John Edwards: The Contender

John Edwards: The Contender

Insiders call Edwards a contender - John Edwards and Hillary Clinton are the top two potential 2008 Presidential candidates being talked about by Washington insiders, according to this News & Observer article.

*Thanks to Seth Whitaker for the referral.

Who Is Patty Murray's Guest-Blogger?

Who Is Patty Murray's Guest-Blogger?

---
Patty..................................................Me

I've been told that Patty Murray and I look so much alike that we could be sisters.

The only reason I'm bringing that up is because John Edwards posted on Patty's blog today.

Check it out.

Gore Vidal: The Undoing of America

Gore Vidal: The Undoing of America
Gore Vidal on war for oil, politics-free elections, and the late, great U.S. Constitution by Steve Perry
LINK: City Pages

"...the old American republic is well and truly dead. The institutions that we thought were eternal proved not to be. And that goes for the three departments of government, and it also goes for the Bill of Rights. So we're in uncharted territory. We're governed by public relations. Very little information gets to the people, thanks to the corruption and/or ineptitude of the media....

...This is something new under the sun--that a president, just because he feels like it, can declare war on anybody. And Congress will go along with him, and the courts will support him. The founding fathers would be mortified if they saw what had happened to their handiwork, which wasn't very great to begin with but is now done for...

....All we do is hear about little cures for little pains. Nothing important gets said. There used to be all those talk shows back in the '50s and '60s, when I was on television a great deal. People would talk about many important things, and you had some very good talkers. They're not allowed on now. Or they're set loose in the Fox Zoo, in which you have a number of people who pretend to be journalists but are really like animals. Each one has his own noise--there's the donkey who brays, there's the pig who squeals. Each one is a different animal in a zoo, making a characteristic noise. The result is chaos, which is what is intended. They don't want the people to know anything, and the people don't..

...I've just been reading a report on Conyers's trip to Ohio with his subcommittee's experts. Ohio was stolen. The Republican Congress will never have a hearing on it. But I think attempts are being made to publish the details of what was done there, and elsewhere too in America. In other words, I put the case that Bush was never elected--not in 2000, and not in 2004. This is a new game in the world. Through the magic of electronic voting, particularly through Mr. Diebold and friends, you can take a non-president and make him president. But how to keep the people, including the opposition who should know better, so silent, this introduces us to a vast landscape of corruption which I dare not enter.."

To All Americans - Heal Our Land!

photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

To All Americans - Heal Our Land!

"We have been accused of arrogance. But what of the fantastic arrogance of our leaders? What of their crimes against the people, the poor and powerless?

Still no court will try them, no jail will receive them. They live in righteousness. They will die in honor.

For them we have one message. For those in whose manicured hands the power of the land lies, we say to them - "Lead us." Lead us in justice and there will be no need to break the law. Let the president do what his predecessors failed to do. Let him obey the rich less and the people more. Let him think less of the privileged and more of the poor. Less of America and more of the world. Let lawmakers, judges, and lawyers think less of the law, and more of justice; less of legal ritual, more of human rights.

To our bishops and superiors we say- Learn something about the gospel and something about illegitimate power. When you do, you will liquidate your investments, take a house in the slums, or even join us in jail."

- Philip Berrigan S.S.J., from the transcript of the court trial of the Catonsville Nine

__________

In the political campaign leading to the 2004 elections, I do not recall one American Catholic Bishop appearing in the media to say one word of condemnation against the sin of greed, which contributes directly to poverty and inequality in this nation. By their ommission, voters were induced to support candidates who would virtually strip away support for Americans living in poverty.

All I recall hearing about were the wedge issues of abortion and homosexuality.

When the Catholic Bishops and other religious leaders of Christian sects start to sound like Fox News pundits, it is high time we recognize their actions as political and treat them accordingly. When I heard the Bishops were attempting to set groundwork for a denial of Communion to John Kerry and other Democrats because of their political beliefs on one isue (when there are thousands upon thousands of faith issues and concerns), I was not only appalled - as a Catholic, I was nauseated by the targeting of one American political party for one issue by the Church.

Once we realize a boundary is being blurred between the State and our faith, we must speak to the political issue on a strictly political level with these faith leaders, for they have entered a dangerous area where Christianity, alone, cannot take precedence over the rule of civil law and pluralism. There are too many people of non-Christian faiths (and non-faith) who call themselves American. Do you know that the word 'God' does not even appear, not even once, in the U.S. Constitution?

We must continue to appeal to our political leaders for fairness and I repeat that we must begin to speak to our religious leaders on a political level. We did not ask for this struggle and dilemma, but when our religious leaders decide to divide the body of Christ (which is the church and its members) by politics, we must reconsider the words of Father Philip Berrigan in 1969.

Two hundred years from Adam Smith, it's clear that the market has unleashed an uncontrollable force. It is not a Holy force by any means. There is an unrestrained "self-interest" of individuals and of organized special-interest groups. In an economic-Darwinian style, the weak are punished while the strong are rewarded. If we are to believe that the current consensus of the American majority is that it is morally acceptable for them to socially exclude those who are unable to meet the demands of the market, then we might assume we are living in a soulless society.

I, for one, refuse to believe that Americans truly feel that it is morally, politically, or legally acceptable to have such an unjust distribution of wealth, work, and income which GOP policies have brought about (with the help of a concentrated group of special interests who call themselves "Christian" and prove themselves to be anything BUT).

If the lights suddenly "came on", and those Americans who profess to be Christians were to sit back and think about how the policies they've supported (through elections) are running against their faith-based beliefs and Bible-based lessons, I think they'd be reeling with confusion and anger. Talking points and carefully-framed issues have caused these voters to believe they have been doing the right thing. In reality, the results of the policies they've been persuaded to support are coming to the surface, and they are dark, they are non-compassionate, and they are ugly.

The United States is, unfortunately, the leader in widening the gap between the upper, middle, and under-classes at home and around the world. Other countries are following our lead with the help of our influence and cooperation in G8 activities. The middle class in this country has long ceased to protest the New World Order. Their political interests are basically limited to concerns about family, religion, taxes and government regulation of business. The larger issues escape them because they do not affect their private lives, especially those who live in rural and suburban communites and who are far away enough from the areas which take on the full impact of the new (and rapidly growing) American underclass.

For the sake of brevity, let me state that I believe we need to see a change soon, or expect to see the rapidly-increasing working underclasses (in America and other nations - perhaps in a cooperative effort) to stage a resistance that may not be as peaceful as that of people of faith and morality like Father Berrigan. I'm not saying it may happen anytime soon, but unless we turn public policy around, we are bound to see a growth in support for such a resistance movement. If Congressmen (and women) cannot find a way to work with each other and cast partisanship aside, they may lose their chance for conflict management and control when a crisis is reached. When it comes to the Poverty issue and conflict resolution between the worker and the government, I believe American Labor will become an important and prominent movement, and will probably be seen as the new American patriotic movement. Americans will find their way back to believing in their communities and working together with the powerful force of their faith when they focus on economic justice and compassion for the poorest among them. When too many have been relegated to a class within which they see no opportunity of movement because public policy has locked them in and removed their liberty, they will begin to see the faithless component to the policy they'd once supported as true believers.

The issues of alleviating the causes of poverty, reducing inequality, respecting pluralism, considering true compassion in public policy, and being determined to promote tolerance are more important today than they've ever been. They all run true to the cause of freedom and liberty while calling upon those of faith as well as those who practice no faith at all.

