Product Description
Prizewinning journalists John Harwood and Gerald F. Seib show how today’s Washington power game really works, through stories of people who are making a difference on Pennsylvania Avenue, America’s power street. These new power brokers, some of whom are rarely seen and are largley unknown, have figured out how to make their voices heard, and how to get things done, amid the complexities of today’s gridlocked Washington. With unprecedented access to Washington insiders, and with deep insight into the unspoken rules of the road in the capital, Harwood and Seib explain why progress is so difficult and illuminate what it takes to succeed in the high stakes game of politics.
Pennsylvania Avenue, the 1.2-mile stretch between the White House and the Capitol, is where the influential and ambitious congregate. Through stories of party strategists, money men, policy-makers, fixers, socialites, lobbyists, spinners, deal-makers, and more, Harwood and Seib explore the great political transformations that have altered in a fundamental way the relationship between Americans and their government. A new class of politician and radically different ways of conducting business now exist in Washington. Harwood and Seib showcase such master players as Ken Duberstein (the Fixer), a onetime aide to President Ronald Reagan turned superlobbyist, whose contacts and insider knowledge help clients sidestep Avenue jam-ups; Carlyle Group co-founder David Rubenstein (the Businessman), a new breed of power broker who pioneered the age of “big money” in Washington; Rahm Emanuel
(the Democratic Strategist), whose aggressive fundraising and crisis-room campaign enabled the Democrats to retake Congress in 2006; Debbie Wasserman Schultz (the Rising Star), a first-term Democratic representative from Florida whose meteoric ascent in the House has earned her influential allies as well as critics; Hilary Rosen (the Advocate), a former entertainment industry lobbyist who skillfully reframed the debate about same-sex marriage; and more.
Inspiring and wonderfully written, Pennsylvania Avenue takes us inside America’s center of influence to show how our government really functions, and the insiders who make things happen.
About the Author
John Harwood is the chief Washington correspondent for CNBC and a political writer for The New York Times. Harwood began his career in 1978 at the St. Petersburg Times, where he served as state capital correspondent, Washington correspondent, and political editor. In 1989 Harwood was awarded a Nieman fellowship at Harvard University. He subsequently spent sixteen years at The Wall Street Journal beginning in 1991, covering the White House, Congress, and national politics. In addition to CNBC, Harwood offers political analysis on MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, Meet the Press, and PBS’ Washington Week. He lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife and their three daughters.
Gerald F. Seib is an assistant managing editor and the executive Washington editor of The Wall Street Journal. He writes the paper’s “Capital Journal” column and is a regular commentator on Washington affairs for CNBC and Fox Business Network. Seib is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Merriman Smith Award, the Aldo Beckman Award, the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize, Georgetown University’s Edward Weintal Prize for his coverage of the Gulf War, and the William Allen White Award of the University of Kansas. Along with Harwood, Seib was part of the Wall Street Journal team that won the 2002 Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news category for its coverage of the September 11 terrorist attacks. He lives in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with his wife and three sons.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Real Prison Rape -- book passage
Nothing graphic on the video. The horror is captured through the passage read.
short clip from WELCOME TO NEW ORLEANS
A 58 min documentary from the bottom-side of USA.
New Orleans the first year after Katrina. About violence and racism in the poor America.
About a society on its own. And about hope, despite bad odds.
We have all seen the news-pictures from New Orleans.
This movie goes further and tells the story about the major breakdown through a local black activist.
A 58 years old former member of the Black Panthers, who stayed during the hurricane.
He became a local hero in the days after the flooding and is now running a big grassroots organisation.
New Orleans the first year after Katrina. About violence and racism in the poor America.
About a society on its own. And about hope, despite bad odds.
We have all seen the news-pictures from New Orleans.
This movie goes further and tells the story about the major breakdown through a local black activist.
A 58 years old former member of the Black Panthers, who stayed during the hurricane.
He became a local hero in the days after the flooding and is now running a big grassroots organisation.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
comment on Michael Moore 11/20/08 interview through CNN
Take a look at every movie Michael has made. The continuing theme is that Congress are the minions of the power structure in multi-national corporations. There doesn't seem to be any accountability for either of these ruling bodies run amok. The corporations blow smokescreens that hide their hidden agendas. Congress members in the good ol-boy loop have an air of arrogance and entitlement to do as they will once elected, in men's room and golf course meetings.
