*dope slap*
Like many folks this weekend, my family and I went to the graves of lost relatives and planted new flowers. My grandfather, when he came to this country, joined the Army during World War I. He then married, and after his wife died in childbirth, he joined the Marines. He then remarried, started a family, was an air raid guard in his neighborhood and, using his carpentry skills, helped build ships for the Navy; the man covered 3 branches of the American military. My uncle Stanley, who I sadly never got to meet, was a Marine who served just before Korea. His main duty was to go into caves in Korea and Japan and search for Japanese soliders who had not yet heard that WWII was over or refused to believe that Hiro Hito would have surrendered. As I think of those deluded soldiers, I think of some of our own, who could not possibly believe that we are in the wrong nation for the wrong reason and that our President would have lied to them, sending them to die for a petty grievance.
As George held a press conference today, calling the scathing Amnesty International report about abuses at
Guantanamo "
absurd" saying that these complaints are coming from detainees who "
hate America", hence he believes that they are lying, and that, of course, that all these men are guilty. He has thrown a blanket judgement on all detainees and on all soldiers and interrogators-
they are bad, we are good. He has further proven that he cannot think in complex concepts and, while his
approval ratings plummet, allows himself to be deluded that he is doing the best for the country and that we, the people, just do not understand. I doubt that there was a more solid and passionate example of George Lakoff's theory of "Strict Father" politics.
And as we hear more about increasing violence in Iraq as well as a tape from Al-Zarqawi about how he's fine ("just a flesh wound..."), and still fighting the infidels, have we heard anything about (pardon me as I steal this from John Wendel who covered for Stephanie Miller yesterday--and was BRILLIANT), Osama Bin Forgotten?!?! I think not. Nope, he's still roaming the hills, controlling Al Qaeda and making sure the insurgents keep coming to Iraq and knock out our boy and girls. As I saw footage of George speaking at Arlington Cemetary and placing wreaths on the Tomb Of the Unknown, I felt physically ill as he, his actions and his words are an insult to those who have lost their lives fighting for this country. He is the embodiment of cowardice, avarice, and hubris; and does not deserve to stand before the wounded children and the graves of those he has sent into battle.
("and how do you really feel, Alex?")
Send a note to the
President. If ever there was anyone you needed to keep e-mailing, it's this guy. I'm all for flooding his mailbox today just so he gets the idea that he cannot pull these kind of antics. He had no mandate, he spent capital he didn't have, and he pissed me off more than usual today.
Peace --Alex
I can see clearly now...
the rain is gone...Yes the sun is out in New York City for the first time in what seems like aeons and I have had chocolate this morning. I also found that the Dems forced another
delay on
John Bolton, the
Woolsey Amendment was put up for a vote (at least) and Tom DeLay is left cranky this morning due to his group's
treasurer being found guilty of violating election law AND apparently his name was used as a "
slur" on Law & Order: Criminal Intent Wednesday night.
And in the "take THAT!" category, I would like to think that this might bode well for cases against White House retaliation. New York City has to pay the AIDS activist group Housing Works $4.8 million in a settlement after it was proven that the
Giuliani administration cut their funding after the group criticized him and his administration during a protest. Hmmmmmm....
At least a judge in
Oregon has shown George that he can't get away with making environmental policy fit his ideology...
And in the "Don't Do That You'll Go Blind!" category (yeah, who's NOT making that joke after this headline...) the FDA is looking into random bouts of
blindness caused by Viagra and Cialis (and other ED drugs). And here are the jokes in my head right now (apologies in advance)...doesn't help that I saw Dave Attell at Town Hall last night: 1) "Hey watch where you put that thing!" 2) "Um, honey, that's not me..." 3) keep the lubricant and the hot sauce on separate shelves 4) keep the blow-up doll and the cement at a safe distance in the garage 5) two words for ya - kitchen accident...and so many more..."that's not your intern that's my wife!" okay, stop I must...
'Cause of course this has to lead to
Senator Coburn's 7th annual "Safe Sex lecture" for the young staffers at the Capital. Yes, this "conservative, Bible-quoting Republican from Oklahoma", does a lecture on STD's for the hormonal youngins,
with slides and photographs, basically showing the punishment for promiscuity. He apparently, over the last couple of years, has shelved his ideology and just shared the facts. My question is, has he shared this with his fellow Congressfolk?
And speaking of sharing things with your Congressfolk...KEEP E-MAILING!! E-mail, call, fax, write your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!! And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace and good weekend to you! --Alex
And as you remember our fallen soldiers this weekend, check out the action being taken this weekend by
Code Pink and other groups.
greg palast says is best...
the one problem I have with AP on Yahoo is that good stories can be GONE minutes later...such as one I nearly posted this morning about Rumsfeld not being happy about the "global media" being able to report stories immediately, potentially "twisting the truth" and making the US look bad.
