As Christmas approaches, accompanied with burnout from the political season and overload from the holiday season, I have been on hiatus, save for the occasional foray to remain at least somewhat current. In addition to supporting the causes I care about and planning for the coming year, I took a moment to visit the Gratefulness.org site and light a candle for truth. I hope you will all do the same. It's free and contributes to both your peace of mind and the state of energy in the world.
http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/view.cfm?l=eng&c=7355356
Warmest wishes for peace and comfort during this holiday season and the coming year.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Thursday, December 11, 2008
The Letter Of The Law
"In a government of laws, existence of the government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the laws scrupulously. Our government is the potent omnipresent teacher. For good or ill, it teaches the whole people by its example."--Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis
Never were those words more applicable than today. Never have they been truer. We were once known as a nation of laws. Over the last several years, especially, our government's adherence to the values and the sacred documents of our nation has waned, drifting perilously close to the edge of oblivion as our Bill of Rights, Consitution and election laws have been whittled away in favor of granting increased power and secrecy to not only Federal government, but individual State governments as well.
Governor Blagojevich and his assistant John Harris have been arrested; Axelrod and Obama suddenly claim not to have had any dealings with either of them in spite of reports from several sources about meetings and phone calls between them in November and early December.
In the wake of the release of a 77 page Criminal Complaint, Chicago homicide detectives have requested the asssitance of Federal Prosecutor Fitzpatrick in obtaining phone records from Obama, Reverend Wright, Donald Young and others. Previous attempts to obtain these records in connection with the murder investigation of Donald Young were thwarted by the Chicago Police Department and Mayor Daley's office.
In recent years we have seen a massive breakdown in the willingness to abide by our laws in some sectors. Although the majority of Americans are law abiding, many more are not, and the question remains as to what could be the cause. Surely a government must abide by its own laws--not just SOME of the government abiding by SOME of the laws--but ALL of the government must abide by and uphold ALL of its laws in order to command the respect and loyalty of its citizens. In these times of media generated fear and global concerns it is all too easy to excuse governmental law breaking as an exigency in fending off terrorists. Witness FISA, and the issue of employing illegal spy tactics. Senator Schumer of NY voted against granting immunity to the communication corporations who broke the law in that regard; Obama, despite his assertions that he would "filibuster against [granting them immunity]" voted to grant that immunity anyway.
With turnabouts like this, is it any wonder that integrity, loyalty, honor, and respect for our words, deeds and laws has seen a downturn at the least and a drubbing at worst?
We were once a nation of laws, and to continue to be a nation at all, we must resolve to follow them--ALL must follow ALL laws, not just the ones we deem convenient, be we citizens or government.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Hubris Rules...Can the End Be Near?
"On November 10, Governor Blagojevich, his wife, Chief of Staff John Harris, Governor General Counsel, and other Washington-based advisors participated at different times in a two-hour phone call in which they allegedly discussed, among other things, a deal involving the SEIU. Harris said they could work out a deal with the union and the President-elect where SEIU could help the President-elect with Blagojevich’s appointment of Senate Candidate 1, while Blagojevich would obtain a position as the National Director of the Change to Win campaign and SEIU would get something favorable from the President-elect in the future."
At long last, Governor Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested early this morning on charges of conspiring to benefit financially from his role in appointing a U.S. senator to fill the vacancy left by Barack Obama's election as president, along with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.
Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to press for campaign contributions, prosecutors said. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/12/us-v-blagojevich-harris-the-criminal-complaint.html The irony is not lost on the fact that it was printed in full by the Chicago Tribune, which is among those whom Blagojevich tried to extort.
This, from the governor of Illinois, Obama's "home" state. It has long been known that, as one of the most corrupt states in the Union, few things happen without the blessing and the knowledge of its governor. To deny that Obama knows about this, an every other transgression is belies either ignorance or stupidity, and probably both.
In Mike Madden's piece in today's Salon dot com, he rudely [and oh so ignorantly] ridicules all those who realize that Obama has offered NOTHING to prove that he meets the eligibility requirements of the U.S. Constitution by being a NATURAL BORN U.S. CITIZEN, and derisively derides those at the press conference held yesterday at the National Press Club. As is usually the case with the uninformed, Mr. Madden embarrassed himself more than any of his targets, and all the ridicule in the world is no substitute for the absence of fact. The fact that Obama is clearly unable to meet the basic eligibility requirements, plus the fact that he arose from the mire of the infamous Illinois political machine lend even more credence to the fact that, along with sealed educational records from three colleges including his sources for tuition [aside from Khalid al Mansour and Percy Sutton], this is truly The Man From Nowhere, and as such, is not only ineligible to be POTUS, but is touched with poisoned fruit as well.
Tony Rezko has been convicted, just one of many in the endless parade of bad actors in this morality play gone wrong. One can only hope that the arrogance and hubris they share will bring them all down swiftly.
At long last, Governor Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were arrested early this morning on charges of conspiring to benefit financially from his role in appointing a U.S. senator to fill the vacancy left by Barack Obama's election as president, along with illegally threatening to withhold state assistance to Tribune Co., the owner of the Chicago Tribune, in the sale of Wrigley Field. In return for state assistance, Blagojevich allegedly wanted members of the paper's editorial board who had been critical of him fired.
Blagojevich also was charged with using his authority as governor in an attempt to press for campaign contributions, prosecutors said. http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/12/us-v-blagojevich-harris-the-criminal-complaint.html The irony is not lost on the fact that it was printed in full by the Chicago Tribune, which is among those whom Blagojevich tried to extort.
This, from the governor of Illinois, Obama's "home" state. It has long been known that, as one of the most corrupt states in the Union, few things happen without the blessing and the knowledge of its governor. To deny that Obama knows about this, an every other transgression is belies either ignorance or stupidity, and probably both.
In Mike Madden's piece in today's Salon dot com, he rudely [and oh so ignorantly] ridicules all those who realize that Obama has offered NOTHING to prove that he meets the eligibility requirements of the U.S. Constitution by being a NATURAL BORN U.S. CITIZEN, and derisively derides those at the press conference held yesterday at the National Press Club. As is usually the case with the uninformed, Mr. Madden embarrassed himself more than any of his targets, and all the ridicule in the world is no substitute for the absence of fact. The fact that Obama is clearly unable to meet the basic eligibility requirements, plus the fact that he arose from the mire of the infamous Illinois political machine lend even more credence to the fact that, along with sealed educational records from three colleges including his sources for tuition [aside from Khalid al Mansour and Percy Sutton], this is truly The Man From Nowhere, and as such, is not only ineligible to be POTUS, but is touched with poisoned fruit as well.
Tony Rezko has been convicted, just one of many in the endless parade of bad actors in this morality play gone wrong. One can only hope that the arrogance and hubris they share will bring them all down swiftly.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
The Significe of Papers
From the Federalist Papers, a series of essays under the nome de plume Publius, supporting the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison in the 1780s to the Pentagon Papers, a top-secret Department of Defense history of the United States' political-military involvement in Vietnam, commissioned by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara in 1967 and never intended for publication, two hundred years have passed.
Leaked to the public in 1971 and exposing the administration of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, in contrast with the Federalist Papers, written for publication in support of a system of rules from which to govern a new nation, the Pentagon Papers, according to Daniel Ellsberg, the individual who eventually leaked them to NY Times reporter Neil Sheehan, "demonstrated unconstitutional behavior by a succession of presidents, the violation of their oath and the violation of the oath of every one of their subordinates" and stated that he had leaked the papers "in the hopes of getting the nation out of "a wrongful war."
In that two hundred years, our nation went from one seeking truth in government for and by the People to one seeking to hide the truth from them in secretly commissioned studies, never intended to reach the public eye. In the decades since the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers have receded into the dusty shelves of library history stacks as we continued to face an onslaught of growing deception at the hands of a government once lauded for its populist view. The protection of checks and balances informed by the founding fathers continued to erode, leaving more room than ever for abuse of power and spurning of the Constitution and those transgressions for which Nixon finally fell have continued-- agreements with Iran to hold hostages until after the Reagan election, Oliver North and the Iran Contra affair, the Weapons of Mass Destruction fable floated to gain approval for the Iraq invasion and subsequent violations of privacy and human rights under the auspices of Homeland Security concerns.
Despite these tragedies, we have continued to survive as a nation even as the current administration has lowered our standing in the eyes of the world and the economic meltdown continues to unravel and unnerve the very fabric of our everyday life. As Joe Biden and Colin Powell make dire predictions of imminent food and water shortages, we struggle to recover from what appears to be yet another stolen election, this time by an entity whose very origin remains for the most part unknown, and whose titular head is most certainly not even qualified to hold the office of POTUS by the standards enunciated by Article II Section I of the U.S. Constitution and elucidated in U.S. Code, Title 8,§ 1401. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sec_08_00001401----000-.html
Rather than restate the arguments and their citations here, interested readers can refer to the excellent essay containing documentation links, by drkate, published on the TD site. http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/stand-by-me/#comment-27587
In recent years, freedom of the press has become little more than license for media to promulgate untruths and suppress truths, further hobbling the electorate's ability to make sound decisions at the voting booth. Schools and even institutions of higher learning have so curtailed basic civics and Amerian history classes that fewer and fewer of the American public have even the slightest idea as to how the papers of our founding fathers worked to form the structure from which our system of government grew, have almost no idea how our voting processes should work, or even the contents of our Constitution and its amendments, the first ten comprising our Bill of Rights. As a result, through ignorance and bad information from media, we are faced with a candidate who is ineligible to hold the office of POTUS,and our nation now faces the worst consitutional crisis in our history aside from the 1861 secession of the Confederate states. Perhaps saddest of all is the fact that few Americans seem to realize this or even care. Pravda, long dismissed as Russia's cold war propaganda paper, has scooped the American media on this momentous news. Not because no one knew it, but because, in spite of the thousands of entreaties by concerned Americans, the American media refused to cover it or even mention it until Friday, December 5, and when they finally did, couched the reports in snide looks, rolling eyes and pronouncements that the nearly 20 lawsuits challenging this ineligible individual's attempt to seize the White House through fraud are little more than political ploys.
Mounds of paper have already been drawn and served, and mounds will continue. Over 60,000 letters had reached the Supreme Court by the December 5 conference which was convened to examine the merits of granting certiorari for the Donofrio, and many more will follow. Lawsuits continue to mount as those who hold our Constitution dear try to wrest its destruction from the hands of the enemy within. The vigil of work and prayer continue as we strive to save the blueprint of our Democracy.
For updates see http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/ , http://drorly.blogspot.com/
To assist in the efforts, visit the links above or email RichardLawrenceMusic@gmail.com
Leaked to the public in 1971 and exposing the administration of U.S. President Richard M. Nixon, in contrast with the Federalist Papers, written for publication in support of a system of rules from which to govern a new nation, the Pentagon Papers, according to Daniel Ellsberg, the individual who eventually leaked them to NY Times reporter Neil Sheehan, "demonstrated unconstitutional behavior by a succession of presidents, the violation of their oath and the violation of the oath of every one of their subordinates" and stated that he had leaked the papers "in the hopes of getting the nation out of "a wrongful war."
In that two hundred years, our nation went from one seeking truth in government for and by the People to one seeking to hide the truth from them in secretly commissioned studies, never intended to reach the public eye. In the decades since the Vietnam War, the Pentagon Papers have receded into the dusty shelves of library history stacks as we continued to face an onslaught of growing deception at the hands of a government once lauded for its populist view. The protection of checks and balances informed by the founding fathers continued to erode, leaving more room than ever for abuse of power and spurning of the Constitution and those transgressions for which Nixon finally fell have continued-- agreements with Iran to hold hostages until after the Reagan election, Oliver North and the Iran Contra affair, the Weapons of Mass Destruction fable floated to gain approval for the Iraq invasion and subsequent violations of privacy and human rights under the auspices of Homeland Security concerns.
Despite these tragedies, we have continued to survive as a nation even as the current administration has lowered our standing in the eyes of the world and the economic meltdown continues to unravel and unnerve the very fabric of our everyday life. As Joe Biden and Colin Powell make dire predictions of imminent food and water shortages, we struggle to recover from what appears to be yet another stolen election, this time by an entity whose very origin remains for the most part unknown, and whose titular head is most certainly not even qualified to hold the office of POTUS by the standards enunciated by Article II Section I of the U.S. Constitution and elucidated in U.S. Code, Title 8,§ 1401. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode08/usc_sec_08_00001401----000-.html
Rather than restate the arguments and their citations here, interested readers can refer to the excellent essay containing documentation links, by drkate, published on the TD site. http://texasdarlin.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/stand-by-me/#comment-27587
In recent years, freedom of the press has become little more than license for media to promulgate untruths and suppress truths, further hobbling the electorate's ability to make sound decisions at the voting booth. Schools and even institutions of higher learning have so curtailed basic civics and Amerian history classes that fewer and fewer of the American public have even the slightest idea as to how the papers of our founding fathers worked to form the structure from which our system of government grew, have almost no idea how our voting processes should work, or even the contents of our Constitution and its amendments, the first ten comprising our Bill of Rights. As a result, through ignorance and bad information from media, we are faced with a candidate who is ineligible to hold the office of POTUS,and our nation now faces the worst consitutional crisis in our history aside from the 1861 secession of the Confederate states. Perhaps saddest of all is the fact that few Americans seem to realize this or even care. Pravda, long dismissed as Russia's cold war propaganda paper, has scooped the American media on this momentous news. Not because no one knew it, but because, in spite of the thousands of entreaties by concerned Americans, the American media refused to cover it or even mention it until Friday, December 5, and when they finally did, couched the reports in snide looks, rolling eyes and pronouncements that the nearly 20 lawsuits challenging this ineligible individual's attempt to seize the White House through fraud are little more than political ploys.