Our religious leaders need to awaken to the truth of what's happening in America. I believe they have all too often failed to lead and the result is an America that, paradoxically, claims to hold to Christian values and yet has produced a nation of greedy, selfish, and non-community-based policies. Americans are better than that, and I do not fault them because I understand that they have been misled. We are one America or we are not America at all. We need to work together or expect to destroy ourselves from within.

I invite every American to read this and consider it carefully, remembering that our Founding Fathers personally knew little of Catholicism (though some saw it in French influence), the Baptist movement, or the Pentecostals - nor did they know about a "born again" movement. (The closest any of them came was Madison, who attended a moderately evangelical Episcopal church later in life). They came from the churches in which they were raised and/or saw established in their colonies (Anglican, Congregationalist,etc) - and some were Deists. John Adams belonged to an anti-Great Awakening wing of Congregationalists (a predecessor of the Unitarians).

We cannot allow Religious Supremacists (who make up the shadow-leadership of a widespread-yet-quiet political movement in America) to hijack, pervert, or water-down our faith. We must not allow them to destroy the traditional civic fabric of our country, which by tradition requires respect for religious freedom and pluralism. When issues are triumphalistically supported in the name of one religion's God and is a detriment to fair and responsible public policy, we are not acting as Americans. Someone may argue with me that Jesus Christ called us to work within our diversity, but no one can argue that the Founding Fathers called upon us to do so as American citizens.

If our religious and political leaders continue to turn their backs on each other, my fellow Americans, it is up to us to mend our nation and return to the true nature of our faith, which is love and empathy for our fellow man. We should seek cooperation to reach a higher goal for our civil society based upon our common and shared values. It is equally important to join together to help each other and to mend the divisions which our immature and dangerous leaders have created because of their own greedy self-interests.

If you are faithful, I appeal to you to never lose your faith. If you are patriotic, I appeal to you to never lose your love for American democracy and to embrace a policy which ensures a freedom that does not have to encompass the immorality of greed, but instead calls citizens to welcome the poor to take a place beside us at the bountiful table.

"To our bishops and superiors we say - Learn something about the gospel and something about illegitimate power. When you do, you will liquidate your investments, take a house in the slums, or even join us in jail."

Jeff Sharlet: Jesus Plus Nothing

Jeff Sharlet: Jesus Plus Nothing

Who is "The Family"?

Are they "just" a bunch of guys hanging out?
Are they "just" like you and me?

What is "Ivanwald"?

Read Jeff Sharlet's "Jesus Plus Nothing", an article which has appeared in Harper's Magazine.

National Review Mischaracterizes Us

National Review Mischaracterizes Us

Stanley Kurtz of the National Review is mischaracterizing the recent focus on the Religious Extreme Right as "hatred" for Christians. So many of us are Christians or Jews who've stemmed from the same Judeao-Christian base! I am a Christian. I attended last weekend's conference at CUNY with a woman of the Jewish faith. We both heartily agreed, at the end of the day, that the facts presented at the CUNY conference proved what the National Review doesn't care to discuss. Instead, they go for a gut attack and hope for a gut reaction. This insult and error in Mr. Kurtz's opinion couldn't be more off the mark. I never heard a word of "hatred" or anger from any of the speakers at the CUNY conference last weekend. On the contrary. They urged an open mind and an patient understanding while never losing sight of the bare facts. Never - not once - did they categorize anyone as "evil". I sat next to a Catholic Sister at the conference's break-out afternoon session. Many speakers were Christians and Jews themselves. Kurtz is so far off the mark that he should post a retraction to the gross "hatefest" misinformation he's speading. He's wrong, wrong, wrong.....sinfully wrong.

These ugly mischaracterizations only serve to make Kurtz and his ilk at National Review look like the ranting and raving partisans they are. They're walking like ducks - so they're ducks, already. Mean, nasty little ducks, too. They are the symptom, and not the cure for what it's going to take to get Americans to understand one another.

Last winter, the National Review pulled the same crap on me, a meek and lowly blogger who gets a couple hundred hits a day.

What are they so afraid of?

I'll tell you - when you get too close to the truth, you get slammed!

When they don't like your message, they immediately bare the fangs.

There can be grace and dignity, even in politics. The National Reviewers know (or care) little about how to be dignified. Their soft affinity with the electoral politics of the extreme religious right is clearly the reason why.

Elizabeth Edwards Sets a Blogger Straight

Elizabeth Edwards Sets a Blogger Straight

Elizabeth Edwards has a lot of passion and intelligence, and that's what I admire about her. She wouldn't allow an untruth go by when blogger Chip Atkinson made a cheap shot about her husband on Ed Cone's blog today.

Here's how it went:

Ed blogged that John Edwards is working to raise the minimum wage.

Chip commented:

Now here's a guy who may seem to be working for minimum wage, but has a track record of working only for himself. Not an orginal idea in his head... he never paid his dues politically.
chip • 5/2/05; 6:28:51 AM #

To which Elizabeth replied, in John's defense:

Three points here. 1. "A track record of working only for himself"? John has spent his entire adult life working for others. For some of that work he was paid and often well, for some he was not paid at all. He has worked on homelessness issues, worked in our church, volunteered with sports programs at the Y, with city leagues for more than 12 years, worked (and in parge part paid) to establish free after-school programs in Raleigh and in Goldsboro, and he decided to try to replace Lauch Faircloth so our state could have a Senator who really knew and fought for North Carolina workers, which he did. 2. "Not an original idea in his head"? Maybe there is nothing new under the sun, but John has clearly not taken the path well-trodden in Washington. He spoke of "two Americas", giving an original voice to a long-standing (and worsening)immoral condition in this country, and since the election, he has continued his fight on a personal level. 3. And finally "he never paid his dues politically"? What in the world does that mean? I, for one, want someone who remembers life before politics, who has done manual labor (and honors it), who knows the menu at McDonald's, who has spent countless Saturday mornings coaching children, who has felt -- like most of us -- the highs and lows of life and doesn't forget any of it. (I suspect, Chip, that if he had spent decades in politics, you would say that he was too far from the people.)
Elizabeth Edwards • 5/2/05; 1:21:03 PM #

Lights Are Going On In America

Lights Are Going On In America

Barbara, who usually blogs about spirituality, writes about this past weekend's conference on Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right at CUNY and how it has caused her to think about the state of 'her America'.

I saw a funny quote at Barbara's site, and it ties in with the topic. Jerry Garcia said:

"Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us."

I laugh, and at the same time I remember that we were told on Friday night, by Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar (general secretary of the National Council of the Churches of Christ and six-term member of the U.S. House of Representatives), that we are the prophets and the leaders we've been waiting for, just as Willam Rivers Pitt reminded us last year.

While we've been waiting, it's been us all along. We are the hope for America, and we must take the responsibility to act, each in the best and most effective way we know how.


Panel prepares for discussion
Left to right: Mark Crispin Miller, Jeff Sharlet, Ralph White, David Levine, Frederick Clarkson, Hugh Urban, and Chip Berlet
photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Barbara especially liked Katherine Yurica's conference speech. She can't get enough of YuricaReport.com. I agree. Katherine was a passionate speaker.

See her essay: "What did Mr. Bush's 2nd Inaugural Address Really Mean?"

Brian & Ruby: An Open Source Wedding

Brian & Ruby: An Open Source Wedding!

__Congratulations to Brian and Ruby!
This looks like it will be the first open-source wedding!

R. Crumb on Aging

R. Crumb on Aging

On NPR's Fresh Air, I heard underground comix-guru R.(Robert) Crumb say that he feels as if he was born an old man, and as the years have passed, he's become more and more like a child.

