Merely coincidences...

I think everyone should view the Keith Obermann video in which he lays out some very "strange" coincidences of political events and terror warnings. I sort of felt that there were some very eerie coincidences - or are they- going on. It seems as though someone else has noticed in a much more organized fashion than I have. It's well worth watching.

To view the video go here. Scroll down for Keith Obermann/Politics and Terror. There are a variety of links for different viewing formats.

We should all be aware and insist that politics NOT be played with security and terror warnings.

Is There Something Going On?

Recently it seems that some Yahoo groups were shut down, apparently by Yahoo itself. At this point any information I have is very sketchy. It seems that it was groups critical of the administration who were affected. I have also heard that it was not just Yahoo groups affected but some other groups and blogs have been shut down as well. I think we should all ask what is going on. Is this just the work of hackers? If so, why should they be allowed to shut down someone's mode of communicating with a wider audience? Is it deeper than that? Is there some movement to deny these venues to liberal groups and writers, to dissenters? If so, we'd all better wake up and stop this in its tracks before it's really too late for all of us.

If anyone has more information, please post a reply as I'd really like to know as much about the situation as possible. If there is anyone whose group or blog has been affected, I'd really like to hear from you. Thanks to all in advance.

The GOP must be in trouble

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.

Excellent Article

In the Truthout.org archives is an excellent article by George Lakoff, Mark Ettlinger and Sam Ferguson. It's definitely worth reading, digesting, and acting on!

Arrogance

I certainly don't find much to like about the President, least of all his arrogance. The Supreme Court rules that the administration's plans to try detainees in military tribunals violates both U. S. law and the Geneva Conventions. The Supreme Court says a better alternative would be military courts-martial which affords defendants rights similar to civilian courts.

But Bush vows to pursue some sort of military tribunal and Sen. Frist wants to introduce legislation to do just that.

Such arrogance. When told what they're doing is overstepping the law, Bush and Co. just want to do whatever fits their plans. I'm amazed and appalled that there is not more outrage about this dangerous, yes dangerous, and un-Constitutional way of thinking.

Wake up, people! No one, no one, especially the President, should set him or herself above the law. Why are we tolerating illegal wiretapping and snooping into financial records? Why is no one upset about signing statements negating parts of legislation he doesn't like? When will the public see that this is the wrong road to pursue? When will people realize we've sacrificed too much liberty in the name of the 'war on terror'? When it's too late? My advice to everyone is open your eyes, NOW!

Economic Inequity - Again!

Unbelievable! The Senate has blocked a minimum wage increase. The Senators (mostly Republican) who voted against this should be ashamed. I hope people take a look at how their Senators voted and hold them accountable for standing up for working families.

Meanwhile, everyone should work to have their states raise the state minimum wage. NJ has passed a raise, and PA has just passed one.

This is only economic fairness. How can you support a family on a wage of around $5.15? This also comes as news breaks that the average CEO makes $11 million per year as compared to just under $42, 000 for an average worker. This means the average CEO makes around 262 times the wage of an average worker. These figures come from the Economic Policy Institute and are based on 2005 wages and compensation. The EPI also says that the buying power of the minimum wage is at a 51-year low. You can read more about their analysis at the EPI site.

So why won't our policy makers do the right thing and give the working poor a boost?

More on the AC Scandal

Found here is an excellent article by Peter Daou which explains why we should all be concerned that the media is giving a platform to the hate-mongering of Ann Coulter.

Another note to Bushwack since you ask why no one says she's wrong. Maybe we Liberals take for granted that people will know we disagree with 99.99% of what she says. I'm not sure what rational points she makes. From the little snippets of her writings or interviews, it seems to me as though all she does is hurl insults.

I think it's beyond decency to say that a Congressman is the reason soldiers invented fragging (assassinating an unpopular member of one's own unit). To even suggest that happen to another human being is way over the line. I can only imagine the outcry is someone Liberal or even moderate had said something similar about a figure they consider unpopular.

Those who are concerned about the media and fairness can also visit mediamatters.org. There are many great articles and resources there.