December 2009 archive

Dec 06 2009

Roll Tide! (please indulge me).

.

 I’ve taken a much needed break from politics and political blogging.  I haven’t been on Orange for of months, ever since it totally sold out with that PBS “skin” and then its founder went on a couple of tirades against the very people who built-up his little bloggy empire (and who’ve made him his pile over the past 5 years).  At this point, I’ve no intention of going back.

 Docudharma is the quieter, saner, version of Orange:  all the politics, half the freakyness (well, 1/10th of the freakyness).  So this is where I now come to lurk or very occasionally comment or diary.  But I haven’t come here very much lately.

 But today, this Sunday morning, in the full flush of last night’s walloping of Florida by Alabama (and humiliation of that sanctimonious twit, Tebow), I simply feel compelled to visit this Best Political Blog and (virtually) shout:  Roll Tide!

 In Alabama we have one of the top aerospace research and development cities in all the world (Huntsville), the thriving and tradition-steeped-yet-forward-thinking deep water port city of Mobile, one of the globe’s most innovated bio-tech and bio-med hubs in Birmingham and beautiful sites and scenery, from the pristine Cahaba River to the glorious Little River Canyon.  Yet, sadly, especially in the world of politics, Alabama is burdened with disappointments.  

 So that’s why it’s so damn nice when — even if it’s in the realm of college football and not in the realm of Senatorial elections — there’s something to celebrate here.  And celebrating we are!  Except for the Auburn people.  But they don’t really count.

 All the best – and, again, Roll Tide.

Mu . . .

Dec 06 2009

Iraq War Inquiry, Day Eight

Friday, 12.04.09, was the eighth day of the British Iraq War Inquiry which has been bringing forth some very interesting, and adding to the possibility of incriminating, pieces of information pertaining to what had been going on within the administration of President Bush prior to what happened on Sept 11 2001, on the day of the destructive deadly attacks of Sept 11 2001 and in the immediate days following and leading up to the invasion and lack of concern about after the destruction and then occupation of Iraq.

Dec 06 2009

Docudharma Times Sunday December 6




Sunday’s Headlines:

2010 U.S. census count could be tricky

The world is winning the landmine war

A child’s illness spurs action on marrow transplants

Colton Harris-Moore, the barefoot boy bandit, outfoxes sheriffs

Baghdad’s night life falls foul of religious right

Alan Johnston returns to land of his kidnap and hears, amid the Palestinian ghosts, the sound of laughter

Afghanistan: Get set for surge in bloody battles

Philippines arrests under martial law

Stitch-up? Now France excludes Britain from special talks on EU farm spending

Italian police arrest two Mafia bosses

Aid for Relatives Offers Alternative to African Orphanages

Hard times take a toll on Mexico City’s subway

Dec 06 2009

Late Night Karaoke

Open Thread

Dec 06 2009

“a young commander in chief”

I had a hard time with the president’s decision on Afghanistan. Obviously many others have too. My instinct is exit now, end this war, period. But then after he announced his plan that conflicted with another instinct I have. To trust him. And I do. But that’s not at all what I’m writing about here, my position on the war.

It’s just about our president, and a moment that will go down in history.

NY Times today:

Now as his top military adviser ran through a slide show of options, Mr. Obama expressed frustration. He held up a chart showing how reinforcements would flow into Afghanistan over 18 months and eventually begin to pull out, a bell curve that meant American forces would be there for years to come.

“I want this pushed to the left,” he told advisers, pointing to the bell curve. In other words, the troops should be in sooner, then out sooner.

Dec 06 2009

Would YOU work for $3000 a year?

Apparently many workers in China would — for how much longer though is not entirely clear.  You see the Chinese, want to make more, improve the Standard of Living for their families — just like Americans and Europeans do.



http://iws.punahou.edu/user/JS…

8-12% Raises in Minimum Wages across China, in 2005!?

Apparently, Workers around the World, AREN’T Working just for the Fun of it!

This new trend toward leveling the the Global playing field, doesn’t bode well for the Wal-Marts of the world, who rely on such “captured cheap labor markets” —

to remain quiet, dutiful, and

happy with a pittance.

Afterall Billions of Dollars (and Euros) are at stake — those Foreign Workers must not upset that Apple cart.

They should just be happy they have a Job!

Shouldn’t they?

Dec 06 2009

Howard Zinn On Creating A Movement To Pressure Obama

On October 27, 2007 Barack Obama made a public campaign promise:

“I will promise you this, that if we have not gotten our troops out by the time I am president, it is the first thing I will do. I will get our troops home. We will bring an end to this war. You can take that to the bank.“

Now if challenged on that he would probably say he was referring to Iraq, but I think that most people hearing his campaign pledges understood Iraq and Afghanistan to be an indivisible projection of military power, and took Obama at his word, expecting that he was an honest man making an honest pledge.

He has since tripled the number of US Troops that will be deployed to Afghanistan.

I originally posted the following video interview with Howard Zinn back on April 10, 2009 following the then recent revelations of President Obama’s DOJ under Eric Holder betraying Obama’s campaign promises to instead embrace the Bush administrations claims for immunity and “states secrets” in the case of clear FISA violations and illegal wiretapping.

So much more has gone down since then, and Obama has turned his back on so many of his campaign pledges to make his administrations policy decisions so far essentially a direct extension of the policies of the past eight years, with most of the bigger points outlined in Paul Street’s recent article The Dawning Age of Obama as a Potentially Teach-able Moment for The Left, and more recently Obama asking Congress for an amendment to the Freedom of Information Act in order to give Defense Secretary Gates the authority to refuse an ACLU FOIA request for public release of the torture photos, that I wonder if it is worth revisiting what Zinn had to say in this interview one more time.

