dailyJam

Simple Action to Save Planet and Humynity!!!

2009-02-02T07:34:00.000-08:00

Dear Ones,

In the final days of their illegitimate maladministration, the never-elected Resident Bush and his Resident of Vice Cheney openly admitted on national TV they had authorized "enhanced interrogation" of prisoners, specifically including waterboarding. But "enhanced interrogation" is simply a euphemism for torture, which was so severe that it caused the deaths of at least 70 prisoners.

Additionally these organized crime masterminds killed over 1.2 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention America itself) by committing War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and the worst in the eyes of international law, Crimes Against Peace (ie. Aggressive, unprovoked 'preemptive' wars of conquest against nations/peoples -- ie. 'The Bush Doctrine'!!! Yes, did you realize that "The Bush Doctrine" is simply a restatement of the very definition of Crime Against Peace as defined in International Law such as the United Nations Charter! For more on this see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_against_peace ). They are contemporary Stalin/Hitler/Pol Pot/Saddam Husseins!

These alleged crimes MUST be investigated and prosecuted. Short of ...

1) finally impeaching BushCheney and their henchmen/women and thereby

a) NULLIFYING BUSH's unconstitutional ACTIONS including ALL HIS SIGNING STATEMENTS, HIS EXECUTIVE ORDERS, ALL HIS APPOINTMENTS INCLUDING HIS SUPREME COURT AND APPELLATE COURT APPOINTMENTS, AND NUMEROUS EXECUTIVE BRANCH APPOINTMENTS; b) stripping them of any of their claims to 'executive privilege' that they are trying to hide behind to prevent prosecution, c) taking away their government pension d) and preventing them from ever again holding a government position!!! -- and by the way THERE'S NO STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS ON IMPEACHABILITY -- THE PERPS DO NOT EVEN NEED TO BE LIVING ANYMORE TO IMPEACH THEM. Maybe, just maybe the Dems will finally grow a pair and act against their fellow Duopoly criminals. Will miracles never cease??? I'm not holding my breath...

OR

2) ARRESTING THEM AND DELIVERING THEM DIRECTLY TO THE HAGUE FOR PROSECUTION BY THE INTERNATIONAL COURT, (and I'm sure there are a number of citizens out there who are planning a citizen's arrest to effect this action even as you're reading this)...

3) the appointment of a Special Prosecutor is the only way we can bring America to a new place of moral leadership in the community of nations and bring the American Empire, the Imperial Presidency and NeoCon (NeoNazi) run to a halt. The blood of literally millions of innocent humans cries out for you and me -- Americans -- to finally act to bring these at-large criminals to justice.

Please join me in going to http://www.care2.com/go/z/e/AE19B/YR4X/AHjjp and signing this petition sponsored to call on Attorney General Eric Holder to appoint a Special Prosecutor to prosecute those responsible for torture to the fullest extent of the law.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963"

Peace WITH Justice for Humynity!

Dems Learning to Impeach! Miracle!

2009-01-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

This from Fred Duperrault

Christian Science Monitor Readers Write:

Congratulations to the Illinois State Representatives for impeaching
Governor Rod Blagojevich ("No clear rules for Illinois' Senate's first
impeachment," C.S. Monitor 01/12/09) They lived up to their
constitutional responsibility.

However, as corrupt as the Illinois Governor's alleged violations were,
the harmful results of his crimes and misdemeanors pale when compared
with those of the President of the United States. Yet, House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi and the House of Representatives have allowed George W.
Bush to finish his term with no accountability for his transgressions
that led to the deaths of more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians, thousands
of Americans and caused severe damages to the integrity of America's
constitutional governance. And America is doing nothing about it.

Have we, the proud citizens of our republic, lapsed into adoring the
United States Presidency as a monarchical office with little or no
limitations of power?

While considering that George W. Bush has not been impeached yet, imagine
how much his much revered successor, President-elect Obama, would be
able to get away with if HE were to ignore the Constitution and betray
the trust of the people.

With the impeachment of Governor Blagojevich, Illinois has wisely set a
critical constitutional precedent. On the national level, America has
betrayed itself by not impeaching President Bush -- yet.

Fred Duperrault

Obama: Appoint Special Prosecutor for BushCheney!!!

2009-01-14T08:59:00.000-08:00

Americans,

I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's a movement of citizens working
on pressuring Obama to do the right thing who are deciding the top 10
ideas for how they think the Obama administration should change America.
It's called "Ideas for Change in America," and it's being run by the Obama
web site Change.org.

One idea is titled: Appoint a Special Prosecutor for the Crimes of the
Bush Administration. I thought you might be interested in getting involved
and recommend you check it out. You can read more and vote for the idea
by clicking the following link:

http://www.change.org/ideas/view/appoint_a_special_prosecutor_for_the_crimes_of_the_bush_administration

The top 10 ideas are going to be presented to the Obama administration at
an event at the National Press Club in Washington, DC next week and will
be supported by a national lobbying campaign run by Change.org in
partnership with leading nonprofits after the Presidential Inauguration.
So each idea has a real chance at becoming policy.

Impeach 4 Peace!

JamBoi

Carol Brouillet: Truth & Courage v America's Fear-based Global Police State

2007-08-08T12:07:00.000-07:00

Carol Brouillet, the Green Party's 2006 Congressional candidate from SF Peninsula's 14CD (v Anna Eshoo) is on top the issues of the onrushing train of fascism in America. Brouillet recently blogged:

"I do think that many people are afraid of another False Flag operation to persuade Americans to fall in line with the Bush Agenda. People are also afraid of dividing the country and civil war. Our best hope, I believe, is non-violent, widespread opposition to the threats to the constitution and our civil rights, and the world, and for Congress to begin Impeachment proceedings to halt these guys and reverse the policies of the past several years."

CAROL BROUILLET: A GREEN STANDING FOR TRUTH

"To Tell the Truth in a Time of Universal Deceit is a Revolutionary Act."
- Carol Brouillet's favorite G.Orwell quote.

Brouillet along with Daniel Ellsberg and a number of others were arrested Monday at the Lawrence Livermore Nuclear Weapons Lab memorializing the August 6th 62nd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Here's an approximation of the brief speech Brouillet gave before being arrested:

"I speak for truth. Sun Tzu wrote thousands of years ago that "War is based on deception." The largest deception being the self-deception of rulers that they are superior to everyone else and have the right to kill and control others. We entered World War II on the basis of a deception. Hiroshima and Nagasaki were deceptions, too. They didn't drop the bombs to end a war, but to launch a new war of terror against all people- the Cold War.

The war on terror is a fraud. It is a war of terror against all of us, the entire planet. It has never been criminally investigated. The director of the 9/11 Commission was Philip Zelikow who co-authored a book with Condoleeza Rice and wrote the "Pre-Emptive War Doctrine." As Pearl Harbor was used to create the National Security State; 9/11 is being used to create a Global Police State. Now they are promising us a nuclear 9/11, if it happens it will be by the hands of those who did 9/11. We need a real investigation.

Aung Sung Suu Kyi wrote: "It is not power that corrupts, but fear -- fear of losing power and fear of the scourge of those who wield it."

The global elite are afraid of us, the world's people, and afraid of the truth. They use terror and fear to try to control us. The only antidote to fear is courage. I hope that the peace and justice movements will join with the truth movement. War relies on deception. Truth can stop war. We need the truth and courage."

APPENDIX: THE FOUNDATION OF BUSH-IMPOSED MARTIAL LAW IN THE US
The latest two outrageous Bush actions are just a cap on an extensive groundwork he's established since 9/11 and building on previous presidents. Here's a link an extensive breakdown of these EOs:

SUMMARY OF BUSH E.O.s

The latest two:

EXECUTIVE ORDER 13441
essentially makes protest against the Iraq war a criminal offense and provides the President with the authority to confiscate the assets of whoever opposes the US led war. July 17

As Prof. Michel Chossudovsky writes in "Bush Executive Order: Criminalizing the Antiwar Movement"

"The executive order violates the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the US Constitution. It repeals one of the fundamental tenets of US democracy, which is the right to free expression and dissent. The order has not been the object of discussion in the US Congress. So far, it has not been addressed by the US antiwar movement, in terms of a formal statement."

NATIONAL SECURITY DIRECTIVE NSPD 51 /
HOMELAND SECURITY DIRECTIVE HSPD 20
allows the government to establish martial law in America after a "Catastrophic Emergency" ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD June 2007 Prof. Michel Chossudovsky's article on NSPD 51/HSPD 20

At the very bottom of Brouillet's blog page she also provides a summary of the long series of Executive Orders and National Security Directives Bush has been laying in place to be able to declare martial law in America.
__________________

* HOW IT BEGAN: Buah's Declaration of Emergency September 14, 2001

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10990 allows the government to take over all modes of transportation and control of highways and seaports.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10995 allows the government to seize and control the communication media.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10997 allows the government to take over all electrical power, gas, petroleum, fuels and minerals.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 10998 allows the government to take over all food resources and farms.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11000 allows the government to mobilize civilians into work brigades under government supervision.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11001 allows the government to take over all health, education and welfare functions.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11002 designates the Postmaster General to operate a national registration of all persons.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11003 allows the government to take over all airports and aircraft, including commercial aircraft.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11004 allows the Housing and Finance Authority to relocate communities, build new housing with public funds, designate areas to be abandoned, and establish new locations for populations.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11005 allows the government to take over railroads, inland waterways and public storage facilities.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11051 specifies the responsibility of the Office of Emergency Planning and gives authorization to put all Executive Orders in to effect in times of increased international tensions and economic or financial crisis.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11310 grants authority to the Department of Justice to enforce the plans set out in Executive Orders, to institute industrial support, to establish judicial and legislative liaison, to control all aliens, to operate penal and correctional institutions, and to advise and assist the President.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11049 assigns emergency preparedness function to federal departments and agencies, consolidating 21 operative Executive Orders issued over a fifteen year period.

EXECUTIVE ORDER 11921 allows the Federal Emergency Preparedness Agency to develop plans to establish control over the mechanisms of production and distribution, of energy sources, wages, salaries, credit and the flow of money in U.S. financial institution inany undefined national emergency. It also provides that when a state of emergency is declared by the President, Congress cannot review the
action for six months.

Iacocca: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

2007-04-17T12:17:00.000-07:00

Submitted to AfterDowningStreet.org by davidswanson on Fri, 2007-04-13 15:48. Media

Excerpt:from the book: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
By Lee Iacocca with Catherine Whitney

Had Enough? Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, "Stay the course." Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies.Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for.

I've had enough. How about you? I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. My friends tell me to calm down. They say, "Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people." I'd love to, as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests. Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us. Who Are These Guys, Anyway? Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them, or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy. And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together.

Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

The Test of a Leader
I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points, not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the "Nine Cs of Leadership." They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely.

So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter." Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go.

If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.

A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President, the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. "The President was serene," Joe recalled. "He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'how can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?'" Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. "My instincts," he said. "My instincts." Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush,"Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough." Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't. Leadership is all about managing change, whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.

A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power." George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths. For what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.

A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION, a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President, four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake. It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.

A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a great guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.

A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.

You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it." George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know, Mr.they'll-welcome-us-as-liberators-no-child-left-behind-heck-of-a-job-Brownie-mission-accomplished Bush. Former President Bill Clinton once said, "I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world, and I like it here." I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.