Photo

The Moon and New York City
photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Jim Wallis on the Hijacking of Christianity

Jim Wallis on the Hijacking of Christianity

An attempt to hijack Christianity
by Jim Wallis
From: Sojourners

"Last week, I wrote about the "Justice Sunday" event held at a Louisville, Kentucky, mega-church. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council, Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson, and Southern Baptist leader Albert Mohler were joined by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist on video in the event titled "Stop the Filibuster Against People of Faith." Of course, I have no objection to Christian leaders expressing their faith in the public arena - it's a good thing that I do all the time. The question is not whether to do so, but how. As I heard more and more about "Justice Sunday," it felt to me like it was crossing an important line - saying that a political issue was a test of faith.


So, when I was invited to speak at an interfaith "Freedom and Faith" service at Central Presbyterian Church in Louisville, I agreed. On Sunday morning, I flew to Louisville, and that afternoon addressed more than 1,000 people who attended the rally. I didn't go to say that these leaders shouldn't bring their faith into politics; the issues concerning them - abortion and family values - are also important to me. But the way they were doing it was wrong. The clear implication of their message was that those who opposed them are not people of faith.


We can get some historical perspective by looking at how Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. did it - and he was the church leader who did it best. Once after he was arrested, he wrote a very famous "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," addressed to the white clergy who were opposing him on the issues of racial segregation and violence against black people. Never once did he say that they were not people of faith. He appealed to their faith, challenged their faith, asked them to go deeper with their faith, but he never said they were not real Christians. If Dr. King refused to attack the integrity and faith of his opponents over such a clear gospel issue, how can the Religious Right do it over presidential nominees and a Senate procedural issue known as the filibuster?


After the "Justice Sunday" event, and the controversy surrounding it, some of the sponsors are denying they ever claimed that those who oppose them are hostile to people of faith. Yet their words stand for themselves. In the letter announcing the event on the Family Research Council Web site, Tony Perkins wrote: "Many of these nominees to the all-important appellate court level are being blocked...because they are people of faith and moral convictions.... We must stop this unprecedented filibuster of people of faith."


So, I told the Louisville rally that when someone has stolen our faith in the public arena, it is time to take our faith back. "Justice Sunday" was an attempt to hijack Christianity for a partisan and ideological agenda. Those on the Religious Right are declaring a religious war to give their version of faith religious supremacy in America. And some members of the Republican Party seem ready almost to declare a Christian theocracy in America. It is time to take back both our faith and our Constitution.


It is now clear there are some who will fight this religious war by any means necessary. So we will fight, but not the way they do. We must never lie or misrepresent the facts or the truth. We must not demonize or vilify those who are our opponents. We must claim that those who disagree with our judgments are still real people of faith. We must not fight the way they do, but fight we must. A great deal is at stake in this battle for the heart and soul of faith in America and for the nation's future itself. We will not allow faith to be put into the service of one political agenda.


This is a call for the rest of the churches to wake up. This is a call for people of faith everywhere to stand up and let their faith be heard. This is not a call to be just concerned, or just a little worried, or even just alarmed. This is a call for clear speech and courageous action. This is a call to take back our faith, and in the words of the prophet Micah, "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God."

- Jim Wallis

Watch streaming video of Jim's message at the "Freedom and Faith" service:


RealPlayer


Windows Media Player

___________

Read more about "Justice Sunday" and Sojourners' efforts to offer an alternative view. Some sites may require registration.


Frist seeks Christian support to stop filibusters
+ The New York Times


Religion, politics intersect in 'Justice Sunday'
+ Lexington Herald-Leader


Christians square off over battle for judiciary
+ Chicago Tribune


Battle over benches spills across pews
+ Los Angeles Times


Religious conservatives speak out against Democrats' use of filibuster
+ The Kansas City Star


Foes attack event as intolerant
+ The Courier-Journal (Louisville)

____



What’s missing from the debate over values in America?

See this Mother Jones article by Garret Keizer.

Excerpt:

"Had Howard Dean been an evangelical Christian with an evangelical Christian base, would his followers have deserted him because his Iowa holler made him “unelectable”? Or would they have closed ranks behind him because his stand on the Iraq war made him right?"

Conference: Examining the Agenda of the Religious Far Right

"Until progressives come to understand what [fundamentalists] read, hear, are told and deeply believe, we cannot understand American politics, much less be effective."

- Joe Bageant

Conference: Examining the Agenda of the Religious Far Right
April 29-30

I will be in New York this weekend for a two-day conference co-sponsored by the NY Open Center and CUNY Graduate Center Public Programs, to be held at CUNY Graduate Center (Fifth Ave & 34th St, Manhattan).

The conference, called Examining the Real Agenda of the Religious Far Right, will include some of my favorite political activists.

Speakers: Karen Armstrong, Joan Bokaer, Chip Berlet, Katherine Yurica, John Sugg, Hugh Urban, Frederick Clarkson, Jeffrey Sharlet, Skipp Porteous, Charles Strozier, Robert W. Edgar, and Joseph C. Hough Jr.
(presenter bios here)

John Edwards Joins with Acorn

A Message From John Edwards


This message from John Edwards appeared on the One America website this afternoon. I am personally encouraged by this message, being a person who is passionate about progressive politics in Upstate New York, whose economy is one of the worst in the nation and whose taxes are among the highest.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Dear Friend,

I want to let you know about an important new project I am starting as a part of our ongoing efforts to help lift people out of poverty. Today, I am joining with ACORN, the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, labor unions, and other grassroots organizations to place minimum wage initiatives on the ballot in some states around the country.

As I have traveled across the country exploring ways to move people out of poverty and into the middle class, I have met many people who are working two or three jobs but are still struggling to get by. They are working hard, but it is impossible for them to survive financially on a minimum wage job.

In a country of our wealth, it is wrong for someone to work full time and still not be able to make ends meet. A job should be a bridge out of poverty - an opportunity to achieve the American Dream. But for America's minimum wage workers, especially those with families, it is not.

Minimum wage workers make just under $11,000 annually - about $5,000 below the poverty line for a single mother with two children. We must do better.

The last increase came in the mid 1990s and since then, inflation has completely wiped out its impact. Although the American people overwhelmingly support raising the federal minimum wage, the Bush Administration and Republican Congressional leaders continue to block attempts to increase the federal minimum wage of $5.15 an hour. America's workers deserve better, and that's why I am proud to join ACORN to work for change in targeted states.

Together, ACORN, labor unions, other grassroots organizations, and I will work to create an America that rewards work, not wealth. ACORN has already begun working with community organizations and labor allies to place minimum wage increases on the ballot in some targeted states in 2006. Last year, ACORN led the successful campaign to raise the minimum wage in Florida by $1.00 an hour. I am honored to join ACORN in this important fight.

America is known as the land of opportunity. It is time for us to live up to that name. We need to raise the minimum wage so that working Americans are not living in poverty. They work hard for America. It is time for America to work for them.

- John Edwards

Workers Memorial Day is April 28th

Workers Memorial Day is April 28th

A Prayer for the Fallen

We remember those we have lost with great fondness.
They gave much to the world; as individuals, family members, friends and work colleagues.
We remember their families in their enormous sadness.
For those who have died at work building a better place for the rest of us.
Those who died while constructing our buildings and expressways, hospitals and schools.
For those who have died young and innocent, victims of avoidable accidents
May we learn from this loss, honour the memory of those lost
And work towards a safer work place for all people
Where the rights and dignity of all workers are upheld above all else

- Rev. Ian Lawton

The first Workers Memorial Day was observed in 1989. April 28 was chosen because it is the anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the day of a similar remembrance in Canada. Every year, people in hundreds of communities and at worksites recognize workers who have been killed or injured on the job. Trade unionists around the world now mark April 28 as an International Day of Mourning. A proclamation can be seen here (pdf).