Mounds of paper have already been drawn and served, and mounds will continue. Over 60,000 letters had reached the Supreme Court by the December 5 conference which was convened to examine the merits of granting certiorari for the Donofrio, and many more will follow. Lawsuits continue to mount as those who hold our Constitution dear try to wrest its destruction from the hands of the enemy within. The vigil of work and prayer continue as we strive to save the blueprint of our Democracy.
For updates see http://naturalborncitizen.wordpress.com/ , http://drorly.blogspot.com/
To assist in the efforts, visit the links above or email RichardLawrenceMusic@gmail.com
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Patriotism + Passion = New Nation
Most of us grew up learning about the birth of our nation in school--brave words and deeds from passionate patriots so committed to their beliefs that they risked their lives and their property to declare independence from British rule and form a new nation, dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. [Declaration of Independence, T. Jefferson, 1776 http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm ] Of course, as we have evolved, women and people of all colors and creeds have come to be included in that phrase of equal protection, and women like Betsy Ross, Dolly Madison, Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul have taken their place along with the founding fathers in our history.
The combination of patriotism and passion has always been forged in fire and, like the ever-enduring phoenix, rises again and again in times of trial to build a new nation or restore an old one.
The events of the last several years, culminating in the election of 2008 and the financial meltdown have taken a severe toll on our once proud nation but have also awakened the inherent patriotism and love of country in many Americans and they have come together to work for shared goals despite differences in ideology, party affiliation, religion, race, creed or social origin. For that is true patriotism: for the love of one's country to supercede all else, and make one willing to sacrifice to preserve and protect the laws, rights and constitution of the country one loves.
We await tomorrow's conference at the United States Supreme Court with baited breath--rarely, if ever, has the fate of our nation hung so much in the balance, with a constitutional crisis of such magnitude just inches from our heels. Tomorrow a vigil will be held on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as our nation waits and prays that those within will muster the courage and conviction to uphold the sacred tenets of our Constitution. These are indeed the times that try all of our souls, and raise the strength within us all to fight for our country and its nation of laws.
Rarely have we seen our country so besieged--not since the American Revolution have so many had their consciousness raised in such a way as to energize them to come to the aid of their country. But having been thus called, the Movement for the Love of Country continues to grow, and the goals for which we all work will again be realized.
The combination of patriotism and passion has always been forged in fire and, like the ever-enduring phoenix, rises again and again in times of trial to build a new nation or restore an old one.
The events of the last several years, culminating in the election of 2008 and the financial meltdown have taken a severe toll on our once proud nation but have also awakened the inherent patriotism and love of country in many Americans and they have come together to work for shared goals despite differences in ideology, party affiliation, religion, race, creed or social origin. For that is true patriotism: for the love of one's country to supercede all else, and make one willing to sacrifice to preserve and protect the laws, rights and constitution of the country one loves.
We await tomorrow's conference at the United States Supreme Court with baited breath--rarely, if ever, has the fate of our nation hung so much in the balance, with a constitutional crisis of such magnitude just inches from our heels. Tomorrow a vigil will be held on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as our nation waits and prays that those within will muster the courage and conviction to uphold the sacred tenets of our Constitution. These are indeed the times that try all of our souls, and raise the strength within us all to fight for our country and its nation of laws.
Rarely have we seen our country so besieged--not since the American Revolution have so many had their consciousness raised in such a way as to energize them to come to the aid of their country. But having been thus called, the Movement for the Love of Country continues to grow, and the goals for which we all work will again be realized.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Hail Madame Secretary!
The election is over. And Hillary won, in more ways than one. Today she has been officially announced as Obama's choice for Secretary of State. As much as I dislike the idea of losing her as my Senator from New York, my love of country and faith in her superior ability to serve allow me to be grateful for this change. There is no one, except possibly former President Clinton, who could do as well, especially in these troubled times. If there is anyone who can help to heal our nation and repair our reputation in the eyes of the world it is Hillary. Whatever she does, she does extremely well, putting her heart, soul and considerable mind into it with complete dedication and commitment to doing her very best. We can ask no more, and she will do no less.
Once again, she has shown us how to win no matter what hand she is dealt, and how to do it with utter grace, restraint, and foresight. She has refused to let anyone get her down--not the thugs from Chicago, the low lying media or the misogynists. She has truly risen, flying far above the crowds, showing the way as always with dignity, humility and faith in her own abilities.
There is no better way to end this piece than to quote her very own words:
"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you're knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on...for everyone who's been ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up -- this one is for you! --hrc
Once again, she has shown us how to win no matter what hand she is dealt, and how to do it with utter grace, restraint, and foresight. She has refused to let anyone get her down--not the thugs from Chicago, the low lying media or the misogynists. She has truly risen, flying far above the crowds, showing the way as always with dignity, humility and faith in her own abilities.
There is no better way to end this piece than to quote her very own words:
"Always aim high, work hard, and care deeply about what you believe in. When you stumble, keep faith. When you're knocked down, get right back up. And NEVER listen to anyone who says you can't or shouldn't go on...for everyone who's been ever been counted out but refused to be knocked out, for everyone who has stumbled but stood right back up, and for everyone who works hard and never gives up -- this one is for you! --hrc
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Giving Thanks Amidst Adversity
Tomorrow our nation will celebrate a day of Thanksgiving, first signed into being by Abraham Lincoln in 1863 during the War Between the States in October of that year and written by then Secretary of State William Seward. Its purpose was to "set apart the last Thursday of November "as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise." http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/thanks.htm
Something for which we can all be grateful this year is that, for the first time, our nation will add another long awaited, highly important observance: On October 8 of this year, the Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008 [Public Law #110-370 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hj110-62] was signed into law to honor the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the United States on November 28, 2008 and every year thereafter. At long last we have set aside a day on which to celebrate the People who were here before any of us, and whose iconic cultures have set the standard for honor, courage and reverence for the natural world.
Today, as then, our nation faces multiple major crises, perhaps even more serious than ever before: an unending war, loss of world stature, financial and economic crisis, human rights violations and indeed our very way of life at risk, as our Constitution and Bill of Rights remain under constant assault through the abrogations which have already occurred throughout the tenure of the present administration and already the next, with their insistence on running a candidate whose previously held citizenships in Kenya and Indonesia automatically render him ineligible, not being a natural born American citizen.
It can be difficult indeed to summon an attitude of gratitude and thanks while we labor under this cloud of chaos and fear. Interestingly, late last night as I surfed the channels for a brief distraction, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" appeared...it is too good a film to pass by, so I watched. After that came "Fast Food Nation," followed by "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Shawshank Redemption," all of which I had seen before, and all of which are so compelling as to make it impossible not to see them again. Like a tongue obsessed with seeking a broken tooth, films like this compel us to watch them, again and again. Why? Because they tell the truth. Regardless of outcome, the Truth is all we have, and if we don't accept it we cannot begin to set things right. As painful as it is, we cannot ignore it, lest it happen again, lest we become so dead to reality as to become bigger pawns than we already are.
And so, I watched. Strange as it may seem, and painful as it is, I salute those about whom these films are made; I salute the actors, directors and producers who are willing to make them, and thus spread truth to the mainstream, where action takes root. And, often, just when I find it most difficult to bear, I remember that, no matter what, we shall always have truth, and for that alone, I have gratitude. Truth is always there, if we let it in and share it. It may be brutal sometimes, but it is always clean and direct, and provides the ground from which to build.
Yes, there are still thousands of troops in the Middle East and still more waiting to deploy, many for their third and fourth tours; our nation is still plagued with all manner of crisis, our government has instituted rendition torture policies, [if you do nothing else today, see SusanunPC's NoQuarterUSA article on "Alienable Rights," http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/24/alienable-rights/#comment-1062483] trampling our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Staggering amounts of money continue to be funneled to ailing corporate institutions who have failed to observe sound business practices and now demand--and GET!--humungous bailout after humungous bailout as our deficit soars, and main stream media has completely abdicated its responsibility to report any of it, its most recent transgression being the refusal to carry the biggest news in election history: namely, there are some 17 lawsuits going forward to challenge the president designee's citizenship eligibility, two of which have now landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue is not about where the president-designee was born; it is the fact that he is NOT a natural born American citizen and thus by running, has violated Article II Section 1 Clause 5 of the United States Constitution. [See http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/alankeyesobama for an excellent explanation] The fact that our Constitution has been abrogated is horrifying; the fact that there ARE people who realize that and are working to protect it is a source of eternal gratitude.
Be that as it may, we still have much to be thankful for: the love, support and delight of friends and family; duty, honor, courage and integrity; love and compassion wherever we may find it; the special brand of creativity, innovation, commitment, passion and patriotism that can be found in so many--the list can be endless, and, in times like these, it is ever more important to remember to give thanks every day. And, always and all ways, it is Truth we must hold most dear, for it is only in Truth that we can find our way.
Something for which we can all be grateful this year is that, for the first time, our nation will add another long awaited, highly important observance: On October 8 of this year, the Native American Heritage Day Act of 2008 [Public Law #110-370 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=hj110-62] was signed into law to honor the achievements and contributions of Native Americans to the United States on November 28, 2008 and every year thereafter. At long last we have set aside a day on which to celebrate the People who were here before any of us, and whose iconic cultures have set the standard for honor, courage and reverence for the natural world.
Today, as then, our nation faces multiple major crises, perhaps even more serious than ever before: an unending war, loss of world stature, financial and economic crisis, human rights violations and indeed our very way of life at risk, as our Constitution and Bill of Rights remain under constant assault through the abrogations which have already occurred throughout the tenure of the present administration and already the next, with their insistence on running a candidate whose previously held citizenships in Kenya and Indonesia automatically render him ineligible, not being a natural born American citizen.
It can be difficult indeed to summon an attitude of gratitude and thanks while we labor under this cloud of chaos and fear. Interestingly, late last night as I surfed the channels for a brief distraction, "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee" appeared...it is too good a film to pass by, so I watched. After that came "Fast Food Nation," followed by "Flags of Our Fathers" and "Shawshank Redemption," all of which I had seen before, and all of which are so compelling as to make it impossible not to see them again. Like a tongue obsessed with seeking a broken tooth, films like this compel us to watch them, again and again. Why? Because they tell the truth. Regardless of outcome, the Truth is all we have, and if we don't accept it we cannot begin to set things right. As painful as it is, we cannot ignore it, lest it happen again, lest we become so dead to reality as to become bigger pawns than we already are.
And so, I watched. Strange as it may seem, and painful as it is, I salute those about whom these films are made; I salute the actors, directors and producers who are willing to make them, and thus spread truth to the mainstream, where action takes root. And, often, just when I find it most difficult to bear, I remember that, no matter what, we shall always have truth, and for that alone, I have gratitude. Truth is always there, if we let it in and share it. It may be brutal sometimes, but it is always clean and direct, and provides the ground from which to build.
Yes, there are still thousands of troops in the Middle East and still more waiting to deploy, many for their third and fourth tours; our nation is still plagued with all manner of crisis, our government has instituted rendition torture policies, [if you do nothing else today, see SusanunPC's NoQuarterUSA article on "Alienable Rights," http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/24/alienable-rights/#comment-1062483] trampling our Constitution and Bill of Rights. Staggering amounts of money continue to be funneled to ailing corporate institutions who have failed to observe sound business practices and now demand--and GET!--humungous bailout after humungous bailout as our deficit soars, and main stream media has completely abdicated its responsibility to report any of it, its most recent transgression being the refusal to carry the biggest news in election history: namely, there are some 17 lawsuits going forward to challenge the president designee's citizenship eligibility, two of which have now landed in the U.S. Supreme Court. The issue is not about where the president-designee was born; it is the fact that he is NOT a natural born American citizen and thus by running, has violated Article II Section 1 Clause 5 of the United States Constitution. [See http://www.essence.com/news_entertainment/news/articles/alankeyesobama for an excellent explanation] The fact that our Constitution has been abrogated is horrifying; the fact that there ARE people who realize that and are working to protect it is a source of eternal gratitude.
Be that as it may, we still have much to be thankful for: the love, support and delight of friends and family; duty, honor, courage and integrity; love and compassion wherever we may find it; the special brand of creativity, innovation, commitment, passion and patriotism that can be found in so many--the list can be endless, and, in times like these, it is ever more important to remember to give thanks every day. And, always and all ways, it is Truth we must hold most dear, for it is only in Truth that we can find our way.
Monday, November 24, 2008
The PUMA Spirit Lives!
steve_in_kc posted a terrific piece on todays NoQuarter http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/23/the-year-of-the-puma/.
He posed some provoking questions and shared some salient thoughts with respect to the issues we face:
1. What exactly is PUMA and is it still relevant?
2. Is the PUMA thing a thing of the past with the passing of the election?
3. And am I a closet Republican now?
to which I replied with the post below.
Yours are questions we all entertain from time to time, especially now, as what I like to call our Phase III, or ongoing Movement Forward begins to take form. FWIW, PUMA is indeed a spirit..it is organic and embraces everyone [or should!] and anyone who resists being defrauded, manipulated and compartmentalized, marginalized and ignored by an old party line, regardless of who is perpetrating it; who long for change and are willing to work together with others for it; who embraces true unity from diversity, eschews sexism and partisanship and can be registered or not registered with any party. There is a significant majority of Americans--about 80%--that favors centrism and moderation, and it is this segment of Americans who have been ignored and forgotten by both the Republican and Democratic parties. Each coalition under the PUMA/JSND umbrella is free to address these issues in their own way and my hope is that we can all continue to work together in a loose coalition, toward our shared goals.