What cannot be ignored is that there is some measure of accountability that needs to be placed squarely upon the shoulders of every citizen of the United States. If we want good government that is genuinely fair and impartial -- or at least somewhere in the ballpark of that ideal -- all of us need to work with all our might to be an active part of holding the powermongers accountable who have been screwing us over and laughing for the last so many years.
The mortgage bailouts are a bandaid on a hemorrhage with no thought of surgery. Bailing out automakers with no plan is the same. We need to flip gravity on its ass and have the assistance start at the worker level -- NOW.
I heard something on NPR the other day about a one-stop-shopping community resource center in Dayton, OH. They stated that an average of 2,000 clients are served per day at the center. We need these service centers installed immediately across the country for crisis respite NOW.
Our Congress, with the leadership/collaboration of our new President needs to get serious about a rehaul of the financial structure and a detailed plan for the transportation giants of the U.S.A.
How much worse does it have to get before the pendulum can start swinging in the other direction?
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
A Word from Michael Moore
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Friends,
Who among us is not at a loss for words? Tears pour out. Tears of joy. Tears of relief. A stunning, whopping landslide of hope in a time of deep despair.
In a nation that was founded on genocide and then built on the backs of slaves, it was an unexpected moment, shocking in its simplicity: Barack Obama, a good man, a black man, said he would bring change to Washington, and the majority of the country liked that idea. The racists were present throughout the campaign and in the voting booth. But they are no longer the majority, and we will see their flame of hate fizzle out in our lifetime.
There was another important "first" last night. Never before in our history has an avowed anti-war candidate been elected president during a time of war. I hope President-elect Obama remembers that as he considers expanding the war in Afghanistan. The faith we now have will be lost if he forgets the main issue on which he beat his fellow Dems in the primaries and then a great war hero in the general election: The people of America are tired of war. Sick and tired. And their voice was loud and clear yesterday.
It's been an inexcusable 44 years since a Democrat running for president has received even just 51% of the vote. That's because most Americans haven't really liked the Democrats. They see them as rarely having the guts to get the job done or stand up for the working people they say they support. Well, here's their chance. It has been handed to them, via the voting public, in the form of a man who is not a party hack, not a set-for-life Beltway bureaucrat. Will he now become one of them, or will he force them to be more like him? We pray for the latter.
But today we celebrate this triumph of decency over personal attack, of peace over war, of intelligence over a belief that Adam and Eve rode around on dinosaurs just 6,000 years ago. What will it be like to have a smart president? Science, banished for eight years, will return. Imagine supporting our country's greatest minds as they seek to cure illness, discover new forms of energy, and work to save the planet. I know, pinch me.
We may, just possibly, also see a time of refreshing openness, enlightenment and creativity. The arts and the artists will not be seen as the enemy. Perhaps art will be explored in order to discover the greater truths. When FDR was ushered in with his landslide in 1932, what followed was Frank Capra and Preston Sturgis, Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, Dorothea Lange and Orson Welles. All week long I have been inundated with media asking me, "gee, Mike, what will you do now that Bush is gone?" Are they kidding? What will it be like to work and create in an environment that nurtures and supports film and the arts, science and invention, and the freedom to be whatever you want to be? Watch a thousand flowers bloom! We've entered a new era, and if I could sum up our collective first thought of this new era, it is this: Anything Is Possible.
An African American has been elected President of the United States! Anything is possible! We can wrestle our economy out of the hands of the reckless rich and return it to the people. Anything is possible! Every citizen can be guaranteed health care. Anything is possible! We can stop melting the polar ice caps. Anything is possible! Those who have committed war crimes will be brought to justice. Anything is possible.
We really don't have much time. There is big work to do. But this is the week for all of us to revel in this great moment. Be humble about it. Do not treat the Republicans in your life the way they have treated you the past eight years. Show them the grace and goodness that Barack Obama exuded throughout the campaign. Though called every name in the book, he refused to lower himself to the gutter and sling the mud back. Can we follow his example? I know, it will be hard.
I want to thank everyone who gave of their time and resources to make this victory happen. It's been a long road, and huge damage has been done to this great country, not to mention to many of you who have lost your jobs, gone bankrupt from medical bills, or suffered through a loved one being shipped off to Iraq. We will now work to repair this damage, and it won't be easy.
But what a way to start! Barack Hussein Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Wow. Seriously, wow.
