global-participatory film from the team behind CONNECTED. With music by Moby and directed by Tiffany Shlain, it is an exhilarating montage of user-generated videos and graphics, a global mash-up demonstrating the vast potential of creative collaboration in the 21st century. A DECLARATION OF INTERDEPENDENCE is the first film of a new short film series called Let it Ripple: Mobile Films for Global Change.

UNDERWATER • MORTGAGE

2011-11-03T23:50:00.000-07:00

1NOV2011

Taleb Jenkins

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope this letter finds you and yours well. As you may or may not know, Taleb and I have joined the rest of America with a house under water in fighting with Bank of America to consider a loan re-modification. We are at a crucial point in our fight with Bank of America and we need your help.

We have been working with NACA a national organization that has been very successful in assisting homeowners in obtaining loan re-modifications. A key component of NACA’s success is putting direct pressure on Bank of America to grant the loan re-modification. NACA also advocates contacting our elected officials to get their assistance in putting pressure on Bank of America as well.

Here are the facts. Our home was worth 300,000.00 when we refinanced in 2006. Our home is worth between 135,000 and 165,000.00 today.

We are asking Bank of America to do the following:

1) Cut our interest in half

2) Rewrite the loan based on the true value of the home

Some Background on our Fight with Bank of America

I was laid off in February 2007, started Cane River Gumbo Company in October of 2007. Came to the realization that Cane River Gumbo Company would not pay the bills near the end of 2009 when I began my job search.

In December of 2009 when I realized we were going to have difficulty paying the house note so I contacted Bank of America and asked how to start working on a home loan re-modification. The bank told me that we would not be eligible until we stopped paying the note. We paid the note until April of 2010. By August of 2010 Bank of America said they would be sending me loan re-modification papers in 30 to 45 business days. I received the loan re-modification papers in February of 2011. That was considerably longer than 35 to 40 business days. During that time frame Bank of America placed our home under foreclosure. We have successfully fought each foreclosure date as we completed the requested paperwork.

In February of 2011 I got an excellent job. In July Bank of America denied our request for a loan re-modification with no explanation except the investor would not approve the re-modification.

We began to work with NACA and a lawyer and the bottom line is the assumption that now I make too much money. No one wants to factor in that Taleb and I are now and have been supporting 4 adults (Renata, Taleb, Keith and Dominique since 2008

We are asking you to do 2 things:

1) Send a letter to our elected officials in support of our loan re-modification with Bank of America and

2) If you have money with Bank of America please divest in our names with our loan number on the National Divestment Day set for November 5^th 2011.

Divesting
"Many people have already acted. Some 650,000 customers have opened credit union accounts and deposited about $4.5 billion since Bank of America announced its now-canceled $5 monthly debit card fee in late September, according to a survey of 5,000 credit unions by the Credit Union National Association released Thursday, 11/1/11. - SFGATE.COM

Attached are two documents that you can use in support of our fight for an affordable mortgage the first is a sample letter to elected officials and the second is a script to use when divesting from Bank of America on November 5^th 2001.

If you have any other questions please let us know.

Thank You,

Renata L. Tervalon and Taleb Jenkins

What is an--UNDERWATER MORTGAGE

What you can do--Watch this video
FROM: ransackedroom's Channel YouTube -- #ocuppywallstreet

Taleb Jenkins

What you can do--Divest From BofA

November 4, 2011

Renata L. Tervalon

Taleb C. Jenkins

2656 67^th Avenue

Oakland, CA 94605

510.635.8129

rtervalon@sbcglobal.net

Loan Number: 872495440

Subject: Divesting from Bank of America

Do this on November 5^th,2011

Contact Bank of America and inform them that you want to divest your funds
Explain that you are divesting because B of A will not grant a fair loan re-modification to Renata Tervalon and Taleb Jenkins with the following loan number: 872495440

What you can do--Sample Letter To Politicians

November 4, 2011

Your Name

Your address

youremailhere

RE: Renata L. Tervalon and Taleb C.Jenkins

Bank of America Home Loan Number: 872495440

Dear _____________________

I am writing to you to ask for your help in putting pressure on Bank of America to assist Renata L. Tervalon and Taleb C. Jenkins in obtaining a decent loan re-modification.

Renata and Taleb have been working with NACA a national organization that has been very successful in assisting homeowners in obtaining loan re-modifications. A key component of NACA’s success is putting direct pressure on Bank of America to grant the loan re-modification. NACA also advocates contacting our elected officials to get their assistance in putting pressure on Bank of America as well that is why I am writing to you now.

Here are the facts. Renata and Taleb’s home was worth 300,000.00 when they refinanced in 2006. Today their home is worth between 135,000 and 165,000.00 today.

We are asking Bank of America to do the following:

Cut our interest in half
Rewrite the loan based on the true value of the home

Some Background on Renata & Taleb’s Fight with Bank of America

Renata was laid off in February 2007, started Cane River Gumbo Company in October of 2007. Came to the realization that Cane River Gumbo Company would not pay the bills near the end of 2009 when she began her job search.

In December of 2009 when Renata and Taleb realized they were going to have difficulty paying the house note they contacted Bank of America and asked how to start working on a home loan re-modification. The bank told them that they would not be eligible until they stopped paying the note. Renata and Taleb paid the note until April of 2010. By August of 2010 Bank of America said they would be sending loan re-modification papers in 30 to 45 business days. Renata and Taleb received the loan re-modification papers in February of 2011. That was considerably longer than 35 to 40 business days. During that time frame Bank of America placed their home under foreclosure. They have successfully fought each foreclosure date as they completed the requested paperwork.

In February of 2011 Renata got an excellent job. In July Bank of America denied Renata and Taleb’s request for a loan re-modification with no explanation except the investor would not approve the re-modification.

Renata and Taleb began to work with NACA and a lawyer and the bottom line is the assumption that now Renata makes too much money. No one wants to factor in that Renata and Taleb have been supporting themselves, their son and his girlfriend since 2008 and in 2010 we lived on $48,000.00.

We are asking you to do the following:

Please use your considerable influence to put pressure on Bank of America to grant us a reasonable loan re-modification
Put pressure on Bank of America to stop the foreclosure the threat of sale every month, and negotiate in good faith toward a reasonable agreement with us

Thank You,

Your Name Here

What you can do--List of our Congress Members:

Name

Phone

/ Fax

E-mail

Address

Congressman - Barbara Lee	(202) 225-2661		http://lee.house.gov/index.cfm? sectionid=128& sectiontree=18128 (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	2444 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Congressman - Barbara Lee	(202) 225-2661	(202) 225-9817	http://lee.house.gov/index.cfm? sectionid=128& sectiontree=18128 (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	2444 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Congressman - Barbara Lee	(510) 763-0370		http://lee.house.gov/index.cfm? sectionid=128& sectiontree=18128 (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	1301 Clay Street, Suite 1000N Oakland, CA 94612
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(202) 224-3553	(415) 956-6701	http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(202) 224-3553		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	112 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(213) 894-5000		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	312 North Spring Street, Suite 1748 Los Angeles, CA 90012
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(415) 403-0100		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 240 San Francisco, CA 94111
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(559) 497-5109		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	2500 Tulare Street, Suite 5290 Fresno, CA 93721
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(619) 239-3884		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	600 B Street, Suite 2240 San Diego, CA 92101
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(909) 888-8525		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	201 North East Street, Ste. 210 San Bernardino, CA 92401
Senator - Barbara Boxer	(916) 448-2787		http://boxer.senate.gov/en/contact/policycomments.cfm (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	501 I Street, Suite 7-600 Sacramento, CA 95814
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(202) 224-3841		http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(202) 224-3841	(202) 228-3954	http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	331 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(310) 914-7300		http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	11111 Santa Monica Boulevard, Suite 915 Los Angeles, CA 90025
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(415) 393-0707		http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	One Post Street, Suite 245 San Francisco, CA 94104
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(559) 485-7430		http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	2500 Tulare Street, Suite 429 Fresno, CA 93721
Senator - Dianne Feinstein	(619) 231-9712		http://feinstein.senate.gov/public/ index.cfm? FuseAction=ContactUs.EmailMe (Will open new window to Congressman's site)	750 B Street, Suite 1030 San Diego, CA 92101

26
Links:
Exit Gracefully http://www.makinghomeaffordable.gov/programs/exit-gracefully/Pages/default.aspx

Exit Gracefully

If homeownership is no longer affordable or the weight of homeownership has become too much to bear, MHA has a program that allows you to exit gracefully from the property with $3,000 in relocation assistance. Through Home Affordable Foreclosure Alternatives SM (HAFA SM), you won’t owe any more for the property after leaving, and you will be free from the threat of foreclosure. Learn more about this MHA program.

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL

2011-04-24T18:00:00.001-07:00

The (The International Longshoremen and Warehouseman's Uniou (ILWU) celebrates the 75th year anniversary of the general strike that brought shipping to a standstill and gained a fairer hiring system and many other concessions from employers. It proved pivotal to labor management relationships in the maritime industry and throughout American industry in general.

Full disclosure when I was a young man I went from working in a couple of non-union warehouses in the Bay Area to working out of Local 6 in Oakland. Suffice it to say the conditions in the union shops were night and day.

"Put your cart up son," an older worker said to me.
"But I'm not through," I said. "I can eat this and put up this stuff man"
"For the next half hour your through" he said "And if anyone says anything tell em to come see Joe, trust me they ain't gonna wanna do that. Now go on sit down in the break room and eat lunch like a gentleman brother."
"Yes sir" I said.
"I ain't no sir man I'm an enlisted man.... and I'm a lifer." I looked at his lapel and saw an enamel pin with ILWU Local 6 and the word Shop Steward.

Never seen the man since but he is a large reason I'm a union man to this day. Remember this - If you don't stand for something you'll fall for anything! Though I haven't seen the inside of a warehouse for years I still believe in the ILWU motto to my heart - "An Injury to One - Is an Injury to All !"

Please see this article.

For Teddy

2009-08-26T04:33:00.001-07:00

Here is a song by the SNCC Freedom Singers - I would like to dedicate it to Senator Edward "Ted" Kennedy. This is a promise from all of us who worked so hard to make this a free and just country. Rest in peace brother Kennedy. We will conti...nue the fight for equal rights and most especially we will continue his fight for health care for all.

ELECTION NIGHT 2008

2008-11-15T08:50:00.000-08:00

By Miriam Ching Yoon Louie
November 12, 2008
First appeared online HERE

Weep history/ honk hallelujah!
Sea swell rapt faces runny mascara joy
Chain breaks ancestor bone sighs
At last! Oprah & Jesse blubber
On shoulders of strangers
Now kin in victory
Sweeter than Raiders
Snagging hundred Super Bowls
Blessed as Martin’s Dream as
General Tubman’s night vision courage
Rippling out from Grant Park
To Everett & Jones BBQ
Oakland Convention Center
And everywhere hunger
Dared vote hope.

Tonight Brother President’s eloquence
Invites redemption after eight
Old Testament l-o-n-g years
We wandered Dubya-ill-derness
Dubya-gonna smoke em out
Dubya-either with us or agin us
Dubya-bunkerman Cheney in charge.

Tonight Brother President challenges us
To serve/ sacrifice/ remake our nation
“Block by block/ brick by brick
Calloused hand by calloused hand”
For if Joe the Plumber is code
For angry white men then b by b
Is mortar/ trowel/ Bronx cheer
To Rudy Red Meat/ Sarah Six Pack’s
“Community organizer? [Snigger] What?!”
Sneer slur on Barak’s past.

Where’s snigger in 700 plus field offices
Stunning ground operation that harvests
Millions of new voters / doors knocked
Leaders electrified/ volunteers parachuted
Pizzas sliced/ cell minutes eaten
Citizenry connected/ country conversating
So all those red states/ counties/ towns
Could try on blue dance shoes
And give ole Virginia seat of Confederacy
Chance to upstage past with surprise future
Naughty Richmond, you racooned my mascara.

Where’s slur in note from Barak?
Tagged Wed 11/5/2008 12:43 AM
Thanking me--& gazillion cohorts
—all power to Internet!—with words like
“We just made history
Every single day you knocked on doors
Made donation/ talked to family/friends/ neighbors
We have a lot of work to do
To get our country back on track
Be in touch soon about what comes next
But I want to be very clear about one thing
All of this happened because of you.”

Brother President
Your late night note is vintage
organizer
Barak
smooth
I raise my styrofoam coffee cup to you
And worker bee millions you inspire
May we keep humming cause
Sí se puede is American is farm is hand
Is mama tongue for yes we can and will.

I know roadside bomb
Crater despair lies up ahead
As campaign season high hits Katrina low of
Digging out from under Dubya-triggered wars
Shock-n-awe economics that burn homes
Jobs/ college/ retirement down to salt ash tears.

But can I just hold on to joy a lil longer
And grin like mutt fool when Sister First Lady
Closes her slender cinnamon fingers
Around White House front door keys?

And let this old girl pray, Dear Lord
Please watch over Secret Service
Make them strong smart see around corners
You know what I’m talking about—Amen.

COPYRIGHT 2008, Miriam Ching Yoon Louie ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HER BIO IS [ HERE ] WITH LINKS TO HER BOOK SWEATSHOP WARRIORS.

THE BROKEN PEACE

2008-11-11T11:57:00.000-08:00

Defeated and defeating
Gone the last hill
Of our final drive
Gone too the patch of green
Clinging to the trampled soil
And we were wasted here contemplating
The blood filling up our boots
And touched with histories
Fading light
As if all civilizations talked
Turn to quiet murmurs from the gallery
Speaking we do not know what
Yet droning like the chorus
Placed desperately on this state
To prove a point
Inspire and inspiring
Placed upon the quilt of squares
Staring unsighted at each others space
Wondering why they wandered here
Defeated and defeating
The echoes thunder in the distance
Measuring their trajectory
Their voice calling out
The final minutes
When hell rains down
And no one speaks
Poem Copyright
©2008, Frederick Douglasss Perry, All Rights Reserved

I WANT YOU TO KNOW

2008-11-06T00:32:00.000-08:00

LET ME SAY THIS ABOUT THAT

2008-11-03T13:36:00.000-08:00

If you have voted continue to call and help get the vote out around the country. I just want to hear... "and polls are confirming that BARACK OBAMA will be the the next president of the United States of America!"

