Everyone in the Administration is all atwitter over Newsweek Magazine's printing of an uncorroborated story of a Quoran being flushed down the toilet at Guantanamo Bay Detention Center.
It really isn't the content of the story that has them concerned; these stories have existed for awhile; But now says White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan, "The image of the United States abroad has been damaged" by such an action that has the righteous Righties up in arms.
The damage done to the "image" of the United States? The image they are trying to portray as spreading democracy and freedom around the world by invading countries and occupying them and killing thousands of civilians into the process?
The good image of America rooting out terrorism by detaining uncharged Muslims and holding them for months or sending them to countries where they can be tortured or worse? Or maybe it's our unblemished image as a caretaker of prisoners at Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq?
Which image of America has been so tarnished? Oh, it must be the one of America as installers of puppet regimes in Afghanistan or maybe stealers of oil or desecration of Mosques or shooting of Italian journalists, or....
America specializes in symbolic desecration of the Quoran every day. That's probably one reason it was not surprising to hear about an actual physical desecration.
Who should be apologizing to the Muslim world, to the whole world, for conduct unbecoming a Democratic Superpower?
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Thursday, May 12, 2005
CULTURE OF DEATH
THE CULTURE OF DEATH:
WHO OWNS IT?
The Culture of Death does not belong to Islamic fundamentalists. Who worships a dead guy on a cross? Who sends its young into warfare ill equipped and unprepared? Who rains down bombs on people who have done them no harm?
While Islamic fundamentalists with nothing to lose may look forward to an afterlife with plentiful nooky, Christian fundamentalists are trying to bring about Armageddon, that time when death and destruction will overwhelm the earth and the "saved" will ascend to Heaven to sit on the right hand of God. Sounds boring compared to 72 virgins, but it's a Culture of Death nonetheless.
When I heard Air America's Randi Rhodes talking about the "culture of Death" as being practiced by the Muslim terrorists (in a somewhat twisted explanation on how we can’t hope to win in Iraq, because those who are resisting us practice a culture of death, meaning they never give up, same as the Japanese in WWII, that's why we had to bomb them into smithereens), I figured the term had originated with some right wing-nut to describe Moslem extremism.
Thomas Friedman says it’s taught in Saudi Schools. Right wingers says Muslims hate life and revere death; so what do you expect? They hate us because we want to be alive, and they just want to hurry up and die already. Couldn't it be that they want to live their lives too, and if we let them do so without US troops and bases, and sanctions and bombs, they’d do it.
So I Googled Culture of Death. And I found that this is a catch phrase used to describe all manner of people-who-don't-think-like-we-do. Abortion is a Culture of Death, Assisted Suicide in Oregon is a Culture of Death, Marxism is a Culture of Death, of course, the Holocaust may have been the best known example of the Culture of Death, then there's Columbine, and the War in Iraq represents the Bush Administration’s Culture of Death.
Look it up yourself, Google Culture of Death, you'll be amazed.
So I got to thinking it over, and whoa Nelly, the Muslims have nothing on the Christians in the Culture of Death Department. What do the Christians worship? A dead guy on a cross and bunch of martyred saints.
Also, the fundamentalists have this thing about "rapture" which seems to involve the death of the whole world. Armageddon will destroy the earth, and let the "saved" ascend into Heaven, where they get to sit at the right hand of the Lord. I envision quite bit of jockeying for position, unless God multiplies his right hand so there’s one for everyone. Or maybe one or two will actually get the go.
The rest of us will damned to eternal hellfire, or worse, aeons of pestilence, plague, boils, locust and all manner of environmental destruction. These guys are so serious about this that they are actively trying to hurry it up through promoting turmoil in the Middle East.
James Watt, remember him? former Secretary of the Interior, said "When the last tree falls, the rapture will come" or words to that effect.
Death of the earth, death of the soldiers, the Iraqis, the poor people and ascension to the right hand of God for the "good" people.
Who has a Culture of Death?
WHO OWNS IT?
The Culture of Death does not belong to Islamic fundamentalists. Who worships a dead guy on a cross? Who sends its young into warfare ill equipped and unprepared? Who rains down bombs on people who have done them no harm?
While Islamic fundamentalists with nothing to lose may look forward to an afterlife with plentiful nooky, Christian fundamentalists are trying to bring about Armageddon, that time when death and destruction will overwhelm the earth and the "saved" will ascend to Heaven to sit on the right hand of God. Sounds boring compared to 72 virgins, but it's a Culture of Death nonetheless.
When I heard Air America's Randi Rhodes talking about the "culture of Death" as being practiced by the Muslim terrorists (in a somewhat twisted explanation on how we can’t hope to win in Iraq, because those who are resisting us practice a culture of death, meaning they never give up, same as the Japanese in WWII, that's why we had to bomb them into smithereens), I figured the term had originated with some right wing-nut to describe Moslem extremism.
Thomas Friedman says it’s taught in Saudi Schools. Right wingers says Muslims hate life and revere death; so what do you expect? They hate us because we want to be alive, and they just want to hurry up and die already. Couldn't it be that they want to live their lives too, and if we let them do so without US troops and bases, and sanctions and bombs, they’d do it.
So I Googled Culture of Death. And I found that this is a catch phrase used to describe all manner of people-who-don't-think-like-we-do. Abortion is a Culture of Death, Assisted Suicide in Oregon is a Culture of Death, Marxism is a Culture of Death, of course, the Holocaust may have been the best known example of the Culture of Death, then there's Columbine, and the War in Iraq represents the Bush Administration’s Culture of Death.
Look it up yourself, Google Culture of Death, you'll be amazed.
So I got to thinking it over, and whoa Nelly, the Muslims have nothing on the Christians in the Culture of Death Department. What do the Christians worship? A dead guy on a cross and bunch of martyred saints.
Also, the fundamentalists have this thing about "rapture" which seems to involve the death of the whole world. Armageddon will destroy the earth, and let the "saved" ascend into Heaven, where they get to sit at the right hand of the Lord. I envision quite bit of jockeying for position, unless God multiplies his right hand so there’s one for everyone. Or maybe one or two will actually get the go.
The rest of us will damned to eternal hellfire, or worse, aeons of pestilence, plague, boils, locust and all manner of environmental destruction. These guys are so serious about this that they are actively trying to hurry it up through promoting turmoil in the Middle East.
James Watt, remember him? former Secretary of the Interior, said "When the last tree falls, the rapture will come" or words to that effect.
Death of the earth, death of the soldiers, the Iraqis, the poor people and ascension to the right hand of God for the "good" people.
Who has a Culture of Death?
Wednesday, April 27, 2005
FIFTY OVER FIFTY
We've all seen them, those cute stories entitled "Forty under Forty" or even "Thirty under Thirty" about young people accomplishing big things.
Well, it's time for us oldsters to have our day, us late blooming boomers. I want to write a story called "Fifty over Fifty" about fifty remarkable men and women who have come into prominence later in life.
Maybe they were homemakers, schoolteacher or insurance salespeople who launched a new career. Maybe they struggled their whole life at writing or painting or philosophizing and are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Maybe they just came up with some brilliant idea or program that has made a difference in their community.
Whatever, as the kids say, if you know someone who could fit this description, send in their story to del@greendogcampaigns.com and I'll post the fifty winners here on the Blog. (Heck, I'll post them all, and YOU vote on the winners!)
Go ahead and nominate yourself.
Tell your friends and colleagues. This could be fun.
Dotty the Green Dog "over fifty" Democrat
Well, it's time for us oldsters to have our day, us late blooming boomers. I want to write a story called "Fifty over Fifty" about fifty remarkable men and women who have come into prominence later in life.