Yours,Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com
Saturday, November 1, 2008
John McCain Theme Song
sung by Denis Leary. This song perfectly describes the walking talking douchebag who wants to be head cheese of our country. If he is elected, we fucking get what we deserve.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Message from Michael Moore about the bailout
Friends,
Let me cut to the chase. The biggest robbery in the history of this country is taking place as you read this. Though no guns are being used, 300 million hostages are being taken. Make no mistake about it: After stealing a half trillion dollars to line the pockets of their war-profiteering backers for the past five years, after lining the pockets of their fellow oilmen to the tune of over a hundred billion dollars in just the last two years, Bush and his cronies -- who must soon vacate the White House -- are looting the U.S. Treasury of every dollar they can grab. They are swiping as much of the silverware as they can on their way out the door.
No matter what they say, no matter how many scare words they use, they are up to their old tricks of creating fear and confusion in order to make and keep themselves and the upper one percent filthy rich. Just read the first four paragraphs of the lead story in last Monday's New York Times and you can see what the real deal is:
"Even as policy makers worked on details of a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry, Wall Street began looking for ways to profit from it.
"Financial firms were lobbying to have all manner of troubled investments covered, not just those related to mortgages.
"At the same time, investment firms were jockeying to oversee all the assets that Treasury plans to take off the books of financial institutions, a role that could earn them hundreds of millions of dollars a year in fees.
"Nobody wants to be left out of Treasury's proposal to buy up bad assets of financial institutions."
Unbelievable. Wall Street and its backers created this mess and now they are going to clean up like bandits. Even Rudy Giuliani is lobbying for his firm to be hired (and paid) to "consult" in the bailout.
The problem is, nobody truly knows what this "collapse" is all about. Even Treasury Secretary Paulson admitted he doesn't know the exact amount that is needed (he just picked the $700 billion number out of his head!). The head of the congressional budget office said he can't figure it out nor can he explain it to anyone.
And yet, they are screeching about how the end is near! Panic! Recession! The Great Depression! Y2K! Bird flu! Killer bees! We must pass the bailout bill today!! The sky is falling! The sky is falling!
Falling for whom? NOTHING in this "bailout" package will lower the price of the gas you have to put in your car to get to work. NOTHING in this bill will protect you from losing your home. NOTHING in this bill will give you health insurance.
Health insurance? Mike, why are you bringing this up? What's this got to do with the Wall Street collapse?
It has everything to do with it. This so-called "collapse" was triggered by the massive defaulting and foreclosures going on with people's home mortgages. Do you know why so many Americans are losing their homes? To hear the Republicans describe it, it's because too many working class idiots were given mortgages that they really couldn't afford. Here's the truth: The number one cause of people declaring bankruptcy is because of medical bills. Let me state this simply: If we had had universal health coverage, this mortgage "crisis" may never have happened.
This bailout's mission is to protect the obscene amount of wealth that has been accumulated in the last eight years. It's to protect the top shareholders who own and control corporate America. It's to make sure their yachts and mansions and "way of life" go uninterrupted while the rest of America suffers and struggles to pay the bills. Let the rich suffer for once. Let them pay for the bailout. We are spending 400 million dollars a day on the war in Iraq. Let them end the war immediately and save us all another half-trillion dollars!
I have to stop writing this and you have to stop reading it. They are staging a financial coup this morning in our country. They are hoping Congress will act fast before they stop to think, before we have a chance to stop them ourselves. So stop reading this and do something -- NOW! Here's what you can do immediately:
1. Call or e-mail Senator Obama. Tell him he does not need to be sitting there trying to help prop up Bush and Cheney and the mess they've made. Tell him we know he has the smarts to slow this thing down and figure out what's the best route to take. Tell him the rich have to pay for whatever help is offered. Use the leverage we have now to insist on a moratorium on home foreclosures, to insist on a move to universal health coverage, and tell him that we the people need to be in charge of the economic decisions that affect our lives, not the barons of Wall Street.
2. Take to the streets. Participate in one of the hundreds of quickly-called demonstrations that are taking place all over the country (especially those near Wall Street and DC).
3. Call your Representative in Congress and your Senators. (click here to find their phone numbers). Tell them what you told Senator Obama.
When you screw up in life, there is hell to pay. Each and every one of you reading this knows that basic lesson and has paid the consequences of your actions at some point. In this great democracy, we cannot let there be one set of rules for the vast majority of hard-working citizens, and another set of rules for the elite, who, when they screw up, are handed one more gift on a silver platter. No more! Not again!
