Greetings. Well, there was a speech last night, eh? I saw on commondreams.org that an act of resistance can be to write one's own "cacerlolazo" or "People's Address" to counter and resist the administration and its' policies.
The term cacerlolazo means "casserole" and the tactic is rooted in folks banging pots, pans and other utensils in noisy protest. OK, let's make some NOISE!
My own "People's Address":
Honorable Members of Congress, Supreme Court Justices, Cabinet Secretaries, and Honorable Fellow Citizens:
This country needs to chart a new path. A path that will take us ever closer to the fabled American Dream and The Dream of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr..
We need to chart a path which will move us away from hatred, bigotry, and fearmongering into a new path of acceptance, understanding, and cooperation. We must ensure that there will be no second-class citizens; that equal protection of the law applies to each citizen, and that every voice has an equal chance to be heard.
We need to chart a new path to ensure that our First Amendment Rights are honored and protected. The freedom to worship freely, protest and dissent freely and to have a free press must be absolutely and always respected. We should also broaden the scope to make sure that rights to privacy are also included.
We need to chart a new path in the way government works; its focus should be working for the people. That means the first concern of policy should be the people of our country, not corporations or large donors. Citizens also deserve a government based on truth, transparency, and accountability. Our government should always be held to those principles.
We need to chart a new path by enacting policies to further public education and programs that will lessen or eliminate the tremendous burden of debt with which so many students have been weighed down. We must recognize that investing in our students is one of the best investments we can make.
We need to chart a new path on immigration to make sure that people are treated with fairness and humanity, and that violence is not done to families.
We need to chart a new path on jobs, the economy, and the climate. We need to foster policies and programs which benefit the majority of Americans, not just wealthy and well-connected elites. We need to understand that we must not ignore climate change, but work to protect the Planet; that this is not necessarily a forced choice between jobs and climate.
We need to chart a new path with our military and law enforcement. It is true that we need a military, however, we need not allow it to be bloated out of control. We also need to scale back the increasing militarization of law enforcement and make sure that the justice system is fair for all.
Finally, we need to chart a new path, a new course globally, and lead in seeking ways toward Global Peace.
Thank you all and God bless our nation and our Earth.
Remember, if you find this or any post here of value do comment and/or share. Thanks!
Greetings once again. I just HAD to post about these three items which, if you haven't seen, should be checking out.
News goes so fast, it can be hard to keep up. But some things we really shouldn't miss. There are so many fronts now needing our attention, it can be hard to know how to focus. Still many things are interconnected if one really looks behind the scenes. Issues of bigotry, privacy, economic injustice, climate activism have many points of intersection.
So, here are three items you might want to check out.
- This one was too good not to make note of. GOP Senators silenced Sen. Warren from reading Coretta Scott King's letter concerning Sen. Sessions. Although she didn't read it on the Senate floor, she did an interview about it and also read it on facebook live (if I have that correct) to so many more people. Later, Sen . Merkley did read it on the Senate floor. You can read about this and read the text of the letter in this article.
- A legal defense fund set up for Barrett Brown is suing the Dep't of Justice, claiming they were suveilling anonymous donors. This is a very important issue, as this relates to people exercising Free Speech by anonymous donations to a cause. First Amendment, anyone?
I hope these alerts are of service to you readers. If you have any to share, do comment!
Also remember, if you find this post or any post here to be of value, please comment and/or share. Thanks!
Greetings again, dear readers --- at least I hope there are some out there. Today is a "two-fer", so be sure to also check out the blog post immediately following this one. And PLEASE, don't be shy;! I'd love to hear from you.
So much of the current political climate is distressing. There are those pledging resistance and that is a small spot of hope. We will need all of that - and more. Concerning to me (and hopefully to all of Goodwill) are those on the alt-right who suggest America belongs to white men. And there was something else I had noticed, headlines and phrases such as *********'s America (I refuse to use the nutjob's name) caused me to write to a couple of editors about denying him the brand and that it was---- MY AMERICA, TOO!