TO KENYA FROM CALIFORNIA

2008-11-03T00:17:00.000-08:00

From my friend djovida over at djovida.com

On video expedition to an Obama phone banking office, Djovida encounters Harun Mito, a Kenyan who knows Barack's grandmother. Mr Mito born in Kenya now a US citizen has already cast his absentee ballot in the 2008 presidential election. He first explains in English and then subsequently in Luo why Obama is important to the world and holds a special place in the hearts of Kenyans in particular. Harun sends word to Africa from America.

DJ has amassed quite a bit of documentary footage on his YouTube Site From a series he calls "Senior Moments" to sound bites, speeches and mementos of the Obama Campaign.

RESPONDELE A OBAMA

2008-10-28T19:03:00.000-07:00

Latin music video to get out the vote for Obama. Music written and performed by Jose Conde. Video by Nicole Betancourt.

THAT'S NOT WHO AMERICA IS, THAT'S NOT WHAT OUR FUTURE IS

2008-10-28T03:49:00.000-07:00

WAKE UP EVERYBODY 2008

2008-10-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

This is the 2008 remake of the 2004 election anthem which was a cover of the Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes 1975 classic
WAKE UP EVERY BODY. Try to say that fast.

FEATURING: Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, Miri Ben-Ari, Eve, Faith Evans, Floetry, Ashanti, Wyclef Jean, Monica, Jadakiss, Musiq, Fabolous, Akon, Jamie Foxx, Babyface, Rev Run, Omarion, Jon B,

As a special treat for my old school partners... Here is the original!

Thanks to DA from the Town for this one!

MC HOWIE & JULIE K ~ ROCK, VOTE BARACK

2008-10-28T02:52:00.000-07:00

This heres a song for Barack Obama
Its mostly comedy, with a little drama
But first, there are some things that we must explain
About the senior senator John McCain
He was John McNasty at the last debate
He was spitting venom, he was full of hate
He didnt seem presidential, he just looked irate
But maybe it was just pain from an enlarged prostate

Contrast that with our man, Obama
Props for takin jabs but staying calmer
Than Mahatma Ghandi or the Dalai Lama
Now here's a question mark and here's a comma
Baracks the man for the highest office
Maybe finally, we can get this country off this
Path, and our potential unlock
So dont just sit there, vote Barack!

Now, lemme talk a little 'bout Joe the Plumber
Tryin to win votes for Dumb and Dumber
Sayin Baracks tax plan is the worst
Well, maybe he should pay his own taxes first
Were on a mission, and we're wishin'
Someone can cure this economic condition
It sure wasnt Bush, it wont be McCain
And it wont be Sarah cause shes got no brain

Now the verdicts in on Troopergate
She abused her power in her very own state
She stings like a bee, she spreads lies like pollen
I dont like her, and neither does Colin
I love trucks from Tonka, I love Willy Wonka,
I love Barack Obama in La Casa Blanca
But don't stay home because you think it's a lock
Now dont just sit there, vote Barack!

One of the few red states left is Oklahoma
I guess theyre not concerned about his melanoma
But you know what they say, were just a heart beat away
From Moose-alini as the Pres, and thats not OK
She likes to fish, and she likes to hunt
But you know what I think? It think shes just a
Kind of politician that John McCain
Chose as his VP for political gain

Yes, its clear that he picked her to get female votes
Shes cute, but shes a wolf in a Dall Sheeps coat
When she doesnt memorize her lines straight by rote
She cant produce a single answer from her neo-con throat
But study Barack, baby, if you can
Hes like Albert Einstein with a health care plan
If you listen you can hear this opportunity knock
So seize it, nation, vote Barack!

Now Baracks number two is our man Joe Biden,
Maybe he is not the most excitin
But great advice to Barak, hell be providin
And over the Senate, hell be presidin
Some of you might not have been alive
When John McCain was in the Keating Five
Senate ethics committee said his judgment was poor
Does that sound familiar? Iraq war.

Now were talking to you, if youre in a swing state
It could be up to you you gotta pull your weight
You gotta take control, get up and take a stroll,
Head over to the polls, man I love Tootsie Rolls
I dont care if youre Red, I dont care if youre Blue,
I dont care if youre Christian, Muslim or Jew
Lets show the world that our democracy is not a crock
So get out and vote, and vote Barack

Credit for this one goes to My Man SR ~ From Silver Spring Baby!

REP. GEORGE MILLER (D-CA) FOR THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

2008-10-28T01:56:00.000-07:00

What is the Employee Free Choice Act(EFCA)

ALICIA WRIGHT, VETERANS RISE UP FOR OBAMA

2008-10-28T01:44:00.000-07:00

WHASSSSSSS UP

2008-10-27T12:21:00.000-07:00

"The "Wasssssup" Budweiser spots were -- for avid television watchers -- one of those memorable ad moments that had pop culture significance. Now, the very same characters are reprising almost identical roles in a short clip on behalf of the Obama campaign."

Sent by my friend HB a veteran who blogging for a change!

THE GREAT UNMASKING

2008-10-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

17 October 2008

by Linda Burnham

Capitalism in crisis is a sight to behold. Most of the time the system seems to hum along quite nicely. Oh, maybe a passel of people loses their jobs when some big-headed suit at the top decides to up and move on to a cheaper labor market. And maybe a city or two, or even a whole region, goes bankrupt and destitute, shops boarded up, ghosts in the street. Maybe a generation of young people ends up poorly educated because nobody could figure out how to turn a decent profit schooling ten-year-olds, so it slid down to the bottom of the priority list. Maybe there’s an aberration here or there, like the positive incentive to filling up prisons. But overall, the thing has the reputation of the proverbial well-oiled machine, humming along and delivering the greatest good to the greatest number. And besides, it’s the only machine in town.

But then it breaks down. Spectacularly.

And it turns out that this highest possible form of human development has more than a few foundational flaws, the relevant one at the moment being that it is subject, inevitably and constitutionally, to periodic, devastating crisis.

At such moments the verities of capital are called into question, and not by the closet Marxists and nostalgic revolutionaries. No, the capitalists themselves, in deed if not in word, are heaving great chunks of their ideology overboard. Invisible hand of the market? Heave ho. Limited government intervention in business? Heave ho. Self-correcting system? Heave ho. Whatever it takes to re-stabilize the system, let’s do it. Principles be damned.

The pragmatic and temporary abandonment of core ideological beliefs is a great unmasking. And behind the mask – fear, befuddlement, bravado.

The lords of finance live in a universe in which they are rewarded for being both insatiable and delusional. With maximizing profits as their single imperative they toil daily at the task of turning every human relationship and every form of matter – animal, vegetable or mineral – into a monetized asset. The only limits on how many ways that monetized asset can be reconfigured and repackaged; the only limits on how many times it can be resold; the only limits on how many ways profit can be wrung out of it are the limits of the imagination. We’re human; our imagination is without limits. We’ve figured out how to buy, sell and lease the air space above buildings and the wind blowing across the plains. And here you thought “inherit the wind” was just a metaphor. But at least the air is a substance you can feel and hear and, on a crisp fall day, smell. Our boys are way beyond that, having long since abandoned the molecular to trade in the entirely immaterial.

So those are the rules they’ve been playing by. Did the current crop of players make up those rules? No, they are the rules of the reproduction of capital and the current players just happen to be in the game at a time when, abetted by the information superhighway and in the context of globalization, they’ve triggered a crisis that may yet turn out to be steeper, wider and deeper than any in recent history. As anybody standing on the corner could tell you, don’t hate the player, hate the game.

And the rest of us? What are we to them? We are the human embodiment of the capacity to carry and pay off debt. That’s it, that’s all. We are our credit scores. We might as well have them flashing on an LED display implanted in our foreheads.

We’ve been suckered, cajoled, manipulated and coerced into joining them in their world of delusion, ensnared as bit players in the grievous overproduction of imaginary wealth. And while the realm of the fictitious expanded infinitely, the realm of our real lives contracted and shrank. Our wages flatlined or fell; we lived in fear of acquiring an uninsured health problem; our mortgages turned into a leaden ball and chain. The loans and debts multiplied and the interest rates kept rising. One administration after the other enabled a regime of trickle up profits and trickle down pain.

So while they’re frantically hustling to salvage the system, let’s stop for a moment to consider where we stand.

We collectively face three major, inter-related crises: the global crisis of capitalism; the crisis of planetary sustainability; and the crisis of war, militarism and empire.

The crisis of capitalism will be temporarily resolved. On our backs, to be sure, and it will undoubtedly take a while, but the markets will stabilize, borrowing and lending will resume, and profit-taking will be back on track. The mask, now in the repair shop for a custom remodel job, will be back in place, firmly affixed to once again show the face of capital triumphant. And capital triumphant will have firmly in hand the one chunk of ideology that was never tossed – there is no alternative, or TINA.

Which brings me to the fourth crisis, hardly acknowledged and barely discussed, at least here in the U.S.: the crisis of the political impotence of the left.

We stand at the brink of multiple disasters in the howling absence of an alternative vision for sustainable, people-centered human development, or an alternative platform for deep reform, or an organized base capable of challenging and shifting power.

And so this moment – the great unmasking – should serve as an urgent reminder that we have a multi-generational project at hand. That is, to construct a viable politic and effective organizational forms capable of acting on the belief that it is possible to build a society that lifts up that which is generous and creative and humane while curbing the greedy, the short-sighted and the predatory. There must be an alternative.

Otherwise we, and generations to come, will remain at the mercy of the players and their game.

Used by permission

100,000 GREET OBAMA IN DENVER 10/26/2008

2008-10-27T02:03:00.000-07:00

We have coverage of the Denver event starting with a video story from from Denver CBS affiliate CBS4Denver.com. We also link back to their web page for a detailed web story Keep scrolling for a Concise one minute video and the entire speech segmented into five parts.

CONCISE VIDEO

FULL SPEECH
PART 1 of 5 (see the others below)

___________________________________________
PART [2] ~ PART [3] ~ PART [4] ~ PART [5]

___________________________________________

UPDATE: Photo Essay from the Washington Post

IN DEFENSE OF ACORN ~ FROM BRAVE NEW FILMS

2008-10-27T01:03:00.000-07:00

John McCain and Sarah Palin have singled out ACORN for special abuse in this election. With all of the heated rhetoric it has been hard to sort out the truth and the fiction. This video points out not only what is not true in the right wing critique, it also tells how that critique is not to subtly feeding into voter suppression.

Thanks to SC. , for sending the link to thought provoking piece on Acorn. A TV producer and a person who has been fighting for the common good for many years.

BLOCK THE VOTE

2008-10-26T18:16:00.000-07:00

BLOCK THE VOTE
Rolling Stone Magazine
ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR. & GREG PALAST

Not feeeling anxious enough about the election?

Try this one on for size.

"These days, the old west rail hub of Las Vegas, New Mexico, is little more than a dusty economic dead zone amid a boneyard of bare mesas. In national elections, the town overwhelmingly votes Democratic: More than 80 percent of all residents are Hispanic, and one in four lives below the poverty line. On February 5th, the day of the Super Tuesday caucus, a school-bus driver named Paul Maez arrived at his local polling station to cast his ballot. To his surprise, Maez found that his name had vanished from the list of registered voters, thanks to a statewide effort to deter fraudulent voting. For Maez, the shock was especially acute: He is the supervisor of elections in Las Vegas.

"Maez was not alone in being denied his right to vote. On Super Tuesday, one in nine Democrats who tried to cast ballots in New Mexico found their names missing from the registration lists. The numbers were even higher in precincts like Las Vegas, where nearly 20 percent of the county's voters were absent from the rolls. With their status in limbo, the voters were forced to cast "provisional" ballots, which can be reviewed and discarded by election officials without explanation. On Super Tuesday, more than half of all provisional ballots cast were thrown out statewide.

"This November, what happened to Maez will happen to hundreds of thousands of voters across the country. In state after state, Republican operatives — the party's elite commandos of bare-knuckle politics — are wielding new federal legislation to systematically disenfranchise Democrats. If this year's race is as close as the past two elections, the GOP's nationwide campaign could be large enough to determine the presidency in November. "I don't think the Democrats get it," says John Boyd, a voting-rights attorney in Albuquerque who has taken on the Republican Party for impeding access to the ballot. "All these new rules and games are turning voting into an obstacle course that could flip the vote to the GOP in half a dozen states."

-- M O R E --

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS ENDORSES SENATOR OBAMA

2008-10-26T13:49:00.000-07:00

Anchorage Daily News
OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT

Palin's rise captivates us but nation needs a steady hand
Published: October 25th, 2008 07:37 PM

ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS, ALASKA'S LARGEST DAILY NEWSPAPER, TODAY ENDORSED SENATOR OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT.

"It is Sen. Obama who truly promises fundamental change in Washington. You need look no further than the guilt-by-association lies and sound-bite distortions of the degenerating McCain campaign to see how readily he embraces the divisive, fear-mongering tactics of Karl Rove."

Alaska enters its 50th-anniversary year in the glow of an improbable and highly memorable event: the nomination of Gov. Sarah Palin as the Republican vice presidential candidate. For the first time ever, an Alaskan is making a serious bid for national office, and in doing so she brings broad attention and recognition not only to herself, but also to the state she leads.