The Biggest C is CRISIS. Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down. On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day, and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero. That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq, a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith based, not reality based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you,I don't know what will.

A Hell of a Mess.
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way. These are times that cry out for leadership.

But when you look around, you've got to ask: "Where have all the leaders gone?" Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened. Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when "the Big Three" referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen, and more important, what are we going to do about it? Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry.

I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity. What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change? Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough

Excerpted from Where Have All the Leaders Gone?
(C) 2007 by Lee Iacocca. All rights reserved.

There are "Greens" and then there are "greens" - but it's all good

2006-11-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

This from Steve Kramer, one of the seven Co-Chairs of the Green Party of the US (ha! that's right, the RepubliDems only have one chair and we have seven! Bet they get green with envy when they discover that. :-) .

JamBoi

Friends,

Most of us have been following the election results from yesterday. I wish to thank all of the voters out there who bravely and unashamedly made their choice for true, positive change in our country by voting for Green candidates.

One race of note from yesterday is the election for U.S. Senator from the Commonwealth of Virginia. In that race, with over 99% of the precincts reporting, Democrat Jim Webb currently holds a lead of about 7,000 votes over Republican incumbent George Allen. A candidate from the "Independent Greens of Virginia", Gail Parker, gained a bit over 26,000 votes out of over 2.3 million cast - about 1.1% of the total. Since that time, the Green Party of the United States has gotten emails and phone calls asking about, or expressing an opinion about, Ms. Parker. The media has added to this association; for example, James Carville last night on CNN, said, "If the Green hadn't been running, the Democrat would have won easily."

However, the "Independent Greens of Virginia" are a separate entity from the Green Party as it is known to the majority of voters. They are a conservative group which does not share the values of the Green Party of the United States, and their platform seems to be focused almost entirely on railroad expansion in northern Virginia, at the expense of other issues of equal or greater importance to Greens and other Virginians. Our affiliate in Virginia is the Green Party of Virginia VAGreenParty.org, not the "Independent Greens" or "IGVA" VoteJoinRun.US.

Unlike the major parties, particularly the Democratic Party, we respect the right of any party or citizen to run for any office for which they are qualified, and to have votes for that campaign tallied fairly. And as Greens, we prefer to run on the merits of our ideas, and leave it to our affiliated state and local parties to determine the best specific ways in which to do so. Sadly, however, major media outlets and the major parties themselves perpetuate a content-free, "horse race" mentality between candidates who often have few distinguishing differences save the color used for them in television news graphics. (This Senate contest, between a conservative Republican and a former Republican, is an illustrative example.)

Rather than blaming people or parties for exercising their democratic rights in challenging this duopoly, Democrats and others should give serious consideration to a long overdue reform of the electoral system. Alternatives such as ranked choice voting (where voters rank their choices in order, 1-2-3 style) and proportional representation (where legislatures are populated based on the proportion of the vote received) empower voters, ensure broadly supported candidates, make governments look more like the people they represent, and do away with the so-called "spoiler factor". FairVote, the Center for Voting and Democracy, illustrates many of these choices at FairVote.org.

The Green Party will continue to stand for peace, justice, democracy, and our precious environment in future elections. We invite all voters to visit us at GP.org, and read about, support, contribute to, and vote for our candidates. A Greener world is possible - and we can do it with your help!

Sincerely,

Steve Kramer
Co-Chair
Green Party of the United States

--

Steve Kramer || scooter (at) guisarme dot net ||
===================================================

"I never had an inner child. I had a filling of nougat and crisped rice."
Amanda Berman

Meet the 2006 CA Green Party Candidates in Mtn View, Oct 3rd

2006-09-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

A Million Votes for Peace! Meet the 2006 CA Green Party Candidates in Mountain View!

The Green Party of Santa Clara County is sponsoring a free public event to stimulate public interest, support and donations for our "Million Votes for Peace!" statewide, regional and local Green Party candidates running for election on Nov. 7.

Speakers include Todd Chretien for U.S. Senator, Peter Miguel Camejo for Governor, Donna Warren for Lt. Governor, Forrest Hill for Secretary of State, Methul Thakker for Treasurer, Michael (Mike) Wyman for Attorney General, Laura Wells for Controller, Larry Cafiero for Insurance Commissioner, Carol Brouillet for Cong. (14th Dist. v Anna Eshoo) and Tian Harter a "Green" nonpartison candidate for Mountain View city council. Carol Brouillet and Tian Harter will Co-Host.

When: Oct. 3rd, 2006. 6:45PM
Where: (Disabled Accessible) Mtn View Historic Adobe Building

Location & Directions: 157 Moffett Boulevard, on the northeast corner of Moffett Blvd. and the Central Expressway - directly across from the Mountain View CalTrain and VTA Light Rail Station.
Parking: Parking lots across Moffett, and along the east side of Moffett Blvd. Also a small parking lot behind the Adobe Bldg.

Program Schedule:
6:45PM Reception. Light refreshments and non alcohol beverages served, and music provided.
7:30PM the candidates will begin speaking.
9:00-9:30PM Questions & Answers and Discussion.

Note: Some "Green Friendly" organizations will be invited to place their
literature on tables placed outside on the Plaza.

Contacts: Fred Duperrault at (650)691-1215, fredd@freeshell.org
Dana St. George at (650)424-0842, danasg@greens.org

Green Parties Drive for Ballot Access Across the US

2006-09-17T08:53:00.000-07:00

One of the most difficult tasks a 'third party' in the US faces is obtaining state by state ballot access in the face of intense opposition by the Corporate Duopoly parties. In some states (I think including CA) if the affiliated state Green Party doesn't run a nominated presidential
candidate (ie. not just an 'endorsed' candidate) or in some cases a gubnatorial, and in others a statewide candidate (the rules are different in each state) then the party loses ballot access.

This can mean that the party then has to acquire a large number of signatures in just a few weeks time. This can even be a very unreasonably large number of signatures such as in Pennsylvania where The Duopoly requires third parties to come up with 67,000 validated signatures (translate this as 100,000 signatures after The Duopoly lawyers finish challenging every single signature as a further way to harrass the third party).

Ballot access is a precious commodity that empowers a third party to function and be viable. The Green Party of TX was not able to achieve ballot access this year despite a full slate of candidates and enthusiastic organization. Think of how devastating this is for the Green Party's 2008 prospects! We Greens must pay careful attention to maintaining and expanding our ballot access as we mature our party and move towards becoming a potent political player in the heart of The Empire. We can impact the entire world for the good by dotting our i's and crossing our t's to make certain we have ballot access in all 50 states and serious challenger to The Duopoly parties.

A Million Votes for Peace!

Technorati Profile

Press Release

Greens Win Ballot Access in 31 States, Up From 17 in January

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Contacts:
Scott McLarty, Media Coordinator, 202-518-5624, mclarty@greens.org
Starlene Rankin, Media Coordinator, 916-995-3805, starlene@greens.org

Greens win ballot access fights in Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, New York

* Greens achieve ballot access in 31 states -- up from 17 states in January
* 'Grossly unfair' ballot access rules hinder Greens in Pennsylvania
* Many Green candidates now face obstruction from debates in California, Ohio, Wisconsin, and other states

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party candidates have overcome numerous obstacles to have their names placed on the ballot in several states, including Arkansas, Illinois, Nebraska, and New York. In many races, Greens are now battling exclusion from candidates' debates.

In Pennsylvania, Greens have faced the most dramatic obstruction, as a result of patently unfair ballot access rules (2,000 petition signatures required for Democrats and Republicans; 67,000 for other parties) and a lawsuit filed by Democrats seeking to disqualify many of the 95,000 signatures submitted by Marakay Rogers (running for Governor www.geocities.com/mjr91/RogersforAG.html), Christina Valente (for Lieutenant Governor www.christina-green.org), and Carl Romanelli (for U.S. Senate romanelli2006.com). Because defending their petitions would cost tens of thousands of dollars and the candidates risk being bankrupted by a judgment for the challengers' attorneys' fees and costs, Ms. Rogers and Ms. Valente have withdrawn their petitions; Mr. Romanelli has vowed to fight the challenge and is now protesting his exclusion from a September 3 senatorial candidates' debate to be broadcast on MSNBC's 'Meet the Press.'

"Pennsylvania's grossly unfair ballot access laws, passed by Democrats and Republicans, should be considered a conspiracy against voters, limiting their choices on the ballot. Equally outrageous are the tactics that Pennsylvania Democrats are using to bar Greens, through legal and financial intimidation -- proving that Democratic politicians are just as willing as Republicans to rig the ballot box," said Marakay Rogers.

The Green Party currently has 31 state ballot lines (including the District of Columbia). In January, 2006, the Green Party had 17 state ballot lines.

Arkansas

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels certified the Green Party as a recognized political party in Arkansas after an August 23, 2006 ruling by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas ordered the inclusion of Greens. Arkansas Greens have nominated six candidates for statewide races, including Jim Lendall, former Democratic State Representative, for Governor. The nominees must file their certificates of nomination with the Secretary of State's office by September 8 to appear on the November ballot.
JimLendall2006.com
ArkGreens.org

California

Gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo is seeking inclusion despite the League of Women Voters decision to restrict the debates to candidates who receive over 10% in the polls. When Mr. Camejo participated in a televised debate in the 2003 election, he was widely perceived as the winner, according to informal polls of media outlets and viewers. The Camejo campaign has filed a complaint with the Fair Political Practices Commission.
VoteCamejo.com
CAGreens.org

Illinois

The Illinois State Board of Elections ruled unanimously on August 31 to place the Green Party state slate in the November general election, after a vigorous attempt by Illinois Democrats to have Green candidates' ballot petitions invalidated in order to keep them off the state ballot. Illinois Green candidates Rich Whitney, running for Governor, and Julie Samuels, for Lieutenant Governor, were certified on September 1.

Greens were required to to collect 25,000 signatures in just 90 days -- five times the number of signatures that Democratic and Republican candidates had to collect -- to qualify for the ballot. Greens collected over 39,000. Greens were then forced to hire a ballot defense coordinator and pay for legal services to defend their petitions after Illinois Democrats used their staffing and monetary advantage to challenge the petitions before the State Board. Greens are now attempting to persuade the Illinois Radio Network to reverse its decision excluding Mr. Whitney from its October 2 debate.
WhitneyForGov.org
ILGP.org

Nebraska

The Nebraska Green Party was initially denied ballot access for its statewide candidates by the Secretary of State. After several weeks of delay involving intense discussions with Greens, the ACLU and legislators, Greens were granted ballot access for statewide constitutional offices, with Green candidates Steve Larrick for State Auditor and Doug Paterson for Secretary of State on the ballot on November 7.
NebraskaGreens.org

New York

On August 22, Malachy McCourt, candidate for Governor, and other New York Green candidates delivered petitions to the Board of Elections in Albany to place them on the November 7 ballot. The campaigns submitted 30,000 signatures, double the required 15,000 needed -- demonstrating that voters want a choice when they go to the polls, a choice that includes candidates who support peace, abolition of the death penalty, bringing home the New York National Guard, and health care for all. The members of the Green Party's New York Peace Slate include Mr. McCourt for Governor; Alison Duncan for Lt. Governor; Howie Hawkins for U.S. Senate; Attorney General candidate Rachel Treichler; and State Comptroller candidate Julia Willebrand.

