It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

It's getting harder and harder to keep my sanity these days, what with reading about Dick Cheney's sadistic passion for shooting tame animals, so I thought I'd offer the ultimate antidote to insanity, Andy Warhol.

For the truly inspired among you, click on the video clip below, "Scenes from the Life of Andy Warhol", a work by Jonas Mekas, a genius filmmaker and wonderful human being. For those who were around back in the day, enjoy the '60s redux. Jonas ably captures the spirit of creativity's bursting chaos. It's well worth your time to look through Jonas' entire anthology.




OK, now. Back to the present reality. Please take note.

Help the whales, help the ocean, help yourself.

Stop Japan's Whaling Fleet From Killing Humpbacks!

Next month, the Japanese Government plans to send its whaling fleet into the protected waters of the Southern Ocean Sanctuary around Antarctica. And this year, Japan is threatening to add humpback whales to its target list!

Oh, and don't let the folks who recently conspired to spy on you off the hook.

Tell the Senate Judiciary Committee: No Amnesty for AT&T and Verizon
In recent weeks, Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee caved to the White House and cut a deal to grant retroactive immunity to telecom giants who colluded in Bush's illegal program to spy on Americans.

The bill -- a so-called "fix" to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act -- is now being debated by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Fortunately, most of the Democrats on the committee appear ready to strike the amnesty language from the bill. But we still need to make sure they stand strong as pressure increases around this critical vote.

Fax your senator to oppose amnesty for lawbreaking telcos in the FISA reform bill.

Veterans for Peace March Against War

Here are some details from Nate, one of the veterans arrested on Veterans Day:

Getting arrested along with 92 year old Paul Brailsford (who managed to get the plastic cuffs off in the police wagon!!), 80 something year old Sev Bruyn, 76 year old Tony Flaherty was a privilege that I have trouble expressing. Seeing these guys in cuffs was just such an inspiration.

Watch this two minute video of the Veterans for Peace action of Sunday, Nov. 11, 2007, in Boston. See my previous blog post for more details.

Veterans Arrested at Veterans' Day Event

I applaud the Veterans for Peace, who were arrested for protesting their exclusion from an American Legion sponsored Veterans' Day event in Boston, Sunday. The commander of the American Legion in Suffolk County had them arrested for a silent protest at their Veterans' Day ceremony.

The group was made to bring up the rear of the annual parade - for which hundreds of patriots lined Boylston and Tremont streets - and were even placed behind the street sweepers.

“They do not want to adhere to our rules of conduct,” James Lawler, commander of the American Legion in Suffolk County, told the Herald, suggesting the protesters’ time would be better spent in Washington, D.C., fighting for benefits and better VA hospitals." Full Story, Boston Herald.

I understand Mr. Lawler's concerns, but these are extraordinary times. The rules of conduct certainly were not followed in the build-up to this war. More and more people need to make the status quo very uncomfortable to keep the carnage and consequence of this war front and center. What else works?

Let's not forget on this Veterans' Day the unusual number of suicides by returning Iraqi veterans, another needless toll of the disaster in Iraq.

More and more veterans are speaking out, breaking a code of silence and denial the military encourages. Yet, maybe it is only the military that can prevent a disastrous war with Iran. A most unusual situation, don't you think?

One thing I know will get the attention of policy makers is a holiday shopping boycott by we civilians. Why not join me? :>)

The Impeachment of Dick Cheney, Not

Huffington Post, Nov. 7, 2007:

…one year ago yesterday, we elected the Democrats in overwhelming numbers to amplify our screaming voices to a decibel loud enough to penetrate the unchecked corridors of power in Washington -- we hired this party to speak for us and to use this expressed authority to end the war and to hold this historically unpopular executive regime accountable.

To date and with the exception of some admirable investigations by a few standout lawmakers, the Democrats have done nothing to make good on their mandate from you and me.

It was yesterday, on the one year anniversary of the collapse of Karl Rove's thousand-year Reich, when the Democrats subjected themselves to both public embarrassment and public disgrace, and each within a few hours of the other.

Read the story and weep. This is a sad, sad day for America. The Democrats could not stand up for democracy. It generally began to unfold in '30s Germany like this.

Dick has no formal opposition now. Your mandate has officially been neutered by the people you elected to execute it. Bombs away, baby. Bombs away. Your democracy is dead, and you stood by watching, didn't you?

Keep Up Your Calls to Congress!!

I called my rep, Michael Capuano, today. It took all of two minutes. Here's the story so far.

Very important !! All your reps need to hear from you. Tell them to support H.Res. 333, "Articles of Impeachment Against VP Cheney" and oppose efforts to table the resolution! Really !!

Find your Congress people here. Put the numbers in your cell phone directory. Get used to calling your reps and Senators.

Call the members of the Judiciary Committee !

And call the Sub-Committee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties Committee !

You're financing this circus. Start shouting! You want IMPEACHMENT ON THE TABLE ! !

Act Today! Impeach Cheney!

Support the Impeach Cheney resolution. Call your representative today!

Here is the phone number for the Capitol switchboard: 1-800-828-0498

Alternate numbers to contact your member of Congress:
1-800-862-5530
1-800-833-6354

The call is toll free and will take less than 2 min. of your time. If you don't know who your member of Congress is, simply give the Capitol switchboard operator your zip code and they will tell you. They will then connect the call directly to your Rep.'s office. (What could be easier?)

Background & What to Say: Congressman Dennis Kucnich (D-OH), introduced ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST VICE PRESIDENT DICK CHENEY in April 2007. The bill, H.Res. 333, now has 22 co-sponsors. (Here's a chart of all members of Congress, where they stand on impeachment.)

Tomorrow (Tues. Nov. 6th), Rep. Kucinich will introduce a privileged resolution on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to force an up or down vote impeachment of the vice president. That is WHY you must contact them TODAY (or early tomorrow morning at the latest)! Likely, another member of congress will move to table (kill) Kucinich's resolution for a vote (in order to prevent the articles of impeachment from being voted on). Tell your representative that you want them to Vote NO on tabling the resolution & YES on impeachment. (House members who vote YES to table will no longer be able to claim that their reason for not moving to impeach was because "We don't have enough votes on impeachment", since many others will be voting NO on tabling at the same time. (For more info on House parliamentary procecedure and how it's all likely to play out on Tuesday see: http://courtofimpeachmentandwarcrimes.blogspot.com/2007/11/dennis-bringing-issue-to-floor.html)

Former Reagan Official Says Impeach Now or Lose Constitutional Democracy (July 16, 2007)

Read all about it at here, and ACT !!!

Hey, Middle Class, Stand Up for Yourselves!

Don't wimp out. This is your country, too.