Alaska's founders were optimistic people, but even the most farsighted might have been stretched to imagine this scenario. No matter the outcome in November, this election will mark a signal moment in the history of the 49th state. Many Alaskans are proud to see their governor, and their state, so prominent on the national stage.

Gov. Palin's nomination clearly alters the landscape for Alaskans as we survey this race for the presidency -- but it does not overwhelm all other judgment. The election, after all is said and done, is not about Sarah Palin, and our sober view is that her running mate, Sen. John McCain, is the wrong choice for president at this critical time for our nation.

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee, brings far more promise to the office. In a time of grave economic crisis, he displays thoughtful analysis, enlists wise counsel and operates with a cool, steady hand. The same cannot be said of Sen. McCain.

Since his early acknowledgement that economic policy is not his strong suit, Sen. McCain has stumbled and fumbled badly in dealing with the accelerating crisis as it emerged. He declared that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong" at 9 a.m. one day and by 11 a.m. was describing an economy in crisis. He is both a longtime advocate of less market regulation and a supporter of the huge taxpayer-funded Wall Street bailout. His behavior in this crisis -- erratic is a kind description -- shows him to be ill-equipped to lead the essential effort of reining in a runaway financial system and setting an anxious nation on course to economic recovery.

-- M O R E --

THANKS TO THE INTREPID LV FR THE LINK!

IT COMES DOWN TO THIS ~ GET OUT THE VOTE

2008-10-26T12:36:00.000-07:00

Can't take time out of your busy schedule to make a couple of phone calls?

Here are some things you can do:

RON HOWARD WIGS OUT FOR OBAMA IN LATEST FILM

2008-10-24T23:29:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Director and icon of wholesome television entertainment Ron Howard takes viewers on a journey back through his iconic career—and goes briefly, tastefully topless—in an effort to drum up support for Sen. Barack Obama. Costarring old pals Andy Griffith and Henry Winkler, this film is not yet rated.

THANKS TO PS & RKH FOR THIS MOST EXCELLENT CONTRIBUTION

OBAMA MUSIC VIDEO -- TODAY IS THEIR DAY BUT OUR DAY IS ON THE WAY

2008-10-24T23:00:00.000-07:00

COMPUTER FRAUD IN THIS ELECTION

2008-10-24T22:43:00.000-07:00

Mark Crispin Miller talks with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman. Mr. Crispin is professor of media culture and communication at New York University. He is the author of several books, most recently Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008. His previous book is called Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They’ll Steal the Next One Too.

MARK CRISPIN MILLER: Stephen Spoonamore is a conservative Republican, a former McCain supporter and, most importantly, a renowned and highly successful expert at the detection of computer fraud. That's his profession. He works for major banks. He works for foreign governments. He works for the Secret Service. Those are his clients.
He knows personally the principal players in Bush-Cheney's conspiracy to subvert our elections through electronic means since 2000, and he has named these principal players. Specifically, he has named a man named Mike Connell. Mike Connell, according to Spoonamore, is Karl Rove's computer guru. This is the guy who has helped Bush-Cheney fix election results through computers since Florida 2000, in Ohio in 2004, also in the stolen re-election of Governor Don Siegelman in Alabama in 2002, also in the stolen re-election of Senator Max Cleland in Georgia in 2002.

AMY GOODMAN: How?

MARK CRISPIN MILLER: Well, basically, they use a kind of architecture that's called Man in the Middle, and it involves shunting election returns data through a separate computer somewhere else. This is something that computer criminals do all the time with banks. Spoonamore explains that the Man in the Middle setup is extremely effective and basically undetectable as a way to change election results.
Now, the scariest thing is that Connell told Spoonamore that the reason why he has helped Bush-Cheney steal these elections for the last eight years has been to save the babies. See? We have to understand that there's a very powerful component of religious fanaticism at work in the election fraud conspiracy. We saw a little bit of that in Greenswald's film, where Paul Weyrich was talking about how we don't want people voting.

MORE AT DEMOCRACY NOW In addition to the transcript of the interview there is a video of this interview on the Democracy Now web site

THIS STORY WAS SENT TO US FROM FROM DA A DECISION LIST READER IN OAKLAND CALIFORNIA He is a computer programer who consults businesses in computer networking and security.
______________________________________

RELATED STORIES

RACHEL MADDOW ~ TALK ME DOWN ~ They Will Try To Steal Your Vote!

New article finds "High turnout and new rules could lead to Election Day problems in many states from the Mercury News"
WASHINGTON — What if they gave an election and everybody came? We're about to find out. Election officials around the action predict a huge turnout Nov. 4. Voters galvanized by the presidential campaign should prepare for long waits, disputes over eligibility, new rules and great strains on new voting systems. The 2008 election may not produce a debacle like Florida in 2000, but problems at the polls could lead to delayed vote counts, confusion and litigation.

From the Brennan Center: Possible Election Trouble in Key Swing States
With less than two weeks before Election Day, substantial barriers remain that will continue making it difficult – and occasionally impossible – for some eligible voters to vote, and to be certain that their votes will count. The past year has seen a spike in challenges facing voters – from no match-no vote policies, to partisan challenges to voter eligibility, voter purges, misguided voter matching policies, and voter intimidation. Additionally, other systemic problems, including problems with ballots and voting technology, continue to plague the elections process. In light of this developing story, the Brennan Center has compiled a comprehensive synopsis of current voter suppression incidents around the country. The stories are categorized by theme, and this document will be continually updated in the days prior to the election.

Patterns of Touch Screen Voting Machine Fraud Identified and Documented in Florida, Ohio, New Mexico and Elsewhere in 2004

Activists investigating the 2004 Presidential election have identified hundreds of preceincts in Florida, Ohio and other states where the voting results do not match the exit polls. These inconsistencies occurred primarily in precincts where electronic voting machines with no paper trail were used. In Florida, these discrepancies appear to have amounted to enough to have been responsible for George Bush's statewide "victory" margin. Many of them were in precincts with a strong Democratic majority. Some media commentators have explained the gap between the exit polls and the final vote counts by claiming that the exit polls were flawed. However, in those precincts where there was a machine that produced a "paper trail," the exit polls almost exactly matched the actual vote and there were few discrepancies giving George Bush extra votes. When a voter casts his or her ballot for someone other than the candidate they intended to vote for, this is called a "misvote." Misvotes in Ohio,Florida, and New Mexico appear to have given George Bush his winning percentage. (Misvotes favoring George Bush reached as high as 40% on some vote machines in some Florida, Ohio and New Mexico precincts. There were also high misvote totals in other states.)

BLOCK THE VOTE - NYT OP/ED

Earlier this week former employees of Sproul & Associates (operating under the name Voters Outreach of America), a firm hired by the Republican National Committee to register voters, told a Nevada TV station that their supervisors systematically tore up Democratic registrations.

The accusations are backed by physical evidence and appear credible. Officials have begun a criminal investigation into reports of similar actions by Sproul in Oregon.

-- M O R E --

NEIGHBOR TO NEIGHBOR

2008-10-24T22:00:00.000-07:00

Jill Biden talks about reaching out Neighbor Neighbor.
.

If you would like to call from home you can use this handy internet tool! Don't like calling, you can also have an impact on this election from your own community. Here are some other ways to help. This is a vital election and you can do something to influence it! This isn't an event this is a process!

Personal contact is the glue that binds us together in the pursuit of our political goals. This country has made amazing strides forward because of people like you, your friends and neighbors. There is a sacred tradition in union halls, in living rooms, in barbershops and beauty parlors, and in campaign headquarters -- of individuals reaching out to each other to bring about change. This is done one handshake, one knock on a door and one phone call at a time. Sometimes one act can be the difference between a friend, a relative or a complete stranger going to the polling place and making their vote count. Just a little bit of your time can have a major impact, on the change that you desire.

This week I decided to do something concrete instead of just fretting over the election. I got my cell phone, a charger and headed down to a call center at Obama headquarters. It is an easy process, the volunteers gave me all of the materials I needed a little training, then the rest was up to me. After the first couple of calls I was into the swing of things. My wife and I made over 200 calls and we're not through yet! I had the pleasure of talking to people in New Mexico, one of the key battleground states. There were several swing voters that were perplexed about the issues and the materials I was provided helped me field questions. Two or three times my fellow volunteers hearing that I was in a little trouble, passed me notes. Yes you get some hang ups and one or two of my phone lists were filled with answering machines. But none of that mattered when I actually got people on the phone the feeling was magical, the conversations turning to the decisions that we willl soon make, decisions that turn on real issues. Yes you can get on a bus and go to a neighboring state and knock on doors. Or you can stay close to your home and work and reach out across the country!

OK LIGHTEN UP ~ NEWSFEED Takin' it Back with Barack Jack! (For Swing voters!)

2008-10-22T23:40:00.000-07:00

This just in:

Get YOURS here
______________________________________________

Our readers write, JT sent this in and I can just hear her say lighten up a bit. OK I'll take your suggestion and share it.

Hate to see the nation being run by a hack
Dig the situation that he dug in Iraq
Half the population wants to give him the sack
And now he’s lookin’ round for somebody else to attack
We need somebody great to get us back on the track

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Choo Choo, Change to believe in
Woo woo, we can achieve it
Choo Choo, Change to believe in
Takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Now that global warming is a matter of fact
The only real question is just how to react
The new administration needs the guts to enact
Drastic legislation, leave the planet intact
We can’t be foolin’ round with some Republican Mac

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

Choo Choo….

He only gets his money from your regular macs
Doesn’t take a penny from some whackity PAC’s
For bringin’ folk together he’s the man with the knack
And he’ll supply the hope and inspiration we lack
Cause he’s the best we got and did I ….mention he’s black?

So we’re takin’ it back with Barack, Jack!

STILL WANDERING ~ STILL DREAMING

2008-10-22T02:15:00.000-07:00

WHILE DOING some research for the article below I watched a couple of informative videos and poured over a few interesting articles.

My friend Marty wondered why no one had done a study on what effect the Oakland Raiders had on the Bradley Effect --"No one has ever polled Raider fans in the Bay Area like myself who simply did not mark the spot next to Bradley's name. He shined on Lionel Wilson when Lionel asked him to let Lionel negotiate with Al Davis and of course the Raiders left. Look at the numbers in Alameda county. Bradley was way down from what Democrats would normally get in this area...." mp.

Take a moment please take the survey.

At one point while surfing around, I landed by chance on a couple of very interesting sitea:

Princeton Election Consortium
A first draft of Electoral History
&
And a Newsweek Story
How Your Brain Looks at Race

Here are some others I picked up along the way:

What is the Bradley Effect? -- UCLA

The role of the Bradley Effect on Election Day -- UCLA

Racism in the South? Bradley Effect? Whites won't Vote Black? Part1

Oberman / Lewis
"

Oberman Harris MSNBC Keith Oberman - The Bradley Effect Discussion

Will "the Bradley effect" hurt Obama on election day

Will Racism Have an Impact at the Polls? - John Zogby
>

Congressman says McCain Camp Are Sowing The Seeds Of Hatred

Please take the survey there is a very diverse group of people. On the other hand please invite more folks to this site!

RACE AND THE RACE

2008-10-21T04:31:00.000-07:00

10/9/08 - On The Rachel Maddow Show, Melissa Harris-Lacewell and Rachel discuss the Bradley Effect and how McCain and Republicans are setting the stage for the Bradley Effect. Please take a look at the video above and tell me what you think about the "Bradley Effect" and its impact on the presidential race.

"The conception of people acting against their own best interests should not startle us. We see it occasionally in sleepwalking and in politics, every day."

The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon

Two weeks from today, election 2008 will be over. The common wisdom is that on November 4th, Senator Obama will be giving away 4-5 points just to break even. Knowing this, I think the McCain campaign continues, in its commercials, to portray Obama as an outsider. Coupled with relentless attacks projected to hungry crowds along the campaign trail, they try to open up a wound on Obama like a clever prize fighter. They are trying to head butt, low punch and land kidney blows in the clinches. Then when caught and challenged they jump back and cry foul as if they are the real victim. Through innuendo like “This is not a man (Obama) who sees America like you and I see America,” Governor Palin, at a recent rally, whipped her crowd into a frenzy. Who, may I ask is this US? Is it the diverse crowds at Obama rallies or is it the mostly homogeneous crowds at Palin/McCain meetings?

In the next couple of days, I am going to explore that question and a related one: Are McCain and company trying to manufacture enough Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt in the minds of white Americans to implant the racism that will re-create a Bradley Effect come the 4th of November? The McCainiacs are finding that sometimes when you pour gasoline on a fire, it can find its way right back to the can. As pop icon Mr T used to say:

I am not trying to play the race card here; I am sorry that card has already been dealt. It sits there on the table staring blankly back at us. It is the red queen, the queen of diamonds, and its sharp corners cut like a razor. McCain has stooped to playing with a forced deck.

Check out the New York Times transcript and video of the third debate. Look around 28:34 to 31:24. This is the reference to Rep John Lewis (D) GA.

By the way, Lewis just this past Saturday backed off a little from his original statement that included an allusion to Governor George Wallace. “I think it checked some of the things that had been going on. I don’t think you’re going to see people making reference to a young man who is the nominee of his party as running around with terrorists. I don’t think you’re going to have that anymore,” Lewis said.

According to CNN, Lewis said a comparison that wouldn’t have injected racial images would have been the McCarthy era of the 1950s, and the accusations of “guilt by association” that marked that period.

Finally, here is Obama laying out what is at stake:

If you would like to leave a comment, please click on the link below that says "COMMENTS. I am very interested on how you feel about this or any article in Decision List.

JON FROMER ~ GONNA TAKE US ALL

2008-10-20T12:12:00.000-07:00

Jon Fromer is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music is a special blend of folk, blues and country that has been at the center of movements for peace and social change in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. Jon is known for his rich soulful voice, rhythmic guitar style, and poetic lyrics that capture the human condition.