There is absolutely NO doubt that the PUMA Spirit lives, alive and well, and continues to grow exponentially. We have just begun to fight--for our country and its people, for its Constitution and Bill of Rights, for all of those things for which our forefathers and mothers fought and risked so much. I am thrilled by the incredible successes we have had in a very short time since we pounced into being in June 2008! The 300 Delegates, the branding and exposure of the PUMA name and spirit--our movement has been covered and recognized all over the world and in all 50 states! I have no doubt that we will continue to be a growing force in American political and media reform.
As for including men in the PUMA spirit, it is imperative! To me, one of the most significant roles of PUMA is to teach ourselves and others to be INclusive--to embrace both men and women of all ages, creeds, races and cultures--to value human rights and accord everyone dignity and respect, irrespective of whether we always agree. I recommend all those interested in promulgating these values to visit and join The New Agenda http://thenewagenda.org and http://Together4US.com, and, beginning the first week of December, http://SpiritofPuma.com. All are non partisan, with The New Agenda's focus primarily on the eradication of sexism and the others tackling political and media reform as well. All welcome BOTH men AND women! Visit and join, and urge your friends to do the same, for this is where I believe our futures lie--with all people, creeds and genders, working together for the common good of our country and its principles of democracy and human rights for all.
Again, my thanks to Steve for his most constructive and compelling post. It is from posts like his that we can all continue to evaluate ourselves and our progress, our participation and our effectiveness, and to remember that basically, we all share mutual concerns and goals, and need to embrace one another in working together for them.
He posed some provoking questions and shared some salient thoughts with respect to the issues we face:
1. What exactly is PUMA and is it still relevant?
2. Is the PUMA thing a thing of the past with the passing of the election?
3. And am I a closet Republican now?
to which I replied with the post below.
Yours are questions we all entertain from time to time, especially now, as what I like to call our Phase III, or ongoing Movement Forward begins to take form. FWIW, PUMA is indeed a spirit..it is organic and embraces everyone [or should!] and anyone who resists being defrauded, manipulated and compartmentalized, marginalized and ignored by an old party line, regardless of who is perpetrating it; who long for change and are willing to work together with others for it; who embraces true unity from diversity, eschews sexism and partisanship and can be registered or not registered with any party. There is a significant majority of Americans--about 80%--that favors centrism and moderation, and it is this segment of Americans who have been ignored and forgotten by both the Republican and Democratic parties. Each coalition under the PUMA/JSND umbrella is free to address these issues in their own way and my hope is that we can all continue to work together in a loose coalition, toward our shared goals.
There is absolutely NO doubt that the PUMA Spirit lives, alive and well, and continues to grow exponentially. We have just begun to fight--for our country and its people, for its Constitution and Bill of Rights, for all of those things for which our forefathers and mothers fought and risked so much. I am thrilled by the incredible successes we have had in a very short time since we pounced into being in June 2008! The 300 Delegates, the branding and exposure of the PUMA name and spirit--our movement has been covered and recognized all over the world and in all 50 states! I have no doubt that we will continue to be a growing force in American political and media reform.
As for including men in the PUMA spirit, it is imperative! To me, one of the most significant roles of PUMA is to teach ourselves and others to be INclusive--to embrace both men and women of all ages, creeds, races and cultures--to value human rights and accord everyone dignity and respect, irrespective of whether we always agree. I recommend all those interested in promulgating these values to visit and join The New Agenda http://thenewagenda.org and http://Together4US.com, and, beginning the first week of December, http://SpiritofPuma.com. All are non partisan, with The New Agenda's focus primarily on the eradication of sexism and the others tackling political and media reform as well. All welcome BOTH men AND women! Visit and join, and urge your friends to do the same, for this is where I believe our futures lie--with all people, creeds and genders, working together for the common good of our country and its principles of democracy and human rights for all.
Again, my thanks to Steve for his most constructive and compelling post. It is from posts like his that we can all continue to evaluate ourselves and our progress, our participation and our effectiveness, and to remember that basically, we all share mutual concerns and goals, and need to embrace one another in working together for them.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Hope Floats...and Dreams DO Come True!
From FOX News, Nov. 18: Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales have been indicted on state charges involving federal prisons in a South Texas county that has been a source of bizarre legal and political battles under the outgoing prosecutor.
The indictment returned Monday has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/18/cheney-gonale-indicted/
Although no action has yet been taken, it is a significant step forward into holding Messrs. Cheney and Gonzalez accountable. Few administrations save those of Grant and Nixon have been as rife with criminal indictments as the Bush administration and the worst of those have as yet gone unaddressed despite myriad calls for arrest, indictment and conviction. Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment, so well contstructed, got little attention except for House Speaker Pelosi's condemnation.
However, the most noteworthy and most disturbing issue here is that mainstream media has yet to give any of this it the attention it deserves. Like the 17 cases now pending against Obama, not one of which has made the news, the Cheney case lies in wait, hidden, for the most part unreported, along with all the rest of his indictable offenses. Worse yet, and even more frightening, is that the cases against Obama primarily involve his ineligibility to hold the office of POTUS because he has offered no proof that he meets the full criteria to run--namely, that he is required to be a natural born American citizen--an issue which has never before in our two century history been at issue!
Ironically, I seem to have made frequent use of the phrase, "one can only hope" during the course of this election cycle. The words which I have come to suspect and loathe, and which were the unfortunate buzz words of the Obama campaign, have come to mean nothing concrete, as has the candidate they buoyed: everything is relative, and MY idea of hopey changey may not be HIS. However, the spirit of that four letter word simply cannot seem to die within any of us: try as I might, I cannot extinguish the hope within that flickers ever so perilously amidst the tsunami of what many of us fear about ObamaChange. Because whatever our hopes may be, we all must admit that hope floats; hope springs eternal; and hope is what keeps us all coming back to fight another day. And so, today, as Hillary accepts her appointment to Secretary of State, and Cheney and Gonzalez are indicted, it continues to be my hope that some good things will continue to happen: Hillary will get the chance to redeem our country in the eyes of the world; she will be given free rein to rise and soar above the fray and accomplish great things for her country; and that, perhaps one day, the criminals in our government will be called to task.
The indictment returned Monday has not yet been signed by the presiding judge, and no action can be taken until that happens.http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2008/11/18/cheney-gonale-indicted/
Although no action has yet been taken, it is a significant step forward into holding Messrs. Cheney and Gonzalez accountable. Few administrations save those of Grant and Nixon have been as rife with criminal indictments as the Bush administration and the worst of those have as yet gone unaddressed despite myriad calls for arrest, indictment and conviction. Dennis Kucinich's Articles of Impeachment, so well contstructed, got little attention except for House Speaker Pelosi's condemnation.
However, the most noteworthy and most disturbing issue here is that mainstream media has yet to give any of this it the attention it deserves. Like the 17 cases now pending against Obama, not one of which has made the news, the Cheney case lies in wait, hidden, for the most part unreported, along with all the rest of his indictable offenses. Worse yet, and even more frightening, is that the cases against Obama primarily involve his ineligibility to hold the office of POTUS because he has offered no proof that he meets the full criteria to run--namely, that he is required to be a natural born American citizen--an issue which has never before in our two century history been at issue!
Ironically, I seem to have made frequent use of the phrase, "one can only hope" during the course of this election cycle. The words which I have come to suspect and loathe, and which were the unfortunate buzz words of the Obama campaign, have come to mean nothing concrete, as has the candidate they buoyed: everything is relative, and MY idea of hopey changey may not be HIS. However, the spirit of that four letter word simply cannot seem to die within any of us: try as I might, I cannot extinguish the hope within that flickers ever so perilously amidst the tsunami of what many of us fear about ObamaChange. Because whatever our hopes may be, we all must admit that hope floats; hope springs eternal; and hope is what keeps us all coming back to fight another day. And so, today, as Hillary accepts her appointment to Secretary of State, and Cheney and Gonzalez are indicted, it continues to be my hope that some good things will continue to happen: Hillary will get the chance to redeem our country in the eyes of the world; she will be given free rein to rise and soar above the fray and accomplish great things for her country; and that, perhaps one day, the criminals in our government will be called to task.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Rise, Hillary Rise!
A long time poly-sci junkie, nothing surprises me much anymore except the expected. That being said, present day politics has become a wilder ride than ever. Who could imagine that Hillary’s most virulent foes–much less Kennedy, Obama and Reid–would suddenly do a 180 in less than 10 days [after Mr. Kennedy so mean spiritedly refused her request to head a health care committee] and, after trying to rid their envious, misogynistic selves of her for years, are now vying for her favors?! It is testimony to their perfidy–and to her ability to endure and prevail triumphantly in the face of even the worst scoundrels. I have long said and long believed, like Maya Angelou, that Hillary will indeed continue to Rise, far above that madding crowd of scrabbling, shapeshifting politicians.
As for where she will finally land–-only the Universe--and perhaps, she herself--knows. It is left to the rest of us to worry and watch, hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and fighting for the rest.
As for where she will finally land–-only the Universe--and perhaps, she herself--knows. It is left to the rest of us to worry and watch, hoping for the best, preparing for the worst, and fighting for the rest.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
SOS: Picking up the Pieces and Moving Forward
Many of us have suffered the wrath of friends and family who blindly supported the most corrupt, childish, unintelligent and, yes, evil party in the history of our country. The jeopardy in which our country and its people have found themselves has interested none of these people one whit. The bias, lies, cheating, thuggery, intimidation tactics and blatantly illegal acts interested almost no one save the PUMAs.
We have stepped back from some relationships, realizing that they are not of the type that will withstand the test of time and differing opinion. It has saddened me, but much more saddening and frightening have been the realization that we, at least for the moment, have lost our system of democracy through DNC collusion, illegal acts, voting fraud, and media bias.
What has heartened me and helped me continue my work in the Movement of Reform has been the incredibly high number of wonderfully committed, hard working, brilliant people who share our mutual concern and love for our country, its people and our Constitution. It was an SOS of another kind that brought us all together and continued to help us sustain one another in the frazzled, frantic months of the campaign. So, one door closes...another one opens...a few go out that first door...and many many more enter the second. It is with those kindred spirits that I have now cast my lot. My thanks to all who have entered and my sympathy for all who have left.
And so, another SOS: Hillary Clinton has been offered, and, purportedly accepted the cabinet position of Secretary of State. Much has been said about this issue; there are many opinions. Some say that Hillary should not be accountable to Obama, that she should let him sink in his own stew and stay in the Senate. Being a New Yorker, I would be only too happy to have her continue to represent me in Washington, but in view of Reid, Pelosi and their minions, who openly loathe her and with whom she must try to work, she would be far better served [and so would the American people] to serve as Secretary of State where she would outrank them and be able to put her vast diplomatic currency to work to repair our faltering image in the eyes of the world. Say what you will about the Clintons, but the World loves them for their humanity, their service and caring and their love of humankind.
There are those who would prefer to see her in Congress because the joint efforts of the nonpartisan, moderate Clinton- McCain team would form a formidable and productive force. There are those who felt she should have given them all the back of her hand and refused to work for the Democratic party at all. But Hillary is a grown up in every sense of the word: she knows how to put personal differences aside; she knows how to scale obstacles, take the long view and bide her time. She has information that few, if any of us have about the big picture, and she is one of the most politically astute people of her time, if not in our entire history.
Ultimately, Hillary Clinton is the only one with sufficient information and insight to be able to make an educated decision about whether to accept the post of Secretary of State. She is over 21 and perfectly capable of making that decision without our help. If she wanted it, she would ask for it. Until that time, we must accept the fact that this is her call, and trust in her to make the best decision for all of us, for she is, above all, a brilliant and dedicated public servant.
We have stepped back from some relationships, realizing that they are not of the type that will withstand the test of time and differing opinion. It has saddened me, but much more saddening and frightening have been the realization that we, at least for the moment, have lost our system of democracy through DNC collusion, illegal acts, voting fraud, and media bias.
What has heartened me and helped me continue my work in the Movement of Reform has been the incredibly high number of wonderfully committed, hard working, brilliant people who share our mutual concern and love for our country, its people and our Constitution. It was an SOS of another kind that brought us all together and continued to help us sustain one another in the frazzled, frantic months of the campaign. So, one door closes...another one opens...a few go out that first door...and many many more enter the second. It is with those kindred spirits that I have now cast my lot. My thanks to all who have entered and my sympathy for all who have left.
And so, another SOS: Hillary Clinton has been offered, and, purportedly accepted the cabinet position of Secretary of State. Much has been said about this issue; there are many opinions. Some say that Hillary should not be accountable to Obama, that she should let him sink in his own stew and stay in the Senate. Being a New Yorker, I would be only too happy to have her continue to represent me in Washington, but in view of Reid, Pelosi and their minions, who openly loathe her and with whom she must try to work, she would be far better served [and so would the American people] to serve as Secretary of State where she would outrank them and be able to put her vast diplomatic currency to work to repair our faltering image in the eyes of the world. Say what you will about the Clintons, but the World loves them for their humanity, their service and caring and their love of humankind.
There are those who would prefer to see her in Congress because the joint efforts of the nonpartisan, moderate Clinton- McCain team would form a formidable and productive force. There are those who felt she should have given them all the back of her hand and refused to work for the Democratic party at all. But Hillary is a grown up in every sense of the word: she knows how to put personal differences aside; she knows how to scale obstacles, take the long view and bide her time. She has information that few, if any of us have about the big picture, and she is one of the most politically astute people of her time, if not in our entire history.
Ultimately, Hillary Clinton is the only one with sufficient information and insight to be able to make an educated decision about whether to accept the post of Secretary of State. She is over 21 and perfectly capable of making that decision without our help. If she wanted it, she would ask for it. Until that time, we must accept the fact that this is her call, and trust in her to make the best decision for all of us, for she is, above all, a brilliant and dedicated public servant.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Berg v. Obama: Union, Justice & the Blessings of Liberty Ordained
Today I must pay tribute to drkate and her well framed, beautifully written No Quarter article. http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/11/13/four-questions/#comment-1034220 We have suddenly found ourselves at a place that we not only never expected, but didn't even know existed: the extreme, chillingly frightening HUBRIS of an individual and his promoters have almost succeeded in not only violating the tenets of the most hallowed document in our history, but, worst yet, keeping it from the American people to such an extent that, when the issue is raised, the messenger is either dismissed as insane or labeled a racist.