The party must achieve 50,000 votes in the Governor's race to regain automatic ballot status. New York Greens fell slightly short of the 50,000 votes for Governor in 2002 to maintain ballot status, although Attorney General candidate Mary Jo Long exceeded the 50,000. New York Green ballot-qualified candidates are currently negotiating with the League of Women Voters of New York for inclusion in debates for the offices of U.S. Senator from New York, Governor,and Attorney General.

malachyforgovernor.com
AlisonDuncan.org
HawkinsForSenate.org
VoteRachel.org
JuliaForComptroller.org
GPNYS.org

Ohio

Green gubernatorial candidate Bob Fitrakis has joined a Libertarian and a write-in to fight their exclusion from four debates, from which the Democrats and Republicans are barring all other candidates. Mr. Fitrakis and the other two candidates will be in Youngstown on September 5 for the first of the debates, and are also planning to hold their own debates in Toledo, Dayton, and Akron (which Democrats and Republicans have omitted from the debate schedule). Mr. Fitrakis will invite the Democrats and Republicans to attend the 'third party' debates, which will be co-sponsored by Common Cause.
BobForOhio.com
ohiogreens.org

Wisconsin

Wisconsin Greens are protesting a decision by the We the People consortium (Wisconsin State Journal, WISC-TV, Wisconsin Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Television, Wood Communications, WisPolitics.com, along with corporate and interest group sponsors) to bar third party candidates, including gubernatorial candidate Nelson Eisman, from candidates' debates according to arbitrary poll-based and fundraising criteria. The League of Women Voters (which sponsored debates in years past), the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign and Common Cause in Wisconsin have joined Greens in the call for Mr. Eisman's inclusion.
VoteEisman.org
wisconsingreenparty.org

MORE INFORMATION

Green Party of the United States
gp.org
1700 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 404
Washington, DC 20009.
202-319-7191, 866-41GREEN
Fax 202-319-7193

Green campaign listings, news, photos, and web sites www.gp.org/2006elections
Database of 2006 Green candidates greens.org/elections
Video clips of Green candidates gp.org/2006elections/media.shtml
Green Party News Center www.gp.org/newscenter.shtml

Minnesota Green Party Slate of 2006 candidates

2006-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Green Party Again Chooses Ken Pentel

(AP) St. Paul The (Minesota) Green Party, no longer a "major" party under Minnesota law, is relying on a couple of old hands to fill out its 2006 ticket.

Ken Pentel for Governor of Minnesota

Environmental activist Ken Pentel, the party's candidate for governor in 1998 and 2002, is taking another shot at that office. Dave Berger, a social science professor at Inver Hills Community College, is making a second run for state auditor.

Dave Berger for state Auditor

The (Minesota) Green Party introduced its candidates Wednesday at the Capitol.

Michael Cavlan for U.S. Senate

Other office seekers are registered nurse Michael Cavlan (issue (issue questionaire response ) for U.S. Senate and blues-folk singer and guitarist Papa John Kolstad for attorney general.

Papa John Kolstad for attorney general (see more info below)

The Greens were formerly considered a major party in Minnesota, which entitled them to public campaign subsidies and automatic ballot access. Because of low vote totals among the party's statewide candidates in 2002 and 2004, the Greens lost the preferred status.

This year they'll be required to collect voter signatures on petitions to get on the ballot, and their candidates are not eligible for public campaign subsidies.

From Article: http://wcco.com/local/local_story_166104129.html

#####

Jay Pond, for US House of Representatives, Minnesota's 5th Congressional

#####

More on Papa John Kolstad's run for Attorney General

(snipped from http://pulsetc.com/article.php?sid=2514)

Kolstad, a musician and music distributor, received 69.2 percent in his endorsement bid for attorney general. His long experience as a small business owner makes him sensitive to the ways in which laws are enforced against “the little guy” but often not against the corporate giant. He has also been involved in the effort to replace employer-based health care with a single-payer system that covers everyone regardless of job status.

SNIP

Certainly the most surprising, and maybe the most promising, endorsement to come out of the Duluth Green Party Convention was the endorsement of Papa John Kolstad for attorney general. [In the interests of complete disclosure, I listened to Papa John in the 60s when he sang folk songs in coffeehouses, and I have danced to his hot jazz very recently. I am a fan and under his thrall. Kolstad is not an attorney. You don’t have to be to run. Although it is unusual, non-attorneys have been elected to the post of Attorney General for the State of Minnesota. In what John called “musing between friends,” he talked about the race and his qualifications.

“I have a lot of legal experience, and, as long as I don’t have to use it, I should be OK.” He explained that he was referring to Tim Pawlenty’s $6,000 a month job as legal counsel for a firm lobbying the state when he was a member of the Legislature. Most observers considered the job a kickback for favorable legislation because Pawlenty never had to even issue a legal opinion let alone litigate.

Kolstad has done much of the legal work for his company, Mill City Records, and he is quite knowledgeable in the area of copywright law, particularly as it pertains to music. He sees the job of attorney general as managing an office, similar to the work he’s done running his business for the past 26 years, and directing litigation.

He speaks very favorably about Mike Hatch’s work as a watchdog on the spending habits of the health care executives. He would continue that work. He’s also concerned about large handouts to big developers. For instance, he says, former Minneapolis City Council Member Steve Minn got $32 million from the City to build the Stone Arch Apartments. The cost to build the apartments was only $24 million, and, today, the tax assessor says the property is only worth $19 million for tax purposes. Michael Lander, another developer, who built the housing and shops on the corner of Lake Street and the River Road, got $11.4 million in public money, and, today, the property is assessed for $1.6 million. Kolstad believes there’s something wrong here. “It may be legal, but it’ s not right. We should look into it,” he said.

There are three major reasons why Kolstad is running:

First, Becky Lourey has said she would bring the National Guard troops home from Iraq. Kolstad would use the attorney general’s office to assist her in that cause.

Second, as a strong supporter of Single Payer Health Insurance, Kolstad would continue the work Hatch has done in holding insurance company executives’ feet to the fire. He would also fight any legal challenges to Single Payer waged by the insurance companies.

Third, he would use the attorney general’s office to fight on behalf of the environment. If you are creating greenhouse gases by driving a gas guzzler, you should pay for it. He suspects collusion between coal companies and electric companies, and he’ d like to investigate that. How can electric companies charge rate-payers to pay farmers not to use wind turbines to generate safe, renewable energy? He’d like to look into that.

SNIP

#####

RELATED BLOG DIARY ON MN GREEN CANDIDATES:
http://www.greencommons.org/node/239

NYT Calls for Alito Filibuster! Alito "far more frightening" than Filibuster

2006-01-26T11:03:00.000-08:00

New York Times
January 26, 2006
Editorial
Senators in Need of a Spine

Judge Samuel Alito Jr., whose entire history suggests that he holds extreme views about the expansive powers of the presidency and the limited role of Congress, will almost certainly be a Supreme Court justice soon. His elevation will come courtesy of a president whose grandiose vision of his own powers threatens to undermine the nation's basic philosophy of government — and a Senate that seems eager to cooperate by rolling over and playing dead.

[b]It is hard to imagine a moment when it would be more appropriate for senators to fight for a principle. Even a losing battle would draw the public's attention to the import of this nomination.[/b]

(snip)

But portraying the Alito nomination as just another volley in the culture wars vastly underestimates its significance. The judge's record strongly suggests that [b]he is an eager lieutenant in the ranks of the conservative theorists who ignore our system of checks and balances, elevating the presidency over everything else.[/b] He has expressed little enthusiasm for restrictions on presidential power and has espoused the peculiar argument that a president's intent in signing a bill is just as important as the intent of Congress in writing it. This would be worrisome at any time, but it takes on far more significance now, when the Bush administration seems determined to use the cover of the "war on terror" and presidential privilege to ignore every restraint, from the Constitution to Congressional demands for information.

[b]There was nothing that Judge Alito said in his hearings that gave any comfort to those of us who wonder whether the new Roberts court will follow precedent and continue to affirm, for instance, that a man the president labels an "unlawful enemy combatant" has the basic right to challenge the government's ability to hold him in detention forever without explanation. His much-quoted statement that the president is not above the law is meaningless unless he also believes that the law requires the chief executive to defer to Congress and the courts.

Judge Alito's refusal to even pretend to sound like a moderate was telling because it would have cost him so little.[/b]

(snip)

A filibuster is a radical tool. It's easy to see why Democrats are frightened of it. But from our perspective, [b]there are some things far more frightening. One of them is Samuel Alito on the Supreme Court.[/b]

Third Party Reformers Aided by Abramoff?

2006-01-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

Although Fineman is concentrating on the likes of McCain, I think he raises an interesting larger question, which is: how can we third party progressive independent types leverage this situation to advance reform?

Winners and losers in the Abramoff scandal The GOP could suffer, opening the way for a third-party movement
By Howard Fineman

(big snip)

WINNERS

Third-party reform movement: If Sen. John McCain doesn’t win the Republican presidential nomination, I could see him leading an independent effort to “clean up” the capital as a third-party candidate. Having been seared by his own touch with this type of controversy (the Keating case in the '80s, which was as important an experience to him as Vietnam), McCain could team up with a Democrat, say, Sen. Joe Lieberman. If they could assemble a cabinet in waiting — perhaps Wes Clark for defense, Russ Feingold for justice, Colin Powell for anything — they could win the 2008 election going away.

Public Integrity Section: The Abramoff case is proof, at least so far, that it’s possible for lifers in the bureaucracy to still have a corrective influence on politics run amok in the capital. The case has been handled from the start by professionals who do this kind of work out of a sense of loyalty and idealism. We’ll see if Attorney General Alberto Gonzales leaves them alone if they start working their way toward the White House.

Tis The Season For Impeachment Talk: Some Resources

2005-12-21T10:42:00.000-08:00

[Note: Continually updated: Most recent Update 12/24/05 5:55PM EST]
What a gift to America! With the 12 days of Christmas rapidy approaching (Christmas day is day 1) the Dems are finally, finally, finally waking up to the nightmare monstrosity that is BushCo. Yesterday Senator Barbara Boxer and Rep. John Conyers uttered the "I" word: impeachment. Hallelujah! Even Howard Fineman and Jonathan Alter and the conservative editorial board of Barron's of the MSM (Mainstream Media) are discussing it! I know I've been talking impeachment since March '05 but much wiser people than I such as ImpeachBush.org , The Four Reasons and Francis Boyle, have been on it from long before.

What are some things Greens can do to fill the world with peace and goodwill towards people by helping to push impeachment forward?

Impeachment: How-to Resources

These Dems are going out on the limb for the American people and really, really need our support. Here's some practical suggestions as to how we can give a gift to ourselves by helping to create momentum behind the notion of impeaching Bushco:

Support Rep. John Conyers in his valiant exploration of forming an impeachment committee and the first step, censuring Bush. Here's a more complete explanation of what Conyers is up to in The Nation's blog. I'm a huge, huge John Conyers fan! He's been consistently on top of the stolen election and many other aspects of the BushCo crime family. He and the Congressional Black Caucus deserve enormous accolades for their leadership. The CBC leads the way!

Pour support over Senator Barbara Boxer's courage in broaching the "I word". I'd even consider joining her Pac for Change. Hmmm... maybe we could persuade her to become a Green. ;-) Here's an admirer's blog who's been following her since the so-called "Boxer Rebellion"

Contact your congressperson to register support for impeachment. Writing snail mail and phoning are far better than e-mail, but e-mail is far better than doing nothing. Here's another useful web page for that too.

