What's Going OnWhat's Going OnAmerican Baby Boomer pondering our country's politics and place in the world, calling for an end to dirty politics and the media and corporate interests that support them. 
Articles
Mary Pallant Hosts Stop the Occupation Now - Nix The Sixth
2008-03-17 02:12:00 In a MoveOn.org event in the Thousand Oaks area, Mary Pallant, Congressional candidate for the California 24th district, will host a peace vigil on the corner of Thousand Oaks and Moorpark Boulevards in Thousand Oaks, California. The event will begin at 5:30 pm. From the MoveOn.org site Mary Pallant writes: “With thousands of anniversary actions scheduled around ... More About: Iraq War , Stop , Hosts
Bush suggests economy doing OK at the Economic Club of New York
2008-03-17 00:23:00 by James Hossack from Yahoo: NEW YORK (AFP) - President George W. Bush acknowledged Friday that the US economy was going through a tough period but avoided talk of recession, ... More About: Economy , Nevada , California , New York
U.S. Has Slid Into Recession, Economist Survey Says
2008-03-14 08:49:00 The U.S. has finally slid into recession, according to the majority of economists in the latest Wall Street Journal economic-forecasting survey, a view that was reinforced by new data showing a sharp drop in retail sales last month… Glad someone finally said the “R” word. Now we can start to face reality. read more | digg ... More About: Economist , Survey , Recession
House fails to override Bush?s veto of anti-torture bill
2008-03-13 07:47:00 George Bush vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the CIA from torturing and abusing prisoners and detainees. This morning the House voted on whether to override Bush’s veto. Unfortunately the vote failed to meet the two thirds majority needed to override the veto. Click here to see how your representative voted on this issue. “Yea” was ... More About: News , California , George Bush
We?re killing ourselves in Afghanistan
2008-03-12 15:22:00 From Matthew Cole, Salon: “In a secret meeting with a Taliban commander, I learned how Bush administration aid to Pakistan helps fund insurgents who kill U.S. troops.” March 10, 2008 | KABUL, Afghanistan — On a recent bitterly cold winter day, I sat huddled on a red Persian carpet in an unheated Kabul office, waiting for a ... More About: Iraq War , George Bush
Kucinich prevailed after Republicans pull out all the stops to end his seat
2008-03-12 05:30:00 Last week 10,000 Republican voters were mobilized to “Dump Dennis” and failed. Headed by Rush Limbaugh and assisted by the Cleveland “Plain Dealer”. Kucinich still won. Makes you think about what was done to him during his presidential bid. Donate read more | digg story More About: Republicans , Seat , Stops , Pull
Ventura County Line Up for The June 3rd Primary
2008-03-10 04:46:00 California 24th Congressional District: Democratic Candidates: Mary Pallant, Oak Park Jill Marinez, Oxnard Republican Candidate: Elton Gallegly California 19th Senate District: Democrat Candidate: Hannah-Beth Jackson, Santa Barbara Tony Strickland, Moorpark California 37th Assembly District: Democratic Candidates: Ferial Masry, Newbury Park David Hare, Camarillo Republican Candidate: Audra Strickland More About: June , County , Primary , Line , Ventura
Ron Paul Wins to Keep His Seat in Congress
2008-03-09 09:25:00 Paul, the Texas congressman who distinguished himself as the only Republican presidential candidate opposing the Iraq war, gained a devoted following, harnessing the power of the Internet to raise more cash than more mainstream rivals. Paul as an anti-war, libertarian - Republican had to turn his campaigning locally to defend his seat in Congress most recently. By Z. BYRON WOLF of ABC News: Paul, who ran for the White House as a libertarian in 1988 but gained more of a following this year as a Republican, did not suspend his presidential campaign, but was forced to scale back his national operation to focus on the race for his Congressional seat in Texas. “I do think the presidential race has exposed some of his values and principles that are not in line with his district, and that exposure has done him harm at home,” Republican primary challenger Chris Peden said of Paul. But then there must have been some folks that strongly agreed with him, as he won his primary. read... More About: Ron Paul , Seat , Paul , Wins
U.S. Unexpectedly Lost 63,000 Jobs in Feb
2008-03-09 05:26:00 The U.S. unexpectedly lost jobs in February for the second consecutive month, adding to evidence the economy is in a recession. Payrolls fell by 63,000, the biggest drop since March 2003, after a decline of 22,000 in January that was larger than initially estimated, the Labor Department said today in Washington. Didn’t Bush say the economy was doing just fine? read more | digg story More About: Lost , Jobs
NPR: Obama Won Texas
2008-03-08 23:14:00 More voting nonsense…… From National Public Radio, here’s the news: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton has claimed victory in the Texas primary — but her rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama , may walk away with a greater share of the state’s delegates.That’s because the Texas contests are actually both a primary and a caucus. Clinton won the primary with 51 percent of the popular vote to Obama’s 47 percent, according to the Associated Press. Those results earned her 65 delegates to Obama’s 61 delegates. But allocating delegates in the Lone Star State takes a “Texas two-step.” After the polls closed, more than 1 million Texans also attended caucuses, the results of which determine how about one-third of the state’s delegates get awarded. The state Democratic Party estimates that Obama will come out ahead: 37 pledged delegated to Clinton’s 30 delegates. But the official tally of the Texas caucus won’t be ready for m...