All of that finally led to the following poem. Hope you enjoy it. I could use some encouragement here.
Whose America Is It?
Whose America is it?
A question I must ponder today
As I wonder how there can be some myopic individuals
Who suggest America belongs to white men
My reply to that suggestion must, of course be, “Wrong!”
It is my country, too,
The land of this proudly mixed-race woman,
Who is absolutely American
Born here
Studied here, taught here
Still living here
In the home my Father built
On the land my Mother bought
It is the country of my extended family,
Generations increasingly shaded by diverse ethnicities
It is the country of the people I meet
Regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual identity or preference
For aren’t we all neighbors,
As a Biblical parable explained?
It is historically a country built by and defended by hands of many colors
Despite hurdles placed in the way
Or humiliations so often endured
Surely a testament of attachment and belonging
Instead of exclusionary arrogance
All should heed the wise thought
Of a certain President Truman
Who told us being an American
Means you believe all men (and I will add ‘women’ here)
Are created free and equal
And isn’t it common knowledge that all means all
And not just some?
Open eyes, open ears,
Open minds, open hearts
Must lead the way
Then, and only then, can we
Follow examples of bridge-builders
Applaud trailblazers who opened doors for others,
And reveal the beauty in Dr. King’s Dream
The vision of just who is American should be broadened,
For as the country has grown geographically over centuries
Its heart must also expand,
Sending pulses throughout an ever more inclusive cultural landscape
As we realize that America belongs to all of us
And to America we all belong,
Each of us playing a part
In the continuing story of “We, the People.”
And PLEASE, if you find this or any post here valuable, comment and/or share. Thanks!
Greetings again - and I HOPE there are readers out there!
It's been hard since the election to write. Even blogging, I haven't really known exactly what to write next. There have been so many dissections, but the result has made my heart and spirit very uneasy as I mentioned.
I don't know if you'd still call this a "dissection", but here are some reflections which I developed after the idea of "Three R's" just popped into my head (along with something else which I'll mention later).
I feel going forward we need to think in terms of Three R's: Resist, Remedy, Renew.
- Resist. As I mentioned in Seek a Just Unity, I am very wary of any normalization of or accommodating the incoming "so-called" administration. Accommodating a leader with authoritarian tendencies usually is a disaster. Further, so many also feel that this nutjob's picks for his cabinet are uniformly disastrous. We need to recognize the dangers posed to folks' health, liberties, even lives and Planet Earth itself. You might wish to read another great piece by Steven W. Thrasher . Resistance and pushback will be crucial. You can support organizations such as the ACLU or Planned Parenthood who are fighting for rights and liberties. Folks are standing up against corporate aggression, for First Amendment right to protest, for Indigenous Rights, and for the environment by supporting the Standing Rock #NoDAPL protests in various ways. For example, many folks are pulling accounts from banks who are helping to finance this nefarious project. We must also fight against things such as religious or racial profiling. The Intercept has a new article detailing the response of 9 tech companies to the question: “Would [name of company], if solicited by the Trump administration, sell any goods, services, information, or consulting of any kind to help facilitate the creation of a national Muslim registry, a project which has been floated tentatively by the president-elect’s transition team?” (Only one said no, and if you haven't heard, I won't spoil things; please check out the article). Might it be a good idea to contact some of these companies - those listed in the article and also others - and let them know what a horrible idea this registry (or any such thing) is? I'm sure you can think of or find other suggestions - and it's great to share them.
- Remedy. The Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., President and CEO of Hip Hop Caucus, said in an panel discussion on one of the C-Spans, that the ultimate goal must be legislation and policy formation to really affect change. So we need to advocate for legislation and policy decisions that will benefit "We, The People" - from local concerns up through national and global ones. We need to make sure leaders and officials are accountable and hold their feet to the fire in an attempt to get us on a more progressive, positive course.