Yours,
Michael Moore
MMFlint@aol.com
MichaelMoore.com
P.S. Having read further the details of this bailout bill, you need to know you are being lied to. They talk about how they will prevent golden parachutes. It says NOTHING about what these executives and fat cats will make in SALARY. According to Rep. Brad Sherman of California, these top managers will continue to receive million-dollar-a-month paychecks under this new bill. There is no direct ownership given to the American people for the money being handed over. Foreign banks and investors will be allowed to receive billion-dollar handouts. A large chunk of this $700 billion is going to be given directly to Chinese and Middle Eastern banks. There is NO guarantee of ever seeing that money again.
P.P.S. From talking to people I know in DC, they say the reason so many Dems are behind this is because Wall Street this weekend put a gun to their heads and said either turn over the $700 billion or the first thing we'll start blowing up are the pension funds and 401(k)s of your middle class constituents. The Dems are scared they may make good on their threat. But this is not the time to back down or act like the typical Democrat we have witnessed for the last eight years. The Dems handed a stolen election over to Bush. The Dems gave Bush the votes he needed to invade a sovereign country. Once they took over Congress in 2007, they refused to pull the plug on the war. And now they have been cowered into being accomplices in the crime of the century. You have to call them now and say "NO!" If we let them do this, just imagine how hard it will be to get anything good done when President Obama is in the White House. THESE DEMOCRATS ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS THE BACKBONE WE GIVE THEM. CALL CONGRESS NOW.Saturday, September 27, 2008
"Buddy, Can You Spare a Trillion Dollars?" by Roy Zimmerman
the name says it all. another selection from Roy, who does an excellent job of political commentary!
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
MoveOn.org Political Action: Call McCain's bluff on Obama attacks
Check out this video. McCain is a mouthpiece puppet just like the man he wants to replace. Doesn't it make you just a little ill to watch?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Alaska Senator Is Charged With Failing to Disclose Gifts
WASHINGTON — Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, the longest-serving Republican senator in United States history and a figure of great influence in Washington as well as in his home state, has been indicted on federal charges of failing to report gifts and income.
Mr. Stevens, 84, was indicted on seven felony counts related to renovations on his home in Alaska. The charges arise from an investigation that has been under way for more than a year, in connection with the senator’s relationship with a businessman who oversaw the home-remodeling project.
“I am innocent of these charges and intend to prove that,” Mr. Stevens said several hours after the indictment was announced. He said in a statement that he had temporarily relinquished his Senate leadership positions “until I am absolved of these charges.”
The indictment will surely reverberate through the November elections. Mr. Stevens, who has been in the Senate for 40 years, is up for re-election this year. Mark Begich, a popular Democratic mayor of Anchorage, hopes to supplant him.
The Justice Department announced the charges at a news conference on Tuesday afternoon. The document says that, from the spring of 1999 through the late summer of 2007, Mr. Stevens failed to report “things of value” that he received in connection with his home in the ski resort city of Girdwood, about 40 miles south of Anchorage.
Mr. Stevens said he was saddened by the charges and had “proudly served this nation and Alaska for over 50 years.” He said he had “never knowingly submitted a false disclosure form required by law as a U.S. senator.”
Prosecutors say Mr. Stevens, who referred to his home as “the chalet,” accepted goods and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, ranging from an outdoor grill to extensive home remodeling and architectural advice. Not only did Mr. Stevens fail to report the items on his Senate financial disclosure form, as required, but he took active steps to conceal the receipt of the goods and services, the indictment says.
All the charges are felonies. Justice Department officials declined to discuss how long a prison term a conviction on the charges might bring, noting that the maximum sentences allowed by law are rarely imposed. Mr. Stevens was in Washington on Tuesday, and was allowed to turn himself in for paperwork processing.
The business executive at the center of the affair is Bill J. Allen, a longtime friend of the senator’s and the founder of VECO, a company that builds pipelines and does other construction work for oil companies. Mr. Allen pleaded guilty in May 2007 to making $243,000 in illegal payments to a lawmaker, who was later identified as State Senator Ben Stevens, Ted Stevens’s son.
Ben Stevens, who was once president of the Alaska State Senate, is one of a half-dozen lawmakers under scrutiny for their relationships with Mr. Allen and his company.
