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.

Ann Coulter

In case you haven't noticed the rhetoric in this country recently hit a new low. Syndicated columnist Ann Coulter is now attacking 9/11 widows and claiming Liberals are "Godless".

I certainly think it's bad form to attack the women who have lost husbands in such a tragedy (I think the Inquirer suggested she went after them because they backed Kerry!). What I really want to comment on, though, is her totally baseless thesis that we Liberals are "Godless".

As I mentioned in one of my early posts ('Why I am a Liberal', found in the March 2005 archives) my faith has been a definite reason for my Liberal views. Jesus says we are to love one another; I see her constant vitriol as quite the opposite.

What also concerns me is that her book is a best seller and she got cheers on Jay Leno. Has the mood of our nation become such that this sort of baseless, classless attack is what people like? Maybe it's just me, but I cannot see how anyone can buy (literally, as well as figuratively) such garbage.

I would urge EVERYONE to reject such rhetoric. You might want to write a letter to the editor refuting such views. You may also want to let her syndicate know that you don't appreciate her going over the line (I did). Info can be found here.

Let's Investigate

I want to know where all the real investigative reporting has gone. Dateline - I know that your "To Catch a Predator" has done good work, but how many episodes do we really need? Do we really need more celebrity interviews (usually when he or she has a movie opening) or murder mysteries? As for local news - can we cut back a bit on weather stories and cover another news story or two?

I would like to see an investigation of gas prices that doesn't whitewash the oil companies. I would like to see an investigation of why property taxes are so high (I believe NJ has the highest in the country) yet the state and almost all municipalities and school districts have budget crises. I want an investigation of what is happening with our civil liberties. I want real answers as to what went on with this domestic spying business. I also want an investigation into the implications of RFID technology for us and our privacy as consumers.

I want investigations into secret prisons and torture that will be covered in the mainstream press as well as nightly news and not be brushed off. We cannot turn away from facing up to what the U. S. has done that would betray the freedom and values we preach.

I want an investigation as to why social mobility in this nation is stagnating. A recent report said that such mobility in the U. S. has declined. That means someone born poor usually will remain poor; someone born wealthy usually will stay wealthy. I want an investigation on this and on why and how the middle class is being squeezed. Some reporters from the Philadelphia Inquirer did a series on the squeezed middle class some years ago. You don't see much about this topic in the mainstream media much anymore.

I want an investigation as to what we're doing or not doing to help the situation in Darfur. BTW, did anyone see the reports of the recent rally for Darfur held in Washington, DC? Some of the faculty and students from my college attended. I observed (and this was echoed by one of those faculty members) that I thought the only reason that rally got any coverage on the evening news that night was that George Clooney was one of the main speakers.

I want an investigation as to what stories we're seeing are not really news stories at all, but promotional videos furnished by either the government or businesses with something to sell. I'd read about this and really didn't take it to heart until I recently saw a "health" report which I believe to have been such a video.

Those are a few ideas for starters. Maybe if we do less coverage of celebrity gossip and promotion of network programs on the news, we'd have a bit of air time for such stories. The next challenge would be to get people to tear themselves away from American Idol for the five minutes it would take to make themselves aware of such issues.