Eliot Spitzer Rally in Syracuse

NY State gubernatorial candidate Eliot Spitzer and Syracuse Mayor Matt Driscoll




Eliot Spitzer Rally
in Syracuse





Eliot Spitzer rolled into Syracuse last night and spoke to a crowd of about 100 supporters at the Erie Canal Museum.









As supporters gather, preparations are made for Spitzer's visit.








Nancy Hallock (l) and Kaye Jaeger (r),
members of SEIU 1199





Eliot Spitzer's bus rolled in to the tune of Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down."





Eliot Spitzer emerged from the bus smiling, waving, and shaking hands as he approached the outdoor podium.





Attorney General Spitzer reminded the crowd that the Erie Canal helped to make New York City the place it is today. When Dewitt Clinton had the vision for the canal, there was a lack of hope that it would live up to its alleged potential. There was a decided Upstate vs. Downstate mentality, and he believed that was a fitting metaphor for this time as we see gridlock in Albany, population loss in the state, employment losses, and a palpable sense of doom.

Spitzer said, "We know a good project when we see it."

"We need to shake the lethargy out of Albany," said Spitzer, insisting that reform must be confronted in a "head-on" manner. Having just visited the city of Rochester where women's rights activist Susan B Anthony lived, he quoted the historic activist:

"Careful, cautious people, always casting about to preserve their reputations, can never effect a reform."

He reminded his supporters, "No one has ever called me cautious." He promised to continue to risk the tough fights and to stand up, unafraid of losing, even if he risks getting "scuffed up" a little bit. He ended by saying that his goal is creating the kind of government that works for the People, and not the other way around.





Listening intently to the current NYS Attorney General.






From the Oneonta Daily Star: N.Y. Democrats designate Spitzer for governor


Politics

A Small Business Owner Discusses Net Neutrality

A Small Business Owner Discusses Net Neutrality

Small business owner Scott Huffman from Charlotte, N.C. eloquently brings the issue of Net Neutrality, local politics (Rep. Sue Myrick), national politics, the danger of mega-mergers and improper FCC oversight into focus in a way that citizens can easily understand. All this occurred in a seven-minute conversation with Mike Collins on May 23 during "Open Phones" on his radio show "Charlotte Talks." We may be hearing more from Mr. Huffman on future Charlotte Talks shows. I highly recommend that you listen to Scott and Mike. This is eye-opening.

PART ONE:

PART TWO:

Politics, Net Neutrality

Headlines May 31, 2006

Headlines May 31

Global Warming

Hear Al Gore talk about global warming at NPR. He discusses the melting of the North Pole. Definitely not good news for Santa Claus.




The Internet

The Net Squared conference is happening now in San Jose, Ca. The conference blog is here. One of today's highlights was a session with Democracy Now's Amy Goodman on Grassroots, Netroots, and the End and Beginning of Politics. (Sure wish I could have been there).


Media

In a review of the glaring hypocrisy we see in journalism today, Joe Conason asks: "Is there a reason why the enduring, 30-year bond of the Clintons merits more withering scrutiny than the multiple unhappy marriages of ambitious politicians such as Senator John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani? Is there a reason why the marital privacy of elected officials should be violated, while media moguls like Rupert Murdoch can discard their wives with impunity?"


Today's ABC News Political Note has some juicy gossip about the Associated Press' veteran political journalist Ron Fournier. They ask: What is Fournier's new job (related to the World Wide Web) and which potential 2008 presidential candidates are familiar enough with the AP to have educated guesses about who might replace Fournier in this slot (and has begun sucking up to them)? ;)


Iraq

An Iraqi war veteran is suing filmmaker Michael Moore over the use of certain footage in his film "Fahrenheit 9/11". It's in the New York Post, naturally. It's a "feelings" lawsuit. In a nutshell, the double-amputee felt used; misrepresented. He can't lose, when you think about it. Even if unsuccessful in the litigation, the vet's views will be made clearly known to the public.

In a Statfor.com analysis titled Break Point, George Friedman says:

"A government has been formed in Iraq. It is a defective government, in the sense that it does not yet have a defense or interior minister. It is an ineffective government, insofar as the ability to govern directly is at this point limited institutionally, politically and functionally. Ultimately, what exists now is less a government than a political arrangement between major elements of Iraq's three main ethnic groups. And that is what makes this agreement of potentially decisive importance: If it holds, it represents the political foundation of a regime....If it holds. If it holds, the rest is almost easy. If it doesn't hold, the rest is impossible..."

