| |
|
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
This Ass-hole delivers his last state of the union.
What Congress and the American people refuse
to say is this man was never legitimately elected.
He most likely will not be impeached before his
term ends. We need to impeach for peace.
posted by txpoollover, 23:05 | link | comments
Sunday, January 27, 2008
The U.S. government has been taken
from the people and America will continue to
suffer the consequences of endless wars and
the end of all civil liberties. Time to impeach
now for peace.
 The Capital Times (Madison, Wisconsin)
Kevin Barrett: Media are ignoring 9/11 whistle-blowers
Letter to the editor — 1/26/2008
Dear Editor: I am out of a job because The Capital Times and other mainstream media outlets refuse to report the news.
As a scholar, my job is to seek and report the truth, no matter where it leads. That is also the job of the media.
Along with hundreds of other scholars, engineers, architects, and former high-level military, intelligence and executive branch officials (patriotsquestion911.com), I have pointed out that the official story of 9/11 is a ridiculous fairy tale, contradicted at every turn by overwhelming evidence. But rather than reporting on all of these people, and investigating the evidence they cite, the media singled me out for vicious attacks, up to and including a death threat from Bill O'Reilly.
Recently, the former president of Italy, Francesco Cossiga, stated publicly that the global intelligence community and the democratic forces in Europe know that the CIA and Mossad perpetrated the 9/11 attacks. Why wasn't that front page headlines?
Last week, the probable next prime minister of Japan, Yukihisa Fujita, grilled current prime minister Fukuda for half an hour about the controlled demolition of the World Trade Center and the staged events at the Pentagon and asked whether the Japanese police could arrest George W. Bush for his complicity in 9/11. Why wasn't that front page news? Japan, after all, is the world's second-largest economy, and if they are pulling the plug not just on financing the Iraq and Afghan wars, but the whole U.S. economy, because they know this country is led by 9/11 war criminals, maybe the American people should hear about it.
Also last week FBI whistle-blower Sibel Edmonds, who has implicated leading neocon ex-members of the Bush administration in the financing and coverup of 9/11, made front page headlines in the UK. Why won't the U.S. media cover Edmonds, the most gagged whistle-blower in U.S. history?
Why have the media refused to report on the 120+ senior military, intelligence service, law enforcement and government officials, 290+ engineers and architects, 60+ pilots and aviation professionals, 190+ professors, and 200+ 9/11 survivors and family members who have publicly blasted the official 9/11 fairy tale — many of them openly calling 9/11 an inside job
As for me, my reputation has been ruined, at least in the eyes of the fewer and fewer people naive enough to believe the mainstream media. I can no longer practice my chosen profession, in training for which I invested more than 10 years of my life and tens of thousands of dollars, because the media singled me out for distorted coverage — while ignoring the hundreds of others vastly more qualified than I am who say the same things and refusing to investigate the evidence they cite.
Kevin Barrett
Lone Rock
posted by txpoollover, 22:41 | link | comments
Saturday, January 26, 2008
When asked who do I support for president,
now that Kucinich is out. I have to say
the remaining candidates are all Bullshit.
I see the debates and I listen and read the reviews,
This is without a doubt the most ridiculous array of
candidates imaginable. This video says it all.
Video Description
For a majority of likely voters, meaningless bullshit will be the most important factor in deciding who they will vote for in 2008.
posted by txpoollover, 22:38 | link | comments
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Fooled 935 times by Bush and Company.
George W. Bush and seven of his administration's top officials, ... at least 935 false statements in the two years following September 11, 2001
Counted here: Iraq: The War Card - The Center for Public Integrity
If you get your news from the so called "mainstream news"
You are just now learning of the lies and diceptions of Bush
to get the U.S.A. in the so called "war on terror"
If you get your news on the internet.
One I highly recommend is
reddit.com
| User-generated news links. Votes promote stories to the front page. |
this from George Washington's Blog :
ATTENTION BLOGOSPHERE!
As of November 2006, only 26 million Americans watched any nightly news program on television. (down from 52 million in 1980). And the percentage of people who believed "all or most of what news organizations say" fell dramatically between 1996 and 2006.
On the other hand, social newssites like Digg, Reddit, Del.icio.us, Technorati, StumbleUpon, Propeller, Newsvine etc., and alternative websites on both the left and the right have attracted huge numbers of eyeballs. Indeed, there currently at least 112.8 million blogs and over 250 million pieces of tagged social media.
We are actually on the verge of becoming bigger than the audience for tv news. And we are certainly much more involved and active than the couch potatoes passively consuming the drivel coming from the MSN.
Yeah, And . . . ?
I think there are now enough of us reading and writing political and news blogs that we can affect history.
posted by txpoollover, 22:38 | link | comments
We just have until monday to stop
the telecom companies from
getting immunity from their wiretapping
of phone calls.
Stop Bush's Warrantless Wiretapping | Democrats.com
All day, Republicans have been filibustering. They have refused to allow up or down majority votes on amendments like those stripping telecom immunity. Now, Republicans have filed for cloture. The cloture vote will occur at 4:30 pm on Monday.
This means that we have until then to convince 41 Senators not to vote for cloture. If cloture fails, Republicans can either continue filibustering, or they can allow majority votes on amendments. Some amendments may pass (though probably not ones stripping immunity), but some of those that may pass (like ones dealing with minimization) will cause Bush to veto the bill. This is good. The Protect America Act, which expanded FISA's powers greatly, will sunset on February 1st and Bush will then be responsible for killing his own "very important" FISA legislation.
So, put pressure on your Senators between now and Monday to reject cloture!
Call them!
Write them!
posted by txpoollover, 22:04 | link | comments
Monday, January 21, 2008
from:
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. the legacy remembered, the message that should not be forgotten |
|
 The homage that Americans pay today to the inspiring life and lasting legacy of Dr. King is a fitting tribute to this leader who spoke so eloquently of peace, of social justice, and of equal rights under the law and under the moral covenant that established and guides this great nation. But, as we survey the grim realities of today, across this country and around the world, that rightful homage also has the somber ring of a faint and distant eulogy for a man and a message from another time.