The very idea that such an outrage could even occur is disturbing; the fact that the plan got this far without being reported is bone chilling.
This case is historic--the United States Supreme Court has granted certiori. The decision to grant certiorari is solely at the discretion of the justices. This, in itself, is monumental: Of the approximately five thousand cases a year for which review by the Supreme Court is sought, fewer than 5 percent are granted certiorari. Clearly, and especially after their last involvement in a presidential election, [in which the Opinion stated that their 2000 decision was in no way intended to set precedent for future involvement in election decision]the Court has been reluctant to hear such issues. Even more interesting is that the writ was granted by none other than Justice David Souter [one of the dissenters in the 2000 case, and the one who suffered the most: he nearly resigned over it]. That in itself speaks volumes.
Never in our history has a Pretender risen so fast from a such a vastly steaming, swirling pile of mist, completely unknown, undetected, and unrepentant. And yet--not one "news" outlet has even reported it! Tass, Pravda and the Geobbels propaganda machine http://www.psywarrior.com/Goebbels.html have nothing on the American media. The chronic propagandizing and cover up as they assisted his assent has been, in itself, mind numbing.
And so, we who have awakened from the hopium hangover, and we who never imbibed are compelled to seek, find and speak the truth as never before. I thank everyone who is willing to take a stand and fight for our country and our Constitution and I am moved to my core with the vast numbers of New Patriots that join our ranks every day.
The very idea that such an outrage could even occur is disturbing; the fact that the plan got this far without being reported is bone chilling.
This case is historic--the United States Supreme Court has granted certiori. The decision to grant certiorari is solely at the discretion of the justices. This, in itself, is monumental: Of the approximately five thousand cases a year for which review by the Supreme Court is sought, fewer than 5 percent are granted certiorari. Clearly, and especially after their last involvement in a presidential election, [in which the Opinion stated that their 2000 decision was in no way intended to set precedent for future involvement in election decision]the Court has been reluctant to hear such issues. Even more interesting is that the writ was granted by none other than Justice David Souter [one of the dissenters in the 2000 case, and the one who suffered the most: he nearly resigned over it]. That in itself speaks volumes.
Never in our history has a Pretender risen so fast from a such a vastly steaming, swirling pile of mist, completely unknown, undetected, and unrepentant. And yet--not one "news" outlet has even reported it! Tass, Pravda and the Geobbels propaganda machine http://www.psywarrior.com/Goebbels.html have nothing on the American media. The chronic propagandizing and cover up as they assisted his assent has been, in itself, mind numbing.
And so, we who have awakened from the hopium hangover, and we who never imbibed are compelled to seek, find and speak the truth as never before. I thank everyone who is willing to take a stand and fight for our country and our Constitution and I am moved to my core with the vast numbers of New Patriots that join our ranks every day.
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece...
As this year's election cycle progressed, we heard increasing rumbles of speech, media and voter supression, truth squads, loss of First Amendment rights and other potential horrors. Election day has come and gone, leaving us nervously glancing around, wondering how and to what extent, if any, our rights to free speech will be affected under a new administration. Thus far, even before massive voter fraud helped The Annointed One seize office, any hint of question or criticism has been strongly discouraged, and, in some cases, severely punished. Witness the endless threats and strong arm tactics, cyber terrorism hacking and street corner thugs working the crowds like so many bouncers in a barfight. On election night, a young man was arrested for wearing a McCain Palin tee shirt on the street near an Obama rally; had it not been for the bravery and integrity of its governor, Missouri would have enacted Truth Squads to arrest anyone who criticized the Democratic Candidate during the campaign.
As truth and facts have been scrubbed like so many web pages in Google land [in exchange for a promise to its owner for a seat in the new administration], so have they been kept out of media. Investigations into voter fraud have been tepid to non-existent, as have those into questionable [illegal] campaign funding, and no one is really sure what is going to be left [no pun intended] of our First or even Second Amendment rights when this administration gets through with them. Thus, trepidation rules in many camps.
But the wise words of Martin Niemöller remind us that, no matter what happens, we must stand firm against the proscription of free expression. We must stand together, stand firm and stand out against any attempts at the suppression of our right to free speech, for, as Thomas Jefferson noted, we must hang together or we will surely hang separately. There is strength in numbers, and our numbers are growing daily. Much to the surprise of many [this author not among them], membership and interest in government, political and media reform continue to skyrocket; emails continue to pour in to us all en masse while new groups and coalitions continue to grow, expand and form. It appears that most Americans are not at all comfortable with the way things seem to be going, and the Designee has not yet either been able to prove his natural born American citizenship or been sworn in. Already, Buyers' Remorse appears to rule, even before any new Executive Orders are signed.
First spoken in the late 1940s after the Second World War, these simple words must never be forgotten:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out.
Chilling words, chilling truth. Pastor Niemoller was imprisoned from 1937 to 1945 in concentration camps, and was transferred from Sachsenhausen to Dachau in 1941. He survived to spend the rest of his life speaking out. We must all continue to do the same.
As truth and facts have been scrubbed like so many web pages in Google land [in exchange for a promise to its owner for a seat in the new administration], so have they been kept out of media. Investigations into voter fraud have been tepid to non-existent, as have those into questionable [illegal] campaign funding, and no one is really sure what is going to be left [no pun intended] of our First or even Second Amendment rights when this administration gets through with them. Thus, trepidation rules in many camps.
But the wise words of Martin Niemöller remind us that, no matter what happens, we must stand firm against the proscription of free expression. We must stand together, stand firm and stand out against any attempts at the suppression of our right to free speech, for, as Thomas Jefferson noted, we must hang together or we will surely hang separately. There is strength in numbers, and our numbers are growing daily. Much to the surprise of many [this author not among them], membership and interest in government, political and media reform continue to skyrocket; emails continue to pour in to us all en masse while new groups and coalitions continue to grow, expand and form. It appears that most Americans are not at all comfortable with the way things seem to be going, and the Designee has not yet either been able to prove his natural born American citizenship or been sworn in. Already, Buyers' Remorse appears to rule, even before any new Executive Orders are signed.
First spoken in the late 1940s after the Second World War, these simple words must never be forgotten:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out.
Chilling words, chilling truth. Pastor Niemoller was imprisoned from 1937 to 1945 in concentration camps, and was transferred from Sachsenhausen to Dachau in 1941. He survived to spend the rest of his life speaking out. We must all continue to do the same.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Character and The Courage of Resolve
Veterans' Day 2008. November skies of gunmetal gray opened today over a nation in transition. Noted with special poignance on this hallowed day is the passing of Ed Freeman, who, in the firestorm of the Ia Drang valley in November 1965, flew a Huey into that hot zone some 13 times under heavy fire to rescue 30 wounded after the medevacs had been ordered not to land.
This is the kind of character and courage that makes humankind great, regardless of the sovreignty from which they hail. It is the same kind of courage and compassion that made my father, whose B-17 was shot into the English Channel in 1944, insist that, as an Officer, he be the last man out of the sinking plane and then, treading February waters, held up two men who couldn't swim until they were rescued because the life raft was gone. It is the dedication and love for his country and his fellow Marines that made my stepfather fight his way up the middle of Iwo Jima for 32 days, an inch at a time, and the patriotism of my friend Rod, born in England after the Second World War of an another American patriot and an English beauty, that took him to the jungles of Viet Nam. It is my friend Dean, another whom I greatly admire, on his way back to Iraq for his 4th tour with the Marines, who once said that compassion was for those who can afford it. I disagreed; I reminded him that of all people, as a Marine, his code of honor and dedication was based in the most compassionate of principles: never to leave a comrade behind. The briefest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his face for an instant before he grudgingly agreed. The humility of the Great never fails to humble me as my admiration for their courage and character grows.
We who are fighting for women's rights and to regain and reform our democracy and a free press can gain strength and take comfort in the reminder that Courage and Character abound, now and always, in all places, despite indications to the contrary during the recent campaign.
And so, while the current president-designee readies himself to "rule"--this particular, peculiarly inappropriate-for-a-democracy word straight from aide Valerie Jarrett--we find ourselves barreling blindly toward a plethora of unknowns as we learn that nowhere in his To Do List do we see anything to indicate any desire to put competent women in government, eradicate sexism, or even utilize the considerable talents of Hillary Rodham Clinton, most certainly our nation's hardest working, most informed authority on health care.
So much for the "Progressive" Left. One would have to question groups like NOW and NARAL, who blindly endorsed this ticket, which at no time gave any indication that women's rights were of any concern. The president-designee--and I say designee because he is not yet the president-elect--[that appellation only applies AFTER the Electors of the College have voted--but then...he has always presumed a great deal too much, too fast] never once spoke out against the barrage of sexism and misogyny that pervaded the campaign; he has never once indicated that he is anything but a patronizing misogynist. What is so difficult to understand is that the early feminists of NOW have designated themselves dinosaurs by virtue of their blind subservience to someone like this, simply because--can it possibly be??--this individual champions abortion rights to the exclusion of all others. Robin Morgan's outrageously out of touch, patronizing piece from October 31 labeled her forever as one whose "liberal feminism" extends solely to those who see things HER way: everyone else--Republican women, women who choose NOT to have abortions, deserves little more than the back of her hand. No one whose opinion or lifestyle differs from hers is worth her time, her respect or her empathy. She apparently forgets that people fought and died to protect EVERYONE'S rights, not just hers.
We are at the beginning of the next phase of our Movement and of the long journey back to regaining the democracy we have long cherished and now lost. While it is a frightening process to watch our rights fall away, it is an exhilarating one to witness the formation of a new army of people who care about everyone's rights, and who clearly see that the simple pandering to a single issue is nothing more than an attempt to mollify, manipulate and subjugate 52% of our population. We join together to support The New Agenda, WomenCountpac, Together4Us, and the Just Say No Deal coalition, all of whom share in the resolve to restore our country to its once-great status as a champion of human and women's rights, democracy and fair elections, and fair and balanced media. WE CAN DO THIS. IT HAS ALREADY STARTED!
Our heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us.
This is the kind of character and courage that makes humankind great, regardless of the sovreignty from which they hail. It is the same kind of courage and compassion that made my father, whose B-17 was shot into the English Channel in 1944, insist that, as an Officer, he be the last man out of the sinking plane and then, treading February waters, held up two men who couldn't swim until they were rescued because the life raft was gone. It is the dedication and love for his country and his fellow Marines that made my stepfather fight his way up the middle of Iwo Jima for 32 days, an inch at a time, and the patriotism of my friend Rod, born in England after the Second World War of an another American patriot and an English beauty, that took him to the jungles of Viet Nam. It is my friend Dean, another whom I greatly admire, on his way back to Iraq for his 4th tour with the Marines, who once said that compassion was for those who can afford it. I disagreed; I reminded him that of all people, as a Marine, his code of honor and dedication was based in the most compassionate of principles: never to leave a comrade behind. The briefest hint of a smile tugged at the corner of his face for an instant before he grudgingly agreed. The humility of the Great never fails to humble me as my admiration for their courage and character grows.
We who are fighting for women's rights and to regain and reform our democracy and a free press can gain strength and take comfort in the reminder that Courage and Character abound, now and always, in all places, despite indications to the contrary during the recent campaign.
And so, while the current president-designee readies himself to "rule"--this particular, peculiarly inappropriate-for-a-democracy word straight from aide Valerie Jarrett--we find ourselves barreling blindly toward a plethora of unknowns as we learn that nowhere in his To Do List do we see anything to indicate any desire to put competent women in government, eradicate sexism, or even utilize the considerable talents of Hillary Rodham Clinton, most certainly our nation's hardest working, most informed authority on health care.
So much for the "Progressive" Left. One would have to question groups like NOW and NARAL, who blindly endorsed this ticket, which at no time gave any indication that women's rights were of any concern. The president-designee--and I say designee because he is not yet the president-elect--[that appellation only applies AFTER the Electors of the College have voted--but then...he has always presumed a great deal too much, too fast] never once spoke out against the barrage of sexism and misogyny that pervaded the campaign; he has never once indicated that he is anything but a patronizing misogynist. What is so difficult to understand is that the early feminists of NOW have designated themselves dinosaurs by virtue of their blind subservience to someone like this, simply because--can it possibly be??--this individual champions abortion rights to the exclusion of all others. Robin Morgan's outrageously out of touch, patronizing piece from October 31 labeled her forever as one whose "liberal feminism" extends solely to those who see things HER way: everyone else--Republican women, women who choose NOT to have abortions, deserves little more than the back of her hand. No one whose opinion or lifestyle differs from hers is worth her time, her respect or her empathy. She apparently forgets that people fought and died to protect EVERYONE'S rights, not just hers.
We are at the beginning of the next phase of our Movement and of the long journey back to regaining the democracy we have long cherished and now lost. While it is a frightening process to watch our rights fall away, it is an exhilarating one to witness the formation of a new army of people who care about everyone's rights, and who clearly see that the simple pandering to a single issue is nothing more than an attempt to mollify, manipulate and subjugate 52% of our population. We join together to support The New Agenda, WomenCountpac, Together4Us, and the Just Say No Deal coalition, all of whom share in the resolve to restore our country to its once-great status as a champion of human and women's rights, democracy and fair elections, and fair and balanced media. WE CAN DO THIS. IT HAS ALREADY STARTED!