- Renew. We MUST renew our commitment to Dr. King's Dream. We MUST renew our commitment to making the "American Dream" more attainable for more people. We MUST renew (or in some cases, begin to form) our recognition of our common humanity; that MUST overshadow tribalism. We MUST renew our commitment to our Planet (you'd think that would be obvious, but for some folks - notably that notorious nutjob - it isn't!). Long term, we MUST get more and more folks on board. That's very hard to do now in this poisonous political climate, but we MUST find ways, great and small, to reach folks.
Would love to hear from any of you. Please share your thoughts in comments. I really put some effort into this and it's been lonely lately.
Oh and I did say I'd mention something else that popped into my head around the same time as the idea of "Three R's." How about some music - say, a song I I hadn't thought of for quite some time? Well, here are the lyrics, anyway; I tried to find a video, but it seemed most had poor sound quality, so I'll just give this:
And as always, if you find this post or any post here of value, please comment and/or share. Thanks!
Related Post:
Seek a Just Unity
Greetings again... Hello... I notice I actually have a subscriber - well , bless you and don't be shy! Would always love to get a comment!
My heart and spirit have been so heavy since the election. How can I describe the dismay over the election of this ---- yes, nutjob. I hope I can still say that. Some might say it's not respectful. But here's a person who has shown he has NO respect for our Constitution and the civil liberties supposedly enshrined in it. Here's a person who has also shown he as NO respect for many of his fellow human beings. So my feeling is: how can I "respect" someone such as that?
If you've been paying attention, his nominees are indescribably bad. One of his latest nominees is Ms. DeVos, whose "efforts over the years have done more to undermine public education than support students," according to NEA President Lily Garcia. Read about this travesty of a nomination and how she didn't even deny "buying influence." in this article from commondreams.
Then there's the brutality of the tactics against protesters of the DAPL led by the Standing Rock Sioux. These are peaceful protesters and yet, they have been met with horrible tactics of militarized policing. The latest incident left a woman in danger of losing her arm. Please read about this and her father's reaction.
The nightmare part is that things are likely to get even worse with the "incoming administration." From the article: "While he ran a populist candidacy, Trump is building a cabinet for the 1%. If his history of dealing with protests is any indication, he’ll protect their interests – his interests – by force"
In addition to news stories, commondreams also has op-ed or "views" articles which are often quite good. This one, by Deborah S. Rogers is very good . If there were ever a time for solidarity, this is it.
So, don't forget: you too, can subscribe to this blog and get posts by e-mail. Look for that signup gadget in the navbar on right - or wherever it might be in a mobile set up. And let me hear from you. I really am in need of some encouragement to keep going here. I work very hard to create good posts, and would love some interaction!
P. S.
I seemed to have a time getting the text to flow around the graphic as I wanted. When I checked it seemed to read ok. Let me know if anyone has any problem with the graphic coveringn part of the text... thanks.
Again, if you find this post - or any post here - of any value, please comment and/or share. Thanks!
Hello - anyone out there?
I'm sure most of you have seen or heard of the visit paid by Mike Pence to the show Hamilton on Friday night and the lecture given on behalf of the cast. WOW! And a certain so-and-so had the NERVE to call it "harassment!" If you haven't seen this or would like a refresher, here are two good articles:
First: a report from the bbc . Second: this is a really neat article .
Now my Memo:
Memo Re: Pence's Visit to Broadway Show Hamilton
To: DJT: Sorry, but you are shameful, so I won't use your name. Speaking truth to power is NOT harassment. It is what a little thing called DEMOCRACY is all about. Remember the U. S. is supposed to be about "We, the People" - that is, ALL OF US.
To: Mike Pence: First, you should realize how lucky you were to even have seen this show. Second, I echo the thanks given you for staying and listening to the cast's open letter. Third, I hope you will now think on this and follow the example of Jock Semple. He tried to throw Katherine Switzer out of the 1967 Boston Marathon - and was against women competing in it. But he later supported women in the race and he and Switzer actually became friendly. I think there are some lessons in that story - one might be support opportunities for others, don't oppose them! Feel free to read a reminiscence by Switzer here . And here is Semple's Wikipedia page.