That other time that we remember and honor was then. But, more than ever, it is also now.
In his speech at Riverside Church in New York City, on April 4, 1967, Dr. King spoke of one war that was destroying the aspirations of the people of two nations - the people of the United States and the people of Vietnam.
The Vietnam War resulted in the deaths of 4 million Vietnamese civilians in a nation of about 40 million - 10% of the total population of Vietnam. Americans lost 58,202 soldiers in that war. And in hard, cold numbers, the Vietnam War cost the United States the equivalent of $662 billion in today's dollars.
So far, today, this no-end-in-sight war against Iraq has resulted in the deaths of more than 1 million innocent Iraqis in a nation of 25 million. Four thousand of our best and bravest have died, and nearly 29,000 have been wounded. In hard, cold numbers, the Iraq War will cost the United States more than $2 trillion.
What would Dr. King say today? What would his message be to the President, to the U.S. Congress, and to the American people? It would be, I deeply believe, the same as it was more than 30 years ago: Iraq is a war that is destroying the aspirations of the people of two nations - the people of the United States and the people of Iraq.
And, it was only two years ago that the leadership of the Democratic Party, without invoking Dr. King but aligning itself with the powerful principles that he espoused, promised an end to the abuse of political power and an end to the war that was devastating the people of two nations. And Americans, believing that promise that we would “be free at last” from the policies that morally and economically enslaved this nation and unrepentantly took control of another, elected a new Democratic leadership in the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate.
Tragically, in the two years since, nothing has changed. The policies of this President persist and prevail. The Congress yields and subjugates itself time and time again. And the powerful, righteous, and universal message of Dr. King has been forgotten.
Dr. King's concluding remarks in his Riverside Church speech called for an end to the disintegration of humanity brought about by war: "Somehow this madness must end," he implored.
It is not in our power to bring Dr. King back, but it is within our power to resurrect his spirit in our daily lives and in the policies of the government that we elect to represent and lead us. He demonstrated throughout his entire life that social and economic justice are achieved not through compromising what we believe, but rather, committing to what we believe – whatever the odds.
In this crucial year for the future of our nation and the future of our world, today is the day to remember Dr. King's words, embrace his spirit, and fortify ourselves with the message that he left for us.
It is time, once again, to ask what we can do to forge ahead – in our votes, in our support, and in everything we do -- to reach that place where his words, his strength, and his optimism become more than a legacy. They become the policy and mission of this nation: "Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, I'm free at last."
Dennis Kucinich
posted by txpoollover, 20:43 | link | comments
Sunday, January 20, 2008
CNN Follows NBC in Uninviting Kucinich | AfterDowningStreet.org
By David Swanson
I just spoke to Dennis Kucinich who told me he had been included in the upcoming CNN debate but has been uninvited. After a poll placed Kucinich at 4%, CNN quickly announced the criterion of 5% for participation in its next debate in South Carolina. The Kucinich campaign released this statement:
CNN sets debate criteria 1% above Kucinich’s latest poll results, campaign files complaint with Federal Communications Commission
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Kucinich for President campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission yesterday against CNN and its parent company, Time Warner, Inc., for arbitrarily establishing criteria for its scheduled Monday Presidential debate that will exclude the Democratic candidate from participation.
On Wednesday, the campaign was notified by CNN that its criteria included a showing of 5% or better in a national poll. In two polls completed earlier last week by CBS News/New York Times and by the Pew Research Center, Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich scored 4%.
“The CNN criteria specifically exclude the diverse and anti-war voice of Mr. Kucinich and his grass-roots supporters,” according to the complaint. “The exclusion of Mr. Kucinich undermines the purpose of the (Federal Communications) Act and is a blatant violation of the Act, including its equal time provisions.” Also, “Mr. Kucinich is a successful candidate because of his anti-war message and strong criticism of the American healthcare system, issues that are not championed by his presidential primary opponents. In these and other policy issues, his opponents share very similar policy platforms that differ from Mr. Kucinich.”
The filing also points out that Kucinich was invited to participate in the upcoming South Carolina debate by the Congressional Black Caucus, which is co-sponsoring the event. The invitation, which he accepted on May 20, stated, in part that Kucinich “will be guaranteed a rare opportunity to present your message to millions of voters unfiltered by any political organization or by any news organization.”
The complaint also argues that the Monday event “is not a true presidential primary debate without including all credible candidates. Instead, it is effectively an endorsement of the candidates selected by CNN” and is a breach of the federal requirement “to operate in the public interest and to afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of issues of public importance.”
The campaign is asking the FCC to order CNN to allow Kucinich to participate.
Kucinich told me the FCC refused this, so a court challenge may be needed. Or we could all let CNN know how we feel about it:
PHONE: 404-827-1500
EMAIL: http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv
WHAT DENNIS DID LAST TIME:
posted by txpoollover, 13:36 | link | comments
Saturday, January 19, 2008
ACLU 2007 Cheers and Jeers
from chicago dyke's blog
Submitted by chicago dyke on Sat, 2008-01-19 12:53.
I love lists. I make them, I read them, I collect them…the ACLU made a list for 2007 your should read:
2007: The Year We Didn’t Get Our Freedoms Back
Top 10 ways our government failed us:
1. Not putting an end to warrantless NSA spying. Congress instead has continued to let the NSA spy without warrants and is considering letting the telephone companies off the hook for spying on Americans illegally. The Senate debated FISA last month before the holiday recess, and in a gift to the American people, legislation that would have forgiven telecom companies for spying on their customers and given the NSA more freedom to spy on Americans was not voted on. Congress is expected to take up the legislation when members return later in January.
2. Not repealing the Military Commissions Act or restoring habeas corpus. Despite a valiant effort and near success, an amendment to restore habeas corpus received 56 votes when it needed 60 votes. The support in the Senate indicates that legislation to fix the Military Commissions Act could pass. The Supreme Court will also issue a decision in 2008 regarding habeas corpus.