Republicans on Capitol Hill were already jittery over a lobbying and influence-peddling scandal related to the lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is now in prison. Mr. Stevens’s troubles are not linked to that affair. Instead, they stem from his ties to Mr. Allen, whose company won millions of dollars in federal contracts with the help of Mr. Stevens, whose home in Alaska was almost doubled in size in the renovation project.
Under Senate Republican party rules, an indictment on felony charges compels a member to temporarily give up his leadership posts. Mr. Stevens has been the ranking minority member on the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.
Mr. Stevens is a former chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and he is still on the panel. As chairman, he wielded huge influence, and did not hesitate to use it to steer money and projects to his state.
“His ability to bring back the bacon to Alaska is legendary,” said Steve Ellis, vice president of Taxpayers for Common Sense, a budget watchdog group.
“No other senator fills so central a place in his state’s public and economic life as Ted Stevens of Alaska,” the Almanac of American Politics says. “Quite possibly, no other senator ever has.”
Short and square-shouldered, Mr. Stevens often shuffles through the Capitol in comfortable, cushion-soled shoes. He is known for his quick temper; indeed, he has boasted of it.
Word spread through the Capitol like an electric current, prompting whispers among senators and staff. The Democrats were gathering in a room near the Senate chamber for their weekly conference lunch. Republicans, meanwhile, moved their lunch to the headquarters of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, a common change of venue when the primary topic of discussion is politics.
Mr. Stevens is seen as a legendary, even heroic, figure in Alaska, who played a crucial role in its achievement of statehood, which became official in 1959. The long-running federal corruption investigation in Alaska has been hanging over Mr. Stevens as he faces his toughest re-election contest in many years. Mr. Begich was expected to mount a strong challenge even before word of the indictment spread.
Alaska, which last elected a Democratic senator in 1974, is one of several seemingly unlikely states where Democrats believe they have a strong chance of pulling off upset victories in the November elections.
The indictment comes nearly a year after federal agents raided Mr. Stevens’s home as part of a continuing investigation into corruption that had already ensnared the senator’s son.
Though lawmakers have been aware of the Justice Department inquiry for some time, the news of an indictment still came as something of a shock this week, as both houses of Congress are trying to wrap up legislative business before the monthlong August recess.
Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican minority leader, spoke to a huge throng of reporters for just 21 seconds, at what normally would have been a regular weekly news conference. “Let me just say that the Republican conference, like you, just learned of this news,” Mr. McConnell said. “We’ll no doubt have more to say about it later.”
Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, defended Mr. Stevens. “I’ve known Ted Stevens for 28 years, and have always known him to be impeccably honest,” said Mr. Specter, a former prosecutor.
Senator Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democratic majority leader, said the indictment of Mr. Stevens made for “a sad day for him, us.”
“But, you know, I believe in the American system of justice,” Mr. Reid added. “He is presumed innocent.”
Senator Daniel Inouye, Democrat of Hawaii, who is the chairman of the defense appropriations subcommittee and a friend of Mr. Stevens, said Mr. Stevens should be presumed innocent unless and until he is proven guilty. Mr. Inouye said he did not expect that the indictment would interfere with Senator Stevens’s ability to work in the Senate.
photo by
Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
t r u t h o u t | Kucinich: Impeachment Not "Off the Table"
t r u t h o u t | Kucinich: Impeachment Not "Off the Table"
an excerpt:
While Congressional leaders silently opt to table impeachment articles against President Bush, Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) vows to speak out and keep the articles alive and in the public conscience. Kucinich spoke on Tuesday to Truthout about his resolution.
Last week the House voted 251-166 to refer Kucinich's articles of impeachment to committee - an action that most political analysts view as a desire by the Congressional leadership to bury the resolution. Kucinich, however, promised to keep impeachment from being swept "off the table" in order to provide a historical record of the Bush administration's policies.
The 35 articles of impeachment include charges of violating domestic and international laws against torture, misrepresenting intelligence in the lead-up to the war, illegally spying on American citizens, obstructing justice and governmental oversight, and many other violations.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
"If the Detainee Dies You're Doing It Wrong"
Dear Lisa,
 |
Let me share with you how a lawyer for the United States Government described torture: "It is basically subject to perception. If the detainee dies you're doing it wrong."
How on earth did we get to the point where officials, not in the government of some abusive enemy of America, but in our own government, describe torture in these terms?
