July 2008 archive

Jul 04 2008

Using hate to win elections

I was reading over at The Field Negro this morning and in his July 4th eve post, he tells this story:

First, I want to talk about the lynching back in 1946 of Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, and George and Mae Murray. According to the AP, “on July 25, 1946, an angry white mob of as many of 30 people dragged the two couples from a car,tied them to trees, and fired three volleys of bullets at them, leaving their bodies slumped behind in the dirt. Dorothy Malcolm was seven months pregnant”.

This happened about 45 miles east of Atlanta (the city that’s now too busy to hate), and my man Hiroshima Harry Truman was so outraged that he sent the feds to investigate. Of course they got nothing, they were met with a “wall of silence” so they had to shut down their investigation. — And people think black folks invented the “no snitch” code.–

But not to worry, justice might be served after all these years. Back in 1991 Clinton Adams came forward to say that as a ten year old boy he saw the lynchings unfold from some bushes he was hiding behind. I wonder what took him so long? Well the good Governor of Georgia reopened the case, and now, finally, the frat boy’s Justice Department is following up. I say the good Governor of Georgia, because Georgia’s governors apparently weren’t always so good. Did I mention that the lynchings might have been sanctioned by Georgia’s Governor at the time, Eugene Talmadge, to sway rural white voters during a tough election?

Jul 04 2008

Bush: Let The Games Begin! (Updated)

cross-posted from The Dream Antilles

Photobucket

Lost in the July 3 rush to start July 4th partying is the Commander Athlete in Chief’s announcement that he will support the athletes by attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.  This direct, single digit salute to people who care about human rights in China and who are concerned about the continuing genocide in Darfur, was delivered to avoid outcry.  Put another way, it reeks of cowardice.

The New York Times reports:

The White House said Thursday that President Bush would attend the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics next month, a decision fraught with international political symbolism that quickly drew criticism from advocates for human rights.

The advocates have been pressing world leaders to boycott the Olympics or at least skip the opening ceremonies to protest China’s violent crackdown after riots in Tibet and its support for the government of Sudan, whose Darfur region remains enmeshed in violence.

The leaders of Britain and Germany have said they will skip the opening ceremonies. For some time, the White House has said that Mr. Bush will attend the Games, but has refused to provide further details.

That changed late on Thursday afternoon. With most of official Washington already gone for the Fourth of July holiday, the White House press secretary, Dana Perino, issued a simple statement outlining Mr. Bush’s August travel schedule, including the notation that he would go to the opening ceremonies.

The president’s press secretary mouthpiece, who gives frequent evidence of being both utterly tone deaf and unable to distinguish facts from opinions, explained in an interview:

“This is a decision by the president that he really wanted to go in support of our athletes,” Ms. Perino said in an interview. Asked if Mr. Bush was making a political statement, she said, “He does not look at it that way, but we recognize that others may.”

Jul 04 2008

…

(12:30PM EST – promoted by Nightprowlkitty)

Jul 04 2008

“Independence Day”, and No Celebration?

Yesterday I got an e-newsletter about the same time I caught this post. The e covered what prompted the post by ScottyUrb.

Today, the 4th of July, we here in the States celebrate our “Independence”, no need to go into an explanation, or give a link to read about, we’re all supposed to know and understand what that means, and so are others who think they’ve achieved that.

This year there’ll be alot less traveling to a further destination for relaxation or whatever, more home bodies, we all know the reasons, or we should.

Jul 04 2008

Docudharma Times Friday July 4

HAPPY

INDEPENDENCE DAY

AMERICA




Independence Day Headlines:

Commentary: How dare they rip the Fourth Amendment?

Muslims feel like ‘Jews of Europe’

Greece theatres threatened by chewing gum and high heels

Robert Mugabe moves to erase the MDC

Aid for Zimbabwe refuge seekers

Japan sees a chance to promote its energy-frugal ways

China and Taiwan begin direct flights

Iran warms to freeze-for-freeze plan

Hamas suspends Shalit talks over Gaza closure

Colombia hostage rescue: ‘Like a movie’ – the double cross that freed Betancourt

On Iran, top military officer sounds like Obama

Joint Chiefs Chairman Mullen urges diplomacy, not use of force

By Tom Curry

National affairs writer

MSNBC

WASHINGTON – It could turn out to be one of the most significant comments of the 2008 campaign – but coming just ahead of a holiday weekend, it isn’t getting much notice.

Upon his return from a visit to Israel and Europe, the nation’s highest ranking military officer warned Wednesday that a military strike on Iran would be a very bad idea.

“This is a very unstable part of the world, and I don’t need it to be more unstable,” said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Michael Mullen.

White House debates the future of Guantanamo

Legislation could make it easier to move terror suspects to the U.S

By Julian E. Barnes, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 4, 2008

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration is locked in an internal debate over whether to present Congress with proposed legislation that would allow suspected terrorists to be held in the United States — a possible first step toward closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba — according to current and former officials.

The officials said the administration was not on the verge of shutting down Guantanamo. But the legislation under debate could make it easier to move some suspects to the United States by lessening the risk that federal courts would set them free in Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., or Charleston, S.C.

Last month’s Supreme Court decision granting federal courts the power to review the detention of prisoners at Guantanamo has thrown the administration’s detainee policy into doubt.

USA

Celebrity Passport Records Popular

State Dept. Audit Finds Snooping Was Frequent

By Glenn Kessler

Washington Post Staff Writer

Friday, July 4, 2008; Page A01

Government workers repeatedly snooped without authorization inside the electronic passport records of entertainers, athletes and other high-profile Americans, a State Department audit has found. One celebrity’s records were breached 356 times by more than six dozen people.