Politics

Imagine Having Universal Healthcare Coverage

Imagine Having Universal Healthcare Coverage



Each American citizen is a fragile human being who is susceptible to illness, disease, and accidental injury. Unlike broken automobiles or washing machines, we are complex psychological and spiritual entities. Navigating through our nation's complicated health care system, we are often made to feel like cogs in an ever-moving wheel that will likely run us over if we stop to ask too many questions. Millions of needy citizens have avoided seeking health care for serious illnesses, most of which could have been prevented with routine check-ups, all because they fear that they couldn't afford to pay. Too many Americans have filed for bankruptcy as a direct result of overwhelming medical bills that could not be paid.

A new federally mandated health care rule called the Deficit Reduction Act has created barriers to health care for children, the elderly and disabled. In the state of Colorado, anyone applying for Medicaid must now provide either a passport or a birth certificate and driver's license or state-issued photo identification card in order to receive health care under Medicaid. Consider the ludicrous notion of a baby needing a photo ID to be treated for a life-threatening infection or an elderly person in a nursing home who suffers from Alzheimer's disease having to produce a drivers' license (when he hasn't been able to drive for years). Imagine a sick person going without medication because she had to pay the phone bill instead. Then think about the caring healthcare providers who would treat the indigent and receive no reimbursement from the federal government for doing so. Our states will be losing millions of dollars in Medicaid reimbursements. How can we call this "progress"?

When he signed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) last February with each state having the option of enacting its own version, President Bush said it would "tighten loopholes that allowed people to game the system by transferring assets to their children so they can qualify for Medicaid benefits." The "gamers" he spoke of are actually your middle class parents and grandparents who may have resorted to hiding hard-earned assets for which they worked hard all their lives in order to qualify for Medicaid. Today, they may altogether avoid going into nursing home care that they need because of new restrictions that strip them of not only their economic assets, but worse - their hope and dignity.


What a depressing society we are becoming when you think about the fact that all our elderly population can call their own as they go into a nursing home is their prepaid funeral fund. Is that something we look forward to as we get older? Americans respect their elderly relatives too much to see them enter their last days in such an uncaring public environment. We must call for a change in America's healthcare policy. Instead of making life easier for senior citizens, the government will now more closely scrutinize senior citizens' financial affairs and deny Medicaid benefits to anyone with more than $500,000 of equity in a home. (While the Republicans seek to end the estate tax which shelters and rewards the mega-rich.)

There have been few recommended federal healthcare plans that have been all-inclusive in the scope of coverage provided for citizens. When Americans consider a political leader's healthcare plan and they hear that it will not include coverage for every American, the first thing a citizen will worry about is that they will be one of the people who is going to be left behind. Today, nearly 46 million Americans have no healthcare insurance at all because they don’t have a job or they’re one of the working poor whose boss doesn’t help carry the heavy burden of health insurance costs. Young adults have found themselves left behind. Americans between the ages of 19 and 29 are the largest and fastest growing segment of the U.S. population lacking health insurance, according to a report released this week. Their group makes up 40 percent of the 6 million people who've joined the ranks of the uninsured from 2000 to 2004, some by uninformed choice and some by circumstances beyond their control. Either way, we know there is a better plan out there that would include all Americans and simplify their healthcare choices.

Provided by the federal government, a new healthcare plan could help to supplement incomes and result in a better-organized healthcare system, facilitating the delivery of care at excellent quality and lower costs. It would relieve businesses of one of their biggest economic burdens. It would relieve citizens of worry and anxiety about the high costs of unexpected illnesses and accidental injuries.

It's time to ignite a new healthcare reform movement to cover all Americans. The entire system can be reshaped to focus on disease prevention and possibly include coverage for alternative forms of health practices. It is possible to promote clinical excellence, reduce inefficiency, cover all Americans, and pay less than we do today for coverage. A more caring and creative environment with education that includes training for alternative healthcare treatments might interest and encourage more young Americans to go into the healthcare field. Today, U.S. hospitals have 118,000 vacancies for registered nurses. The federal government predicts the accelerating shortfall of nurses in the United States will swell to more than 800,000 by 2020. It shouldn't be that way, and we could find incentives to recruit new nurses and strengthen nursing programs right here in America rather than taking nurses away from third world countries where they are so desperately needed.

Imagine scrapping the current system that is currently based on cold profiteering and reducing a human being to something that is only material. Imagine starting with a federal healthcare plan that reflects the values of generosity, respect, gratitude, and true caring for all Americans within our economy, from infancy to the twilight years. Why should it be so hard to imagine that kind of progress? If we care for our families and fellow Americans, why not ask for a system that sees us as fully human rather than as lifeless units of profit potential? Profit should never triumph over public need. Let's think about healthcare reform and tell our representatives that we support a change.


Politics, Universal Healthcare

Media Misrepresents the Intent of the Network of Spiritual Progressives

Media Misrepresents the Intent of the Network of Spiritual Progressives

The writers at the Economist don't get it yet. When it comes to the new Network of Spiritual Progressives, that is. Mainstream journalists, in general, are not widely deserving of being credited for being professionals of vision. They tend to cling to lazy misnomers - to what they know.