Over a year ago, I launched an investigation by the Senate Armed Services Committee, which I chair, into the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody, and on Tuesday we held our first public hearing on the matter.
We found that senior officials in the United States government sought information on aggressive techniques, twisted the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees. That led to abuses like stripping detainees naked, putting them in stress positions, using dogs to scare them, putting leashes around their necks to humiliate them, hooding them, depriving them of sleep, and blasting music at them.
Click here to read my full opening statement on the origins of aggressive interrogation techniques.
Why should we care about the rights of detainees? General David Petraeus answered that question in a letter to his troops last year, writing "In everything we do, we must observe the standards and values that dictate that we treat noncombatants and detainees with dignity and respect. While we are warriors, we are also all human beings."
Our investigation will continue, but already it's clear that some of our nations' leaders lost track of the standards and values that should guide us as Americans and as human beings.
Sincerely,
Carl Levin
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power
John Harwood was on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart this week, talking about this book. It sounds pretty interesting and informative, and with Jon's endorsement it may just be worth a read. Anyone who wants to make any kind of impact upon the monolith that is our government needs all the help they can get.
The following is lifted directly off of amazon.com
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
- Hardcover: 272 pages
- Publisher: Random House (May 13, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1400065542
- ISBN-13: 978-1400065547
- Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 1 inches
Sunday, April 27, 2008
A Peace of Gold
A Peace of Gold
By Veronica Hendrix | TheRoot.com
A lot of things recently turned 50. You might recall them.
Madonna – yawn. The Dodgers – thank God they haven't abandoned
Oh and moi – enough said. However, there is another 50-year observance that trumps some of the most celebrated milestones I've noted. This one is as insipid as it is indomitable. That golden anniversary is none other than that of the "peace symbol." Yes, the universal emblem of peace turned 50 this month.
I never understood how the three simple lines enclosed in a circle were symbolic of peace. It always reminded me of a foot of a fowl, well, a chicken to be exact. The symbol's creator, Gerald Holtom, said the symbol is actually a depiction of himself as a "man in despair," and he put a circle around the lines to represent the world.
That's a bit gestalt and a real stretch for me, but ok. I recall a time in our recent history, well at least my history, when the peace symbol was ubiquitously conspicuous during a period when the human struggle for dignity, unity, and egalitarianism held the promise of ameliorating the past, defining the present and shifting the future.
The symbol was a visual marker of solidarity in marches for civil rights, women's rights, human rights, gay rights and movements to stop wars abroad. Those who marched and protested for peace were often the victims of violence. Some even lost their lives. The peace symbol has had a tumultuous tenure and paradoxical past.
Now it is celebrating a bittersweet birthday, a golden anniversary no less.
I've noticed its resurgence of late. A
While in
I recently received a catalog of stationery and novelty items in the mail. The collection of peace symbol cards and stickers were hard to resist. I ordered them and when they arrived I affixed stickers to every bill or letter I mailed out. This was so groovy – sending a little peace in the mail. Ah….if only spreading peace was really that easy.
After 50 years of the peace symbol, peace in our streets, city, nation and world continues to be as whimsical as the madcap cat in The Cat in the Hat book. But then again - maybe not. If I remember the story correctly, that cat brought a whirlwind of unrest to a seemingly peaceful home in a quiet neighborhood. But we can dream of a more peaceful world, and labor in the fields of our neighborhoods and cities to cultivate it. We should and be darn right relentless and vigilant about it.
I think I will wear my peace symbol T-shirt, hat, pin, earrings or that elusive headband (if I ever find it) as a visual marker of my solidarity to peace. Besides, it looks good too. Peace (and hair grease if you need it).
Veronica Hendrix is a journalist and television producer based in her native of
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Welcome to the Machine
From an email I sent to a buddy today:What I'm seeing more and more is that most of us are enslaved to the system in one way or another and usually in many ways. For example, I work for the government, but at the same time I'm taxed in various ways to the extent that most of the money I make goes back to the government, so... If you don't work for the government directly, your business or your employer is taxed and "fee"-ed exorbitantly. If you work for a non-profit agency, your operating expenses to a huge degree come from government grants that have all kinds of controlling conditions attached to them. If you are a 'non-producer' who collects government assistance, you are paid a pittance that is enough to keep you alive but so little that it is totally demoralizing. That too has a million controlling conditions attached to it. The people that are policy-setters and in the administration part of government must sell their souls in order to have such a privilege, so they too pay a heavy price.