I have known Jon for years. He is one of those people who is quiet and self deprecating, until he straps on his Martin and starts to sing. We have played together at several union events. He is like a juke box of union songs, civil rights tunes and traditional music. Then he plays his own music--some of it very personal and touching, some of it designed to lift us above our everyday concerns, and some of it meant to cut through a bar crowd and ROCK THE HOUSE. One of his well known hits is WE DO THE WORK! Jon is a life long activist who learned his trade on the march from Selma to Montgomery; on countless picket lines; and in clubs from coast to coast. For me he is a role model-- one who uses his God given gifts in the service of humanity.

On his web site you can sample some of his musical fare: http://www.jonfromer.com/

To get your copy of his new album check him out at CDBABY

POWELL ENDORSES OBAMA ~ THE AUDACITY OF HOPE

2008-10-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

FROM NBC NEWS MEET THE PRESS 10/19/2008

1. INTRO FRAMING COMMENTS

2. THE ENDORSEMENT

3. AP ~ THE PRESS CONFERENCE

"I have come to the conclusion that because of his ability to inspire, because of the inclusive nature of his campaign, because he is reaching out all across America, because of who he is and his rhetorical abilities and you have to take that into account, as well as his substance. He has both style and substance, he has met the standard of being a successful president. Being an exceptional president. I think he is a transformational figure. He is a new generation coming in to the world, on to the world stage, on to the American stage and for that reason I'll be voting for Barack Obama." You can view Transcript of entire interview: HERE

In September Former Bush Secretary of State Gen Colin Powell (Ret.), told CNN, “I have been watching both individuals, I know them both extremely well, and I have not decided who I am going to vote for. And I'm interested to see what the debates are going to be like because we have to get off of this ‘lipstick on a pig’ stuff and get into issues,” he said.

Today citing the negative tone of Senator John McCain's Campaign, Gen Colin Powell said, "This Bill Ayers situation that's been going on for weeks became something of a central point of the campaign. But Mr. McCain says that he's a washed-out terrorist. Well, then, why do we keep talking about him? And why do we have these robocalls going on around the country trying to suggest that, because of this very, very limited relationship that Senator Obama has had with Mr. Ayers, somehow, Mr. Obama is tainted. What they're trying to connect him to is some kind of terrorist feelings. And I think that's inappropriate."

At another point he said "I'm also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, "Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim." Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he's a Christian. He's always been a Christian. But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer's no, that's not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president?

"I feel strongly about this particular point because of a picture I saw in a magazine. It was a photo essay about troops who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. And one picture at the tail end of this photo essay was of a mother in Arlington Cemetery, and she had her head on the headstone of her son's grave. And as the picture focused in, you could see the writing on the headstone. And it gave his awards--Purple Heart, Bronze Star--showed that he died in Iraq, gave his date of birth, date of death. He was 20 years old. And then, at the very top of the headstone, it didn't have a Christian cross, it didn't have the Star of David, it had crescent and a star of the Islamic faith. And his name was Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, and he was an American. He was born in New Jersey. He was 14 years old at the time of 9/11, and he waited until he can go serve his country, and he gave his life. Now, we have got to stop polarizing ourself in this way. And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I'm troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions."

IN August General Powell told CNN that "he likes and admires John McCain, and that would be a factor in anything he does if he decides to get more involved. But on Meet the Press today he went out of his way to answer another more unstated question about Obama

BROOKAW: And you are fully aware that there will be some--how many, no one can say for sure--but there will be some who will say this is an African-American, distinguished American, supporting another African-American because of race.

GEN. POWELL: If I had only had that in mind, I could have done this six, eight, 10 months ago. I really have been going back and forth between somebody I have the highest respect and regard for, John McCain, and somebody I was getting to know, Barack Obama. And it was only in the last couple of months that I settled on this. And I can't deny that it will be a historic event for an African-American to become president. And should that happen, all Americans should be proud-not just African-Americans, but all Americans--that we have reached this point in our national history where such a thing could happen. It will also not only electrify our country, I think it'll electrify the world.

This endorsement may in fact pull undecided voters into the Obama camp because of Powell's involvement in the Iraq war. On the other hand it is sure to alienate some of Obama's more progressive supporters who remember Powell' famous U.N. speech, which ushered in the war. It does illustrate that Obama's theme of uniting this country as he did in his speech to the Democratic Convention in 2004. He has now found common ground with Bush's Former Secratary of State.

It appears that the Obama campaign learned about the endorsement moment before Powell released it on Meet the Press. As Reported in ZeeNews.com: "Obama communications Director Robert Gibbs said the two men spoke for 10 minutes at 10 am, and that the candidate thanked Powell for his endorsement and said, "he looked forward to taking advantage of his advice in the next two weeks and hopefully over the next four years."

Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the campaign had not been told of the endorsement, "We didn’t know until General Powell spoke on 'Meet The Press' ."

As quoted in the New York Times: On “Fox News Sunday,” Mr. McCain shrugged off the endorsement by Mr. Powell.“Well, I’ve always admired and respected General Powell,” he said. “We’re longtime friends. This doesn’t come as a surprise. But I’m also very pleased to have the endorsement of four former secretaries of state” — Henry A. Kissinger, James A. Baker III, Lawrence Eagleburger and Alexander M. Haig — “and I’m proud to have the endorsement of well over 200 retired army generals and admirals. I respect and continue to respect and admire Secretary Powell.”

VOTER SUPPRESSION ~ NOW YOU SEE IT...

2008-10-16T20:02:00.001-07:00

CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT

BY ANY OTHER NAME
Why did John McCain, in the the run up to the final debate, and in the debate itself so ferociously focus on ACORN the community organizing group that has registered more than a million new voters this year? Perhaps his repeated references to ACORN might be a calculated strategy that will dovetail with the Republican plans to suppress voters in the coming election. These plans are already well documented and well underway. It appears that the strategy works like a one two punch. Read John McCain's remarks at the second debate:

McCain: "We need to know the full extent of Sen. Obama's relationship with ACORN, who is now on the verge of maybe perpetrating one of the greatest frauds in voter history in this country, maybe destroying the fabric of democracy."

One, make a "logical connection" Barack Obama was a community organizer. The voter registration workers from ACORN are community organizers. For a second it is like a saxophone riffing through a phrase by the quick punctuation of the notes it as if you hear the tones as a complete chord. You hear your self wondering if Barack was an organizer FOR ACORN (no he wasn't). This is straight out of Karl Rove's playbook, cloud the perception of the listener while attacking your opponents strengths.

Two, by maligning ACORN McCain seems to be beginning the softening up process by using terms like "voter fraud" he creates a terrifying image which eventually can be used by the legion of lawyers to force election officials to disqualify voters. In the 2004 election cycle, the Bush/Rove machine used these tactics successfully to kick thousands of voters off the voting rolls in key Battleground states.

VoterSuppression.net

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW ELECTIONS ARE STOLEN
CHECK OUT THE Voter Suppression Wiki
Thanks to the good people at:
Jack & Jill Politics

Here is what you will find at the Voter Suppression Wiki Site:

1. What Is Voter Suppression. Many people don't know the wide variety of tactics being used to limit people's votes.

2. Incident Tracker. This section is where you can report or view reports of suppression activity. There's a standard template for each report and discussion thread.

3. Action Center. This is where you do more than get angry. Here you'll find groups and specific campaigns that are working to protect voters and their votes.

4. Planning and strategy: pages about us, including Help wanted! for people interested in getting involved, a sketch of our organizational and communications structure, talking points, a list of coverage, Wiki Promotion Tools to help spread the word, and of course a FAQ.

A VIDEO FROM GREG PALAST ON STEALING VOTES - THE ROVE WAY

Greg Palast investigates how they're stealing your vote... And tells you what you can do to steal it back! With Robert F. Kennedy Jr. www.stealbackyourvote.org

___________________________________________

LINKS:
Republican Dirty Tricks, Secret Purges Aimed at Suppressing Votes AFL-CIO NOW BLOG
A new report released by the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law finds that states are secretly purging roles with no supervision or national standards. As a result, the cleaning up of voter rolls is not as precise as it should be and eligible voters are often wrongly removed.

If Joe the Plumber Were a New Voter, Ohio Ruling Could Block Him from Voting ~ Brennan Center for Justice
Politico's Ben Smith makes the connection that if Joe registered this year, he could be purged from the rolls under a 6th Circuit Court ruling on Tuesday.

That's because on Tuesday, following a lawsuit by the Ohio republican party, the court ordered Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner to disclose to local election officials the names of 200,000 new registrants whose names didn't match with state motor vehicle or federal Social Security databases. This list could be used by local election officials and party operatives to prevent these voters from casting ballots that will count. As Secretary Brunner knows and the Brennan Center demonstrated in the brief, almost all mis-matches are the result of typos and administrative errors—like in Joe's case.

Why Media Can't See the Trees for the ACORNs ~ Editor & Publisher
The media attention granted the right-wing attacks on ACORN begs the question: Why does it seem to be a greater sin to be suspected of voter registration mistakes than to publicly engage in voter suppression efforts?

No Voter Meltdown on Election Day ~ Black Voice News Online
We are demanding that all election officials uphold their duties and do what is necessary now and all the way to Election Day to prevent any infringements on voting rights.

We are calling on governors to verify that they have contingency plans for all foreseeable problems associated with the predicted massive turnout. And we are urging the President and both political campaigns to announce a zero-tolerance for voter suppression.

The Truth About Voter Fraud and the U.S. National Debt is now 9.849 trillion. ~ American Chronicle
As the 2008 election process draws near -- and with early voting in many states having already begun -- conservatives are raising a great hue and cry about the threat of voter fraud. Attacks have centered on the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), the "nation's largest grassroots community organization of low- and moderate-income people," whose workers have registered 1.3 million new voters this year. Conservatives like Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell have seized on reports of improperly filled-out forms as evidence of "lawlessness" and "voting fraud," which will lead to "the kind of chaos you expect from a category-five hurricane." But mass voter fraud is just a conservative myth used to justify increasing the difficulty of the voting process.

WHAT'S YOUR TAX CUT?

2008-10-16T19:04:00.000-07:00

YA WANNA KNOW WHAT YOUR TAX CUT WILL BE UNDER OBAMA/BIDEN? GO TO: http://taxcut.barackobama.com/

JOE THE PLUMBER ~ CLEARING THE DRAIN

2008-10-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

I could easily write a couple of paragraphs on this but rather than tell you what you are seeing watch these interviews. I will say that the missed opportunity last night was asking Joe whether we were talking about his gross or his Adjusted Gross Income. $250,000 can buy a great accountant Joe. Check these out:

THE ORIGINAL FOOTAGE

KATIE CORIC INTERVIEW

BIDEN ON JOE

Some Links:

Joe the Plumber' says he has no plumbing license - Yahoo AP
HOLLAND, Ohio - Joe the Plumber said Thursday he doesn't have a license and doesn't need one. Joe Wurzelbacher, better known as Joe the Plumber, the nickname Republican John McCain bestowed on him during Wednesday's presidential debate, said he works for a small plumbing company that does residential work. Because he works for someone else, he doesn't need a license, he said.

Joe The Plumber Admits He Wasn't Undecided After All ~ Daily Kos Article
We don't know much about Joe The Plumber, but we do know this: he made up his mind who he was voting for before last night's debate.

Speaking with Katie Couric, "Joe" said that he "wasn't swayed" by the debate last night, yet pretty much knew who he was going to vote for. So if (a) he wasn't swayed by the debate and (b) knows who he is going to vote for, then (c) he had already made up his mind before the debate.

Off the Bus ~ Huffington Post
Cable news gave the impression that the man is just Samuel "average Joe" Wurzelbacher, from Holland, Ohio, who is looking to expand his business and believes that Barack Obama's proposed tax plan will actually cause him to lose money if he does so.

Texas' Joe the Plumber Gains Reflective Fame ~ FoxNews
DALLAS: An Amarillo, Texas, plumber who happened to have the right Web site address -- Joetheplumber.com -- is seeing interest in his work skyrocket as a result of the presidential debate.

Joe the Plumber: Republican Plant and Relative of Charles Keating? ~ CrooksAndLiars
If you watched the third and final presidential debate last night you know that there were many mentions of "Joe the Plumber." Joe is actually Joe Wurzelbacher, an 'everyman' who appeared out of a crowd at an Obama campaign appearance and asked the senator about his economic plan. Joe says his American Dream is being able to provide for his family and send his son to college. But some are saying that Joe isn't who he appears to be.

UH... MAYBE NOT

2008-10-16T07:08:00.000-07:00

MANIFEST OBAMA

2008-10-15T19:55:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine sent this to me it brightened my day so much I thought why not share it. Please take this idea and run with it. Millions of our fellow citizens here in the U.S. are trying to create a sweeping change. Check out ManifestObama.com for a fuller explanation. You gotta love creative people they can make us see the future with a simple well executed idea. You can help by VOTING EARLY

THANKS LV

From the email....

About two weeks ago, I got an idea for this site --> ManifestObama.com which would help people visualize Obama being president. We felt that people seemed to be focusing on what they DIDN'T want, paying alot of attention to the other side's 'low-road' behavior & especiallyPalin's shortcomings. And their poll numbers were going up, b/c so much (negative) attention was focused on them. We strongly believe that 'what you focus on grows' - we've seen this over & over again in our lives & the world around us - and wanted to help ourselves& our friends change our focus to what we DO want. Which is peace,prosperity, leadership, hope & change - all possible if Obama wins on November 4th.

It seemed very improbable 2 weeks ago that we could find time in our seriously overcommitted schedules to make any kind of viral video or website. Where would we get any compelling footage - wandering around downtown Asheville? Who would make the video - we don't know anything about videography - and make it something worth watching? How would we find the time & resources to get this thing done? But we just hada sense that it was going to happen somehow, and decided not to focus on the questions, but instead to visualize it being complete.