They're wrong about the Network of Spiritual Progressives. This isn't some newfound unity of "the Suddenly Left and Religious" vs. the Religious Right.

This is not a partisan game we're playing. This is about hope and vision; not about playing "gotcha" with the Religious Right. God is not a Republican. God is not a Democrat. The media needs to come to terms with the fact that millions upon millions of American citizens are people of faith, yet their core common values are not being represented in the public.




This cartoon betrays the real work of the Spiritual Progressives because, unlike the Religious Right and their decidedly non-spiritual co-opting of Republicans, no one in the Network of Spiritual Progressives is claiming to have triumphal political ownership of the Democratic party. Unfortunately, the Economist
and the New York Times have not yet learned the truth about what this Network is set upon accomplishing.

The Economist's gross misunderstanding of the Network's platform contributes to their grim political predictions for Progressives based upon what I suspect are unintentionally-reached false conclusions.

Don't swallow it.

Journalists continue to paint "moral values" inside some imaginary box that consistently assures, with perpetual falsities, that the Religious Right will retain possession of the political keys to "moral authority." Democrats partake willingly in this game, virtually handing the keys to the "moral authority vehicle" over to the GOP like secular drunks silenced by the fear of running off the road while offending. Meanwhile, the only ones offfended are people with common sense and a wide array of common spiritual values.

When I speak of common spiritual values, I am not talking about a stiff obligatory morality with a prescribed set of specific moral behaviors based in one certain religion. That's totally incompatible with today's American society, which is made up of such a culturally, politically, and spiritually diverse population. There will always be a moral order of which any society's law will be a reflection. A society with no moral order would probably not survive for very long. In a Democratic society with such a diverse population, our legal institutions must remain the social-structural basis of a practical moral order. Not the church.

The notions of right and wrong, good and bad are always going to be inescaple and integral parts of the spiritual, religious, and legal facets of our society. There will be no end to ensuring that church and state are kept separate. Someone will always be overstepping the boundary and someone else will always have to remind them of the line between chruch and state. In a rational and diverse democracy, we must always remain guards at the crossroads...where religion and law will inevitably intersect. Americans are, in overwhelming numbers, people of faith. Religion involves both group activities and private activities. Americans develop personal value-structure, in large part, through faith and through the human spirit.

We cannot have a holistic society or a government that really works for the best interests of the most oppressed in our society unless we learn to talk about what is best about our common values and, together, create a practical moral order which can be transcribed to the kind of law we want to see and the kind of government in which we can continue to participate with pride. If our society doesn't have laws and public policies that work for the least of us, I do not see it as a society with an acceptable moral order. Do you?

In time, if this new movement has any success, all journalists who have misunderstood and bungled the coverage of this Spiritual Progressive network will understand that Green, Democratic, and moderate Republican voters have been gagged for too long by the super-secular special interests that would love (just as much as the Religious Right would love) to have political leaders (especially Democratic leaders) continue to deliver lame, unconvincing, and meaningless platitudes to millions of spiritual voters. The trouble is, citizens can spot a phony and a panderer from a rhetorical shout away. *Read Politics: A New Bottom Line, which I wrote for the One America Committee last week.

The Network is here to change the way we speak about the issues and to drive the creation of policy that will reflect a democracy that is made up of people who actually care about something other than only the economic "bottom line." Some of the ideas may seem idealistic, but where there is no vision, there is no progress. Consider how you may have felt about your "idealism" if you'd been a slave longing for freeedom that you thought could never be possible - or a woman at the turn of the 20th century, still without a vote.

If successful, the Network will have the tremendous power of the Spirit behind it - the human spirit as well as the voice of mystery that most of us human beings have been hearing for thousands of years. Let's see the two-issued-wonders - the falsely pious Bush-hugging Jerry Falwellians and the "I've got to make the Supreme Court change the overwhelming majority's values because they're not mine" Michael Newdowians try to beat the voice of love and caring that comes straight from the human heart.

I was at the conference in Washington, D.C. last week, and so was Peter Rothenberg. By reading his brief article at the Nation this week, I can see that he has a much better handle on the topic.

* cross posted at American Street


Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives

I See Things When I Look at Clouds

I See Things When I Look at Clouds

Tonight I saw a bird - or a butterfly, perhaps.




This is so weird (for lack of a better word). Anonymoses saw something completely different when he put the photos to the test of shading (the photos were not altered otherwise). Who is this mysterious man? (Note his deep-set eyes; his beard...)



