Author's posts
Oct 20 2008
Chomsky: Vote against McCain and for Obama – but without illusions
I know there are some who don’t like Chomsky. I don’t agree with all he says, but he’s an anti-imperialist and is good on many labor/class issues.
Here, he endorses Obama, sort of. 🙂
Chomsky says while it’s true that the two parties are essentially like factions of one party – the party of business – the differences do matter to ordinary people. If you are living in a swing state, there is nothing wrong with picking the lesser of two evils.
http://therealnews.com/t/index…
I thought some folks here would both understand and appreciate this.
Oct 09 2008
Nationalization? U.S. May Buy Equity Stakes in Banks instead of Bad Debt.
Interesting news today. Progressives like Paul Krugman, George Soros, and Jerome a Paris have suggested that the economic rescue/bailout would work better if we bought equity in the banks rather than just bad debts. They see buying bad debt as inefficient and less likely to succeed. It looks as if Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson is seriously considering partial nationalization of financial instiutions:
An administration official, who spoke late Tuesday on condition of anonymity because no decision has been made, said the $700 billion rescue package passed by Congress last week allows the Treasury Department to inject fresh capital into financial institutions and get ownership shares in return.
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told reporters that Treasury was moving quickly to implement the $700 billion rescue effort and he specifically mentioned reviewing ways to bolster the capital of banks.
msnbc.com: White House considers bank ownership stakes
More, after the fold.
Sep 06 2008
Obama On McCain as Change Agent: “They must think you’re stupid.”
“And suddenly he’s the change agent? Ha. He says, ‘I’m going to tell those lobbyists that their days of running Washington are over.’ Who is he going to tell? Is he going to tell his campaign chairman, who’s one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington? Is he going to tell his campaign manager, who was one of the biggest corporate lobbyists in Washington?”
“I mean, come on, they must think you’re stupid,” Obama said as the crowd laughed and cheered.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ele…
And he takes on Palin’s act as reformer.
“Don’t be fooled,” Obama told the crowd surrounding him in a large barn. “John McCain’s party, with the help of John McCain, has been in charge” for nearly eight years.
“I know the governor of Alaska has been saying she’s change, and that’s great,” Obama
said. “She’s a skillful politician. But, you know, when you’ve been taking all these earmarks when it’s convenient, and then suddenly you’re the champion anti-earmark person, that’s not change. Come on! I mean, words mean something, you can’t just make stuff up.”
http://www.mercurynews.com/ele…
There’s a lot more and it’s really good.
This is good. Plain talk from Barack Obama.
Sep 05 2008
Real McCain of Genuis
Fun. From Change to Win.
John McCain doesn’t know how many houses he owns. That’s why he’s a REAL MCCAIN OF GENIUS. Learn more at http://www.WorseThanBush.org.
WorseThanBush.org has been created in conjunction with the Change to Win Truth Squad: 9 workers traveling across 10 states to spread the truth about what a John McCain presidency would mean for working Americans and the entire nation. This campaign is part of the 2008 political program of Change to Win, a labor organization representing six million members, united to bring the American Dream to America’s workers.
Aug 29 2008
The Counter Narrative of Barack Obama: “The Promise of America”
As someone who at times was critical of Barack Obama during the primaries, I was very impressed with Barack Obama’s speech last night, with his thinking as much as his delivery.
Obama provided a counter narrative of America, a narrative that stands in contradistinction to that of Reagan selfishness. It’s a truly progressive narrative of America in which the history of America is seen as increasing expansions of democracy. He drew perhaps on his understanding expressed in his Philadelphia “race” speech of “a more perfect union” in articulating this Promise.
It was summed up in this line:
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It’s a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours – a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.
It’s an America that is a community and which includes, rather than excludes. Workers, women, men, blacks, whites, hispanics, asians. It is a promise based on an expansion of democracy and fairness.
More, after the fold.
Aug 15 2008
Fighting Back on Heat Deaths: Farm Workers going to Sacramento
I have been writing about the heat deaths of the farm workers in California since May. (After the fold are links for diaries for background.)
Six have died since May. The latest one was Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of nine, who died early this month. The first one to die was 17-year-old Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, who died in May. Marie was about one month pregnant when she died, and likely did not ever know she was pregnant. The state fined the labor contractor $262,700 for failing to follow heat illness prevention regulations at the time she was stricken, but that won’t bring her back. And the deaths have continued at an accelarated pace since then.
You can help to end this tragedy!
This Monday, August 18, more than 800 farm workers from throughout California want to go to Sacramento.