Sign the petition at ImpeachBush.org

Work with other local activists to form a local impeachment meetup to focus on electing candidates promising to impeach BushCo.

Here's a good Explanation of the impeachment process. Also check out the rest of ImpeachBush.tv.

According to Rasmussen Reports polling an amazing 32% of Americans favor Impeaching Bush.

Consider ImpeachPAC.org.

Here's another good Impeach Bush web site.

Kagro X over at DailyKos is doing a blog on resources for a do it yourself guerilla marketing of the impeachment movement.

Speculative editorial about how impeachment could come about.

Motivation: Why-to Resources

Read venerable Senator Byrd's stirring speech "No President is Above the Law"

Read "The Man Who Would Be Dictator: How We Got To This Awful Place".

Read about word that BushCo's illegal wiretapping is monitoring ALL OVERSEAS COMMUNICATION as well as Alternative Media sources!

Learn about Coup 11-2, BushCo's second stolen election. Here's an Anatomy of Fraud '04!

Greens Teach Dems How 2B Opp. Party

2005-12-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

Updated 12/23 Note: Previously published on MyDD this afternoon, this article got my account there locked. Sheese! So much for democracy and free speech among Democrats!

I'm holding in my hand a newspaper article (covered below) that wonderfully illustrates the very essence of why Democrats should be thanking us Greens for teaching them how to be an opposition party instead of persecuting us for not being Democrats. Can you say "coopetition" or "coalition? Really the Dems and all committed progressives should welcome the presence of effective alternative progressive parties because we stake out difficult gadfly positions and issues which in turn provides political cover and lots of maneuvering room for the Dems.

Allies are what I see when I look at the Dems (and even the progressive Republicans -- and yes they do exist, though largely drowned out by the Reichwing currently). Respectable rivals and potential allies are how I view all reasonable and constitionally loyal people of all political stripes, whether they be from the Dems, Repubs, Naderites, Libertarians, Reform Party, American Reform Party, Socialist Party Socialist Party USA, Peace and Freedom Party, Liberal Capitalist Party, Labor Party, Independence Party or whatever. Activist allies are allies wherever you find them, and good ideas are worth incorporating no matter who originated them You don't need to agree on every single point to work together. If we are going to solve our very diffecult problems America needs to broaden its bandwidth of discussion and include more innovative voices, not just the voices of status quo.

Respect and collegiality is a vital part of making our democracy work. Nonpartisanship and multipartisanship is key in uniting not dividing. But there are lines that when they are crossed we must oppose. There are limits to collegiality. When political operatives -- whatever their party -- cross into immoral or criminal behavior and mislead the nation an effective opposition must courageously step forward and put a stop to it. That's a place we Greens can lend a hand to our Dem and other progressive allies.

We Greens know from the outset that we have a difficult row to hoe. We know we have little chance to win significant races in the deeply flawed winner-take-all electoral system dominant in the U.S. (as opposed to any of the enlightened forms of proportional style voting and representation systems). There is really no "percentage" in being a Green since no one is waiting in the wings anxious to pour money on our activists and politicians. So in some ways we Greens are the quintessential permanent opposition party. We hold high progressive ideals and there's no getting around that ideals are difficult to bring into mainstream acceptance in a divided and relatively pragmatic America. But upholding and advancing progressive ideals is what we are all about and we do a reasonably good job of it given our small size and limited resources.

Sometimes I'm asked by my Democratic progressive compatriots how I can be a Green. After all aren't Greens undermining the progressive movement by running candidates against Democrats, criticizing Democrats, pressing issues that are generally considered Democratic party issues and just by being our own separate party. For people like me who truly believe in democratic choice the irony of a Democrat advocating single party rule on the progressive side is obvious. Nevertheless lets take a look at this discussion. I'd like to suggest that Democrats should be embracing the Greens instead of ripping them.

San Jose Mercury News, Sunday December 18, 2005

FEINSTEIN 'CHALLENGED'
GREEN AIMS AT WINDMILL OF SENATOR'S INCUMBENCY
No Republican has dared to challenge Sen. Dianne Feinstien for relection next year; but a Green Pary activist planted himself in fron of the senator's San Francisco headquarters to join the battle.

Running on an anti-war platform, Oakland writer Todd Chretian has vowed to wage a "million votes for peace campaign" to criticize Feinstein for her vote in support of the Iraq war.

Since then, however, the Democratic senator has said she was miled by the Bush White House and that she regrets her vote. Feinstein has become a stong critic of Bush's war policy and of new allegations that he authorized domestic spying. On Friday, she in effect boted against the USA Patriot Act, which she had co-sponsored after the Sept. 11 attacks.

Chretien, who was an organizer for Ralph Nader's presidential campaign, was a co-author of San Francisco's successful College Not Combat ballot initiative, which mde it city policy not to allow military recruiters onto public school campuses.

I'd say up till now Feinstein has been suprisingly conservative given that she's a Democratic Senator from blue California and even bluer San Francisco at that. Did Feinstein pick up and move towards the center based on pressure from Chretien's Green pressure from the left? Well, obviously he's not the only factor -- along with more than 10,000 people I've marched in San Francisco for peace. But certainly Chretien did indeed wield a substantial progressive influence on Feinstein. He paved the way for her and made it okay for her to take a more centerist approach. Chretien helped Feinstein get unstuck from her out-of-touch position.

WHY 2ND PLACERS MATTER

Americans have adopted this all or nothing mentality where the runner up doesn't count at all. IMO this is an tremendous mistake. Let's take a quick look at a quintessential American example of competition: The Superbowl. Of course we all understand what an accomplishment winning the Super Bowl is. But what about the team that losses the Superbowl? I think we Americans actually tear our 2nd placers down to such an extent that we take winners and deform them into "Losers". How is it that we forget no matter how the team performs in the actual Superbowl game (and recalling that on any given day any team can win), what an incredible gauntlet that team had to run to get there? Does that amazing lifetime accomplishment suddenly disappear because they lose one game? Of course not -- let's not be ridiculous.

And in politics being #2 actually provides a tremendous position of leverage that an effective loyal opposition can use to dramatically alter the direction of the body politic. Just take a look at how the Republicans leveraged their minority party position to gain advantage throughout the 90's! Think of the bold (if assinine) and effective initiative of Newt Gingrich. Did Dick Armey and Gingrich retreat to the shadows when they were in the minority and only speak up when there was a serious Democratic stumble? No, of course not. Though I totally disagree with what I call the "Contract on America", who can deny that the Republicans communicated clearly and concretely what they wanted to accomplish and even though few of their particulars came to pass in the short run, in the long run they've certainly had an enormous impact.

Why is it that the Dems have adopted such a passive, nambi-pambi stance? Are Democrats just so comfortable from being the majority party for many years that they've forgotten how to be a tough, aggressive loyal opposition? Randi Rhodes told C-SPAN she asked Sen Joe Biden "Senator can you tell me why the democrats have such a problem calling him what he is, he‘s a liar. He‘s a liar. And he said, you can‘t call the President a liar. Why do you have to pick the hardest things to do? And I said to him, are you kidding me? They called Bill Clinton a liar. They called him a murderer. They called him a rapist. What is – and he said democrats have a higher standard." Higher standards??? That is nonsense! If a leader lies, and as a result thousands of people die, and then the leader is caught in the act, it is absolutely incumbent upon the opposition party to hold that leader's feet to the fire. That is the definition of an opposition party's job. Call a spade a spade. The fact is that Bush has lied to the American people on numerous times. We know that beyond the shadow of a doubt now. Follow Randi Rhodes' lead: Speak the truth and call him out as the liar he truly is.

Bush himself is the "raging tyrant unconstrained by conscience or the rules of war" he spoke of last night.

THE DEMOCRATS ACTUALLY WON 2004

As my blogs and many others have thoroughly covered, the 2000, 2002 and 2004 elections were demonstrably stolen. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office's (GAO) report further supports this charge Stolen by a confluence of NeoCons, corrupt opportunist business people (like former Diebold CEO Wally O'Dell), and Dominionist TheoCons who used a variety of means to ensure that the NeoCon puppet Bush was installed in office and that the Repubs would dominate in both houses. We have word now that President-In-Exile Kerry realized the election was stolen, but chose not to challenge the illegitimate vote count. Why? My speculation is that the Lupron medication he was on caused him to behave more reservedly than would be normal for his personality and according to Rober Parry and others Kerry's advisor's pushed the fear of evoking the "sore loser" image. I will always maintain that was a poor choice that didn't serve America, but I continue to respect President Kerry and continue to support Kerry's legitimacy as the usurped real President of the United States and leader of the free world.

So since the Democrats actually did win (though had their positions stolen from them), they should take heart from the vote of confidence that America gave them, fly their flag and do their job of holding the Bush regime accountable.

So if those of us of the Fiercehearted Faction, whether Greens, Libertarians, Dems, Repubs can enhearten the Dems, give them a spinal implant, get them up off their good intentions and doing their job -- Dems should be thanking us. On behalf of the Fierce Faction I'll say you're welcome Dems!

MO Sued for Fraud '04

2005-11-24T15:06:00.000-08:00

Missouri, one of the "swing states" in the 2004 election that went "red" and who brought us Roy Blunt who is currently doing great damage in the U.S. House of Representatives as Majority Whip is being sued by the U.S. for voting violations, including registering more voters than their adult population!

The Fiercehearted Faction has been all over Missouri's voting fraud in the '04 election for a long time now. Here's some past items:
E. StL Mayor Requests Feds Monitor Election.
MoVAT: "Kerry actually won Missouri." Will this hold water???
"Kerry Actually Won Missouri": CGCS
And now the U.S. Justice Department finally joins the act!

Now what was it the Fiercehearted Faction was trying to tell everyone about big MO in Fraud '04? That Kerry actually won there (along with OH, NM, FL, and other states who had their votes manipulated and the result fraudulently shifted away from Kerry to Bush)! The Surrender Monkey's and the DNC Fainthearted Faction tried to suppress their shame, but it's all coming out with time.

Nov 24 2005
US sues Missouri over voters in 2004 election

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department has sued Missouri, a swing state won easily by President George W. Bush, for voting violations in the 2004 election, including registering more people to vote in some counties than their entire voting-age population.

The complaint, filed on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri, said 29 Missouri counties and election jurisdictions had more people registered to vote than there actually were people of voting age living in those areas.

One Missouri county, for instance, showed voter registrations that amounted to more than 150 percent of the true voting-age population in that county.

Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan acknowledged the voting irregularities in the 2004 federal election but said in a statement that the Justice Department's decision to file suit was costly and unjustified as the state was working to correct its voters rolls.

``Clearly, a problem exists. It defies common sense that we would have more registered voters than people of voting age in any Missouri county,'' said Carnahan. ``The Secretary of State's office and the Department of Justice share the same goal of ensuring fair and accurate elections.''

The lawsuit also alleges that some voters were removed from registration lists without notification, in violation of the law, while some ineligible voters were not removed.

Missouri was considered among a number of potential swing states in the 2004 election, but ended up with 53 percent voting for Bush and 46 percent going to challenger John Kerry.

The wheels of justice turn quite slowly but they often do come to fruition eventually. Its a shame that so many have had to die before BushCo's fraudulence could be unmasked and President-In-Exile Kerry's rightful place recognized!

"We Can't Accomplish Anything Further in Iraq Militarily" -- Respected Dem.

