5.17.2007
Newsclipping of the Day :: We Have Met The Enemy, And He Is Us
This depressing essay from Chalmers Johnson I think is not far from the truth. If we don't do something fast to renovate our economy, and divest ourselves of the cancer of our military-industrial complex, and our obsessive-compulsive imperialism, I wonder if the good ol USA will still be around in 30 years. We are so far down a bad bad bad, unsustainable, unhealthy path that even with all the effort and fortitude of all of us, it may not be enough. We live in a dreamworld where nothing is real. We are so close to collapse, and it will affect us all. And the Democrats running for '08 are perhaps least likely of all to tell the truth about what is going on and to take the tough, revolutionary steps to stop it. Certainly not Hillary.
5.08.2007
Newsclipping of the Day :: Our Public Infrastructure for Sale
This short news piece in today's TomPaine.com notices a trend for the public infrastructure of the good ol US of A to be sold off to the highest fat cat bidders. Really unbelievable. When the Republicans get through, we'll not have any public anything left. Everything will be owned, operated, and controlled by the corporatocracy, which is in turn owned by the richest of the richie riches, who will in turn be accountable to no one. Least of all congress and We the People.
4.25.2007
Just Call Me the Athens Chamber of Commerce
Check the sidebars to the right; you'll find a new category all about Athens Ohio. Most of these are places where we do all our business (especially the Farmer's Market, Donkey, and the Village Bakery)... and many are missing cause they don't have websites (like Haffa's Records, Lollipop Ice Cream, White's Mill, etc.)... and there will be many more to add in coming weeks and months i'm sure. This is an amazing little town. It's also an inducment to convince those of you who've been putting off a visit to get your asses up here (I'm talking about you Karen & Tricia!).
Tune in for Bill Moyer's New Show Tonight
On PBS tonight, you can see Bill Moyer's new show, the first installment of which reports on why reporting failed so utterly to fact check or even seriously question Bush's buildup to war with Iraq. Should be interesting. There is also this essay on today's TomPaine.com, from a recent interview. I think Moyers is brilliant, and if I were a gazillionaire, i'd launch a new network right this second and put him in charge.
4.24.2007
Newsclipping of the Day :: The Lessons of 2004 are STILL Not Understood
THIS BIG WHOPPER is another restatement of the train wreck of criminal Republican control of the Ohio vote in 2004--control that the public at large has yet to give a rat's ass about. Some choice bytes:
*on Election Night 2004 , Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website—which gave the world the presidential election results—was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites.
*In Clyde, Ohio, a Republican haven, Bush won big after 131 percent voter turnout.
*In Republican Perry County, two precincts came in at 124 percent and 120 percent respectively.
*In Gahanna Ward 1, precinct B, Bush received 4,258 votes despite the fact that only 638 people voted for president.
*In Concord Southwest in Miami County, the certified election results proudly proclaimed at 679 out of 689 registered voters cast ballots, a 98.55 percent turnout. FreePress.org later found that only 547 voters had signed in.
There is so much more fishy bullshit to report, if only Katie Couric knew how to do that. John Conyers was SO on top of this in December and January of 2005, but no one listened and no one gave a damn.
If voter will doesn't even matter in elections anymore, we've entered a new fascist phase of our history friends. Everything about our government is so dirty, tainted, and corrupt. Who knows what it will take to clean it all up?
I would love to see some real effort to do many things, not limited to these thoughts off the top of my mad head:
* a complete and thorough clean up of our election system. This means no electronic voting, no proprietary software, no outsourcing to any private pols, public funding of candidates, abolition of all money--soft or hard--from lobbies and interest groups. If we only make office available to the richest--and most corrupt--among us, we can expect more corruption, collusion, criminal deeds, and outright fascism. Casting and counting and tabulation of votes must always be open and transparent and performed by citizens. Not suits in service to idealogues with suitcases of cash.
* a first, realistic and sweeping legislative effort to codify the limits of Executive power, overseen by the people and reviewed by the Supreme Court. Bush has gotten away with so much by basically declaring the entire Executive branch one big grey area. No more grey. I expect our legislature to make laws that make limits on Executive power and privilege crystal clear, and that force future executives to abide by clear laws. This Congress needs to declare war on this goddamned reckless administration and fight back now.
* a real effort to limit the extent of control ANY party in power has to put pols in positions of power within our government infrastructure. I'm sorry, it is just not acceptable to have right wing nut jobs in charge of the CDC or the EPA. It is beyond the power of any executive to sabotage our government and our collective systems for caring for one another to the extent that Bush has. It is treason, and it should be treated as such. Every agency of our federal government should be run like any company, with professionals being hired, fired, and advanced according only to merit and professional accomplishment. I'm sorry, but kissing right wing ass is no qualification for heading the entire Federal Emergency Management Agency, and I don't need a Yale MBA to tell me that. It's dispicable how much loss and sheer attrition we've seen happen in the last few years in our government. The Bush Administration has deliberately broken it, and they must pay.