This article from
Greg Palast (sent to me by my friend Fred) brings up how Condi Rice was "apalled" that stories like the Koran desecration get out. Not the
actions, but the
stories. We all know that this administration has been trying to hide the truth about the war by using everything from banning photos of soldiers coffins, to fake news stories, to causing Newsweek to retract Michael Isikoff's story about an interrogator flushing a Koran. But why no one is taking note of the callousness...of their being more concerned that the US looks bad (guess what, we already do), rather than being concerned that such actions are occruing, let alone being carried out by American interrogators and soldiers, boggles the mind...
Tell me somethin' good...
The Dems compromised, the weather has been positively dreary, and the Sox are on a pitiful losing streak...there must be SOME good news out there and I am on the hunt for it, such as:
*there's some back-up to Michael Isikoff's retracted Newsweek article about Koran flushing. New FBI documents out of
Guantanamo reveal numerous
complaints from detainees about such abuse (among other things)...*"but uh...I never said anything about Newsweek causing the riots..."says
Puffy McMoonface (can we thank
Stephanie Miller for Scottie's nickname?)
*
Arlen Specter (R) Pennsylvania is the chief sponsor of the
stem cell research bill (yes, George there ARE some Republicans in favor of this) and he says that if George vetoes, he's got the votes to override:
"I don't like veto threats, and I don't like statements about overriding veto threats...[b]ut if a veto threat is going to come from the White House, then the response from the Congress is to override the veto, if we can," Mr. Specter added. "Last year we had a letter signed by some 58 senators, and we had about 20 more in the wings..."
*The Dems are planning on blocking the nomination of
John Bolton with Barbara Boxer again asking today for another hold (the person we send over "should not have to be babysat by Condi Rice")...and she is backed up by George Voinovich who in a rather emotional statement yesterday declared that his colleagues really need to look into this man's record further.
*The Republicans have "
retreated" from a bill that would have tried to keep women out of combat.
*Despite some GOPers finding it bad for morale and anti-war,
Ted Koppel will, in honor of Memorial Day, devote Nightline to the reading of the names of over 900 soldiers killed since the "end" of the Iraq War.
*You can go to
Wonkette for their "Bush Sinks the Truth" matrix
AND NOW FOR THE COMPLETELY NON-POLITICAL GOOD NEWS:
*He was in six days of limbo, but my best friend's new baby boy has a NAME! Holden Thomas. Congrats to his parents and Holden's older sister Norah.
*After four annual auditions, my friend Teresa (a magnificent soprano) FINALLY got accepted to the Metroplotican Opera Chorus. She'll be performing Fidelio with them in March 2006 and if anyone wants to come cheer her on and humble the principals with noise, come on out!
*He was already doing a bunch of shows up in NH for summer stock, but my friend Doug just got one fab gig! yee ha!
So while you contemplate positivity in your world, KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, fax, write, your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk cause while there is some good things, there's enough out there that still needs to done and y'all gotta let these people know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!! and as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
Quotes from my friend Lara and Whoopi G.
From Whoopi Goldberg (in the New York Post):
"My party abandoned me. There's no other way to say it: they put their tails between their legs and they ran. I've closed my eyes to the party. I haven't turned my back on them, but I no longer feel comfortable saying that I feel like I'm represented by them. Until people can stand up for what's right in the face of whatever is flying at you, nothing is going to change."
From my friend Lara:
"makes me sick to my stomach...
it's official, democrats are pussies."
This primarily is over the filibuster compromise, as while it's nice to avoid a Senate shutdown, it blows to lose a chance to filibuster judges like
Priscilla Owen...who was approved by the Senate today 56-43. Just
sad, man.
And speaking of sad...this from my friend
Fred...
Yet the House has decided to pass a bill for
stem cell research...George plans to veto and had an absolutely shameless press conference yesterday...but despite all that even the Republicans said "Screw you and your veto", and voted to pass the bill anyway.
And speaking of Republicans standing up to George-at least a little-
George Voinovich again declared that he feels that John Bolton is not the right man for the job of UN Ambassador...and he ain't the only one...
Okay can OUR people speak up more PLEASE?!?!? Might be a good time to send a note to your
Senators and Congressfolk about how you want them to stand up more for YOU. There may be a compromise on board here, but they need to know that, particularly with a Supreme Court seat soon to be up for grabs, you are paying attention and do want Bush and his people to throw another arch conservative up there. Fight for the judiciary and let them hear ya!
All right, as the phones seem to ring everytime I am typing (let alone have a personal phone call), I have to cut this short but always remember to KEEP E-MAILING!!
Peace --Alex
And can someone PLEASE tell me when Spring is to return to the upper East Coast?
SHOWDOWN AVERTED...
