A thought on the strategy of the Citizens Petition (for background, see here) had been nagging at my impaired brain (for more info, see below the fold!) for a while now….but I couldn’t put my finger on it. NLinStPaul’s excellent edit and a comment by fortschreitend helped clarify it. We are actually aiming for two different ‘audiences.’
We want the petition to be as effective as possible in appealing to Attorney General Designate (thanks dharmasyd!) to do his duty. But in order for the petition to be the MOST effective it needs to have as many signatories as possible. I touched on that in my last draft with the phrase “but as you no doubt well know Attorney general Holder, there are copious amounts of evidence just waiting to be developed. Developed by you.”
We are NOT trying to make the case for prosecution and against Bush to Holder. Any AG candidate worth his salt should know as much about the Bush crimes as we do, if not more, and we know that the Obama team is already aware that they are a huge issue.
So what we are really doing is trying to reach that first audience, we are trying to convince people to take the time to sign the petition, to get as many names behind it as possible. This means that we can put convincing supporting evidence etc. in the essays that present the petition, rather than in the petition itself. This, I think, changes the framing and presentation a bit. And while this may have been obvious to you guys, it has just become obvious to me! So for those reasons and the reasons I will outline below the fold, I want to put a hold on the project to rethink it.
Plus, with the Specter stuff (Oy, Arlen, ya Gonzo enabling putz you!) happening right now, I think it would be better to wait a bit for the manufactured controversy to die down. Otherwise the essays will turn into commentary on THAT and not on the petition itself. So I am going to let it percolate til Monday, but I do urge you to keep thinking on it too, and I will put up an input thread at some point over the weekend. Thanks to all those who have been helping, and keep it up! We have one shot at this and with y’alls help, we will get it right and hopefully make a real difference.
On to the personal stuff, which I am loathe to bring up, since it is a bit inconsistent with my idea of ‘professional blogging standards,’ though I have made oblique references to it lately. A few folks have expressed concern or curiosity so here is the (rather boring!) scoop. I am NOT asking for sympathy or whining, ( I am a MALE, dammit! And I do my best to pretend i don’t need that stuff!) just letting you folks know where I am at.
After a nomadic summer that was highly enjoyable and personally fulfilling and important (reconnecting with family and nature etc.) I have finally settled in San Diego for what I hope will be along stretch. All that travel (and a bit of anxiety over personal survival issues, lol) has taken a toll on the back injury and necessitated a rather prolonged recovery process. Iow, I have been hurting considerably! This level of pain makes everything difficult, including …..thinking, lol. It has taken longer than uusal for the muscles to unknot and relax this time. In the past I have been able to push through this process fairly quickly and well, but not this time!!!
It does feel like I am over the hump now, and should be perking up soon, I hope! And now that I have a permanent US (non-Mexico) address I should be able to get some financial stability going, as well some emotional and, hopefully, mental stability happening as well! When that happens, look out you evildoers! Heck, Iglesia may even return soon, for the four or five of you who care, lol!
Thanks for your patience and support, I am going to lie low for the next few days, and will be ‘back to work’ on Monday, God willin’ and the spasms don’t rise!
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have a pony!
Having a spectacularly messed up back myself, I know what a pain it can be. I kind of live on pain killers, muscle relaxers and heating pads.
Oh, looking forward to signing the petition too.
to tread lightly, loosening the pain
butterflies to carry it away……
will a mentally “stable” Buhdy be to anyone anyway?
I always thought you had to be crazy to be this sane.
No? 😉
Hope your back heals quickly…
news cycle with his latest idiocy. Monday should be good.
The amount of wording is still long in order to get many to read this and then sign it. The issues is that there needs to be enough information to make people want to sign it and there is a fine line there. As you stated, Holder and Obama know more than we do about what has really been going down, yet those in the blogosphere aren’t far behind.
Perhaps just one more look at what you have right now and one more pass prior to Monday to try to just pare it down a bit.
As is stands, it is a very enlightened and forthcoming document, and it would not hurt my feelings to see if go forward in the current draft. However, as I stated above…
Let’s see if we can get the incoming A.G. to at least agree to enforce the subpoena’s already issued for testimony (Under OATH Dammit!!) for Karl Rove and Harriet Meyers.
At the very least, these two need to testify under oath about what they knew concerning the politicizing of the justice department.
That will be the likely start to an investigation that will expand and lead to Valerie Plame, WMD’s in Iraq, FISA warrants (or lack thereof), Guantanamo prisoner abuse, and everything else the criminally insane previous administration has been able to cover up using “Executive Privilege”.
It starts with the Obama administration saying definitively:
“This Administration Will Govern Transparently”. If they’re not willing to enforce the subpoena power of the Congress, it says they want to keep in their pocket the Bush Administration precedent for hiding behind Executive Privilege.
That should not happen in a Democratic Administration. This administration MUST gather a reputation for honesty that has been sorely lacking for so very long in our White House.
Without pinpointing it clearly – I think the petition signers were always in the back of my mind as the audience. So I agree whole heartedly with your conclusion!
Thanks for the update. And what? There are “professional blogging standards” that preclude whining and sympathy????? What do they have to say about pajama blogging? I might have to write a petition to organize folks standing up for unprofessionalism.
Hope your back heals SOON!!!
can we expect another coup?
a nice cuppa tea perhaps?
Hope Monday finds you feeling better. Ouch!
I had a very bum back years ago too, with sciatic nerve involved. Much, endless, sleep-depriving pain. Even the narcotics didn’t do much.
Began a diet of white wine and salad. Rested on my back with knees up. Took massive amounts of fish oil and magnesium. Took six weeks, but years later only a twinge remains.
Docs and drugs did nothing, but the wine and supplements and rest helped. Hope you find something that works for you. Have you tried topical arnica and/or DMSO? I have since found that those two can often help large muscle injuries.
DMSO gets used on racehorses all the time for muscle injuries. It has been ridiculed for people use, but it works fine for us too. The arnica comes in many forms like creams and sprays, and can help speed healing.
I bet the Rolfing advice would be a good long-term remedy. I used magnesium and fish oil because I wasn’t around a Rolfer where I lived when I needed one.
Buona fortuna, budhy!
Today on Thom Hartmann’s show on Air America, Thom speculated on reports that Rove is behind the Senate Rethuglican’s attack on Holder. The speculation goes that Rove is leading the attack because he is afraid Holder will go forward with prosecuting BushCo Crimes. Holder has said as much previously.
For those who have podcast access to his show, this report was in the last 10 or 15 minutes.
buhdy! I have a friend who also has a bad back. He goes to a doctor and gets “stretched” out when it gets really bad and it helps him for long spells at a time. I’m not sure how it’s done or the cost involved. Have you tried hanging from bars? That might help. Back pain is one of the worst pains to have.
As for the “petition.” Before you posted this, I had in mind to ask you by what means were we going to deliver this petition to the new AG. That, of course, made me think of two separate petitions, as well. That would make sense.
As for the AG, a bundle, the petition, with each of the documents printed out and referenced, if it’s to be hand-delivered or such.
For example, from your final (?) draft
And so on down the line.
After the petition and the names, a list of the Appendices
Appendix A — Senante Intelligence Report
Appendix B — etc. on down the line.
Then, of course, the text would have to be changed a little. Just be sure to keep all copies of everything that you have for a possible revision for the AG.
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Hope you feel better soon, buhdy.
Not surprising from AG Mukasey!