Cross-posted at dKos

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than go driving in a car with Ted Kennedy

more below the fold…

Really. I read that on the bumper sticker of a parked car: I’d rather go hunting with Dick Cheney than go driving in a car with Ted Kennedy.

I had to laugh. And then I had to ask myself: Is this what it comes down to? Is it this funny, slick, sick, and stupid shit that makes the difference in the mind of voters?

If we are suseptible to these kinds of ideas, then what will happen when if the economic tsunami finally knocks the American middle class on its collective ass? Will there be somebody to blame other than the legislators, lobbyists, and corporate power brokers?

Will we turn on those undocumented workers that have gotten so much press? Yeah, illegal immigrants are an easy target. We can blame them.

Or will we blame Israel because we’re in the Middle East NOT for oil, but because of AIPAC. Hell, all that aid and all the money spent on the war with Iraq (because it must have to do with Israel)…

Perhaps it’ll be everyone who’s sued an HMO. Because we know the health care crisis revolves around the litigious society we’ve become. Yeah, it’s health care consumers who’ve driven this country into the ground.

Or all the injured workers who have ever tried to force their companies to spend money on safety. No. It’ll be all the women who’ve had abortions. Along with all the heathens who’ve never been to church. Let’s not forget that God is getting back at us for tolerating gays in this country… and for even contemplating gay marriage.

Hell, it’s probably the fault of the French, right Jerome?

My suggestion? Is you all better shake yourselves loose of your conventional thinking. And be ready for the finger getting pointed at you. Because we know who’s fault this really is. It’s your fault.

Today is “America Recycles Day”

Please visit this website or the many others dedicated to recycling or National Recycling Day to get ideas for increasing awareness of recycling in your area…or taking a pledge to recycle which will send you emails to remind you of your pledge…

…or this site, or maybe this one which contain ideas on turning everyday trash into fun craft projects…

or add your own ideas here…

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, but don’t Recommend the Pony Party  😉

~73v

Or: Taking on McCarthyism with Elvis and Cherry Cokes

(crossposted at Daily Kos)

With barely 24 hour to go before the start of Iraq Moratorium Day #3, I should probably be kvelling about the 100 or so Third Friday events posted on the Moratorium website. But you can check ’em out your own self.

Instead I want to highlight a great piece of political judo in written form, and in doing so, give one more plug to a great Moratorium crew, the folks in Sewanee, TN. A couple weeks ago I diaried their adventures with a heckler calling them “commies” at their Moratorium Day #2 venue in nearby Monteagle.

Later I learned that they had also faced a bit of redbaiting in the letters column of a local paper. The letter-writer caught hell from readers who weren’t even part of the protest, but regular Moratorium participant Pat Wiser took the honors with the following response which appeared in the Tullahoma News on October 28:

To the Editor:

Sometimes I miss the good ole days in 1950’s Coffee County: the Tullahoma-Manchester Coffee Pot game, cherry cokes in the drugstore on the square, Elvis on the jukebox.  I don’t miss the fear and suspicion generated by Senator Joseph McCarthy’s unfounded accusations of “communism,” a tactic that re-surfaced in an Oct. 21 letter, warning of peace vigil participants’ “ties to communist groups.”  

We aren’t communists.  Iraq Moratorium isn’t a communist organization. Our ties?  Farmers, veterans (World War II, Korea, Vietnam), ministers, teachers, home makers — small-town folk. Some donate to Walter Reed Army Medical Center and veterans’ groups; others organize drives, sending items to the troops.  

While friends still enjoy the Coffee Pot game, alas, we no longer stand cheering on the football field.  Now we stand on the corner of N. Jackson and Wilson (or in Sewanee, Monteagle, Winchester) in the heat or rain in vigils of support for our troops — not the “exciting and glamorous,” experience described by the writer.

We stand in sadness.  The Department of Defense confirms the deaths of 3,834 American soldiers in Iraq, 200 since our first vigil in late July.  The old “commies” taunt is insignificant as we honor the brave men and women fighting this senseless war.  