The audit, by State’s inspector general, was prompted by the discovery in March that three of the department’s contract workers had peeked at the private passport files of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain and that a State Department trainee had examined the file of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Jul 04 2008

July 4, 1776

How did July 4 become such an important date for all the Peoples of the United States of America?

What is the known history behind this day, and what are the not so well knowns, as well?

Lets have a look, shall we?

In the United States, Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Congress approved the wording of the Declaration on July 4 and then sent it to the printer. Whether John Hancock, as the elected President of the Second Continental Congress, or anyone else signed the document that day is unknown, because that document has been lost – presumably destroyed in the printing process. Hancock’s name and that of a witness do appear on the typeset broadside that was published within a few days. On August 2 in the following month, an engrossed document in script form was signed by Hancock and other delegates.

Hancock’s name and that of a witness do appear on the typeset broadside that was published within a few days. On August 2 in the following month, an engrossed document in script form was signed by Hancock and other delegates.

Jul 04 2008

Patriots in Action, or Patriotic Inaction?

I’ve been working on a project — a pseudo-fictional story based in contemporary American history and current events — that I’ve hoped to complete for a while now.  Given the current state of affairs nationally, the fast-approaching July 4th weekend, the crumbling economy and growing time constraints, it makes more sense to announce the accompanying stuff now and make it available if anyone wants it.

I’ve created a section to a CafePress store that has postcards and prints that folks might find interesting or useful, particularly the postcards if they want to do any kind of message-to-Congress thing.  Some folks have seen some of the images created that I’ve put into comments, so I’m posting this here to let ’em know that they can now pic up something with the images on them — a physical, tangible item that could be used in activism. Here’s an example of one, meant to inspire new Patriots of today and hopefully encourage them to work toward the defeat of the corruption that is undermining our Constitution and betraying the nation:

Stealth Patriots — postcards and prints

Stealth Patriots

More after the flip, if you’re so inclined…

Jul 04 2008

Muse in the Morning

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
Muse in the Morning

O beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountain majesties

Above the fruited plain!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee

And crown thy good with brotherhood

From sea to shining sea!

–Katharine Lee Bates

–1913

It’s a great song.   But times have changed…

State of the Onion XXII

America the Ugly

Purple Mountains

Gold in Them Thar Hills

Purple mountains

or any color

once majestic

now leveled

rock crushed

for oil

or hollowed out

emptied of coal

except where it burns

or blown apart

in the search

for fancy stones

America Amerika

The weapon

that destroys the mass

is fueled by the lives

of men too poor

badly educated and so ill-treated

lubricated by the greased palms

of partisan self-interest

and naked incivility

of so-called servants

and dangerously driven

by the avarice

of men too rich

–Robyn Elaine Serven

–March 24, 2006

Jul 04 2008

Why the Callout Diary on the Dkos Reclist Won’t Suceed

I was going to post this at dkos, but I simply don’t have the energy to respond to comments to it there.

So I’ll try it out here 🙂 Maybe you guys can tell me what you think. Or not 🙂

*****

There’s a call-out diary on the rec list.

I sincerely believe its author hopes it will solve the current dkos controversy about criticizing the candidate over FISA and other issues.

The diarist concludes:

I hope it gets those who are so upset about FISA to take action where action will matter

It won’t.

And that’s too bad.

Jul 04 2008

Writing in the Raw: Bring ’em Home, Obama

You don’t need to “refine” your position on Iraq.

You don’t need to leave “residual forces” in Iraq.

You don’t need to visit Iraq to “consult” with Bush’s highly decorated lap dog:

General Petraeus

A lap dog with decorations is still a lap dog.

Stop posturing, stop pandering, start keeping your promises, Obama.

Bring ’em home . . .  

Jul 04 2008

Casting the Future of Docdharma …

… is, evidently, impossible.

So this is either dangling copper fingers in the stream, to catch the drift, or randomly reframing to see what it sparks.

Broken Line

Solid Line, moving

Solid Line

Solid Line, moving

Solid Line, moving

Broken Line

Man, I love symmetric ones … lessee what that adds up to. With this many moving lines, I am just going to put up the before and after hexagrams.


 28. Too Much.

Too much.

The roof-beam is sagging.

It is beneficial to have a goal to move to.

Progressing.

Something is too much for this situation. One better make a plan to do something about it, and make it more robust. There is progress.
moving to

15. Humble.

Humbleness.

Progressing.

The noble one brings things to a conlusion.

Humbleness helps progress and bringing things to a good end. By not being humble, one might overestimate oneself and be satisfied too soon, not making the effort to actually finish the job.

Jul 04 2008

Pony Party……between

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~

dancing ~between~

To sit between the chairs, who doesn’t know that state? Here is one side, there the other. You can see both sides, you know them, maybe all too well, but you are not able, or rather: not willing to make up your mind. It is the classical dilemma, no matter which side you will choose, you will loose something, often times a person, that you will hurt, who will then feel betrayed. But you don’t want this and therefore you stay somewhere in the middle till, yes, till something happens and brings along the decision; sometimes you are involved actively, sometimes passively. It has evolved and the situation finds a resolution. But till that moment there is this strange state, you simply feel in between. – Minako Seki

www.minakoseki.com

Venue: On the Boards

Video/Edit: Ian Lucero

Some Rights Reserved

Under Creative Commons

www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2 .5/

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~

fire ~between~

A fire dance for camera filmed in Downtown Los Angeles created by Jeremy Hahn  in 2008.

♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~♥~

~between~ dances

(this wasn’t the version I had in mind. I can’t remember the artist. It was kinda mixed between this & this)


This is an Open Thread. Please don’t wRECk this pony  party

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***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Rusty1776 (aka~RusD!) is Writing In The RAW tonite!!

Front Page~10PM eastern

       ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~ ♥ ~

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