Things started 'magically' falling into place - Jamie's scheduled barbershop chorus competition last weekend got canceled, so I had time to work on it;Patrick Scully - Jamie's dear buddy, boss & graphic design genius - had an unexplainable hole in his production schedule; he had just bought a digital video camera he lent us. Then Obama announced he would be preparing for the second debate IN ASHEVILLE of all places and would be speaking at a rally that weekend. Who were we to question at that point? We packed up the kids and got in line 5 and a half hours before the speech, with video camera in hand.

The energy at the rally was unlike anything I've experienced. People smiling, making friends, comparing stories about why we're so energized, and admitting we've never been so devoted to any political cause in our lives. The emotion was palpable. When Obama finally took the stage, with an estimated 28 thousand supporters packed in &around Asheville High football field, I don't think there was a dry eye in the place. It was a day that all six of us will always remember.

We got just the right footage, and Jamie & I stayed up till 2am onTuesday night editing it down with iMovie. The next day, we got the gracious permission of Billy Jonas to use his recording of 'Sanctuary'as the soundtrack. Patrick created an amazing design. Jamie spent most of yesterday programming the website. Even though it's been a while since he has done it, everything fell into place.

What are we asking from you? Email a link to the site to everyone you know who might be receptive, and ask them to do the same. If you know how,use social bookmarks/media (Digg, StumbleUpon, Facebook...) to promote the site to people we don't know. Blog about it, link to it, tell people about it - spread the word in any way you can. It only takes a minute, and every person who feels it, even a little bit, will have a ripple effect in their thoughts & actions. We've got to use the power of visualization and let it spread. Let the smile on your faceas you say 'President Obama' spread to others as if you were handing them a flower. This really works, and we've got to do it.

Jamie and I strongly believe that this is the most important election in our lifetimes, and that the stakes are extremely high. We believe that Obama is the leader we need right now - he has emerged against the odds for a reason. Please, join with us in holding the image of President Obama in our minds & hearts, until we watch him take the Oath of Office together on January 20th.

ManifestObama.com we can do this.

Much love & many blessings,

Lauren

OBAMA ~ McCAIN ENTIRE 2ND DEBATE

2008-10-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

Here is the FactCheck.org summary of the debate:

For more analysis from factCheck.org on the second debate go to.
FACT CHECKING DEBATE TWO

AN AMERICAN RECLAMATION PROJECT

2008-10-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

October 6th, 2008

Bruce Springsteen speaks to 50,000 people at a Vote for Change rally in Philly, for Barack Obama. Wonderful, powerful, poetic statement and a of course a heartfelt rendition of The Rising. All I can say is BRUCE BRUCE BRUCE!

From backstreets.com

Thanks to our musical correspondent RS for this one... Rock On!

For more video of the event Click Here

I've spent 35 yrs writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence.

These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

I've spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities, the distance between that promise, and that reality, has never been greater or more painful.

I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I think he understands in his heart the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning.

After the disastrous administration of the past eight years, we need somebody to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel around the world, and I occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I've continued to find, whereever I go, that America remains a repository of peoples' hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain for many, many people this house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

They will, however, be leaving office -- that's the good news. The bad news is that they'll be leaving office dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, it's been looted, and it's been left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs a citizenry with strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama's understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again.

But most importantly, it needs you. And me. It needs us, to rebuild our house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. Because that is where our future lies. We will rise or we will fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don't know about you, but I know that I want my house back, I want my America back, and I want my country back.

So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising.

KEATING ECONOMICS

2008-10-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

FROM THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN

As the nation rocks from the 700 Billion plus "bailout" or "recovery" attempts in the past weeks, it may be time to take a quick look back to one of the seminal financial scandals of our times -- the collapse of Lincoln Savings. John McCain then and now an aggressive proponent; and beneficiary of deregulation, played a central role. Recently the McCain campaign has been railing against looking backwards, perhaps this is why.

WATCH THE TRAILER

WATCH THE ENTIRE MOVIE

Once again thanks to our media editor RKH for this.

SEND THIS TO 5 FRIENDS - BUT REALLY DON'T VOTE

2008-10-03T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hey thanks to my media editor RKH go baby we can win this thing. Keep your eyes on the prize ~ hold on!

More at www.declareyourself.com/

THE VERB TO CRATER

2008-09-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

As the economic train veered around a curve Monday the Washington Post and ABC Sampled opinions of US citizens. There are some intriguing data in the poll. According to the poll 90% of Americans now believe that Mondays bailout failure could lead to a more severe problems in the economy. An interesting factoid; the difference in the way that those polled perceived the national economy and their own families financial well being. 60% remain pessimistic about the state of the economy however, 60% are optimistic about their families well being. This in the face of a crumbling housing market and the continued jitters in international financial markets.

As we wait for the next phase in the bailout rescue plans it is important to understand how much polling data like this influences your elected officials. Let them know what YOU THINK

FROM THE WASHINGTON POST
Wall St. Problems Viewed as 'Crisis' in Latest Poll"

By Jon Cohen and Jennifer Agiesta
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, September 30, 2008; 10:10 AM

Most Americans see the current financial situation as a "crisis," and there is overwhelming concern that the failure of the House of Representatives to pass the economic recovery package will deepen the problem, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But the poll also revealed significant public concern with the bill Congress rejected yesterday, as few voters said the package did enough to protect "ordinary Americans," and nearly half said it did not go far enough to shore up the nation's economy.

Nevertheless, nearly nine in 10 expressed concern that the failure of the bill could lead to a more severe economic decline, including a slim majority calling themselves "very worried." High levels of concern cross party lines, but Democrats and Republicans have contrasting views of the urgency of the situation. In the poll, 60 percent of Democrats call the economic woes a crisis, compared with 44 percent of Republicans. - Read The Article -

Washington Post-ABC News Poll (RAW DATA)

This Washington Post-ABC News poll was conducted by telephone September 29, 2008, among a random national sample of 520 adults and 424 registered voters. The results from the sample of registered voters has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus five percentage points. Error margins are higher for subgroups. Sampling, data collection and tabulation by TNS of Horsham, Pa.

*= less than 0.5 percent

1. (ASKED OF REGISTERED VOTERS) Thinking about the next 12 months, would you say you feel (optimistic) or (pessimistic) about (ITEM)?

9/29/08 - Summary Table

Optimistic Pessimistic No opinion
a. the state of the national economy 43 53 4
b. your own family's financial
situation 61 34 5

Trend:

a. the state of the national economy

Optimistic Pessimistic No opinion
9/29/08 RV 43 53 4
4/13/08 RV 40 58 2
2/1/08 45 51 4
12/9/07 45 52 3
12/11/06 64 33 3
5/15/06 52 46 1
12/18/05 55 44 1
12/19/04 58 40 2
6/20/04 64 34 2
1/14/03 63 35 2

b. your own family's financial situation

Optimistic Pessimistic No opinion
9/29/08 RV 61 34 5
4/13/08 RV 66 31 3
2/1/08 67 30 3
12/9/07 72 25 3
12/11/06 82 16 2
5/15/06 79 20 1
12/18/05 73 26 1
12/19/04 75 23 2

2. (ASKED OF REGISTERED VOTERS) In terms of its potential impact on the broader economy, do you think the country's current financial situation is a crisis, a serious problem but not a crisis, a problem but not a serious one, or not much of a problem at all?

------ Problem ------- --------- Not a problem -------
Serious Not serious Not much of No
NET Crisis problem NET problem a problem opin.
9/29/08 RV 94 52 43 5 4 * 1

- M O R E -

KUCINICH STEPS UP

2008-09-30T02:37:00.000-07:00

- FROM COMMON DREAMS -

"An Appropriately Populist Anti-Bailout Rant"

thanks to our roving editor JM

FactCheck.org (First Debate)

2008-09-30T00:46:00.000-07:00

You can get the full debate FactCheck - H E R E -

In Other News

OK OK OK OK OK - Palin

2008-09-29T10:58:00.000-07:00

After trying to forget Palin and move on to loftier topics, several people sent me this, this morning. I must say that it is frightening that someone who gives new meaning to the the phrase asleep at the wheel, might in fact some day be our president. It proves that despite all of the evidence, a stubborn temperament will not allow John McCain to ever ask her to step down, even for the good of the country. She is as they say a couple of intersections from a train wreck, it is painful to watch, but you just can't take your eyes off of it. So rather than take up space with more pressing issues like the bailout, I give you this:

Thanks to RH & JM for this... I think. As the kisds say if you find this interesting "Hollar Back."

An Economy On Thin Ice

2008-09-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

"We are buying a lot of housing at rising prices, but home ownership has become a vehicle for borrowing as much as a source of financial security. As a nation we are consuming and investing about 6 percent more than we are producing."

Another case of deja vu here, Paul Volker in 2005 foreshadowed the housing implosion and consequent Wall Street melt down, by looking at sectors of the economy. Some things you would like to forget, but your friends keep you honest. Thanks to surf master and at large editor DA for sifting through the past for this one.
By Paul A. Volcker
Washington Post
Sunday, April 10, 2005;

The U.S. expansion appears on track. Europe and Japan may lack exuberance, but their economies are at least on the plus side. China and India -- with close to 40 percent of the world's population -- have sustained growth at rates that not so long ago would have seemed, if not impossible, highly improbable.

Yet, under the placid surface, there are disturbing trends: huge imbalances, disequilibria, risks -- call them what you will. Altogether the circumstances seem to me as dangerous and intractable as any I can remember, and I can remember quite a lot. What really concerns me is that there seems to be so little willingness or capacity to do much about it.

We sit here absorbed in a debate about how to maintain Social Security -- and, more important, Medicare -- when the baby boomers retire. But right now, those same boomers are spending like there's no tomorrow. If we can believe the numbers, personal savings in the United States have practically disappeared.

To be sure, businesses have begun to rebuild their financial reserves. But in the space of a few years, the federal deficit has come to offset that source of national savings.

We are buying a lot of housing at rising prices, but home ownership has become a vehicle for borrowing as much as a source of financial security. As a nation we are consuming and investing about 6 percent more than we are producing.

What holds it all together is a massive and growing flow of capital from abroad, running to more than $2 billion every working day, and growing. There is no sense of strain. As a nation we don't consciously borrow or beg. We aren't even offering attractive interest rates, nor do we have to offer our creditors protection against the risk of a declining dollar.

Most of the time, it has been private capital that has freely flowed into our markets from abroad -- where better to invest in an uncertain world, the refrain has gone, than the United States?

More recently, we've become more dependent on foreign central banks, particularly in China and Japan and elsewhere in East Asia.
- M O R E -

Thanks to DA for this post.

The Art of Apology Two $700 Billion Words—I’m Sorry

2008-09-25T17:31:00.000-07:00

GUEST EDITORIAL

by Valerie Haynes Perry

Seems like everywhere you go, there is misery. In this country, for many of us (but not all), that misery is relative. The film, Trouble the Water, about the Hurricane Katrina disaster offers those of us who were not there a powerful visual of what it was, is, and will be like in one of many severely and shamelessly neglected areas of this great country.

A troubling force threatens this greatness. Anyone with feelings, conscience, and a heart is finding difficulty escaping the growing reach of this troubling force. Common sense is no longer common. Conscience no longer appears to be a given, making the likelihood of reconciliation and healing dimmer as panaceas for nudging life toward healthy balance.

In the midst of all this turmoil, could there be the beginnings of a simple remedy? Some of us believe that nature provides all cures for all maladies. Could two words, were they to dare their own expression by the powerful, be worth $700 billion? Could those simple words, a total of three modest syllables be—I’m sorry? Clearly, they would have to be uttered with unparalleled sincerity.

Imagine all of the possibilities that could unfold from there. Here are two potential groups of people who could change the world if something in them was stirred to make them give this fresh approach a try:

World leaders who know the errors of their ways.
CEOs and managers who need to see employees as people rather than means to hold on to power at all costs, adding to it, and ruining everyone.

To say the obvious, any world leaders or CEOs who are benevolent should not take offense because in their heart of hearts, they know they have a heart. They have a conscience. It is only the guilty who should feel defensive. Then, if they will bring themselves to apologize, there will be opportunities to enact positive change.

It seems that this notion of apology is an entirely foreign concept to many among us. Perhaps its power can be communicated best by recalling what it means, according to the tenth edition of Webster’s dictionary.

Wait a minute. You know how you’re looking up one word and another grabs your attention? That just happened, so let’s begin with the following word:

Apodictic: expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty.

Now for apology:

A formal justification: defense (apologia).
An admission of error or discourtesy accompanied by an expression of regret.
A poor substitute.

So it seems that many of those yielding the most power over others confuse apologia (defense) with apology (remorse). What can be done about this mess?

I’m sorry. I just don’t know.

By the way, apology also works well on the individual level—one on one.

PUT THE ELECTION ON HOLD McCain HAS TO THINK!

2008-09-24T22:32:00.000-07:00

What follows is Senator Barack Obama's response to Senator McCain's request to suspend the debate this Friday, September 26, 2008. Partisanship aside this video draws a sharp contrast in the two men's styles. It also gives some insight into Senator Obama's view of the economic crisis and his solutions to fixing it.

See the FactCheck.Org article KEEPING QUIET refuting the claims that Obama had been silent on the economic crisis to this point. It puts the events of this week in bold relief.

SOME THOUGHTS ON STYLE AND SUBSTANCE
Back in the day, before the mega mergers, before computers spilled OED size dumps onto our desks everyday -- there was not as much need for multitasking. Most of us have had to learn how to do it, because the pace of modern society requires it. It takes study and practice to learn how to prioritize and attack several problems at the same time. Unfortunately, John McCain skipped that class and majored instead in delegation surrounding himself with experts (read that lobbyists).