Somewhat. 7 Democrats and 7 Republicans reached a
compromise yesterday. Democrats agreed not to filibuster except in an extreme case (such as with most of Bush's nominees) and the Republicans agreed not to change the filibuster rules. Ted Kennedy and Bill Frist did not sign off on this
bill, but basically we do not have a Senate shut down on our hands (yet...until the Dems decided to filibuster and Bill Frist starts to throw things at them)
And can I just add this line from Harry Reid as, after seeing
Revenge of the Sith last night, I find it appropriate:
Clearly euphoric and relieved, Mr. Reid said a message had been sent that "abuse of power will not be tolerated, and attempts to trample the Constitution and grab absolute control are over."
IN THE MEANTIME...Further proof that we are pissing the world off...
Syria has decided not help the CIA and the US military after "
unjust American allegations" were made in connection with the Iraq insurgency. Hence this terribly appropriate cartoon sent to me by my friend
Lara...
And speaking of countries wanting to cut ties with us...
Venezuela is also "reviewing" their ties with the US as our administration is holding a Cuban-exile named Luis Posada Carriles who has declared he was not involved with a terrorist bombing in 1976. He escaped at Venezuelan prison in 1985 and was aquitted of charges twice in Venezuela. The Venezuelan government would still like to have him extradited for trial. The administration is refusing (what else is new) thinking that the Venezuelans are going to send him back to Cuba and Castro, though apparently Castro has said that the trial can happen in Venezuela, hence it has all left Hugo Chavez to say: "It is difficult, very difficult, to maintain ties with a government that so shamelessly hides and protects international terrorism,".
And speaking of the administration hiding things...The family of
Pat Tillman, the former football player turned solider who was killed by friendly fire, is speaking out against the Army, saying that their investigation of his death "was a sham" and "that Army efforts to cover up the truth have made it harder for them to deal with their loss."
And speaking of things you may not be hearing about (cause everybody's been so caught up with the filibuster)...The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (not the
regular committee on intelligence.. who must not be intelligent enough...) is debating today legislation for
The Patriot Act; in particular legislation from Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas (not Rev. Pat Roberts, but both are prone to bouts of crazy) which "would allow the FBI to subpoena records in intelligence probes without the approval of a judge or grand jury and would make it easier for the bureau to get copies of mail..." Sen. Roberts, have you not read 1984 or
anything about J. Edgar Hoover? I think not (and undoubtedly he has cursed the book
What's the Matter With Kansas without having read it...but perhaps that's just me...and obviously he has not seen any of the Star Wars movies [stepping off geek box now])
And in the "things George
really doesn't want to hear category"...with all the
violence going on in Iraq and there still being Sunni and Shiite issues over there, there is potential for
Civil War (ya think?!?!)
AND
North Korea, despite murmurs that they may want to head back to the nuclear bargaining table, has said that they do not have qualms about the pre-emptive attack idea...with nuclear weapons...looooovely...
At least when not looking at the paper we can go check out something positive on CSPAN (if the broadcast it):
Bill Moyers will be speaking at the capitol this afternoon between 4p-5p
so after all this we really could use a chuckle. I suggest these items:
1) the
Miss Beazely game - watch that cute Bush pooch leave a bloody mess on the White House lawn...
2)
Wonkette3) this line from Rick Santorum from the New York Times Sunday magazine (the cover photo is frighteningly saccharine by the way):New York Times: "When I asked [Rick Santorum] if he viewed gay marriage as a threat to his own marriage, he answered quickly. 'Yes, absolutely,' he said. 'It threatens my marriage. It threatens all marriages.'" Dude, have you talked to your wife about this?
And while Rick tries to hide his marriage from those crazy gays who threaten it, KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!!! And perhaps send a note to Rick about how his marriage appears to be holding up okay despite the fact that 6,000 couples have wed in Massachusetts since last year. And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
FILIBUSTER FRACAS!
Yep tomorrow is the big day when we find out whether or not "the nuclear option" will be used. It is just getting ugly folks. There are those that believe that there are other things Congress should be discussing besides a rule change. But this rule change could change how votes are made when it comes to the judiciary and there is only one reason Senate Republicans want it to be changed: to get their people in.
MoveOnPAC has an emergency petition going around and if you have not already signed it, I urge you to do so. And perhaps send an extra little note to your Congressfolk to keep the filibuster an option if only because, you KNOW that if the liberals tried anything like this, the Republicans would be all over us, hooting and hollering and crying foul and shutting everything down themselves (wait didn't they already do that once? [twice])
IN THE MEANTIME...
Hamid Karzai was not able to throw out the first pitch at Fenway Park as requested, but he did give the commencement speech at Boston University and then spoke out against Bush about the prison abuse in
Afghanistan. Yeah that friendship's getting a little chilly now..
And speaking of chilly receptions....