Our heartfelt thanks to those who have gone before us.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Musings On The Next Step
The dust begins to settle with the emergence of a lazy November Sunday, one of the first in a long time. Election day over, we now begin to awaken from the surreal series of events that drove us all to work ourselves to exhaustion, abandon our lives, homes, families, friends, interests, and obligations to pitch one last stand for American Democracy. Although the outcome was not to our liking, it does not mean that we failed. On the contrary, we learned some very valuable lessons--life changing, heartrending AND heartening--that will serve us well as we gather and regroup to organize for the ongoing, open-ended Phase III of this nascent Movement. Now that we have time to assess our accomplishments objectively and put ourselves and our Movement into perspective, we can all rest knowing that we did our best and accomplished nothing less than a miracle, given the short time we've been working and the urgency of our task.
Yes, it has been as devastating as it has uplifting; energizing as it has exhausting. But each day, events continue to unfold, ideas continue to emerge, plans continue to form and objectives continue to solidify. We are, as the Colonies once did, finding our way toward a huge, well oiled machine of organized, interactive coalitions who share the common goals of eradicating sexism, media bias, and voter fraud, one day at a time. After all...time is all we've got...and it's on our side now.
Yes, it has been as devastating as it has uplifting; energizing as it has exhausting. But each day, events continue to unfold, ideas continue to emerge, plans continue to form and objectives continue to solidify. We are, as the Colonies once did, finding our way toward a huge, well oiled machine of organized, interactive coalitions who share the common goals of eradicating sexism, media bias, and voter fraud, one day at a time. After all...time is all we've got...and it's on our side now.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Scoundrel Time?
As four of us drove back to NY Tuesday night, getting election results from my friend Joe's Blackberry, several things occurred to me. I was glad to be in the company of friends as the reports came in; I wondered about the degree and type of Change we are facing; and I was comforted by the thought that, regardless of the path our country will now take, nothing and no one can alter the fact that, if nothing else, we are blessed with friends and family. One of the greatest gifts one can have is the gift of humanity, the caring of friends, and the reminder that we are not alone and my work in this election cycle has brought that home to me in a big way, as never before. Never have I met and worked with so many dedicated, energetic, bright, courageous individuals from such diverse backgrounds. Never have I been more proud to be an American, or cared so much for its people. Having traveled a bit, I have seen different places and people and loved them all. At times I have even been a bit reluctant to admit that I am an American but I found that people are the same the world over. Most do not hold the American people responsible for the acts of their government. They are philosophical about government in general, and realize that there is a difference between a People and their leader. In times like these, it is good to remember that. Leaders will come and go, but a People and their humanity is there forever. Just ask those who, living in Alsace-Lorraine, were faced with mandates resulting from the change in their borders. They persevered and survived, no matter who was in charge.
In the meantime, we watch with baited breath. Biden has warned that our novice president will invite forays to prove his mettle; all manner of doom and gloom have been filling my mailbox, not all of it inconceivable. It remains to be seen. Lillian Hellman wrote of the travails of the McCarthy era, reminding us that governments, and people in them, can take a low road. She spoke of fear run rampant, and unjust government, dishonest politicians and fear driven witnesses, informants, of Nixon and the infamous Attorney General's List in which names with ties to certain organizations appeared. This was among the worst of times and yet, in time, America survived, McCarthy brought himself to ground, and life went on. http://books.google.com/books?id=VU1uJY5r-MIC&dq=scoundrel+time&pg=PP1&ots=w0ib1oLig6&source=bn&sig=5e3ZaVwaX5sJmQh9aIY7RGWC7VY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1
In the days to come, it is possible that our fears of Truth Squads, universal public service mandates, the return of the draft, a national police force, higher taxes, and other attacks on our soil may come to pass. It is also possible that they won't. All we can do is watch and wait, and continue our activism with the resolve to educate ourselves and each other, to reform media and the tattered shreds of what was once our proud democracy, and believe that our democracy will somehow survive.
In the meantime, we watch with baited breath. Biden has warned that our novice president will invite forays to prove his mettle; all manner of doom and gloom have been filling my mailbox, not all of it inconceivable. It remains to be seen. Lillian Hellman wrote of the travails of the McCarthy era, reminding us that governments, and people in them, can take a low road. She spoke of fear run rampant, and unjust government, dishonest politicians and fear driven witnesses, informants, of Nixon and the infamous Attorney General's List in which names with ties to certain organizations appeared. This was among the worst of times and yet, in time, America survived, McCarthy brought himself to ground, and life went on. http://books.google.com/books?id=VU1uJY5r-MIC&dq=scoundrel+time&pg=PP1&ots=w0ib1oLig6&source=bn&sig=5e3ZaVwaX5sJmQh9aIY7RGWC7VY&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result#PPP1,M1
In the days to come, it is possible that our fears of Truth Squads, universal public service mandates, the return of the draft, a national police force, higher taxes, and other attacks on our soil may come to pass. It is also possible that they won't. All we can do is watch and wait, and continue our activism with the resolve to educate ourselves and each other, to reform media and the tattered shreds of what was once our proud democracy, and believe that our democracy will somehow survive.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Election '08 - The Best of Times, The Worst of Times!
The Day has finally come. Our Herculean efforts of the last year, especially those since that fateful 31st day of May, have made history and achieved miracles: everything from getting Hillary on the Ballot in Denver, forming a coalition of brilliant, committed, hardworking patriots, traveling all over the country to the Conventions and campaigning for the candidate of our choice, successfully executing organized PUMA Prowls, and attaining international recognition for the PUMA movement has brought us to the present day. We have pulled together from the bottom of utmost despair at the realization that our Party and its shallow leaders had lied, coopted our voting laws, violated our Constitution and betrayed us to form a widespread, powerful coalition of renewed initiative.
Our last act of this Phase II, as I have been wont to call the aeon between Convention and Election Day, will end with our vote and, like a New Year, ring in the start of Phase III, better known as our ongoing work for reform in our media, political system and voting system. As Heidi Li Feldman so succinctly wrote in her inspirational blog today, this is the day of New Resolve: http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/11/resolved.html I urge all to click on her link to read and remember her wise words as we move forward into our next succession of steps. And so must we remember our promise for November: We Will Remember and we HAVE!
Having cast my absentee ballot last week for McCain/Palin, I continue my tenure here in Scranton, with last minute phone banks, election transportation and emergency absentee ballots. It is an exciting day--despite the direness of CNN's All-Day-All- Obama coverage and biased "landslide" polls, we are finding about 50% of the voters we've called have voted for McCain--Up a whopping 20% from 30% 10 days ago!
More exciting still, Joe and Mike from our Main Avenue Scranton office went out to deliver an emergency absentee ballot to the hospital for a woman who delivered a baby last night! People have been stopping by to volunteer in the phone bank, sent food for our Democrats For McCain workers and drive people to the polls. Those on the emergency absentee detail met with the Lackawanna duty judge to obtain permissions--the first female judge in Lackawanna County!
Tonight we will all head toward our respective gatherings to console or to celebrate--and, regardless of what the result, we do have a lot to celebrate! Phase III =has already begun way as we finally head home for some rest and restoration before embarking on the path toward Resolve and Resolution, and celebrate ourselves for our hard work, commitment and patriotism at a time when it would have been easy to give up in despair.
Today is a perfect day to revisit our Declaration of Independence: to read carefully the words that we all hold to be self evident.
"We must indeed hang together or assuredly we shall hang singly."
--Thomas Paine
"Give me Liberty or give me death."
--Patrick Henry
Our last act of this Phase II, as I have been wont to call the aeon between Convention and Election Day, will end with our vote and, like a New Year, ring in the start of Phase III, better known as our ongoing work for reform in our media, political system and voting system. As Heidi Li Feldman so succinctly wrote in her inspirational blog today, this is the day of New Resolve: http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/11/resolved.html I urge all to click on her link to read and remember her wise words as we move forward into our next succession of steps. And so must we remember our promise for November: We Will Remember and we HAVE!
Having cast my absentee ballot last week for McCain/Palin, I continue my tenure here in Scranton, with last minute phone banks, election transportation and emergency absentee ballots. It is an exciting day--despite the direness of CNN's All-Day-All- Obama coverage and biased "landslide" polls, we are finding about 50% of the voters we've called have voted for McCain--Up a whopping 20% from 30% 10 days ago!
More exciting still, Joe and Mike from our Main Avenue Scranton office went out to deliver an emergency absentee ballot to the hospital for a woman who delivered a baby last night! People have been stopping by to volunteer in the phone bank, sent food for our Democrats For McCain workers and drive people to the polls. Those on the emergency absentee detail met with the Lackawanna duty judge to obtain permissions--the first female judge in Lackawanna County!
Tonight we will all head toward our respective gatherings to console or to celebrate--and, regardless of what the result, we do have a lot to celebrate! Phase III =has already begun way as we finally head home for some rest and restoration before embarking on the path toward Resolve and Resolution, and celebrate ourselves for our hard work, commitment and patriotism at a time when it would have been easy to give up in despair.
Today is a perfect day to revisit our Declaration of Independence: to read carefully the words that we all hold to be self evident.
"We must indeed hang together or assuredly we shall hang singly."
--Thomas Paine
"Give me Liberty or give me death."
--Patrick Henry
Monday, November 3, 2008
These are the Times That Try Men's Souls
To borrow a phrase from the inimitable Thomas Paine, I propound a few thoughts for election eve. There are few things more stimulating than exercising the rights and privileges of American citizenship, especially in the current election cycle, where, in many places, thanks to ACORN etal, our voting rights have been threatened ,corrupted, and even negated in some areas. Thanks to the tireless efforts of thousands of incredibly brave American patriots, PUMAS, and members of both parties who care so deeply about our Constitution and Democratic System of government, we sit at the brink of another very close race. However it is not just the closeness of the race that is significant this time: We are facing a crossroads from which we may never recover unless we choose the candidate with both the longterm experience and solid track record necessary to lead us out of the dark woods of confusion into the light of the principles in which our forefathers so strongly believed and for which they so bravely fought.
Volunteers in the thousands have continued to pour into Pennsylvania--Scranton, Allentown, Philladelphia, Wilkes Barre, Pittsburgh, Bucks County and beyond. The energy is intense and positive as they work feverishly to get out the vote. You are all in our prayers and medidations of gratitude for all of the efforts exerted for our beloved country.
Volunteers in the thousands have continued to pour into Pennsylvania--Scranton, Allentown, Philladelphia, Wilkes Barre, Pittsburgh, Bucks County and beyond. The energy is intense and positive as they work feverishly to get out the vote. You are all in our prayers and medidations of gratitude for all of the efforts exerted for our beloved country.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Timeless Wisdom for Treacherous Times
As November 4th approaches, there are few things left to be said in terms of ideology. Today, the last day of October brings us within four days of probably the most important election in our history. Some of us fight the battle for freedom, democracy and media reform here on our own soil; others fight it thousands of miles away. A treasured friend leaves for an East Coast Marine base today to continue his fight, along with thousands of others, in a fourth tour in the Middle East. Let us all be as strong, brave, and wise as he and his fellow soldiers, and let us think about the grave importance of the challenges which face us now.
In honor of us all, I post the words of John Steinbeck from Chapter 13 of East of Eden:
Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite. It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight of the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and every deep-drawn breath is sweet. Its beginning has the pleasure of a great stretching yawn; it flashes in the brain and the whole world glows outside your eyes. A man may have lived all his life in the grey, and the land and trees of him dark and somber. The events, even the important ones, may have trooped by faceless an pale. And then - the glory - so that cricket song sweetens his ears, the smell of earth rises chanting to his nose, and dappling light under a tree blesses his eyes. Then a man pours outward, a torrent of him, and yet he is not diminished. And I guess a man’’s importance in the world can be measured by the quality and number of his glories. It is a lonely thing but it relates us to the world. It is the mother of all creativeness, and it sets each man separate from all other men.I don’t know how it will be in the years to come. There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing all are born in the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking. In our time mass or collective production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religion, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea God. This in my time is the danger. There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused.At such a time it seems natural and good to me to ask these questions. What do i believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against?
In honor of us all, I post the words of John Steinbeck from Chapter 13 of East of Eden:
Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man. It happens to nearly everyone. You can feel it growing or preparing like a fuse burning toward dynamite. It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight of the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and every deep-drawn breath is sweet. Its beginning has the pleasure of a great stretching yawn; it flashes in the brain and the whole world glows outside your eyes. A man may have lived all his life in the grey, and the land and trees of him dark and somber. The events, even the important ones, may have trooped by faceless an pale. And then - the glory - so that cricket song sweetens his ears, the smell of earth rises chanting to his nose, and dappling light under a tree blesses his eyes. Then a man pours outward, a torrent of him, and yet he is not diminished. And I guess a man’’s importance in the world can be measured by the quality and number of his glories. It is a lonely thing but it relates us to the world. It is the mother of all creativeness, and it sets each man separate from all other men.I don’t know how it will be in the years to come. There are monstrous changes taking place in the world, forces shaping a future whose face we do not know. Some of these forces seem evil to us, perhaps not in themselves but because their tendency is to eliminate other things we hold good. It is true that two men can lift a bigger stone than one man, and bread from a huge factory is cheaper and more uniform. When our food and clothing and housing all are born in the complication of mass production, mass method is bound to get into our thinking and to eliminate all other thinking. In our time mass or collective production has entered our economics, our politics, and even our religion, so that some nations have substituted the idea collective for the idea God. This in my time is the danger. There is great tension in the world, tension toward a breaking point, and men are unhappy and confused.At such a time it seems natural and good to me to ask these questions. What do i believe in? What must I fight for and what must I fight against?