You can honor the workers by checking the listings of events in your own city or town.

In my own city of Syracuse on April 28 at 4pm, there will be a press conference at Fireman's Memorial Park - Fayette and State Streets. (See Syracuse Progressive blog for details).


Here are some other ways that workers who have been killed or injured on the job have been honored:

* A Collection of Workers' Memorials and
* Workers Memorial Day poems and tributes.

Bits and Pieces

Bits and Pieces

Who is a journalist?

• In a blogpiece which starts off by discussing the web killing newspapers in classified advertising, along with reference to Jay Rosen's recent interview with Bill Grueskin on PressThink, Josh Shear turns his thoughts back to the question on many minds lately: "Who is a journalist?" Josh writes:

"The discussion has taken a bit of a different turn..toward the question of whether newspapers are on their way to becoming buggies, and if journalism students are currently being trained to make buggy whips."

Josh says that there are "a couple of things that need to be ironed out, and soon", and they are the questions regarding:
1. Should information be free? (To which he says 'no')..and
2. What will be the roll of traditional media journalists? (to which he comments that "it's easy to self-publish and to sell advertising for revenue. If some traditional media outlet is just not cutting it, good journalists have a venue to point out the shortcomings of traditional media, and if they have strong enough support, they can turn their web-only publication into a traditional, ad- and reader-driven hardcopy publication that people can actually get their hands on."

I think about the new "101" web media created and designed by Roch Smith Jr. - which originated with Greensboro 101 and is beginning to spread to cities such as Charlotte and Nashville.



At Raw Story Today: Slim FBI File on Bush; New Revelations about Jeff Gannon

• At Raw Story, there is a developing story about requests from an activist blogger with the result of the FBI releasing a 'slim file' on President Bush.

• Also, at Raw Story, Secret Service records have raised new questions about discredited conservative reporter Jeff (Guckert) Gannon.



Nick Lewis Catches a CNN Viral Marketing Campaign

• Nick Lewis reports, in a story called "CNN: Guerillas in the Midst- A Viral Marketing Campaign is Exposed", that CNN has developed and is using viral marketing techniques which affect the blogosphere. The story is spreading like spam wildfire.



Medicaid Cuts Hurting the Poor

• From America, the Catholic weekly magazine: Editorial: Medicaid Cuts Hurt the Poor



Howie Takes the Subway

• Howard Dean practices what he preaches. He could take a limo, but he chooses the subway instead.



Bill Gates - Ralph Reed Connection

• Was Ralph Reed, in any way, involved with Microsoft's recent decision to abandon its decades-long support for gay civil rights in order to curry favor with anti-gay bigots of the radical right?



No WMDs - As if we hadn't figured that one out yet

• Final word from CIA: No WMDs. But we knew that already.



Thou Shalt Not Wal Mart

• Deliver Us From - Wal Mart? (Christianity Today)

"The devastating spiritual effect of unemployment is one reason the authors of Christian Ethics in the Workplace (Concordia Publishing House, 2001) argue that business owners have a moral responsibility to control expenses and to succeed. Raymond L. Hilgert, Philip H. Lochhaas, and James L. Truesdell (business professor, Lutheran minister, and businessman, respectively) add, however, that Christian ethics require employers to consider:

-- whether employees have options to work elsewhere (a "semblance of equal bargaining power");
-- whether the wage is significantly below the market for similar jobs of similar skills;
-- whether the employer regards workers as human beings or as tools;
-- whether the employer offers the employee a sense of partnership in the enterprise;
--whether the employer is treating the worker according to the Golden Rule."

CEO Pay Gushes at Obscene Rate

• From Nathan Newman's Labor blog: "You'd think post-Enron and post-WorldCom, corporate American would be toning down the excessive pay for its CEOs, but sadly the executive payoffs continues to gush at an obscene rate, as the newest update of the AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch shows."



Paleface Scalp

• Trouble staying awake during class? Here's what you need.



"Almost" Counts...

• "Almost" counts in catching al-Zarqawi and horseshoes.



Open Media Network Launches Today

• The Open Media Network, a free public service network, has launched its operations online. Known as OMN (www.omn.org), the site lets users easily access movies, music, video blogs, podcasts and public television and radio programming offered by producers for Internet distribution. The Open Media Foundation is a private, non-profit foundation founded in 2005 by Internet and media pioneers who believe Internet users deserve a better, simpler and free way to get video and music programs that are authorized by their producers for Internet distribution. It is powered by grid delivery technology from Kontiki. Open Media Network (OMN) was founded by Internet pioneer and Netscape veteran Mike Homer and includes Marc Andreessen as an advisor and board member.



FBI Protects Bin Laden's Right to Privacy?

• The Alpha Liberal reports that the FBI is protecting Osama bin Laden’s “Right to Privacy” in a document release from a Judicial Watch investigation, which uncovers FBI documents concerning the Bin Laden family and post 9/11 flights.



Karl Rove Interview

• There are many other current headlines at the Alpha Liberal blog, including an interview with Karl Rove, who says he expects that John Bolton will be confirmed as ambassador to the U.N. He also believes that Tom DeLay will continue, unscathed, as an effective and strong leader. I think Karl's whistling past the graveyard on that issue. DeLay may not lose his position because of President Bush's "I'll support you if you stroke me - no matter how irresponsible and criminal you are" attitude, but DeLay's taken on the shrapnel of revealed corruption, and the results of his political wounds are already showing.



C.S. Lewis on Death

• After his wife Joy's passing, C.S. Lewis talked about the scope of death's meaning.

"It is hard to have patience with people who say "There is no death" or "Death doesn't matter." There is death. And whatever is, matters. And whatever happens has consequences, and it and they are irrevocable and irreversible. You might as well say that birth doesn't matter. I look up at the night sky. Is anything more certain than that in all those vast times and spaces, if I were allowed to search them, I should nowhere find her face, her voice, her touch? She died. She is dead. Is the word so difficult to learn?"

~C.S. Lewis, A Grief Observed, Chapter 1 (1961)

Congressional Ethics in Disgrace

Congressional Ethics in Disgrace

This Washington Post story, while needing to be told, is just plain ugly and I, for one, am sick of seeing ethics rules [on gifts, travel, campaign activity and outside employment] being used as another excuse for partisan Congressional in-house fighting. This country is in big trouble, and I know that a large part of it is because of the base corruption that goes along with the territory of reciprocal political lobbying and pandering.

We know there are many Representatives appearing in the pages of the same dirty little book in which power-addict Tom DeLay is merely the pull-out centerfold. (I hear there are wicked track marks on his wallet).

These people seem to have completely forgotten how to get the work of the American people done. It's their sworn duty, and they are failing us. We are living in a world rife with hatred and violence; more and more Americans are sinking into poverty while economic policy favors the wealthiest; Republicans want to privatize everything - our Social Security - even the air we breathe - and all we get to hear about are the millions spent on their frivolous political whoring activities.

I'm so sick about it, and I would imagine most Americans feel the same way.

This story is a showcase for shame and disgrace.

Stalking the Filibuster: Trent Lott Uses Inflammatory Terrorist Jargon

Stalking the Filibuster: Trent Lott Uses Inflammatory Terrorist Jargon

"I'm for the nuclear option, absolutely," [Sen. Trent] Lott has said. "The filibuster of federal district and circuit judges cannot stand. ... It's bad for the institution. It's wrong. It's not supportable under the Constitution. And if they insist on persisting with these filibusters, I'm perfectly prepared to blow the place up. No problem."