Let me ask you, do you see anything about our current way of doing things that advocates for its continuance? Where do you lean politically? I probably already sent you this link and it's a little dated now as many of these candidates have quit running, but it does a good job of matching you up with various candidates' forums and breaks it down as to which things match and which dont:
http://www.dehp.net/candidate/index.php
The link to the site where the graphic was found is at:
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/3876.jpg
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Monday, March 31, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Mad Cows? What about Mad Cowgirl?
Director Gregory Hatanaka's twisted thriller stars Sarah Lassez as Therese, a health inspector whose progressively delusional psyche leads her on a surreal -- and bloody -- odyssey. To cope with her marital split, Therese takes up with a slimy televangelist (Walter Koenig), indulges her appetites for sex and beef, and obsesses over a kung fu TV show. Meanwhile, her meat packer brother (James Duval) may have infected her with mad cow disease.
When I saw glimpses of the video showing downed cows being further tormented by those who take care of them until they are sliced and diced for the palates of those craving dead animal flesh and don't care how it gets to those nice neat packages in the store, my mind immediately went to a political movie made not all that long ago, called Mad Cowgirl. See what you can find when you sign up for netflix? Without saying much more the cow mistreatment wraps itself in the arms of Mad Cowgirl in a package of another sort. Open your eyes readers and take a look at what you condone and what you are willing to ignore for your appetites.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
What's Next -- School Shootings
This is a list of school-related attacks. These are attacks that have occurred on school property or related primarily to school issues/events. A broad definition of the word attacks is used for this list so as to include public attacks on one's self (suicide).
The list is divided into three main chronological sections according to school age: primary, secondary, and post-secondary. Additionally, a list is provided detailing foiled school-related attack plots that resulted in a conviction.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_related_attacks
Saturday, February 9, 2008
McCain Republican Candidate?????
VoteVets.org is an organization that helps make Iraq and Afghanistan veterans' voices heard. Please consider donating to help their work here:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=3401&id=12094-8018151-OlMddK&t=191 The following memo is posted on their site:
http://www.votevets.org
Here's the memo:
| TO: | Interested Parties |
| FROM: | VoteVets.org |
| RE: | Senator McCain's Real Record on the War in Iraq |
| DATE: | February 8, 2008 |
Senator John McCain presents himself as a maverick and a critic of the Iraq war. But a close read of his record indicates that his position on the Iraq war has consistently matched President George W. Bush's.
Before The War:
McCain used many of the same arguments as Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Cheney and President Bush when advocating going to war with Iraq.
- McCain co-sponsored the Use of Force Authorization that gave President George W. Bush the green light—and a blank check—for going to war with Iraq. [SJ Res 46, 10/3/02]
- McCain argued Saddam was "a threat of the first order." Senator McCain said that a policy of containing Iraq to blunt its weapons of mass destruction program is "unsustainable, ineffective, unworkable and dangerous." McCain: "I believe Iraq is a threat of the first order, and only a change of regime will make Iraq a state that does not threaten us and others, and where liberated people assume the rights and responsibilities of freedom." [Speech to the Center for Strategic & International Studies, 2/13/03]
- McCain echoed Bush and Cheney's rationale for going to war. McCain: "It's going to send the message throughout the Middle East that democracy can take hold in the Middle East." [Fox, Hannity & Colmes, 2/21/03]
- McCain echoed Bush and Cheney's talking points that the U.S. would only be in Iraq for a short time. McCain: "It's clear that the end is very much in sight. ... It won't be long...it'll be a fairly short period of time." [ABC, 4/9/03]
- McCain said winning the war would be "easy." "I know that as successful as I believe we will be, and I believe that the success will be fairly easy, we will still lose some American young men or women." [CNN, 9/24/02]
Senator McCain praised Donald Rumsfeld as late as May 12, 2004, after the Abu Ghraib scandal.
- Asked if Donald Rumsfeld can continue to be an effective secretary of defense, McCain: "Yes, today I do and I believe he's done a fine job. He's an honorable man." [Hannity and Colmes, 5/12/04]
- McCain maintains the war was a good idea.
