must see...end mountain top removal now !!

i just recieved my copy of this powerful collection from Christians for the Mountains. the people of the Appalachian Mountains need us all to help stop the destruction of their home. i have ordered extra copies i hope to put copies in the hands of my Christian friends so, hopefully, we can all stand up and save this 2nd most diverse forest on planet earth and home to some amazing folks. the legacy of this beautiful place and the wisdom of the people of these mountains is priceless.
wake up america!!

Christians for the Mountains presents


The Mountain Mourning Collection
produced by B. J. Gudmundsson

Portraits of the Human Spirit featuring Traditional Appalachian Music
Includes “Mountain Mourning,” “Look What They’ve Done,”
and “Keeper of the Mountains.” View Previews

In the Southern Appalachian Mountains, a coal-mining process known as Mountaintop Removal is devastating God’s creation. And global warming is being accelerated by Mountaintop Removal. Demand for electricity overshadows weak environmental laws. Coal industry profits outweigh quality of life. As our oldest mountaintops vanish, the people are left behind. Having paid the highest price – they are abandoned in what is called “the sacrifice zone.” These are their stories.

Christians for the Mountains is a non-profit, grass-roots organization that encourages the preservation of God’s Earth and its human communities. We call upon Christians, church communities and people of conscience to join us in advocating for personal responsibilities and public policies that conserve the use of earth’s resources and address abusive coal extraction processes.

“The Mountain Mourning Collection” is a powerful viewing experience. For those who are familiar with mountaintop removal these films evoke strong emotions while being affirming and hope inspiring.

“Mountain Mourning” is the feature film of the collection. It gives an overview of the basics of mountaintop removal within the context of the Appalachian culture.

“Look What They’ve Done” and “Keeper of the Mountains” included on the DVD, are stories told by persons directly affected by mountaintop removal mining. Mountaintop removal is not an abstraction. It adversely affects the lives of real human beings. These films capture Maria Gunnoe’s and Larry Gibson’s love of mountains and mountain folk and also their pain and anguish over the devastation of the land and its people. These films should break a heart of stone.

Also on this DVD
“A Call to Action” which is a short message from Christians for the Mountains co-founder, Bob Marshall.

“Bringing Down the Mountains” excerpts. The film is a project by Pennsylvania high school students that can inspire young people to engage pressing issues of our time in order to make a positive difference for their future.

Christians for the Mountains provides more information about their efforts to stop mountaintop removal as well as a Viewing Guide and “5 Ways You Can Make a Big Difference” on their website:

ChristiansfortheMountains.org

info on DVD here

How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

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Interview with David Neiwert author of "The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right".

- The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

attention: true patriots

i love this over at Brasscheck TV ...bottom line "if you love America, you throw money in it's hole."

fight wall street wealthcare

the progressive caucus has taken a strong stand and we can get their back.....help fight dumber than joe the plummer from being suckered by these theives again..... here's a couple of ways to get their backs and make it possible for them to continue to fight on our behalf.

Standing Up For The Public Option
by Blue America

Distributed among the recipients below

These are the progressive members of Congress with the guts to stand up to Big Insurance, Big Pharma and to the pressure from their own party bosses. They stood with the American people and ordinary working families when push came to shove and both political parties decided propping up a disastrous health care system and a corrupt Insurance Industry was more important than keeping the promise made over and over to working families. These were the men and women who promised to vote against any health care reform bill that didn't include, at the minimum, a robust public option. 60 signed a letter to Secretary Sebelius and 18 took the FDL Pledge.
Democratic members of Congress need to understand that a healthcare reform bill with a Public Option is simply not an option-- it's a requirement. The congressmembers on this list have said in no uncertain terms that they will not vote for a bill without a public option all the way through Conference. That takes courage, and we need to show them how much we appreciate them for doing so. Please make a contribution-- and thanks for everything else you're doing for the public option.

Please Help Us Fight the Teabagger Army from Derailing Health Care
The lobbyists are packed six deep into every nook and cranny on the Hill, and it's going to take everything to fight this. Americans are dying. At the same time, corporate-funded teabaggers are trying to shut down all debate.
We need to raise $250,000 to fund our fight to stop the teabaggers from derailing health care. After two months of your hard work, 65 members House drew a line in the sand: no public option, no health care reform. Now that we've shown progressives in the House it's possible to stick together, it will be our job to make sure these members hold the line on a strong public option.Will you help us fight the insurance industry lobby in the battle for affordable health care for all? Contribute what you can below. Thanks for all you do.

Eve Gittelson NYCEve
Jane HamsherFiredoglake.com

Canadian healthcare on Big Eddie today

Today on The Ed Schulz Show, Michael J Sullivan spoke about the healthcare of the Canadians his union, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, represents.

He said the common complaint he heard when talking with them was how their conservative government was trying to take their coverage away from them.

An individual said of his healthcare... "I have cancer, it's in remission, and I still own my house."

Ed is doing a superhuman job of caring the water on getting healthcare for all humans here in our great nation. huge tip O' the hat and much gratitude Ed !!! hope you have big fun fishin' this weekend.

bipartisonship now

i say we all stand up for health care for we the people by we the people.... i wrote this to comment on a letter to the editor by Vern LaFave i read in the paper this morning. i guess he will appear on line tomorrow ....his letter was advocating medicare for all and he stated it extremely well. i will post a link to his letter when it appears in the letters to the editor at the Bellingham Herald.
i will be up early in the morning to say "well said, Vern!" with this comment he inspired.

Well said Vern!

This is about us paying for us to have healthcare. Administrative costs for Medicare are about 3% as opposed to for profit health insurance, which can be 30%. We should be opting to pay for our healthcare. We can save enormous amounts of money. We can hire good people (our fellow citizens), accountable to us, to administer the payment to good people (our fellow citizens), accountable to us, to provide our healthcare.

Standing in the way of this are 13 senators (from both parties) sitting on the Finance Committee and Commerce Committee who have been bought and paid for by the for profit health care industry and big pharma. And what a bargain, most come from small states and rural areas representing 13 million people (4% of the U S population). It only cost the profiteers about $12,000,000 in campaign contributions. That is on a par with the annual compensation of one bargain CEO of some these same organizations. Many of these greedy profiteers are collecting far more. (Don’t forget to breath when you see their take when they collect their stock options.) Hmmm, I’m no math whiz, so correct me if I’m wrong, I believe it would take, 100 humans paying $10,000 a year in premiums to get the first $1,000,000 to pay one CEO. The cheap ones go for over $5,000,000 in annual compensation, not counting stock options. These are the same folks who brought us the bloated, big slobbery kiss to themselves, Medicare part D. People should have been out in the streets when our children and grandchildren were gifted with that legacy.

At least 46 million of our fellow citizens now have no health insurance. We all pay when people are forced to get healthcare at expensive units of hospitals designed to provide emergency care. And good luck getting well care there to prevent and get early detection of serious or life threatening illnesses.

