Hillary Obama 2008
I've updated the I heart Kerry store to get ready for 2008! There are a variety of stickers, buttons and shirts with "Don't Blame Me, I voted for Kerry," "2008 I can't Wait! (no W)," "Hillary Obama 2008," "liberal is not a dirty word," and more peace themed gear on the way in a week or so. Check it out at
www.cafepress.com/iheartkerry and pass it along!
Trouble ahead, trouble behind
Environmentalists See Trouble Ahead
We all knew that Bush's re-election would probably be a nightmare for the environment, but now it's a certainty. They are pushing ahead to erase the laws prohibiting companies from logging and making roads on public lands, pushing for drilling in the arctic national wildlife refuge, gutting the clean air act and going forth with their so called "healthy forests" initiative. They're planning on pushing it through because of the "mandate" they got from the election. Since when did the narrowest margin of victory since 1915 result in a mandate? Yes more people voted for Bush than any other President, but more people also voted against him than any other President. What does that prove? There are more people and more of them voted, that's it.
As for Bush's "healthy forests" initiative, which will allow timber companies to log big trees as long as they take the little ones and brush that typically start fires, it's completely out of touch with the natural ecosystem of the region. According to most ecosystem management texts, the problem is fire suppression in those regions. In other words, we need to stop letting people build in the middle of the Forest and let mother nature do her job.
Conversely, many fire-dependent ecosystems have been fire-starved through policies of fire suppression. One serious result has been the unnatural buildup of dense stands of flammable trees and thick carpets of dead wood and leaves that has led to unnaturally intense fires like those in Colorado, New Mexico and Oregon in 2002. - The nature Conservancy
As for making roads and mining natural gas on public lands....well, they're already doing it. There's a great story on this at Mother Jones, an absolute must read -
A Managed Disaster.
And the list goes on....
Trouble ahead, Lady in red,
Take my advice you'd be better off dead.
Switchman's sleeping, train hundred and two is
On the wrong track and headed for you.
-Grateful Dead
Congress Rejects New Nuclear Weapons Funds
Finally! Congress took some of the pork out of the budget and made a step towards the non-proliferation treaties we used to be part of. It's hard to denounce Russia's plans for more nuclear weapons and Iran's nuclear development when the US has pulled out of non-proliferation treaties and began developing new nuclear weapons. Thankfully, the Congress stepped up and
took action.
Another Big Business Give-Away?
From the Bush administration and the GOP, nah! Ya don't say.
Apparently, GOP leaders are going to use the "lame duck" congress session to
repeal country of origin labels on food. With a rash of food poisoning occurring this year blamed on onions from Mexico and other foreign grown foods, does this really sound like a good idea? Don't consumers have a right to know where their food comes from?
The industry is, of course, saying that the labels would be cost-prohibitive. Really? For an industry that spends millions of dollars every year on advertising, a sticker saying USA would lead to dire consequences? Doubtful.
"When nutrition labeling was suggested by advocates 25 years ago, the industry kept saying, `Oh, we can't do that,'" said Carol Tucker Foreman, director of food policy for the Consumer Federation of America. "Look, they've done it. They love it. Consumers use it."
US Making Torture Legal?
Apparently the House has slipped in a little thing called "extraordinary rendition" into their version of a bill that supposedly implements the 9/11 commission reports. Here's what the American Bar Association had to say about it:
The American Bar Association objects strongly to the inclusion of provisions authorizing "extraordinary rendition" in the House leadership's bill that purports to implement the 9/11 Commission recommendations. These provisions would permit secretly transferring terrorist suspects to foreign countries known to use torture in interrogating prisoners. Extraordinary rendition not only violates all basic humanitarian and human rights standards, but violates U.S. treaty obligations which make clear that the U.S. government cannot avoid its obligations under international law by having other nations conduct unlawful interrogations in its stead. This practice not only violates our own cherished principles as a nation but also works to undermine our moral leadership in the eyes of the rest of the world.
read the full release
For more background on this, visit the
obsidianwings blog.
The Depressed Democrats' Guide to Recovery
The Depressed Democrats' Guide to Recovery
A funny little cartoon...
9/11 Commission Report Chpt. 3.3
The next chapter details the structure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA is charged by congress to simultaneously promote the civil aviation industry and regulate the security and safety of the industry. One of the main points the commission reiterates several times throughout the chapter, was that suicide hijackings were never considered as a threat to civil aviation. Vice President Al Gore headed a Presidential Commission on aviation safety and security in 1996, which did raise the possibility of a threat from surface-to-air-missiles, but primarily found explosives and sabotage the primary threat.