In part three of what was a series of interviews, historian, political scientist, social critic, activist, author and playwright Professor Howard Zinn talks here with Real News CEO Paul Jay about why so many people seem to be convinced that Obama is anything more than what he appears to be given his actions and policies implemented since inauguration, and about how to create a mass popular movement to pressure Obama for progressive results in a supportive way, and concludes that social turmoil is not only not bad but necessary if it leads to something good in the sense of creating real change.



Real News – April 10, 2009

Send a message to Obama

Howard Zinn: Social turmoil is not bad if it leads to something good

Dec 06 2009

You never want a serious crisis to go to waste

Previously on Health Care Reform…

The Senate Will Not Change Without A Crisis

By: Jon Walker, Firedog Lake

Friday December 4, 2009 5:15 pm

This is the perfect moment for the progressives to force the crisis needed to change how the Senate works.

Health care is a huge party issue with massive support among the base. The public option is extremely popular and has become a rallying call. It can’t pass the completely made-up 60-vote threshold, but it can get the constitutionally required simple majority.

If we can’t break the unconstitutional and disfucntional Senate rules on this issue, I don’t see how progressives will ever be able to.

Failing to create the crisis now, will pretty much guarantee not a single piece of really progressive legislation is passed during Obama’s presidency.

Given the broken state of the Senate and the massive increase in filibuster use, it is not a matter of if there will be a crisis, but simply when. If progressives can’t force a Democratically controlled Senate to fix this nonsense, I can promise you when the Republicans take back the Senate, the right-wing base will.

Capitulating now for bread crumbs would be admitting progressive change is impossible. You don’t get change by saying, “pretty please, but if don’t, that is ok.” You only will see change if you demand it.

Dec 06 2009

What’s for Dinner 20091205: Christmas Treats!

Well, it is the time of the year for holiday cooking.  You know, those things that we all love but do not often eat.  I suspect that if we ate throughout the year like we do during this season, we all would be more corpulent.  However, eating heartily during the cold season has a biological function, or at least it did as we evolved.  We need energy to produce body heat, and, not that long ago, caves, hovels, tents, cabins, and other dwellings were just cold in the winter, so we needed the extra energy.

Unfortunately, our lifestyle has become in conflict from our biology, so we must eat these highly calorific foods with caution.  That is no reason to avoid them, but certainly it is a good idea to eat them in moderation.  None of the recipes that follow are what you would call low sugar nor low fat.  By the way, dinner for me tonight is homemade beef stew with lots of vegetables added.

Dec 06 2009

AFGHANISTAN — ESCALATION!

From:







Sign the Petition to Congress here!

*******

And, David Swanson, reminds us “It’s Not the President’s Decision!”

The U.S. Constitution leaves the decision to wage war to Congress, and Congress can enforce its decision not to wage war by refusing to fund it.  Blocking a funding bill for wars requires the House of Representatives alone, and both Democrats and Republicans in the House are rapidly joining us in saying No to war funding.

It’s time to finally get serious, to lobby, to protest, to sit in, to nonviolently disrupt and resist in local district offices until enough Representatives commit to voting No on any bill to fund more war.

Here’s a link to a rapidly-changing whip list in the form of a google document that you can embed* on your own website:

Public Opposes Wars, Will Our Representatives?

Please call your representatives and find out they will vote on funding the wars, urge them not to, etc. and post responses from them in the above site beneath the chart.  The chart is regularly updated.  This is a great way to keep a running to “track” of our representatives

*unfortunately, it’s not possible to embed the link here

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Support over 100 outstanding, leading peace activists in their “Emergency Anti-Escalation Rally,” on December 12, 2009, at the White House, by going to Ends the Wars Org and signing the letter to the President.  It’s easy, send them an e-mail and ask that your name and state be included.

********

From:

JUST FOREIGN POLICY!

Tell President Obama: No More Troops for Afghanistan!   – AND –

Demand a Congressional Debate on Troop Escalation

And to think that there are a couple of bills in Congress, that ask for taxing the American people for these wars??

Dec 05 2009

State single payer bill in PA Senate gets a hearing… because of a Republican!

You didn’t misread that title – SB400, the bill in the PA State Senate for statewide single payer health care, is getting some hearings because of Republican State Senator Don White.  Here in Pennsylvania, single payer isn’t a partisan issue.  We’ve got bipartisan bills in the Senate and House with Governor Rendell’s pledge to sign them if they pass.

In the words of HealthCare4AllPA:

The hearing will take place on December 16, from 9:00-10:30 AM in room 8E-A East Wing, located on the lower level of the Capitol building. Those in support of SB400 will have 45 minutes to present their information and arguments, and those opposed will also have 45 minutes.

This is a vitally important step forward, and one of the only times in history that a state-based single payer bill has been granted a senate committee hearing.

Whether you live in Pennsylvania or not, this is great news for progressives.  Follow me below the fold to find out more and see how you can help.

Dec 05 2009

Weekend News Digest

Weekend News Digest is an Open Thread

Early Edition.  Now with World and U.S. News.  47 Story Final.

From Yahoo News Top Stories

1 Philippines imposes martial law in massacre region

by Cecil Morella, AFP

Sat Dec 5, 10:16 am ET

SHARIFF AGUAK, Philippines (AFP) – The Philippines on Saturday announced the imposition of martial law in a southern province to quell a rebellion by a powerful clan accused of being behind the massacre of 57 people.

President Gloria Arroyo placed Maguindanao province under military control late on Friday in an effort to contain heavily-armed militias belonging to the provincial governor and other members of his Muslim clan, authorities said.

“There’s a rebellion in the area,” Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera said. “It was practically an overthrow of government.”

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