I would feel a lot safer in my community if I knew all the humans I come in contact with as I go through my day had healthcare. Healthcare profiteering is right up there with war profiteering. I want healthcare by doctors and healthcare professionals, not wall street.

Remove the profit from primary healthcare. We are humans, not consumers.

Medicare for all! That’s a real bargain !!

well maybe i missed something but i haven't seen Vern's letter on line yet so here it is.....

I've Got Facts & You've Got Glenn Beck!

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From Crooks & Liars; a video clip from Congressman Rick Larsen's Everett town hall meeting.

I've Got Facts On My Side & You've Got Glenn Beck On Your Side! Rep Rick Larsen Town Hall

single-payer healthcare NOW !!

pay or die....or....us paying for us ??? hmmmm

ATTENTION CONGRESS:
specifically....Rep. Rick Larsen, Senators Maria Cantwell and Patty Murray

i am for all of us making a good living for a good contribution to the quality of life of all others living on planet earth.
we can hire good people (our friends, family and neighbors) , who will be accountable to us, to administer the paying of good people, accountable to us, (our friends, family and neighbors) to provide our healthcare. the administrative costs can be kept under 3% (like medicare, only better, everybody in, nobody out). i will feel safer in my community because all the other humans i meet as i go thru my day will be able to get good healthcare.
everybody does better when everybody does better. we can decide how we want it to be in our communities across the nation. unbelieveable amounts of our treasure is being funneled up to the healthcare profiteers (AT BREAKNECK SPEED) !

healthcare by wall street or doctors???

single payer (us) NOW !

greed is not a family value...healthcare for all humans is.

CEO salaries

WRSP and its agents Smear Larsen (WA-02)

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In today's MCCLATCHY article "Baird to skip town hall, cites 'lynch' mentality of conservatives", long time Republican Party activist, Lynn Carpenter is quoted; "But she said Larsen, her representative “won’t talk to us and won’t listen to us.”"

Carpenter isn't being honest and as proof I give you this post from the B'ham Tea Party blog:

Friday, July 17, 2009
Discussion With Rick Larsen's Office Staff

by Karl Uppiano -

[I posted this comment over at the Bellingham Herald Politics Blog -- KU]

A few of us from the Tea Party protest went upstairs to Congressman Larsen’s office to make sure our voices were heard. Standing on the street below doesn’t guarantee that anybody will pay attention.

We had a polite, but direct conversation with Rick Larsen’s office staff. They seemed surprised to hear that we want no government involvement in our health care at all. It seems that most of the people they deal with, who object to the bill, simply want parts of it “tweaked” to provide more benefits for them specifically. They were not prepared to deal with the concept that health care is not a legitimate function of the federal government under the Constitution. They kept offering various “what ifs” and options that they hoped would satisfy us.

They mentioned that the current system varies state to state — as if that were a flaw. They blinked when I pointed out that what they were calling a flaw, represents states’ rights, diversity and individual choice. If we don’t like the system in our state, we’re free to try to change it, or move to a state that better suits us. If the federal government enforces uniformity in all states, then we lose our freedom to choose. It was as if they had never heard that argument before. I thought it was a discouraging
conversation.
(http://bhamteaparty.blogspot.com/2009/07/discussion-with-rick-larsens%20office.html)

Congressman Larsen's staff undoubtedly briefed him on what the TP delegation had to say and Carpenter knows that.

But being truthful doesn't fit the Republican strategy. Carpenter has to stick with lies about Larsen because her bosses in the WA State Republican Party (WSRP) are mounting a smear campaign against him.

WSRP Luke Esser issued a lie filled press release claiming that Congressman Larsen told Veterans that they couldn't talk about health care.

In reality, Larsen specifically told teabagger intruders that the meeting was about Veterans issues and if they wanted to talk about the health care reform bill, they were in the wrong place.

We've Got Your Number, Republicans

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Enough with the astroturfing. Enough with the fearmongering. We all know the "Tea Party" is just a front that gets its marching orders from corporate lobbyists and their Republican lackeys.

DNC Web Ad: "Enough of the Mob"

One Year Ago: Knoxville Church Shooting

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One Year Ago Today...
By Coury Turczynon July 27, 2009 10:24 AM

...Knoxville experienced a nightmarish attack when Jim David Adkisson decided to strike out against liberals and "kill them where they gather." He chose the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church as the site of his rampage--on a day when children were performing Annie Jr. Greg McKendry and Linda Kraeger were killed, and six others were wounded. It could have been even more horrific were it not for the brave liberals who tackled Adkisson.

Today at 7 p.m., the TVUUC is holding the "Instruments of Peace" concert as a thank-you for the support it received from the Knoxville community. Folk musicians Guy and Candie Carawan are performing. ...

Jim Adkisson didn't see his intended targets as human beings, he only saw them as "liberals". He got his sick twisted ideas from the so-called conservative media. Adkisson's apartment was filled with books and newsletters penned by Bill O'Reilly, Sean Hannity, and other right-wing hate talkers.

Right-wing hate talk had worked on Adkisson. Before setting out to murder "liberals" at a Knoxville church that had come to his attention because they welcomed gay people, he wrote in what he intended to be his 'suicide note':

"Know this if nothing else: This was a hate crime. I hate the damn
left-wing liberals. There is a vast left-wing conspiracy in this country &
these liberals are working together to attack every decent & honorable
institution in the nation, trying to turn this country into a communist state.
Shame on them....

"This was a symbolic killing. Who I wanted to kill was every Democrat in
the Senate & House, the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book. I'd like to
kill everyone in the mainstream media. But I know those people were inaccessible
to me. I couldn't get to the generals & high ranking officers of the Marxist
movement so I went after the foot soldiers, the chickenshit liberals that vote
in these traitorous people. Someone had to get the ball rolling. I volunteered.
I hope others do the same. It's the only way we can rid America of this
cancerous pestilence."

"I thought I'd do something good for this Country Kill Democrats til the
cops kill me....Liberals are a pest like termites. Millions of them Each little
bite contributes to the downfall of this great nation. The only way we can rid
ourselves of this evil is to kill them in the streets. Kill them where they
gather. I'd like to encourage other like minded people to do what I've done. If
life aint worth living anymore don't just kill yourself. do something for your
Country before you go. Go Kill Liberals.

Although one would have thought that Adkisson's manifesto/suicide letter and his reading list would have given rightwing talkers pause, a year later, nothing seems to have changed.

On our local talk/news station, KGMI, still plays syndicated rabid Rightwing fearmongering and scapegoating from 9 to 5; Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity. It's our own little Radio Rwanda.

And this Right-wing brainwashing is working, you can see the signs (pictured to the right) just a couple weeks ago in front of Congressman Larsens Bellingham office.