To: Brandon Dixon and the cast of Hamilton: Thank you for speaking truth to power so eloquently, powerfully, civilly, and respectfully. That's the sort of discourse the U. S. needs. Indeed, let us keep spreading your message.
And please, if you find this post or any post here of value, please comment and/or share. Thank you!
That's the only way I can describe the election results. How can this have happened? This is so troubling on so many levels. I just don't know how to begin to describe my concerns, except to say, anyone who voted for this nutjob voted to make America meaner, nastier, and a much more scary place because of him and the mindset to which he has catered. It truly is a horrible result.
There is a columnist at The Guardian, Jessica Valenti, who is a real strong feminist - and progressive. She has two very recent columns that express so much of what I've been feeling:
The pre-election column
And the quite new, post-election column . From the article: "The truth is that this shameful election result was backlash, pure and simple – a reaction to women’s growing rights, racial progress and a cultural shift that no longer centers straight white men. They were votes based on fear, bigotry and ugliness." That does NOT mean I wish to throw anyone under the bus, but that as one commenter at commondreams pointed out in comments to their original election result article, nonwhites that voted Democratic were certainly not all upper or even middle class. Who propelled this horrible result?
Valenti goes on with a note of hope and ends: "And that we owe it to ourselves and our country not to let fear stop us now. Not ever."
I'll tell you today, I can use all the hope anyone can throw out. Yes, it's that bad. Segway to: John Nichols and a fine article at commondreams with some ideas.
It certainly is a dark moment. I just hope - and pray - we can make it through.
P. S.
Jon Swartz at The Intercept has a good article about what to do next .
And if you found this post - or any post here - to be of value, please comment and/or share. Thanks!
Greetings all -
On the one hand, it certainly was a positive sign that Mr. Sadiq Kahn has been elected the first Muslim Mayor of London. There has been pretty good coverage of this; I think the story at The Intercept is pretty good. It is definitely a sign of hope when folks reject fear-mongering and divisive dog-whistles. I liked what the new Mayor had to say about the "politics of fear" not being welcome in London, and this regarding the campaign Conservatives ran against him: “I think it’s for them to ask themselves the question, how is it that, in the most diverse, fantastic city in the world, they chose to have a negative, desperate and divisive campaign?”
But on the other hand, University of Penn. economics professor was questioned on a flight because the passenger next to him thought the MATH PROBLEM he was working on looked suspicious and she thought he might be a terrorist. Here's another story.
And a third!
Oh, yes, those math symbols are quite suspicious. Begs the question: how much work do we math types need to do? Evidently a lot, as this gal mistook math stuff for Arabic. And I have to wonder: would she have done the same if the professor was a blue-eyed blonde?
Take-away? Let's get some common sense, people. Reject fear-mongering, dog-whistling and profiling. Be cool-headed and don't give in to paranoia.
And how about submitting an item for the "Positively Diverse" page?
Greetings!
I do see I got some page views; please don't be shy - I'd love to hear from you. I do promise I don't bite, so please comment and please keep coming back. Ya never know what the next topic might be! And don't forget to also check out my other blog, Daisies and Diamonds - link is on navigation bar on the right!
Now on to the topic of this post. I never watched 21 Jump Street when it was on originally. Not into it. But now I'm retired and I seem to be keeping all sorts of weird hours. Wanted to see what was on television at some crazy hour and found this rerun channel had on 21 Jump Street at the time so I watched. The episode was ok - not great, but not bad, either. So just the other day, I caught another episode. This one was called "Next Victim." Now I have some questions about some things in it (I'll try not to spoil much for anyone who hasn't seen it), but I generally found the episode to be excellent. The plot concerned hate talk radio, a bigoted group, and a group opposed to such racism. The story is not only engaging, but also as relevant today in the nasty political climate we have around (think of the nutjob) as it was originally. The finale of the episode gives us something we all need to hear and think about - TODAY.