Faced with a tight presidential race, two parallel wars, lagging campaign numbers and an economic crisis that is just chewing up the economy.... John McCain in an attempt to appear presidential decided to suspend his campaign and skip Friday's debate so he could focus on the economy. Which proves once again that what you can't do says as much about you as what you can. It is like McCain has to get back on track and now focus on the economy and his main job his senate career . But dig this according to the Huffington Post, "John McCain has skipped more votes during this session than any member of the Senate except for Tim Johnson, who had major brain surgery. He hasn't cast a single vote in five months, since April 9. All of a sudden, McCain is demanding that the presidential race shut down so he can return to Washington?"

From all of those people who go to work everyday who are immediately greeted with a changing menu of tasks: Get a grip John this is the information age multitasking is required, we do it and we expect noting less from our president.

Thanks to dj for the video link

THE SANDERS SOLUTION

2008-09-24T22:30:00.000-07:00

Burried in the bailout bill are these 32 little words: "Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency." A veritable impregnable kingdom for Secretary Paulson. See: Dirty Secret Of The Bailout: Thirty-Two Words That None Dare Utter
Get outa here please... No really!

Join the thousands who have already signed Senator Bernie Sanders' petition. You can find the petition -HERE-

More Say No to Wall Street Bailout by Middle Class -- 09/24/2008

Senator Bernie Sanders IND/VERMONT has been joined by more than 23,000 citizens in a letter to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson calling for a surtax on the very wealthy to bankroll any bailout of Wall Street. “Any plan to clean up the mess on Wall Street must ensure that middle income and working families are not the ones who are paying for this bailout,” the letter says. The phenomenal outpouring of support came in the two days since the letter was posted on Sanders’ Senate Web page.

Meanwhile, House Banking Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) reiterated his support for Sanders’ proposal for a five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers.

Frank and Sanders were interviewed today on the National Public Radio program “On Point.” The banking committee chairman said he first voiced support for Sanders on Sunday on the CBS News program “Face the Nation.”

“I think this strengthens the argument for a surtax on the wealthiest people in this country who are among those who made these mistakes. We are unfortunately in a situation -- it’s almost as if we let them take the economy hostage but not having appropriate financial regulation,” Frank said. “I do think at this point the people who make over $1 million a year, a surtax on their incomes, that’s one way to get the people who made these mistakes to contribute to the cost of undoing it.”

Sanders proposal is for a five-year, 10 percent surtax on income over $1 million a year for couples and over $500,000 for single taxpayers. That would yield more than $300 billion in revenue to cover losses the government will incur when it resells troubled mortgages it acquires from banks.

He also called for a major economic recovery package to put Americans to work at decent wages, a return to stronger regulation of businesses, and the breakup of giant corporations like those that got the country and Wall Street into the crisis. “If a company is too big to fail, it is too big to exist,” Sanders said.

THANKS TO VC for this petition post & DV for making me research the 23 words.

LEAVE IT TO CHRIS ROCK

2008-09-24T22:15:00.000-07:00

On September 23, 2008, Chris Rock followed President Bill Clinton on the David Letterman show. As usual he cut right to the heart of the matter at hand.

THIS IS YOUR NATION ON WHITE PRIVIELEGE

2008-09-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

This is one of those emails that seem to swirl like papers in an up draft. I have gotten it from more people than any other email this year. At first I didn't want to publish it because this has been a Palin free zone for the last week or so but is not working. As a thought piece this brings the polarities of race relations front and center. My hope is that by raising these issues and bringing them to the surface in our hearts and minds we just might open up a an honest national dialog. This is one piece I would love to hear your comments.

Parental advisory there is some strong language here.

This is Your Nation on White Privilege (Updated)
September 13, 2008, 2:01 pm
By Tim Wise

"For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.

"White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.

"White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.

"White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action. - M O R E -

For those realy interested in the substance of this piece you may also want to view these VIDEOS

Thanks to DJ and AS who sent me my orgianl copies of the email. To all of the others who continue to send it and to my friends at World Trust who are working on solutions.

FACT CHECK.org

2008-09-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

I have found FACTCHECK.ORG" Invaluable as I try to navigate through the stormy waters of this political contest. When you hear a claim that seems to good too be true Check your Facts!

AS HOMES ARE LOST, FEARS THAT VOTES WILL BE, TOO

2008-09-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

This article comes from the New York Times and points out a nasty Catch 22. Imagine if you will that you lost your home to foreclosure and you wanted to vote, but you never received your voter pamphlet in the mail, because, well your mailbox and your house has been taken over by the bank. You have no address you evaporate into the land of the disappeared, the missing, the disenfranchised who have no say... I'll let them tell it:

"More than a million people have lost their homes through foreclosure in the last two years, and many of them are still registered to vote at the address of the home they lost. Now election officials and voting rights groups are struggling to prevent thousands of them from losing their vote when they go to the polls in November.

"Many of these voters will be disqualified at the polls because, in the tumult of their foreclosure, they neglected to tell their election board of their new address. Some could be forced to vote with a provisional ballot or challenged by partisan poll watchers, a particular concern among Democrats who fear that poor voters will be singled out. That could add confusion and stretch out lines that are already expected to be long because of unprecedented turnout.

"Federal election officials say they are concerned that voters are not being properly informed of how to update their addresses.

“Our biggest concern is that many of these voters will stay home or that poll workers will give misinformation,” said Rosemary E. Rodriguez, the chairwoman of the federal Election Assistance Commission, which oversees voting."

- M O R E -

The link to this story was contributed by DA

OBAMA ~ THE OLD BOYS NETWORK

2008-09-24T02:02:00.000-07:00

TURN AROUND AMERICA

2008-09-24T02:01:00.000-07:00

I discovered this video on Joe's Union Review

OBAMA ~ ON THE BAILOUT

2008-09-24T02:00:00.001-07:00

BAIL OUT ON DEMOCRACY NOW

2008-09-24T01:44:00.000-07:00

THE HOT FILE

2008-09-24T01:26:00.001-07:00

EXCUSE ME

2008-09-23T12:23:00.000-07:00

EDITORIAL

700 billion dollars is a lot of money! Last night on the Newshour one of the talking heads was quoted as saying that is more than we have put into the Iraq war. It is tragic that a policy developed in the Regan administration that nearly bankrupted the country in the 1990's and in large part sent the first Bush packing has been allowed to drip like acid and dismantle our economy. Deregulation sounded so good to this country the constant resonant mantra of get the government off our back. Where were the voices begging caution to the the wrecking ball on our national infrastructure. Where were the voices screaming that regulations were put in place because of the Great Depression. Where were the people in the darkened theater whispering don't go into THAT door.

Working Americans who should have known better voted in droves for candidates and policies that gutted any protections we had and left the fox guarding the hen house. The overall effect has been the collapse of the markets, falling housing prices, the creation of debt on a heretofore unheard of scale. In addition to this the relative value of working folks retirement accounts have plummeted to pre 2007 levels. Ironically it is these same robber barons who moved many of us from pension accounts to 401K/403B and wanted to privatize Social Security.

How much longer wil we have to listen to the finacial sector tell us that the probem is that we can't balance our budgets? Cut to shots of them them walking around like pan hadndlers at a subway station? Blame? How about watching them with no cumpucntion stand like pushers in front of a school yard addicting our children, grandchildren and unborn generations to years crushing years of debt. Wrapping themselves in the flag and declaring that it was only the meritocracy that would save us -- it is a travesty a squandering of intellectual ability. Now they come to us wanting OK a no cut contract numbers spewing out of their mouth -- scary horrifying numbers if there are not laws against this there are laws against blackmail. Oh we are just going to liquidate bad debt they say, but there is no releif for people ensnared by their "finacial products" dishonest morgatge schemes, and strong armed foreclosure schemes. The result of these practices have not only hurt individuals but savaaged many municipal tax bases.

Though we now know that this has been a bipartisan problem, I must again point out that the Clinton administration left a surplus. Did I say 700 million dollars? Must I remind you that Paulson is the former head of Goldman Sachs? EXCUSE ME! I wish I could help out all of my friends who are in hard financial times.

Here are some interesting articles to look at:

From the Febuary 20th additiion of NAKED CAPITALISM
"We are so bold as to predict that another quote will come back to haunt its source. From the Wall Street Journal's Economics Blog:
Following the U.K.’s surprise move to nationalize mortgage lender Northern Rock, will the U.S. need to make similar moves?

“Absolutely not,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told CNBC, dismissing talk that the Bush administration needs to initiate a widespread bailout program to assist the financial industry and restore investor confidence."

* Paulson Bailout Plan a Historic Swindle by: William Greider, The Nation

* What is the biggest flaw in the administration's bailout package? What's the remedy? by Robert Reich Politico

* The Middle Class Must Not Be Forced to Bail Out Wall Street Greed by Senator Bernie Sanders IND-VT, Huffington Post

A NATION OF VILLAGE IDIOTS

2008-09-19T12:48:00.000-07:00

BY JAMES MOORE
From The Huffington Post

Don't let them tell you this economic meltdown is a complicated mess. It's not. Our national financial crisis is readily understood by anyone who has seen greed and hypocrisy. But we are now witnessing them on a profound, monumental scale.

Conservative Republicans always want the government to stay out of business and avoid regulation as long as they are making lots of money. When their greed, however, gets them into a fix, they are the first to cry out for rules and laws and taxpayer money to bail out their businesses. Obviously, Republicans are socialists. The Bush administration has decided to socialize the debt of the big Wall Street Firms. Taxpayers didn't get to enjoy any of the big money profits on the phony financial instruments like derivatives or bundled sub-prime paper, but we get the privilege of paying for their debt and failures.

Let's just consider the money. The public bailout of insurance giant (becoming a dwarf) AIG is estimated at $85 billion. According to one report, that's more than the Bush administration spent on Aid to Families with Dependent Children during his entire time in office. That amount of money would also pay for health care for every man, woman, and child in America for at least six months.

-M O R E -

FROM CONTRIBUTING EDITOR JM

TROUBLE THE WATER

2008-09-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

Trouble the Water

I’m a writer, so I can’t help analyzing and sometimes over-analyzing films and books. Because of this built-in tendency toward critiquing, I often come away from stories feeling empty handed. So, when this is not the case, I’m energized and somehow renewed, which is how I feel after seeing Trouble the Water. This film was educational on so many levels. First, I have tremendous respect for musicians who communicate effectively through their art. Black Kold Modina’s “Amazing” decoded the core power of rap for me. I now perceive rap music, at its best, as the modern blues. Blues singers are storytellers. Rappers are storytellers as long as their content stands on substance. Something about the name, Black Kold Modina, makes me think of the name, Son House. Black Kold Modina—that sister’s story comes from her soul.

Trouble the Water is a hero’s journey in the Joseph Campbell sense of the term. Not only did Kim and Scott, the protagonists, weather the storm, they filmed it from its middle. They showed respect to those who disrespected them by “following orders” that would have broken lesser human beings. Their relationship with each other, and the ones they formed with others are nothing less then exemplary.

One must ask how many others in their shoes—their bare feet robbed of leather by nature’s wrath at the folly of the greedy and those who have trespassed on the crossroads, never looking back over their shoulders to ‘fess up to the wrong turn that makes anything go—could walk through that life “with ease and grace,” as I heard a reverend say.

Amazing.

VHP

http://www.troublethewaterfilm.com/
September 2005, New Orleans Louisiana, a massive hurricane lashes ashore. The name Katrina becomes synonymous with a lethal form of benign neglect, leaving the poorest of the poor victim to the rising waters and plummeting hope. All of the wheels of the federal government grind to a halt leaving people stranded and alone. Bodies float in the fetid water, shelter is no where to be found, and promised services evaporate into the swollen rain clouds. The Bush administration waits in the wings,FEMA is immobilized by the volume of suffering. Slowly unlikely heroes emerge. In the 9th ward a group of survivors were determined they were not going to go out like that. On the scene footage draws us into their lives -- and it won't let go!

Go see this beautifully layered, brooding, thought provoking film, this is some of the best film making I have seen in years! Well rounded compelling characters wound in a tight gripping story.
FDP

Thanks to RR for this link.

HARRY REID ~ CALL THE QUESTION

2008-09-17T01:46:00.000-07:00

Our retirement is at stake -- if we don't pay attention our jobs and our economy will lay prostrate on the alter of greed. The names of Lehman Brothers & AIG once proud bastions of Wall Street have followed Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac Mae into the abyss of financial under regulation. When the smoke clears everything we have worked so hard for may lay in the dust of the marble hallways. We are so attracted to reality TV and the clash of padded jerseys we are letting our life's work be ripped from our fingers. Put down the remote and repeat after me this is not just a movie... it is our life!

Harry Reid picks up the gauntlet and holds a bright light to Senator McCain lack of economic acumen. "For whom are the fundamentals of our economy strong? Not for the 606,000 Americans who have lost their jobs this year alone. Not for the commuters and truckers who are sending more and more of their hard-earned dollars to pay for fuel. Not for all those struggling to make one pay check last until the next, with record hme heating prices looming in the coming winter months. Not for cities and towns that have been forced to cut back on police, schools and firefighters because their tax base is shrinking. And certainly not for the millions of families who have or may soon lose their homes, or for the tens of millions who are seeing their home equity plummet."

Listening to this may enlighten or enliven you -- the smoke screen is lifting and the central theme of this contest is emerging.

THE DEBATES ARE ON ~ THE ELECTORATE SPEAKS

2008-09-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

From PBS VOTE 2008 this is an interactive tool that samples opinions of average Americans about the upcoming elections. Click on the MENU icon below the main window, this will reveal small images, click on them to sample more opinions.

The opinions expressed are those of the speaker and not necessarily those of "Decision List." We welcome your ideas here at Decision List please send us your thoughts.