3. Not closing the Guantanamo Bay Prison. January 11 marks the sixth anniversary of the arrival of prisoners to Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners have been held without habeas corpus rights for six years. The ACLU is organizing people across America to wear orange that day in recognition of the shame the prison has caused for all of us.
The number of inmates shrank this year to 355, having started at over 700; officials expect the prison to close one way or another in 2008. But Guantanamo’s closing will not necessarily mean the end of holding prisoners without due process, especially if the Military Commissions Act is still in place.
4. Not giving due process to immigrants and denying life-saving health care in immigration detention facilities. Although the comprehensive immigration reform bill ultimately failed, even that legislation would not have given immigrants badly needed basic due process rights. Congress failed to pass legislation this year securing those basic human rights for immigrants.
5. Allowing the CIA to destroy interrogation tapes. The executive branch claims it can investigate its own wrongdoings, but the ACLU demands an independent investigation that the law calls for and that the scandal warrants. The attorney general’s announcement that the Department of Justice will investigate the tapes’ destruction is a good start, but it does not go far enough. We want real independence, coming from outside the executive branch.
6. Not repealing the Real ID Act. Several states rejected Real ID this year, but the federal government still believes its invasive, costly, doomed program can be a success.
7. Not fixing the terrorist watch list, which is filled with errors. Hearings have been held, reports have been written and the public has spoken: The list – approaching one million – is too large to ever be effective as a security tool.
8. Letting Judge Michael Mukasey off the hook after he would not admit that waterboarding is illegal under six different laws. It’s simple: Waterboarding is torture, and torture is not acceptable. Mukasey’s denial did not mark a restoration of dignity to the Justice Department.
9. Foot-dragging by the White House in getting to the bottom of a disgraced Gonzales Justice Department. Alberto Gonzales ran a politically motivated Justice Department that did more to stunt justice than promote it.
10. Stripping the hate crimes amendment from the Department of Defense authorization bill. The House, in a stand-alone bill, and the Senate, in an amendment to the DOD bill, voted for the first time to allow certain crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans to be designated as hate crimes without compromising free speech. But the amendment was stripped from the DOD bill in a conference committee.
Top 10 reasons not to lose complete faith in our government:
1. Real changes were made to start fixing the unfair sentencing disparities between crack and powder cocaine that disproportionately affect minorities. The U.S. Sentencing Commission changed its recommendations to be more just in sentencing for crack offenses, and it applied those changes retroactively.
2. Perhaps the biggest victory was the case Kimbrough v. U.S., in which the Supreme Court said judges were free to issue shorter prison sentences for crack cocaine offenses, bringing them closer to the sentences for powder cocaine. The ACLU wrote an amicus brief supporting departure from the guidelines.
3. Senators stood up to the Bush Administration’s push for permanent warrantless wiretapping authority and immunity for the telecoms. It was a historic moment. A group of senators stood up to warrantless wiretapping and immunity for telecommunications companies, shutting down the Senate Intelligence Committee’s power grab of a FISA reauthorization bill – for now.
4. A federal judge struck down the national security letter provision of the Patriot Act that allowed the FBI to collect personal data secretly without a judge’s authorization.
5. Senators voted against a $300 million Real ID funding bill. Although $50 million was eventually appropriated to Real ID in December, an amendment to the Department of Homeland Security authorization bill this summer that would have given millions more money to the program failed.
6. The House passed a bill to offer more protections for reporters and their sources. The bill wasn’t perfect, but it was a victory for the First Amendment. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee voted the Senate’s version of a reporters’ shield bill out of committee.
7. Legislation was enacted to reauthorize and reinvigorate FOIA. The House and Senate passed a bill to enforce the Freedom of Information Act and ensure that government agencies are accountable to it – and President Bush just signed it.
8. Religious discrimination wasn’t written into the Head Start program. Members of Congress voted not to remove civil rights protections prohibiting the hiring of teachers, staff and volunteers based on religion in Head Start programs.
9. A majority of senators fought valiantly to save habeas corpus. A bill passed the House and won a majority of votes in the Senate – 56 - 43 – but it needed 60 votes. However, the vote shows Members of Congress are making a strong attempt to restore basic rights.
10. The American people wanted a change in Congress, and they went out to the polls and voted. We have faith in the American people to fight to restore their rights. We hope the next president and members of Congress elected will take civil liberties as seriously as we do.
posted by txpoollover, 22:58 | link | comments
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Where are the tears for GIs, Iraqis?
So far two million innocent Iraqis have died because of years of sanctions and the 2003 Iraq War.
By Mary MacElveen
I would have to say that this presidential campaign to date has jaded me. The catch phrase that is being thrown around by so many of these candidates is that they want to change things, but as we begin to see the results of both the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, I do believe that things will stay the same.
The only change I do see is another name coming after the title president.
While the war in Iraq is beginning to poll at the bottom of how Americans will vote, it still remains the single most important factor for me. Yet, many of the candidates who are polling at the top and who are beginning to win these races have either voted for this war and/or continue to vote for any war funding.
While Mike Huckabee did not cast any vote since he is not and was not in the Senate, still he favors this war. McCain was even a backer of President Bush’s ‘surge strategy’.
It leaves me to wonder if Americans do want real change or just a change in name. Do Americans want to really chart a new course for this country or continue the current road in which we all travel? If it is the latter; then God save America from its citizens.
In watching the CNN feed where Marianne Pernold-Young questioned Sen. Hillary Clinton, it brought Clinton to tears. Her display of said tears sickened me beyond belief.
Clinton stated in that feed that this race was personal instead of political in which she said, “I see what’s happening and we have to reverse it.” To this I would love to ask Sen. Clinton: Do you wish to reverse it back to when your husband was our president in which we sanctioned the Iraqi people thereby killing one million of its citizens?