I'm going to give a link here so that if anyone wishes, he or she can view the episode. If you just want to view the ending scene (MOST excellent), I believe that starts around 39:26 or so by the counter.
So enjoy: 21 Jump Street - "Next Victim" Episode
I hate to move the previous post down. I may move it back up after a day or so.
But I have to write this: Trump is doing this "fundraiser" for Wounded Warrior Project tonight at the same time as the GOP debate. And it's supposed to get tv coverage? So basically, Trump throws a tantrum because he does't like the Fox Moderator and he gets REWARDED for it? Any wonder why I'm outraged? I just saw that C-Span has it on their schedule - to their SHAME. I just e-mailed them to express my outrage. However, I first wrote to WWP telling them they should be ashamed for having anything to do with this ludicrous candidate. CNN phones should be open now, and I will call them. I'll be right back to let you all know how that call progressed.
When I called CNN, the receptionist said there was no person available so I left a message with my e-mail in case anyone felt like getting back to me. I didn't find their site very easy to navigate, and just checked my Verizon guide, but didn't see it on CNN schedule (or HLN either) - and I hope it stays that way! I will of course, update if I get any response from them, WWP, or C-Span.
I would advocate that you readers also let WWP and the media know this event is outrageous - skip the coverage! Some Media contact info can be found here. For some reason on the printout I actually use, I blocked out 'option 1' with the CNN# so I guess that's certainly not necessary. WWP can be easily searched out and C-Span has an online contact form. Why the media is pandering to that dangerous bigoted, extremist, is beyond me. Or should be, as they should stop giving him free passes and a stage for every nasty remark he utters. And I wonder if his supporters really understood the disdain he was showing for THEM with that "shooting people" remark. BTW, has anyone heard any candidate or media person who actually condemned that remark?
Here's also something I found at The Guardian and their covering of this debate flap except the first link I have here may not be the one they referred to:
On the heels of news that Republican frontrunner Donald Trump’s luxurious, world-class retweets are disproportionately bestowed upon white supremacists, the billionaire presidential candidate has been called out as a latter-day fascist by none other than Anne Frank’s stepsister.
In an essay published by Newsweek, Eva Schloss, an 86-year-old survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp, decried Trump’s anti-immigrant policies as reminiscent of Nazi Germany:
"If Donald Trump become the next president of the US it would be a complete disaster. I think he is acting like another Hitler by inciting racism.”
The piece, written to commemorate Holocaust Memorial Day, compares the plight of Syrian refugees - and global resistance to aiding them - to the experiences of her family in the years leading up to World War II. “I was 11 years old when my family first immigrated to Belgium,” Schloss writes.
“We were treated as if we had come from the moon. I felt as if I wasn’t wanted and that I was different to everybody. It is even harder for today’s Syrian refugees who have a very different culture ... I was shocked that I wasn’t accepted like an ordinary person. I am very upset that today again so many countries are closing their borders.”
...Well said, Ms. Schloss.
UPDATE:
Saw a blub on I think it was Bloomberg news online that nasty Trump actually dominated coverage at CNN and MSNBC during time of GOP debate. I left online feedback for CNN - but will it help? I'm sick and tired of this wacko being shoved in our faces and enabled to spew his hateful rhetoric by the media. Are there any human readers out there? And anyone even taking the time to phone or leave feedback for these media enablers? We complain, but nothing ever seems TO GET DONE. I do what I feel I can, mostly "armchair/online stuff" but I do make some sort of effort here. Anyone getting the feeling I'm a bit frustrated? Yup. Seeing that ludicrous nutjob continually getting rewarded by the media - and actually having ANY supporters will do that...