Maybe they were homemakers, schoolteacher or insurance salespeople who launched a new career. Maybe they struggled their whole life at writing or painting or philosophizing and are finally getting the recognition they deserve.
Maybe they just came up with some brilliant idea or program that has made a difference in their community.
Whatever, as the kids say, if you know someone who could fit this description, send in their story to del@greendogcampaigns.com and I'll post the fifty winners here on the Blog. (Heck, I'll post them all, and YOU vote on the winners!)
Go ahead and nominate yourself.
Tell your friends and colleagues. This could be fun.
Dotty the Green Dog "over fifty" Democrat
Monday, April 18, 2005
California's Progressive Caucus
Convention news. Our new California Progressive Caucus is off and running! We exceeded our expectations on Friday, April 15th with a standing room only and not enough of that at our first meeting of the California Progressive Caucus, still called Progressive Issues coalition by the powers-that-be. More than 350 people showed up, signed in and joined the Caucus. We elected officers and passed a set of by-laws.
The officers, interim until the next meeting, when we hopefully will be ratified by the State Party, will be listed here when I get all the correct names and spellings.
It was a lively and energetic crowd, ready for an opportunity to put our progressive values to work. It was a gratifying experience for those of us who have worked these many months to bring this vision to fruition. We were visited by a host of elected officials and candidates, all amazed at our numbers, all realizing that the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" is alive and well! Our own State Treasurer and gubernatorial Candidate Phil Angelides joined our Caucus on the spot! Go Phil! Watch out Ahnold!
Yay for us!
And we know we are needed when a resolution supporting single payer universal health care failed to pass on the Convention floor on Sunday morning. Despite widespread support.
We are proud that several other resolutions authored by some of our members did pass, one opposing the war in Iraq and another commending our great Senator Barbara Boxer for her courageous stands on voting rights, against Condaleezza Rice's appointment as Secretary of State and many other progressive stands. Go Barbara!
Now we send our materials on to the Rules Committee, where decisions are made. We have the numbers; we have the determination; we will work to see our Caucus recognized.
Photos from our great caucus are posted in the Blog.
Dotty the Green Dog Democrat
The officers, interim until the next meeting, when we hopefully will be ratified by the State Party, will be listed here when I get all the correct names and spellings.
It was a lively and energetic crowd, ready for an opportunity to put our progressive values to work. It was a gratifying experience for those of us who have worked these many months to bring this vision to fruition. We were visited by a host of elected officials and candidates, all amazed at our numbers, all realizing that the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" is alive and well! Our own State Treasurer and gubernatorial Candidate Phil Angelides joined our Caucus on the spot! Go Phil! Watch out Ahnold!
Yay for us!
And we know we are needed when a resolution supporting single payer universal health care failed to pass on the Convention floor on Sunday morning. Despite widespread support.
We are proud that several other resolutions authored by some of our members did pass, one opposing the war in Iraq and another commending our great Senator Barbara Boxer for her courageous stands on voting rights, against Condaleezza Rice's appointment as Secretary of State and many other progressive stands. Go Barbara!
Now we send our materials on to the Rules Committee, where decisions are made. We have the numbers; we have the determination; we will work to see our Caucus recognized.
Photos from our great caucus are posted in the Blog.
Dotty the Green Dog Democrat
Thursday, April 14, 2005
OFF TO THE CONVENTION!
Well, the time has come. The California State Democratic Convention starts tomorrow.
Our Progressive Caucus is on the agenda. Well, they're calling it the Progressive Issues coalition, but hey, that's a start! We will meet at 5 PM and elect interim officers and approve Bylaws.
We will be visited by the usual candidates and elected officials. We will be semi-official.
I will update this post with breaking news, if accessing my Blog from the convention is possible.
Question: Why don't hotels come equipped with computers for their guests? Shlepping a laptop is a pain. And I can never get mine to work from another location.
Call me techno dummy, but wouldn't that make good financial and pr sense?
Dotty
Our Progressive Caucus is on the agenda. Well, they're calling it the Progressive Issues coalition, but hey, that's a start! We will meet at 5 PM and elect interim officers and approve Bylaws.
We will be visited by the usual candidates and elected officials. We will be semi-official.
I will update this post with breaking news, if accessing my Blog from the convention is possible.
Question: Why don't hotels come equipped with computers for their guests? Shlepping a laptop is a pain. And I can never get mine to work from another location.
Call me techno dummy, but wouldn't that make good financial and pr sense?
Dotty
Friday, April 01, 2005
April No Fooling Day
MORE FROM MYSTERY BUSINESS WOMAN TRAVELING IN THE FAR EAST
March 30th The Air
I want to punch a hole through the sky in China so the people can breath. The air is thick with muck. We visit the safety supervisor of one of the many new power plants. He says it’s cheaper to pay fines for excessive sulfur release than invest in technology to reduce it.
China cannot keep up with the demands for power as industry surges and the west rushes to expand manufacturing there. But the people are living in darkness and without heat. Drive through residential areas at night, you’ll see. In the cities too, the apartments are black, save for the cool flicker of the occasional TV.
Singapore, by contrast, has a sizable middle class housed in neat, well-appointed candy-colored apartments. Designed to promote a clean, wholesome society, strict prohibitions enforced by significant fines govern all aspects of life. But Singapore cannot evade the fires raging around it. The smoky air burns the lungs and scalds the eyes. “There’s an air quality alert,” warns my taxi driver as we drive along the tiny city-state’s beautifully landscaped roads. Westerners walk and jog, chests high, arms pumping. Locals know better. The pit fires burn in neighboring Malaysia, snaking underground, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and impervious to fines.
March 30th The Air
I want to punch a hole through the sky in China so the people can breath. The air is thick with muck. We visit the safety supervisor of one of the many new power plants. He says it’s cheaper to pay fines for excessive sulfur release than invest in technology to reduce it.
China cannot keep up with the demands for power as industry surges and the west rushes to expand manufacturing there. But the people are living in darkness and without heat. Drive through residential areas at night, you’ll see. In the cities too, the apartments are black, save for the cool flicker of the occasional TV.
Singapore, by contrast, has a sizable middle class housed in neat, well-appointed candy-colored apartments. Designed to promote a clean, wholesome society, strict prohibitions enforced by significant fines govern all aspects of life. But Singapore cannot evade the fires raging around it. The smoky air burns the lungs and scalds the eyes. “There’s an air quality alert,” warns my taxi driver as we drive along the tiny city-state’s beautifully landscaped roads. Westerners walk and jog, chests high, arms pumping. Locals know better. The pit fires burn in neighboring Malaysia, snaking underground, uncontrollable, unpredictable, and impervious to fines.
Friday, March 25, 2005
A SERIOUS TRUE STORY AND A SMALL BIT OF POLITICAL SATIRE
Serious True Story -
Amid all this talk of Terri Schiavo and “culture of life” I remember the time, in 1979, my friend Diana and I blundered into the midst of a young woman’s decision whether to “pull the plug” on her dying father. We were all trying to be writers in a small town on the coast of California and we had agreed on this afternoon of wine and literature weeks earlier.
Her father, a well known artist, had been ill for some time. Of course, we had no idea of the seriousness of the situation before we knocked on her modest cabin door.
While we were trying to decide whether it was ruder to stay or abruptly leave her alone with her decision, being discussed over the long distance telephone to the hospital in another state, she motioned us to sit down, while keeping the phone glued to her ear, punctuated by “uh huhs” and “oks” to the person at the other end.
It was her younger brother, the one who would actually say yay or nay to the doctors in charge on the other end of the phone.