Sara Robinson did a great job of summing up some of what we can learn from that sad event, a year ago in Knoxville:

Nicely done, Messrs. Hannity, Goldberg, Limbaugh, Savage and O'Reilly -- and all your lesser brethren who keep the hate speech spewing 24/7/365 across every field and into every shop in the country. There is no more debate to be had, no more doubt about it: What you did in the name of "entertainment," and for the sake of the almighty ratings, raised and animated a monster like Jim Adkisson, gave him a list of targets ("the 100 people in Bernard Goldberg's book"), and was directly responsible for the deaths of two brave and decent people. Adkisson was clearly angry and crazy -- but his "manifesto" draws the clearest, brightest line possible between the media he consumed and his actions that terrible Sunday morning.

Progressives should take three lessons away from Knoxville:

One: we are no longer safe, not even in our own houses of worship. It's ironic that progressives -- the subgroup of Americans who were most determined not to abandon reason and succumb to overblown fears of Islamic terrorism in the wake of 9/11 -- now have good, serious reasons to fear real domestic terrorism against themselves.

Two: A significant part of this country's media infrastructure is thoroughly devoted to inciting people to commit horrific acts of violence against us -- and now, we know for a fact that people are acting on those incitements. It's time to start taking this far more seriously. What goes out across our airwaves these days isn't all that different from what went out over Radio Rwanda a decade ago, spurring that country to genocide. At this point, it's only a difference of degree.

Three: The right wing has, as usual, grossly underestimated our courage and our commitment. The members of Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist quickly and effectively disarmed and captured this man within seconds after he opened fire. Adkisson expected fear; what we got was determined resistance. It's why he's still alive today, and why more UUs aren't dead by his hand. The TVUUA congregation should be our enduring example of liberal grace under fire.Adkisson's "manifesto" should end any doubts we ever had about how virulent and dangerous hate talk is, or whether or not that talk will eventually translate into action.

Congressman Larsen Wants To Fix The Public Option

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Congressman Larsen's position isn't what a lot of people think it is... check it out.

KGMI - Morning News Extra for 7/24/09 - Congressman Rick Larsen
Congressman Rick Larsen talks about the reasons why he wants health care reform in America, and the recent criticisms he has heard from local groups on both sides of the debate.
Listen to the podcast

Larsen's office also put out a press release that doesn't seem to have been picked up by the press.

Reforming Health Care: Larsen Pushes Fair Deal for Washington State

July 13, 2009

Washington, D.C. — As Congress works to reform health care to bring down costs and ensure, quality affordable health care, U.S. Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) is working to get a fair deal for Washington state. Specifically, Larsen is pushing to protect access to health care for Washington state patients by ensuring that Washington state is rewarded, not penalized, for providing high-quality, low-cost patient care.

“Lower Medicare payment rates mean fewer providers in Washington state, and fewer providers mean less access to care for local seniors and other patients,” said Larsen. “Washington state should be rewarded, not penalized, for providing quality, efficient care. That is why I’m working to get a fair deal for our state and make it easier for local seniors and other patients to see a doctor when they need to.”

Larsen is pushing for stronger reforms to help Washington state by changing the way health care is delivered to reward “value not volume” – value for the patient, not volume of tests or procedures. To that end, Larsen has sent a bipartisan letter to House leadership along with 27 of his House colleagues led by Rep. Betty McCollum (MN-04) urging action to fix Medicare geographic disparities in reimbursement.

Washington state is one of several states in which the quality of care exceeds the national average and Medicare costs per patient are substantially lower than the national average. For example, the average federal Medicare payment per patient in Everett, Washington is $6,905 while McAllen, Texas averages $14,946. Studies have shown that increased spending per patient has no correlation with quality of care. While the quality of care in Everett is the same if not better compared to McAllen, medical providers there get paid more than twice as much, costing taxpayers more than twice as much. So while Washington state provides higher-quality, lower-cost care in many cases and delivers better results for patients, Washington state is penalized by the current Medicare reimbursement formula.

Larsen has joined a number of his colleagues to request a meeting with House leadership to restore fairness for Washington and other states before the bill comes up for a House vote. Democratic leaders have agreed to meet with Larsen and his colleagues, but a date has yet to be set.

###

A Message To Blue Dog Democrats

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I couldn't have said it better than Headzup has:

Oh, and by the way... Whatcom County Democrats aren't very pleased with New Democrat Congressman Rick Larsen's (WA-02) negative position on health care reform.

Whatcom County Democrats
P.O. Box 3095, Bellingham, WA 98227-3095
• Phone: (360) 647-7661 •
Office Location: 215 W. Holly Street, Suite B-27, Bellingham, WA 98225


- FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -

*Whatcom Democrats Disappointed With Congressman Larsen's Stance on Health Care Reform*

The Whatcom County Democratic Party passed a resolution at their July membership meeting expressing profound disappointment with Congressman Rick Larsen's statement that he would not support the public option in current health care reform legislation.

Whatcom County Democrats are in complete agreement with President Obama's stance that a public option is essential to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest. The opportunity to pass meaningful health care reform is at hand and lesser issues such as Medicare reimbursement rates can be dealt with later in separate legislation.

The Whatcom County Democratic Party platform endorses a national single-payer health care plan with privately-delivered services that cover all medically-necessary services.

However, since single payer health insurance legislation is not currently being considered in Congress, Whatcom Democrats consider inclusion of a public health insurance option an essential part of any Health care reform Bill.

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows that 76 percent of the American public feel it is important to "give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance.", which shows that Whatcom County Democrats views on a public health insurance option are completely in line with an overwhelming majority of the American public.

"While Congressman Larsen's dedication to securing more equitable Medicare compensation for Washington state physicians and hospitals is commendable, tying his vote on a public option to changes in Medicare rates is a baffling stance that is counter to his previous stated goal of seeing health insurance coverage for all Americans", said Whatcom Democrats Chair Natalie McClendon.

Chairwoman McClendon also said that Whatcom County Democrats sincerely hope Congressman Larsen will reconsider and vote yes on the public health insurance option while continuing to pursue fair Medicare compensation for Washington state physicians and hospitals.

###

TARGET: Max Baucus!

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Wake up Max. If you stand in the way of progressive change, you'll get run over.

ANNOUNCEMENT: After over 60,000 votes cast, you chose Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) as the #1 target for our public option accountability campaign. The PCCC & DFA will air the below TV ad in Montana. Our goal is to keep the pressure up for the next critical two weeks.

You can help keep this ad on TV in Montana

Health Care Reform Cannot Wait

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President Obama says "... any plan I sign must include an insurance exchange: a one-stop shopping marketplace where you can compare the benefits, cost and track records of a variety of plans – including a public option to increase competition and keep insurance companies honest ..."

The Bush/Republican Budget Deficit

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Numerous economists have noted, Bush administration policies are responsible for a large portion of the current deficit, but you won't hear that from the Republicans or their pals in the media .

Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, stated that "the overwhelming majority of the budget deficit that the Republicans are now complaining about is directly attributable to President Bush's policies. The additional deficit for 2009 that it is attributable to President Obama's efforts to fix the disastrous economy that he was handed by President Bush is trivial in comparison, as can be clearly seen."

Here's my slightly enhanced version of Baker's graph:

in support of Don Siegelman

i sent these emails to:

Tim Kaine Chairman,
Democratic National Committee, 430 S. Capitol St.
SEWashington, DC 20003 202-863-8000 email
and

Rahm Emanuel (Hon. Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff to President Obama,
The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, DC 20500 202-456-1111
fax:
202-456-2461 email

today on behalf of Don Siegelman who is facing more prison time as a result of this travesty of "justice" perpetrated by the previous administration and if there ever needed to be change this is screaming for attention.....

Dear Hon. Tim Kaine

i am writing to ask you to please help to ensure that President Obama's, not bush and roves procecuters, decide the fate on Don Siegelman.

Please do everything possible to influence Eric Holder to remove the partison prosecuters involved.

remove Leura Canary and her prosecutors NOW....please

thank you



Dear Rahm Emanuel.,
i am writing to ask you to please help to ensure the President Obama's, not bush and roves procecuters, decide the fate on Don Siegleman.

remove Leura Canary and her prosecutors NOW....please

thank you

healthcare by wall street or doctors???

attention all who represent us in congress and President Obama:

who do you want between you and your doctor??? insurance companies or "the gov-ment" ??? the "gov-ment" is supposed to be us. when are we going to take it back from the greedy selfish wall street profiteers. they are turning us against each other to continue looting our treasure. shame shame shame!!!!....if we make health and healthcare a priority we can choose to have it for all of us. or we can continue to allow the selfish and greedy among us to continue on their corporate jets with gold plated everything. they are spending millions of dollars to market their agenda to keep we the people from using our treasure for the good of we the people ....shame shame shame!!!!.... do these people not have children and grandchildren......?????

end healthcare profiteering!!! make stuff (shoes tv's computers) , hopefully employing we the people, and we will buy it for a profit.

thanks to button man for sending this amazing Bill Moyers interview with Wendall Potter along.......

single payer now!!! at the very least, a public option....no cooperatives or triggers or whatever phrases the greedy think of to try to fool us so they can keep stealing.

TeaBag Boneheads

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I read a (July 8th) post on the B'ham Tea Party blog and was amazed at the pure boneheadness. Aside from the writers fantasy that no one refers to the 4th of July as Independence Day, the most revealing bit of obstinate ignorance was this: "..., our own President won’t even place his hand over his heart during the pledge ...". Obviously something the writer wants to believe in spite of the fact.

That's a smear that's been debunked for a very long time. FactCheck set the record straight a year and a half ago: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_obama.html

freedom still on the march....or 10 minutes with the women in Afghanistan

as we continue to export the corporate war machine and expect others to host the nightmare in their country, we bankrupt ourselves and squander the dewindling resources of our planet (and no, there is no planet b) how long will the other humans on our beautiful planet continue to live the nightmare as we over consume and live our national narcissist disorder. ENOUGH!

RETHINK AFGHANISTAN and let's rethink our descendants future. (check out the $$$$clock on this site and look your children and grandchildren and great grandchildren in the eye as you continue to hand over their credit card)

i say we follow the best model and look out 7 generations.

Tim Eyman, Spending Your Tax Dollars, Again!

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hmmm... once again Tim Eyman is using our tax dollars to experiment with how to create an initiative that will suck people in. He's filed an experimental initiative, he has no intention of gathering signature for, to get Secretary of State's office to do his legal research for him.

Eyman wants to extend the time allowed to gather signatures for initiatives from 10 to 16 month, keep anyone who opposes an initiative at least 25 feet away from his paid signature gatherers, prevent verification that petition signers weren't tricked into signing and make the names of petition signers secret.

Here's the details from the Washington Office of the Secretary of State’s blog:

R-71 monitoring plan draws Eyman fire

by David Ammons June 26th,2009

Initiative promoter Tim Eyman is taking aim at potential harassment of signature-gatherers and people who sign their petitions. One feature of his new initiative says the names, signatures and addresses of people who sign initiatives and referenda would be blacked out before petition sheets are made public by the state Elections Division.

This grows out of announced plans by some supporters of a new “everything but marriage” domestic partnership law to put online the names and addresses of all who sign petitions for Referendum 71. The referendum is sponsored by people who oppose the new law, Senate Bill 5688, and seek a public vote this fall.

Some opponents of R-71 say they want to create a database of the names and addresses so that opponents can talk with them about the ramifications of the
referendum. The referendum sponsors, though, say it amounts to bullying and that the threat of publicizing the signers is aimed at suppressing signatures.

Eyman’s “Protect the Initiative Process” measure, filed Friday with the state Elections Division as an initiative to the 2010 Legislature, says redacting the names and addresses from petitions that are made public would “ensure the safety of individuals … and protect them from and make them less susceptible to, intimiation, retaliation, harassment and identity theft.” His measure also includes other protections for signature-gatherers and would extend the amount of time sponsors have to collect signatures.

Eyman will have until the end of the year to gather about 241,000 valid voter signatures to win a place on the Legislature’s agenda.

Lawmakers could pass his plan, ignore it and allow it to go to the ballot, or send it and a legislative alternative to the ballot. Another route is for Eyman to switch his goal and try to send it directly to the 2010 ballot and not go through the Legislature.

R-71 sponsors have until July 25 to turn in at least 120,577 valid signatures. The Elections Division has said it has no authority to withhold or redact petitions from review as a public-records request.

UPDATE: Tim Eyman says this proposed initiative is “one of several ideas we’re doing R&D (research and development) on as an initiative in the future,” possibly as an initiative to the people next year. If history is a guide, a 2010 initiative to the voters would be far more likely than Eyman actually pursuing signatures this year for a plan he would route through the Legislature. He says he hopes his proposal will generate discussion about the issue, and that he will announce specific plans once they firm up. He notes that he went through more than a dozen drafts of his current I-1033 before actually going to the street to get signatures. That one deals with revenue limits at state, county and city levels, with any excess collections going to property tax relief.

5 minutes in West Virginia

or can this planet be saved??? mountain top removal of the 2nd most diverse forest on our planet, largely responsible for some of the best news following the last ice age, will foreclose on a grim future for our descendants. along with the rainforest protection, what we do now will determine the future for those who come after......it matters and it's up to us ....ATTENTION CONGRESS !!!!!!!!

STOP MOUNTAIN TOP REMOVAL!!!!!!!




oh and attention President Obama and Michelle Obama too....