Have you dear readers heard about this? National Review Punished
Well, I had to respond.. Here's the text of the e-mail I sent the Republican National Committee (yes, I really sent it):
Dear Folks:
Oh, I fully support your punishment of The National Review for critiquing ----- oh., a certain candidate (initials DT). How DARE they suggest what some of us feel, that he’s a STAIN on your party: "Not since George Wallace has there been a presidential candidate who made racial and religious scapegoating so central to his campaign," Cato Institute president David Boaz wrote. How DARE they be against someone who a lot of us feel is a dangerous, bigoted nutjob?
How dare ANYONE be against the kind of policies he promotes that many of us find reprehensible and divisive? Way to go. You’re really doing a fine job of enabling this stain on our politics to continue.
Sincerely,
Please, I hope there's some hope somewhere. The mood is getting pretty ugly.
I truly shudder at the vile atmosphere the U.S. seems to have descended into. It seems the mood is increasingly anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim, among other things.
I am heartsick that anyone favors Donald Trump and his vileness. His rhetoric is nastily divisive and his proposals unAmerican and definitely unDemocratic (well, aren't we supposed to be a - Democracy, Republic, something?).
How can we just brush aside the indignities and real threats so many American Muslims are facing right now? Glenn Greenwald did an overview of some very recent incidents at The Intercept.
Then I just read a heartbreaking story on Yahoo news about the effects such hateful rhetoric is having on Muslim children. And what have THEY done?
And what else? Trump actually encouraged supporters to assault a heckler. Now, if that happened in another country, wouldn't we UNIVERSALLY AND QUITE STRONGLY condemn that? In fact, if any other presidential candidate here did that, I think their campaign would be in serious trouble if not over. Juan Thompson at The Intercept wrote about visiting a Trump rally and the the ensuing poor treatment of him and also those who came to protest.
That Trump isn't alone is scary. Just a couple of weeks ago during C-Span's Landmark Cases - Brown v. Board of Education episode, a caller started spewing the most vile racist filth. Sue cut him off, but really not soon enough. I keep asking myself, what year is this? Many disparate people of good will for centuries have tried to bring us into a society closer to our ideal of "All men (and I'll add women!) are created equal." Have we forgotten their struggles? Have we forgotten to what we're supposed to aspire? I shake my head and pray. Pray hard.
It was at least some measure of hope that many added condemnations of this dangerous person to The Guardian's Guardian Witness "assignment" of "# We Do Care" in response to Trump. I didn't see mine there, though? What's up Guardian???
Moral of the story: we must fight the bile. We must reject hate, fear-mongering and divisiveness. And we need as many persons of good will as possible to do this. Stand up NOW!!!
UPDATES:
I don't know if anyone saw this since I so very recently posted it, but I just got on to this story via a report from one of my mailing lists. It is so excellent - although I don't favor the expletives, just be aware ... Don't Hate All Muslims...
I didn't dare watch that GOP debate; I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach it. And I was right. The canddates were competing on - who can drop the most bombs - not seeming to care about civilian casualties? Check this out.
Related Posts: (in addition to the few just preceding this one:
Equality Begins With Respect, And... (with Update)
Equality, Equality
I saw a couple of blurbs about this and - wow, it really has been introduced in Congress! I wanted to post this today, so no one would think the date implied it was - well, not true.
There is a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H. R. 1466; it's the Surveillance State Repeal Act. It was introduced by Representatives Mark Pocan and Thomas Massie. It would repeal The Patriot Act and institute surveillance reforms. Here is a report. There is also a tracker you can use to keep up with its progress!
Today I called Rep. Pocan's office and spoke with a staffer to say thanks and offer support. He (the staffer) said prospects for the bill weren't good, but that they had been getting quite a few calls.
So, we do have some actions. Call Rep. Pocan (202-225-2906) and/or Rep. Massie (202-225-3465) and thank them and express support. Call or e-mail your own Rep. and ask him or her to support this bill. And, of course, spread the word!!!
I read the election headlines - the GOP getting control of the Senate and gaining in the House. Those headlines really made me feel - well - sick. I had to put on some classical music to calm my nervous system down a bit. Then I just had to post something to my blog. Had to.