*on Election Night 2004 , Ohio's "official" Secretary of State website—which gave the world the presidential election results—was redirected from an Ohio government server to a group of servers that contain scores of Republican web sites.
*In Clyde, Ohio, a Republican haven, Bush won big after 131 percent voter turnout.
*In Republican Perry County, two precincts came in at 124 percent and 120 percent respectively.
*In Gahanna Ward 1, precinct B, Bush received 4,258 votes despite the fact that only 638 people voted for president.
*In Concord Southwest in Miami County, the certified election results proudly proclaimed at 679 out of 689 registered voters cast ballots, a 98.55 percent turnout. FreePress.org later found that only 547 voters had signed in.
There is so much more fishy bullshit to report, if only Katie Couric knew how to do that. John Conyers was SO on top of this in December and January of 2005, but no one listened and no one gave a damn.
If voter will doesn't even matter in elections anymore, we've entered a new fascist phase of our history friends. Everything about our government is so dirty, tainted, and corrupt. Who knows what it will take to clean it all up?
I would love to see some real effort to do many things, not limited to these thoughts off the top of my mad head:
* a complete and thorough clean up of our election system. This means no electronic voting, no proprietary software, no outsourcing to any private pols, public funding of candidates, abolition of all money--soft or hard--from lobbies and interest groups. If we only make office available to the richest--and most corrupt--among us, we can expect more corruption, collusion, criminal deeds, and outright fascism. Casting and counting and tabulation of votes must always be open and transparent and performed by citizens. Not suits in service to idealogues with suitcases of cash.
* a first, realistic and sweeping legislative effort to codify the limits of Executive power, overseen by the people and reviewed by the Supreme Court. Bush has gotten away with so much by basically declaring the entire Executive branch one big grey area. No more grey. I expect our legislature to make laws that make limits on Executive power and privilege crystal clear, and that force future executives to abide by clear laws. This Congress needs to declare war on this goddamned reckless administration and fight back now.
* a real effort to limit the extent of control ANY party in power has to put pols in positions of power within our government infrastructure. I'm sorry, it is just not acceptable to have right wing nut jobs in charge of the CDC or the EPA. It is beyond the power of any executive to sabotage our government and our collective systems for caring for one another to the extent that Bush has. It is treason, and it should be treated as such. Every agency of our federal government should be run like any company, with professionals being hired, fired, and advanced according only to merit and professional accomplishment. I'm sorry, but kissing right wing ass is no qualification for heading the entire Federal Emergency Management Agency, and I don't need a Yale MBA to tell me that. It's dispicable how much loss and sheer attrition we've seen happen in the last few years in our government. The Bush Administration has deliberately broken it, and they must pay.
4.19.2007
Issue of the Day :: How Do You Want Your Tax Dollars Spent?
Do you want MORE THAN HALF to go to war and killing people who have oil we want? This is sickening. And the dishonest methods of showing how the pies each year are divied up is a scandal of huge, immoral proportions.
A Fun Little Tool!
Make the USA's budget priorities be what YOU think they should be! I for one have lost patience with more than half of my tax dollars going to fund killing and imperialism.
Newsclipping of the Day :: Conservatism is Killing Us
In so many ways, conservative values in action really our making our world way more dangerous. And I'm not talking about blowback from our attack on all things Muslim (but not Saudi Arabian). This essay, e coli conservatism, does a good job of connecting the dots about alot of our growing food supply meltdowns we've been seeing of late. It's all related to the larger scheme of drownding our government in the bathtub. We've all seen how FEMA is a shadow of its former self. Open your eyes everyone, and see how the Department of Agriculture and the FDA are being eviscerated as well.
4.15.2007
It's That Time of Year Again!
No, i'm not talking about taxes. It's time for the 34th Annual Athens International Film + Video Festival! Who wants to come and see? I can't believe the huge roster of films, many of them I really really want to see. I'm so glad this tiny little town is happenin enough to have this. Last year it was great. One of this films I saw last year was Almost Normal, which was conceived and written down the block by an Ohio University student, who was here for a talk and reception after the screening, along with several of his crew. Last year, Steven wasn't here yet, this year he gets to go and see lots and lots of these!
4.13.2007
Newsclipping of the Day :: Poor John McCain. Still a Prisoner of War
Bill Maher's piece on John McCain at the Huffington Post says--in the first line--that McCain's not an idiot. But, I have to wonder. Does he not see the same polls? Does he not realize there is little popular support of the "war" left? I also saw a headline yesterday stating he was "reducing staff." Really, honestly and truly John, why go on? You have no support at this early date. What little bit of crossover appeal you may have had--even from those like me who respect you for what you've lived through, as a POW--mostly vanished with that awkward hug 3 years ago.
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