____

I think it was in extremely poor taste for Senator Trent Lott to discuss Congress in terms of "blowing it up." There has been enough sorrow, fear, and death associated with words like this, especially since 9/11. What on earth could this man be thinking by using such language?

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - worse, to my way of viewing the essence of our Constitution, than to remove a parliamentary tool which ensures the checks and balances that are guarding against the tyranny of the majority.

It's sad to think about the narrow regard the GOP must have for the intellect of the American citizenry. I believe that they are banking on the ignorance of American citizens by thinking they can succeed in killing off the judicial filibuster by appealing to raw emotion - sticking their ugly claws into the heart of fundamental Christianity.


The Wizard of Baas hangeth out mit der sheep

This is a time to be true and loyal Americans by being "bigger" than the radical right. Citizens need to shame these ugly panderers with the strength of our intelligence and conviction. We must not allow theocratic interests to suck the rational life out of our Judicial Branch.

Write and/or call your Congressional representatives and tell them you are against this nuclear option.

Joe Gandelman has a story about a possible Frist-Reid justice-approval compromise. If that happens, I'll be surprised. I don't believe these people know how to work together anymore. I don't sense that that WANT to work together. We can only hope.

Hunter [a main-page contributor to Daily Kos] doesn't think it will happen, either.

UPDATE 5pm: Frist says he isn't interested. My, how shocking (not).

___

"I think the Republican leaders have promised leaders of the Christian right that, in return for their unflinching support, Bush will replace a Supreme Court justice who supports Roe with someone who will vote to reverse it, if he gets the opportunity. The Christian right may have even presented a list of acceptable replacements. The Republicans feel they must repay their political debt to the Christian right and they can only make it happen with the nuclear option, which Senator Robert Byrd has called "a legislative bomb that threatens the rights to dissent, to unlimited debate, and to freedom of speech." Dick Cheney, president of the Senate, has vowed to support the nuclear option in case of a 50-50 tie. The Republicans are willing to mortgage the future, if necessary, to repay this debt."

- Marjorie Cohn, professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, executive vice president of the National Lawyers Guild, and the US representative to the executive committee of the American Association of Jurists. truthout

___

Jim Wallis appeared on Amy Goodman's Democracy Now show today and said:

"You know, I have looked through my Bible, and I can’t find filibuster anywhere. I really looked hard. But it's not there.

A bit of historical perspective, after he was arrested once, Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a very famous letter from a Birmingham jail to white clergy who opposed him, and it was about racial segregation and violence against black people. Never once did he say they weren't people of faith. He challenged their faith. He wanted them to go deeper with their faith, but he never said my opponents are not people of faith. That's what they're saying. Now, if King wouldn't say his opponents weren't people of faith over racial segregation and violence, how can the right do this over a filibuster? There's something crossing a lot of boundaries here."

Huffington Invites Her Friends to Blog

Arianna Huffington Invites Her Friends to Blog

The lovely and witty Arianna Huffington is promoting the art of blogging, and I can't wait to hear what her friends have to say on her new group blog, The Huffington Post, scheduled to premiere on May 9. Some of the contributing bloggers will be Walter Cronkite, David Mamet, Nora Ephron, Warren Beatty, James Fallows, Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Maggie Gyllenhaal, Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., Diane Keaton, Norman Mailer and Mortimer B. Zuckerman.

According to Arianna, the blog "won't be left wing or right wing; indeed, it will punch holes in that very stale way of looking at the world."

Here's to hole-punching.

Syracuse Common Council to Vote on Living Wage Bill

Syracuse Common Council to Vote on Living Wage Bill

In a recent letter to the Syracuse Post-Standard, a citizen asked:

School bus drivers, school monitors and parking attendants make poverty wages with no benefits. Why is it that the working poor of Syracuse have to suffer?

The Living Wage bill should have been passed two years ago. Other cities in New York state have done it already. Why not us? Our councilors are doing the right thing. This is our first step toward stopping poverty in Central New York.

Today in Syracuse, the Common Council has an opportunity to pass a Syracuse Living Wage bill. The vote will take place today at 1 PM at City Hall in the Common Council chambers. It would force companies who do business with the city to pay employees $10.08 an hour. It would also require them to provide health benefits and vacation in order to get city contracts.

What will they do?

What can you do?

UPDATE:

The Living Wage bill has not yet passed. There are matters of collective bargaining-related legalese that must be clarified and/or amended, and the Council will meet again in May (no date set yet) to reconsider the amended proposal.

Link to story here.


____________

U.S. Congressman James T. Walsh, R-Syracuse, will discuss transforming Upstate's economy at 6 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the Panasci Chapel at Le Moyne College.

The talk, sponsored by the Madden Institute for Business Education at Le Moyne, is free and open to the public.

Edwards Family Political Activism

Edwards Family Political Activism


Cate Edwards (left) helps to kick off 'Generation Engaged'
photo credit: WRAL-Raleigh

Cate Edwards, daughter of John and Elizabeth Edwards, is showing her enthusiasm for politics and is inviting other young people to join her. Cate and seven others are starting a new campaign called Generation Engage. She hosted an event last Saturday night at King’s in downtown Raleigh, N.C. to kick off the campaign. Generation Engage will encourage young people to become involved in politics on a regular basis, not just every four years when the nation elects the president.

John Edwards has issued a statement urging his former colleagues to reject federal Judge Terrence Boyle's nomination for the U.S. Court of Appeals, saying Boyle's decisions have been reversed at a disturbingly high rate. He has also said that Boyle's record on civil rights is troubling.

John Edwards made a phonecall to protesting student group in Missouri to say he supported them, according to Ojiugo Uzoma, a senior who had slept in a tent just outside the office on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The Student Worker Alliance (SWA) was conducting a sit-in protest, which included a six-day hunger strike, protesting the wages of university workers. According to Inside Higher Ed writer David Epstein, "the Washington University protests followed a hunger strike over similar issues at Georgetown University and marked a ratcheting up of activism on behalf of low-level employees in higher education. The protests here and elsewhere are attracting strong backing from organized labor, which sees student idealism as a powerful force."

Quote of the Day: Larry Dale Keeling

Quote of the Day: Larry Dale Keeling

"Only extremists would slobber so rabidly over the prospect of undoing 200 years of Senate tradition."

- Larry Dale Keeling, writer for the Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, who is embarrassed to admit that Kentucky will "play host to a well-scripted immorality play in which political and religious extremists pummel truth beyond recognition and twist Christianity into an ugly caricature of itself in their crusade to give Dubya the opportunity to perform an extreme makeover on the federal courts, packing their benches with enough "faith first, law last" judges to tilt our legal system dangerously toward the model of the Spanish Inquisition."

___

After today, I will never trust Bill Frist to be someone who could unite America or Congress enough to be an effective or respected leader. By today's example, he not only divided Americans, but he also deliberately sunk a government-hatchet directly between conscientious followers of Christ. He's proved himself to be nothing more than a rabid panderer.

The Anchorage News editorial sums it up nicely:

"What would be refreshing to see among all the people of faith in the United States is not a Justice Sunday to crusade for the right, or a Social Justice Sunday in answer, but something more akin to Lincoln's national day of prayer and thanksgiving.

Crusading is much easier than Christianity. But it doesn't provide much time for taking that log out of our own eyes, that we might better see the mote in our brother's and sister's."

Audio Post-Whose Garden Was This?

Whose Garden Was This?
Words and Music by Tom Paxton

On January 31 2004, the Onondaga County Music Educators' Association held their Junior High All-County Music Festival. There were 125 voices in the chorus and my son's voice was one of them. I'd like you to hear a song that they performed that day. Being that this was the week of Earth Day, I thought you might think about the lyrics. Here it is:

photo by Jude Nagurney Camwell

Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely.
Did it have flowers?
I've seen pictures of flowers,
And I'd love to have smelled one.