2005-11-17T09:22:00.000-08:00

A top Democratic Representative that has earned bipartisan respect and is a marine Vietnam vet, John Murtha of Pennsylvania has called for immediate withdrawal from Iraq.

"The U.S. cannot accomplish anything further in Iraq militarily. It is time to bring them home," said Rep. John Murtha (news, bio, voting record) of Pennsylvania, a senior Democrat on the subcommittee that oversees military spending.

Yes, Resident Pretender Bush and Co. lied their way into the war and continue to vigourously attack any who question the wisdom of their imperial ways. At least they are now in a position where they are starting to boldly fly their liars flag and demonstrate exactly what blackguards they truly are.

"The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion," Murtha said.

House Democrat calls for immediate troop withdrawal

Vietnam vet says the Iraq war is a flawed policy wrapped in illusion

WASHINGTON (AP) -- An influential House Democrat who voted for the Iraq war called Thursday for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, another sign of growing unease in Congress about the conflict.

"This is the immediate redeployment of American forces because they have become the target," said Rep. John Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, one of Congress' most hawkish Democrats. At times during his remarks to reporters, the decorated Vietnam War veteran and former Marine was choking back tears.

"It is time for a change in direction. Our military is suffering, the future of our country is at risk. We cannot continue on the present course. It is evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best interests of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf region," Murtha said.

Murtha, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, has earned bipartisan respect for his grasp of military issues over three decades in Congress.

Hallelujah! The Dems are finally talking some sense!

Awake America to the Evil Perpetrated by BushCo

2005-11-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Xixi, Alexandria, Virginia, USA wrote:
"Bush looks good in his suits because he exercises. He does cardio workouts every day."

Unfortunately Bush spends more time working out his bod than his brain or in actually performing the job that a real (nonusurper) US President would do. Then again given the mess he's managed to create during his stolen presidency maybe its better than he continue in his incompetent, ineffective, alcoholic, cokehead ways -- the sooner Americans wise up to his lying ways the sooner we can impeach the bastard and get to being the peaceloving democratic nation that we can be.

You know its always tough for law-abiding citizens to begin to conceive of the threat they face with curs like the Bushco crime syndicate who shamelessly bend, twist and manipulate legit laws of our great nation and then vigorously attack any opposition who questions their murderous ways. It just doesn't enter the mind of the average American that Bush could have stolen 2 elections orchestrated the 9/11 attack on his own country and proceeded to imperiously invade and occupy two vast countries in the Middle East, corrupting our own military into using chemical weapons and torture -- in the name of God and righteousness no less! In a way our blissful ignorance which we think of as "innocence" could just be the most dangerous aspect to world peace and stability on the planet! Wake up, fellow Americans!

JamBoi

TheoCon Doms Reveal Their Hand!

2005-03-28T16:42:00.000-08:00

The Dominionists are showing their hand quite directly. This article will make your hair stand on end if you've been following the Madsen investigations. Just like Hitler in Mein Kampf, just like the PNACers, these people put right out their the NeoFascist agenda they have in mind.

NYT's article:
Movement in the Pews Tries to Jolt Ohio
By JAMES DAO

Published: March 27, 2005

Greg Sailor for The New York Times
The Ohio secretary of state, J. Kenneth Blackwell, has the support of the state's conservative church leaders.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Christian [JamBoi note: Not!] conservative leaders from scores of Ohio's fastest growing churches are mounting a campaign to win control of local government posts and Republican organizations, starting with the 2006 governor's race.

In a manifesto that is being circulated among church leaders and on the Internet, the group, which is called the Ohio Restoration Project, is planning to mobilize 2,000 evangelical, Baptist, Pentecostal and Roman Catholic leaders in a network of so-called Patriot Pastors to register half a million new voters, enlist activists, train candidates and endorse conservative causes in the next year.

The initial goal is to elect Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell, a conservative Republican, governor in 2006. The group hopes to build grass-roots organizations in Ohio's 88 counties and take control of local Republican organizations.

"The establishment of the Ohio Republican Party is out of touch with its base," said Russell Johnson, the pastor of the Fairfield Christian Church and the principal organizer of the project. "It acts as if it lives in Boston, Mass."

[snip]
I must say these people have brazeness if nothing else. Here's one insinuating somehow he's more Republican than the Republicans and inviting the Republicans who aren't Domionist enough to join the Dems:

"We're very confused that you have a Republican Party platform, and yet people running for higher office pay no attention to it," said Phil Burress, the leader of the Issue 1 campaign, who is also helping organize the Restoration Project. "Why don't they just become Democrats?" he asked.

I encourage everyone to read the whole article at the NYT's site

Wrap up of "Stop U.S. Vote Rigging Now!": San Jose, Sat. Mar 26th

2005-03-27T23:47:00.000-08:00

It went well IMO. I was the MC. It was all videotaped by Penny Little (producer of the upcoming movie Electile Dysfunction) and we are going to try to get it up on the web soon.

Peter Drekmeir did a fabulous job of laying out the whole picture of Fraud '04. See his website electionfraud2004.org

Emily Levy www.juiceforjustice.com spoke about the tell-tale statistics that assure us there was massive fraud on and after Nov. 2nd and how to connect to groups that are making a difference.

Singer-songwriter Laramie Crocker of LaramieCrocker.com rocked the house with songs of taking back our country from the black box voting machines.

Alan Dechert, Pres/Founder of OVC (OpenVoting.org) was the keynote speaker and the main topic of the day was "Open Voting Systems". Between Alan and Jim March (of BlackBoxVoting.org) they defined "Open Voting" as transparent, verifiable, electronic voting with open source software, fully logged chain-of-custody of all votes (meaning recorded names of every single person who has takes any administrative action on the voting machines, tabulators or ballots).

In OVC's software proposal the print out sheet of the vote IS the actual ballot. It has a UPC code that represents the votes on the various races, which can be verified by the voter before the voter puts their ballot in the ballot box. This verification process can take place no matter whether the voter is english literate or not or even if the voter is blind. The voting machine in the OVC proposal is basically just a printer that also records a backup tally of the votes that can be used to audit and double-check the counting of the actual ballots. I was impressed.

Alan said the first certifiable OVC software would probably be tabulation software sometime next year.

About 50 people. Some lively discussion. There was a little controversy in the form of a couple of folks who were paper-only voting advocates trying to start a debate which was inappropriate at that point and place. I said the paper-only position has vitues and that the rest of the democratic world operates on that basis. I offered to set up a followup meeting that would be a real full-on debate between paper-only and open voting advocates. Unfortunately none of the paper-only folks came up to me to help me get such a get-together so I don't know if I'll be able to get it going. Too bad. I didn't get their names, but if they contact me I'll still follow through.

Today in San Jose: "Stop U.S. Election Rigging Now!"

2005-03-25T11:12:00.000-08:00

Stop U.S. Election Rigging Now!"
The most complete writeup I've seen so far
Silicon Valley Open Voters

Don't forget to come to the event Saturday in San Jose!

"Stop U.S. Election Rigging Now!"

Date: Saturday, March 26

Time: 2:00pm-5:30pm

Location: St. James Senior Center (room 6), 199 North Third Street,
San Jose, California

Connect with other Silicon Valley election reformers:
http://electionreform.meetup.com/104

Meet Penny Little, the producer/director of "Electile Dysfunction," as
she finishes the filming of her movie! Learn how our election system
can be rigged and how to stop it from speakers Alan Dechert, president
of the Open Voting Consortium, Jim March, board member of Black Box
Voting, Emily Levy from the Richard Hayes Phillips Project, and Peter
Drekmeier. See movie clips and participate in an action planning
session. Hear live political music by Laramie Crocker!

Event contact info: Lara Shaffer, 831-419-0758, Email: lara at openvoting dot org,
OpenVoting.org

$10 donation requested (no one will be turned away due to lack of
funds!)

Proceeds benefit the Open Voting Consortium (OVC), a non-profit
organization dedicated to the development, maintenance, and delivery of
open voting systems for use in public elections.

Rep. Gibbons (R-NV): Liberals Should Be Human Shields in Iraq

2005-03-02T14:57:00.000-08:00

I agree with this dK poster: Gibbons has demonstrated unfitness for leadership in our great democracy and needs to resign immediately.

JamBoi

Rep. Gibbons (R-NV): Liberals Should Be Human Shields in Iraq by
DavidNYC

Wed Mar 2nd, 2005 at 14:12:10 PST
Jim Gibbons, an extremist Republican Congressman from Nevada, offers the latest version of the GOP "dissent is treason" talking points, coupled with the threat of violence against political opponents:

"I say we tell those liberal, tree-hugging, Birkenstock-wearing, hippie, tie-dyed liberals to go make their movies and their music and whine somewhere else," Gibbons said to another burst of applause.
...
He said that they are the same people who wanted to go to Iraq and become human shields for the enemy.
"I say it's just too damn bad we didn't buy them a ticket," Gibbons said.

Laughter rippled through the room, mingled with more applause. (Emphasis added.)

This kind of hate speech has no place in civil society. By engaging in such base commentary, Rep. Gibbons has declared himself unfit to hold office and must resign.
(Via Anglico's diary.)

BlogSwarm NeoFascisti Rep. Gibbons (R-NV): Ed Schultz challenges blogosphere

2005-03-02T14:48:00.000-08:00

I LOVE "Big Eddie" Ed Schultz, so this Recommended Diary on dk got my attention immediately.

JamBoi

Ed Schultz challenges blogosphereby Anglico
Wed Mar 2nd, 2005 at 13:40:40 PST

Big Eddie was on an awesome rant today about the fascist comments of Rep. Jim Gibbons to a foaming-at-the-mouth red-state crowd. Apparently, Rep. Gibbons suggested in his comments that liberals should be used as human shields for our illustrious troops in Iraq.

'Where's the blogosphere on this?' Schultz said. 'All you bloggers who want to take on the media, how come you're not all over this?' This is not an exact quote, just what I heard in my car.

It seems to me that Schultz is calling for a blogswarm to take Gibbons to task. Any chance we could start up a killer bee frenzy and take the Nazi out?

This is the only reference I could find so far.

Also from a poster this story.

I don't know about you, but I can't stand letting the fascista get away with this kind of crap. Yet, far too often, they do. Even in a blood red state that features the sin capital of the western hemisphere, they surely have some scruples. Do we really want to stand by and allow an elected representative of We the People call for 49% of the country to be used as human shields in a combat zone?

The sad part is, Gibbons is such a braggart about his own military career in the Air Farce. Too bad someone on his staff didn't remind him that there are plenty of liberals in the US armed services over in Iraq doing his party's immoral dirty work.

Fiercehearted Faction Calls for Bush's Impeachment

2005-03-01T20:30:00.000-08:00

"High Crimes and Misdemeanors" as the criteria for impeachment? Well, lets see there's so many to choose from. Here's a partial list:
1. Rigging the '00 Election
2. Participation in and liability for 9/11.
3. Misrepresenting intelligence to Congress and the American People
4. Flunking the global test: Violating UN resolve to allow weapons inspectors to finish their work before calling for the invasion of Iraq.
5. +100,000 Iraqui civilian casualties,
6. at least 1500 official US military deaths in Iraq
7. In reality probably upward of 20,000 casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan,
8. No Osama Bin Laden arrest.
9. Halliburton
10. No WMDs
11. Derilection of duty to secure Iraqui conventional arms so they wouldn't be used on our troops.
12. IraquiNam
13. Administrative incompetetence resulting in the loss of the Columbia crew and spaceshuttle.
15. Signing the executive order resulting in Torturegate.
16. Armorgate: Derelection of duty as Commander in Chief leading to 10s of thousands of U.S. casualties.
17. Taking an enormous surplus and running up the national debt to record levels.
18. Destroying the U.S.'s reputatation among the community of nations.
18. Rigging '04 Election.