I keep on harping on this, but former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright --when asked by 60 Minutes correspondent Leslie Stahl if it was worth over 500,000 innocent Iraqi children dying -- said, “It was worth it.”
As an American citizen, my eyes are wide open and their deaths are personal to me, Sen. Clinton.
Many supporters of Sen. Clinton will state that she was President Bill Clinton’s true partner, so she must be held responsible for these Iraqi deaths. He saw fit to hold Iraq accountable due to their non-compliance of U.N. resolutions, yet no one is holding Israel accountable for their non-compliance of 71 U.N. resolutions.
As we all know, Sen. Clinton voted for the Iraq Resolution in which I have written consistently does not hold any constitutional and legal powers and does not invoke the war powers act. She also failed to read the intelligence report proving President Bush wrong, yet folks still voted for her in these races. I just do not understand this.
Ms. Pernold-Young voted for Sen. Obama after questioning Sen. Clinton, stating his message was “electric”, yet he too has consistently voted to fund this abhorrent war.
In a past column written by me in which Obama spoke in front of those gathered at an AIPAC (American Israeli Public Affairs Committee), Obama had this to say of any military action against Iran, “We should take no option, including military action, off the table, and show strong support for Israel’s actions in last summer’s war against Hezbollah.”
I have written scathing articles against the State of Israel for launching that attack and have even seen through photos our support of that terrorist attack upon Lebanon in this previous article asking who are the terrorists.
You may be saying to yourselves: Why am I really targeting the Democratic candidates? Well, to be honest, I expected better from them being of the opposite party if one believes they are truly different than the Republicans.
I would blast the Republicans and have, but I do not see any change of course only the same should a Republican become our next president.
In a past article commending Rep. Pete Stark embedded are some of the most horrific photos, but not nearly the worst I have seen as I have consistently written and spoken out against this war.
I want every single Democratic voter to take a look at those no longer with us, namely our soldiers and innocent Iraqi citizens and shed tears for them. I ask that you reject the tears shed by Sen. Clinton in which she tried to show her human side forgetting humans were killed in Iraq.
Do so if you are truly in wish of a change. As Obama rails against this war, he has consistently voted to fund it and remember that too.
Yes, the war still is the most important issue for me and I do suspect for many more out there. It is not a right vs. left issue, but a holocaust that is taken place over in Iraq.
Even the L.A. Times reported that one million Iraqis have been killed during this war in which I wrote a scathing column asking Speaker Pelosi when impeachment would be back on the table in relation to President Bush.
If you add up those killed in Iraq during the sanctions to the ones killed during this Iraq War, so far two million innocent Iraqis have died and yes, it is a holocaust. Please tell me what issue is more important.
The other night, I was in midstream of writing my thoughts down concerning the Iowa Caucuses, but stopped. I just did not understand how Obama came out on top in that race and I cannot even understand how Clinton came out on top after New Hampshire.
It just seems to me that Americans do not really want change. That is the only way I can explain the outcomes of both races and that includes those who were the winners on the Republican side.
This column is dedicated to all of our soldiers who have lost their lives in Iraq and who have come home maimed. This column is also dedicated to the countless innocent Iraqis who have been killed at the hands of the United States government.
-- Mary MacElveen is a Long Island-based writer whose work appears at her blog MaryMacElveen.com. Her e-mail address is xmjmac@optonline.net
ConsortiumNews
A letter sent to DNC Chair, Howard Dean on behalf of Gravel and Kucinich
by Mary MacElveen on Wed 16 Jan 2008 02:35 AM EST | Permanent Link | Cosmos A letter sent to DNC Chair, Howard Dean on behalf of Gravel and Kucinich
By Mary MacElveen
January 16, 2008
To Chairman Howard Dean,
When you were running for president back in 2004, you stated that the people “had the power to take back their country” Well in light of former Senator Mike Gravel being omitted from past debates and now with Congressman Dennis Kucinich being barred from an upcoming debate: Where is the power of the people to decide who they get to hear from? I do not see it, Chairman Dean. This is surely not democracy, but censoring the words coming from both candidates.
posted by txpoollover, 12:18 | link | comments
Monday, January 14, 2008
Do we live in a "police state" yes,
If you don't believe it just go protest at Washington D.C.
You'll see for yourself. ~ Hello in there
TruthNews.us » Blog Archive » This is What A Police State Looks Like
posted by txpoollover, 11:24 | link | comments
Sunday, January 13, 2008
politics: Bush tells Israel: I don't believe in the latest NIE ...
911 Proof.com and about the buildup to attack Iran:
The former UN Weapons Inspector, an American, who stated before the Iraq war started that there were no weapons of mass destruction is now saying that he would not rule out staged government terror by the U.S. government.
(If you can't wait to find out whether America has undertaken false flag operations in recent times, click here).
Will the Iranian "Provocation" Ruse Be Allowed to Succeed?
The navy showed a tape of what they claimed were Iranian speedboats "harassing" a U.S. warship, along with audio of foreign-sounding bad guys making very threatening statements.
However, after a blogger pointed out that the accents of the supposed speed boat passengers could not have been Iranian, the government changed its story:
"the spokesperson for the U.S. admiral in charge of the Fifth Fleet clarified to ABC News that the threat may have come from the Iranian boats, or it may have come from somewhere else.
'We're saying that we cannot make a direct connection to the boats there,' said the spokesperson. 'It could have come from the shore, from another ship passing by. However, it happened in the middle of all the very unusual activity, so as we assess the information and situation, we still put it in the total aggregate of what happened Sunday morning. I guess we're not saying that it absolutely came from the boats, but we're not saying it absolutely didn't.'"
In other words, the audio could have come from anywhere. It could even have been a pre-recorded message played from a U.S. war ship!
Iran released its own version of the audio for the incident, wherein the speed boats properly identify themselves, saying " Coalition warship No. 73 this is an Iranian navy patrol boat". I don't know if this is authentic, but its more likely than the U.S. version of the incident.