Whose river was this?
You say it ran freely?
Blue was its color?
I've seen blue in some pictures,
And I'd love to have been there.

Ah, tell me again I need to know:
The forest had trees, the meadows were green,
The oceans were blue and birds really flew,
Can you swear that is true?

Whose grey sky is this?
Or was it a blue one?
Nights, there were breezes?
I've heard records of breezes,
And you tell me you've felt one?

Ah, tell me again I need to know:
The forest had trees, the meadows were green,
The oceans were blue and birds really flew,
It is true - all too true.

Whose garden was this?
It must have been lovely.
Did it have flowers?
I've seen pictures of flowers,
And I'd love to have smelled one....

In Citizen's Media Today

Citizen's Media Today

"Define your own voice rather than imitating others. Cut against the forces of conformity. The forces of conformity are market-driven, driven by titillation and temptation, as opposed to decency and dignity."

- Cornel West

David Wharton writes about Cornel West's appearance at the Cone Ballroom at UNCG (Greensboro) this past Friday night.

___

Israpundit would like to know how long Fox News will ignore the protests of American Jews regarding Ariel Sharon's plan for Gaza disengagement, especially the huge protest scheduled for Central Park. One commenter at Israpundit says: "Fox is, and has always been, the PR Dept. for the Bush Personality Cult....and their allies."

___

The PR Machine is reporting that Dan Gillmor, the former longtime tech columnist with the San Jose Mercury News and founder of citizens-media project Grassroots Media, is starting a new column for the Financial Times.

___

While wishing Dan the best of luck, I refer you to a story he's running on his blog about David Weinberger, who became a bit disgusted with an assignment that was given to him by MSNBC - so much that he decided he'd stop being one of those 'bloggers who get to be on TV'. It's fairly clear that it was about a clash of values. Jeff Jarvis is talking about it, too. I've put in my two cents' worth at Jeff's first post about the issue.

___


I am finding Jay Rosen's post on Stand Alone journalists to be the most interesting topic to come up in quite some time. I am a completely homegrown citizen-journalist. I've spent most of my professional life in the business world, working in the personal lines Property and Casualty insurance field. Politics, writing and journalism have always been my passion, but not my professional calling. Yet, here I stand today, just as alone as the other bloggers, doing what I believe I'm meant to do - and what I believe I do well.

In the Press Think column, I was particularly attracted to Jay's reference to blogger Paul Conley, who has been blogging about trade journals and how stand alone journalism may affect competition between B2B press and "stand-aloners". Conley says:

"..maybe I should put more emphasis on the competitive threat of the citizen journalists. Perhaps that will get more folks to pay attention. By its very nature, the B2B press caters to a specialized audience of experts. The reader of your typical trade magazine tends to know an enormous amount about the subject at hand. That gives him a nearly instant credibility should he choose to start a blog and compete against you."

Conley warns and/or predicts, in a thought-provoking follow-up post:

"Traditional B2B publishers also face a "stand alone" threat from their own editors and reporters. The Web and blogging makes it much easier for someone to strike out on his own, using the sources he met while working for a trade publication, and cashing in on his own reputation as an expert. If you're a trade publisher, look across your newsroom now at that guy. You know the one. He's been there for 20 years. Before that he worked for your competitor. He knows everyone and everyone knows him. He speaks at trade shows, gets all the story tips. He has become, in a very real sense, synonymous with your brand. And ask yourself: what would happen if he left to start his own business?"

For a look at how certain publications have already addressed the changes in the media world, Conley uses the example of Variety's variety of blogs (pun intended).

NY State Libertarian Party Hosts Convention in Syracuse

NY State Libertarian Party Hosts Convention in Syracuse


Dr. Jennifer Daniels addresses the convention attendees


Matthew Maguire of Upstateblog.net and Director of Communications for NY State's Public Policy Institute, at the podium


Mark Bitz is an unlikely hero - an Upstate NY turkey farmer running a business that has been owned in his family since 1835 - and a new voice for political leadership. Mark wishes to persuade "the Republican and Democratic Party committees to nominate common, plain-speaking candidates with win-win philosophies, who are committed to restoring the democratic process." Mark appealed to the need for direct democracy in New York State, and he read a letter which he has recently written to NYS Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R) and Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, making a plea for direct democracy and stating his belief that 19 million citizens are more important than their power. He asked, other than arrogance, what could be the reason citizens are not allowed direct voting on issues that have direct impact upon them? Mark also stressed the need for redistricting and Campaign Finance reform in NY State.



Matthew Maguire recommended that all Libertarians who care to get out their message should learn how to blog.



photo credit: JohnTaylorGatto.com

John Taylor Gatto was the keynote speaker on Saturday afternoon. He offered two 40-minute sessions on the topic which he referred to as "Weapons of Mass Instruction", offering up his ideas about education reform in the United States. He doesn't believe that bad teachers, bad administrators, or even bad parents are the problem with U.S. education. Rather, he says he believes it is is the design of the institution altogether - from its very inception. He blames leading industrialists such as Andrew Carnegie and John T. Rockefeller, who engineered public schooling to serve a modified command economy and an increasingly layered social order.

He spoke about a new project, a retreat center called Solitude to be created in Chenango County in Upstate New York. He believes that solitude is all-important to a person's character development and that schools are too big and too concerned with surveillance to allow for necessary solitude.



Thanks again to Bonnie Scott for extending the invitation.


*note: more to follow. This post is in progress.

Business Week Launches New Blog

Business Week Launches New Blog

Don't miss Blogspotting, which is Business Week's new blog. Launched on April 20, it is complemented by the cover story in the current publication, "Blogs Will Change Your Business". Stephen Baker and Heather Green will be talking about the place where the worlds of business, media, and blogs collide.

Today, Heather asks:

"..if bloggers don't strive to be accurate or aren't upfront about what they don't know, don't they lose credibility? And isn't credibility what people's reputations are based on online? Just a question."

In the debate regarding traditional journalistic ethics and whether they should apply to bloggers, I would think that, although there are no ironclad rules, if you expect to have a good reputation and credibility as a blogger, you'd best be honest and ethical in your writing. If you are representing something as factual, you'd best do your checking as any professional journalist would be required to do. You can't be "fired" as a blogger, but you can be seen, by the public, as unreliable and untrustworthy. I prefer to be a blogger people love to read - and to trust. If I offer opinion, I make it clear that it's opinion, and not fact.

*thanks to Trade Street Journal for turning me on to Blogspotting.

John Edwards: Podcast #2

John Edwards: Podcast #2

John Edwards began his second Podcast by thanking listeners, and he then invited his wife Elizabeth to welcome them. Once again, they were podcasting on their son Jack's special blanket. Precariously perched atop the blanket, along with the podcasting equipment, was Elizabeth's Diet Coke and John's Diet Sprite Zero. (John has gone "cold turkey" on Diet Coke - after he realized he was drinking 8-10 of them each day). They joked that, if they did happen to spill some of their drinks on the blanket, it surely wouldn't have been the worst thing to have spilled onto it! (*anyone with wee ones will get that joke).

*Listen to Podcast HERE.


WHERE HAVE THEY BEEN SINCE LAST PODCAST?

