Remember When Politicians Tried the Truth?

President Carter is clearly vindicated. America had a choice. They chose good ol' "Morning-in-America" Reagan. (Maybe giving Americans the hard facts was too much for voters to handle.)

What a song and dance it's been since 1980. We've experienced the largest transfer of wealth ever from the middle class to the rich. So much for the so-called "free market" ideas and trickle-down economics of Ronnie Reagan and economic advisor Marty Feldstein ! They served only to make a small percentage of Americans (about 2%) very wealthy. Their promised middle class dream was floated on a seductive bubble of credit schemes and pipe dreams whose basis in fact was just a remake of the Ponzi schemes of old.

How many bubbles have we lived through since 1980? The junk bond debacle? Savings and loan collapse? The year 2001 internet/market collapse? Enron? Today's mortgage meltdown? Now the banks are stretched, fearing a rush on liquidity. Oh, how's our national debt situation?

Phil "Americans-are-whiners" Gramm (recent ex economic guru to "Bomb-bomb-Iran-let-them-die-of-cancer" McCain) lobbied hard in the early nineties to have investment banks excluded from ANY oversight. He got his wish. Now nobody knows how much bad paper we've sold to the rest of the world. It's causing global panic. Heck of a job, Phil!

Timin', a tick-a-tick-a-tick-a timin'…

Can you spell k-a-r-m-a? Nearly thirty years worth of blowing bubbles and pipe dreams and "they'll-greet-us-in the-streets-with-flowers" nonsense is coming back with compound interest. Instead of letting the perps get away with their usual M.O. - drifting away from their messes with golden parachutes while using our tax dollars to clean up - why not ask them to give us our money back for this grand 30-year fraud?

Think about how you might phrase that! :>)

Dump Verizon and AT&T

(Yes, this is a shamless ad, but please read on.)
Congress voted today to give immunity to the telecom companies that cooperated with the administration on the secret and illegal FISA wiretaps. One company stood apart and refused -
CREDO Mobile:

• When the ACLU sued the National Security Agency over warrantless wiretapping, CREDO joined with an amicus brief — the only phone company to do so.
• AT&T's Political Action Committee contributed the maximum amount allowable by law to the Bush/Cheney campaign — twice. CREDO has given $60 million to progressive nonprofits like Planned Parenthood, Earthjustice and Iraq Vets Against the War.
• Verizon tried to block NARAL Pro-Choice America's text messages, calling them "unsavory." CREDO supports text messaging for progressive causes through our Mobile Action program.
• AT&T has censored criticism of Bush during a concert webcast. CREDO fights for net neutrality as a member of the Save the Internet Coalition.

If you like what CREDO Mobile is doing, dump the underwriters of the vicious Right and join CREDO. Your telecom money will be doing good work, for once.

Make the switch now, and they'll buy out your existing contract and give you a nice phone.

What Moral Integrity?

Are we a moral nation?

It is a fact that a large majority of Americans feel we were NOT told the truth before going to war with Iraq, and they now regret even going there. Then why isn't there more support for the impeachment resolutions introduced by Rep. Kucinich?

Are Americans immoral? Complacent? Intimidated? Or do they just not know how to contact their Congress people? Is there really any reasonable excuse? Did you believe the German people in 1945 when they cried, "We didn't know!!"?

Have you heard of Vincent Bugliosi's new book, “The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder”? It's number 14 on the New York Times best seller list. Since being published in May, it has sold a staggering 130,000 copies. Yet there have been no book reviews of it on the corporate controlled TV, cable, magazines or major newspapers. Why not?

Mr. Bugliosi said bookers for cable television, where he has made regular appearances to promote books, have ignored his latest offering. MSNBC and Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” were two outlets Mr. Bugliosi had thought would show interest, but neither did.

“They are not responding at all,” he said. “I think it all goes back to fear. If the liberal media would put me on national television, I think they’d fear that they would be savaged by the right wing. The left wing fears the right, but the right does not fear the left.”

- Ex-Prosecutor’s Book Accuses Bush of Murder, NYTimes.com, July 7, 2008.

Perhaps that is why Obama has moved so far to the right so very recently - the soft Democratic left fearing the unpredictable, intimidating, outrageous distortions of the right. It's a toss up whether he's more "right" than Hillary at this point. Hillary knows how to defend herself against the hate and venom of the vicious Right. Perhaps she was the better choice, practically speaking.

Let's not write her off yet. Obama could have some more serious problems with guilt by association that he may not be able to shake.
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So how does the right wing always escape the huge scandals they so obviously participate in? Will our President be impeached? Will he stand trial for murder? Did Reagan get in any real trouble exchanging arms for hostages with Iran (the secret brokered deal he made with the "enemy" behind our backs prior to the 1980 election)? How has McCain managed to escape his due as one of the corrupt Keating Five?

Are we immoral people, or do we just cower in fear of our "masters"? Is either option acceptable in the eyes of history?

Support Impeachment Hearings NOW!