Especially given that it has now been definitely admitted by the U.S. government that " US officials faked an incident to escalate the war" in Vietnam, will the U.S. get away with using the less-than-credible Iranian speedboat tape to create a pretext for war with Iran?
The media has shown over hundreds of years that it will support the false claims of the government to justify war. Will the media act truthfully this time?
posted by txpoollover, 23:36 | link | comments
Friday, January 11, 2008
This unelected weeny is deciding which candidates' messages you'll hear in Vegas next week. That doesn't make you happy? Let him (them) know!
Updated: NBC Rewrites its Own Rules to Prevent America from Hearing Kucinich
This is way out of hand -- join me in boycotting the debate.
This unelected weeny is deciding which candidates' messages you'll hear in Vegas next week. That doesn't make you happy? Let him (them) know!
As a political writer, I have to follow these endless primary-season debates. But when it comes to NBC's Democratic show-down in Vegas next Tuesday, I'll read the transcript and check out the highlights on YouTube, but I won't tune into NBC's live broadcast.
Here's a press release from the Kucinich campaign explaining why:
Less than 44 hours after NBC sent a congratulatory note and an invitation to Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich to participate in the Jan. 15 Democratic Presidential debate in Las Vegas, the network notified the campaign this morning it was changing its announced criteria, rescinding its invitation, and excluding Kucinich from the debate.
NBC Political Director Chuck Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that, although Kucinich had met the qualification criteria publicly announced on December 28, the network was "re-doing" the criteria, excluding Kucinich, and planning to invite only Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama and former senator John Edwards.
The criteria announced last month included a fourth-place or better showing in a national poll. The USA/Gallup poll earlier this month showed Kucinich in fourth place among the Democratic contenders.
In an email to the Kucinich campaign at 2:35 p.m. on Wednesday, January 9, Democratic Party debates consultant Jenny Backus wrote:
"Congratulations on another hard-fought contest. Now that New Hampshire is over, we are on to Nevada and our Presidential Debate on Tuesday January 15. This letter serves as an official invitation for your candidate to participate in the Nevada Presidential Debate at Cashman Theatre in downtown Las Vegas. You have met the criteria set by NBC and the Debate."
Todd notified the Kucinich campaign this morning that the network had decided to change the criteria and limit participation in the debate to only three candidates.
[SNIP]
The Kucinich campaign, which filed an emergency complaint with the Federal Communications Commission last week because of ABC's decision to exclude the candidate from a nationally televised debate, is considering legal action to address "the blatant disregard of the public interest in silencing public debate that dissents with the views of NBC, its parent company, GE, and all of the military contractors and their candidate-funding corporate interests. Corporate control of the media is one issue. Corporate media control of the information that is allowed to reach American citizens is much more dangerous, much more sinister, and much more un-American."
"When 'big media' exert their unbridled control over what Americans can see, hear, and read, then the Constitutional power and right of the citizens to vote is being vetoed by multi-billion corporations that want the votes to go their way," the Kucinich campaign said.
Would you consider joining me in letting NBC know that we're just sick of this nonsense?
If so, indignant-but-polite is, I've found, the best tone to take when griping to the media about their all-too-frequently-crappy political coverage.
NBC News contact form
MCNBC Feedback
Another one for MSNBC
Chuck Todd (Note: may be out of date)
***
Update: Here's what I sent to Todd [Update: it bounced back] and the other NBC addresses:
Dear Mr. Todd,
I’m writing to express my dismay about NBC’s decision to re-write its own previously announced criteria in order — specifically, it seems — to exclude Dennis Kucinich, the fourth-place finisher in at least one major national poll from the Las Vegas debate.
I am not of the belief that Rep. Kucinich has a chance to win the nomination, but that's beside the point. It appears to me that our political press corps, yourself included, are simply blind to the intense feelings of frustration among many of us “out here” in America every time the media tries to narrow the ideological spectrum and limit our political debates. I am among almost 300 million people who have not had an opportunity to cast my vote in the primary, and it is the height of arrogance for you and NBC to tell me, in effect, that only 3 of the 4 candidates who met your announced criteria are acceptable choices, or that only the views of 3 of the 4 are acceptably “mainstream.”
And regardless of his chances, Kucinich is not in this race to win. He’s in it to influence the political discourse within the Democratic party, and as a Democratic-leaning independent, I would like to see the full spectrum of Democratic opinions aired and debated. It is maddening to have NBC deny us that process.
But even that isn't nearly as infuriating as the egregious disrespect shown to a member of the House of Representatives who’s been sent back to Washington by his constituents five times. I’ll be frank: to extend the invitation, and then rewrite your own rules in order to withdraw it makes it difficult for me to even maintain a civil tone.
I won’t be watching your debate — it will be the first one I skip — because I don’t want to support the idea that the media decides these elections and the voters are merely an afterthought. I will also write about your network’s hubris on my blog and urge my friends and acquaintances to boycott the debate as well. Hopefully, General Electric will receive a lot of correspondence like this one, see a smaller-than-expected audience and finally figure out that while it has its hands in many businesses, electing a president isn’t one that We the People will accept.
Best wishes,
Joshua Holland is an editor and senior writer at AlterNet.
posted by txpoollover, 22:05 | link | comments
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Kucinich Asks for New Hampshire Recount in the Interest of Election Integrity
DETROIT–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich, the most outspoken advocate in the Presidential field and in Congress for election integrity, paper-ballot elections, and campaign finance reform, has sent a letter to the New Hampshire Secretary of State asking for a recount of Tuesdays election because of unexplained disparities between hand-counted ballots and machine-counted ballots.
I am not making this request in the expectation that a recount will significantly affect the number of votes that were cast on my behalf, Kucinich stressed in a letter to Secretary of State William M. Gardner. But, Serious and credible reports, allegations, and rumors have surfaced in the past few daysIt is imperative that these questions be addressed in the interest of public confidence in the integrity of the election process and the election machinery not just in New Hampshire, but in every other state that conducts a primary election.