What more do we need???

Latest Military Fatality Date: Mar 01, 2005
Total Fatalities since May 1, 2003: 1422
March 20th through May 1st: 139 Hostile US Fatalities Since May 1, 2003: 1029
Hostile Fatalities Since May 1, 2003: 1134
US deaths since July 2, 2003: 1292
(Pres. Bush announces, "Bring Them On") Total Fatalities since December 13, 2003: 1125
(Saddam Hussein is captured) Total Hostile Fatalities since December 13, 2003: 896
(Saddam Hussein is captured) * Other - Polish: 17
* Other - Danish: 1
* Other - Spanish: 11
1 Military Diplomat, 2 Army Soldier, 8 Central Intelligence Agents * Other - Italian: 20
* Other - Ukrainian: 18
* Other - Bulgarian: 7
* Other - Thai: 2
* Other - Estonian: 2
* Other - Salvadoran: 1
* Other - Netherlands 2
* Other - Slovaks: 3
* Other - Latvian: 1
* Other - Kazakh: 1
* Other - Hungarian: 1

Being Silent on the Things that Matter

2005-03-01T20:14:00.000-08:00

This is a great diary from myDD's "Political Junkie". Here's a sample...

Being Silent on the Things that Matter
by Political Junkie

From the diaries--Chris

This past weekend, I attended Tavis Smiley's "State of the Black Union" Conference in Atlanta, GA. As I sat in the santuary of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, a quote of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s replayed in my head like a refrain from a song. The quote is "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." While it did my heart and spirit a world of good to hear heavyweights in the Civil Rights movement like Rev. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, or the Rev. Joseph Lowery, Michael Eric Dyson or Minister Louis Farrakhan, exhorting those of us in the audience and watching on C-Span, my mind kept repeating Dr. King's quote.

Can we continue to be silent on the matter of no longer having a free press, freedom of expression or the freedom to participate in political dissent, because dissent is essential to having true democracy?

Can we continue to be silent on the matter of a government whose sole mission is to continue to reward the wealthy at the expense of the poor?

Can we continue to be silent on the matter of not having a guaranteed, fundamental, inalienable right to a quality education, affordable, liveable, sustainable housing, not to mention a sustainable and replenishing environment, quality healthcare and jobs that pay liveable, sustainable, family-supportable wages?

[Click here for the full diary entry.]

Great Bush Quote. Little Does He Know!

2005-03-01T20:08:00.000-08:00

Little does Mini Me realize that the Fiercehearted Faction is doing exactly this and he will fall because of it!

"Governments must choose to fight corruption, abandon old habits of control,
protect the rights of conscience and the rights of minorities. Governments must
invest in the health and education of their people, and take responsibility for
solving problems instead of simply blaming others. Citizens must choose to hold
their governments accountable. The path isn't always easy, as any free people
can testify -- yet there's reason for confidence. Ultimately, men and women who
seek the success of their nation will reject an ideology of oppression, anger,
and fear. Ultimately, men and women will embrace participation and progress."

-- G.W. Bush
2/21/05 Brussells, Belgium

Irish-American Heritage Month: March

2005-03-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Newsflash: President Bush actually did something right! Last year he proclaimed March Irish-American Heritage Month

Most don't know it, but March truly is Irish-American Heritage Month.

Its time to prepare for St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Please lets make it a little deeper than green beer and "a top 'O the morn' to ya". Here's some of the things we have to be proud of a Irish-Americans besides numerous U.S. presidents (not to mention John Kerry U.S. President-in-Exile for the next 4 years).

Irish or not, please enjoy with us the "luck of the Irish"! :-)

News Flash! UN: Sports Contests to Replace Wars!

2005-03-01T10:49:00.000-08:00

This just in from the planet Peacenia, a parrallel universe/alternative reality to Earth: Koffee Annanda of the United Nations is proposing that from here on in, instead of physical wars with people getting killed, all international conflicts will be resolved by sports contests. Nations could select from a variety of options, but all would be strictly controlled games in which cheating would not be tolerated (no dismemberment or death allowed either). The actual leaders would be locked in the room to duke it out and no innocents would be needlessly injured. No "collateral damage".

One of the more popular options in the proposal is an Arena Football League game: High scoring, violent, definitley has the strategy factor and yes, people do get injured to appeal to the Amerikan Empire. Amerikan football is getting popular world-wide in Urope and Napan as well, so it is thought this may be the option generally selected.

Wisdomistan has suggested chess be the standard, however the Amerikan Emperor Shrub immediately objected and it was thought that he was concerned that his lack of intelligence would cost dearly if it was up to him to represent the Amerikan Empire.

Another popular suggestion has been paintball. Leaves a welt so it might deter imperialist types from getting too excited about land aquisition via paintball. More details to follow...

Election Fraud Isn't the Crime; Publicizing It Is

2005-02-28T23:47:00.000-08:00

If you had any doubt "Moderate" Democrats approve of Election Fraud or are at very least Election Fraud Surrender Monkeys, just take a look at my diaries at dailykos.com/user/JamBoi dailykos.com/user/JamBoi2 and tell me why else did dailyKos's Markos ("kos") lock my account not once but twice! kos went so far as to take the phrase that I had come up with and publicized on DU to describe these criminals -- Fraudsters, and used it against those of us who are working to uncover the fraud!!! And then go to DUBoothill.blogspot.com and read how not just me, but numerous other progressives that have been thrown off DemocraticUnderground.com by DemocraticUnderground's David Allen ("Skinner") appearently for nothing more than uncovering Election Fraud! Unbelievable! Clearly Election Fraud is A-Okay with kos and Skinner, but publicizing Election Fraud is verboten!

Dem Election Fraud Surrender Monkeys!

2005-02-28T08:07:00.000-08:00

Love that apt phrase! Along with "Fainthearted Faction" it describes all too accurately way too much of the Democratic Party. What is up with this? Do the Dems have a deal with the NeoFascists among the Repubs ("Okay we'll take this election, but if you don't say anything we'll give you the next one"???) That would be TREACHERY AGAINST THE U.S. CONSTITUTION!!! HELLO!!! TREACHERY IS A CAPITAL OFFENSE!!! HELLO!!! AMERICA WAKE UP!!!

If they are thinking along those lines they are just kidding themselves if they think the NeoFascists will give them the nod next time. Maybe they did with Clinton in the past, but do you REALLY THINK the NeoFascists are in the mood to back away AT ALL now??? NO I DON'T THINK SO! This is no game people. This is Germany, 1932-33 just before the suspension of the constitution!

ELECTION FRAUDSTERS ARE TRAITORS AND TERRORISTS WE NEED TO HUNT THEM DOWN AND PROSECUTE THEM LIKE AL QUEDA (without torturing them thankyou) IF NEOFASCISTS CAN RIG OUR ELECTIONS, WHY CAN'T AL QUEDA???? Maybe they did already.

U.S. Leads "Hated League"; U.S. "loathed, hated, and despised throughout the world": UK Author

2005-02-27T22:39:00.000-08:00

New Flash! Clare Short contributor to "Patriotism, Democracy, and Common Sense:Restoring America's Promise at Home and Abroad" spoke on a recent C-SPAN2 BookTV panel and made the statements "The U.S. leads the Hated League", and the U.S. is "loathed, hated, and despised throughout the world". Thank you Clare! Wake up America!!!

Fitrakis Amazed dailyKos Fainthearted Faction Enforcers!

2005-02-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

I spoke with Bob Fitrakis on Saturday at the Election Rigging 101, National Teach-In and he was quite suprised to hear that kos doesn't want to hear that Kerry Won: 900 Pages of Evidence Filed re: OH Fraud '04 and has gone as far as actually locking my account at dailyKos not once, but twice! Amazing! Crazy! JamBoi has become a political dissident in the land of kos!

Bob Fitrakis couldn't believe it initially, but the evidence is clear and persistent that the Dems don't want to deal with their "Election Rigging" problem (along the lines of America's "torture problem"). The Democractic Party in the U.S. has become complicit aiders and abetters to the most shocking crimes against democracy in the history of the world! JamBoi and the Fiercehearted Faction will not stand by while the kos and his Fainthearted Faction tries to block the truth coming out. If the Democratic Party will not work to reintroduce democracy to America we will sweep them aside too.

Step aside Fainthearted Ones and the Fiercehearted will proceed to impeach the chimp!

JamBoi

OHIO’S ODD NUMBERS by Christopher Hitchens

2005-02-27T01:35:00.000-08:00

Vanity Fair
March 2005

OHIO’S ODD NUMBERS
BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS

If it were not for Kenyon College, I might have missed, or skipped, the
whole controversy. The place is a visiting lecturer’s dream, or the
ideal of a campus-movie director in search of a setting. It is situated
in wooded Ohio hills, in the small town of Gambier, about an hour’s
drive from Columbus. its literary magazine, The Kenyon Review, was
founded by John Crowe Ransom in 1939. Its alumni include Paul Newman,
E. L. Doctorow, Jonathan Winters; Robert Lowell, Chief Justice William
Rehnquist, and President Rutherford B. Hayes. The college’s origins are
Episcopalian, its students well mannered and well off and predominantly
white, but it is by no means Bush-Cheney territory. Arriving to speak
there a few days after the presidential election, I found that the
place was still buzzing. Here’s what happened in Gambier, Ohio, on
decision day 2004.

The polls opened at 6:30 AM. There were only two voting machines
(push-button direct-recording electronic systems) for the entire town
of 2,200 (with students). The mayor, Kirk Emmert, had called the Board
of Elections 10 days earlier, saying that the number of registered
voters would require more than that. (He knew, as did many others, that
hundreds of students had asked to register in Ohio because it was a
critical “swing” state.) The mayor’s request was denied. Indeed,
instead of there being extra capacity on Election Day, one of the only
two machines chose to break down before lunchtime.

By the time the polls officially closed, at 7:30 that evening, the line
of those waiting to vote was still way outside the Community Center and
well into the parking lot. A federal judge thereupon ordered Knox
County, in which Gambier is located, to comply with Ohio law, which
grants the right to vote to those who have shown up in time. “Authority
to Vote” cards were kindly distributed to those on line (voting is a
right, not a privilege), but those on line needed more than that. By
the time the 1,175 voters in the precinct had all cast their ballots,
it was almost four in the morning, and many had had to wait for up to
11 hours. In the spirit of democratic carnival, pizzas and canned
drinks and guitarists were on hand to improve the shining moment. TV
crews showed up, and the young Americans all acted as if they had been
cast by Frank Capra: cheerful and good-humored, letting older voters
get to the front, catching up on laptop essays, many voting for the
first time and all convinced that a long and cold wait was a small
price to pay. Typical was Pippa White, who said that “even after eight
hours and 15 minutes I still had energy. It lets you know how worth it
this is.” Heartwarming, until you think about it.