A President Breaks Hearts in Appalachia A mountaintop coal mining site at Kayford Mountain in West Virginia. (By Jeff Gentner -- Associated Press)

By Robert F. Kennedy Jr.Friday, July 3, 2009

Mountaintop removal coal mining is the worst environmental tragedy in American history. When will the Obama administration finally stop this Appalachian apocalypse?

A mountaintop coal mining site at Kayford Mountain in West
Virginia. (By Jeff Gentner -- Associated Press)

If ever an issue deserved President Obama's promise of change, this is it.
Mining syndicates are detonating 2,500 tons of explosives each day -- the
equivalent of a Hiroshima bomb weekly -- to blow up Appalachia's mountains and extract sub-surface coal seams. They have demolished 500 mountains -- encompassing about a million acres -- buried hundreds of valley streams under tons of rubble, poisoned and uprooted countless communities, and caused widespread contamination to the region's air and water. On this continent, only Appalachia's rich woodlands survived the Pleistocene ice ages that turned the rest of North America into a treeless tundra. King Coal is now accomplishing what the glaciers could not -- obliterating the hemisphere's oldest, most biologically dense and diverse forests. Highly mechanized processes allow giant machines to flatten in months mountains older than the Himalayas -- while employing fewer workers for far less time than other types of mining. The coal industry's promise to restore the desolate wastelands is a cruel joke, and the industry's fallback position, that the flattened landscapes will provide space
for economic development, is the weak punchline. America adores its Adirondacks and reveres the Rockies, while the Appalachian Mountains -- with their impoverished and alienated population -- are dismantled by coal moguls who dominate state politics and have little to prevent them from blasting the physical landscape to smithereens.

full post

also see The myth of clean coal
ok so 5 minutes was the just a start ....i love these mountain people !!

WSJ's Lies About Franken (and Gregoire) !

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Three day old fish would be embarrassed to be wrapped in this issue of Rupert Murdoch's Wall Street Journal. Not only did they lie about Al Franken's election to the Senate, they repeated the same tired lies about Governor Chris Gregoire's 2004 election, again.

From The Brad Blog:

By Brad Friedman on 7/3/2009 9:45AM
WSJ Whackos in Denial: 'Franken Stole It (and So Did Gregoire in '04!)'
Debunking evidence-free, sore-loser wingnuttery from John Fund and fiends. Again...

Who's Behind the Teabaggers?

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We already know the Republican Party (or should I say, the Party formerly known as Republican) doesn't want to be identified with the Tea Party but is busy in the shadows whipping up fear and paranoia.

But locally the Republicans aren't doing a very good job of hiding their involvement. Lynn Carpenter, Republican PCO and former city of Bellingham finance director is in the midst of organizing the Bellingham Tea Party events and Charlie Crabtree, Whatcom Republicans state committeeman is working overtime to promote the event.

Here's another bit of evidence that this whole Tea Party thing is astro-turf. Who's supplying meeting space for 'Tea Party' organizing? Why none other than the BIAWC, those lobbyists for the ultra-rightwing.

Thursday, June 25, 2009
Tea Party Planning Meeting Tonight
by Karl Uppiano
Reminder, the final meeting before the July 4th Tea Party will be this evening from 5:15 to 6:30 at the Building Industry Association of Whatcom County.

So, as we get a further peak behind the curtain, we see more proof that the 'Tea Party' is nothing but a front for the same old bunch of rightwingers.

ADDENDUM:

It's struck me that some readers might not be aware of the shadier side of the Building Industry Association, so here's a little history:

The right wing's big gorilla

The Building Industry Association of Washington is an organization that not only is ruthless to the point of consciencelessness, it also has become an extraordinarily significant player in Washington state politics. They are, in fact, one of the most powerful funders of the conservative movement's agenda here.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly, they also boast a history of dalliances with (and underwriting of) right-wing extremism, particularly the Patriot/militia movement of the 1990s. ...

A dark history

If you go back even farther, though, you can find an even darker side to the BIAW. As Jay Taber at Skookumgeoduck has explained at some length, the BIAW has been involved in some of the ugliest political organizing in Washington state, including the formation of militias back in the early 1990s.

During this time, Taber also worked with my old friend Paul deArmond, who compiled an exhaustive record of this activity at his Public Good Special Reports site. DeArmond was recording in detail many of the same events I was observing and reporting on as a newspaper reporter back then.

What we saw happening was, in response to the state's passage of a Growth Management Act in 1990, a bevy of so-called "grass-roots" reactionary movements who were actually being underwritten and organized by a network of industry organizations, with the BIAW in a lead role. These movements ran the gamut from "property rights" groups to county-secession efforts to antitax agitation to anti-New World Order militia organizing, all under the larger umbrella of "Wise Use." ...

Unprecedented Hypocrisy from FoxNews

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Hypocrisy is nothing new to FoxNews, but this really takes the cake. After eight years of whoring for the Bush Administration in exchange for "unprecedented access", Fox whines about ABC being given access to the White House.

Fox caught with its pants down on ABC attacks
Posted Jun 18,2009, 12:52 PM PT by Jed Lewison

As Think Progress noted, despite Fox’s whining about ABC’s upcoming special on health care reform which will include a town hall conducted in the White House, it turns out that when George W. Bush was President, Fox did exactly what they are accusing ABC of.

Here’s a video mashup of what Fox is saying now — and what it reported then, including footage from its fawning specials on both Bush and Cheney.

Will Whatcom GOP Renounce Terrorism?

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Minuteman leader Shawna Forde has been arrested in Arizona for masterminding the murder of a nine year old girl and her father. The motive was robbery and "The proceeds, it seems, would go toward funding their on-going anti-immigrant 'activism' and, more ambitiously, instigating a race war to overthrow the US government. "

Not long ago Shawna and other Minuteman leaders were the darlings of the Republican party.

As Sara Robinson explains:

It's true that every one of the nine right-wing terrorists who've made the news since January 20 had a history of mental illness, domestic violence, and/or drug abuse. Several were veterans who were having a really hard time adjusting to civilian life. None of these people could reasonably be considered sane; and, for whatever twisted reasons, they made a personal choice to do what they did.

But it's not true that they were acting alone. People who are dealing with these kinds of demons are often drawn into movements that offer a strong narrative that helps them make sense of a world that never seems to add up right for them. They're usually drawn into organizations like Operation Rescue or the Minutemen that are nominally non-violent; but which also indoctrinate them into a worldview that justifies and motivates people to commit terrorist acts. They come to believe that they must do this to save the world, to serve God, and to be the heroes they desperately want to be.

They're already walking sticks of dynamite. But it takes the heat of that apocalyptic, dualistic, eliminationist, pro-violence narrative to light their fuses and make them explode.

Whatcom GOP fuels the fires of domestic terrorism by specifically endorsing the Minutemen, which makes them culpable.

Whatcom County Republican Party Platform:

64) WE SUPPORT the private citizens, known as the "minutemen", who are donating their time and equipment to help with border enforcement.