He added, Ever since the 2000 election and even before the American people have been losing faith in the belief that their votes were actually counted. This recount isnt about who won 39% of 36% or even 1%. Its about establishing whether 100% of the voters had 100% of their votes counted exactly the way they cast them.
Kucinich, who drew about 1.4% of the New Hampshire Democratic primary vote, wrote, This is not about my candidacy or any other individual candidacy. It is about the integrity of the election process. No other Democratic candidate, he noted, has stepped forward to question or pursue the claims being made.
New Hampshire is in the unique position to address and, if so determined, rectify these issues before they escalate into a massive, nationwide suspicion of the process by which Americans elect their President. Based on the controversies surrounding the Presidential elections in 2004 and 2000, New Hampshire is in a prime position to investigate possible irregularities and to issue findings for the benefit of the entire nation, Kucinich wrote in his letter.
Without an official recount, the voters of New Hampshire and the rest of the nation will never know whether there are flaws in our electoral system that need to be identified and addressed at this relatively early point in the Presidential nominating process, said Kucinich, who is campaigning in Michigan this week in advance of next Tuesdays Presidential primary in that state.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20080110006236&newsLang=en
posted by txpoollover, 21:36 | link | comments
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
All polls showed Obama leading in the double digits,
Hillary is the winner in New Hampshire?
A stolen election in the making. ~ Hello in there
A YouTube video from Black Box Voting that you won't soon forget:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiiaBqwqkXs
NEW: YouTube Video : Silvestro - the Cat with the Exclusive Contract to Control New Hampshire and New England voting machine programming
THE CAT THAT CONTROLS NEW HAMPSHIRE ELECTION PROGRAMMING
1-7-08: Silvestro the Cat & New Hampshire Elections
Comma delimited database: NH municipalities hand count vs use Diebold machines: http://www.bbvdocs.org/NH/state/Jan-08-votingsystems-NH.txt
posted by txpoollover, 10:56 | link | comments
George Washington's Blog: Fascism Is Over ... If We Want It
Fascism Is Over ... If We Want It
Many times, when I explain to people what's going on in our country today, they at first argue that things aren't really that bad, and that America could never go fascist.
After a couple of examples about what's been happening recently, and a brief overview of what fascism actually means, they get it.
But then they shrug their shoulders and say "there's nothing I can do", hoping that that's the end of discussion.
Are they right? Is there nothing we can do about fascism? Should we just hunker down and try to survive it?
Well, first of all, there is something we can do to break free of the fascist concrete which has been poured over America, before it really hardens.
Here is just one example:
posted by txpoollover, 01:17 | link | comments
Everywhere you turn the news is
on the results in Idaho and now
New Hampshire. Many are just
not going to vote because it is
well known to most people that
know the truth, that all elections
in the U.S.A. are rigged. Kucinich
is shut out of the debates, despite the
fact he is the claer winner in all online
polls. Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul
are not getting their votes counted.
Will we ever have a true
democracy in the U.S.A.?
read this:
Black Box Voting - Welcome to www.BlackBoxVoting.org, Citizen ...
posted by txpoollover, 01:06 | link | comments
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
New construction in my neighborhood.
This was just opening near the Naval
Joint Reserve Air Base in Fort Worth.
This is next door to a Wal-mart.
Low prices small minds are recruited.
The price you pay will be your life.
The career you will receive after your
extended stay in Bushes Army will be
a part time job at W-mart minimum wages.
posted by txpoollover, 23:35 | link | comments
Monday, January 07, 2008
Sadly, this level of dissent is so rare to witness during a tightly scripted election year that many so-called liberals want Dennis to shut up.
Spread this video around. This visual display against tyrannical control is what democracy looks like. Sadly, this level of dissent is so rare to witness during a tightly scripted election year that many so-called liberals are telling Dennis to shut up already. They fear that he may "spoil" a sure win for any of the top-tier candidates. These people, like their corporate candidates, are part of the problem. You can't be neutral on a moving train. You're either fighting against this undemocratic power-hording, or you're enabling it.
Please contact ABC and tell them what you think of private corporations deciding for a presidential candidate when their campaign is over.
IndependentPrimary.com says:
Cathy Levine has received so many calls that she has disconnected her cell phone. Call can be placed to Natalie Raabe, ABC News Media Liason at 202-746-0237.
This From Dennis Kucinich:
Dear friend
For the record:
1. New Hampshire is the first state we are playing in. Due to the party lockout in Iowa, we chose to focus on New Hampshire.
2. I am the only person running for President who voted against the war, against funding the war 100% of the time, against the Patriot Act and who stands for a universal single payer not for profit healthcare system. Nevertheless I was excluded from last night's ABC presidential debate, or four tone monologue as it was.
3. In answer to your questions about why I didn't support former Senator John Edwards on the second ballot in Iowa: I have serious concerns about his connections to a Wall Street hedge fund, Fortress.
While attacking others for accepting campaign money from Washington lobbyists, he is up to his ears in money from Wall Street special interests.
He made half a million dollars in a single year for attending a few meetings for Fortress and has invested a substantial part of his own personal wealth in the hedge fund whose portfolios are responsible for subprime predatory lending practices, medicare privatization and an entire range of corporate sharp dealings which are driving the middle class into poverty.
While I indicated Senator Obama as a preferred second choice in Iowa, progressives have fundamental disagreements with him and all of the other presidential candidates on most of their major positions on the issues.
We must have the courage of our convictions to fully support and vote for what it is we really want. For once we must realize our power, stop playing tactical games and vote as a block. Which as you know is what the religious right does and why they often win.
We progressives are in the majority in this election. We will win only when we refuse to compromise and vote with integrity.
Dennis Kucinich
posted by txpoollover, 00:19 | link | comments
Friday, January 04, 2008
posted by txpoollover, 22:46 | link | comments
Thursday, January 03, 2008
It may not be enough to just simply stop watching
the corporate propaganda networks. Most commonly known as "mainstream media",
ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC....