We stayed the afternoon; we had come to talk poetry; we talked about end of life decisions, the cruelty of fatal diseases, the kindness of hospice, the frustrations of long distance.
We drank cheap white wine and ate stale chips. We hugged, and laughed and by the time we left, the sun was setting, the decision had been made, we were all exhausted, and we hoped we had helped a little bit.
When my own mother died twenty years later, she had the graciousness to do it all at once, sparing my sister and me such hard decisions.
Small Bit of Satire –
Headlines we’d like to see: “Bush to Clone Terry Schiavo.” “’Done with Death on My Watch,’ Says Bush.” “Bush Considers Unearthing Christian Corpses for Cloning.”
Explaining his new stance in favor of cloning certain individuals, Bush explained, “I know I used to be against it, but now I think we need to use all measures in our culture of life. If we let sick people die; if we let dead people stay dead, we have failed.”
“Except for murderers and adulterers, of course,” he quickly amended. “And Democrats” one reporter thought he heard him mumble under his breath as he left the podium.
Amid all this talk of Terri Schiavo and “culture of life” I remember the time, in 1979, my friend Diana and I blundered into the midst of a young woman’s decision whether to “pull the plug” on her dying father. We were all trying to be writers in a small town on the coast of California and we had agreed on this afternoon of wine and literature weeks earlier.
Her father, a well known artist, had been ill for some time. Of course, we had no idea of the seriousness of the situation before we knocked on her modest cabin door.
While we were trying to decide whether it was ruder to stay or abruptly leave her alone with her decision, being discussed over the long distance telephone to the hospital in another state, she motioned us to sit down, while keeping the phone glued to her ear, punctuated by “uh huhs” and “oks” to the person at the other end.
It was her younger brother, the one who would actually say yay or nay to the doctors in charge on the other end of the phone.
We stayed the afternoon; we had come to talk poetry; we talked about end of life decisions, the cruelty of fatal diseases, the kindness of hospice, the frustrations of long distance.
We drank cheap white wine and ate stale chips. We hugged, and laughed and by the time we left, the sun was setting, the decision had been made, we were all exhausted, and we hoped we had helped a little bit.
When my own mother died twenty years later, she had the graciousness to do it all at once, sparing my sister and me such hard decisions.
Small Bit of Satire –
Headlines we’d like to see: “Bush to Clone Terry Schiavo.” “’Done with Death on My Watch,’ Says Bush.” “Bush Considers Unearthing Christian Corpses for Cloning.”
Explaining his new stance in favor of cloning certain individuals, Bush explained, “I know I used to be against it, but now I think we need to use all measures in our culture of life. If we let sick people die; if we let dead people stay dead, we have failed.”
“Except for murderers and adulterers, of course,” he quickly amended. “And Democrats” one reporter thought he heard him mumble under his breath as he left the podium.
GUEST BLOGGER - MYSTERY BUSINESS WOMAN GIVES GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
This just in from my old friend, known as Mystery Business Woman. She travels to the far East quite often and shares her experiences seen through the lens of global geopolitcs:
THE DREAM IS OVER
March 20, 2005
This morning as I pack my bags to leave Shanghai, CNN reports that “stars” including Paul McCartney’s wife and the lead singer of Yes, are protesting the Chinese slaughter of dogs to make fur coats. CNN shows scenes from a film made surreptitiously. I glance up from my packing to see a grainy shot of the strained hind legs of a black dog. “The images are too gruesome to show on television,” the announcer says. Voiceover discussion ensues with the filmmaker: “The dogs are skinned alive. The sound of their cries is unimaginable.” Here dogs are a delicacy.
On my flight, I read the Shanghai Times. Over objections from the U.S., the EU has agreed to ship weapons to China. Germany and France are spearheading the initiative, stating that the reasons for the arms embargo, dating back to Tiananmen (SP.) Square are no longer valid. Sale of “high tech” weapons will be avoided, they claim. The article explains that the Europeans hope their newfound flexibility will lead to the sale of European cars and other goods to the People’s Republic. Bend over.
At the airport in Hong Kong, the idea for this blog takes shape as I read Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran. Explaining The Great Gatsby to her students, she writes, “We in ancient countries have our past – we obsess over the past. They, the Americans, have a dream: they feel nostalgia about the promise of the future.” I suddenly realize that I am witnessing the demise of that promise. China is the future. For Americans, though they may not realize it, the dream is dead.
THE DREAM IS OVER
March 20, 2005
This morning as I pack my bags to leave Shanghai, CNN reports that “stars” including Paul McCartney’s wife and the lead singer of Yes, are protesting the Chinese slaughter of dogs to make fur coats. CNN shows scenes from a film made surreptitiously. I glance up from my packing to see a grainy shot of the strained hind legs of a black dog. “The images are too gruesome to show on television,” the announcer says. Voiceover discussion ensues with the filmmaker: “The dogs are skinned alive. The sound of their cries is unimaginable.” Here dogs are a delicacy.
On my flight, I read the Shanghai Times. Over objections from the U.S., the EU has agreed to ship weapons to China. Germany and France are spearheading the initiative, stating that the reasons for the arms embargo, dating back to Tiananmen (SP.) Square are no longer valid. Sale of “high tech” weapons will be avoided, they claim. The article explains that the Europeans hope their newfound flexibility will lead to the sale of European cars and other goods to the People’s Republic. Bend over.
At the airport in Hong Kong, the idea for this blog takes shape as I read Azar Nafisi’s Reading Lolita in Tehran. Explaining The Great Gatsby to her students, she writes, “We in ancient countries have our past – we obsess over the past. They, the Americans, have a dream: they feel nostalgia about the promise of the future.” I suddenly realize that I am witnessing the demise of that promise. China is the future. For Americans, though they may not realize it, the dream is dead.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Spreading Democracy and War
I used to scoff when I heard George W. say he was spreading Democracy around the world. But now I know he's sincere.
He wants to bring American style democracy, as practiced by the Bush administration, to struggling third world countries everywhere.
What does this look like?
Well, a place where voting rights don't matter, and judges determine the outcome of elections.
Where the wealthiest 1% get a tax break that the rest of the country pays for.
Where children can't get basic needs like pencils and school books at school, and old people can't pay for their prescriptions.
Where crony capitalism flourishes.
Where clean air and clean water are code words for pollution.
Where government spies can find out what library books you're reading and put you on watch lists if they don't like the titles.
Where the media is in a few corporate hands.
Yeah, baby, spread the word. Democracy is coming to the world.
All hail George W.
-----
THIS JUST IN MOVE ON SEEMS TO BE "MOVING ON" SADLY
Pass it on --
Published on Thursday, March 10, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
MoveOn.org: Making Peace With the War in Iraq
by Norman Solomon
Sadly, it has come to this. Two years after the invasion of Iraq, the online powerhouse MoveOn.org -- which built most of its member base with a strong antiwar message -- is not pushing for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
With a network of more than 3 million "online activists," the MoveOn leadership has decided against opposing the American occupation of Iraq. During the recent bloody months, none of MoveOn's action alerts have addressed what Americans can do to help get the U.S. military out of that country. Likewise, the MoveOn.org website has continued to bypass the issue -- even after Rep. Lynn Woolsey and two dozen cosponsors in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution in late January calling for swift removal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. That resolution would seem to be a natural peg for the kind of kinetic activism that established MoveOn's reputation.
A movement serious about ending U.S. military activities in Iraq could use the resolution as a way to cut through political tap dances and pressure members of Congress to take a stand. Down the road, generating grassroots support for a get-out-of-Iraq resolution has potential to clear a congressional pathway for measures cutting off funds for the war. But, tragically, MoveOn's leadership is having none of it. Over a period of recent weeks, the word "Iraq" appeared on the MoveOn.org home page only in a plug for a documentary released last year. Inches away, a blurb has been telling the website's visitors: "Support Our Troops: Contribute your frequent-flyer miles so that American troops can get home." (But not stay home.)