The cloud was hovering directly over a watchfire pile at a Memorial Day commemoration last evening.
(Twilight Zone theme plays here)

Syracuse Memorial Day Watchfire

Syracuse Memorial Day Watchfire

In American history, a watchfire was a fire lit by troops so that stray soldiers could find their way home from battle.



In Syracuse, a watchfire is annually sponsored by Central New York Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 103. This year was the 19th year for the local event and the 12th year that the watchfire was held at the New York State fairgrounds. The organizers say that the light from the blaze symbolizes the memory of soldiers who never found their way home.


The preparations are many and the watchfire is almost ready to be lit. Thousands of spectators wait on lawn chairs until darkness falls.



Patriotic songs are sung.



A U.S. Navy veteran just after he'd thrown his flag up to the pyre to be burned.



Honorary devotions are posted at the base of the pyre.


The watchfire begins.



A veteran gives a final salute to the flags being burned.



Local Democratic candidates Chris Fowler (121st NYS Assembly District), Dan Maffei (running for U.S. Congress, 25th District), and Al Stirpe (121st NYS Assembly District) with wife Chele and daughter.



Below are photos of Siri Iamsakuldacha, 25, of Syracuse, N.Y. Siri served in the U.S. Army for five years, including a one-year tour of duty in Baghdad, Iraq with the U.S. 1st Armored Divison. Siri is now serving in the National Guard and serves at Military funerals. Siri was mentioned in this news article in 2003.





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

"Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect,
no ravages of time testify to the present
or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people
the cost of a free and undivided republic."

-- General John Logan - May 5, 1868

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


Note: This post was mentioned today at the Daou Report/Salon.com

Headlines

Headlines

IRAQ

At least 1,000 British troops 'desert' since Iraq war, BBC

The children of Guantanamo Bay, Independent - "New revelation that more than 60 of the detainees of the US camp were under 18 at the time of their capture, some as young as 14"

The massacre and the Marines, Independent
"US troops could face death penalty for what is seen as potentially the worst war crime since Iraqi invasion."

EDITORIAL: The Price of Iraq, NYT
"It was somewhat reassuring that Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair have stopped trying to pretend that everything has gone just fine in Iraq, since most of the rest of the world already knows otherwise. But it was very disturbing to hear them follow their expressions of regret with the same old "stay the course" fantasy. It's time for Mr. Bush either to chart a course that can actually be followed, or admit that there is none."

Galloway says murder of Blair would be 'justified', Independent
"In an interview with GQ magazine, the reporter asked him: "Would the assassination of, say, Tony Blair by a suicide bomber - if there were no other casualties - be justified as revenge for the war on Iraq?" [..] Mr Galloway replied: "Yes, it would be morally justified. I am not calling for it - but if it happened it would be of a wholly different moral order to the events of 7/7. It would be entirely logical and explicable. And morally equivalent to ordering the deaths of thousands of innocent people in Iraq - as Blair did."


IRAN

GOP Heavy Hitters Pressuring White House to Talk With Iran, Laura Rozen/LAT
"Some of the E.U. members were nervous that things were really going downhill very fast and headed to military confrontation," said one nongovernmental energy consultant knowledgeable about the internal debate. "When [the Russia proposal] failed, all bets were off. And that prompted thinking that there has got to be another way."

Russian envoy to visit Iran for nuclear talks, AFP

Iran Chief Eclipses Clerics as He Consolidates Power, NYT



US POLITICS

[U.S. Treasury Sec'y] John Snow ‘ready to stand down by summer’, Financial Times (sub req)

[Bush] Justice Dept. Seeks to Block Suits on Spying, NYT
"The Bush administration has asked federal judges in New York and Michigan to dismiss two lawsuits filed over the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, saying litigating them would jeopardize state secrets."

Sen. Chuck Schumer blocks vote on the nomination of Susan Schwab for U.S. Trade Chief, Financial Times

EUROPE

Putin attempts to ease EU concerns over energy, Financial Times


MIDDLE EAST

Jimmy Carter: Israel's New Plan, a Land Grab, Palestine Chronicle
"A mutual Israeli-Palestinian agreement would undoubtedly result in full recognition of Israel by all Arab nations, with normal diplomatic and economic relations, and permanent peace and justice for the Palestinians. It would also remove one of the major causes of international terrorism and greatly ease tensions that could precipitate a regional or even global conflict."

Israeli jets bomb Lebanon border area, Scotsman


NET NEUTRALITY

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End, Adam Cohen/NYT
"Customers who are used to the robust, democratic Web may not pay for one that is restricted to wealthy corporate content providers."


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

Rosslyn Chapel Comes Alive in Scotsman video series, Scotsman

Nearly one million at pope's mass ahead of Auschwitz visit, AFP

'Dead' Everest man [Lincoln Hall] safe at camp, BBC

Hunt for survivors after Indonesia quake kills more than 4,600, AFP


Special Note:

CNN should be ashamed of putting this piece of shit
up on their site.