McCain’s Bad Temper May Impact His Judgment Under Stress
2008-03-08 21:48:00 John McCain’s bad temper is legendary. Even as he runs for president, he continues to have difficulty with managing his anger. Is this acceptable from the individual that could hold the highest office? In considering the power of the president’s office, we would be under the mercy of McCain while he controls whether this country goes to war, deploys a nuclear weapon, and engages in foreign diplomacy. Viewing any number of videos of his verbal interchange under anger, his style could be case for great concern. Consider this one during a discussion with a reporter. McCain demonstrates that he is: unable to listen to a question and respond dispassionately. unable to listen further after he has made his judgment. responds disrespectfully even though the individual speaking with him maintains their respectful stance. repeats the same statement over and over again in a tirade-like manner continually interrupts without allowing the other party to speak Watch a recent vide... More About: Stress , Judgment
New Hampshire Impeachment Update - Cheney and Bush
2008-03-08 19:04:00 Concord, NH —- March 8, 2008 New Hampshire citizens made their first big push to get impeachment back on the table when close to a hundred overflowed a statehouse hearing room to testify in favor of Representative Hall’s House Resolution, -HR24- calling for the impeachment of the President and Vice President to commence in the US Congress. This resolution cites paragraph 603 in the parliamentary rules of Jefferson’s Manual, which Congress still adheres to today. Jefferson recognized that there would be times when the executive and legislative branches could become corrupt and unreliable to protect the Constitution. So he made special provision for the branch of State government that is most directly related to the people - the State House of Representatives - to be able to draft impeachment resolutions and send them to the U.S. Congress as a privileged motion, going directly to the floor of the Congress for debate and action. The New Hampshire House of Repres... More About: Bush , Impeachment , Update
Dennis Kucinich Declares Victory in Cleveland Ohio
2008-03-05 07:08:00 Kucinich was ahead in absentee voter ballots earlier today. This evening he has so far remained in front. Victory has been announced. If Dennis Kucinich’s (D-OH 10) early lead holds, he’ll beat back Cleveland City Councilor Joe Cimperman (D) and three other Dems to easily win re-election to his House seat. With 26% of ... More About: Ohio , Kucinich
Brattleboro, Vermont, Votes to Indict Bush and Cheney
2008-03-05 05:03:00 Brattleboro, Vermont , voted today in support of a measure calling on the town’s police force to arrest and indict Bush and Cheney . The vote was 2012-1795. Guess those two won’t be vacationing in Vermont in the future. read more | digg story More About: Dick Cheney , Votes
Cleveland Plain Dealer vs Dennis Kucinich
2008-03-04 18:13:00 John Nichols, The Nation: Ohio voters head to the polls for a primary election Tuesday, and that can mean only one thing: The Cleveland Plain Dealer is griping about Congressman Dennis Kucinich . There is nothing new, nor anything wrong, with newspapers holding members of Congress to account. In fact, it would be good if more did so. But ...