Pat Wiser

Sewanee, TN

[Pat was asked for permission to print this in its entirety, as the Tullahoma News  doesn’t post letters on its limited website and, despite an impressive modesty about her effort, agreed.]

This is an Open Thread: Flipping and Flopping is OK

Headlines, U.S. Is Looking Past Musharraf in Case He Falls, Bomb Parts Clear Air Security in Tests, LAPD’s Muslim mapping plan killed, Russian workers point to oil as the problem, Brown unveils anti-terrorism strategy, A Top Rival in Pakistan Is Carted Off by the Police, Working through Korean unification blues,Iran official charged with spying, Palestinians aim for agreement with Israel within year,

USA

U.S. Is Looking Past Musharraf in Case He Falls

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 – Almost two weeks into Pakistan’s political crisis, Bush administration officials are losing faith that the Pakistani president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, can survive in office and have begun discussing what might come next, according to senior administration officials.

In meetings on Wednesday, officials at the White House, State Department and the Pentagon huddled to decide what message Deputy Secretary of State John D. Negroponte would deliver to General Musharraf – and perhaps more important, to Pakistan’s generals – when he arrives in Islamabad on Friday.

Bomb Parts Clear Air Security in Tests

By Spencer S. Hsu

Washington Post Staff Writer

Thursday, November 15, 2007; Page A01

Undercover investigators carried all the bomb components needed to cause “severe damage” to airliners and passengers through U.S. airport screening checkpoints several times this year, despite security measures adopted in August 2006 to stop such explosive devices, according to a new government report.

Agents were able to smuggle aboard a detonator, liquid explosives and liquid incendiary components costing less than $150, even though screening officers in most cases appeared to follow proper procedures and use appropriate screening technology, according to an unclassified version of a report by the Government Accountability Office, Congress’s audit arm.

LAPD’s Muslim mapping plan killed

By Richard Winton and Teresa Watanabe, Los Angeles Times Staff Writers

November 15, 2007

The LAPD on Wednesday abruptly scrapped a program to map the city’s Muslim population, a major retreat for a department that said the system was needed to identify potential hotbeds of extremism.

The reversal comes after a week of protests from Muslim groups and civil libertarians, who equated the mapping with religious profiling. Others questioned whether it was possible for the LAPD to accurately map the city’s far-flung Muslim community.

Los Angeles Police Department Deputy Chief Michael P. Downing said Wednesday that in the wake of the protests, officials would drop the mapping aspect of the plan but continue their efforts to reach out to the Muslim community. Downing and other police officials plan to outline the new strategy to Muslim American activists at a meeting today.

Europe

Russian workers point to oil as the problem

TUZLA SPIT, RUSSIA — Crunching through oil-crusted seashells scattered on fouled beaches among dead and dying birds, exhausted volunteers fumed Wednesday about the uneven distribution of Russia’s petroleum wealth.

As far as the eye could see, the pale sands of this narrow finger poking into the Black Sea were coated with a heavy film of black and piles of oil-soaked seaweed. A strong smell of diesel hung in the air.

Brown unveils anti-terrorism strategy

LONDON — British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday defended his proposal to give police more time to question terrorism suspects before charging them, saying the increasing complexity of terrorism investigations demands new flexibility in the law.

The debate in Parliament over extending the 28-day limit on pre-charge detention came as Brown outlined counter-terrorism measures soon to take effect that are designed to batten down public buildings, beef up the border police and target extremism in schools and communities.

Asia

A Top Rival in Pakistan Is Carted Off by the Police

LAHORE, Pakistan, Nov. 14 – The opposition politician Imran Khan emerged from hiding on Wednesday to the cheers of hundreds of students protesting against the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, at a university here and was quickly seized by hard-line students and turned over to the police.

Mr. Khan – a politician and former cricket player, and a vociferous opponent of General Musharraf – had been the only major opposition political figure not placed in detention since General Musharraf imposed emergency rule on Nov. 3.