WexlerWantsHearings.com

This, from Representative Robert Wexler:

Our effort to hold the Bush/Cheney Administration accountable has taken another dramatic step forward. Last night, Congressman Dennis Kucinich introduced the first Articles of Impeachment ever to be introduced against President Bush. It includes, in total, thirty-five Articles detailing this Administration's blatant abuse of power. Today, I enthusiastically co-sponsored this vitally important bill.

I am grateful for Dennis' leadership on this issue and for the steadfast support that countless Americans have given to both of our efforts to redeem our government and expose the crimes of Bush and Cheney.

I will now expand my efforts to secure impeachment hearings in the Judiciary Committee for these new Articles of Impeachment against President George W. Bush.

Many of the charges against President Bush are well known – and would shock the conscience of everyday Americans if only the national media would be willing to report on these stark facts.

The Articles present a stunning narrative of offenses that have go well beyond previous crimes committed by any US chief executive. In fact no President or Vice President in history has done more to undermine our constitution.

These charges are broad, with 35 separate allegations including the deliberate lies regarding WMDs that led us to war and the approval of illegal wiretapping of American citizens. The Articles also include new allegations of high crimes – including the explicit approval for high Administration officials to violate treaties and US law banning the use of torture.

The Democratic Party gained a majority in the House and Senate due in large part to our promises to end the corruption of the Republican majority and to hold the Administration accountable to the law. This courageous bill is a crucial step towards fulfilling this promise, but – like the Articles against Cheney – they require your support to convince Democrats and open-minded Republicans to support this bold but necessary action.

Time is running out so we must work together to spread the message and apply pressure.

First, please encourage your friends and family members to sign up at WexlerWantsHearings.com – as it will allow us to keep in touch with you and speak to a wider audience. If you haven't yet put in your phone and address, please sign up again, as we will be doing telephone town halls in the near future.

Second, call your representative and urge them to support Impeachment hearings.

Finally, contact newspapers, news stations, and your favorite bloggers and urge them to report on this movement. We need to keep Impeachment a significant news story until the Democratic leadership sees the value in it.

McClellan Agrees to Testify:

I was pleased to inform you yesterday that Judiciary Committee Chairman Conyers met my call to have Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan testify under oath. I am thrilled to inform you that McClellan has agreed to testify on June 20th at 10AM. This will be the first step in what we hope will be ongoing and deepening examinations of the stark evidence and charges against both President Bush and Vice President Cheney.

Thank you for your continued passion and advocacy. Your support means so much to me.

Sincerely,

Congressman Robert Wexler

Please sign up at WexlerWantsHearings.com . It took me 20 seconds.

Now, spread the word!

:>)

Impeachment Articles Read on the House Floor

Right this minute, Rep. Dennis Kucinich is on the floor of the House of Representatives introducing 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush.

Watch C-Span Now!

If you don't have cable, go to a bar and tell them to put it on C-Span 1!

Or watch at the Video/Audio tab at C-Span.

Action in the House coming later this week!

Good websites to watch for updates and actions:

http://kucinich.us
http://democrats.com
http://afterdowningstreet.org

Hooray, Dennis!!

Free Ride for a Flip Flopper

There's no question John McCain is getting a free ride from the mainstream press. But with the power of YouTube and the blogosphere, we can provide an accurate portrayal of the so-called Maverick. We can put the brakes on his free ride!
Robert Greenwald: Brave New Films

Help spread the word about the real McCain. Forward this to all your friends.

Obama could score a huge electoral victory over McCain

"The simulation takes the polls we have now and recognizes that this far out from the election there are a lot of uncertainties," Poblano explained. "There was a point in time [in 1984] at which Walter Mondale led Ronald Reagan by 17 points or something. So we look at how much polls move over time, plus the margin of error in each poll, plus the fact that polls are never as good as they claim to be And we just simulate around that."

There's a lot to McCain you shouldn't believe when you watch corporate media. Discover the blogosphere, and leverage the media landscape to YOUR advantage.

Fear No Evil

Don't be despondent. Change can happen. (Click on the book's image to see how.)

“Zinn writes with an enthusiasm rarely encountered in the leaden prose of academic history. . .” – New York Times Book Review

A Power Governments Cannot Suppress is Howard Zinn’s major new collection of essays on American history, class, immigration, justice, and ordinary citizens who have made a difference.

Even though Bush compares Obama to Nazi appeasers, and feels justified in saying so because he, W, gave up golf for the Iraq War, Olbermann replies:
Olbermann To Bush: "This War Is Not About You...Shut The Hell Up!"

Truer words were never spoken. :>)

These events seem to indicate the Republican attack machine is focusing on the likelihood of Obama securing the nomination. White collar criminals are doing their damnedest to support Rove's sneering legacy:

Limbaugh Wins As Election’s Biggest Manipulator

From attacking Republican frontrunner John McCain early in the process to ‘dreaming’ of – and some say illegally calling for — riots at August’s Democratic National Convention in Denver, all the way to more recent efforts such as “Operation Chaos,” aimed at inserting himself and his followers into the Democratic primaries in an attempt to weaken Barack Obama by supporting Hillary Clinton, the so-called “Limbaugh effect” has garnered excessive attention from the ‘drive-by’ mainstream media that Limbaugh purports to hate but actually depends on and manipulates adroitly.