The students of Kenyon had one advantage, and they made one mistake.
Their advantage was that their president, S. Georgia Nugent, told them
that they could be excused from class for voting. Their mistake was to
reject the paper ballots that were offered to them late in the evening,
after attorneys from the Ohio Democratic Party had filed suit to speed
up the voting process in this way. The ballots were being handed out
(later to be counted by machine under the supervision of Knox County’s
Democratic and Republican chairs) when someone yelled through the
window of the Community Center, “Don’t use the paper ballots! The
Republicans are going to appeal it and it won’t count!” After that, the
majority chose to stick with the machines.

[ click here for rest of article ]

"Why Now? Why did we have to wait so long?" re: Kerry and these motions

2005-02-26T08:23:00.000-08:00

This reposted from DU

"Why Now? Why did we have to wait so long?" re: Kerry and these motions
Edited on Fri Feb-25-05 07:20 PM by WilliamPitt

You probably caught the new motions Kerry/Edwards filed in Ohio:

http://forum.truthout.org/blog/story/2005/2/24/183243/756

The reaction to this I've been seeing a lot of is, "Why Now? Why did we have to wait so long?"

A thing election reformers need to accept and understand is that lawsuits, like legislation, take time. For example, the motion to preserve evidence in this Ohio matter was entered in December. It is now almost March, and the judge has yet to issue a ruling. Such a waiting period is fully and completely out of the hands of the attorneys for Cobb, Badnarik, Kerry and Edwards. Believe me, Arnebeck and Bonifaz are gnawing through their desks in anticipation, but there isn't a damned thing they or we can do but wait.

Did Kerry blow it by conceding too early? Obviously. I've spoken with several of the people who served as poll-watchers on behalf of Kerry in Ohio. The decision to concede was made before these people were debriefed. They were on buses, planes and trains hauling ass home so they could describe what they'd seen to their campaign representatives. That, and that alone, represents an incomprehensible and ultimately terminal blunder.

Now that it is in the courts, however, it is no longer about Kerry or who deserves to be in the Oval this term. It is about winning these cases and setting precedent that cannot be ignored. Winning these cases will take time, how much time being solely at the discretion of the judges and their clerks. That's just the fact.

It isn't about Kerry anymore, and frankly, hasn't been since he conceded. If they win the motion for preservation, they can get forensic examinations of the voting machines, along with sworn deposition testimony from Triad officials, local election officials, and even Mr. Blackwell himself. The importasnce of that cannot be overstated. If voting is to be rescued from privatization and the untested machine, the errors - both human and electronic - must be exposed. This motion, if successful, is a good step in that direction.

Granted, a lot of time has passed and crucial evidence could well have been wiped. But again, that is what happens with lawsuits. Cobb and Badnarik have been at this since early November, and they have been playing the exact same waiting game as the Kerry supporters out there. It isn't about any of these candidates anymore. It's about winning in court. This is the marathon.

Kerry Won! Key Laywer Bob Fitrakis on OH Fraud '04, Feb 26, Oakland, OVC

2005-02-22T17:48:00.000-08:00

Here's the last thing kos allowed me to post at jamboi2.dailykos.com. Do you see anything objectionable here??? Only to the Fainthearted DiNO's who fear their own election fraud will be unmasked.

JamBoi

Kerry Won! Key Laywer Bob Fitrakis on OH Fraud '04, Feb 26, Oakland, OVC by JamBoi2
Fri Feb 18th, 2005 at 18:52:45 PST
BOB FITRAKIS TO SPEAK ON ELECTION RIGGING AND HOW TO STOP IT
HE SHOULD KNOW! HE'S BEEN HIP-DEEP IN FIGHTING THE ELECTION RIGGING IN OHIO '04 THAT FRAUDULENTLY GAVE BUSH THE U.S. PRESIDENCY! COME HEAR THE PROOF FOR YOURSELF AND WHERE WE GO FROM HERE!

NATIONAL TEACH-IN: "STOP ELECTION RIGGING NOW!"

The Open Voting Consortium is sponsoring a National Teach-In: "STOP ELECTION RIGGING NOW!", Feb. 26 In Oakland CA. Bob Fitrakis who is one of the plaintiffs (along with Cliff Arnebeck) in the Bush v Moss case to overturn the fraudulent US '04 National Election will be speaking. See my diary: Kerry Won: 900 Pages of Evidence Filed re: OH Fraud '04 for info on the spectacular filing yesterday in this litigation series.

Here's two snippets:

"...The attorneys in this case had reason to believe that the election results did not reflect the will of the electorate."

and

"In filings that include well over 1,000 pages of critical documentation, attorneys Robert Fitrakis, Susan Truitt, Peter Peckarsky and Cliff Arnebeck have counter-attacked."

Details and more OVC events listed below the fold... Diaries :: JamBoi2's diary :: Details:
National Teach-In: "STOP ELECTION RIGGING NOW!

Date: Saturday, February 26
Time: 10am-4pm
Place: Oakland, First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St.
Website for flyer
What: Bob Fitrakis, Ohio attorney and editor, Columbus Free Press; Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange; Larry Bensky, KPFA; Walter Riley, East Bay Votes; Jonathan Simon, Verified Vote; Alan Dechert, Open Voting Consortium; Bob Kibrick, Verified Voting; Election-Related Documentary Footage; Strategy and Action from Blackboxvoting.org, VotersUnite.org, Open Voting Consortium, the MMOB and more

Info from http://www.openvotingconsortium.org/ad/events.htm
Future Open Voting Consortium and Election Reform Events
* Sacramento MoveOn Event-
Voting Reform: Electronic Voting Systems, Pro and Con

Date: Sunday, February 20
Time: 6-9pm
Place: SEUI, 1911 F Street, Sacramento, CA
Website for flyer
What: Watch movie "Invisible Ballots," hear speeches from CalVoter's Kim Alexander and the Sacramento County Registrar Jill Lavine. Alan Dechert and Lara Shaffer from the Open Voting Consortium will also be there.

Election Reform Radio show KUSP, Santa Cruz
Date: Wednesday, February 23
Time: 10:30am
Place: Santa Cruz 88.9 FM
On the web live at: http://www.kusp.org/live/
Contact: Lara Shaffer, 831-419-0758, lara at openvoting dot org
What: Lara Shaffer (Open Voting Consortium), Emily Levy (Richard Hayes Philips Project), and others will talk about election reform

National Teach-In on Election Rigging and How to Stop It

Date: Saturday, February 26
Time: 10am-4pm
Place: Oakland, First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St.
Website for flyer
What: Bob Fitrakis, Ohio attorney and editor, Columbus Free Press; Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange; Larry Bensky, KPFA; Walter Riley, East Bay Votes; Jonathan Simon, Verified Vote; Alan Dechert, Open Voting Consortium; Bob Kibrick, Verified Voting; Election-Related Documentary Footage; Strategy and Action from Blackboxvoting.org, VotersUnite.org, Open Voting Consortium, the MMOB and more

House party for Bob Fitrakis

Date: Saturday, February 26
Time: evening
Place: West Marin (Bolinas)
Contact: Megan Matson, matson8 at themmob dot com

Film as Evidence

Date: Saturday, February 26
Time: 7-10pm
Location: Venice United Methodist Church - Sanctuary 1020 Victoria Ave. Venice, CA 90291
Website for flyer
What: Watch Votergate, Electile Dysfunction, and Standing in the Rain with Jim Crow and meet the directors and producers of all of these movies

Who Got Glitched and How Do We Fix It Teach-In

Time: 2-5pm
Place: Los Angeles, The Church at Ocean Park (2nd & Hill, S.M.)
Website for flyer
What: Bob Fitrakis, Ohio attorney and editor, Columbus Free Press; Medea Benjamin, Global Exchange; Butch Wing, Rainbow PUSH Coalition; Bev Harris, Black BoxVoting.org; Hear about voting system solutions from Lara Shaffer, the Open Voting Consortium.

Election Reform and the Open Voting Consortium, Scotts Valley, CA:
Speech for the Northern Democratic Club

Date: Tuesday, March 1
Time: 6pm (dinner) 7pm-8pm (speech and questions and answers)
Location: Scotts Valley, Maya Mexican Restaurant, 3115 Scotts Valley Dr
Contact: Chris Finnie, cfinnie at sbcglobal dot net

Community Television show about Election Reform, Santa Cruz CA

Time: 7:30pm
Location: Public Access Channel 27 in Santa Cruz
Contact: Joe Grossman- joseleon@pacbell.net
What: Live TV program with Lara Shaffer (Open Voting Consortium), Emily Levy (Richard Hayes Philips Project), and others to talk about election reform

Open Voting Consortium Event

Time: March 26, 1-4pm
Location: San Jose, CA, (venue TBA)
Contact: Drew Johnson, jamboi at yahoo dot com
What: Alan Dechert (Open Voting Consortium), Jim March (Black Box Voting.org), Emily Levy (Richard Hayes Philips Project), and others will speak about de-privatizing the voting system in America and other election reform issues.

Also, watch for future Open Voting Consortium events happening soon in:

Santa Cruz (at UCSC, Cabrillo, and Seabright)
Long Beach
Laguna Beach
San Diego
Oakland
Austin

kos Locks Out JamBoi! Again! Again With No Warning Or Justification.

2005-02-22T17:42:00.000-08:00

Man this is getting old. These Democrats In Name Only (DiNOs) like Skinner and kos seem to have entirely lost site of the whole free speech "thing." What, first amendment rights??? Here in Amerika??? Naw, not here... Entirely crazy, man.

Kerry Won: 900 Pages of Evidence Filed re: OH Fraud '04

2005-02-17T23:01:00.000-08:00

Here's the work we've been doing coming to fruition! The wheels of justice may turn slowly, but turn they do. Fav quote: "...The attorneys in this case had reason to believe that the election results did not reflect the will of the electorate."

Departments: Election 2004
Representative Conyers and others file amicus brief in Ohio Supreme Court
by Dena Graziano
February 17, 2005

Today, Congressman John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, will be filing an amicus brief in the Ohio Supreme Court with the support of Senator Russ Feingold and 17 other members of the House of Representatives recommending that the Court not sanction the attorneys who brought Ohio election contest in Moss v. Bush (no.04- 2088). Mr. Conyers offered the following statement:

"The attorneys in this case had reason to believe that the election results did not reflect the will of the electorate. In good faith, they brought a case based not only on statistical probability but the depositions and affidavits of computer experts, statisticians, and election volunteers. In only a couple months, these attorneys have amassed over 900 pages of evidence.

"While we take no opinion on the underlying case, we firmly support the right of citizens to challenge elections results in court when they have a good faith basis to do so. Truly, Secretary Blackwell's attempt to sanction these attorneys is meant to send a message to anyone who dare challenge his questionable election administration. For our democracy to work properly, we can't allow this sort of intimidation by state officials."

Original press release House Judiciary Democrats Press Release

Be Careful What You Sign

2005-02-17T09:13:00.000-08:00

A favorite song, apropos to the time that speaks metaphorically of Love and Resurrection in Dangerous Times. Note that LN is entirely non-violent as am I.