Working through Korean unification blues

By Andrei Lankov

For six decades, the myth of unification as Korea’s supreme goal has been enshrined in the official mythology of both nations. The lip service to this myth is still paid by virtually all political forces in both Koreas, but the actual policy of both Pyongyang and Seoul nowadays is clearly based on a very different set of assumptions and hopes: both sides try to avoid situations which might lead to unification.

There are good reasons for this quiet change of policy. The gap between the Koreas is too great; depending on which calculations

Middle East

Iran official charged with spying

A former Iranian nuclear negotiator has been charged with giving classified information to the British embassy, the Iranian intelligence minister has said.

Hossein Mousavian was detained and bailed in May over the allegations.

Mr Mousavian is close to former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, a leading rival to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Palestinians aim for agreement with Israel within year

Rory McCarthy in Ramallah

Thursday November 15, 2007

The Guardian

Palestinian negotiators want to set a timetable to secure a peace agreement with Israel within a year, according to Yasser Abed Rabbo, a senior Palestinian official, who yesterday stressed that the bold agenda was “realistic”. Abed Rabbo, a senior figure within the Palestine Liberation Organisation and a leading negotiator, said the peace conference expected to be held in Annapolis, Maryland, within a fortnight, was aiming at a renewed peace process based on a fresh approach to the US “road map” of 2003.

He said: “We know in the past that timetables have been violated and never respected, but we think some kind of timetable not exceeding one year from now is realistic.”

Africa

Mozambique works to attract big spenders to national parks

Chris McGreal, Africa correspondent

Thursday November 15, 2007

The Guardian

Mozambique plans to draw tourists back to its national parks by encouraging international hotel chains to provide luxury accommodation and so end the image of the existing tourism facilities as being old huts and tents with no showers.

The government said it would put out tenders soon for hotel building inside the Maputo special reserve in the country’s south, part of a network of transnational parks that link Mozambique, South Africa and Swaziland.

Latin America

Despite outcry, Chavez plan likely to pass

By Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

November 15, 2007

CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Less than three weeks from a vote on his proposal to overhaul the Venezuelan Constitution and strengthen his grip on power, President Hugo Chavez is facing an uncharacteristic reversal in public opinion.

A growing number of students and voters, even a former Chavez crony, say they oppose the constitutional overhaul because they believe it is anti-democratic. But despite that, Chavez’s bid to bolster his 21st century socialism is widely expected to pass.

Mexican Leader Sees Bias in U.S. Politicking

MEXICO CITY, Nov. 14 — Mexican President Felipe Calderón took the unusual step Wednesday of injecting himself into U.S. presidential politics, calling Mexican migrants “thematic hostages” of the race and urging candidates not to use them as a talking point.

Speaking at a conference here, Calderón criticized what he called “the growing harassment” of Mexicans in the United States and said his administration would finance a media campaign to underline immigrant success stories.

I suppose I should come up with some Thanksgiving content but it’s kind of hard since it’s not such a big deal holiday for the Gilmores.

The menu is very traditional- Turkey, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Wild Rice, Baked Sweet Potatoes (that’s for me), Acorn Squash (also mine), Broccoli and Cauliflower (everybody likes that), Cranberry Sauce and Cranberry Jelly (the canned kind with the ridges in it, even have special serving pieces), Tossed Salad with 3 kinds of Dressing (all bottled), Jello Salad, Olives (black and cocktail), Sweet Pickles, Carrots, Celery, Cottage Cheese, and Gravy, Sour Cream and Butter.  Cheese and Crackers (at least 4 types of each), Mixed Nuts, Chips and Dip (California Onion, is there any other?) with wine and the finger food while the table is prepared, Apple and Pumpkin Pies (the audience is not at ALL the same) with Whipped Cream, Ice Cream, and Sharp Cheddar (for the Apple, really worth a try if you haven’t) for dessert.

I may have left out a couple, but I’m not as good as Emily.

Of the Turkey I get the giblets, the organ meat, which I like because they’re very different in flavor and texture from what you normally eat.  I’m not a vegetarian, I just like meatless Marinara better than ground beef Bolognese and if a meal doesn’t have meat in it that is so just not a big deal to me.