Many soldiers are returning to the killing grounds of Iraq, while a growing number are vocally opposed to this war. Why won't MoveOn "support our troops" by supporting a pullout of our troops from Iraq? "We believe that there are no good options in Iraq," MoveOn.org's executive director, Eli Pariser, told me. "We're seeing a broad difference of opinion among our members on how quickly the U.S. should get out of Iraq. As a grassroots-directed organization, we won't be taking any position which a large portion of our members disagree with."
In sharp contrast, early in the 2004 primary campaign, MoveOn committed itself to endorsing any Democratic presidential candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the Internet ballots cast by its activists. (Howard Dean fell shy of a majority, so there was no MoveOn endorsement.) But now, evidently, a majority of MoveOn members in favor of swift withdrawal from Iraq would be insufficient if a "large portion" disagreed. When I asked Eli for clarification, he replied: "We've been talking with our members continuously on this issue. We've surveyed slices of our membership in January and in December, and surveyed our whole membership last spring. That's how we know there's a breadth of opinion out there."
But last spring was a year ago. And any surveying of "slices of our membership in January and in December" came before the Woolsey resolution offered an opportunity to find out how the MoveOn base views the measure. In any event, there will always be "a breadth of opinion" about this war -- a fact that does not trump the crucial need for clarity of purpose.
If MoveOn leaders were willing to submit the House get-out-of-Iraq resolution to MoveOn's rank-and-file in an up-or-down vote, the chances of a substantial majority would be excellent. Too bad the leadership of MoveOn.org is currently unwilling to find out. The 29 members of the House now sponsoring the resolution are hardly radicals. They recognize the kind of grisly consequences of equivocation that occurred during the Vietnam War: Refusal to speak forthrightly about the urgent need to end military involvement only fuels the war's deadly momentum.
It's all well and good for MoveOn.org to do superb work in the current battle over the future of Social Security. And it's very helpful to excoriate President Bush for his many big lies in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. But such activities don't make up for going along with the basics of the present-day Iraq war.
When a large progressive organization takes the easy way and makes peace with war, the abdication of responsibility creates a vacuum. Ironically, a group that became an Internet phenom by recognizing and filling a void is now creating one. And other groups are bound to emerge to fill it. Among the emerging organizations is Progressive Democrats of America (www.pdamerica.org
He contends that "public pressure can awaken Congress to an opposition role." War in Iraq requires continual funding, of course, so President Bush's new supplemental boost of $80 billion in war appropriations has been moving through Congress in recent days. Tacitly accepting the war's continuation, MoveOn declined to take a stand against the essence of congressional backing for the war -- the money that keeps paying for it. Meanwhile, PDA launched an effort against the $80 billion; the organizing included a National Call-In Day aimed at members of Congress on March 10. MoveOn.org pioneered the use of email and web technologies as creative tools to further its political agenda. Now that the MoveOn agenda on the Iraq war has tumbled into the shallow depths of the Potomac, some similar online activism will be needed if MoveOn's dive is going to be merely temporary.
So, to help get the cyber-ball rolling, please forward this article around the Internet and post it where appropriate. Friends don't let friends drive drunk, and peace advocates do a lot more than shrug when a previously great antiwar organization starts to get lost. If MoveOn continues to abandon its antiwar base, that base will get the picture -- and move on.
Norman Solomon's latest book, "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death ," will be published in early summer. His columns and other writings can be found at: www.normansolomon.com ###
He wants to bring American style democracy, as practiced by the Bush administration, to struggling third world countries everywhere.
What does this look like?
Well, a place where voting rights don't matter, and judges determine the outcome of elections.
Where the wealthiest 1% get a tax break that the rest of the country pays for.
Where children can't get basic needs like pencils and school books at school, and old people can't pay for their prescriptions.
Where crony capitalism flourishes.
Where clean air and clean water are code words for pollution.
Where government spies can find out what library books you're reading and put you on watch lists if they don't like the titles.
Where the media is in a few corporate hands.
Yeah, baby, spread the word. Democracy is coming to the world.
All hail George W.
-----
THIS JUST IN MOVE ON SEEMS TO BE "MOVING ON" SADLY
Pass it on --
Published on Thursday, March 10, 2005 by CommonDreams.org
MoveOn.org: Making Peace With the War in Iraq
by Norman Solomon
Sadly, it has come to this. Two years after the invasion of Iraq, the online powerhouse MoveOn.org
With a network of more than 3 million "online activists," the MoveOn leadership has decided against opposing the American occupation of Iraq. During the recent bloody months, none of MoveOn's action alerts have addressed what Americans can do to help get the U.S. military out of that country. Likewise, the MoveOn.org website has continued to bypass the issue -- even after Rep. Lynn Woolsey and two dozen cosponsors in the House of Representatives introduced a resolution in late January calling for swift removal of all U.S. troops from Iraq. That resolution would seem to be a natural peg for the kind of kinetic activism that established MoveOn's reputation.
A movement serious about ending U.S. military activities in Iraq could use the resolution as a way to cut through political tap dances and pressure members of Congress to take a stand. Down the road, generating grassroots support for a get-out-of-Iraq resolution has potential to clear a congressional pathway for measures cutting off funds for the war. But, tragically, MoveOn's leadership is having none of it. Over a period of recent weeks, the word "Iraq" appeared on the MoveOn.org home page only in a plug for a documentary released last year. Inches away, a blurb has been telling the website's visitors: "Support Our Troops: Contribute your frequent-flyer miles so that American troops can get home." (But not stay home.)
Many soldiers are returning to the killing grounds of Iraq, while a growing number are vocally opposed to this war. Why won't MoveOn "support our troops" by supporting a pullout of our troops from Iraq? "We believe that there are no good options in Iraq," MoveOn.org's executive director, Eli Pariser, told me. "We're seeing a broad difference of opinion among our members on how quickly the U.S. should get out of Iraq. As a grassroots-directed organization, we won't be taking any position which a large portion of our members disagree with."
In sharp contrast, early in the 2004 primary campaign, MoveOn committed itself to endorsing any Democratic presidential candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the Internet ballots cast by its activists. (Howard Dean fell shy of a majority, so there was no MoveOn endorsement.) But now, evidently, a majority of MoveOn members in favor of swift withdrawal from Iraq would be insufficient if a "large portion" disagreed. When I asked Eli for clarification, he replied: "We've been talking with our members continuously on this issue. We've surveyed slices of our membership in January and in December, and surveyed our whole membership last spring. That's how we know there's a breadth of opinion out there."
But last spring was a year ago. And any surveying of "slices of our membership in January and in December" came before the Woolsey resolution offered an opportunity to find out how the MoveOn base views the measure. In any event, there will always be "a breadth of opinion" about this war -- a fact that does not trump the crucial need for clarity of purpose.
If MoveOn leaders were willing to submit the House get-out-of-Iraq resolution to MoveOn's rank-and-file in an up-or-down vote, the chances of a substantial majority would be excellent. Too bad the leadership of MoveOn.org is currently unwilling to find out. The 29 members of the House now sponsoring the resolution are hardly radicals. They recognize the kind of grisly consequences of equivocation that occurred during the Vietnam War: Refusal to speak forthrightly about the urgent need to end military involvement only fuels the war's deadly momentum.