Gallegly votes “No” on Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Ac
2008-03-04 10:01:00 Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008 Elton Gallegly voted NO On Passage 02/27/2008 House Roll Call No. 84 110th Congress, 2nd Session Passed: 236-182 (see complete tally) The House passed H.R. 5351, to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation, by a yea-and-nay vote of 236 yeas to 182 nays, Roll No. 84. More About: Renewable Energy , Renewable , Energy Conservation
Newsweek Pokes Holes in Joe Cimperman’s Attacks Against Dennis Kucinich
2008-03-04 09:46:00 Fact Checking the “Dump Dennis ” ad, Justin Bank, Newsweek Former Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich is now fighting to hold onto his House seat in Cleveland, Ohio. He’s the target of a tough attack ad that says he “gives a lot of speeches” but “doesn’t get much done.” But the ad is a textbook example of deceptive political advertising – it uses dramatic-sounding numbers that, put into context, aren’t such a big deal after all: The ad, by challenger Joe Cimperman, says that under Kucinich’s watch, “we’ve lost 38,000 jobs.” That’s the decline in employment figures for an Ohio county, part of which Kucinich serves. But we’re sure that one congressman doesn’t bear the sole responsibility for such job losses. The ad says Kucinich “passed only one bill” in Congress, a claim based on the fact that he was the lead sponsor on only one bill that was signed into law. But... More About: Attacks , Holes
Battleboro Vermont Voters Must Turn Over Ballot To Vote For Indictment of B
2008-03-04 09:17:00 From the Rutland Herald: Brattleboro has a chance to set an example for the rest of the country Tuesday, when voters go to the town meeting polls to decide whether they favor indicting President Bush for violating his oath of office, organizers of the Brattleboro Initiative said Sunday. But with voter turnout expected to be high Tuesday for Vermont ’s presidential primary, with an abundance of new, young voters supporting the candidacy of Democrat Barack Obama, organizers are optimistic the maverick article will gain widespread support. But there’s one snafu. The article calling for Bush’s indictment is on the back of the paper ballot, and many people who have already cast absentee votes have reported that the issue wasn’t on the ballot after all. Organizer Kurt Daims, the author of the indictment article, said his wife came home with her absentee ballot and couldn’t find the article. It was on the back side of the ballot, with all the elective offices o... More About: Vote , Voters , Turn , Ballot
Forsaking Foreclosures - Opinion from Dennis Kucinich in NY Times
2008-03-03 01:54:00 We need a plan that is big enough, bold enough and fair enough to deal with the nation’s foreclosure crisis. read more | digg story More About: Foreclosures , Opinion , Times , Kucinich , Dennis
Pressing for FISA changes: What’s Bush Trying To Do?
2008-03-01 20:45:00 Bush is drawing a line in the sand between McCain and Obama. Current FISA allows electronic surveillance on foreign soil, allows surveillance on Americans calling Foreigners for three days before warrant, allows for “emergency” situations. Why do we need telecom immunity now? Bush Administration trying to protect itself. read more | digg story More About: Bush
Bush: 19% approval
2008-03-01 20:44:00 “Seventy-seven percent of Americans disapprove of the job he is doing, and 79 percent disapprove of his handling of the economy.” read more | digg story More About: Bush
Is George Bush Finally Telling the Truth?
2008-03-01 18:10:00 Glen Greenwald of Salon thinks so. In his blog yesterday Greenwald highlights reasons why Bush wants immunity for the telecom industry and it may have more to do with protecting his administration than battling any terrorists. Here is what Greenwald has to say: In his Press Conference yesterday, Commander-in-Chief George W. Bush candidly explained why he was so eager to have Congress grant amnesty to telecoms: Allowing the lawsuits to proceed could aid our enemies, because the litigation process could lead to the disclosure of information about how we conduct surveillance. The bit about Helping the Enemies is purely false, just standard Bush fear-mongering. Federal courts receive and rule on highly classified information with great regularity without any public “disclosure.” FISA (in 50 USC 1806(f)) specifically provides that secret information can be submitted to the Judge without even the other side having access to it. If — as the President suggested — c... More About: Truth , George Bush , Finally
Congress Speaks Out About Protect America Act
2008-02-29 09:17:00 Congress is stalled over the Protect America n Act and Constitutional rights. Bush is threating we are not protected unless a bill granting telecom immunity is passed. Is Bush trying to scare folks into giving away more of their privacy? Many members of Congress think so. In the Washington Post, Rockefeller, Conyers, Leahy, and Reyes speak out about what is happening: Nothing is more important to the American people than our safety and our freedom. As the chairmen of the House and Senate intelligence and judiciary committees, we have an enormous responsibility to protect both. Unfortunately, instead of working with Congress to achieve the best policies to keep our country safe, once again President Bush has resorted to scare tactics and political games. In November, the House passed legislation to give U.S. intelligence agencies strong tools to intercept terrorist communications that transit the United States, while ensuring that Americans’ private communications are... More About: Congress , Protect America Act
Will Corporate backed Cimperman Remove Kucinich? Hope Not for Ohio’s Sak