And Tom Hayden weighs in on Susan Faludi and Hillary Clinton.

Not to be outdone, Garrison Keillor expresses a fine opinion about his beloved country in the International Herald Tribune:

You work hard to be odd and try to have unique problems and a Facebook page that is weirder than everyone else's - fine, it's your life, it's your arm with the crocodile tattoo, not mine, but enjoy this brief period of consanguinity.

Cheers!

Blood and Oil - The Movie

Michael T. Klare's Blood and Oil (Media Education Foundation) illustrates the real cost of our American lifestyle. Buy it, devour it, then speak the truth. Twitter it, even. IM it. Put it on Facebook, but get it out there, somehow.

Synopsis:

The notion that oil motivates America's military engagements in the Middle East has long been dismissed as nonsense or mere conspiracy theory. Blood and Oil, a new documentary based on the critically-acclaimed work of Nation magazine defense correspondent Michael T. Klare, challenges this conventional wisdom to correct the historical record. The film unearths declassified documents and highlights forgotten passages in prominent presidential doctrines to show how concerns about oil have been at the core of American foreign policy for more than 60 years – rendering our contemporary energy and military policies virtually indistinguishable. In the end, Blood and Oil calls for a radical re-thinking of US energy policy, warning that unless we change direction, we stand to be drawn into one oil war after another as the global hunt for diminishing world petroleum supplies accelerates.

With $4/gal oil coming soon, and no end in sight to price increases, you can see how badly we've mismanaged the past 30+ years since the oil embargo. You had to be there, then you would know, if you haven't figured it out already. EVERYTHING about us depends on cheap and plentiful oil. There is no Plan B.

Since Reagan first took office, there never was any will to create a Plan B -- too uncomfortable, too difficult. Instead, it was "Morning in America", the misguided Gipper-speak that launched the appetites of tens of millions to create a nation of mindless, egocentric consumers, helpless in the glare of the TV Nation, created by the perfect marriage of Madison Avenue "feel good" slogans and Hollywood action figures, the perfect Animal Farm scenario. Long live infotainment.

Engaging in war for control of resources is nothing new. Think Japan in the 1930's. Think about how much oil that second world war consumed.

Then:

• Think about how much oil it takes to keep the world's most mechanized armed forces on the move today.
• Think about how much oil the war in Iraq has consumed.
• Think about how a proud serviceman must know, sadly, he and his buddies are fighting and dying over a barrel of oil.

Yes, let's think about oil. Texas billionaires be damned.

More on Michael Klare:

• Michael Klare, Oil Rules!
• A conversation with Michael Klare
• The New Geopolitics of Energy
• An oil-addicted ex-superpower
  

Most Effective Terrorist Tools Exposed!

There's not much more to say!

Well, you might want to know that since 2002, your Wi-Fi has been considered a terrorist tool. So divest thee of wickedness, and go back to the twisted pair.

Cheers.

May Day in the USA

May Day is the real Labor Day, and it was brought to you by anarchists, vicious repression by police and militia, and the desire for an eight hour work day. In Russia? No, here is the USA. Our current Labor Day is merely window dressing to cover the unpleasant truth.

Let's see how far we've progressed.

This week's cover story to The Nation is called "Race to the Bottom", featuring Hillary Clinton on the cover.

"Watching the brass ring of the presidency slip out of Clinton's grasp as she is buffeted by this torrent of misogyny, women--white women, that is, and mainstream feminists especially--have rallied to her defense."

and

"The sexist attacks on Clinton are outrageous and deplorable, but there's reason to be concerned about her becoming the vehicle for a feminist reawakening. "

The primary should not be a contest about feminism or race, even though it will be hard to avoid. I don't think Presidential races ever took the high ground. This should be a contest about how we can recover from the boy emperor's war, if we can. There is a McCain plan to make Bush permanent. If the other two hopefuls can stop attacking each other long enough to talk specifics, I'd like to hear REAL proposals for recovery.

My opinion: I don't care too much who gets the nomination. Both Democratic candidates aren't too far apart on the war. My main reason for voting against Hillary was her unabashed and continued support for it. The war is destroying every aspect of the American way of life.

Yet,

Obama Says His Foreign Policy Would Be Like That of President Bush's Father, JFK, Reagan

Totally scary. As much as they appear to be 'against' it, I don't think either has voted to "unfund" the war yet. We're in Iraq for a long time, till the end of the empire. Only the history books will report whether the end was was short and sweet, or long and painful. We merely have to live it, unfortunately.

Compare our candidates to someone who is actually doing something about peace in the political world, and you will see how far we've fallen. Ever since he left office, this outstanding person has lived his principles. Yet, he gets no respect.

Read the Pariah Diplomacy editorial to see who I mean.

OK? Now I'm here to tell you, there is only one true peace candidate.

Go ahead, hate me - it's sad no one can believe we could ever have such a vision of democracy in the USA. My vote is really going to be against McCain, not for a candidate who represents my values.