So the simple question is, will the Whatcom GOP remove that plank in their platform and renounce terrorism?

local Ferndale student wins art award!

Tracy Nguyen was honored for winning the annual high school art competition for the 2nd Legislative District. Her painting will be on display with art from high school students from all over the country. What an honor ! Congratulations to Tracy.

I especially enjoyed the moment when Tracy was asked who would get to use the other 2 tickets she won and accompany her to Washington DC...

and then another funny moment when Tracy turned the painting vertically, and Rick assured her it would be corrected before it was hung to display in the tunnel.

Congressman Larsens townhall - Prt. 2

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Congressman Larsen speaking at townhall meeting in Ferndale, Saturday, June 13, 2009.

Congressman Larsen Holds Townhall in Ferndale

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Congressman Rick Larsen visited Whatcom County yesterday. In the afternoon he held a townhall meeting in Ferndale.

It appears that the local Republican deadenders were trying to stir things up by circulating an email claiming that Larsen was having a "secret" townhall meeting. Politics reporter Sam Taylor posted the email on his blog and pointed out that the townhall meeting was announced in last Wednesdays Herald.

The Republican email followed their typical politics of perpetual outrage; saying the public meeting was somehow secret and claiming that Congressman Larsen avoids hard questions. That's pretty funny stuff.

A few weeks ago I was at Congressman Larsens townhall meeting in Blaine and the Teabaggers were there in force. They all got to ask their questions and got straight forward answers from Larsen.

Saturday afternoon, I arrived at the Ferndale townhall meeting just as Congressman Larsen did and had a chance to speak to him before he went inside. He was well aware that the Teabaggers were promoting his meeting and wasn't at all bothered about that. He looked around the parking lot and commented that it wasn't as crowded as he'd expected.

Apparently Teabaggers have trouble doing simple math. The Teabagger/Republican email also claimed that Congressman Larsen doesn't represent the majority of his constituents. Since, here in Whatcom County, Congressman Larsen was re-elected with 65% of the vote it's really, really hard to twist the numbers so that the 34% who voted Republican make a majority.

But that doesn't stop the Republitarian deadenders from exercising their poor math and logic skills by not only claiming that 34% makes a majority, but also continuously making noise about how they're a 'silent majority'.

break up the banks rally

thanks Dianne, Bellingham chapter leader for A New Way Forward, and Kristi and all the great folks who suited up and showed up and helped.





After a great intoduction by Dianne, Kristi Laguzza-Boosman speaks about where we are, how we got here and what we need to do to right ourselves. She says, practically, as individuals, it would be good to grow food, pay debt, save money and make friends. check out her comprehensive Plan B here.



My greatest hope is we will leave a habitable planet for our descendents to call home.

democrat in name only

Thanks to Thom Hartmann for calling attention to this despicable shameless behavior on the part of a fellow human charged with making law and paying for the commons needed by we the people.

Unfricking believable !! this dino behavior is as shameless as it gets. But what can you expect from a corporatist who speaks “free lunch" market babble such as, "I know there are some people really pushing this public option, but I think it really undermines the essence of our efforts to create a real market-based private sector model but with strong, I guess, safeguards for consumers."

Where do the words life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness fit into healthcare for profit, complete with excessive executive compensation and obscene wealth to the “investor class.” Check out the greed on steroids of one William McGuire, who greatest talent appears to be marketing himself as superman.

I remember very clearly when the healthcare for profit paradigm was marketed, sold and paid for by we the people. I worked in healthcare, as a nurse, and watched the language and culture change. We didn't care for patients anymore, we now cared for consumers. We now have our great grandchildren’s credit cards out and the greedy bottom feeders are still looting us. To me “life” automatically puts healthcare into our commons. I say let’s, we the people, take healthcare back into our own hands and do it for no profit. Let’s become the government we were designed to be.

Let the profit making entrepreneurs, who represent some of the best and brightest in our country, make stuff we need (hopefully employing their fellow citizens and neighbors to manufacture) and sell it to us. This is a win-win for us all. Or as Jim Hightower’s daddy used to say…”everybody does better when everybody does better” It's time for us to look out for our best interest and not let the greedy among us loot our children's future.

check it out at Huffington Post

Mary Landrieu Opposed To Public Health Care
Option


Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.) said on Tuesday that she is opposed to the creation of a public health care plan patients could opt into that would compete with private insurance."No, I'm not open to it. I'm not open to a public option," said Landrieu. "However, I will remain open to a compromise, a full compromise. Public option is not something that I support. I don't think it's the right way to go."

full post

‘BREAK UP THE BANKS ‘ RALLY

i will be on the street corner to join others who have had it with more of the same, as we fall further into the cancerous phase of laissez-faire crony casino capitalism on steroids.

wake up america!!!!!!

PRESS RELEASE May 27, 2009

‘BREAK UP THE BANKS ‘ RALLY
On Wednesday, June 10th , 4-6:30pm at the Federal Building, Magnolia and Cornwall, “A New Way Forward” will present a streetcorner forum on the subject of bank bailouts and the failed economy, and what we the people can do to break up the financial oligarchy. Special guest speaker will be Kristi Laguzza Boosman of ANWF and KLB Community Consulting in Twisp, Washington on her “Plan B”, a discussion of real structural change of Wall Street.

We are a grassroots organization of volunteer local leaders, begun in March ’09 primarily over anger about the financial crisis provoked by the large deregulated banks and their Wall St. partners, who then gamed the system to profit even more off the crisis they caused. The bailouts are widening the gap between rich and poor. Our government has spent trillions to prop up a banking system that has failed the
country. We demand that Treasury Department break up the insolvent banks and
never again let them get so big that they distort our politics and corrupt the economy.

The Bellingham chapter leader is Dianne Foster, RN and Democratic PCO, but ANWF is nonpartisan, appealing to all of us affected by the economic collapse. Our position is that the “zombie banks” are draining public dollars indefinitely, only a few having passed the low-bar “stress tests”. Because “a crisis is a terrible thing to waste”, we need to move on this opportunity to restructure the banks and put the public well-being above that of the financial elite. This move is supported by economists like Paul Krugman, Princeton professor and ’08 Nobel Laureate in economics, Joseph Stiglitz,
Columbia professor of economics, ‘01 Nobel Laureate in economics and former director of the World Bank, Simon Johnson, professor at the Sloan School of Finance and former chief economist of the IMF, William Grieder, former editor of the “Nation”, economics journalist for the Washington Post, David Sirota, Dean Baker, and many others.