John wanted to tell us where he's been since he last podcasted. He said he'd been visiting the state of Wisconsin during the time of the NCAA Final Four playoffs. Elizabeth got to go to the games, however, along with chasing Jack and Emma Claire for hours at a time (*which, as you know, Moms and Dads, is always an exhilarating experience!) Before the final championship game between North Carolina and Illinois, John got to take his children Cate, Emma Claire and Jack to see the famous Arch in St Louis. People usually stop John wherever he goes, just to say hello and to have a friendly chat, and St. Louis was no exception. John says he wound up playing a "pick-up" game of football under the Arch as he and his children waited to board the tram. He says that Jack especially loved that part of the trip.

John visited Harvard's Kennedy School on April 13th and gave a speech on Tax Reform at the New School in New York City. He got to see daughter Cate while he was there. He jokingly said that, although Cate was not particularly excited about Tax Reform, she was glad to see her father.

In the state of Kentucky, John had attended a meet-up and took questions from the group. He stated emphatically that he wanted to attend more meet-ups across this country to answer more questions and hear more concerns.

Elizabeth is about half the way into her radiation treatments for breast cancer. She schedules the sessions for the times the children are at school and while she says it can be boring and tiring, she knows it will help to make her well. She said that their daughter Cate will be headed to North Carolina this weekend for a "Generation Engaged" function.


QUESTIONS

Technical Questions

The first questions were about Podcasting technology. John advised that we'd soon see a "Poscasting FAQ" to the one America website to address such questions.

Bankruptcy

Kelly Gossnan and Ben Goodman asked how John would have voted on the recent Bankruptcy bill, to which John replied that his vote would have been: "No, No, No." He said it would only serve to put people who are deep in debt in a much worse place. He used the example of a single mother with a lot of medical bills who has no honest means to pay them, regardless of how hard she'd tried. Under the current bill, which Edwards claims is "badly written law", she would be stuck with those medical bills, and that this is inconsistent with what we believe in America. Elizabeth was a bankruptcy attorney, so she can speak from experience on the issue. She said, while the Homestead Exemption was a good idea, inconsistent state-to-statelimits on the amount of exemption serve to make it "bad part of the law". For example, in Florida and Texas, there is no limit, meaning that you can go and buy a million-dollar home and then file bankruptcy. Credit card companies, banks, and loan companies were the ones "all for" this law. Credit card companies have tried to get it passed for a decade. a point they wanted to stress was that many people misunderstand (or misjudge) when they think that, if you're poor and seeking ways out of debt, that you are taking no personal responsibility. That's not necessarily so, said Elizabeth Edwards. In cases of bankruptcy, judges have been able to discern honest efforts on the part of citizens to be responsible in the past, but will now have far less opportunity to decide on idividual cases with the passing of the current "bad" bill. More people will be stuck with debt. The practice known as predatory lending will be able to thrive. People who are already having a difficult economic time will be preyed upon. The saddest and most ironic thing I heard was that they still get credit offers in the mail, on a regular basis, addressed to their son Wade, who passed away nine years ago.

"The Bush administration has served, through the AMT, to move tax responsibility further away from Capital Gains and has placed it directly onto Work."

Alternative Minimum Tax

The next question was about the Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT). John Edwards stated that it was meant to keep rich people from avoiding the paying of their fair share of taxes. Instead, the AMT is hitting lots of middle-class folks while people making a lot of money on their investments (capital gains) can avoid the AMT. Bottom line, the AMT is not doing that for which it was intended to do. The Bush administration has served, through the AMT, to move tax responsibility further away from Capital Gains and has placed it directly onto Work. We need Tax Reform, as Edwards spoke about in his New School speech last week. The idea especially hit home at that speech in New York, where a restriction on deductibility of already-sky-high NY State tax really hurts. (*I know this well - I pay those painfully high New York State taxes).

"..there are millions of children living in poverty in America today and the cause - alleviating poverty and ending hunger - has the potential to unite us as a nation."

Faith and Poilitics

Warren Gottlieb and Ruth Klein wanted to know if John Edwards was familiar with Jim Wallis' book "God's Politics". He said he'd read the book and knows Jim Wallis. Jim has been to the Edwards home and they have discussed the book with him. Edwards said, if we're going to have an effective fight against poverty, that government cannot do it alone. Poverty and hunger are moral causes that are mentioned many times in the Bible. They are moral issues upon which our character and integrity are tested. How we choose to deal with those issues says what kind of human beings we are - and what kind of country we are. The Edwards were caring enough to be involved with Urban Ministries in Ralieghbefore they ever thought of entering politics. Elizabeth mentioned that there are millions of children living in poverty in America today and the cause - alleviating poverty and ending hunger - has the potential to unite us as a nation. Whether we are left or right; whether we are people of faith or people who profess no faith; this is a moral issue which we can we can all value and understand.


When will gas prices go down?

John Edwards craftily said that, when the price of gas and oil go up, oil company profits go up - which is why the Bush administration will probably do nothing about it. Dependence upon oil from the Middle East has a direct affect upon National Security issues; it can put a stranglehold on our economy; and it can create environmental problems. John mentioned Patty Ann Smith and her reminder that Earth Day is upon us once again. What better time to remind America that Jimmy Carter, when he was President over 20 years ago, asked us to make a commitment to developing alternative energy resources. All the lip service President Bush has paid to the issue of Alternative Energy has been a "spit in the bucket" and a continued reliance upon Big Oil, in the words of Elizabeth Edwards. John reminded us that drilling ANWR is not going to have the impact we'd require for our future energy needs. We should be looking toward wind and solar power, bio-mass/fuel cell energy, clean coal technology, and ethanol.

"..get involved with projects to fight poverty in your part of the nation. Make it a national effort. Connect with one another."

What Can We Citizens Do?

John Edwards recently visited a shelter for homeless Veterans in Asheville, N.C. They were going through a difficult time. They want to work, but the work's not available. They want to support a family but don't have the means. John Edwards believes we need to embrace these people and to fight the poverty which keeps them from sharing in the American dream. He invited us to visit his One America website at http://www.oneamericacommittee.com/ and the One America blog at http://blog.oneamericacommittee.com/.
He invites you to find out what he and the One America Committee are doing. He asks that you get involved with projects to fight poverty in your part of the nation. Make it a national effort. Connect with one another. Get involved in fights to raise the minimum wage; help to organize or to support organization of a union; work in a shelter, food bank, or Urban Ministries. Many are hurting, whether they are homeless or middle class folks struggling to make ends meet.


*See a summary of the first Podcast HERE.

Cross posted at American Street.

president2008

If Iddy Was A South Park Character..

If Iddy Was A South Park Character..




Who would you be?

Unionizing Women's Work - Part II

Unionizing Women's Work - Part II

About two weeks ago, I blogged about the 49,000 Illinois childcare workers who gained a voice on the job by joining a union. Yesterday, 41,000 Michigan home caregivers also chose SEIU. These women and men take care of the elderly and disabled in our communities. They typically receive poverty wages and have second jobs to make ends meet.

What will this mean for these workers and their families? Richard Sullivan, a Marlette home caregivers says, "I'm thrilled that we finally have a voice. I know what it's like to take back pop bottles just to pay for your kid's school lunch. Caregivers should get a decent wage that they can raise a family on." See the full story HERE.

Without these caregivers, many disabled and senior citizens would be in institutions. That's because home caregivers help seniors and persons with disabilities maintain their independence every day -- cooking their meals, bathing, dressing, cleaning, and feeding them.

This victory demonstrates once again that when caregivers come together with community leaders, consumers, and advocates, everyone in the community can win. The Michigan victory was the result of a broad coalition of caregivers, consumers, advocates, and community groups ranging from the Michigan Disability Rights Coalition to the Gray Panthers of Metro Detroit. For quotes from Michigan coalition partners on what the victory means to their members, go HERE.