Our species is the only creative species, and it has only one creative instrument, the individual mind and spirit of a man. Nothing was ever created by two men. There are no good collaborations, whether in music, in art, in poetry, in mathematics, in philosophy. Once the miracle of creation has taken place, the group can build and extend it, but the group never invents anything. The preciousness lies in the lonely mind of a man.
And now the forces marshaled around the concept of the group have declared a war of extermination on the preciousness, the mind of man. By disparagement, by starvation, by repressions, forced direction, and the stunning hammerblows of conditioning, the free, roving mind is being pursued, roped, blunted, drugged. It is a sad suicidal course our species seems to have taken. And this I believe: that the free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual. That is what I am and what I am about. I can understand what a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for that is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. Surely I can understand this, and I hate it and I will fight against it to preserve the one thing that separates us from uncreative beasts. If the glory can be killed we are lost. -- John Steinbeck
Monday, October 27, 2008
Catching Wild Pigs & Wrangling Cats
It's getting down to the wire: election day is exactly one week from tomorrow. Some of you have seen the events described throughout this blog and others, or know people who did. Many of you have worked tirelessly for the last year, committing yourselves to the reform and restoration of our democratic system, our voting rights and the hopelessly, haplessly corrupted main stream media.
At last we are seeing the results of our battle: it is beginning to pay off as main stream media can no longer keep the truth about what has happened under wraps, safely away from the eyes and ears of the American people. The truth about ACORN has hit the front page, as have so many other ugly truths about the presumed Democratic candidate: from long lists of dangerous associations, illustrating at best poor judgment and at worse, things far more sinister, to fairly solid evidence that he is indeed not even qualified to BE POTUS as he is apparently NOT a native born American citizen according to the rules set forth in the U.S. Constitution, Article 2, Section 1. However, these issues are but a tiny tip of the hugely dangerous iceberg, waiting to take down the titanic United States. We have all done, and will continue to do the very most and best that we can to prevent this candidate, selected, not elected, by what is turning out to be the largest organized voter fraud campaign in the history of the United States. To argue that 'the other side does it too' is to miss the point entirely: NO ONE should be allowed to sabotage our sacred privilege of a democratic representation that functions under a one person--one vote principle. As parents state to bickering children, "Two wrongs don't make a right." But, we are not bickering children [although at times it seems so] and there is a lot more at stake now.
So many thanks to all of you, too numerous to name--please know how much I appreciate how hard everyone in the Movement [some of you know who you are--and some do not yet even realize they are truly PUMAS] have been working to bring the facts into the light. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has had the courage to see the truth, research it and pass it on. Many thanks to every PUMA for donating their courage, intelligence and strength to our country. You are all a power of example as American Patriots. I leave you with a short story:
Catching Wild Pigs
A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.
When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.
One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.
Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to our way of life, then you will probably delete this email, but may God help us when the gate slams shut!
In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you !! Just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America .
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.'
-- Thomas Jefferson
At last we are seeing the results of our battle: it is beginning to pay off as main stream media can no longer keep the truth about what has happened under wraps, safely away from the eyes and ears of the American people. The truth about ACORN has hit the front page, as have so many other ugly truths about the presumed Democratic candidate: from long lists of dangerous associations, illustrating at best poor judgment and at worse, things far more sinister, to fairly solid evidence that he is indeed not even qualified to BE POTUS as he is apparently NOT a native born American citizen according to the rules set forth in the U.S. Constitution, Article 2, Section 1. However, these issues are but a tiny tip of the hugely dangerous iceberg, waiting to take down the titanic United States. We have all done, and will continue to do the very most and best that we can to prevent this candidate, selected, not elected, by what is turning out to be the largest organized voter fraud campaign in the history of the United States. To argue that 'the other side does it too' is to miss the point entirely: NO ONE should be allowed to sabotage our sacred privilege of a democratic representation that functions under a one person--one vote principle. As parents state to bickering children, "Two wrongs don't make a right." But, we are not bickering children [although at times it seems so] and there is a lot more at stake now.
So many thanks to all of you, too numerous to name--please know how much I appreciate how hard everyone in the Movement [some of you know who you are--and some do not yet even realize they are truly PUMAS] have been working to bring the facts into the light. We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has had the courage to see the truth, research it and pass it on. Many thanks to every PUMA for donating their courage, intelligence and strength to our country. You are all a power of example as American Patriots. I leave you with a short story:
Catching Wild Pigs
A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.
The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.
In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'
The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming.
When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.
Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.
The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America . The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.
One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.
Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to our way of life, then you will probably delete this email, but may God help us when the gate slams shut!
In this 'very important' election year, listen closely to what the candidates are promising you !! Just maybe you will be able to tell who is about to slam the gate on America .
'A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have.'
-- Thomas Jefferson
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Knee Deep In Creeps
Oddly, the battle over the relevance of Obama's choice of friends, associates and business dealings rages on as disturbing information about them continues to emerge but the fact remains that one's choices of association, especially over time, cannot help but reveal insight into and define one's character. Is it not the purpose of an election campaign to edify the electorate as to candidates' leadership qualities and competence, and thereby, their integrity, judgment and history of accomplishment?! Do these intrinsic traits [or lack thereof] not speak specifically to one's character and ability to lead?
John McCain's life is pretty much an open book: service in the military, years in a POW camp and 30 years continuing to serve in Congress; voted against the Bridge to Nowhere, FISA and Bush's energy bill; tried to implement oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the sub prime mortgage fiasco; family man with an adopted daughter from Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Barack Obama's last 30 years is far less comforting and a lot more illuminating: birthplace and citizenship probably not American,and even a court case has not seen him produce any authentication to dispel this question; little or no work product, papers or accomplishments, save a long, disturbing continuum of highly questionable alliances with convicted criminals, Chicago political machine members, terrorists and foreign nationals with ties to anti American entities. Hatem El-Hady, former chairman of the Toledo-based Islamic charity Kindhearts, closed by the US government in 2006 for terrorist fundraising: is a Terrorist Fundraiser for Obama. http://www.barackobamaassociates.info/ In perhaps one of the most non-stellar tenures in Congress, he leads the distinction of the most "Present" votes, while having voted YES to the Bridge to Nowhere, Bush's energy bill and FISA; involved closely with Barney Frank, Democratic Black Caucus and Chris Dodd in maintaining status quo in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the sub prime mortgage fiasco.
Bill Ayers, as everyone is painfully aware, was an active member of the Weather Underground who continues to maintain that not only is he unrepentant for his part in terrorist bombings, "but wishes he had done MORE." It is clear, for instance, that his relationship with Barack Obama was a great deal more than that of a casual "neighborhood acquaintance" whose children attended "the same school [as Ayers's children], since Obama's children are 7 and 9 and Ayers's are 29 and 30. It is well established that at the very least, they worked together on the Woods Foundation and the Annenberg Challenge and launched Obama's "political career" in Ayers's livingroom; Ayers wrote about Obama in one of his books, and Obama endorsed one of Ayers's books; ACORN gets grants from Wood Fund, upon whose board Ayers and Obama both sit. Other grantees included PLO spokesman Rashid Khalidi and Wright's Trinity United Church. Representing ACORN, Obama sued banks to force them to give mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, which resulted in the considerably aggrandizing the assets of Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, among others. It is clear that the Ayers-Obama liason has existed for a long time and continues to this day. Obama, as everyone knows all too well by now, maintained a 20 year relationship with a Liberation Theology pastor who cursed America, white people and a host of other things; is supported by Hatem El-Hady, former chairman of the Toledo-based Islamic charity Kindhearts, closed by the US government in 2006 for terrorist fundraising. Obama has taken a great deal of money from foreign nationals with ties to the former Saddam Hussein, the PLO and Iran, and shares an ongoing, if surreptitious relationship with Raila Odinga, the Kenyan ruler who signed agreements with local Muslim factions to end scrutiny of Muslim terrorists and allow Sharia law to be established in family courts. He seized power by encouraging and allowing violence between ethnic factions which has resulted in the killing and displacement of 250,000 Christians in accordance with suggestions from Obama according to research produced by Jerome Corsi. http://www.audioacrobat.com/playweb?%20audioid=Pb2fca120155f68b55a2f95f93896c43bZVp+RH9uY2N0Vg
In contrast, however, Sarah Palin has been investigated and criticized for firing a civil servant who refused to fire a drunken, violent, taser wielding man who terrorized her sister and probably most of the people on his beat at one time or another.
Knee deep in creeps and only 24 days until the election.
John McCain's life is pretty much an open book: service in the military, years in a POW camp and 30 years continuing to serve in Congress; voted against the Bridge to Nowhere, FISA and Bush's energy bill; tried to implement oversight of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the sub prime mortgage fiasco; family man with an adopted daughter from Bangladesh.
On the other hand, Barack Obama's last 30 years is far less comforting and a lot more illuminating: birthplace and citizenship probably not American,and even a court case has not seen him produce any authentication to dispel this question; little or no work product, papers or accomplishments, save a long, disturbing continuum of highly questionable alliances with convicted criminals, Chicago political machine members, terrorists and foreign nationals with ties to anti American entities. Hatem El-Hady, former chairman of the Toledo-based Islamic charity Kindhearts, closed by the US government in 2006 for terrorist fundraising: is a Terrorist Fundraiser for Obama. http://www.barackobamaassociates.info/ In perhaps one of the most non-stellar tenures in Congress, he leads the distinction of the most "Present" votes, while having voted YES to the Bridge to Nowhere, Bush's energy bill and FISA; involved closely with Barney Frank, Democratic Black Caucus and Chris Dodd in maintaining status quo in Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the sub prime mortgage fiasco.
Bill Ayers, as everyone is painfully aware, was an active member of the Weather Underground who continues to maintain that not only is he unrepentant for his part in terrorist bombings, "but wishes he had done MORE." It is clear, for instance, that his relationship with Barack Obama was a great deal more than that of a casual "neighborhood acquaintance" whose children attended "the same school [as Ayers's children], since Obama's children are 7 and 9 and Ayers's are 29 and 30. It is well established that at the very least, they worked together on the Woods Foundation and the Annenberg Challenge and launched Obama's "political career" in Ayers's livingroom; Ayers wrote about Obama in one of his books, and Obama endorsed one of Ayers's books; ACORN gets grants from Wood Fund, upon whose board Ayers and Obama both sit. Other grantees included PLO spokesman Rashid Khalidi and Wright's Trinity United Church. Representing ACORN, Obama sued banks to force them to give mortgages to people who couldn't afford them, which resulted in the considerably aggrandizing the assets of Franklin Raines and Jim Johnson, among others. It is clear that the Ayers-Obama liason has existed for a long time and continues to this day. Obama, as everyone knows all too well by now, maintained a 20 year relationship with a Liberation Theology pastor who cursed America, white people and a host of other things; is supported by Hatem El-Hady, former chairman of the Toledo-based Islamic charity Kindhearts, closed by the US government in 2006 for terrorist fundraising. Obama has taken a great deal of money from foreign nationals with ties to the former Saddam Hussein, the PLO and Iran, and shares an ongoing, if surreptitious relationship with Raila Odinga, the Kenyan ruler who signed agreements with local Muslim factions to end scrutiny of Muslim terrorists and allow Sharia law to be established in family courts. He seized power by encouraging and allowing violence between ethnic factions which has resulted in the killing and displacement of 250,000 Christians in accordance with suggestions from Obama according to research produced by Jerome Corsi. http://www.audioacrobat.com/playweb?%20audioid=Pb2fca120155f68b55a2f95f93896c43bZVp+RH9uY2N0Vg
In contrast, however, Sarah Palin has been investigated and criticized for firing a civil servant who refused to fire a drunken, violent, taser wielding man who terrorized her sister and probably most of the people on his beat at one time or another.
Knee deep in creeps and only 24 days until the election.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
The Assininity of Audacity
It is now less than four weeks til the general election and people are still asking of Obama: "Who IS this guy?! " They're still scrambling about, searching high and low to get solid answers. In the meantime, about the only things that have come to light via main stream media have been little more than the result of audacious marketing and the steady scrubbing of every online site that carried information about him and his now almost non existent past. There exist none of his voting records as Illinois State Senator; no work products; no written work, no school work; save the few pieces salvaged by diligent researchers connecting him to criminals, terrorists, foreign bag men, socialist groups, illegal voting and finance schemes, his record, or what there is of it,could hardly be characterized as presidential.
What HAS emerged recently is just short of horrifying, as even main stream media has begun to flail about in the piles of information with which they have been inundated as they attempt to run what appear to be some of the less damaging pieces. The last few days have seen the ACORN connections come to light, along with--finally--some of Obama's long time connections with unrepentent terrorists, left wing radicals like Bill Ayers and his cousin from Kenya, Riale Odinga, among other things.
After diligent efforts to beat the constant scrubbing, Politically Drunk's inimitable J. Brown posted extensive documentation on Obama's membership in socialist groups such as New Party, Democratic Socialists for America http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html, and, earlier, Youth Democratic Socialists, an offshoot of SDS [Students For a Democratic Society]. So has Thomas Lifson at American Thinker.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/archives_prove_obama_was_a_new.html
Stated one piece,
http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-archives-confirm-barack-obama-was.html
Some of Obama's more recent attempts to remove all criticism [AND documentation] from public airwaves have included pressure on writers, researchers, the FCC and threats of litigation. As part of this pattern, other related violations of freedom of speech have occurred:
- A W.A.M. volunteer reported that both yahoo and google refused to produce her prepaid pro-Palin ad, claiming it was an "undesirable product"- the contents of which merely expressed an opinion without the use inflammatory or vulgar language.
- FOX news reported that MSNBC has refused to publish any anti-democratic comments from the network's online activity.