Laura Bush has been out and about on her "carefully devised" trip to various Muslim nations, speaking out about women's rights and trying to better the image of the US over there. The best thing this morning was how, when asked about protesters in Jerusalem, she said "Well there were only about 2 or 3 protesters"...and this was after the Today show showed footage of a good sized crowd of people shouting about how she didn't belong there. Laura said that she was "surprised and not surprised" by the protests...oh Laura Laura Laura...
And speaking of the media...
Let's put aside the fact that it's against the Geneva convention...who needs coffee when you can wake up to the horror of the cover of the
New York Post this morning? There's a sharp slap of ice-cold water for ya...as well as an image that makes you shrivel into the fetal position going "make it stop!". Yes, someone leaked photos of Saddam Hussein in his tighty-whities-as well as in other states of dress [or undress]-and the London Sun had to display them front and center...as did the New York Post. After you get over the initial "eeeewwwwwww!" You must think "how childish is this?!?!?" I'm no fan of the former tyrant, but good God did we have to go there? (and did I mention such action is against the Geneva convention and more power to the people that bust the sucker who took and leaked these photos...)
And speaking of humiliating prisoners...A new report has been released about the last days of
2 Afghan prisoners who died at the hands of American interrogators:
"It would be many months before Army investigators learned a final horrific detail: Most of the interrogators had believed Mr. Dilawar was an innocent man who simply drove his taxi past the American base at the wrong time."
And speaking of the Army doing stupid and cruel things...Today, the Army has declared a "stand-down" as due to declinging interest in signing up, recruiters have been taking desperate measures, lying about how kids will most likely not be sent to Iraq and anyone injured there was most likely "taking a joyride in the humvee", therefore the Army is out to retrain recruiters and reinforce the proper rules of recruitment.
CodePink will be rallying at the 43rd Street Army recruitment office to help them out with this between 5p-7p. If you're in town, I say head on down, or head over to your own local recruiting office and speak out against the deceptive recruiting policies that lead to misled young people being sent to Iraq. Not all the troops and recruiters are like this, and all soldiers are doing a job that the majority of us would rather not do, but they should not be lied to and sent into harms way under the guise of fighting for "freedom". When they are decieved in the recruiting process, they are not allowed to make an informed decision, therefore, their own freedom is usurped. "Stand up!" with CodePink today and support the freedom of young people to make a proper decision on whether or not to enlist.
And to continue on the military theme...Republicans in Congress are at it again. As previously mentioned, it's not a job I'm out to do, but if I were, as a woman, I should be able to do it properly and "be the best I can be" without some backwards
congressperson(s) is trying to "protect" me from combat. There is chivalry and good manners and then there is what these people are trying to pull...
IN THE MEANTIME...it's another installment of THINGS GEORGE DOESN'T WANT TO HEAR..
Yesterday on the Today show, they showed the results of the latest
NBC/Wall Street Journal poll and oh those approval ratings are just...well, what they should be...His numbers are in the 40's folks and it ain't pretty (yea!)
In
Korea, scientists have found a way to easily clone human embryos and extract their stem cells and basically make it possible to customize them to the disease they are trying to aid and potentially cure. And this is announced right as George "
vows to veto stem cell bill"
George is on the
78th day of his 60 day "Social Security-Save It!" tour and it's just...not...working...
give it up George! (if only George had enough of a clue that it might be time to resign)
There's also a report that I saw listed at Common Dreams about Generals who think the exit from Iraq could take
years (though I clicked the link and got a story about the anti-Castro Cuban arrested for a plane bombing in 1976)
This is all I got time for today as I have to leave early for a rehearsal and then concert at Carnegie (BEETHOVEN baby! If you find yourself in need of a little Misse Solemnis on this rainy Friday, The New York Choral Society will be at Carnegie Hall at 8p tonight and there are tickets still available). In the meantime, stop looking at that picture of Saddam and KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press and your congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!! ANd as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
And again I ask....
Where the f*** is the
media? Yesterday, British MP
George Galloway testified at the Senate about the Oil For Food program. He essentially called the Republicans out about Iraq and called the Senate subcommittee investigation "the mother of all smokscreens" to cover up all the US corruption in Iraq (gee ya think?). The Senate is not used to such plain talk; why debates here can't be more like Parliament I don't know...And while it made the nightly news last night, as well as Charlie Rose, I have not seen squat about his remarks this morning on the morning news shows. Stephanie Miller has him on her show, and I'm sure he will be brought up the rest of the day on Air America, but why the heck isn't he a story any place else?
As I have searched this morning, he did make it to
CNN, the
Washington Post, and Common Dreams, but it appears the rest of the press just thinks he's a crazy Scotsman* not worth mention. Crazy Scotsman or no, the man made valid arguments that need to have been said
far more often by our own people. Personally, if I can find the Parliament website, I want to send a note and thank him for speaking out.
*this includes CNN and the Washington Post.