Network of Spiritual Progressives

Network of Spiritual Progressives

I attended the second conference of the Network of Spiritual Progressives in D.C. last week. Below you'll find some photographs and links to articles. I'll be writing more about the conference soon. All photos were taken by me with the exception of the photos in which I appear.


All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington D.C.


Rabbi Michael Lerner




(top to bottom)Rabbi Michael Lerner and Peter Gabel of Tikkun, Cindy Sheehan, Ray McGovern






(top to bottom) Delivering petitions, Cindy Sheehan and Ray McGovern lead march, Ray McGovern and Code Pink




Two American Street writers (Anonymoses and yours truly)




(top to bottom) Rev. Jim Wallis, Cindy Sheehan, Walking to the White House




Spiritual Progressives Dancing



Pray-In, Lafayette Park


Online Now:

- Group has faith-based alternative to the right [DailyBulletin.com]
- Progressives Reignite Spiritual Activist Movement [Beliefnet]
- Religious Liberals Gain New Visibility: A Different List Of Moral Issues [Washington Post cover story]
- Rev. John Dear: "Don't Give Up: Keep the Movement Moving" [Political Affairs Mag]
- Interview with Rabbi Michael Lerner [WorkingForChange]

A quote from Rabbi Michael Lerner:

"...what I call for as the fundamental ethos or the fundamental central organizing idea of a progressive movement is a call for a new bottom line or, in more technical terms, a new definition of productivity, efficiency and rationality so that institutions are judged rational, efficient and productive not only to the extent that they maximize money and power, but also to the extent that they maximize love and caring, kindness and generosity, ethical and ecological sensitivity, enhance our capacity to respond to other human beings as embodiments of the sacred, and enhance our capacity to respond to the universe with awe and wonder, and radical amazement at the grandeur of all that is in this universe."

* Photos copyrighted and used only with permission of owner.

Politics, Network of Spiritual Progressives

Karl Zinsmeister Tapped as Bush Domestic Policy Chief

Karl Zinsmeister Tapped as Bush Domestic Policy Chief

Conservative columnist Mona Charen is singing the praises of American Enterprise Institute magazine editor-in-chief Karl Zinsmeister, George W. Bush's latest pick for domestic policy chief, and the news hits very close to home. Karl, a Yale graduate, hails from nearby Baldwinsville, N.Y. In 2004, he'd given the Syracuse alternative newspaper, the Syracuse New Times, some inlammatory material with which journalists can now work. It's perfect fodder for some controversy in the mainstream media.

From KansasCity.com:

As noted here Friday, new White House domestic policy adviser Karl Zinsmeister doesn’t think much of Washington, telling the Syracuse, N.Y., New Times among other things that “people in Washington are morally repugnant, cheating, shifty human beings.”

But on the Web site of the magazine he edits for the American Enterprise Institute, Zinsmeister altered those quotes and other text in the New Times profile. In fact, he removed the “morally repugnant” quote altogether.

He insists the New Times got the quotes wrong, but the author of the piece says that after the profile was published, Zinsmeister complimented him on the article.

The New York Sun has more on the story.
Questions Arising Over Quotations Of Zinsmeister


I had mentioned Karl and a book he's written about Iraq called "Boots on the Ground" at my Syracuse.com blog in August, 2004:

Mission Accomplice
Embedding with the 82nd Airborne inspired Cazenovian Karl Zinsmeister's two books
Syracuse New Times/Justin Park

Local writer Karl Zinsmeister has volunteered his time and effort to travel to Iraq's danger zone (embedded with U.S. military) to obtain his unique stories which have been committed to history in his two books.

-Boots on the Ground (St. Martin's Press, 2003)
-Dawn Over Baghdad: How the U.S. Military is Using Bullets and Ballots to Remake Iraq (Encounter Books, 2004)

- Jude

Here's another mention of Mr. Zinsmeister and his knowing comment about snowstorms in Central New York. [Syracuse.com]

New White House Adviser Could be Refreshing 'Jolt', CitizenLink

Bush Names Chief Domestic Adviser, Bumiller/NYT

Editor at Conservative Magazine To Be Top Policy Adviser to Bush, WaPo

Bush Taps CNY Native to be Top Domestic Policy Adviser, Syracuse Post Standard

Brian Cubbison at the Newstracker blog/Syracuse.com has more on the Zinsmeister appointment.


Politics, Zinsmeister, Syracuse

Soldier Gives Camillus Girl His Purple Heart

Soldier Gives Camillus Girl His Purple Heart

Fatima Faisal of Camillus, N.Y.

I am especially proud of a young member of my own community today.