They want the chance to tell the governor and their elected officials to support AB 2386, “Secret Ballot Elections for Farmworkers,” which has moved out of the assembly and which will be voted on that afternoon in the state senate.
After the fold, I’ll tell you how you can help the farmworkers help themselves.
Aug 13 2008
Sixth Farm Worker Dies from the Heat this Summer in California. A Call for Action.
I have been writing about this story since May. (after the fold are links for diaries for background). Yet another farmworker has died from the heat. This is the sixth this summer.
Maria de Jesus Alvarez, 63, mother of nine, died from heat exposure in the fields on August 2. Her death makes six farm workers who died of heat exposure since May and the 15th farm worker heat death since California Governor Schwarzenegger took office. Even one is too many. Six this year is a tragedy. These deaths show that the state of California is unable to protect farm workers.
We must act. We must force action by the state to allow farm workers to protect themselves. For there are no others to do so.
If you care, join me after the fold.
(also On Daily Kos)
Aug 11 2008
Al Gore/We Campaign: New Ad airing in Olympics: Don’t Drill, Switch to Clean Renewables.
The We campaign has a new ad that will start airing Monday during the Olympics and I wanted to bring it here.
There’s been a lot of pressure lately to open up protected areas for oil drilling.
But common sense says drilling is not the answer. Switching is.
Switching to 100% clean, renewable electricity within 10 years.
More, after the fold.
Aug 05 2008
More Suskind on Today Show: “President Bush committed an impeachable offense.” (w/updates)
X-posted from Daily Kos.
This is a big story. I heard Ron Suskind being interviewed on NPR this morning. There’s also a Rec List diary [on Daily Kos] on this story and I invite you to read it. Bombshell: White House ordered forged document to sell war
I have some more details on this story. Author Ron Suskind appeared on the Today show and said that Bush ordered the CIA to forge a letter after the invasion linking Saddam Husein and al-Qaeda, in an effort to justify the invasion after the fact. His new book is “The Way of the World.”
President Bush committed an impeachable offense by ordering the CIA to to manufacture a false pretense for the Iraq war in the form of a backdated, handwritten document linking Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda, an explosive new book claims.
I have more, including a link to video, after the fold,
Aug 01 2008
Another Farm Worker dies. Does anyone give a damn?
I have been writing for months on the deaths of farmwokers in California from the heat.
United Farm Workers Calls for Manslaughter Charges Against Company in Death of 17 Year Old
How many Farmworkers must die before someone cares??
Please Tell Fallen Farm Worker’s Family We Care
“How much is the life of a farm worker worth? Is it less than the life of any other human being?”
Another farm worker died from the heat today. 5 in the last three months.
Come around after the fold for the sad news.
Jul 25 2008
United Farm Workers Calls for Manslaughter Charges Against Company in Death of 17 Year Old
I’ve written in the past about the preventable death of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez and her unborn child. California’s Occupational Safety and Health Agency recently issued a $262,700 fine against the Central Valley farm labor contracting company that employed Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez, the 17-year old farm worker who died of heat stroke because of the company’s negligence in following the law. That’s not enough. United Farm Workers President, Arturo S. Rodriguez, thinks criminal prosecution is the only way to deter companies so that no more will die:
“This is a case of manslaughter – there is no difference between a driver killing someone while breaking our traffic laws and a labor contractor breaking the law and killing this beautiful young woman. Anything less than criminal prosecution is a desecration of Maria Isabel Vasquez Jimenez’ death.”
UFW President Arturo S. Rodriguez
More, after the fold.
(also in orange)
Jul 24 2008
Teamsters Go Green: Leave Pro-Drilling Group and Now Oppose ANWR Drilling
This is big.
Great news for all of us who seek a Blue/Green Alliance! The Teamsters today left the ANWR coalition, a group in favor of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Jim Hoffa has just announced that the Teamsters are pulling out of the coalition supporting drilling in ANWR and are shifting their support to efforts to build coalitions with green groups to create a sustainable energy economy around sources like solar, wind and geothermal.
“We are not going to drill our way out of the energy problems we are facing-not here and not in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge,” Hoffa told labor and environmental activists at an Oakland, Calif., summit on good jobs and clean air. “We must find a long-term approach that breaks our dependence on foreign oil by investing in the development of alternate energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal power.”
Hoffa Rejects ‘Drilling Our Way Out’ of Energy Crisis, Demands Long-Term Policy Solutions
More, after the fold.
(also on dkos and other places)