Andy Martin,long time Obama watcher has also fallen under the vengeful eye of the Obama camp, as he recounted recently. http://ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
And, finally, there is word from Jerome Corsi, author of "Obamanation" who was detained by Kenyan authorities during a fact finding mission there. Corsi was finally released and put on a plane to England at the hands of armed guards. Given Obama's close relationship with Odinga, it was no surprise to learn of the attempt to prevent him from further research. In spite of the risk, he succeeded in obtaining correspondence from Obama to Odinga, advising Odinga how to foment unrest between factions in Kenya in order to insure his rise to power. Hmmm. Sounds familiar...The Uniter's true tactics revealed. Corsi's interview with Hannity & Colmes will appear on Monday, Oct. 13 on FoxNews. http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/jerome-corsi-kenya-odm-strategy-obama-raila-odingakenyan-elections-petition-to-impeach-obama-sean-hannity-obama-kenya-2006logan-act-odinga-massacre-hannity-radio-show-fox-hannity-show/
So...Who IS this Barack Obama?” I believe that the answer to that question has always been that Barack Obama is what you need him to be. He has defined himself only as an agent for “Change,” but we really have no evidence that the change to which he so often refers has anything even remotely to do with the one WE envision. He remains, even now, a candidate without any real identity. He is what the voters project upon him. He is the ultimate illusion. And in His plan for Us, it is critical that we do NOT know who he is. This is indeed the preferred method of those who aspire to absolute power, and, as he himself stated,
It is difficult to deny the audacity implied therein. Never were truer words spoken, and perhaps, of all those he has spoken, these are the only ones that are true.
What HAS emerged recently is just short of horrifying, as even main stream media has begun to flail about in the piles of information with which they have been inundated as they attempt to run what appear to be some of the less damaging pieces. The last few days have seen the ACORN connections come to light, along with--finally--some of Obama's long time connections with unrepentent terrorists, left wing radicals like Bill Ayers and his cousin from Kenya, Riale Odinga, among other things.
After diligent efforts to beat the constant scrubbing, Politically Drunk's inimitable J. Brown posted extensive documentation on Obama's membership in socialist groups such as New Party, Democratic Socialists for America http://www.dsausa.org/dsa.html, and, earlier, Youth Democratic Socialists, an offshoot of SDS [Students For a Democratic Society]. So has Thomas Lifson at American Thinker.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/10/archives_prove_obama_was_a_new.html
Stated one piece,
"Obama's membership within the 'New Party' is disturbing as even Green Party members attacked the DSA and New Party as nothing more than a fringe group. The New Party had hoped to implement Socialist Rule in the United States and was established to counteract the influence of a Democratic Party that they viewed as too moderate and too centered. Now it seems that nearly 10 years after the socialist party fell apart, their strategy of upward growth has reached the White House. Obama's ties to the DSA's New Party is beyond just an association it is outright membership, as clearly defined by the parties August 1996 newsletter, in an outright Socialist organization."
http://politicallydrunk.blogspot.com/2008/10/web-archives-confirm-barack-obama-was.html
Some of Obama's more recent attempts to remove all criticism [AND documentation] from public airwaves have included pressure on writers, researchers, the FCC and threats of litigation. As part of this pattern, other related violations of freedom of speech have occurred:
- A W.A.M. volunteer reported that both yahoo and google refused to produce her prepaid pro-Palin ad, claiming it was an "undesirable product"- the contents of which merely expressed an opinion without the use inflammatory or vulgar language.
- FOX news reported that MSNBC has refused to publish any anti-democratic comments from the network's online activity.
Andy Martin,long time Obama watcher has also fallen under the vengeful eye of the Obama camp, as he recounted recently. http://ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com
(NY 10/08/08) "We learned today that the Obama campaign is threatening economic retaliation against news organizations that communicate with me. This is an extension of the terrorist tactics that were directed at WGN-AM in Chicago for featuring critics. We are only a few steps away from a brown-shirted Hitler-style bully boy operation. America: the warning lights are on.
After today, no one can pretend they do not know what is in store for the United States if Barack Obama is elected. A Mugabe-style gang will be running the federal government. Threatening people with economic harm if they speak to other people is defined in the federal criminal code as Extortion.
By threatening media, Obama has morphed from nasty smears and McCarthyism to criminal activity. Threatening media with economic retaliation for interviewing me is a crime. Why has Obama's 'communications' man Gibbs attacked Hannity and me? Did I bomb buildings? No. Ayers did. But Obama/Gibbs suggests I am toxic and Ayers is not. Is Obama is trying to suggest that bombing the Capitol or Pentagon is equivalent to being a litigant in a controversial lawsuit?...
"I have only one question for the mainstream media: who's next?"
Bill Ayers gave Barack Obama a $100 million checkbook. Can anyone reasonably believe that Ayers entrusted money he personally had raised to someone whom Ayers did not know well and could not trust? Ayers knew and trusted Obama before he wrote him a check for $100 million dollars. Likewise, can anyone believe David Axelrod's...story that Obama accepted a check from Ayers for $100 million dollars ($50 million Annenberg, $50 million matching) without knowing who was behind [it] and who Bill Ayers was? Who did Obama think Bill Ayers was? An Ed McMahon substitute, delivering $100 million from Publishers Clearing House? These men, Obama and Ayers, knew each other intimately before the Annenberg deal went down. No honest person can hold a contrary opinion.
And, finally, there is word from Jerome Corsi, author of "Obamanation" who was detained by Kenyan authorities during a fact finding mission there. Corsi was finally released and put on a plane to England at the hands of armed guards. Given Obama's close relationship with Odinga, it was no surprise to learn of the attempt to prevent him from further research. In spite of the risk, he succeeded in obtaining correspondence from Obama to Odinga, advising Odinga how to foment unrest between factions in Kenya in order to insure his rise to power. Hmmm. Sounds familiar...The Uniter's true tactics revealed. Corsi's interview with Hannity & Colmes will appear on Monday, Oct. 13 on FoxNews. http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/10/08/jerome-corsi-kenya-odm-strategy-obama-raila-odingakenyan-elections-petition-to-impeach-obama-sean-hannity-obama-kenya-2006logan-act-odinga-massacre-hannity-radio-show-fox-hannity-show/
So...Who IS this Barack Obama?” I believe that the answer to that question has always been that Barack Obama is what you need him to be. He has defined himself only as an agent for “Change,” but we really have no evidence that the change to which he so often refers has anything even remotely to do with the one WE envision. He remains, even now, a candidate without any real identity. He is what the voters project upon him. He is the ultimate illusion. And in His plan for Us, it is critical that we do NOT know who he is. This is indeed the preferred method of those who aspire to absolute power, and, as he himself stated,
"I...serve as a blank screen on which people of vastly different political stripes project their own views."
It is difficult to deny the audacity implied therein. Never were truer words spoken, and perhaps, of all those he has spoken, these are the only ones that are true.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
It's the INCOMPETENCE, Stupid!
Believe it or not, once in awhile, someone still asks, or worse yet, ASSUMES that my point of view is simply the result of a long held resentment 'because 'MY' candidate didn't win.' Well, first of all, she DID win. Yes, I know that media tried to tell us differently, but the facts, if anyone cares, are that Hillary Clinton not only won the primaries BUT had the numbers needed to win in Denver as well. Like it or not, these are the facts. I was there and I saw it. However, that ship has long since sailed under the admiralty of Howard "The Scream" Dean, vice admiral Nancy Pelosi and midshipman Donna Brazile, and this issue, for now, at least, is moot.
The idea that anyone could still even contemplate the wan concept of anger as PUMA's raison d'etre is simply astounding because the facts, i.e., that the DNC purposefully and methodically perpetrated voter fraud upon the American public by illegally installing the losing candidate, an inexperienced, unvetted and completely unqualified candidate, while not readily available on main stream media, are not really that hard to find. Having seen in-my-face, up-close-and-personally the horrors perpetrated by the DNC on the American public and the democratic system, I sometimes forget that there are still a few Americans who remain relatively uninformed about what their party has perpetrated upon them, and, worse yet, don't seem to want to know, either. As Thomas Jefferson's oft quoted wisdom states,
who so well states our reasons for fighting the good fight, and our commitment to continuing this Movement until our goals are realized.
Believe it or not, we're not angry--at least, not anymore. We're in love: in love with our country and its forefathers' words of wisdom; in love with our fellow countrymen and women; in love with the Democratic ideals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and in love with the conviction that, like our courageous forefathers and mothers, we CAN make a difference; we CAN restore truth, honor and integrity to our country and its media; and, together, we CAN build the world of equality and prosperity we all envision. For those in doubt, click on the Democrats for Principle Before Party button on the right--it will show you the way!
The idea that anyone could still even contemplate the wan concept of anger as PUMA's raison d'etre is simply astounding because the facts, i.e., that the DNC purposefully and methodically perpetrated voter fraud upon the American public by illegally installing the losing candidate, an inexperienced, unvetted and completely unqualified candidate, while not readily available on main stream media, are not really that hard to find. Having seen in-my-face, up-close-and-personally the horrors perpetrated by the DNC on the American public and the democratic system, I sometimes forget that there are still a few Americans who remain relatively uninformed about what their party has perpetrated upon them, and, worse yet, don't seem to want to know, either. As Thomas Jefferson's oft quoted wisdom states,
"All tyranny needs to flourish is that good men remain silent."I forget that most people have not been in the trenches, on the ground and in the news in the fight to restore honesty to media and democracy to voters. And so, although it may seem like once again preaching to the choir, I offer a brilliantly succinct crosspost from American Thinker's Kyle-Anne Shiver,entitled,"Dems’ Split over Obama Not About Race and Sour Grapes" http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/dems-split-over-obama-not-about-race-and-sour-grapes/
who so well states our reasons for fighting the good fight, and our commitment to continuing this Movement until our goals are realized.
A recent Associated Press story glibly proclaimed that “deep-seated racial misgivings could cost Barack Obama the White House.” The story relied on an AP-Yahoo poll that posed questions regarding race to white Democrats.
One is left to wonder why questions regarding race were not posed to black Democrats or why the “poll” was more of a word association test, left open to completely subjective reasoning in deciphering results. But anyone who has been following the Democratic Party rifts from this season’s primaries and caucuses would not, in my opinion, be inclined to buy the it’s-all-about-race argument.
It’s quite troubling, really, that mainstream media outlets are focusing upon “racial misgivings” factors, while all but ignoring the major divides among voting constituencies that occurred during the nominating contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. These rifts revolved much more around exactly how Barack Obama received the Democratic nomination than any sort of racial divide or even sour grapes.
In fact, there are dozens of voter groups which claim outright that Barack Obama’s nomination was garnered illegitimately and with decidedly undemocratic methods. These are the PUMA people, the NoBama folks, the caucus-fraud investigators, and a whole lot of others who fervently believe that Barack Obama is not the legitimate nominee of the Democratic Party electorate, but the nominee of the party elite and caucus strong-arm tactics.
If Barack Obama loses a large swath of traditionally Democratic voters in November, then the party should conduct serious introspection, not point fingers at white bigots and rednecks.
Howard Dean and his minions who control the Democratic Party apparatus should examine the methods used by Obama to grab the nomination and his manipulation of the caucus system, and take a long, serious look inward to see if their party still deserves the adjective “democratic.”
In the Democratic nominating contest, some votes count more than others
When the Democratic Party changed all of its nominating rules following the convention of 1968, the goal of nominating a candidate who could win the general election was changed to a goal of nominating a candidate representative of the various special constituencies of the party and rewarding party loyalty, not electability.
At the beginning of the contest, the African-American vote was split in Clinton’s favor, especially on the gender line.
Believe it or not, we're not angry--at least, not anymore. We're in love: in love with our country and its forefathers' words of wisdom; in love with our fellow countrymen and women; in love with the Democratic ideals of Franklin Delano Roosevelt; and in love with the conviction that, like our courageous forefathers and mothers, we CAN make a difference; we CAN restore truth, honor and integrity to our country and its media; and, together, we CAN build the world of equality and prosperity we all envision. For those in doubt, click on the Democrats for Principle Before Party button on the right--it will show you the way!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Salon/Media Spin Doctors-The Ususal Suspects
It is always disheartening to watch the devolution of any publication I once respected. As a writer and researcher, I always go into a project with an open mind and a blank slate. However, once I have seen the fact pattern and deduced an opinion, I am bound to represent what I believe to be true on the basis not of what I WANT to be true, but what the FACTS INDICATE to be true.
And so it goes in the instant case. For months now I have been reading, writing and researching and what I have learned is a highly unpleasant reality: Barack Obama, the DNC and his handlers have perpetrated without a doubt THE SLICKEST, MOST DISHONEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN IN AMERICAN HISTORY, and in doing so, shamelessly duped half of America. I say half because, in spite of the constant stream of Obamapologists from main stream media, a signficant portion of Americans have still resisted drinking the virulent kool aid that transmits the Obama virus.
I have personally witnessed the intimidation tactics used by Obama camp followers on delegates at the Denver DNC convention; I have interviewed activists and bloggers who have been theatened and traumatized Texas caucus workers who witnessed firsthand the thuggery employed in the attempt to steal a caucus win from Hillary Clinton, who BEAT Obama in that day's primary only to "loose" in the caucuses???!
I have researched the pasts, track records, writings and associations of John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden extensively, and what I have found is a remarkable dissimilarity between the four candidates: without question, we know as much about John McCain and what he has done with his life in the last 30 years as we DON'T know about the QUESTIONABLE pass times of Barack Obama over the last 30 years.
And yet: despite all of the facts available, main stream media continues to gloss over Obama's murky past, giving him pass after pass on such crucial issues as American citizenship, associations with known terrorists and criminals, and the absence of any real work product or writing, save his fictionalized autobiographies, which contain almost no facts at all.
Doesn't it ever occur to anyone that if media did their job, adhered to their own standards of professional ethics and actually--novel idea--REPORTED ALL THE FACTS FROM BOTH SIDES, the candidates themselves would not have to do not only their OWN job of running for office, but that of the media as well?