But the menus and rituals are very closely timed because it takes a while to turn out that kind of spread.  I won’t pretend the production staff is not segregated in it’s roles- Turkey preparation is ladies time from thawing it out as much as 2 days before (yeah it really takes that long for a big bird if you follow directions and do it in the refrigerator instead of cheating by soaking it in warm water- salmonela, isn’t he the Italian guy who lives down the street?).  None of that fancy Food Channel cooking neither, our Butterball is done when the thermometer pops up.

It is something of a rite of passage that moves around from house to house depending on the guest list.  My Aunty Mame will be visiting her daughter and family, so that will be a big deal, but the Gilmores are not traveling.

Nor will we be sticking to a schedule.  Since I’m currently not attached I get to do only the one on actual Thanksgiving with Richard and Emily (no Luke and the Kims for me this year).  My brother and sister and their emotional attachments will check in and out depending on their needs, one good thing about Thanksgiving food is that it re-heats real well.

So the meal will be peated and repeated all weekend until you are thoroughly sick of it, though I must admit a fondness for Turkey hash (Cranberry Sauce, Stuffing, and little broken Turkey bits in Gravy) over noodles or rice- that usually happens around Tuesday.  And the TV will suck too, all this Sports crap and Holiday Parade programming and the knowledge that it’s time to go out there and consume.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

Sometimes, a video is worth a lot more, whether it is simply an animated image or a full-fledged movie. Or simply an image that morphs (transforms) into another image. Over the past few days, I’ve been experimenting with image morphing software and posting a few examples of the results in various locations….

If you are interested in checking out any the morphs I created, here’s a linked list of them (I won’t embed ’em again and slow down the dialup users). The source for each morph, if available, is noted and linked in parentheses:

1. Fred Thompson as a Buffy the Vampire Slayer supervillain (concept by John Aravosis)
2. Michael Chertoff as the other member of The Gentlemen (the taller of the two Buffy supervillains)
3. Michael Chertoff (again!), but this time as Jim Carey’s Count Olaf (concept by fraterslibertas)
4. George W. Bush as Bigfoot (concept by Twin Cities Minnesota blog, “Messing with Sasquatch”)
5. Rudy Giuliani and his female alter-ego

The morphing software used is Sqirlz Morph (Google search string), a freeware package. Image manipulation to create the two same-sized starting images was accomplished using GIMP.

There are other good graphics programs out there, too — some are simply for aesthetic pleasure (Sqirlz Reflections) while others allow you to create some great 3D content (Bryce 5.5, free from cNet or FaceGen Modeller 3.2). For me, programs which aren’t too big and are easy to figure out and use are the best.

With a little care and imagination, you can have a lot of fun and perhaps make a statement or two without violating any laws or creating anything offensive or insulting.

Enjoy. 🙂

(Bumped in honor of Iraq Moratorium Day! – promoted by buhdydharma )

I simply can’t wait to try to write something smart, engaging, even very coherent.  Something needs to be done…and soon!  

Yes. Buhdy, we must come together behind a “unified field theory & action” to take back our country, to take back the soul of our country.

Impeachment is a good one.  A high percentage of people are for this.  There is an even higher percentage of people who think we should get out of Iraq.  

The issue is not “finding” an issue.  The issue is how to empower and persuade people to do something, to “yell louder,” to get up, go out and make their opinions heard.  This is what appeals to me about the IRAQ MORATORIUM.  I am also greatly in favor of a General Strike.  

So, I think we can unify and act behind these three ideas:

         IMPEACH

         IRAQ MORATORIUM

         GENERAL STRIKE

The Iraq Moratorium was conceived as a platform to bring out massive numbers of people.

Although between 2/3 and 3/4 of people surveyed are now in opposition to the Iraq war, they don’t come out to express their feelings.  The population of the United States is 300 million.  The last major, national demonstration, October 27th, had been planned and organized for months in advance; but only about 80K to 150K people came out to protest.  