It's all well and good for MoveOn.org to do superb work in the current battle over the future of Social Security. And it's very helpful to excoriate President Bush for his many big lies in the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. But such activities don't make up for going along with the basics of the present-day Iraq war.
When a large progressive organization takes the easy way and makes peace with war, the abdication of responsibility creates a vacuum. Ironically, a group that became an Internet phenom by recognizing and filling a void is now creating one. And other groups are bound to emerge to fill it. Among the emerging organizations is Progressive Democrats of America (www.pdamerica.org
He contends that "public pressure can awaken Congress to an opposition role." War in Iraq requires continual funding, of course, so President Bush's new supplemental boost of $80 billion in war appropriations has been moving through Congress in recent days. Tacitly accepting the war's continuation, MoveOn declined to take a stand against the essence of congressional backing for the war -- the money that keeps paying for it. Meanwhile, PDA launched an effort against the $80 billion; the organizing included a National Call-In Day aimed at members of Congress on March 10. MoveOn.org pioneered the use of email and web technologies as creative tools to further its political agenda. Now that the MoveOn agenda on the Iraq war has tumbled into the shallow depths of the Potomac, some similar online activism will be needed if MoveOn's dive is going to be merely temporary.
So, to help get the cyber-ball rolling, please forward this article around the Internet and post it where appropriate. Friends don't let friends drive drunk, and peace advocates do a lot more than shrug when a previously great antiwar organization starts to get lost. If MoveOn continues to abandon its antiwar base, that base will get the picture -- and move on.
Norman Solomon's latest book, "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
THE LEFT NEEDS A SUPERSTAR
My 2 cents today is that we need a superstar on the left to counteract the Ahnolds on the Right as well as the office of the Presidency. OK, the NYT and Washington Post sometimes do a good job of countering the Right's lies, but ho hum, who reads that stuff?
Yeah, yeah, Molly Ivans and Jim Hightower are clever AND smart. Arianna adds perky to the mix. But their reach is limited. Corporate ownership of the media, Repubs in charge of Washington claim the spotlight. Fear mongering and saber rattling drown out the voices of reason.
Alternet (http://www.alternet.org/) on Feb. 14, offered it's own suggestions for talking to conservatives complete with facts from the pages of the venerated pages of the aforementioned news outlets and think tank wonks. (And Man, I gotta stop using words like aforementioned!) But facts are almost irrelevant, if they don't come with sex appeal. Sorry but it's true. Framing, ala George Lakoff, is one part of the equation. The messenger who carries the massage, the medium through which it is delivered, all that is just as necessary in today's world. And the Center for American Progress (yawn) isn't going to cut it, much as thee and me eat it with a spoon, we can't just keep talking to ourselves.
We need a Star. Maybe even a Nova. Someone with charisma who can talk in sound bites and not sound defensive.
Can Howard Dean do it? He needs to keep in the limelight and keep jazzed up. Don't become the "Mouse that Roared" Dr. Dean. Don't silence that scream.
if we want to turn the red states blue while re-energizing the base, we need Star power to do it.
Rock on!
Green Dog Democrats bite the Right!
Dotty the Green Dog Democrat
Yeah, yeah, Molly Ivans and Jim Hightower are clever AND smart. Arianna adds perky to the mix. But their reach is limited. Corporate ownership of the media, Repubs in charge of Washington claim the spotlight. Fear mongering and saber rattling drown out the voices of reason.
Alternet (http://www.alternet.org/) on Feb. 14, offered it's own suggestions for talking to conservatives complete with facts from the pages of the venerated pages of the aforementioned news outlets and think tank wonks. (And Man, I gotta stop using words like aforementioned!) But facts are almost irrelevant, if they don't come with sex appeal. Sorry but it's true. Framing, ala George Lakoff, is one part of the equation. The messenger who carries the massage, the medium through which it is delivered, all that is just as necessary in today's world. And the Center for American Progress (yawn) isn't going to cut it, much as thee and me eat it with a spoon, we can't just keep talking to ourselves.
We need a Star. Maybe even a Nova. Someone with charisma who can talk in sound bites and not sound defensive.
Can Howard Dean do it? He needs to keep in the limelight and keep jazzed up. Don't become the "Mouse that Roared" Dr. Dean. Don't silence that scream.
if we want to turn the red states blue while re-energizing the base, we need Star power to do it.
Rock on!
Green Dog Democrats bite the Right!
Dotty the Green Dog Democrat
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
ELDER BASHING - THE NEW CLASS WARFARE
ELDER BASHING REPUBLICAN STYLE
Elder abuse is a crime in this country, punishable by heavy jail time. People who take advantage of older Americans by trying to sell them phony stocks, or aluminum siding they don’t need, are dealt with harshly as well.
Trying to bilk grandma out of the family home by getting her to sign everything over to you while she’s non copus mentus is also a big no no.
Why then is it OK for the Republican Party and this Administration to pit generation against generation in its drive toward dismantling the last bastion of economic freedom for the elderly, Social Security?
I see in the email I hardly have time to even skim any more that right wing propagandists have hired advertising wizes from the anti-Kerry Swift Vote Veteran ads to bash AARP, the organization dedicated to representing the needs of older Americans.
The Center for American Progress, in its on line publication Progress Report quotes the New York Times as reporting that “the right-wing lobbying group USA Next is planning to sink $10 million in commercials and other back-room tactics to hit the AARP. ("They are the boulder in the middle of the highway to personal savings accounts," said Charlie Jarvis, the group's president. "We will be the dynamite that removes them.")”
Aside: I’m over 50, and so eligible for membership in AARP. Anyone over fifty is. If you think you might live that long, and chances are you will and a lot longer, consider joining. It isn’t always right (think prescription drug benefits; AARP caved to the Drug companies lobbying for monopoly control over drug prices for seniors with AARP’s blessings. Ah, the power of advertising!), but with a burgeoning membership of Boomers, it could start being a real power for change in this Country.
Anyway, conservative columnist David Brooks, in a recent New York Times editorial, continues the war against seniors. They’re taking the food right out of the mouths of their children, he says. Actually he says “The living and well-organized are taking money from the weak and the unborn.” Blaming the AARP for a gigantic transfer of wealth to old people.
Well, get a grip, Mr. Brooks. Unless you plan on popping off young and leaving a beautiful corpse like rock stars are prone to do (and I suspect it’s too late for that), you too will someday be one of the vampire class you decry.
He goes on to note that between 1990 and 2015, the percent of federal spending on those over 65 will burgeon from 29 to more than half. Duh, read your statistics. We live in an aging time. More government spending merely reflects the aging demographic. And more tax give-aways to the rich will only add to the poverty level of America’s new Senior Class.
And what does he say is driving this give away of funds? Not Social Security, but prescription drug benefits. Costing the federal government more than $700 billion over some unspecified period of time. (See the above paragraph about the government giving up the power to shop around for lower medicine costs.) Can you say Drug Lobby children?
David Brooks either can’t or won’t. Instead, he’d prefer to blame old people.
We spend a lot of printer’s ink talking about “class warfare” in this country, pitting the rich against the poor. What about generational war? Or are they the same thing?
Wealthy billionaires whose golden years are spent on the golf links in some trendy retirement community while their social security checks are sweated off the brows of struggling youth, account for the tiniest fraction of the over 65 population. For most seniors, social security is the only thing between them and cat food.
Allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices, allowing seniors to buy drugs from cheaper places like Canada and stopping all these scary ads that push pills like diet soda on older Americans to convince them asking their doctor about the next breakthrough in arthritis medication will slow down the aging process and make them sexy and rich (and getting back out on those well tended golf links, no doubt) would go a long way toward stopping this kind of generational warfare.