The Michigan victory is part of a national movement of more than 370,000 home care workers who have joined SEIU and won improvements in wages and benefits in states such as California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois and New York. The 74,000 home care workers in Los Angeles County who voted to join SEIU in 1999 constituted the largest union victory in the U.S. in over half a century.

John Edwards' Second Podcast Now Available

John Edwards' Second Podcast Now Available

Congratulations to Patty Ann Smith, who was mentioned regarding her concern about Earth Day and the environment, on John and Elizabeth Edwards' second Podcast.

You can hear it here.

I'll be posting a summary of the second Podcast very soon.

Quote of the Day: Father Joseph Champlin

Quote of the Day: Father Joseph Champlin

"President Bush has repeatedly expressed his belief that the desire for freedom among people in today's world is greater than their fear of terrorism. He said that to members of Congress after 9/11. He repeated the message in a speech at New Orleans.

He made it the centerpiece of his second term inaugural address. The remarkable turnout for elections in Afghanistan and Iraq seemingly proved his point. Overcoming great inconveniences and ignoring death threats, millions cast their ballots.

Their example could ease our own fears about terrorism and make us appreciate the freedom we possess."


-Fr. Joseph M. Champlin is the rector of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, New York. He is the author of more than forty books.

______

I can't help but to think back to last year's election campaign - how fear tactics were used against us to make Bush seem more "electable". At the same time, Iraqi citizens were asked, by the same administration, to be fearless.

Quote of the Day: Howard Dean

Quote of the Day: Howard Dean

"We had thousands of people from all over America come to Florida to knock on doors. But the Republicans had thousands of people all over Florida knock on their neighbors' doors, and that's more effective."

- Howard Dean, on the recipe for the GOP's success

Howard knows better than anyone. Iowa taught him (and us Democrats) an important lesson. All politics is local. My own neighbors will remember that I knocked on their doors when I was collecting signatures for Howard Dean in Onondaga County in 2004. It was a wonderful experience. Many invited me to their kitchen table to talk about the community, politics, and the candidate I was trying to help. This is the lifeblood of politics - your own back yard.

Currently, DFA (along with GrassRoots for America) is training Democrats on Campaign Organization and Management, Recruiting and Developing Good Volunteers, Putting Volunteers to Work, Data and Data Mining for GOTV, Banking the Vote with GITV, Earned Media for Grassroots, Activating Your Base, and Maximizing Year-Round Visibility.

Because of the lessons he's learned from direct experience, I believe, to this day, that Howard Dean is the best choice the Democrats could have made to lead the party to future success.

New CDs From Ben Folds and Eels on April 26th

New CDs From Ben Folds and Eels on April 26th

According to Mocking Music blog, Ben Folds' new release, "Songs For Silverman", will be out on April 26th.


Bobby Jr. - Rawk Star

On the same day, April 26th, the new Eels CD "Blinking Lights and Other Revelations" will be out.

I can hardly wait. These are two of my favorites and I've been waiting for new releases from them for a long while.

Idolator Bill Frist is Going to Heck

Idolator Bill Frist is Going to Heck

I am repulsed to hear FOX News falling into the repeated use of Republican talking-points regarding "people of faith" and how they support the "nuclear option", which is a nothing more than outlawing the filibuster tradition so the GOP can get its way on Judicial nominations 100% of the time (instead of their meager 97%.) Democrats have blocked only 10 of President Bush’s 229 judicial nominees.

Democrats are people of faith. Many of them do not believe in the death penalty. Many of them have a faith-based disagreement with the theory of pre-emptive war. Many of them believe that the GOP's economic policies run against the principles of Christianity.

Conservative judges do not defend Christians. They defend Conservatism.

I heard Brit Hume talk about Bill Frist today on the Fox News Sunday show. Frist said that "people of faith" believe that Democrats are robbing them of their "Christian heritage" by "abusing" the filibuster.

Frist is not talking in support of one America or one Christian America or one Christianity. He's using religion for politically partisan motives. That, my Christian friends, is idolatry - and you know it.

_________

Update:

See Folley.net for related commentary. "According to Senator Frist, the debate over debating rules in the Senate isn't just about the Constitutional meaning of "advise and consent", it's really about how much the Democrats hate Jesus."

________

UPDATE:

See George Lakoff's response. He advises that this Sunday, April 24, will be called "Social Justice Sunday." He says we must show that spiritual progressives are alive and well and willing not just to speak out, but to shout out. The Clergy and Laity Network and DriveDemocracy.org are leading the effort.

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And how about that Unitarian Jihad?!

Why is the news dominated by nutballs saying that the Ten Commandments have to be tattooed inside the eyelids of every American, or that Allah has told them to kill Americans in order to rid the world of Satan, or that Yahweh has instructed them to go live wherever they feel like, or that Shiva thinks bombing mosques is a great idea?...

..We are Unitarian Jihad. We are everywhere. We have not been born again, nor have we sworn a blood oath. We do not think that God cares what we read, what we eat or whom we sleep with..

..Beware! Unless you people shut up and begin acting like grown-ups with brains enough to understand the difference between political belief and personal faith, the Unitarian Jihad will begin a series of terrorist-like actions. We will take over television studios, kidnap so-called commentators and broadcast calm, well-reasoned discussions of the issues of the day. We will not try for "balance" by hiring fruitcakes; we will try for balance by hiring non-ideologues who have carefully thought through the issues...

...We are Unitarian Jihad, and our motto is: "Sincerity is not enough." We have heard from enough sincere people to last a lifetime already. Just because you believe it's true doesn't make it true. Just because your motives are pure doesn't mean you are not doing harm...

..People of the United States! We are Unitarian Jihad! We can strike without warning. Pockets of reasonableness and harmony will appear as if from nowhere! Nice people will run the government again! There will be coffee and cookies in the Gandhi Room after the revolution..."

*TAKE ME HOSTAGE! PLEASE!

Santorums bare it all for a political news item

Santorums bare it all for
a political news item

Upon their son's death, Rick and Karen Santorum opted not to bring his body to a funeral home. Instead, they bundled him in a blanket and drove him to Karen's parents' home in Pittsburgh. There, they spent several hours kissing and cuddling Gabriel with his three siblings, ages 6, 4 and 1 1/2. They took photos, sang lullabies in his ear and held a private Mass.

"That's my little guy," Santorum says, pointing to the photo of Gabriel, in which his tiny physique is framed by his father's hand.

- Washington Post

In a feature about Senator Rick Santorum in the Washington Post, there is an extremely personal and sad story about the loss of Rick and Karen Santorum's prematurely-born baby. I believe that the Santorums felt the loss of their expected child very deeply and their story is one I would expect to see in Good Housekeeping magazine or some other publication targeting the women's non-political market. The appearance of the story about a private Mass -turned suddenly public - in the Washington Post sends only an exploitative political message. To my way of thinking, it cheapens the Santorums' deeply personal experience. How a family chooses to deal with death and loss is highly personal, and I would never take the tone of judgement on any way they needed to process their grief. I found that I could connect with Karen Santorum's letters written to her unborn child. To me, that seemed like a healthy and normal activity. I try to understand how bringing the tiny corpse home to the Santorums' other young children would be something they believe would be psychologically healthy for them. I already know, by simply being a member of American society, that it is not the norm.

So, what do we glean from knowing about this ultra-private and not-so-normal family grief session, using a prematurely-born baby as an idol for a political news story? I suppose it's that some people will go to any tacky length to outlaw a woman's right to choose.

Food for thought:

I wonder - what issue would I feel strongly enough about in order for me to "bare it all" for strangers? I like to maintain a modicum of personal dignity, integrity and class, as I'd imagine most of us do. What issue would lead YOU to "bare it all"?