I want to shout, scream at people - "What are you thinking?" Now, I've come to see that both parties are way too similar now - too beholden to corporate interests primarily. But I still find the brand of conservatism, neo-conservatism, libertarianism, whatever pushed by so many GOP'ers to be distasteful for this Liberal. I think that close inspection reveals their policies mostly benefit the well-off and corporate interests, and are socially repressive, especially toward women and minorities. Not that Democrats are all that great now, but I think they do have to pay some attention, however small and superficial to the concerns of the traditionally underrepresented and disenfranchised. Of course, I wish they'd do more. After all, Eleanor Roosevelt had to continually press FDR. Civil rights leaders had to press Kennedy and other leaders.
Some things related here concern me. One is apathy. Too many of our citizens either feel that nothing can be done or are just too busy trying to make a living to be activist at any level. This applies to economic issues as well as issues around mass surveillance. We somehow must break through this and come together to press for some real reforms.
The other is the attitude displayed toward some fellow Americans. I've mentioned this before. Just read the comments on Yahoo or at The Guardian when the story concerns those who are economically challenged. There are not a few that will maintain it's all "their fault." Ok, there is something to be said for personal responsibility, but that doesn't mean the social contract should be thrown out on its head or the safety net dismantled. What about such a thing as a living wage? I happened to see a discussion on one of the c-spans with Marianne Cooper, author of Cut Adrift: Families in Insecure Times. One thing she said was that if you're working full-time, you shouldn't be living in poverty. Well, Amen to that! (It would also be a good idea for businesses to give more people full-time hours!)
One more thing: The U. S. had a pretty decent economy in say, the 50's and 60; policies and programs designed to strengthen and expand the middle class helped drive that. I think we have somehow lost track of that. Of course not everyone shared in that economy equally, but if we look back on some of the programs that were successful - like the G. I. Bill - maybe we could design some programs to work on today's challenges.
Well, I think I'm about ranted out. Looks like a bitter morning after...
I figured that when Pres. Bush decided to finally address an NAACP Convention that something must be up. Why now? Why hasn't this happened before? It struck me that the GOP must really be in trouble! I'm thinking that until now the present make-up of the party never felt the need to really go after the African-American vote with any kind of enthusiasm. A very recent poll suggests that there might be real trouble for the GOP in the November Congressional elections.
While it may not be totally bad to get some attention from the Republicans - at the very least it may nudge the Democrats from taking us for granted - I hope voters remain wary at this point. I don't feel as though the policies of the present administration and Congress are helpful to the country as a whole, let alone African-Americans who face a greater share of economic and social challenges. I hope that people will not be diverted (I thought Robert Smigel's cartoon on SNL about "The Divertor" (or something like that) was certainly on target) by such non-issues as gay marriage.
Have you heard of the two women who will indeed be "Madame President" in their respective countries? Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf takes office tomorrow as President of Liberia. This article tells of some of the challenges she will face. Michelle Bachelet has just been elected as the next President of Chile. She will become her nation's first female president and the first popularly-elected female president in South America.
So why has the U. S. not yet elected a female President? Why have other nations had female heads of state, but we have not? I often wonder about this as I feel women on the whole are better off here and have more opportunities than in many other places. For that matter, why have we not yet elected a President from one of our more diverse ethnic or religious backgrounds? (Oh, I keep forgetting, it was just in my lifetime that we finally elected a CATHOLIC President!)
I guess that since we're SUPPOSED to know better now, I keep hoping that the pace of progress should speed up a bit. I really think it would do us good to elect a leader of a more diverse background. It might shake things up a bit (Heaven knows our current political system needs that!), might open things up, might give more of us a stake in the political system.
Meanwhile, let's demand better of our leaders, let's demand more responsiveness to the problems of everyday Americans. Let's not be satisfied with business as usual - the poor response to hurricane Katrina, the mess that is the Medicare drug program, wiretapping without court warrants, a President who says critics of the war are less than patriotic.