In his article, David Brooks predicts a new Ross Perot will rise up to challenge the status quo, rail against interest groups, like old people, and lead a moral youth crusade for truth justice and the American way of wealth.
But he won’t be Ross Perot this time, he’ll be a young stallion, healthy, wealthy and well connected. I doubt anyone over 50 would ever pick up that gauntlet. Those with the means to set up their own private accounts already have them. Those who benefit from tax give-aways don’t need prescription drug benefits.
The rest of us, old or young, urban or rural, working or unemployed, retired or hoping to be able to retire some day, most likely will. At the very least, unlike with the issue of gays, disabled or other so called “interest groups,” most of us have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who we’re not quite ready to turn into the enemy. Who will remind us by their very presence in our lives, that we too will one day be thankful for a government that serves the people, not the drug companies, the ultra rich and conservative pundits.
Elder abuse is a crime in this country, punishable by heavy jail time. People who take advantage of older Americans by trying to sell them phony stocks, or aluminum siding they don’t need, are dealt with harshly as well.
Trying to bilk grandma out of the family home by getting her to sign everything over to you while she’s non copus mentus is also a big no no.
Why then is it OK for the Republican Party and this Administration to pit generation against generation in its drive toward dismantling the last bastion of economic freedom for the elderly, Social Security?
I see in the email I hardly have time to even skim any more that right wing propagandists have hired advertising wizes from the anti-Kerry Swift Vote Veteran ads to bash AARP, the organization dedicated to representing the needs of older Americans.
The Center for American Progress, in its on line publication Progress Report quotes the New York Times as reporting that “the right-wing lobbying group USA Next is planning to sink $10 million in commercials and other back-room tactics to hit the AARP. ("They are the boulder in the middle of the highway to personal savings accounts," said Charlie Jarvis, the group's president. "We will be the dynamite that removes them.")”
Aside: I’m over 50, and so eligible for membership in AARP. Anyone over fifty is. If you think you might live that long, and chances are you will and a lot longer, consider joining. It isn’t always right (think prescription drug benefits; AARP caved to the Drug companies lobbying for monopoly control over drug prices for seniors with AARP’s blessings. Ah, the power of advertising!), but with a burgeoning membership of Boomers, it could start being a real power for change in this Country.
Anyway, conservative columnist David Brooks, in a recent New York Times editorial, continues the war against seniors. They’re taking the food right out of the mouths of their children, he says. Actually he says “The living and well-organized are taking money from the weak and the unborn.” Blaming the AARP for a gigantic transfer of wealth to old people.
Well, get a grip, Mr. Brooks. Unless you plan on popping off young and leaving a beautiful corpse like rock stars are prone to do (and I suspect it’s too late for that), you too will someday be one of the vampire class you decry.
He goes on to note that between 1990 and 2015, the percent of federal spending on those over 65 will burgeon from 29 to more than half. Duh, read your statistics. We live in an aging time. More government spending merely reflects the aging demographic. And more tax give-aways to the rich will only add to the poverty level of America’s new Senior Class.
And what does he say is driving this give away of funds? Not Social Security, but prescription drug benefits. Costing the federal government more than $700 billion over some unspecified period of time. (See the above paragraph about the government giving up the power to shop around for lower medicine costs.) Can you say Drug Lobby children?
David Brooks either can’t or won’t. Instead, he’d prefer to blame old people.
We spend a lot of printer’s ink talking about “class warfare” in this country, pitting the rich against the poor. What about generational war? Or are they the same thing?
Wealthy billionaires whose golden years are spent on the golf links in some trendy retirement community while their social security checks are sweated off the brows of struggling youth, account for the tiniest fraction of the over 65 population. For most seniors, social security is the only thing between them and cat food.
Allowing the federal government to negotiate drug prices, allowing seniors to buy drugs from cheaper places like Canada and stopping all these scary ads that push pills like diet soda on older Americans to convince them asking their doctor about the next breakthrough in arthritis medication will slow down the aging process and make them sexy and rich (and getting back out on those well tended golf links, no doubt) would go a long way toward stopping this kind of generational warfare.
In his article, David Brooks predicts a new Ross Perot will rise up to challenge the status quo, rail against interest groups, like old people, and lead a moral youth crusade for truth justice and the American way of wealth.
But he won’t be Ross Perot this time, he’ll be a young stallion, healthy, wealthy and well connected. I doubt anyone over 50 would ever pick up that gauntlet. Those with the means to set up their own private accounts already have them. Those who benefit from tax give-aways don’t need prescription drug benefits.
The rest of us, old or young, urban or rural, working or unemployed, retired or hoping to be able to retire some day, most likely will. At the very least, unlike with the issue of gays, disabled or other so called “interest groups,” most of us have parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles who we’re not quite ready to turn into the enemy. Who will remind us by their very presence in our lives, that we too will one day be thankful for a government that serves the people, not the drug companies, the ultra rich and conservative pundits.
Friday, February 11, 2005
Bush Outlaws Old People
Today President Bush announced he was outlawing old people. "Why should we spend billions fixing up these old age programs like Soc' Security and Medicare, when I won't, my generation, that is us who believe (heh heh) won't be around long enough to get 'em?" asked a boyish Bush rhetorically to a stunned crowd of guests in Hog Wallow Kentucky yesterday.
"I mean, what with the Rapture coming sooner than later and all, I guess we can just let these pesky things slide for now," he continued to the audience of mostly senior citizens gathered at the Hog Wallow Community Center. "So I'm outlawing old people. Not you good folks of course," the President hastened to add.
"No, those 55 or older (I'm 58 myself, heh heh) will be able to enjoy the fruits of old age just as long as, as long as uh, I do," he finished with a characteristic wink.
Aides hurried the President off stage, and assured the now restless crowd that their futures were secure, and since they were all good Christian men and women they didn't have anything to worry about anyway.
Queried about his remarks on the Rapture as he prepared to board Air Force One, President Bush snapped back, "Oh yeah, well the Press is a bunch of Heathens anyway," mumbling something about where his good friend from Talon News Service had gone.
Aides told the reporters present to check the Rapture Index for hourly updates, as they shut the plane's door definitively behind the President.
"I mean, what with the Rapture coming sooner than later and all, I guess we can just let these pesky things slide for now," he continued to the audience of mostly senior citizens gathered at the Hog Wallow Community Center. "So I'm outlawing old people. Not you good folks of course," the President hastened to add.
"No, those 55 or older (I'm 58 myself, heh heh) will be able to enjoy the fruits of old age just as long as, as long as uh, I do," he finished with a characteristic wink.
Aides hurried the President off stage, and assured the now restless crowd that their futures were secure, and since they were all good Christian men and women they didn't have anything to worry about anyway.
Queried about his remarks on the Rapture as he prepared to board Air Force One, President Bush snapped back, "Oh yeah, well the Press is a bunch of Heathens anyway," mumbling something about where his good friend from Talon News Service had gone.
Aides told the reporters present to check the Rapture Index for hourly updates, as they shut the plane's door definitively behind the President.
Tuesday, February 08, 2005
Beware Attempts at co-optation! (NOTE: ATTEMPTS is the operative word.)
Today's Blog edited: Please read the edits. Vigilance is the price of freeom, don't forget!
Thanks to my commenters.
Dotty
Doctor Dean is in, the last man standing, says the SF Chronicle this morning. The new Chair Apparent of the DNC.
Now the fight begins.
And the questions. Why did all the other candidates fall like little dominoes in a row to support the Governor? What went on behind closed doors? Am I being paranoid? Were there deals, arm twisting, vows to run to the middle? (Note, not necessarily by Governor Dean himself, but those who want to retain control.)