2008-02-28 19:55:00 Heavily corporate - backed Joe Cimperman is trying to grab Dennis Kucinich ’s seat in Congress. From the looks of Cimperman’s biggest campaign contributors this may be big trouble for already hard hit Ohio, not to mention the rest of the country. While Cimperman’s campaign has focused exclusively on circulating negative ads about Kucinich, one would have to question what Cimperman would have to offer the working to middle class. A Cleveland news media article discusses the facts of what is happening: Boy, they really want to kill him off this time. It’s like “stick the silver dagger” in the little guy’s heart. Let’s get him once and for all, cry the corporate thugs, the Pee Dee and Brent Larkin. Some big bucks are out on the street to finally ice the little bugger. How can one tell? Just take a gander at the money flowing from downtown developers and Cleveland’s elite to Joe Cimperman, the main opponent to incumbent Congressman Dennis Kucinich. They ca... More About: Corporate , Hope
Chris Dodd Endorses Barack Obama
2008-02-27 03:41:00 Formally announced through email this morning, Chris Dodd has chosen to endorse Barack Obama : We have been through a lot in this past year and your friendship and support have meant so much to me. That is why I wanted to let you know of my decision to endorse a Democratic candidate for President - and that I have decided to support Barack Obama. We all understand how much is at stake in this election and that it is more important than ever that we put a Democrat in the White House. And while both of our Party’s remaining candidates are extremely talented and would make excellent commanders-in-chief, I am throwing my support to the candidate who I believe will open the most eyes to our shared Democratic vision. I’m deeply proud to be the first 2008 Democratic presidential candidate to endorse Barack Obama. He is ready to be President. And I am ready to support him - to work with him and for him and help elect him our 44th President. Put simply, I believe Barack Obam...
Update on the Dennis Kucinich Campaign - Final Push to Donate
2008-02-26 03:25:00 One week left to help Kucinich keep his seat. We need this Congressman’s voice in our government. View his message and donate. Kucinich constituents speak out: This is what Joe Cimperman is trying to say: Cimperman has presented other commercials that don’t actually provide a true reflection of Kucinich’s history. For instance, Cimperman remarks that Kucinich has missed 300+, when in fact Kucinich has missed 139. Previous to this past year, Kucinich had one of the best attendance record’s in Congress. The rest of the presidential candidates have missed up to 300 votes, John McCain being one of the worst. From the looks of Cimperman’s ads, he doesn’t appear to be a politician that presents the truth to the public. We certainly don’t need any more of those in Congress. More About: Donate , Campaign , Update , Final
Should Corporations Have Rights?
2008-02-24 00:39:00 Noam Chomsky provides an interesting discussion on the matter. He suggests that the idea of corporations having “rights” is only recent. They aren’t listed in the Constitution, are most often a tool for tyranny, their “rights” were achieved through courts and lawyers, the legal system was reshaped to give them power, and they are at the roots of fascism. There is no reason for them to exist. More About: Rights , Corporations
March 15 - Los Angeles Protest to End the Iraq War - Be There
2008-02-23 23:50:00 Ventura County residents wishing to attend can get information about transportation: Ventura County ANSWER Ventura County CONTACT: 805-241-0708, 805-367-6481 or Email TRANSPORTATION DETAILS: Carpool Caravan details below. (1) Ventura, 10am at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Telephone & Hwy 101 (2) Thousand Oaks, 10:30am at TO Trans Center, Rancho & Hwy 101 Click here to download VC Carpool Caravan flyer. More About: Iraq , Iraq War , Los Angeles , Protest , March
Has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Affected John McCain?
2008-02-23 23:34:00 Listening to John McCain one would have to seriously consider what effects his imprisonment did to his thinking. This man looks unstable. He seems to enjoy what he is saying about war and he has little with which to base his rhetoric. 935 lies from the Bush administration led to the Iraq war, per the Center for Public Integrity. Why would McCain say Iraq was a good war and will have more of them? “We’re going to have a lot of PTSD to treat my friends”. Perhaps we should start with McCain. More About: Post , Stress , Post Traumatic Stress Disorder , John McCain
US Accused of Systematic and Persistent Racial Discrimination
More articles from this author:2008-02-23 23:14:00 GENEVA (AFP) — The United States is guilty of “persistent and systematic” racial discrimination across all aspects of society from Guantanamo Bay to the justice and school systems, rights groups charged on Wednesday. “The persistent and systematic issues of racial discrimination have not been addressed” by the US government despite its adoption in 1994 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination , said Ajamu Baraka, executive director of the US Human Rights Network. “Unfortunately since 1994 we have found that the government has not lived up to its obligations,” Baraka told journalists, citing issues such as the impact of Hurricane Katrina on the black population of New Orleans, the treatment of immigrant workers, police brutality and housing. “These issues have escaped the scrutiny” by government officials that they deserve, he said. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD)... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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