All NJ residents should be aware that there is a bill in the legislature which would address concerns in the use of eminent domain which have occurred recently. The bill is S2739 and is sponsored by NJ State Senators Diane Allen and Mia Gill. It would prevent the use of condemnation to take occupied homes which are up to code. Jenny from Sen. Allen's office, I hope I have this correct!Please get involved; this issue is too important for people to stand on the sidelines. You can contact Sen. Allen and Sen. Gill to tell them you support their effort and thank them for sponsoring this. You can also contact your State Senator and ask him or her to support this or even to be a co-sponsor.Please don't sit back; homes of our fellow citizens are at stake. Someday the home you want protected may be your own.
What are we to make of Howard Dean? Personally, I like him. Granted, he may need to phrase things a bit more diplomatically at times, but I find his "tell it like it is" spirit refreshing. As I've said before, I'm tired of everything being so scripted and politicians being so scared they might actually say something! I liked his reply to Dick Cheney's remark (which doesn't seem to have drawn the same scrutiny). Dean said, "I don't care if Dick Cheney likes my mother or not. We are going to fight back. I think it's great that Dick Cheney went after me, to be honest. At least they notice there's a Democratic Party that's not going to put up with this stuff any more. So there's a lot we're gonna do." Given the GOP attacks, it's about time the Democrats got some fighting spirit!Actually, I'm amazed that the media jump all over Dean's controversial remarks yet never challenge the Right-wing candidates and pundits who trash the word Liberal and paint Liberal candidates as extremists. I also wonder why no one notes that his remarks have not seemed to provoke any sort of soul searching among Republicans. Often remarks we don't particularly enjoy hearing still have a grain of truth. Trying to be diplomatic here, why aren't more Republicans saying there may be a need to look at why the party is perceived in some of the ways Dean has mentioned. Why aren't such remarks provoking a discussion of having the Republican party be more inclusive racially, socio-economically, and politically (i. e., strengthening its Moderate wing and attracting (gasp!) Liberals back! There is a growing frustration in the "moderate" wing of the GOP which could be tapped into. Meanwhile, I hope that DNC Chairman Dean stays passionate yet finds ways to express this a bit more effectively. We need his fire to help a more progressive agenda get adopted and progressive candidates elected.
So far, efforts to block the nomination of John Bolton as Ambassador to the U. N. have been successful. However, the President is considering a "recess" appointment which would not need Senate approval and which would last until Jan., 2007.We need to keep the heat up and let the Senate know that such a nominee is unacceptable. I'm not sure why that Bolton, who has shown disdain for the U. N. in the past, would want to go there. There are also questions about his possible intimidation of officials who disagreed with him and about the possiblilty of his involvement with exaggeration of intelligence data.Urge your Senators to vote against confirming Bolton as U. N. Ambassador. Also, please e-mail the President and urge him not to use a recess appointment.
It's been a while since my last post; I definitely was in an end-of-the-semester rush. I have, however been following developments in the possible use of the "nuclear" option to end filibusters of Federal Judicial appointments in the Senate.I can't believe that this is even being considered. It goes against giving the minority party any checks and balances on these very important appointments. I don't believe that any judge should be confirmed just because the majority party puts his or her name forward. The way Sen. Frist and company are going about this is also against Senate rules. People for the American Way has a good explanation here.This morning, I called several Senators to urge them to vote against any nuclear option. I was able to leave messages at the offices of Senators Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar, Lisa Murkowski, Ben Nelson, Gordon Smith, Ted Stevens, and John McCain (who has said he would vote against it). I also called Sen. Frist's office and left a message that I thought trying to do this was a terrible idea.If some of you read this and have time to contact some of these Senators before a vote on this - possibly tomorrow, 5/24, I would urge you to e-mail them or call their offices. I was unable to reach the offices of Sen. Collins and Sen. Warner (who are two key Senators on this issue). The U. S. Senate site has a directory of contact information.We should all watch closely as this unfolds as we need to keep some checks and balances on majority power.