Yes, an army of Dean supporters and reformers made this happen. Kudos to us all! But it would be naive to think the "old" "new" Democrats are fading away or will not be putting lots of pressure on the Party to move to the right. It's happening. We need to keep our own pressure up, and keep the movement going. The grassroots are strong and need to keep energized.
Old line non-progressive Dems are calling for Dean to be a "uniter" bring the Party together, lose the liberal loonies and become a "different" Howard Dean.
But remember, the liberal base and an army of new progressives made Dean what he is. He's not a raging liberal or progressive to begin with. He's always been a centrist. It was the army of the faithful who led him to be a powerhouse at the head of the Democratic Party.
To alienate them at this time would be, in my never humble opinion, a big mistake.
The problem with the Dems in the last election is they shed their Democratic mantle, pulled up their roots and tried to be all things to all people. Kerry coulda stood for something. He almost did, but he couldn't say just what it was.
It's the progressive core who buoyed up Howard Dean in the first place, and who will buoy up the Party now.
Hold the DNC's feet to the fire, including the good doctor's. Don't let him forget who put him there in the first place.
He may never have screamed in Iowa, but the right wing of the Party is still hounding him with the scream that never was.
Maybe it's time to scream, to howl, like good Green Dog Democrats that we are, and don't let the Repubs (or the DLC) forget that we are not afraid to Bite the Right!
........
Read Alter Net's A Progressive 12-step Program
By Bob Burnett, AlterNet Posted on February 5, 2005, Printed on February 7, 2005http://www.alternet.org/story/21181
A good analogy for where we are today.
Keep the faith!
Dotty the Green Dog Dem
Thanks to my commenters.
Dotty
Doctor Dean is in, the last man standing, says the SF Chronicle this morning. The new Chair Apparent of the DNC.
Now the fight begins.
And the questions. Why did all the other candidates fall like little dominoes in a row to support the Governor? What went on behind closed doors? Am I being paranoid? Were there deals, arm twisting, vows to run to the middle? (Note, not necessarily by Governor Dean himself, but those who want to retain control.)
Yes, an army of Dean supporters and reformers made this happen. Kudos to us all! But it would be naive to think the "old" "new" Democrats are fading away or will not be putting lots of pressure on the Party to move to the right. It's happening. We need to keep our own pressure up, and keep the movement going. The grassroots are strong and need to keep energized.
Old line non-progressive Dems are calling for Dean to be a "uniter" bring the Party together, lose the liberal loonies and become a "different" Howard Dean.
But remember, the liberal base and an army of new progressives made Dean what he is. He's not a raging liberal or progressive to begin with. He's always been a centrist. It was the army of the faithful who led him to be a powerhouse at the head of the Democratic Party.
To alienate them at this time would be, in my never humble opinion, a big mistake.
The problem with the Dems in the last election is they shed their Democratic mantle, pulled up their roots and tried to be all things to all people. Kerry coulda stood for something. He almost did, but he couldn't say just what it was.
It's the progressive core who buoyed up Howard Dean in the first place, and who will buoy up the Party now.
Hold the DNC's feet to the fire, including the good doctor's. Don't let him forget who put him there in the first place.
He may never have screamed in Iowa, but the right wing of the Party is still hounding him with the scream that never was.
Maybe it's time to scream, to howl, like good Green Dog Democrats that we are, and don't let the Repubs (or the DLC) forget that we are not afraid to Bite the Right!
........
Read Alter Net's A Progressive 12-step Program
By Bob Burnett, AlterNet Posted on February 5, 2005, Printed on February 7, 2005http://www.alternet.org/story/21181
A good analogy for where we are today.
Keep the faith!
Dotty the Green Dog Dem
Thursday, January 27, 2005
NO! to Torture. NO! To Gonzales
Our own Marin County patriot, Senator Barbara Boxer, led the way in the Senate with her strong questioning and loud no vote against Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State.
Now her courage is inspiring more Democratic senators to stand up and say NO! loud and clear torture. NO to Alberto Gonzales.
Thanks Barbara. Thanks Dems. Someday you will all be hailed as patriots, heroes and fighters for justice.
Progressive values are American values; human values. Americans do not stand for torture, but for justice; not for invasion and oppression but for human rights.
An attorney general oppposed to those principles is unworthy of our country.
Oh, did I mention telling the truth?
Liar Liar pants on fire. Oh you're wearing an asbestos suit? Surprise.
Just a few words from a weary progressive Green Dog Demcorat.
Now her courage is inspiring more Democratic senators to stand up and say NO! loud and clear torture. NO to Alberto Gonzales.
Thanks Barbara. Thanks Dems. Someday you will all be hailed as patriots, heroes and fighters for justice.
Progressive values are American values; human values. Americans do not stand for torture, but for justice; not for invasion and oppression but for human rights.
An attorney general oppposed to those principles is unworthy of our country.
Oh, did I mention telling the truth?
Liar Liar pants on fire. Oh you're wearing an asbestos suit? Surprise.
Just a few words from a weary progressive Green Dog Demcorat.
Monday, January 24, 2005
PROGRESSIVE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS Revisited
For all of you interested in the Progressive Caucus and the response we have been getting, here is an earlier post, plus all the comments I have received on the Blog. Other comments coming in via email. Please review and post your own. Click on green "comment" at the end, then click on "post a comment" when that pops up. You can also sign on a supporter.
It's easy.
Dotty
Hey Green Dogs,Progressive Caucus Update:
While talking with Green Dog Dems throughout the State, and meeting with my old buds from the Kucinich and Dean campaigns, we got to thinking we need to be more than an "interest group" or label within the Party, but a real force for change within and without the Party.
That is, we need to be an Action committee, to promote and even initiate progressive legislation, education and communication. We need to come up with practical initiatives that can be realized for the good of the people of the State of California and the Nation.Neither center nor left (obviously not right!), but forward we go alongside our Democratic brothers and sisters.So we are now looking to become a vehicle for progressive action.
Name that Caucus!
As we go forward, we are seeking a name for our new caucus. Should it remain the Progressive Caucus? The Progressive Action Caucus? Agenda for Progressive Action. How about ProACTIVE: Progressive Action Caucus for Initiative, Voices and Education?
OK, I like acronyms. What do you all like?As for initiatives, how about promoting universal health care, working with our colleagues in the Assembly and State Senate for starters?Join the Caucus, submit a name, suggest an initiative, win a prize!Here's the Original Caucus Resolution Language, to remind you of where we are now:
Monday, November 29, 2004
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING A PROGRESSIVE CAUCUS WITHIN THE CALIFORNIA DEMOCRATIC PARTY (for consideration)
WHEREAS Democratic progressives stand for the progressive visions of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King and other great Democratic leaders whose dreams for the Democratic Party and America should not be forgotten, and
WHEREAS Democratic progressives who wish to have a voice within the Party on issues of concern to progressives and a place where they can air these concerns without compromise, often feel left behind by members of the Democratic leadership who (often with good reason) work to get Republican support by supporting Republican agendas as opposed to Democratic agendas, and
WHEREAS Democratic progressives want to continue to work within the Democratic Party, to continue supporting the Democratic Party and to continue encouraging others to join the Democratic Party,
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the undersigned call for the creation of a progressive caucus within the California Democratic Party and the Democratic National Committee and for that caucus to have a voice in official California Democratic Party and national Democratic Party policy.Comment no. 1:Dotty!PROACTIVE is one of the best acronyms I have ever seen. No contest. I'd join any group with that name. LynnClick on "Comments" below for more of the same!
posted by Dotty the Green Dog Democrat @ 8:14 AM
9 Comments:
At 12:32 PM, Dotty the Green Dog Democrat said...