We don't fish in that stream in our family. It is all right-wing propaganda.
I would vote for Ru Paul before I would vote for Ron Paul.
His camp does have some good ideas. ~ Hello in there
New Strategies for Challenging the Propaganda Machine
Two ideas have surfaced today about how to stand up to the mainstream media companies which censor real news and solely act as cheerleaders for the powers-that-be:
- Buy put options or short-sell stock -- that is, bet that the stock will go down -- of the offending companiess (just call a stockbroker and say you want to buy put options)
Both of these tactics come from Ron Paul supporters as a way to challenge Fox News' decision to exclude Dr. Paul from its presidential debate. However, these tactics can be used by anyone who is frustrated that the giant news corporations (owned by neocons, defense contractors, and others who do not share the interests of the American people) are censoring the truth and instead acting as the lapdogs and stenographers to the powers-that-be. Don't just target Fox news, but all of the media companies suppressing truth.
Of course, people can also boycott the sponsors of the offending media. For example, here is a list of Fox News' sponsors. And more ideas for boycotts are here.
And for those who already own shares of stock in an MSM company, another option is simply to sell them. If enough people sell, that will drive the price down and hit the MSM in its bottom line.
posted by txpoollover, 22:02 | link | comments
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
Predictions for 2008
Be sure to read the last 2 paragraphs,
you may be shocked
The un-parodiable state of civil liberties in America
Radley Balko | December 21, 2007
As the end of the year approaches, it's time for another column of government overreach predictions for the New Year. What outrageous, beyond-parody grabs at power and erosions of civil liberties will transpire in 2008? My predictions:
• The Bush administration will claim it has the power to kidnap citizens of foreign countries for violating U.S. law, and extradite them to the U.S. for trial and imprisonment—even for white collar crimes unrelated to terrorism, and even for acts that aren't illegal in the countries where the target is a citizen.
• Police will take enforcement of prostitution laws to a new level, by arresting and seizing the cars of anyone who merely talks to an undercover cop posing as a sex worker. Good samaratans, beware.
• The war on prescription painkillers will also reach new absurdities, as people will begin to be arrested and convicted of possessing painkillers for which they have a prescription . Prosecutors will weirdly argue that there is no "prescription defense" to possessing prescribed medication.
• How about sex crimes laws? I predict that here too, prosecutors will overreach. Watch, as some overzealous district attorney will charge middle school kids with sex crimes for such childhood shenanigans as slapping fellow classmates on the buttocks.
• While it continues to federalize crime and find new reasons to toss people in prison, members of Congress will simultaneously continue to attempt to put themselves above the law. I predict that the House of Representatives will attempt to prevent police from searching the computers of one of its members, even if that member is being investigated for soliciting sex with minors.
• Public schools will teach not just reading, writing, and arithmetic, they'll start teaching students to spy on their parents , and to report their parents to local authorities for minor violations of city codes, such as failing to recycle, or failing to keep their lawn trimmed.
• Pressed for revenue, at least one state in the country will pass draconian new traffic laws mandating fines of $1,000 or more for routine traffic violations, in a bald attempt to fill state treasury coffers. The bill will be sponsored by a lawmaker who, conveniently enough, also has a law practice that specializes in defending people accused of traffic violations. He will not disclose during the debate that the bill will almost certainly benefit him financially. He'll be reelected, anyway.
• A state governor will propose legislation calling for two-year prison terms for people who play online poker . Rather shamelessly, the proposal will come in the same bill that calls for allowing the construction of three new casinos in the same state.
• While we're talking about gambling, states will continue to crack down on the poker craze. Even VFW posts won't be immune. Soon, we'll see cops sent to break up $5 cribbage games, and SWAT teams to break up charity poker games. In fact, cops will raid bars where it merely looks like people are gambling, even if no gambling is actually taking place. Meanwhile, states will continue to spend millions promoting their own lotteries.
• Standing on the sidewalk will become a crime .
• Cities will begin seizing the cars of people who play their stereos too loud . In fact, they'll seize the cars based on little more the word of someone else that the car's owner was playing his stereo too loud.
• Proving there's no part of your life the Nanny State can't reach, states will begin asking bars to install talking urinal cakes, which will warn men as they relieve themselves that drinking and driving isn't cool.
• Another state's lawmakers will propose a bill that bans "eating, drinking, smoking, reading, writing, personal grooming, playing an instrument, interacting with pets or cargo, talking on a cell phone or using any other personal communication device" while driving.
• Two years after banning traffic cameras in the name of "liberty," the Virginia legislature will decide that revenue is more important than liberty, and will revoke the ban .
• The FBI will imply to Congress that sometimes it has to let it's undercover informants get away with murdering American citizens so as not to disrupt drug investigations.
• Following up on the enormous "success" (that's sarcasm) of laws putting cold medicine behind the drug store counters because they can be used to make meth, legislators will propose putting baking soda behind the counter , too, because it can be used to make crack.
Too over-the top? Too paranoid? As you may have guessed from clicking the embedded links (of if you read either of my two prior year-end columns ), none of the bullet points above were actual predictions. Each of the above already happened in the past 12 months, in 2007.
Each year, government at all levels encroaches a bit more on our personal, economic, and political freedom. One prediction that I'm pretty confident will come true: Come December 2008, there will be more than enough material for another column like this one.
Radley Balko is a senior editor for reason. This article originally appeared at FoxNews.com.
posted by txpoollover, 23:15 | link | comments
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” - Albert Einstein
In Nov. 2006 a friend called to tell me how happy
she was that the Democrats had won back the
house and senate. I said it was good that there
does seem to be hope of holding Bush and
his regime accountable for their crimes.
I did not believe people when they told me,
we just really have one party government,
run by the corporations. I hoped that was
not true. We do not have fair elections.
My hope is that Dennis Kucinich will win
the nomination for president. If not I hope
his message of peace and truth will get
delivered to the American people.