I figured at least
Keith Olbermann would have something to say about this...and he does not...BUT he does have a great entry about the resignation of Scott "Puffy McMoonFace" McClellan and his claims that the Newsweek story is to
blame for the "poor image" of America in the Middle East *cause you know, our occupation had
nothing to do with that...* And as they don't want to try to repair this
image themselves, the
White House is actually nudging
Newsweek to do it for them...
Olbermann also brought up something that hasn't been brought up much. The story about the Koran flushing was written by Michael Isikoff-one of the "liberal media's" gift to the Right.
And speaking of Conservatives looking to have "the liberal media" stop making us look bad, the Republican head of Corporation for Public Broadcasting, yes the guy who thought Bill Moyers was unbalanced, is now after
NPR...(thank you Sonia for passing on the link)
IN THE MEANTIME...
It's that time...it's
FIGHT FOR THE FILIBUSTER day!!! Harry Reid cut off talks yesterday with
Bill Frist and the Republicans over this issue and has declared that if Frist gets his way and the judicial filibuster is stopped, he and the Democrats will "bog down" all
Senate activity. *Sen. Harry Reid, meet MP George Galloway...*
And speaking of judges and all, may have to face a few as nations around the world are
Bush and Blaircalling for them to be called before the World Tribunal for Iraq...
And is this anywhere in the mass media? I think not. So why not leave them a little note and KEEP E-MAILING!!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family and let them know that you are
paying attention and want them to report what's really going on, not just what the White House wants us to hear. And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
WHERE THE F*** IS THE MEDIA?!?!?
See, my Dad was a documentary filmaker, photo-journalist, essayist and (his main claim to fame) "morning man" in radio. I am quite sure his ashes are flickering over the way the media has made themselves the doormat of this
Administration. They are so desperate to keep a foot in the door of this tight-lipped White House that they'll...well they'll retract stories.
I was apalled to learn of Newsweek's
retracting their controversial story about soldiers desecrating a Koran at Abu Ghraib prison. They essentially gave the White House and conservative Republicans a gift yesterday, as now they can say that it's the media that's causing violence and ill will over in Iraq and Afghanistan and making us look bad over there. And to the muslims, we look like we're just
covering our ass.
Thank God for Bill Moyers. I'm sure you all have heard about his brilliant speech on Sunday, but if you haven't and have not recieved a copy from Sonia, here's a
transcript.
I suggest sending a note to your local media outlet as well as the major networks and your local paper and ask them WHY they can't seem to get it together and tell the truth about this administration...or are they worried about, if a story leads to impeachment, we could suddenly have President Cheney?
I have to keep it short today as I have a rehearsal this afternoon, but I had to say SOMETHING...
As do YOU so KEEP E_MAILING!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press, and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are indeed PAYING ATTENTION and are wondering why they are not! And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
PS. Must mention the POSITIVES:
*AIDS Walk New York had another record turn out raising of funds!!
*Barbara Boxer has said she will put a hold on the Bolton nomination and Joe Biden has said thatif they do not get the information during the time of her hold, he will put another hold on the vote. Let them
know you appreciate that.
The Landslide and The Vote....
So yesterday, I bring my bicycle into work, get the front inner tube fixed and buy one of those serious chain locks that weighs like, 30lbs on my lunch break and prepare to ride home from work. Just before 5p, my mom calls and says "So is the Henry Hudson Parkway near you?" - "Yes," - "So I figure you heard about the
landslide?" - "The WHAT?" I go on the internet and see that a piece of a retaining wall at 183rd street collapsed and slid across 6 lanes of highway (and it's by sheer Divine Intervention that no one other than some parked cars was caught in the slide and injured). I, of course, remained determined to bike home. This bike path along the Henry Husdon parkway is GORGEOUS and despite being told that I would turned away by police at 125th, I made it all the way to 181st before it started getting real quiet along the road and suddenly there was nothing but fire trucks and police cars and uniforms telling folks (after we'd gotten to the top of a steep hill) that we had to leave the park and go back to...wherever we came from. I had to bike back to 165th and, after climbing another stepp hill, ended up getting the subway home as I am not quite ready to dodge Manhattan traffic. As I finally got back to my apartment, a convoy of sand trucks and ditch diggers were making their way down Broadway and we all knew where they were heading...and where they are still at work.
And to top it off there was a
bridge fire in Jersey so needless to say, if you were driving or taking the train, commuting was a b*tch this morning from the north.
But on
WFUV, which you can stream on line, is saluting Stevie Wonder so it's been easy at the desk today :)
IN THE MEANTIME...
John Bolton (and the President) essentially got a vote of no confidence yesterday as the
Foreign Relations Committee spoke out against
Bolton. The Republican led committee has sent down Bolton's name to the Senate floor for a vote, but, with no
recommendation as even the Republicans think "he's the poster child" for a bad ambassador...you might want to send a
note to your Senator and remind them to say "no" to this guy.