The Washington Post has reported that Fatima Faisal of Camillus, N.Y. has had a very special honor bestowed upon her. Staff Sgt. Phillip Trackey, currently serving at Fort Drum in Upstate New York, said he was inspired to give Fatima his Purple Heart medal. The West Genesee Middle School student had won a contest for writing a letter to American troops out of her gratitude for all they do for our nation.

Excerpts:

[..]Trackey and a group of fellow Fort Drum soldiers attended a ceremony Thursday at West Genesee Middle School in honor of seventh-grader Fatima Faisal, who was a regional winner in the Letters to the Front contest sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post.

After Faisal received her prizes, Trackey stood and held up his Purple Heart for everyone to see. Then, he pinned it on the girl's blouse.

[..]Trackey, of Glens Falls, said he received the medal for shoulder and head wounds he suffered when a bomb went off near him in Baghdad in January 2005. Trackey said his Purple Heart was just collecting dust at home. [WaPo]

Memorial Day: Our Truth Marches On

Memorial Day:
Our Truth Marches On

I'll be singing at a Memorial Day ceremony at a local church this evening, as I have done each year for the past 16 years. I've always kept my country close to my heart. Our closing song is Battle Hymn of the Republic. When Julia Ward Howe wrote the song, she firmly believed not that God was on our side in the Civil War, but that the Union was on God's side. She'd written the words after vis­it­ing a Un­ion Ar­my camp on the Po­to­mac Riv­er. She heard the sol­diers sing­ing the song "John Brown's Body," [an abolitionist's song] and was inspired by it.

Reminding me of what I call "my morning muse - when ideas come almost magically from nowhere upon awkening and are often too soon forgotten as the memory of dreams are so often lost - Julia wrote this:


"I awoke in the grey of the morn­ing, and as I lay wait­ing for dawn, the long lines of the de­sired po­em be­gan to en­twine them­selves in my mind, and I said to my­self, "I must get up and write these vers­es, lest I fall asleep and for­get them!" So I sprang out of bed and in the dim­ness found an old stump of a pen, which I remem­bered us­ing the day be­fore. I scrawled the vers­es al­most with­out look­ing at the paper."

When I have sung the verse below, for the past few years my heart has been heavy.


The Three Servicemen statue by the late sculptor Frederick Hart, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.

~~~~~~~~~~

"Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on."

~~~~~~~~~~

For where is truth today? Our President has lost his claim to moral truth and he should tremble before history and before God.

Americans have awakened to a truth that has always been present, but was so hard to see because of a media that either feared the truth or refused to tell it willingly.

It's time for our citizens to turn this thing around. We are the greatest democracy on the face of the earth and we will survive as a decent nation because we are a nation of decent souls.

Our truth marches on.


* This thought was inspired by an essay titled The True Legacy of George W. Bush by dpfabie of San Francisco, Ca.

* On Memorial Day weekend, a Gold Star Mother signs the petition for Voters for Peace.

Politics: Calling For A New Bottom Line

Politics:
Calling For
A New Bottom Line

Citizens are calling for a new kind of political leadership. Tired of the rhetoric they hear day in and day out, they long for straight talk and authenticity. They know it when they hear it. They feel it when conditions are actually improved by a bold change in policy that comes from a creative and convincing political leader.

Too often, politicians will tell citizens only what high-paid consultants have advised them that citizens want to hear. Out in grassroots America, citizens are directly telling political leaders what they want to hear, and it's often in conflict with the consultants' advice. When a political leader speaks from the mouth of the consultant rather than with his own wisdom and heart, the citizens who cry out for something completely different feel as if they must be living in some alternative universe. Citizens are not an impersonal audience, but they are made to feel that way by their leaders. If a political leader wishes the citizen to see him (or her) as a responsible candidate for office, it seems only natural that they should begin by communicating responsibly and authentically with those they seek to represent. For example, we are barraged with a constant flow of public polls gauging "how we're doing" on poverty while few politicians have the courage to actually champion the causes of the poor. Senator John Edwards is a rare and refreshing exception to the rule, championing those causes every day.

Our leaders too often boast about a land of opportunity and a great economy while the quality of life for thousands of Americans deteriorates. It's no wonder that Congress is receiving such a bad "report card" from the public. According to a recent study, Wal Mart contributes to poverty in our communities while they advertise their low prices and our government gives them sweetheart deals. Some of the working poor in this country were not visible until $3-per-gallon gasoline prices pushed them over the line toward full-blown poverty. Union workers who once enjoyed reasonable job security and economic comfort are now faced with potential layoffs, salary cuts and diminished healthcare and pension benefits.

American politics have hit a dead end. Citizens feel that they are no more than tools used by politicians to maximize capital and to harness power. Americans are thirsting for moral leadership - the kind that reflects our common values.