The FAA apparently had their own intelligence unit that was supposed to receive relevant information from the CIA and FBI. However, it appears that very little information sharing actually occurred, as evidenced by the FAA’s no-fly list containing 12 names as of 9/11 while the government watch list had thousands of terrorists and suspected terrorists listed. Another example was the failure of the FBI to pass along information about radicals attending flight schools.
The most interesting part of this chapter was the awareness the FAA had towards the threat of hijacking through the use of knives. Knives with blades under 4” were still legal in carry-on luggage before 9/11. Although, the Commission reports that there was a proposal to ban all knives and cutting implements in 1993, the proposal was rejected by the FAA because the “number of innocent “alarms” would have increased significantly, exacerbating congestion problems at checkpoints.” (p.84) Perhaps more interesting than the revelation of a proposal that was rejected, was in the footnotes - the FAA’s own report on “The Threat to US Civil Aviation in the United States,” issued in September 1994.
System vulnerabilities also exist with respect to hijacking…aircraft can be hijacked with either fake weapons or hoax explosive devices. Cabin Crew or passengers can also be threatened with objects such as short blade knives, which are allowable on board aircraft. (9/11 Commission Report p. 476)
In short, it seems that we knew the threat existed, but never thought it could happen to us. There was even a call in early 2001 to reinforce all cockpit doors, but it would have done little to prevent 9/11 because the tactics used were still beyond our imagination. Illustrated by the comments of the Air Line Pilots Association’s Security Committee Chairman, “Even if you make a vault out of the door, if they have a noose around my flight attendants neck, I’m going to open the door.” (p. 85) And most people in his position would have done the same thing. As they say, hindsight is 20/20.
9/11 Commission Report Chapter 3.2
This chapter explains the history and operational procedures and environment of the many branches under the Justice Department. The Justice Department encompasses the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations), the US Marshals Service, the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency), and INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service).
The chapter details the many stumbling blocks within the FBI that hindered it from possibly preventing more terrorist activities. The first of which was the overall structure and environment within the FBI itself. It is broken down into many field offices that operated more or less independently of one another and the management at these offices could elect how funds were distributed. So although the counterterrorism budget tripled during the mid 90s, the amount actually spent on counterterrorism remained the same. Also, the sentiment within the FBI was that counterterrorism would not get you promoted, "Counterterrorism and Counterintelligence work, often involving lengthy intelligence investigations that might never have positive or quantifiable results, was not career-enhancing." (9/11 Commission Report p.74)
There were some attempts to change the culture of the FBI. In 1993, Pres. Clinton appointed Louis Freeh as the Director of the Bureau. He "urged agents not to wait for terrorist acts to occur before taking action." (p. 76) He created a Counterterrorism Division within the FBI to complement the Counterterrorist Center at the CIA and increased the number of legal attaché offices abroad, especially in the Middle East. "In his first budget request to Congress...he stated that 'merely solving this type of crime is not enough; it is equally important that the FBI thwart terrorism before such acts can be perpetrated." (p.76) However, this shift within the FBI never came to fruition, as the leadership of the FBI, the congress and the Office of Budget and Management were unwilling to shift resources away from other priorities to counterterrorism.
There were other problems within the FBI that hindered its response to counter terrorism. Prior to 9/11 the FBI had never completed an assessment of the overall threat to the US. Their information systems were so bad that the Commission report sums it up as, "The FBI lacked the ability to know what it knew." (p.77) The interpretations of the laws governing information sharing between justice department prosecutors and the FBI were constantly misunderstood and exaggerated, leading to ridiculous levels of secrecy at the FBI. Not only did one hand not know what the other one was doing; members of the same teams or divisions often didn't know what the other members were doing.
The lack of adequate information technology was also a factor at the INS. Some of the specific issues mentioned include border patrol agents still using manual typewriters and inspectors at ports still using paper watch lists. There was also a lack of human resources at the INS, especially along the Canadian –US border.
All in all, although there had been many attempts to restructure the FBI and other agencies to focus more on the emerging terror threat, they lacked the capital and cooperation to successfully implement the changes.
Ashcroft Still doesn't get it
Apparently, someone needs to explain what checks and balances are and how they work to Ashcroft. He's now saying judges are threatening "national security" by contradicting Bush. Gee, haven't we heard this somewhere before? Oh yeah, the last year of campaigns! Apparently, if you disagree with Bush et. al. you are a threat to national security. Oh well, I guess 49% of America is a threat to our own national security!