Until media, including but not limited to Kamiya, Conason, Traister etal. restores itself to at least a modicum of objectivity in reporting, their sleazy attacks on anyone who reports an unpleasant fact mean less than nothing to the average American who, despite media's endless attempts to fool them, remain a lot smarter than both MSM and Obama would like to believe.
And so it goes in the instant case. For months now I have been reading, writing and researching and what I have learned is a highly unpleasant reality: Barack Obama, the DNC and his handlers have perpetrated without a doubt THE SLICKEST, MOST DISHONEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN IN AMERICAN HISTORY, and in doing so, shamelessly duped half of America. I say half because, in spite of the constant stream of Obamapologists from main stream media, a signficant portion of Americans have still resisted drinking the virulent kool aid that transmits the Obama virus.
I have personally witnessed the intimidation tactics used by Obama camp followers on delegates at the Denver DNC convention; I have interviewed activists and bloggers who have been theatened and traumatized Texas caucus workers who witnessed firsthand the thuggery employed in the attempt to steal a caucus win from Hillary Clinton, who BEAT Obama in that day's primary only to "loose" in the caucuses???!
I have researched the pasts, track records, writings and associations of John McCain, Barack Obama, Sarah Palin and Joe Biden extensively, and what I have found is a remarkable dissimilarity between the four candidates: without question, we know as much about John McCain and what he has done with his life in the last 30 years as we DON'T know about the QUESTIONABLE pass times of Barack Obama over the last 30 years.
And yet: despite all of the facts available, main stream media continues to gloss over Obama's murky past, giving him pass after pass on such crucial issues as American citizenship, associations with known terrorists and criminals, and the absence of any real work product or writing, save his fictionalized autobiographies, which contain almost no facts at all.
Doesn't it ever occur to anyone that if media did their job, adhered to their own standards of professional ethics and actually--novel idea--REPORTED ALL THE FACTS FROM BOTH SIDES, the candidates themselves would not have to do not only their OWN job of running for office, but that of the media as well?
Until media, including but not limited to Kamiya, Conason, Traister etal. restores itself to at least a modicum of objectivity in reporting, their sleazy attacks on anyone who reports an unpleasant fact mean less than nothing to the average American who, despite media's endless attempts to fool them, remain a lot smarter than both MSM and Obama would like to believe.
Don't Need a Weatherman to Know Which Way the Wind Blows
Esteemed words of the inimitable Bob Dylan, first uttered in his prophetic 1965 hit, "Subterranean Homesick Blues" http://www.bobdylan.com/#/songs/subterranean-homesick-blues, a full read of which I highly recommend. In fact, I was tempted to simply post just those lyrics today, as they just about say it all. However, as always, "currency is currency" in today's fast paced world, and thus at approximately 3:19 PM, FOX issued a Breaking News report that ACORN's Las Vegas headquarters has been raided by Nevada authorities looking for evidence of voter fraud. Sigh. And so once again, we are reminded that Some Things Never Change:
Both the Weathermen and Bob Dylan are still going strong, as is the wide reaching ACORN organization and its ongoing, systematic initiative of voter fraud. The only thing that HAS changed in those 40 years is Main Stream Media, who have gone from a somewhat passable, if semisolid, reporting record to one so substandard as to be totally off-the-chart, seriously unrateable, leftwing biased, completely and blatantly-in-the-tank-for-Obama. Even Google and Yahoo have been caught trying to weight the scales in their hinky little hanky panky with bloggers who don't favor Obama. Just yesterday we received notice from someone who had paid for advertising unfavorable to Obama and, after having had her payment in the account for a week, was finally told that her "content was objectionable." This ad, by the way, contained absolutely NO inflammatory or vulgar language; it simply raised some very serious questions about Obama's qualifications and ability to rule, I mean govern.
Having given pass after pass to every single one of Obama's gaffes, lies, highly questionable affiliations, associations, and history, it is left to FOX, the once-maligned right-biased network, to report, finally, THE most Fair and Balanced news.
Over the last week, grim news of our economic woes, strongly affected by the actions [or non-action?] of the likes of ACORN, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines, Jim Johnson, Barney Frank and members of the Democratic Black Caucus, has nearly trumped campaign news. Sarah Palin, however, acquitted herself well in the vice presidential debate and has gone on to attract huge crowds everywhere--and has not shirked her duty to raise questions about the Obama-Ayers-ACORN-Annenberg-Woods connections that go to the issue of Character. While the Obama camp and, apparently, Main Stream Media no longer seem to see the need and importance of having character high in integrity, compassion and integrity, those attributes are still the basic requirements for good leadership. One can only hope that, among the many things that have not changed, tonight's debate will find John McCain continuing to be himself, championing these fine traits with which he has been blessed and represent the moderate maverick that he is, because at this point, he is our only hope of escape from the long list of lies, bus-trampled bodies and totalitarian tactics long exhibited by the Obama camp, the DNC and the corporatocracy he so loyally represents. In fact, in view of his track record, the corporatocracy may be the ONLY thing to which he will remain loyal, thanks to that 60% financing he has received from the likes of Wall Street and his co-conspirators.
However, I digress. In fact, no one could express the lamentable state of main stream media more succinctly than Grail Guardian at Insight Analytical. I strongly suggest clicking on the link and reading Guardian's piece on Insight. http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/selling-america-why-the-msm-cant-tell-the-truth/
Both the Weathermen and Bob Dylan are still going strong, as is the wide reaching ACORN organization and its ongoing, systematic initiative of voter fraud. The only thing that HAS changed in those 40 years is Main Stream Media, who have gone from a somewhat passable, if semisolid, reporting record to one so substandard as to be totally off-the-chart, seriously unrateable, leftwing biased, completely and blatantly-in-the-tank-for-Obama. Even Google and Yahoo have been caught trying to weight the scales in their hinky little hanky panky with bloggers who don't favor Obama. Just yesterday we received notice from someone who had paid for advertising unfavorable to Obama and, after having had her payment in the account for a week, was finally told that her "content was objectionable." This ad, by the way, contained absolutely NO inflammatory or vulgar language; it simply raised some very serious questions about Obama's qualifications and ability to rule, I mean govern.
Having given pass after pass to every single one of Obama's gaffes, lies, highly questionable affiliations, associations, and history, it is left to FOX, the once-maligned right-biased network, to report, finally, THE most Fair and Balanced news.
Over the last week, grim news of our economic woes, strongly affected by the actions [or non-action?] of the likes of ACORN, Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, Franklin Raines, Jim Johnson, Barney Frank and members of the Democratic Black Caucus, has nearly trumped campaign news. Sarah Palin, however, acquitted herself well in the vice presidential debate and has gone on to attract huge crowds everywhere--and has not shirked her duty to raise questions about the Obama-Ayers-ACORN-Annenberg-Woods connections that go to the issue of Character. While the Obama camp and, apparently, Main Stream Media no longer seem to see the need and importance of having character high in integrity, compassion and integrity, those attributes are still the basic requirements for good leadership. One can only hope that, among the many things that have not changed, tonight's debate will find John McCain continuing to be himself, championing these fine traits with which he has been blessed and represent the moderate maverick that he is, because at this point, he is our only hope of escape from the long list of lies, bus-trampled bodies and totalitarian tactics long exhibited by the Obama camp, the DNC and the corporatocracy he so loyally represents. In fact, in view of his track record, the corporatocracy may be the ONLY thing to which he will remain loyal, thanks to that 60% financing he has received from the likes of Wall Street and his co-conspirators.
However, I digress. In fact, no one could express the lamentable state of main stream media more succinctly than Grail Guardian at Insight Analytical. I strongly suggest clicking on the link and reading Guardian's piece on Insight. http://insightanalytical.wordpress.com/2008/09/22/selling-america-why-the-msm-cant-tell-the-truth/
Monday, October 6, 2008
Nuts To ACORN: The Meat of the Matter
FOX News's documentary on Hannity's America last night was chilling; although the information contained there was scary enough, it was not so much the information it contained as it was the fact that no other mainstream media outlet has covered it! Having been researching him for a long time, I can tell you that Fox was mild and decorous in their presentation, compared to the wealth of substantive information that exists about not only Obama's character and associations, but about his resume. No one can find any of his written work; no one can actually figure out what, exactly, it is that he has DONE since reaching the age of majority, except mingle with a seemingly endless stream of miscreants on at least three continents. And no one can prove that he is a natural born American citizen. In fact, the deeper they dig, the less likely it seems that he is even qualified to BE POTUS. Sigh.
But we must never stop fighting: for free and fair elections, transparency in government, and honesty and accountability in media. As Heidi Li stated today, Obama's absence of integrity does NOT have to be ours. http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/10/money-wont-buy-it-not-if-we-dont-let-it-resist-the-wealth-of-the-obama-campaig.html
But we must never stop fighting: for free and fair elections, transparency in government, and honesty and accountability in media. As Heidi Li stated today, Obama's absence of integrity does NOT have to be ours. http://tdg.typepad.com/heidi_lis_potpourri/2008/10/money-wont-buy-it-not-if-we-dont-let-it-resist-the-wealth-of-the-obama-campaig.html
ACORN: The Poisonous NUT That Ended Democracy in America
Crosspost by Cristi Adkins, www.Clintons4Mccain.com
Within its shell, ACORN contains all the makings of an intriguing government political conspiracy movie: drama, injustice, organized crime, election fraud, intimidation, violence, money, lies, extortion and a presidential candidate.[1]
If you are a patriotic, middle class American who spends most of your time working for your family and enjoying your FREEDOM, you have probably not been bothered by the sounds of an ACORN dropping before now. But, while you were sleeping peacefully at night, the roots of Socialism have broadened their reach undeterred right into the foundation of the White House.[2]Allow me to enlighten you to the ways of a radical community action group that could change your way of life forever.
ACORN is an acronym that stands for Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. Its mere definition contains hints of Socialism as it claims to be a group advocating for low- and moderate-income families that addresses housing, schools, neighborhood safety, health care, job conditions, and other social issues.[3]
Beneath that surface lie violence, intimidation, threats, race baiting and direct physical attacks on property, people and the legal establishment.
Without going into myriad details, many ACORN policy proposals are widely considered to be in line with the far left wing of the Democratic Party.[4] If you are asking yourself what could possibly be so ‘bad' with a group that in theory advocates for low income families, then you've just given yourself the reason this group has been allowed to thrive in America with little scrutiny and under the radar of main street observation until now.[5]
In truth, ACORN is the most virulent, organized crime group in this decade...and it is funded by YOU.
Put simply, ACORN is ripping off the taxpayer through Congressional hand outs.[6] In fact, ACORN was recently due to receive nearly $700 million of the $700 billion dollar bailout bill until Republicans in the Senate redlined it.[7] Allow that to sink in for a moment: $700 million from the US for an organized crime group.
Yes, ACORN has been receiving Obama campaign funding, but what's worse is that ACORN leaders are actively extorting money from banks, mortgage brokers and Congress. To add insult to injury, ACORN is costing Americans millions to investigate all of its criminal activities across America.
And then there's the end of the democratic process through valid elections.[8] Yes, ACORN is behind much of the rampant voter fraud.[9] ACORN has been involved with fraudulent voter registrations for years.[10] In fact, Missouri has 8 ACORN guilty pleas on record (for 2006 violations of federal voting laws) just this year. Many other states are investigating many hundreds of cases of voter fraud in their jurisdiction.[11] We have compelling evidence that ACORN has been involved in fraudulent voter registration since early in the 2007 launch of the Obama campaign.
But they don't stop at faulty funding and voter fraud. Obama's community organizational skills are synonymous with totalitarian tactics as its leaders use violence, intimidation, threats, racial baiting and direct physical attacks on property, persons and the legal establishment.[12] When you shed the shell, there is just no good to the group known as ACORN. It is corrupt and without any upside.
With a group like ACORN running rampant in government and shaking hands in Washington, why not legitimize the Bloods and The Crypts? They too are street gangs but they just happen to push drugs instead of bogus registrations drives and sub-prime mortgage deals.
Uncle Sam should be putting ACORN at the top of its list as internal terrorist groups, yet the red, white and blue sense of justice seems to be crumbling. Many numbed citizens just roll their eyes at groups like ACORN simply because America has unfortunately become deadened to the idea that politicians have ulterior motives, nameless agenda's and behave unscrupulously at times.
However, the rest of this American story is without filtering or fear.
The disturbing reason more ACORN activities go un-prosecuted is because the FEC as well as the FBI have refused to open investigations out of fear of rocking the Obama campaign.[13]
The MOST disturbing fact you need to know about ACORN is that its organizers have terrorized the Federal justice and law enforcement system into NON-action.
How can one group get away with so much? Because ACORN has many Democratic backers in Congress who work tirelessly for its perpetuation and the head ACORN nut is Senator Obama.[14] In fact, Senator Obama is so entwined in ACORN it has become a career and campaign double helix in his DNA.
If you're asking yourself what Obama has to do with ACORN, consider this:
Obama has served ACORN as its attorney, has been its direct action trainer, its mentor, its contractor, and its PRIMARY illegal campaign funder. ACORN is part of the ‘Community Organizing' experience his evil empire would like to bring into the White House.[15]
American men and American women should be recognizing that mother freedom is on the brink of extinction with one single NUT trampling all over liberty.
Who will be left sleeping peacefully at night as the ACORN marks the beginning of Socialism in America brought to you courtesy of Barack Obama?[16] With ACORN intact or worse, empowered in the White House, American Democracy will be a legend long gone. Socialism and criminality will be the rule.
[10] Michelle Malkin http://michellemalkin.com/2008/03/13/more-left-wing-voter-fraud-allegations-against-acorn/
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