It may take a long long time, but let's hope
~ Hello in there
Let's Toast to Ten Good Things About 2007
As we close this year on the low of Congress giving Bush more billions for war, and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, let's remember some of the year's gains that can revive our spirits for the New Year. Here are just ten.
1. With the exception of the White House, this has been a banner year for environmental consciousness and action. Al Gore and the scientists of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change won the Nobel Peace Prize. Green building and renewable energy have exploded. Congress passed the Green Jobs Act of 2007, authorizing $125 million for green job training.
Over 700 U.S. mayors, representing 25 percent of the U.S. population, have signed a pledge to reduce greenhouse gases by 2012. Illinois became the 26th state to require that some of the state's electricity come from renewable sources and Kansas became the first state to refuse a permit for a new coal-fired power plant for health and environmental reasons. That's progress!
2. On the global environmental scene, the Bush dinosaurs were tackled head on. When the US delegation at the UN climate change conference in Bali tried to sabotage the negotiations, the delegate from tiny Papua New Guinea threw diplomatic niceties to the wind and said that if the U.S. couldn't lead, it should get out of the way. Embarrassed by international and domestic outrage, the U.S. delegation buckled, and the way was cleared for adopting the "Bali road map." Although it is a weak mandate, it lays the groundwork for a stronger climate agreement post-2012 when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocols ends.
3. Imagine living in a waste-free urban society? Well, it's no longer a utopian dream but a well-thought-out plan for India's state of Kerala. The plan to be "waste-free" within five years includes waste prevention, intensive re-use and recycling, composting, replacing unsustainable materials with sustainable ones, training people to produce these materials, and providing funds for setting up sustainably run businesses. The ground-breaking plan, spearheaded by a local grassroots movement, demonstrates how citizen groups can advance pioneering policies to heal the planet.
4. While the war in Iraq rages on, a new war was stopped. The specter of war with Iran loomed large throughout the year, with Washington accusing Iran of killing U.S. soldiers in Iraq and being a nuclear threat. Then in December came the National Intelligence Estimate showing that the Bush administration knew all along that Iran had shelved its nuclear weapons program in 2003. It exposed the Administration claims of an Iranian threat as unjustifiably inflated, and the winds of war were suddenly subdued. Nothing is guaranteed, but a U.S. military attack on Iran is less likely now than it was earlier in the year.
5. This year also brought a decrease in tensions with North Korea. Hostilities flared after North Korea successfully conducted a nuclear test in 2006. But the Bush administration, bogged down in Iraq and pushed by international pressure, agreed to negotiate.
Following a series of six-party talks involving North Korea, South Korea, China, Russia, Japan, and the U.S, on March 17, 2007, an historic agreement was reached. North Korea agreed to shut down its main nuclear facility and submit a list of its nuclear programs in exchange for fuel and normalization talks with the U.S. and Japan. During this age of raw aggression, it is a welcome example of putting diplomacy first.
6. The Iraqi people have little to celebrate, but there was one important victory for the people this year. Remember how the Bush administration and Congress were insisting that the Iraqi Parliament pass a new oil law? Touted as a way to "share oil revenue among all Iraqis", the oil law was really designed to transform the country's currently nationalized oil system to one open to foreign corporate control. But opposition was fierce inside Iraq, especially from the nation's oil worker unions. In a rare sign of independence from Washington and concern for domestic opinion, the Iraqi Parliament withstood intense U.S. pressure and refused to pass the oil law.
7. In early 2007, few Americans had heard of the private security company Blackwater. By year's end, Blackwater had become infamous for the killing of civilians in Iraq. The radical privatization of our military to corporations like Blackwater that are accountable to no one was exposed for all to see. This frightening process is still well under way, with more private contractors in Iraq than soldiers, but at least the issue has now entered the public dialogue. And Blackwater has received such a black eye that it's unlikely to get a new Iraq contract when the present one expires in May.
8. One victory on both the war and environmental fronts came in Australia, where Labor Party's Kevin Rudd beat conservative John Howard to become Prime Minister. Howard was an enthusiastic backer of George Bush's disastrous war on terror, from defending the Guantánamo prison and extraordinary rendition to sending troops to Iraq and Afghanistan. Howard also joined Bush in refusing to ratify the Kyoto Agreement, arguing it would cost Australians jobs. After assuming office on December 3, Kevin Rudd immediately signed the Kyoto agreement and he has promised to remove Australia's combat troops from Iraq by mid-2008.
9. Sometimes a loss is a win. Hugo Chavez had initiated a constitutional referendum that would have, among other changes, scrapped term limits. His immediate acceptance of a razor-thin margin of defeat before all the votes were even counted showed his democratic colors and made it a lot harder for Bush and the corporate media to label him a dictator. Despite the loss, Chavez remains extremely popular, especially among the poor and working class in Venezuela. And throughout Latin America, the historic transformation led by progressive leaders like Chavez continues to blossom.
10. Last but not least, this year saw the resignation of some of Bush's closest allies in government -- Donald Rumsfeld resigned as Secretary of Defense, Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General, and Karl Rove as Deputy Chief of Staff. Best of all, we can give thanks that we only have ONE YEAR left of the criminal, war-mongering, constitution-shredding, rights-violating, torture-sanctioning Bush Administration! It's just GOT to get better than this!
So here's a toast to a green future, diplomacy, and surviving the last throes of the Bush regime. Que viva 2008!
posted by txpoollover, 01:52 | link | comments
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Tom Paine, warned that if the majority of the people were denied the truth and ideas of truth, it was time to storm what he called the "Bastille of words". That time is now."
from johnpilger.com :
| John Pilger addresses Columbia University in New York |
| |
|
On 14 April 2006, the Heyman Center for the Humanities at Columbia University in New York brought together John Pilger, Seymour Hersh, Robert Fisk and Charles Glass for a discussion entitled 'Breaking the Silence: War, lies and empire'.
Tne following is a transcript of John Pilger's address - 'War by Media':
|
posted by txpoollover, 22:50 | link | comments
|
Filed under: 