If you like what you see please consider supporting PBS and your local PBS station.

Full disclosure I work for a PBS station and I think PBS is a national treasure always educating, always digging into the issues.

WE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR

2008-09-13T12:00:00.001-07:00

The Video above is the work of the fine people at DipDive.com.

We will not be bullied and brow beat into submission, we are building a movement that will enable us to take this country back. We are building a movement that will remember our victories and our temporary defeat. We have stood together and we will continue to stand together against the lies and and intimidation. We will not allow the swifter boaters, grifters and quick change artists to work their magic this time.

We must turn on the forces of reaction that have descended on this country for the last eight years, who now claim to be the agents of change and tell them that there is not a dimes worth of difference in what they are proposing from the last failed administration. We will never turn back, we will not turnaround, we know what it takes to win

Like the masthead says, you must always ask your self.... Which side are you on? HOPE or FEAR, INCLUSION or EXCLUSION, PROSPERITY or ECONOMIC CHAOS, WAR or PEACE? No one else will do your part! Got hope? - Get involved. Please take a moment and watch this video.

In the words of the 19th century abolitionist Frederick Douglass:

"At a time like this, scorching irony, not convincing argument, is needed. O! had I the ability, and could reach the nation's ear, I would, to-day, pour out a fiery stream of biting ridicule, blasting reproach, withering sarcasm, and stern rebuke. For it is not light that is needed, but fire; it is not the gentle shower, but thunder. We need the storm, the whirlwind, and the earthquake. The feeling of the nation must be quickened; the conscience of the nation must be roused; the propriety of the nation must be startled; the hypocrisy of the nation must be exposed; and its crimes against God and man must be proclaimed and denounced."

Frederick Douglass
"The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro" July Fourth 1852

If not now when?

Quick Takes

2008-09-13T04:26:00.000-07:00

IF I DON"T HAVE A VOTE I DON"T HAVE A VOICE

2008-09-13T02:00:00.000-07:00

Please take a couple of minutes and watch this video from McComb Mississippi where they have a direct connection to the past that runs pure and deep. The next time you talk to your friends and coworkers tell them that this is what it is all about the struggle to vote and the precious blood that has been shed for it. In this election year where the clouds of deception, miss direction and illusion have taken center stage one thing must be clear.

This is an election about change real change and it is linked through the years to all those who have sacrificed and never seen their dreams unfold. But like a flower pollinated on the wind, their dreams live on. Like Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner plucked in their tender years and left to rot in and earthen damn. Like Medgar Evers felled by an assassins bullet as he walked up his driveway. Like Dr. King turning back to tell us of the glorious view from the mountain top. Like Susan B. Anthony passing from this life into the next never having seen the fruits of her struggle but knowing that her righteous work would unleash the power of women in this country, her final public statement "Failure is impossible."

We will not be deterred this year, because we know what it has taken to achieve the many victories We know that the right wing would do away with with what we have fought so hard to get with a wrinkle of their noses like the character Samantha in "Bewitched" if they could. We know that we have shaped this world inch by inch against impossible odds. We are the ones who have brought the benefits of Civil Rights, Voting Rights, the eight hour day, the weekend and social security. We are the ones who have made it possible to send our kids to schools, so that they could go on and create the space program and computer technology. We have sacrificed our children on the alter of this country, both on the battlefields of foriegn lands and here at home in the ghettos, in the barrios and in the hills of Appalachia. Many have passed before us famous and nameless in the struggles for human rights. We are the direct link - to those who created and expanded the American middle class. We will protect our gains and yes we will expand them. We represent inclusion we are the note and the harmonic.

We must raise up the heroic people who have been relegated to the mist of the past and present them to our young people tell them what the price of their freedom costs. What they are telling us in McComb is that voter suppression wears a new face, but that they have been building a movement that can defy the odds, bring hope to our country, and heal the divisions.

Like the masthead says, you must always ask your self.... Which side are you on? HOPE or FEAR, INCLUSION or EXCLUSION, PROSPERITY or ECONOMIC CHAOS, WAR or PEACE? Please take a moment and watch this video.

WOMEN AGAINST SARAH PALIN ~ THE WEB SITE

2008-09-12T14:59:00.000-07:00

WOMEN AGAINST SARAH PALIN

From the website:
"It's been one week since we sent out a letter to a few friends and family members asking them to respond to Sarah Palin's candidacy for Vice President. We had never done anything like this before. What motivated us? It's pretty simple: we were tired of feeling angry and helpless. We were thrilled to receive the first 100 letters in reply. Their eloquence and passion were inspiring, their rage and frustration palpable. Our disbelief began to mount as those 100 letters turned into 1,000 letters, which then turned into 10,000 letters. And as we sit here writing you now, we have reached nearly 100,000 letters."

I think this is a pretty amazing story, thousands of new voices speaking with one voice. Among the hundreds of stories that made this web site: For some reason I landed on this one:

I'm a proud member of SEIU 668, a civil servant prevented by law from taking a position on candidates. However, we are able to express our position on issues and talk about how people stand on those issues. I previously spent 15 years from 1976 to 1991 working as a community organizer, all of those years for minimal wages, all but one of them with no pension plan. Those years were spent fighting for the rights of women, lesbians and gay men, racial and ethnic minorities, persons with AIDS, senior citizens, union members, children, families living in poverty... on issues like utility rates, toxic waste dumps, workplace hazards, health care costs, fair wages and housing, Social security and Medicare and medicaid, funding for AIDS research, addiction, the list goes on.

"I can hardly begin to express the depth of my anger at hearing Ms. Palin denigrate the many community organizers I worked with and proudly call my friends. Community Organizers make the world a better place, doing God's work day in and day out, night after night. To hear that convention audience laugh in response to her snide remarks really pissed me off. I didn't realize just how steamed I was until a dear friend (another longtime community activist) sent me an e-mail with this message: Jesus was a Community Organizer. Pontius Pilate was a Governor.
–Dixie W., Bethlehem, PA"

Thanks to HB for the link

MATT DAMON ON SARAH PALIN

2008-09-11T16:10:00.000-07:00

From the Huffington Post:
09/11/2008
Mr. Damon cuts straight to the point. His perspective is as refreshing as it is straightforward. Please listen to this and then read the response of the McCain camp. It is time that someone, starting with Mr. Obama, address these questions in a plain, straightforward manner.

E D I T O R I A L
On the day before we commemorate the thousands of Americans who lost their life in a cowardly act September 11, 2001n we find the Republicans think it appropriate to pull out a quote from the Democratic candidate about lipstick on a pig. It is something that should never have been dignified with a response. Obama has always been careful to try to elevate rather that diminish the dialog. It is becoming clear that even on a day that should have been about national security and national unity the McCain/Rove thought that it was OK to trivialize all of the lost lives both on our soil and in far flung regions of the world. This is absurd, I think we have had enough our national pain is being swept aside by the spin doctors. Now they are playing to fears that we didn't know we had -- like can Sarah Palin defend her personal honor. this is disgusting, and it is time we stop it. I am not Matt Damon and therefore do not have his blessing or curse of celebrity. I'm just a guy trying to make my way in the world and pay my mortgage and plan for retirement. I am trying to understand the issues and I have had enough!

If we don't act and begin to point out the absurdity of Palin's potential "leadership" we will have a horned rimmed wearing Rove sock puppet running this country. I would say this if she were a man with equal experience, this has nothing to do with gender this is about experience. It is the cynical McCain folks who continue to shift this back to the gender issue. We out here in the working world have had many opportunities to work with and yes for capable smart women who have built their careers one challenge at a time.

Working folks can't take much more of this economy not to speak of the war, which is being pushed slowly from the main stage. Mortgage companies are folding on what seems like a daily basis, and new military crises are breaking out all over the world. The country is being littered with mortgages that is are no longer worth the paper they were written on while the CEO's fly by with platinum parachutes. Sarah touts her administrative experience, yet she is plagued by lapses in judgment (the bridge to nowhere) and a vindictive streak (state trooper gate), that spell a disaster in the making equal to or worse than the last four years This is no time to have on-the-job training for arguably the most important job in the world. It is no time to get mean--it is time to get honest. Start here:

Ask yourself while you still have time to push back from the brink, is this woman ready to govern? Is native intelligence enough to make decisions where a thorough knowledge of the geo-political, economic and enviornmental consequences of her actions could tie us down in endless war? Her world view is very important, especially when she challenges the fundamental underpinnings of modern science. I am not saying that this has to be a divisive or mean debate, but vetting a potential leader of the free world is important business - and no amount of clever deflection can change that.

MORE~HERE

Then it hit me watching the underhanded tricks played in the last election. I was reminded of the
Dixie Chicks' "Not Ready to Make Nice:"

Forgive, sounds good
Forget, I’m not sure I could
They say time heals everything
But I’m still waiting

I’m through with doubt
There’s nothing left for me to figure out
I’ve paid a price
And I’ll keep paying

I’m not ready to make nice
I’m not ready to back down
I’m still mad as hell and
I don’t have time to go round and round and round
It’s too late to make it right
I probably wouldn’t if I could
‘Cause I’m mad as hell
Can’t bring myself to do what it is you think I should

Hope they don't think it is going to be that easy this time.

BLUE - COLLAR AMERICA IS SMARTER THAN YOU MAY THINK

2008-09-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

By Mike Rose
9/1/2008
Christian Science Monitor

"Los Angeles - 'They treat us like mules,' the guy installing my washer tells me, his eyes narrowing as he wipes his hands. I had just complimented him and his partner on the speed and assurance of their work. He explains that it's rare that customers speak to him this way.

"I know what he's talking about. My mother was a waitress all her life, in coffee shops and fast-paced chain restaurants. It was hard work, but she liked it, liked "being among the public," as she would say. But that work had its sting, too – the customer who would treat her like a servant or, her biggest complaint, like she was not that bright.

"There's a lesson here for this political season: the subtle and not-so-subtle insults that blue-collar and service workers endure as part of their working lives. And those insults often have to do with intelligence.

"We like to think of the United States as a classless society. The belief in economic mobility is central to the American Dream, and we pride ourselves on our spirit of egalitarianism. But we also have a troubling streak of aristocratic bias in our national temperament, and one way it manifests itself is in the assumptions we make about people who work with their hands."

MORE HERE

Politics and the English language, GOP-style

2008-09-08T18:27:00.001-07:00

LEONARD PITTS
Syndicated columnist

“We need change, all right. Change from a liberal Washington to a conservative Washington. We have a prescription for every American who wants change in Washington—throw out the big-government liberals.”—Mitt Romney, Sept. 3, 2008

And then the gorilla run knee socks paint porno on the Cadillac. But school laughed and didn’t we sing hats? Ahem.

Maybe you wonder what the preceding gobbledygook means. I would ask which gobbledygook you mean: mine or Mitt Romney’s? If he’s allowed to spew nonsense and people act as if he’s spoken intelligently, why can’t I? If he gets to behave as if words no longer have objective meaning, why can’t I?

If you’re a regular here, you’ve heard me rant about intellectual dishonesty. By this, I mean more than just your garden variety lie. No, to be intellectually dishonest means to argue that which you know to be untrue and to substitute ideology for intellect to the degree that you’ll do violence to language and logic rather than cross the party line.

M O R E - H E R E

More of his columns
Pitts is a columnist for the Miami Herald,
1 Herald Plaza
Miami, Fla. 33132
Email at lpitts@miamiherald.com

LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!

2008-09-06T01:19:00.000-07:00

Hey, the race is on... Now to the latest in the culture wars, the cynical merchants of shame, meet their mirror image and they show us who are the the real flip floppers. The days of instant amnesia, are over. The truth won't fade from our computer screens like it did in the past.

As Junior ( Ted Lange ) in "That's My Mama" used to say.... "I got it and I got to report it!"

"The mere formulation of a problem is far more often essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill. To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle requires creative imagination and marks real advances in science."

- Albert Einstein

WAKE UP AMERICA!

2008-09-01T01:54:00.000-07:00

Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) addresses the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Here is one you many not have seen or heard Congressman Dennis Kucinich former Democratic candidate for president works on the theme "Wake Up America.".

BARACK OBAMA'S ACCEPTANCE SPEECHDemoratic National Convetion Denver Colorado 08/28/2008

2008-08-29T02:11:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it in it's entirety we present Senator Obama's acceptance speech Democratic National Committee Convention.

Here is the transcript

THAKS TO JOKIMO FOR THE SUGGESTION!

WILL_I_AM JOHN LEGEND AND THE AGAPE CHOIRPERFORM "YES WE CAN"

2008-08-29T01:13:00.000-07:00

Somehow in a live setting with a partisan crowd of 75,000 people in attendance, this song that swept the Internet a few short months ago has added power. Will.I.Am and John Legend pull this off by including the voices of the Agape Choir and those of the assembled crowd, It is a live remake that is informed by the now famous original of "Yes We Can."

An interesting side note this song inspired by the New Hampshire concession speech by Senator Obama has garnered a staggering 9,250,000 hits on YouTube.

Senator Biden in his acceptance speech made a reference to his childhood and how his parents told him how to deal with defeat. "Barack Obama and I took very different journeys to this destination, but we share a common story. Mine began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then Wilmington, Delaware. With a dad who fell on hard economic times, but who always told me: "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up." video and transcript

All I have to say is Yes We Can! if we make it our personal responsibility to get out there and work hard and not expect that it will be some other person who will shoulder our weight. Yes We Can! If we make concrete statements to those we work with and folks in our communities about what is at stake in this election. Yes We Can! If we join with others in our towns and cites across this nation and say it is time we put aside our divisions. Yes We Can! If we don't let the stupidity of race hated and economic divisions blind us to our common interest. Yes We Can! if we move to unite this country and move forward, not look back at our differences. Yes We Can! if we work in our common self interest to create good jobs, provide health care and make it possible for our children to be given a world class 21st century education. The time is now - we can do this great work. Yes We Can! if we use every day in the next few months to learn the issues and make sense out of them for our families and our neighbors. Ladies and gentleman Yes We Can! take our country back!