And speaking of people who don't deserve the job they've been nominated for, Congress is investigating the guy up for the FDA gig. Can George's people find ONE PERSON who does not require an investigation into "
misconduct"?
And speaking of George and poor judgement...he's been fighting for Social Security reform and lately has been very focused on yet another fiscally irresponsible venture:
CAFTA. Basically this is the Central American version of NAFTA...and as NAFTA hasn't turned out to be the dream trade agreement, former supporters of NAFTA (as well as its detractors) are trying to stop CAFTA in its tracks. So of course, what is George doing? Gathering back-up...he doesn't seem to realize that that hasn't really worked for his Social Security plan thus far either...
And speaking of plans that George thinks are great but people are out to fight tooth and nail...The
Pentagon announced today their list of military base closings...
And in the "things George doesn't want to hear" category, Commerce Committee Chair Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) has announced his support, and also stated that there is "widespread Senate support" for requiring that
government-prepared video new releases include a disclaimer that "Yes, this was made and paid for by the government" and was made to make us look good and not necessarily tell the truth...
In the "people say the darndest things category"
Tom DeLay was at his "tribute" last night and decided to use his speech time to bash the Dems for "bitter extremism"...pot...kettle..black...anyone?
And in the "strange relationship category",
Hillary Clinton and Newt Gingrich (I know Bill's a challenge but...NEWT?) have been hanging out talking about health care. Yes, the champion of better healthcare for women and families and the guy who went to the hospital to drop divorce papers off for his cancer-laden wife...
And while you ponder Hillary's moving further to the Dark Side..KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk-like about this article from Robert Rubin about the
deficit-and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!!! And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!!
Peace --Alex
Ambassador Bolton?
Yes, the vote is today whether to say yea or nay to John "Yosemite Sam" Bolton. The Democratic Senators are opposed, and some Republicans are, too, but most think his name will go through this
cranky bugger will end up our UN Ambassador. it doesn't help when you have a vocal Republican opponent, Ohio Sen. George Voinovich say something like this:
"...he is the wrong man for the job...he would be fired at any major corporation today..." but if his fellow Republicans want him for the job, he "won't stand in the way".
Um, wait a second...
And speaking of having proper relations with UN countries...
Iraq continues to hate us as there have been two new car bombs today and two Marines were killed when their truck went over a roadside bomb...
AND
Afghanistan decided to follow suit with the most violent anti-American protest since 2002 yesterday...3 people died amidst the protests.
AND to inspire more hatred, Human Right Watch has released a report detailing how
terror suspects have been rounded up by the dozens and sent to Egypt for "extreme interrogations". The report discusses incidents going back as far as 1994, but discusses how most likely around 200 detainees since 2001 have been sent to Egypt without proper notification.
So with all these people hating us right now, it's no wonder the
Army's had a little trouble recruiting. And due to them not meeting their quotas, some recruiters have resorted to bending the recruiting rules. Has this happened in the past? Sure it has, but not to the extent that the Army has had to suspend a whole day of recruiting (May 20th) to have a stand-down where they gather all the recruiters in one place and say "Okay, here are the LEGAL RULES OF RECRUITING..."
Yeah, I don't think your little smack-down on the UN is going
help matter Mr. Bolton...but that's just me...
So while you step to the other side of the street to avoid the Army Recruitment office, remember to KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, fax, write your friends and family, the
press, and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!! and as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
The Iraq Blog...
Over the last couple of weeks, I'm sure you've heard little blips on the news about how there was a memo found entailing how Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair were planning on invading Iraq well before the actual invasion. We know Bush's people had been planning this since Bush, Sr.'s reign, and such information got reported briefly on the news, but not enough of an uproar occured to move it beyong a passing news story. Now, here is this memo...it causes an uproar in Great Britain, yet Blair gets re-elected (even if only by a slim margin...sound familiar?) and we hear virtually nothing here.
Thank God my friend Sonia sent me this article from
FAIR that I hope you will pass on to your friends and family and Congressfolk and the press cause something more indeed needs to be said about this. When you have minutes from a meeting that include lines such as "...but the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy" and "an anonymous Washington offical" being quoted, confirming that the minutes were ''an absolutely accurate description of what transpired", it may all sound too Watergate for ya, but does it not beg further investigation? Particularly as the insurgency has yet to rest, elections or no.
Speaking of, you may have heard about how a governor and four of his security staff were kidnapped by insurgents yesterday. Yeah that's freedom for ya...
And the
Runaway Bride and the Michael Jackson trial are still the top stories.
CountingTheCost.org is a group that wants to make sure that MAY 15th, everybody knows about how many lives have been lost in Iraq and is asking folks to head to their wesbite where you can sign up to get a number to wear in protest on May 15th. There's a $10 donation, but money goes to the project and war relief in Iraq. (and if you do not get the number in the mail in time for the 15th I still suggest wearing as a symbol of protest: put it on your bag, at your desk at work, in your window, etc )
And speaking of the
losses and how they are to continue...the Senate approved the
$82 BILLION extra dollars needed to keep up the fight. Nobody really knows where that money's coming from, so you might want to send a
note to your Senator about that...