Senator McCain: "The war, the invasion was not a mistake. [Meet the Press, 1/6/08]
Asked if the war was a good idea worth the price in blood and treasure, McCain: "It was worth getting rid of Saddam Hussein. He had used weapons of mass destruction, and it's clear that he was hell-bent on acquiring them." [Republican Debate, 1/24/08]
- McCain defended Bush's rationale for war. Asked if he thought the president exaggerated the case for war, McCain said, "I don't think so." [Fox News, 7/31/03]
- McCain has been President Bush's most ardent Senate supporter on Iraq. According to Michael Shank of the Foreign Policy in Focus think tank, McCain was at times Bush's "most solid support in the Senate" on Iraq. [Foreign Policy in Focus, 1/15/08]
- McCain voted against holding Bush accountable for his actions in the war. McCain opposed the creation of an independent commission to investigate the development and use of intelligence leading up to the war in Iraq. [S. Amdt. 1275 to H.R. 2658, Vote # 284, 7/16/03]
- McCain praised Bush's leadership on the war. McCain: "I think the president has led with great clarity and I think he's done a great job leading the country..." [MSNBC, Hardball, 4/23/03]
- January 2003: "But the point is that, one, we will win this conflict. We will win it easily." [MSNBC, 1/22/03]
- March 2003: "I believe that this conflict is still going to be relatively short." [NBC, Meet the Press, 3/30/03]
- June 2004: "The terrorists know that this is a very critical time." [CNN, 6/23/04]
- December 2005: "Overall, I think a year from now, we will have a fair amount of progress [in Iraq] if we stay the course." [The Hill, 12/8/05]
- November 2006: "We're either going to lose this thing or win this thing within the next several months." [NBC, Meet the Press, 11/12/06]
- McCain voted against requiring mandatory minimum downtime between tours of duty for troops serving in Iraq. [S. Amdt.. 2909 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote 341, 9/19/07; S Amdt. 2012 to S Amdt. 2011 to HR 1585, Vote #241, 7/11/07]
- McCain was one of only 13 senators to vote against adding $430 million for inpatient and outpatient care for veterans. [S Amdt. 3642 to HR 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06]
- Senator McCain has consistently opposed any plan to withdraw troops from Iraq
- Senator McCain repeatedly voted against a timetable for withdrawing troops from Iraq. [S. Amdt. 3876 to S.Amdt. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote #438, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.. 3875 to S.Amdt.. 3874 to H.R. 2764, Vote # 437, 12/18/07; S.Amdt.3164 to H.R. 3222, Vote # 362, 10/3/07; S.Amdt. 2898 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #346, 9/21/07; S.Amdt. 2924 to S.Amdt.. 2011 to H.R.1585, Vote #345, 9/21/07; S.Amdt.2 087 to S.Amdt. 2011 to H.R. 1585, Vote #252, 7/18/07; S.Amdt. 643 to H.R. 1591, Vote #116, 3/27/07; S.Amdt. 4320 to S. 2766, Vote #182, 6/22/06; S.Amdt. 4442 to S. 2766, Vote #181, 6/22/06; S.Amdt.. 2519 to S.1042, Vote # 322, 11/15/05]
- McCain: "I believe to set a date for withdrawal is to set a date for surrender." [Charlotte Observer, 9/16/07]
- McCain called proponents of a congressional resolution opposing the troop surge in Iraq intellectually dishonest. [Associated Press. 2/4/07]
Senator McCain now says he sees no end to the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq.
- McCain: "[M]ake it a hundred" years in Iraq and "that would be fine with me." [Derry, New Hampshire Town Hall meeting, 1/3/08]
- McCain on how long troops may remain in Iraq: "A thousand years. A million years. Ten million years. It depends on the arrangement we have with the Iraqi government." [Associated Press, 1/04/08]
Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
What is this blog all about? Guess!
I tried different names to use as the title, but they were all taken. Ones I tried included "Of Thee I Sing", "Polly Sigh", "Polly Ticks". I'm kind of glad none of them were available since the one that was available seems to fit well. It's politics folks. Pol for the pol- part of politics, E for the electronic medium, and Ticks for parasitic, blood-sucking insects that burrow themselves into flesh and drain energy and cause disease to their host organisms. Does it fit? I think so.
With the election year upon us, we are again forced to choose from which is the least evil among the candidates. I wanted to have a separate blog for such matters, even though the entity that is eventually crowned with have rippling effects upon every other aspect of our beings. Please, if you have material to add to the blog, don't hesitate to do so.
I see blogger has the capacity to add videos now. I hope to use this blog for experimenting with blogging video clips or at least links to them.
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