While 67% to 75% of the U.S. population opposes the war, only about 5/100s of 1% came out to protest.  The apathy, distraction, or feeling of hopelessness expressed by these numbers should be taken into account.

The Iraq Moratorium takes account of these dismall numbers and has developed an idea to help the voiceless speak out through the simplicity, regularity, and non-competitive umbrella nature of the action.  All P & J groups can join in under the umbrella of Iraq Moratorium.  Power in numbers.  “Solidarity Forever!”  

Hopefully, the Iraq Moratorium can turn into a General Strike!  The Iraq Moratorium (IM)is scheduled for the Third Friday of Every Month.  People who participate in IM take a pledge to do something for peace on the 3rd Friday of each month.  The commitment is easy as there is a broad range of actions to be taken, ranging from wearing a black ribbon or arm band, to buying no gas on that day, to vigils, to informational forums, to civil disobedience.  The main thing is to sign the pledge (numbers are important)

and to

         do something!

The Iraq Moratorium could be combined easily with The General Strike.  Garrett Keizer, a contributing editor to “Harper’s Magazine” had an excellent essay on this in the October ’07 issue “Notebook” section:

       “Specific Suggestion: General Strike”

Keizer begins his essay:

Of all the various depredations of the Bush regime, none has been so thorough as its plundering of hope.  Iraq will recover sooner.  What was supposed to have been the crux of our foreign policy–a shock and awe tutorial on the utter futility of any opposition to the whims of American power–has achieved its greatest and perhaps its only lasting success in the American soul.

It is obvious that we need to find a way to overcome this hopelessness and apathy.

The actions must be simple and easy to try, at least for those who are reluctant.  The essence of these actions should be a refusal to go along with business as usual.  This strategy is depicted convincingly in the video documentary, “A Force  More Powerful,” which shows how non-cooperation was the key to successes in many non-violent protest movements from Gandhi, Danish resistance against Hitler, to the civil rights movement of the 60s, to apartheid South Africa.

When massive numbers of people simply refuse to go along in complicity, simply opt out of the system, for a few hours, a day or more, that power can overwhelm the system.  Dan Ellsberg, at a strategizing session this past September, recalled the days during the Vietnam war when Nixon was threatening to bomb North Vietnam with nuclear bomb.  The Vietnam Moratorium came along at the same time.  After the 1st Vietnam Moratorium Day, when Nixon realized that a couple of million people could walk off their jobs each month on Moratorium days, Ellsberg speculates that Nixon was deterred from his nuclear bombing plans.  

I propose that we reach out through our blogs and our communication nets, through what Teilhard de Chardin called “the Noosphere,” to inspire and empower the discouraged and silent ones to just try it — try it once, twice, a few times — observe the next Iraq Moratorium, Nov. 16, and build to a General Strike & walk out on the following IM day, Dec. 21.

Let’s work to call a General Strike for 12/21, IRAQ MORATORIUM Day #4 and wear Impeach Cheney hats which can be purchased from PEN, People’s E-Mail Network.

Keizer continues:

Any strike, whether it happens in a factory or a nation, or a marriage, amounts to a reaffirmation of consent.  The strikers remind their overlords–and, equally important, themselves–that the seemingly perpetual machinery of daily life has an off switch as well as an on.  … The stream of commuters heading into the city, the caravan of tractor-trailers pulling out of the rest stop into the dawn’s early light, speak a deep-throated Yes to the sum total of what’s going on in our collective life.  The poet Richard Wilbur writes of the “ripped mouse” that “cries Concordance” in the talons of the owl; we too cry our daily assent in the grip of the prevailing order–except in those notable instances when, like a donkey or a Buddha, we refuse to budge.

So, fellow playmates and visionaries—

    Let us withdraw our consent…

    Let us refuse to budge…

GENERAL STRIKE……IRAQ MORATORIUM……IMPEACH

The next Moratorium day, #3, is day after tomorrow, Friday, November 16.  Go to iraqmoratorium.org and find an event near you, take the pledge and go.  And call the

General Strike for IM Day#4, December 21.

…like a donkey or a buddha…refuse to budge!!