AND I suggest going over to
Code Pink's website as there, you can sign a petition asking for the discharge of two soliders who are up for court martial for speaking out against the war and asking for conscientious objector status.
And speaking of soldiers needing to get out of Iraq, of course
Rumsfeld is reiterating his thinking that we need essentially a lean mean fighting machine, you know, smaller army...would be great if we weren't trapped in a money and people pit called Iraq (and had people like North Korea and Iran actually building nuclear weapons...and they hate us...) Rummy would also like to reiterate that despite trying to quit the administration twice, he plans on sticking around for the long haul...
And as for a guy actually trying to help soldiers, you gotta give it up for special effects artist Chuck O'Brien. In the Wall Street Journal, his story is on the front page. He's mainly been known to create body parts for TV and film, but in 2003, he got "sick of making dead bodies" and started working for a group called Alternative Prosthetic Services, buidling and painting eerily authentic prosthetics for wounded marines and other soliders. I wanted to include the article but you have to subscribe, it ain't free like the other papers, but I recommend picking up a copy or checking the office copy (if your office keeps a copy floating around).
IN THE MEANTIME...If you haven't signed the "Fire His Ass!" Tom DeLay petition at
MoveOnPAC, you still got some time!
And just as I chose this morning to paint my nails "high alert orange" I learned this morning that our "security rainbow" will most likely be scrapped...I still painted my nails in honor of the (ridiculous) chart. And speaking of that, apparently Tom Ridge actually has spoken out saying that he was strongly urged to raise the alert...even when not really necessary (haven't seen a story yet, but it was mentioned on the Today Show this morning).
And speaking of security, the AP has just reported that the White House AND the Capitol were briefly evacuated due to a small plane that apparently crossed into White House airspace. It might have been a cause for alarm (particularly after it was discovered that Georgian Secret Police found a
grenade 100 feet from where Bush was speaking yesterday in the former Soviet province) but it turned out ot be a couple guys from North Carolina who'd gone off course.
And by the way, Bush happened to bicycling in Maryland "away from the White House". Dick Cheney was actually there and moved to a "secure location". Laura Bush and the visiting Nancy Regan were moved to a "secure location" Members of Congress were escorted out of the building...but not led to a "secure location" ("screw them they're only Congressmen!")
So what else is new?
So while you ponder our country's
actual security KEEP E-MAILING!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are PAYING ATTENTION!!! And as always pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace --Alex
And WHY does Wyoming get more money?
Around 3 o'clock this morning, there was an explosion outside the British Embassy. Basically, some guy put grenades into one of the giant cement planters outside the embassy (to keep terrorists
out) and blew a good hunk out of the planter. As the Brits were voting today and there has been a heavy anti-Blair (not to mention anti-Brit/American) contingent out there, it is believed that that is a potential motive for the blast. No arrests as yet, but the search is on. ...and Wyoming gets more Homeland Security Funding...
IN THE MEANTIME...
Because Abramoff swings both ways...Of course there were a couple of Democratic representatives who had to get in with lobbyist
Jack Abramoff...it can't just
ALL be DeLay and his
people. But like DeLay trying to cover his ass and avoid the press and deny, deny, deny,
Abramoff apparently in two recent NY Times and Time Magazine articles, makes himself to be the victim of these nasty politicians...and as he works with Christian Conservatives, compares himself to Job...
If there's one good thing about this whole mess with DeLay is that is has prompted somebody to run against him...
Nick Lampson lost his four term gig to DeLay's "redistricting" of Texas. Now he's moving to DeLay's district, filling out papers and planning his run...
And speaking of DeLay, he's said a lot of stupid things, but Pat Robertson has said more, and according to MoveOnPAC did it again on Sunday...what's more dangerous to America than terrorists? According to Pat, it's
liberal judges...yes, you read right, liberal judges are more dangerous than people out to kill us all...then again, this is the man who said that homosexuals and feminists were to blame for September 11th and that a Teletubby was gay (and out to blantantly promote his gayness!!) Is it just me or should be really just not be allowed to speak in public anymore? He seems to be that guy in the office who just says randomly offensive things out loud...except he's on national television when he does it.
And speaking of crazy people with a "message"...The "Stop Hillary!" campaign, fronted by Hillary-hater
John LeBoutillier (he's FRENCH even!), isn't giving up yet despite the fact that "We’re getting some traffic, but we’re not getting donations.’