Let this be a call for a new bottom line in politics and for a new kind of respect for the citizens from whom a political leader is trying to get a vote. Our economic institutions should not only be judged as efficient only to the extent that they extract the maximum wealth and power from each of us. There is no reason why their policies shouldn't reflect our common values - such as compassion, caring, kindness, generosity, ethical sensitivity and ecological sensitivity. We should stand for no less.

From this day forward, listen to political candidates. If they aren't speaking to you with what you perceive as authenticity and a public commitment to pay attention to our core values as caring human beings, let them know why their message will not win them your vote. Tell them to stop framing their programs with their goals to advance the interest of the richest while using each of us as marketing tools and profit targets. We are human beings and as members of a democracy, we possess the capacity for caring for everyone on this planet and having foreign and domestic policies to support that kind of caring.

How can we sit here in what we are told is the freest nation on the face of the earth and complacently allow these political leaders to continue to govern merely for their self-interest and for their assured re-election? When the number of dying children on a daily basis from starvation and disease is equivalent to the number of lives that would be taken as a result of dozens of 747s crashing down from the sky each day, and we know we already could have saved millions of them with only a slight, simple change in our focus and our generosity, how can we keep from crying?

David Beckman, president of Bread for the World has said:

“We are at a historic crossroads to make real change in the developing world, and poll after poll tells us that Americans want to do more to help people in poverty. Even in a time of fiscal constraint, Americans can always afford to keep our promises.”

All signs indicate that it's time for a change. You can be a part of it simply by listening to your leaders carefully - and talking back. Americans are people with great conscience and compassion. The public face we show to our own citizens and the poor of this world should be a reflection of the human beings we pride ourselves on being; not unforgiving, materialistic elites who would pass by their fellow man lying wounded by the side of the road.

* cross posted at One America Committee blog

Language Barriers: The Social Challenge

Language Barriers: The Social Challenge

I thought I'd share with you a blogpost by Rex Pe [in Jiangsu, China] that I found to be relevant to the challenges we face, as Progressives, while trying to change this world (and the face of politics) for the betterment of all humanity.

Excerpt:

Both students and teachers may find universal topics like human rights, poverty, hunger, war, minority issues and related concepts too overwhelming and cumbersome. Nevertheless, a confluent approach to teaching social responsibility in the language class helps to neutralize this seeming difficulty in dealing with social issues.

Congratulations, Taylor Hicks

Congratulations, Taylor Hicks

Congratulations to the sweet sunny South's Taylor Hicks for winning on American Idol.




I have to admit, when I first saw him, he reminded me of a physically awkward fellow you'd see with a lampshade on his head at a Friday-night happy hour. He looked like every guy I'd ever known who would do something like that.

But he grew on me. He was adorable. I realized, after a while, that he's the one I'd most want to see in a live performance. He dazzled me. I actually got goosebumps when I heard him sing "Do I Make You Proud."

Taylor - you made a believer out of me. Congratulations.

This time vote for what you believe in.

This time vote
for what you believe in.



Steve Soto of The Left Coaster has written about our hopes to see Democrats say "To hell with the direction of the political winds" and to do the right thing in order to protect and defend the People's constitional rights. Too many times we have been bitterly disappointed.

If Americans voted their conscience, the Feinsteins and Schumers wouldn't get away with playing what Mr. Soto calls "the long game"...where risk-averse representatives are not willing to do a frontal assault on the Executive unless the issue has broad public support, and has GOP support inside the chamber. He says:

"They were bitch-slapped repeatedly since 2002 for being weak on national security, and are now focused on doing whatever is necessary to pick up more seats this November and aren’t willing to expose their flanks."

Our legislators should do what is right at the time when they are required to do the right thing. We can all see that the Democrats are waiting around to see which way the political wind is blowing rather than doing what is necessary to defend the People's constitutional protections as they are charged with the responsibility to do. Combine that with the bold audacity of the power-usurping Executive, and that is precisely how we lose our liberty. Piece by piece, bit by bit.

They aren't leading. It's time for someone to lead. We are the leaders that we've been waiting for.

Let's start by examining our own conscience and by signing the petition at Voters For Peace that says:

"I will not vote for or support any candidate for Congress or President who does not make a speedy end to the war in Iraq, and preventing any future war of aggression, a public position in his or her campaign."

If you want to retain your hard-won liberties, start listening to the voice within you that cries out for justice in a country where we see too little of it!

After seeing what we let them get away with in Iraq, how can we keep from shouting while we see the same patterns being used in our policy toward Iran?