We demand the following:

1. Nationalize the big banks - experts agree on the means - the FDIC has the power to do this – insolvent banks that are “too big to fail” must incur a temporary FDIC intervention - no more blank check taxpayer handouts. (See Krugman on
nationalization).
2. Reorganize – current CEO’s and board members must be removed and bonuses wiped out. (see Simon Johnson on reorganizing). Johnson interview here
3. Decentralize - banks must be broken up and sold back to the private market with strong new regulations and antitrust rules in place - new banks, managed by new people. Any bank that’s “too big to fail means it’s too big for a free market to function (see Mike Lux on de-centralization). It’s not enough to patch up the current system; we need serious reform that fixes root problems in our political and economic system: excessive influence of banks, dangerous compensation systems, massive consolidation , and usury.

Petitions will be available to sign to our representatives and the President. 94% of Americans don’t agree with the bailouts, more than 50% support bank nationalization. Join us in communicating to our leaders!
Contact: http://www.anewwayforward.org/, Dianne Foster: vefoster@earthlink.net.

see Portland rally here

How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

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GRITtv Wednesday June 3, 2009

David Neiwert: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right

Bill O’Reilly has said that far left zealots are exploiting the death of Dr. George Tiller by making a connection to right wing hate speech. Has right wing talk radio encouraged the kind of violence that reproductive health clinics and abortion providers have experienced over the years? And should they be held responsible? David Neiwert says there is a connection and in his new book, The Eliminationists: How Hate Talk Radicalized the American Right, looks at the relationship between hate speech and acts of violence.

Answers from the Congressional Progressive Caucus

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Did you know that you can ask the Congressional Progressive Caucus questions?... and actually get answers!

Hi Friend,

Two weeks ago, we did an experiment in which you submitted questions to members Congress, and members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus got up on the floor of the House and answered many of them.(See http://e2ma.net/go/2071306265/1895478/70467339/goto:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kO5l-YVzjL8 for some highlights!)

We're doing it again this week, with more members and more questions.

Tomorrow, immediately after the regular business of the House of Representatives is done, Congressional Progressive Caucus members will answer your questions from the floor of the House, on C-SPAN, and in the official Congressional Record.

The topic of the day is a very timely one: as healthcare reform makes its way through Congress, the progressives are fighting hard to ensure that the American people will be able to choose a public plan that guarantees quality, affordability, and coverage. As they go into negotiations with the House leadership and President Obama, they are focused on making sure that they are very clear about how such a plan has to be legislated to be meaningful.

But they're fighting some tough battles. The insurance companies will do nearly anything to undermine this process and make sure that Americans can't choose a public plan. And Rick Scott - a crook who defrauded the government of a stunning amount of taxpayer money and was made to pay the largest fine related to healthcare fraud in history - is the chief villain.

So here's what I am asking you to do: go to http://e2ma.net/go/2071306265/1895478/70467343/goto:http://feedback.progressivecongress.org/ and ask questions about healthcare reform, the public plan, and the battle the progressives are fighting in Congress. Make sure you're educated about what the stakes are. And then talk to your friends and your family about what is shaping up to be an epic battle between some actual heroes and some pretty awful villains. Ask them to submit their questions. And commit to being involved in this messy business of democracy: we need you!

Darcy

Congressman Ellison Talks About a Public Option for Health Reform

GOP - still "the Party of No"

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At yesterday's RNC meeting:

"We are going to take this president on with class. We are going to take this president on with dignity," Steele said. "This will be a very sharp and marked contrast to the shabby and classless way that the Democrats and the far left spoke of President Bush."

...

... After Republican state party chairmen meet Tuesday and Wednesday, the full RNC will attempt to convene Wednesday for a special meeting aimed at passing new
resolutions, including one asking Democrats to rename their party the "Democrat-Socialist Party."

Today the AP reports that:

Jeff Kent, a Washington state Republican, has spearheaded the effort to rebrand
the Democratic Party as "Socialist Democrat," combining a label associated with
governments of U.S. rivals such as Venezuela with a term some Republicans use to
ridicule Democrats.

Some party leaders described the resolution as "stupid" and "absurd," and have pushed to avoid a public flap by compromising with milder language that would simply criticize Democrats for what they call socialist tendencies.

So, the dead-ender Republicans are going to compromise and go foward by not doing anything differently. They'll keep right on refering to Democrats as socialists. And, according to RNC Chair Steel, they're no longer going to apologize for the things they've never apologized for.

Apparently, the Republicans plan is to change by not doing anything differently.
So, it's not surprising that:

Yesterday, Gallup released a study comparing the change in Republican party ID
among voters (those who who identify or lean GOP) from 2001 to 2009. Gallup
found that the party has lost support in 25 of 26 demographic categories (e.g.,
race, sex, geography, education, income and so on — see the graphic below) in
the last eight years.

more freedom is on the march.....

Chris Hedges, with the help of Dr. Juliette Fournot, does a nice job of asking the question.
who have we become??
as i continue to see the evidence of our national disorder expressing itself in the world, i become more and more dismayed. and i look around as americans, for the most part, continue on with life as usual. as we deplete the resources of planet earth, consuming and discarding like there is no tomorrow, we insure a bleak future, at best, for those who come after. and in the meantime humans are used as the pawns for the enrichment of the men in the shadows who are directing and profiting from the war machine nightmare.

what are we doing in other people's countries?? will we continue to go down this path???

wake up america!

Becoming What We Seek to Destroy

..........The U.S. fuels the bonfires of war. The more troops we send to Afghanistan, the more drones we send on bombing runs over Pakistan, the more airstrikes we carry out, the worse the unraveling will become. We have killed twice as many civilians as the Taliban this year and that number is sure to rise in the coming months.

"I find this term 'collateral damage' dehumanizing," Dr. Fournot said, "as if it is a necessity. People are sacrificed on the altar of an idea. Air power is blind. I know this from having been caught in numerous bombings.

"We are faced with two stark choices. We can withdraw and open negotiations with the Taliban or continue to expand the war until we are driven out. The corrupt and unpopular regimes of Hamid Karzai in Afghanistan and Asif Ali Zardari are impotent allies. The longer they remain tethered to the United States, the weaker they become. And the weaker they become, the louder become the calls for intervention in Pakistan. During the war in Vietnam, we invaded Cambodia to bring stability to the region and cut off rebel sanctuaries and supply routes. This tactic only empowered the Khmer Rouge. We seem poised, in much the same way, to do the same for radical Islamists in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

"If the Americans step up the war in Afghanistan, they will be sucked into Pakistan," Dr. Fournot warned. "Pakistan is a time bomb waiting to explode. You have a huge population, 170 million people. There is nuclear power. Pakistan is much more dangerous than Afghanistan. War always has its own logic. Once you set foot in war, you do not control it. It sucks you in."

full post

freedom is on the march....

this CBS 60 minutes piece was the most disgusting story i have seen in a good long time. i just have to ask..who have we become??? there is a debate going on about whether we should torture other humans and now this. humans in nevada are sitting at computers pulling the trigger on humans in another country and seem to think it's just fine. if fact they almost look like immature teenage boys playing video games. i repeat ...disgusting and that's the nicest thing i can think of to say. and the fact that my tax dollars are paying for this horror makes me sick. i sure as hell don't feel safer, just incredibly dirty.