And speaking of sending a message KEEP E-MAILING!!!! E-mail, call, write, fax your friends and family, the press and your Congressfolk and let them know that you are
paying attention!!
and on a more personal note, send some positive energy my way tomorrow as I have a chorus audition for New York City Opera (they finally CALLED!)...and after that, send some love to your mother as Mother's Day is this Sunday :)
Peace --Alex
RUNAWAY PRESIDENT!
Just picturing waking up to see the morning shows talking about George running off cause he couldn't take the stress of his job. First, he would have been missing after his afternoon run (he would have snuck off behind a tree to "drain the lizard" and somehow gotten away from the Secret Service), and then there would have been a phone call saying "I've been kidnapped by...uh...by...some Muslim guy...uh..." and then, after a manhunt using police, Secret Service, CIA, FBI, NSA and all branches of the military, he'd be found coked up in Vegas saying "I just couldn't take it any more...they
hate me! I didn't realize how much they really really hate me!" Federal prosecutors, JAG and state DA's would then suddenly be discussing if George should be asked to repay the government, military and states for the millions of dollars spent trying to find him (including reparations to any small countries and states destroyed in the process).
So what's making George's approval ratings plummet more than Social Security? Gas prices. On Sunday, I was part of Bike NY. It is a bike tour of the five boroughs and altogether is about 43 miles. It was started 28 years ago during the energy crisis and promoted by Ed Koch as a way to get New Yorkers to think about alternatives to driving in the city. My friend Fred also wrote a great e-mail last week discussing how during that last energy crisis,
President Carter went to the American people saying that we need to hunker down and conserve energy, not try to become even more dependent on oil and other fossil fuels. And even yesterday Bill Clinton spoke out and said that George's energy plan, which he was trying to promote at his press conference, was "dumb..." Well, thank God
somebody's saying it...It's yet another moment when you want to go you DOOFUS! *dope slap* don't your realize none of your stuff is
WORKING?
And speaking of realizations, I loved this
article from yesterday, about apparently the administration is actually wondering if perhaps they "misread" this whole mandate thing...gee, ya THINK?
And as our borders are open, airports not up to snuff, and intelligence in general in need of an upgrade, let's add the fact that a new report has come out saying the US is hardly ready for a
nuclear attack. After, shall we say,
not getting through to
Iran and North Korea, you might want to look into this George...The
protesters had an idea about this on
Sunday (I hope at least that some of y'all were able to get out there for that one).
And as George and his people have pissed off numerous folks, I'm sure he...okay
someone in the White House who pays attention might have been a little annoyed to hear that, due to so many soldiers fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan (where things are not improving), the
military doesn't have enough resources to focus on other conflicts (that are worsening)...
yep, I'd wanna run to Vegas, too...
IN THE MEANTIME...
George is trying to retain control over something...like making sure the
Darfur Accountability Act has no mention of Darfur in it...um...wait a second...
AND the
Supreme Court has agreed to take on a case (based on a request from the White House), deciding whether or not federal money can be
witheld from colleges who support gay rights by restricting military recruiting. Now if this isn't one of the most roundabout ways to punish tolerance I don't know what is. And it made me think of how the administration, the military and the Catholic church need to remember one thing: if it weren't for gay people, y'all don't even want to think about how low your recruitment rates would be...you might want to send a note to your
justices about this (and heck as I actually looked up this page, you might as well use it to send notes about other things you have to say to our esteemed justices) And um, I think George also forgot about the Republican lobbyist/fundraiser who just married his parnter in MA...think of your FUNDS, man!
And you know you're in trouble when someone's offering to give you a tribute...and you're not dead or at least retired yet. Yes, Conservatives want are presenting a "tribute" to *drum roll please*
Tom DeLay (break out the champagne!! I can just see him though at the tribute, muttering like that guy in the Holy Grail "But I'm not dead yet!")
And speaking of backhanded appreciation, the
Frist family gave $25 million dollars to Princeton to build the Frist Campus Center and now it is being used as a symbol of protest. Students and teachers alike took time from last Tuesday through the weekend to filibuster the building...
And staying in that vein...all right, I gotta give it up to
Laura Bush and her writers for her performance at the Correspondants' Dinner *anyone hear Diana Ross' "I'm comin' out!") Laura's breaking out, man (watch out Condi! meow!)
And continuing on the lighter side, the
FEC has decided NOT to crack down on political blogs (YEA!) but there are folks who are wondering, hey what about political blogs that take campaign money?...
So while i go discuss this with my friend Chris who's studying internet law at Harvard (cause he's supahsmaht), KEEP E-MAILING!! E-mail, call, fax, write your friends and family, the press, your Congressfolk and let them know that you are
paying attention!!! Such as to how while we curse out the Republicans, the Dems don't appear to have an energy, social security, judicial, and ambassadorial plan themselves...at least nothing they're being too loud about so give 'em a call or send 'em a little
note, perhaps give them some suggestions! And as always, pass it on, pass it on, pass it on!
Peace -Alex