Untrue National Post Story Plays Into Fear and Hatred

Untrue National Post Story Plays Into Fear and Hatred


Credit: Lenin's Tomb

Hatred is strong in this world. We simply must overcome it or we will destroy what is best about humanity and allow the civil world to crumble in a shameful nuclear heap. The neocons got away with their lies about Iraq and we got an immoral and unjust war heaped upon our nation...all in our name. I see signs of it happening all over again and I wonder how much the American people have learned.

When a newspaper and its editors loses a sense of responsibility in its rush to put out a controversial and largely unconfirmed story, it caves in to the hateful forces in the world and becomes a tool of evil. News items like the one printed in a Canadian newspaper called the National Post are too often used as reasons to make war. When it turns out to be a lie, the hatred and fear the story brings about are already embedded in the hearts of the fearful, whether or not the story is tue.

I hope that, by now, you've heard about the unfortunate circumstances surrounding the National Post fiasco. You'll be interested to know that The New York Post readily chimed in with barely a flicker of truth-conscience. (Are you surprised?)

Jan Frel at Alternet:

A now discredited article by Iranian-American and neocon chum Amir Taheri that appeared last Friday in the Canadian National Post suggested that new legislation in Iran would require Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive color badges.

It's also being covered at:

Juan Cole

So here is a case where an embarrassing mistake has been made. The National Post has retracted. So too should Taheri. Or else we have to assume that he is putting something else above journalistic integrity.

Moderate Voice

Jewish Week

CNN

Justin Raimondo

The War Party fabrication factory is revving up its motor again. Destination: Tehran

Unqualified Offerings

The New York Post has reprinted Amir Taheri’s debunked Iranian “yellow badges for Jews” story. Lenin’s Tomb has pictures of the print edition of the National Post story. They made the most inflammatory possible presentation. (You’ll note the headline is not “Iran to Force Zoroastrians to Wear Blue.”)

Wake Up, America - Your Liberty is On the Line

Wake Up, America - Your Liberty is On the Line

It should disturb every thinking citizen that, in what was clearly a politically motivated activity, the executive branch raided the office of Democratic congressman William Jefferson of Louisiana. Today's New York Times editorial reminds us that the issue of the separation of powers has arisen under "an explosive combination of political circumstances." Whether Jefferson is guilty or not guilty, this kind of activity is more indicative of an oppressive authoritarian state than an open democracy. We may as well admit that we are living under a totalitarian regime where political dissenters are being made to reasonably fear search, seizure, and the threat of legal prosecution.

After all, if they would do this to a federal legislator, what do you imagine they wouldn't do to you?

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales would provide no details of the search when asked, but only described it as "a unique step in response to a unique set of circumstances." That, my friends, is not an adequate explanantion or a legally fitting excuse for stomping over Rep. Jefferson's Fourth Amendment rights.

The LA Times tells us that our Congress members are upset about this - across the board - Republican and Democrat alike.


In a similar vein, Ray McGovern points to unsettling signs that the National Security Agency being "turned against the people."


Russell Tice, a former intelligence officer for the National Security Agency, will allegedly tell Senate staffers next week that unlawful activity occurred at the NSA under the supervision of General Michael Hayden beyond what has been publicly reported, while hinting that it might have involved the illegal use of space-based satellites and systems to spy on U.S. citizens [NGA]. According to Chris Strohm of the Congress Daily, Tice, who worked on what are known as 'special access programs,' has wanted to meet in a closed session with members of Congress and their staff since President Bush announced in December that he had secretly authorized the NSA to eavesdrop on U.S. citizens without a court order." Bear in mind the fact that Mr. Tice doesn't have access to everything. It is much broader than what he knows.


According to Democracy Now, "Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin is preparing legislation that rewrites Internet privacy rules. Under the proposed legislation, Internet service providers would be required to keep logs tracking what users did online in order to help police to be able to 'conduct criminal investigations.'" This makes sure the little ISPs are drawn into the surveillance noose. [From Freemarket News]


Consider the dangerous road that the Bush administration is taking the country down...making journalists a whole new class of criminals.

One Father's Anguish and Regret

Lance Cpl. Alexander S. Arredondo
U.S. Marines
Died 8/25/2004

One Father's Anguish and Regret

"When I first approach the casket, I thought it might be hard to recognize him, because we had not been told yet what killed him. We hadn't learn yet that he had a wound in the temple of his head, so that he had a three-inch-wide hole in back of his head. But it was him. And seeing him laying flat in a casket, I thought, he's not breathing and that he looks a little different, a little older. That his hair is a little bit longer. Wanting to reach him I was lifted off the stretcher and climb up to kiss him, to touch his head, his hands, his fingers, his shoulders, his legs, to see if they were still there. I lay on top of the casket, on top of my son, apologizing to him because I did nothing for him to avoid this moment. Nothing."

- Carlos Arredondo/Age 45/Roslindale, Massachusetts

See full story and photos at The Nation