Larry Norman - Be Careful What You Sign
from the Album: So Long Ago The Garden (1973)

i was walking down the road when i bumped into you
i was walking down the road when i bumped into you
you stopped me you touched me you look me in the eye
i had a feeling that you knew me i decided you must die
i pulled out my thornton special i shot you in the head
i threw you in the alleyway and left you for dead

then a man with a hat came up from behind
the sky went black and i thought i was blind
he put his hand inside my jacket and left a million dollar bills
he slipped his hands into my pocket and gave me women and thrills
and when i turn around to thank him there was no one there but me
and both my hands were filled with sand i was standing by the sea

we had dinner at eight and women at nine
the party was great till we ran out of wine
there was a knock upon the bedroom door my knees began to shake
and this man came in and melted all the candles on my cake
he said i've come here to escort you it's time for you to go
he open up my body and took away my soul

i was running down the road
i was trying to leave
and i saw you all alone in between the thiefs
and when the lightning flashed i saw somebody hanging from a tree
and as i turned to walk i realized it was me
i pulled out my thornton special i shot me in the head
i threw me in the alleyway and left me for dead
down the road
down the road

Nature abhors a vacuum...

2005-02-17T02:14:00.000-08:00

There's that old saying that nature abhors a vacuum. Its amusing to watch the Old School media complain about us bloggers and how we are not properly credentialed, don't adequately check our stories, etc. Essentially when you boil it down their complaint is that we are not part of their guild system and we are not controllable by them. Wah!!!

Tonight's "The Daily Show's" segment defending us bloggers tonight was hilarious. They talked about how folks at dailyKos and another site (who's name I forget) blew out the psuedononymous "Jeff Gannon", male prostitute and White House press corps propaganist ringer for *. They mentioned Atrios.blogpot.com by name. They also had a rapier-like Stephen Colbert report where he pretended to be an Old School journalist lambasting the bloggers. RotFLMAO!

Bloggers might never have become so powerful if the media was actually doing the job of the Fourth Estate and exposing the NeoFascists instead of sitting on their ass. Just goes to show you, nature abhors a vacuum...

Living a nightmare

2005-02-17T02:01:00.000-08:00

This letter to the editor in the Los Gatos Daily News, Feb. 10, 2005 from Alan Van Fleet of Redwood City, CA was so moving I'm re-presenting it here. I don't think Alan will mind. It speaks for itself. JamBoi

Living a nightmare
Dear Editor: I am a veteran of World War II. When I left the Army, I returned to a land of beauty and glory. We had beaten the Nazis in Europe, and the Japanese militarists in the Pacific.
   Everywhere in the world, America was loved and honered. I was proud to be an American.
   Now each day I feel that I am in a horrible nightmare from which I cannot wawake. I can scarely open a newspaper or watch TV. Atrocities and abominations and injustices sprout like evil mushrooms across the earth.
   The media do not tell us enough, not nearly enough, about what is going on, but I know. I am not a "good German" who "did not see" the death of the Jews. I know.
   Where has my land of hopes and dreams gone? What has happened to you, America? Where have you gone?
   O come back....Come back.
Alan Van Fleet
Main Street
Redwood City

Looks like kos is not going to respond.

2005-02-17T01:47:00.000-08:00

Well, I've given kos plenty o' time and he continues to leave my dailyKos account locked. Unjustly. That's the way it goes since it being his site he can be as arbitrary, unjust, and pigheaded as he wants to be. Its his right.

What is it with these undemocratic Democrats and regressive "progressives"??? Democrats of the fainthearted faction who are afraid to face the corruption that pervades not only the Republicans, but the Democrats also. They don't seem to realize that in acting regressively they are blocking the positive change they think they are working towards. Hopefully Dean will push aside these DLCers fainthearted ones and fire up the Donkeys. If so maybe I'll consider rejoining.

In kos' favor at least this time he bothered to reply to me once fairly quickly, but not again after that. Ah well, JamBoi says "c'est la vie". Supposedly he is a moderate progressive like me, and hopefully at some point he'll realize he treated me unjustly. Since we actually live relatively closely here in the SF Bay area I'm sure I'll get a chance to meet him sometime at some kind of gathering of progressives.

In the meantime I forge ahead as one of many leaders of the "Fierce-hearted faction" that will not put up with regressive "progressive" nonsense, and will stand and fight the NeoFascists whether they bear the name "Republican", "Democrat", Nazi, "Green" or whatever. Anyone who takes the attitude that "The end justifies the means" is my enemy and I will use all peaceful, non-violent Jesus/Gandhi/MLK-like means to overcome them and will teach others to do likewise. The NeoFascists will not prevail if Jesus' followers will take a stand and fight fire with God's Love.

JamBoi

Re: kos, why am I locked out again? And again with no warning?

2005-02-08T04:53:00.000-08:00

Dear brother Markos,

--- dkos@dailykos.com wrote:

> Dude, you were deleting diaries and reposting them to stay atop the
> recommended diaries. If you didn't know that was wrong, then your
> moral compass is seriously screwed.
>
> At best, your actions showed a complete lack of consideration for
> other posters, and that, in my opinion, is a bannable offense. m

Not guilty. If that were what I had done I might be able to see your
point.

So please give me the time to explain what REALLY happened and share
my point of view.

To begin with its not right to make the kind of assumption you've made
that you know what my motivation for deletion and reposting. I don't
understand why you are not asking me for my reasoning instead of
telling me what you think it is. How can anyone know what is going on
in another's head? Furthermore, to impugn someone's moral character
is really skating out onto thin ice and I'm having a hard time seeing
where you're implying that deleting/reposting is some kind of major
moral/ethical event. I do realize that it does have some (unintended)
side effects on posted comments and position on the RECENT diaries list
(not RECOMMENDED as you charged).

I have never ever done ANYTHING to try to stay atop the
RECOMMENDED diaries as you charge. On that list I just let the chips
fall where they may. If I post something popular, so be it, if not
that's fine. As a matter of fact I took a MAJOR hit for deleting two
extremely popular diaries that Larisa of RawStory demanded I remove
for fear of exposing a witness in the fraudulent Ohio recount. Why
would I do that and piss people off if all I wanted was to do was
be popular? I wouldn't. Now with all that being said, let me explain
what has actually happened now that you've provided me with the rationale
for the locking.

First off it would help to recall that the first several times I EVER
wrote to you were before I ever posted diary entry here AT ALL. John
Dean "Bozos for Bush" had spent several of his first dK diaries making
false accusations against me and by doing so had been instrumental in
getting me banned from DU. I wrote to you several times asking that
you remove the postings. I never to this day got ANY response on that.
What I ended up doing was to convince "Bozos" that he was wrong and he
finally deleted the diaries himself. I formed the conclusion that you
were uninterested in the goings on at your site since I couldn't imagine
that you would be okay with Bozos posting crapola about DU.

Since then you've actually come down on ME for HIM bringing DU stuff
here. Well I quite agree with you that people should leave there stuff
from other sites off dK, but when this hand of discipline is applied so
unevenly and I'd even say unfairly what is the poster to do? It gave
the impression you were at best asleep at the switch. Okay, fast
forward to this Saturday AM:

Secondly Saturday Bozos again was on the warpath vs. me and after he'd
carried on a long thread of crapola about me at BBV and CGCS he posted
a nasty libelous comment on my morning dK diary, which he then started
cross-posting on a second one of my diaries (which I'd really
appreciate if you'd remove since its still littering
http://jamboi.dailykos.com/story/2005/1/26/14716/6631) and on his diary
space at dK (which he's since removed since he realized he was wrong).
I had posted an IMO non-controversial first-person account of a meeting
of the Open Voting Consortium the night before which was pretty much
exactly like the top half of what I reposted at
http://jamboi.mydd.com/story/2005/2/5/161233/5684.

I had not added the actual meeting notes yet (the second half of the
above post) and Bozos had THE ONLY comment on the diary. So when I
was ready to add the meeting notes I decided to delete the diary and
repost. The purpose was NOT to do ANYTHING other than get rid of that
stupid comment of his. I was aware that it would put the post back at
the top of the RECENT diaries, but that was an unintended and unwanted
side effect. The posting wasn't all that popular or highly recommended
to my knowledge, so I don't think there was much effect at all on
RECOMMENDED diaries, though you have much clearer insight into the
dynamics of that from your vantage point than I ever could. My point:
I'VE NEVER DONE ANYTHING TO TRY TO "STAY ATOP THE
RECOMMENDED LIST" AS YOU CHARGED. So please take that back.

As to lack of consideration for other posters, as far as I knew there
was only John's comment on that post and it didn't deserve to stay
there. So where's the beef?

Also I'd really appreciate it if we could hook up and communicate about
things like this BEFORE you take such drastic action so I (or whoever
you're working with) can have a chance to explain my point of view.
Warnings are a beautiful thing brother Markos. Please afford me and
your other posters warning so that we can feel we are being treated in
a democratic way.

So since I am not guilty as charged, I would ask that you unlock my
account. BTW, I live just down the road from you in SJ, so if it would
be more workable on things like this to talk on the phone that would be
find by me too. Just let me know...

Thanks for listening and keep up all the good work you're doing. As
I've said before I really appreciate this facility you provide and the
difference you and by extension our whole dK community is making in our
world. I do not expect perfection at dK, but if we can talk through
misunderstandings like this I believe it only strenghthens the
community and in turn the progressive movement.

Drew Johnson
(AKA JamBoi)

JamBoi previously enquired:

> > And for what?
> >
> > Can't we have warnings? Please tell me what I need to change so
> that
> > I can stay on your good side. These anonymous lock outs really
> aren't
> > good ways to operate the site. If I'm messing up, please let me
> know
> > via e-mail.
> >
> > On Saturday I was notified in comments by Armando about something
> and
> > before I even had a chance to delete the diary as he asked he did
> it.
> > And then he went on to delete several more??? I thought dailyKos
> was
> > about democracy, not mobocracy. I don't believe his actions were
> > justified or fair. For my part I posted a public apology (though I
>
> > don't think I was "guilty" of much more than ignorance of the
> > ultra-strict interpretation of the rules that he used to justify
> his
> > actions). Still my point was nothing more than to participate in
> the
> > community, and if by apologizing it helps things go better, I have
> no
> > problem with that.
> >
> > Btw, I enjoyed hearing you talk on Majority Report. Hope you get
> more
> > opportunities like that to put a "face" on us bloggers. Good
> going!
> >
> > Thanks for listening,
> >
> > JamBoi

kos, why am I locked out again? And again with no warning?

2005-02-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

And for what?

Can't we have warnings? Please tell me what I need to change so that I can stay on your good side. These anonymous lock outs really aren't good ways to operate the site. If I'm messing up, please let me know via e-mail.

On Saturday I was notified in comments by Armando about something and before I even had a chance to delete the diary as he asked he did it. And then he went on to delete several more??? I thought dailyKos was about democracy, not mobocracy. I don't believe his actions were justified or fair. For my part I posted a public apology (though I don't think I was "guilty" of much more than ignorance of the ultra-strict interpretation of the rules that he used to justify his actions). Still my point was nothing more than to participate in the community, and if by apologizing it helps things go better, I have no problem with that.

Btw, I enjoyed hearing you talk on Majority Report. Hope you get more opportunities like that to put a "face" on us bloggers. Good going!

Thanks for listening,

JamBoi

Tired of getting locked out. Starting my own. :-)

2005-02-07T13:17:00.000-08:00

I got locked out of my JamBoi.DailyKos.com account again. Again with no e-mail from the Admin and no clear indication of what it was about. More censorship. Armando was objecting to what he called a double post I did on Saturday which I apologized for and this lockout is my reward. As I've learned to say these days "no good deed shall go unpunished!". At some point I've gotta say "whatever". If they insist on being petty and censorious, whatever dudes. I'll just keep on truckin' :-)

JamBoi