Comments so far:1. Great Piece, Dotty! If you don't have me signed onto your progressive caucus list, put me on, of course. And since I don't always get to going to my favorite sites, please add me to your email tree for your blog. Thanks. Am forwarding on your email to my lists.JudyPS and I like ProACTIVE but with V for Voting or even no acronym needed (but I like your creativity). I don't suppose ProACTIVE is a viagra like drug by any chance????2. Thanks, Dotty. I like PROActive. I like the aggressive tone to this. Initiatives? How about one which levels the playing field a bit with insurance companies? Given that they make the rules and are answerable to no one, wouldn't it be nice to force them to play defense for a while? Rights of injured persons? Let's face it, the insurance industry is, in California, and particularly with respect to automobile policies, essentially a legally-sanctioned extortion racket. My take on issues is to locate those areas where the vast majority would agree with us if it only knew what we know. Health care is a good area, of course, but you know how the industry responds -- we're going to run business out of the state, that sort of thing. But they can be beaten.Raz 3. Bravo on this. Your proposed trajectory sounds right on to me Mark4. At CalTrans, they gave me 4 pages of acronyms when I was a new employee...I don't like them. Bev5. Dotty:On my show last night I interviewed Dan Cantor, who heads the Working Families Party in New York State. These people seem to have clear political eyes, and in just six years they have become a political force to be reckoned with. The key, Cantor says, is fusion voting. Without it, Third Parties are doomed to defeat and self-defeat, as my friend Ralph has illustrated in such sad fashion. Maybe that should be a top priority.Jonathan
At 2:28 PM, CalifSherry said...
I'm pretty certain I'm signed onto this progressive caucus idea. I remember having som difficulty with your email link, so if I'm not already there, please sign me up.Acronyms have their advantages and I like ProACTIVE. I'm not coming up with anything better than Initiative, Voices/Votes and Education and especially want something for the T, but someone else likely will if we keep the conversation going.What do you have in mind so far as local (county or AD) oganizing of a progressive caucus goes. Could it (we) bring people together for local discussion and action?
At 4:28 PM, Anonymous said...
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
At 10:12 AM, Dotty the Green Dog Democrat said...
More Comments emailed to me:I like ProACTIVE. That's what we have to be. I have been to a couple of Demo Club meetings and ProACTIVE they are not. I am joining one called Valley Dems United in case I decide to run for delegate through my AD which is the 39th. I also like the updated Progressive Caucus Resolution. More later.Ken Dotty:Great site! Nice and clean! I get distracted by dark color backgrounds.The resolution looks much better. Lucy
At 11:57 AM, Anonymous said...
hi Dotty,I just was reading your site. Had to let you know that I am LOVING yourProACTIVE title for the caucus. My "day job" is as a marketing creativedirector, so I can appreciate the value of a good name.Don't even think you need it as an acronym. It has Progressive Action builtright in.best,--candace kuss
At 9:38 AM, Dotty the Green Dog Democrat said...
Two more comments on this post:Thanks…what good new!Tim Carpenter, PDAI think we need to start a new party called "Progressive" and invite all the disillusioned Democrats, Greens and Republicans. I think we'd have a majority party! There were many Republicans who switched this year. There once was a Progressive party, but I don't think it exists, as such, now. --Lucille
At 12:47 PM, BRYAN said...
If you need any help Arizona is here! Glad to hear you mention Tim Carpenter as well! PDA And AzDPC have always worked quite well together. www.azprogressive.usBryan BuchanPhoenix Regional DirectorAzDPC
At 2:12 PM, Mark Hull-RIchter said...
I like the whole idea - please keep me in the loop.mhr
At 12:30 PM, Jo Olson said...
I love the idea of a Progressive Caucus, and PROactive is great, but it is also the name of the over the counter acne system. Please keep me in the loop, I'm a new delegate to the State Central Committee in AD 42.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
Progressive Agenda
Happy Inaugural Day All.
George Bush is promising us freedom and liberty at home and abroad. Hallelujah to that!
I'm not engaging in no spending day. I'm spending my lunch money at the local bistro. I'm supporting Mom and Pop stores and I'm giving to my favorite progressive causes.
Not one Dime for Corporate America.
I'd like to get started on a progressive agenda. A populist agenda. A Forefront Agenda.
I have two suggestions for our first programs:
1. Let's talk health care. How about the progressive Caucus or PROActive or whatever we are calling ourselves takes on the support of Sheila Kuehl's single payer Health Care proposal in California? She introduced this before and she's baaack. And so should we be. Read about it in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-health20jan20,1,5731510.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true
2. How about seeking legislative support for what I'm calling "No Vote Left Behind," a modest proposal to make California keep pace with 21 other states that have a mandatory recount in races where the difference is less than a certain percentage, most often .5%.
In those states with such a provision, the State, County or local municipality pays the freight for the recount. In other states, you can have a recount, but you pay. If you end up winning, they pay you back, but still, the cost is prohibitive for most candidates.
It happened here in Marin County in the Marin Health Care District race this November. The anti-Sutter (corporate) candidate was .31% behind at the end of the day. He would have had to pay between $30,000 - $180,000 by County estimates for a hand recount. We balked. We sued. We lost.
We need legislative action. What if Christine Gregoire wasn't able to raise the $750,000 for the recount in the Washington Governor's race?
Comments on these proposals?
I have secured sample Bylaws to use for our California Democratic Progressive Caucus. These will outline the nuts and bolts of operations, and must conform to the California State Democratic Party rules, so they are pretty standard. The real work is going into a mission statement. I have some thoughts I'll be sharing soon. Let me know what you'd like to see in such a document, positions taken, issues championed, etc.
Thanks. To the Forefront!
Peace,
Dotty
George Bush is promising us freedom and liberty at home and abroad. Hallelujah to that!
I'm not engaging in no spending day. I'm spending my lunch money at the local bistro. I'm supporting Mom and Pop stores and I'm giving to my favorite progressive causes.
Not one Dime for Corporate America.
I'd like to get started on a progressive agenda. A populist agenda. A Forefront Agenda.
I have two suggestions for our first programs:
1. Let's talk health care. How about the progressive Caucus or PROActive or whatever we are calling ourselves takes on the support of Sheila Kuehl's single payer Health Care proposal in California? She introduced this before and she's baaack. And so should we be. Read about it in the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-health20jan20,1,5731510.story?coll=la-headlines-california&ctrack=1&cset=true
2. How about seeking legislative support for what I'm calling "No Vote Left Behind," a modest proposal to make California keep pace with 21 other states that have a mandatory recount in races where the difference is less than a certain percentage, most often .5%.
In those states with such a provision, the State, County or local municipality pays the freight for the recount. In other states, you can have a recount, but you pay. If you end up winning, they pay you back, but still, the cost is prohibitive for most candidates.
It happened here in Marin County in the Marin Health Care District race this November. The anti-Sutter (corporate) candidate was .31% behind at the end of the day. He would have had to pay between $30,000 - $180,000 by County estimates for a hand recount. We balked. We sued. We lost.
We need legislative action. What if Christine Gregoire wasn't able to raise the $750,000 for the recount in the Washington Governor's race?
Comments on these proposals?
I have secured sample Bylaws to use for our California Democratic Progressive Caucus. These will outline the nuts and bolts of operations, and must conform to the California State Democratic Party rules, so they are pretty standard. The real work is going into a mission statement. I have some thoughts I'll be sharing soon. Let me know what you'd like to see in such a document, positions taken, issues championed, etc.
Thanks. To the Forefront!
Peace,
Dotty
Thursday, January 13, 2005
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