OBAMA "I BELIEVE IN UNIONS"

2008-08-26T12:03:00.000-07:00

From our friends over @ Joe's Union Review" Senator Obama Explains why he believes in unions.

Trumka on the Race... issue

2008-08-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

"I’m not one for quoting dead philosophers, but back in the 1700s, Edmund Burke said: “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing.”

"Well, there’s no evil that’s inflicted more pain and more suffering than racism -- and it’s something we in the labor movement have a special responsibility to challenge.

"It’s our special responsibility because we know, better than anyone else, how racism is used to divide working people.

"We’ve seen how companies set worker against worker -- how they throw whites a few extra crumbs off the table -- and how it’s black and Latino workers who get the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs. "

Richard Trumka Secretary-Treasurer AFL-CIO

See Also:

August 4, 2008
Majority of Americans Say Racism Against Blacks Widespread

PRINCETON, NJ -- A recent USA Today/Gallup poll finds most Americans saying racism is widespread against blacks in the United States. This includes a slim majority of whites (51%), a slightly higher 59% of Hispanics, and the vast majority of blacks (78%).

Analysis: Impact of Personal Characteristics on Candidate Support

Union Plus Offers Tools to Address Debt, Build Credit

2008-08-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

The nation’s slumping economy, rising joblessness and tightening credit crunch have hit millions of working families, and those who are riding out the storm have put worries about the economy at the top of their anxiety list.
Where can union families go for advice to help shield them from credit disasters or help pull them from stormy economic seas? Click on over to Union Plus. Along with its credit education advice and debt management sections, Union Plus now offers a downloadable Smart Credit Strategies PowerPoint presentation with audio that union members can view on their own and union leaders can show at local meetings. -- M O R E --

ROLL THE UNION ON!Join The Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus!

2008-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

The Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus! WEB PAGE

Sing out for peace and justice with our dynamic chorus!

Fall Session 2008

San Francisco Community College,

Phelan Campus
Thursdays, 6:30-9:30pm, starting on August 21, 2008

Room 216, Creative Arts Building
Chorus members earn 1 credit in Labor Studies (LABR 98A, CRN 77220; 98B, CRN 77221; or 98C 78518) or Music (MUS 48A, CRN 75697; MUS 48B, CRN 76213; or MUS 48C, CRN 77971). To enroll: (415) 452-0600 or www.ccsf.org. New students must go to City College to register.

Or, Laney College, Oakland
Every other Saturday, beginning on August 23, 2008
(August 23, September 6 & 20, October 4 & 18, November 1, 15, & 22, December 6)

12:30pm, 900 Fallon St, Room A152
Labor Studies 214 (code 46480). Register in the first class or in advance at Admissions & Records (Room A-109), by phone at (510) 208-7225, or online at www.PeraltaColleges.org.

The chorus repertoire consists of songs about work from a variety of cultures, including gospel, folk, South African, and Norteño. Conductor Pat Wynne is a voice teacher, a composer, a performer, and a member of Locals 6 & 1000 of the American Federation of Musicians. Everyone is welcome.

For information: (415) 550-4380 or 239-3641 (SF);
(510) 464-3210 (Oakland); or (415) 648-3457 (Pat Wynne)

“If you really want to roll the union along, come and join the union in song!”
–Walter Johnson, Secretary Treasurer, emeritus, SF Labor Council

A call to action from the Courage Campaign

2008-08-04T12:10:00.000-07:00

GET ON THE CALL!

A Courage Campaign/CREDO Mobile Conversation: Join Tuesday's conference call with Controller John Chiang and Rep. Hilda Solis

Watch the video featuring SEIU Local 1000 members directly affected by the Governor's wage cuts

Controller Chiang and Rep. Hilda Solis will be joining Courage Campaign and CREDO Mobile members for a conference call, Tuesday, August 5, from 6-7 p.m.

Controller John Chiang is a hero for refusing to comply with the devastating Executive Order Governor Schwarzenegger signed last Thursday.

To thank him for his courage, we are teaming up with CREDO Mobile to host a special conference call with Controller Chiang and our good friend Rep. Hilda Solis (D-Los Angeles), the lead author of a letter to Governor Schwarzenegger condemning the wage cuts signed by 27 California members of Congress.

After Controller Chiang and Rep. Solis speak for a few minutes there will be an opportunity to ask questions (as usual, we will be using a mix of questions submitted in advance and live questions from those who join the call). To increase the chances of your question being asked, please submit a question for Controller Chiang and Rep. Solis in the form field below.

Space is limited, so please fill out the form below to RSVP ASAP. We will contact you via email with the conference call dial-in information.

We look forward to having you on the call!

[UPDATE]: SEIU Local 1000 President Yvonne Walker will also be joining the call and taking questions

SEIU just sued the Governor over the wage cuts. Yvonne Walker will give us an update on the legal fight and how their members just like Controller Chiang are fighting back.

THE LABOR MOVEMENT THE FOLKS THAT BROUGHT YOU...

2008-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it is only through art that we can convey the essence of powerful ideas. Though they have their place -- all of the speeches, white papers and emails sometimes pale in comparison to the directness of the artist. Through art we can rip through the meaningless clutter that surrounds us. A catchy song, a powerful photograph, a well thought out painting, these works can grip and inspire us all to do things thought impossible. Art can focus our thinking like no other human activity.

Using a classic style this poster is a reminder of all of the benefits that the labor movement has brought us. Through our sacrifices and struggles working folks have created a better world for everyone. It is easy to forget the child miners at the turn of the last century. It is so simple to forget a time when grown men and women risked life and limb every time they entered their factory, sweatshop, or mine. It is sad to remember that many of these things continue to this day -- with a billion dollar industry designed to take back what we have won.

An inspired artist has handed us a memory tool of where we have been and where we have to go. The quote by abolitionist Frederick Douglass ties it all together. This beautiful poster belongs in your brake room on the job, or in a well trafficked place in your home.
It is distributed by Northland Poster Collective. As they say:

"The social gains of humanity did not invent themselves and will not defend themselves. Only organized people can do that."

Full range of bright colors. Laser print.
Item Number: p825
Artist: Ricardo Levins Morales
Size: 11 X 17
Price:$ 8.95

SEIU Local 1000 Fights Wage Cuts Unviels Multy Pronged Response

2008-08-02T01:53:00.000-07:00

Sacramento, CA
Representing more than 95,000 of the states 200,000 public employees SEIU Local 1000 California''s largest public employee union vowed to Fight Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's cutbacks on many fronts:
- Filing a lawsuit
- Rolling out a massive media campaign
and much -M O R E-

SEIU is urging their members and supporters to contact the governor's office. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Email Form. Main phone number 916-445-2841
Use this link for statewide contact information

See Also: Union sues to reverse state layoffs
LA Times
Labor union challenges Schwarzenegger layoff order
Associated Press
SEIU files suit to block pay cut for state workers
Sacramento Business Journal

Impact of Budget Delay on Paychecks . New California Web Site

2008-08-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

Photograph Copyright David Bacon

08/01/2008 - Sacramento, CA
In an effort to explain the the impact of his recent move to cut California State Employee minimum wages and to lay off temporary workers to meet budget shortfalls governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has posted a new web site: DPA Impact of Budget Delay on Paychecks

From the site:
"July 31, 2008 - The Governor today issued an Executive Order terminating the services of many temporary state employees. The Order also directs DPA and the Department of Finance to work with the State Controller to comply with a California Supreme Court ruling to pay minimum wage to certain state employees in the absence of a budget.

Does this Executive Order affect me?

"Your Personnel Office will issue you a notice terminating your services if you are one of the temporary employees affected by this Order. You should talk with your personnel office if you have questions about your employment status.

"Regarding minimum wage payments, employees who are covered by the federal Fair Labor Standards Act would be subject to the minimum wage requirements of the Supreme Court's ruling. We will provide more updates on this page at a later date.

"Please be assured that these actions in no way reflect your value to the State and the importance of the work you do. We greatly appreciate your public service and sincerely regret that budget circumstances and legal requirements compel us to take these steps"

... That last paragraph sounds a little disingenuous to me, but I guess I have picked up a little of the cynicism of the day.

- More -

Stop Arnold from Slashing CA State Workers' Wages

2008-08-01T00:28:00.000-07:00

Produced by:
CourageCampaign
pssst! This video!

Imagine trying to pay your bills on $6.55 an hour. Now imagine what will happen to over 200,000 vital service workers forced to live on poverty-level wages.

On Monday, July 28, the Courage Campaign delivered the signatures of 28,016 outraged Californians to Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. But it's not over. Arnold is still threatening to slash worker pay.

So take action today: www.couragecampaign.org

See: The History of the California minimum Wage

See: Fraying At the Edges From Calitics

Workers Protest California Wage Cuts

2008-07-30T22:46:00.000-07:00

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - 30JULY08 - Union members protest the decision by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to cut the wages of hundreds of thousands of state workers to the Federal minimum wage of $6.75/hour, because the state legislature has not passed a budget. Workers accuse the governor of using their jobs and wages as a means of blackmailing the Democratic legislature into agreeing to Republican budget cuts. The workers, members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, left their national convention and marched through downtown San Francisco to protest the wage-cutting order.

Copyright David Bacon

See also from Calitics: Senate To Arnold: Say That To Our Face

HEALTH CARE DISPUTE CONTINUES AT NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BROADCSTING'S KQED

2008-07-27T21:37:00.000-07:00

San Francisco, CA
Since April KQED has institued a two tier health care system in which employees are being forced to pay more for their health care than their managers. Several people have had to switch to plans that did not include their doctors of many years and at least two were forced to eliminate their health care coverage entirely. NABET/CWA Local 51 covers 10 categories of empoyees from technicians and annoucers to those who work in the mail room, and building services.

In an appeal to supporters of KQED -- NORTHERN CALIFORNIA PUBLIC BROADCSTING'S (NCPB) flagship radio and TV stations -- NABET/CWA Local 51 continued to urge KQED members to put their pledges into an escrow account until the health care dispute between KQED & NABET is settled.

Concerned members of the community are urged to call KQED and let them know this two-tier healthcare is not acceptable at your public broadcasting station. Jeff Clarke, President and CEO of KQED can be reached at (415) 553-2201 or email at jclarke@ncpb.com.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

NABET
Kevin Wilson, President
EMAIL
Local 51
433 Natoma Street Suite 220
San Francisco, CA 94103
415 398-3160 Office
415 398-3162 Fax
http://www.nabet51.org
Email: NABET51.org

BROADCAST UNION NEWS

2008-07-23T22:35:00.000-07:00

Broadcast Union News is a clearing center for information of interest to people working in television, film, and theater. A chance for IATSE, CWA-NABET, IBEW, DGA, AFTRA, SAG, AEA, WGA, Newspaper Guild, and non-represented entertainment industry workers to share information with an eye towards improving wages, benefits, and working conditions for all.

If you are in the Media Industry you should Bookmark this page. It is what it says it is, a compendium of things broadcast. Thanks to Joe's Union Review for the link and the kind mention of this fledgling enterprise.

CONGRESSMAN JIM WEB WITH CHARLIE ROSE

2008-07-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

An interesting interview with a very complex figure. A former Secretary of the Navy under Regan, who has been an on going critic of the Iraq war. A Democratic conservative who seems to get the economy and the plight of poor people. A decorated Viet Nam era veteran who can criticize the military on it's own terms.This interview is posted on the Charlie Rose Web Site.

GERGE CARLIN SPEAKS TO TAVIS SMILEY

2008-07-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

George Carlin brings his wit to bear on some complex topics. His linguistic gymnastics force us to check our assumptions at the door. Tavis is an excellent foil with his sometimes self deprecating style he make a wonderful foil... Come on sometimes you just gotta laugh.

BILL MOYERS OIL FOR WAR

2008-07-22T12:01:00.000-07:00

A Moyers segment as only Jim Moyers can deliver it. Mr Moyers wrestles with the often quoted sentiment that the "Iraq war is all about oil." As usual his perspective is multidimensional and straight to the point.

Senator Jim Webb (D-VA) on the Employe Free Choice Act

2008-07-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

CHARLIE ROSE ON NELSON MANDELA'S 90TH BIRTHDAY

2008-07-22T00:19:00.000-07:00

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON NATALIE MERCHANT

2008-07-21T01:41:00.000-07:00

Though many folks try to make things more complex than they really are, it really always comes down to a simple question.

WHICH SIDE ARE YOU ON?

OBAMA ENDORSES THE EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

2008-07-21T01:10:00.001-07:00

Why does Obama support the EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT and why you should too.

BILL MOYERS SPEAKS TO THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR MEDIA REFORM

2008-07-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

Bill Moyers speaks to the National Conference for Media Reform. Also speaking to the conference were Arianna Huffington, Dan Rather, Representative Keith Ellison and Lawrence Lessig. The videos of the conference are available HERE at the NABET/CWA channel on YOUTUBE.

OBAMA ADDRESSES CWA CONVENTION

2008-07-21T00:03:00.000-07:00

EMPLOYEE FREE CHOICE ACT

2008-07-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

Find out about why unions are pushing the Employee Free Choice Act. For those of us in the entertainment industry where intimidation of workers trying to organize has been rampant. Ask those in the Sports industry who organized in the mid 90's - organizing is no joke.

Once when working a non-union job I tried to get back some comp time. The executive producer just looked up from his papers and said "Don't you realize there are a plane load of freelancers circling above us who want your job?" I had been working 12 hour days for the last two months. My son had been born the year before.

These folks may not be in the same industry that we are but they have similar issues. Take a look this is a good explanation of the Employee Free Choice Act.