Yahoo! News - Ashcroft Condemns Judges Who Question Bush
Drinking Liberally
OK folks, this is a pretty fun idea! I haven't been to one yet, but I thought I'd pass the info along. The only highly suprising thing is that there's one in Denton and Houston, but not Austin? I'm gonna have to call some of my Austinite friends and get them on it!
Drinking Liberally
MoJo a no-go on Kerry 2008
Yesterday the LA Times, among others, featured articles on speculations that Kerry is getting read for a 2008 run (see the blog post below). Mother Jones posted an interesting article on
why Kerry shouldn't run today.
I'm not sure that anyone's really in a position as a clear leader for the Democratic party, either now, or in 2008. Hillary, I like, but she's a divisive figure that won't win the south after Pres. Clinton's philandering. Edwards couldn't aide in delivering a single southern state this year, it's doubtful he'd do so in 2008. Obama rocks! (I'm from Chicago, I gotta gloat a little) But, he's not interested in a 2008 run, and he probably doesn't have enough experience yet to pull off a successful run.
So, who will run in 2008?
Kerry in 2008?? I still heart Kerry
Well, we all know that Hillary probably wouldn't win and Edwards couldn't deliver a single southern state.....Kerry again? It seems like he's still saying, "Send Me!"
Less than a week after conceding defeat to President Bush, Sen. John F. Kerry is calling key Democratic donors to lay the groundwork for a political organization that would give him a voice in national politics and position him for another White House run in 2008, close associates say.
His friends, contributors and former campaign aides say he was energized by winning almost 56 million votes — more than any other candidate in U.S. history, except for Bush — and intends to wield influence as the titular leader of the Democratic Party.
Kerry confidants said in interviews Monday that key members of the campaign's finance team were planning to remain loyal to the 2004 nominee — even as potential 2008 contenders such as Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and John Edwards of North Carolina begin building support — in case he decides to run.
Those sentiments differ significantly from the attitudes expressed after Democratic losses in 1988 and 2000, when pressure mounted on nominees Michael S. Dukakis and Al Gore to step aside after what many party leaders considered error-plagued campaigns.
"After 1988 and 2000, there was a different sort of tone in the fundraising community," said Robert Farmer, who was campaign treasurer for Dukakis in 1988 and Kerry this year. "They felt they had been let down. I don't get that sense now."
Unlike those campaigns, Farmer said, Kerry continues to enjoy loyalty among his key supporters. Farmer compared Kerry with two presidents who lost in their first bids for the job.
"There's a tradition," Farmer said. "Nixon ran and lost and then won, Reagan ran and lost, then won. In this case, you'll have to look at the field and say to yourself, 'Could another candidate have won states that John Kerry didn't win?' And my sense is that I don't think anybody could have done much better than John Kerry did."
Read the rest here
2008 Run Among Kerry's Options (LA Times requires registration, but it's free)
Sorry Everybody
This site is just too funny. I know I have some International visitors - here's some messages from the other 49% of America.
Sorry Everybody
17 Reasons not to slit your wrists -by Michael Moore
A friend of mine forwarded this to me and I thought it was too good not to share. I'll pick back up on the 9/11 Commission Report, starting in chapter 3 next week. If you missed the first part, check out the archives. And thanks to the poster who left the positive feedback about the poem, glad it cheered you up!
11/5/04
Dear Friends,
Ok, it sucks. Really sucks. But before you go and cash it all in, let's, in the words of Monty Python, 'always look on the bright side of life!' There IS some good news from Tuesday's election.
Here are 17 reasons not to slit your wrists:
1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.
2. Bush's victory was the NARROWEST win for a sitting president since Woodrow Wilson in 1916.
3. The only age group in which the majority voted for Kerry was young adults(Kerry: 54%, Bush: 44%), proving once again that your parents are always wrong and you should never listen to them.
4. In spite of Bush's win, the majority of Americans still think the country is headed in the wrong direction (
56%),think the war wasn't worth fighting (
51%), and don't approve of the job George W. Bush is doing (
52%).(Note to foreigners: Don't try to figure this one out. It's an American thing, like Pop Tarts.)
5. The Republicans will not have a filibuster-proof 60-seat majority in the Senate. If the Democrats do their job, Bush won't be able to pack the Supreme Court with right-wing ideologues. Did I say "if the Democrats do their job?" Um, maybe better to scratch this one.
6. Michigan voted for Kerry! So did the entire Northeast, the birthplace of our democracy. So did 6 of the 8 Great Lakes States. And the whole West Coast! Plus Hawaii. Ok, that's a start. We've got most of the fresh water, all of Broadway, and Mt. St. Helens. We can dehydrate them or bury them in lava. And no more show tunes!