Drones: America's New Air Force
60 Minutes' Lara Logan Reports On The Increasing Use Of Drones In The Battlefield
May 10, 2009
(CBS) Every so often in the history of war, a new weapon comes along that fundamentally rewrites the rules of battle. This is a story about a revolution in unmanned aviation that is doing just that. Most people know them as drones; the Air Force calls them "unmanned aerial vehicles." And right now, there are dozens of them in the skies over Iraq and Afghanistan, hunting down insurgents, every minute of every day. They've become one of the most important planes in the United States Air Force - and yet, the pilot is nowhere near the aircraft or the battlefield. They are controlled by remote control, from thousands of miles away. Many of the details of this weapons program are classified, but our 60 Minutes team was given secret clearance and unprecedented access to bring you this story.
Forty-five miles north of Las Vegas, on the edge of the Mojave desert, is Creech Air Force base. It is home to the only wing in the Air Force where none of the pilots ever leave the ground.
full story
watch video here if your stomach is strong

Same Old Sunday Bilge

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It's just not worth turning on the TV, Sunday mornings. The same old morally & intellectually bankrupt Beltway talking-heads invite the same old morally & intellectually bankrupt Rightwing political players to pontificate about the same old discredited notions.

The only ideas those Rightwingers have are toxic ideas. They aren't serious thinkers, they're self serving bullshit artists.

I assume those Beltway talking-heads were all at the White House Correspondents Dinner. Too bad they're brains are so atrophied that they didn't pick up on what Wanda was saying.

There's still journalism being committed in America, just not on Sunday mornings... or on network news.

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize Winners
Investigative Reporting
For a distinguished example of investigative reporting by an individual or team, presented as a single article or series, in print or online or both, Ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Awarded to David Barstow of The New York Times for his tenacious reporting that revealed how some retired generals, working as radio and television analysts,had been co-opted by the Pentagon to make its case for the war in Iraq, and how many of them also had undisclosed ties to companies that benefited from policies they defended.

These stories on The New York Times web site may not be identical to the Prizewinning entry. Winning stories will be posted when available.
MESSAGE MACHINE: Behind TV Analysts, Pentagon’s Hidden Hand
One Man’s Military-Industrial-Media Complex

Naomi Klein on Maddow - Banking Bailout

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For a long time, we've been pointing out the real nature of the phony crony capitalism that's been promoted by so-called conservatives at the behest of Americas wealthiest families... private profits but socialized risk. And now we have the ultimate result, the Bank bailouts. Banks that were de-regulated so they could become 'too big to fail' and Banksters who gambled and lost, then demanded to be bail out on their terms or they'd crash the whole economy (and they really do have the power to do that).

With huge deficits generated by bailing out the Banksters, the excuse to cut, cut, cut social and infrastructure programs is in place and the minions of Americas greediest are beginning to nibble away at what's left of the middle-class. ( Steny Hoyer and other New Democrats are just as bad as Republican Congress-critters.)

Naomi Klein defines the problem clearly when she says; "A private sector crisis is being turned into a public sector crisis.".

Rachel Maddow Show, May 6, 2009: Naomi Klein on the Bank Bailouts

Klein said:

"the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country are being asked to bail out the most wealthy."

"It really does fit the thesis of The Shock Doctrine"

"Here we have just this transfer, this massive transfer of public wealth into private hands, and that’s continuing and it’s much, much larger, just on a much larger scale than any of the investments we’re seeing through the stimulus or the budget."

"Almost $12 trillion is being spent to bail out the financial sector compared to only about $1 trillion being spent on economic stimulus."

"My real concern is — has been my concern from day one — is that the crisis on Wall Street, created by deregulated capitalism, is not actually being solved, it’s being moved. A private sector crisis is being turned into a public sector crisis.”

- Everyone should read The Shock Doctrine:The Rise of Disaster Capitalism -

The No-Government Option

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Here's the answer for all those TEA Partying conservopublitarians who don't want government to do anything: Move to a place that isn't 'over-regulated' and doesn't have 'Big Government'...

REGULATION VACATION CELEBRATION!

blog on !!!!!!!!!

What an arrogant piece by a David Lewis, of the Lynden Tribune, who calls himself a reporter. Is a reporter the same as a journalist? Hmmm…. well, I don’t call myself a journalist or a reporter (my degree is in another field) but I do proudly call myself a blogger. I live in a participatory democracy and if we citizens aren’t vigilant we will lose it. I welcome all bloggers…. I have argued with a blogger, whom I’m sure I disagree with much of the time, on his blog. (he called me out even though he incorrectly referred to my blog as a Democratic Party blog. I speak only for myself on all 6 of my blogs) We may have stood next to each other at the grocery store and not even realized it. I have attended a baseball game with “my opposition.” The event was organized by a Bellingham Herald reporter, Sam Taylor. (he does have a degree from the University of Idaho School of Journalism and Mass Media)

What a hoot! He attributes “bloggers” with attacking his investment portfolio. Actually the looting took place long ago by the likes of the mitt-ster and the t boone man. That brand of icon has pretty much cleaned us out. We are now stuck servicing the debt, and if we’re lucky, cleaning up the mess they left. And the masters of casino capitalism and pyramid schemes are still jiggering around with the economy. It’s laughable to look to the stock market as a measure of our economic well being. The corporate media infotainment military industrial complex are the folks who playing the news tables. Shills like CNBC Financial Commentator Jim Cramer are hard at work everyday on the tv. Thankfully there are self-professed “snake oil salesman” aka comedian extraordinaire John Stewart, to call him out. I will use all my extra outrage and contempt for the greedy, self serving criminals who have put planet earth on life support and show no sign of stopping.



I love the idea that citizens are willing to pay attention, critically think, and communicate ideas, opinions and, at times. downright amazing content. Blog on!!!!!!!!!!

Blogs: Becoming a fast-news a la carte nation
Submitted by the Tribune on April 29, 2009 - 7:33am. Opinion
David LewisTribune reporter
  Blogs’ rise in popularity and their increased relevance as the preferred news source for many Americans has been on my list of plaguing, quotidian annoyances for some time now. Just uttering the word "blog" I find irksome. To my ear, it sounds too similar to an onomatopoetic euphemism for vomiting (e.g. his face turned green as he sprinted into the bathroom and blogged violently).  

Due to a recent event, though, blogs have officially been relocated from my list of petty annoyances to my list of loathsome objects. Blogging joins the ignominious ranks of things like Athlete’s Foot, mayonnaise (admittedly an illogical, yet nearly pathological aversion), and the intolerable television commercials for freecreditreport.com that feature songs annoying enough to motivate one to consider effecting his own deafness with a ball point pen, lint roller, Louisville Slugger, etc

full opinion