7. Once again we are reminded that the buckeye is a nut, and not just any old nut -- a poisonous nut. A great nation was felled by a poisonous nut. May Ohio State pay dearly this Saturday when it faces Michigan.
8. 88% of Bush's support came from white voters. In 50 years, America will no longer have a white majority. Hey, 50 years isn't such a long time! If you're ten years old and reading this, your golden years will be truly golden and you will be well cared for in your old age.
9. Gays, thanks to the ballot measures passed on Tuesday, cannot get married in 11 new states. Thank God. Just think of all those wedding gifts we won't have to buy now.
10. Five more African Americans were elected as members of Congress, including the return of Cynthia McKinney of Georgia. It's always good to have more blacks in there fighting for us and doing the job our candidates can't.
11. The CEO of Coors was defeated for Senate in Colorado. Drink up!
12. Admit it: We like the Bush twins and we don't want them to go away.
13. At the state legislative level, Democrats picked up a net of at least 3 chambers in Tuesday's elections. Of the 98 partisan-controlled state legislative chambers (house/assembly and senate), Democrats went into the 2004 elections in control of 44 chambers, Republicans controlled 53 chambers, and 1 chamber was tied. After Tuesday, Democrats now control 47 chambers, Republicans control 49 chambers, 1 chamber is tied and 1 chamber (Montana House) is still undecided.
14. Bush is now a lame duck president. He will have no greater moment than the one he's having this week. It's all downhill for him from here on out -- and, more significantly, he's just not going to want to do all the hard work that will be expected of him. It'll be like everyone's last month in 12th grade -- you've already made it, so it's party time! Perhaps he'll treat the next four years like a permanent Friday, spending even more time at the ranch or in Kennebunkport. And why shouldn't he? He's already proved his point, avenged his father and kicked our ass.
15. Should Bush decide to show up to work and take this country down a very dark road, it is also just as likely that either of the following two scenarios will happen: a) Now that he doesn't ever need to pander to the Christian conservatives again to get elected, someone may whisper in his ear that he should spend these last four years building "a legacy" so that history will render a kinder verdict on him and thus he will not push for too aggressive a right-wing agenda; or b) He will become so cocky and arrogant -- and thus, reckless -- that he will commit a blunder of such major proportions that even his own party will have to remove him from office.
16. There are nearly 300 million Americans -- 200 million of them of voting age. We only lost by three and a half million! That's not a landslide -- it means we're almost there. Imagine losing by 20 million. If you had 58 yards to go before you reached the goal line and then you barreled down 55 of those yards, would you stop on the three yard line, pick up the ball and go home crying -- especially when you get to start the next down on the three yard line? Of course not! Buck up! Have hope! More sports analogies are coming!!!
17. Finally and most importantly, over 55 million Americans voted for the candidate dubbed "The #1 Liberal in the Senate." That's more than the total number of voters who voted for either Reagan, Bush I, Clinton or Gore. Again, more people voted for Kerry than Reagan. If the media are looking for a trend it should be this -- that so many Americans were, for the first time since Kennedy, willing to vote for an out-and-out liberal. The country has always been filled with evangelicals -- that is not news. What IS news is that so many people have shifted toward a Massachusetts liberal. In fact, that's BIG news. Which means, don't expect the mainstream media, the ones who brought you the Iraq War, to ever report the real truth about November 2, 2004. In fact, it's better that they don't. We'll need the element of surprise in 2008.
Feeling better? I hope so. As my friend Mort wrote me yesterday, "My Romanian grandfather used to say to me, 'Remember, Morton, this is such a wonderful country -- it doesn't even need a president!'"
But it needs us. Rest up, I'll write you again tomorrow.
Yours,
Michael Moore
www.michaelmoore.com
Don't Blame Me
In transitioning the "i heart kerry" store, I decided to make a "don't Blame me, I voted for Kerry" design. My mom wanted one, I had no idea so many other people did too! So, get a sticker or a button if ya want at
www.cafepress.com/iheartkerry
Election Hacked?
Apparently, there are a lot of vote tallies that just don't add up in the smaller counties of Florida and elsewhere. We're talking, 60% of Democrats going for Bush? Check out
this article.
We will rise again
Just remember this, more people voted against Bush than any sitting President in history. And they call that a "mandate?"
You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.
Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.
Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?
Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don't you take it awful hard
'Cause I laugh like I've got gold mines
Diggin' in my own backyard.
You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.
Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I've got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?
Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.
--Maya Angelou
No Surrender
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
--Dylan Thomas
