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election watching
Oct. 4th, 2008 08:32 pmok - i know people are thinkin about it. where you gonna watch the returns?
http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3318
Why Are Winter Soldiers Not News?
3/19/08
Dozens of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gathered in Silver Spring, Maryland last weekend for the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings (3/13/08-3/16/08), where they offered harrowing testimony about atrocities they had witnessed or participated in directly. The BBC predicted that the event, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, "could be dominating the headlines around the world this week" (3/7/08). The hearings were covered as far afield as the U.K. (Guardian, 3/17/08), Australia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3/14/08), Croatia (Javno, 3/16/08), and Iran (Press TV, 3/14/08). Yet there has been an almost complete media blackout on this historic news event in the U.S. corporate media.
Why Are Winter Soldiers Not News?
3/19/08
Dozens of veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars gathered in Silver Spring, Maryland last weekend for the Winter Soldier: Iraq and Afghanistan hearings (3/13/08-3/16/08), where they offered harrowing testimony about atrocities they had witnessed or participated in directly. The BBC predicted that the event, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, "could be dominating the headlines around the world this week" (3/7/08). The hearings were covered as far afield as the U.K. (Guardian, 3/17/08), Australia (Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 3/14/08), Croatia (Javno, 3/16/08), and Iran (Press TV, 3/14/08). Yet there has been an almost complete media blackout on this historic news event in the U.S. corporate media.
( Read more... )
so if you know me in real life you likely know this already
but i grew up with a politics is private sort of policy
rooster - my wife is a politics junkie. super informed. big student of history. and for most folks if they bother to ask - she can school you in the last few decades of politics. if you too are a politics junkie - you'll at least have some fun history conversations.
i pay attention to politics. have some strong feelings. but often am not a big fan of sharing them. i have good reasons but tend to get tripped up in conversations and then feel kinda dumb. not my favorite place to be. but around politics and history more than anywhere else i doubt my own knowledge (though not my convictions) of what has come before and what exact places everyone stands.
all that to say - it's not likely you'll find me making big declarations here one way or another. i will vote for the democrat that gets the nomination for president and support who it is - though i have my favorite - i think both frontrunners will do a good job. i hope that the fans of both frontrunners do their own factchecking about the many bits of info going around the net as i've already found a few things to be totally fabricated on both sides - which honestly - made me really sad.
ok - i am usually so outspoken - for some reason i just felt like i needed to get that out there.
but i grew up with a politics is private sort of policy
rooster - my wife is a politics junkie. super informed. big student of history. and for most folks if they bother to ask - she can school you in the last few decades of politics. if you too are a politics junkie - you'll at least have some fun history conversations.
i pay attention to politics. have some strong feelings. but often am not a big fan of sharing them. i have good reasons but tend to get tripped up in conversations and then feel kinda dumb. not my favorite place to be. but around politics and history more than anywhere else i doubt my own knowledge (though not my convictions) of what has come before and what exact places everyone stands.
all that to say - it's not likely you'll find me making big declarations here one way or another. i will vote for the democrat that gets the nomination for president and support who it is - though i have my favorite - i think both frontrunners will do a good job. i hope that the fans of both frontrunners do their own factchecking about the many bits of info going around the net as i've already found a few things to be totally fabricated on both sides - which honestly - made me really sad.
ok - i am usually so outspoken - for some reason i just felt like i needed to get that out there.
Ok so politics
Feb. 5th, 2008 10:21 ami am in both the inspired place and the cranky place. i am inspired because people are voting. regardless of who for people are engaged again. letting the political system know that we do actually want to make this decision ourselves and not have it made for us. that politicians do need to be accountable to a cross section of americans because we're no longer interested in allowing the extreme interest groups to be the main people casting ballots.
as for the hype and the media and the blogs - the zealotry of it is making me a little nuts. about a week ago i made a deal with myself to read / watch election information from the new york times, salon.com, and a few other places where i usually get news. places i find reliable. but to avoid the blogosphere with its enthusiasm, polarizing, and inaccuracies like crazy. and what i see is that while clinton and obama are working on such similar platforms, she had the health care plan that would cover more people for not much more money and was more realistic to implement. she has the list of advisors who have so much experience and who i personally respect. so she has my vote. not because she is my perfect candidate. but because i see her getting things done.
i think all of the candidates except romney are an improvement. though i fear mccain would never get us out of this war.
i love to hear how my friends are walking this day. inspired. frustrated. over it. it's all a way of being engaged. and honestly nothing lights my fire like americans actually having a feeling about politics.
and to be clear re what I mean in terms of health care and advisors - here are links / info
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html?scp=1&sq=obama++health+care+plan&st=nyt
and for the advisor info
as for the hype and the media and the blogs - the zealotry of it is making me a little nuts. about a week ago i made a deal with myself to read / watch election information from the new york times, salon.com, and a few other places where i usually get news. places i find reliable. but to avoid the blogosphere with its enthusiasm, polarizing, and inaccuracies like crazy. and what i see is that while clinton and obama are working on such similar platforms, she had the health care plan that would cover more people for not much more money and was more realistic to implement. she has the list of advisors who have so much experience and who i personally respect. so she has my vote. not because she is my perfect candidate. but because i see her getting things done.
i think all of the candidates except romney are an improvement. though i fear mccain would never get us out of this war.
i love to hear how my friends are walking this day. inspired. frustrated. over it. it's all a way of being engaged. and honestly nothing lights my fire like americans actually having a feeling about politics.
and to be clear re what I mean in terms of health care and advisors - here are links / info
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/opinion/04krugman.html?scp=1&sq=obama++health+care+plan&st=nyt
and for the advisor info
( Clinton / Obama advisors )
( Read more... )
Action Matters
Oct. 12th, 2007 04:12 pmIf you're on my flist I am assuming that you know about the FUCKED UP SHIT going on with the exclusion of Transgender in the Employment Non Discrimination Act.
If you don't know about this, or if you haven't bothered to call / write your representative yet because maybe it seemed like it didn't matter, or other people were doing it, or you were just too busy - well now is the time. It still matters. And it matters A LOT. Many queers throw around words like community and LGBT and assume that we're all in this together. But that means taking action. It means not standing by when people who are a part of your family and community are getting screwed over and having their right to HAVE A JOB violated. This is most basic. To be allowed to work and support yourself and your family and not be at risk just because of who you are. Because of your gender. Queer folks of all stripes have stood up for each other (and not) many times before. Please push aside your apathy and bother. All you have to do is make a two minute phone call.
Keep Jamming Those Phone Lines
Your voice is being heard, but let’s remember this is a race and not a sprint, and we must keep the pressure on. Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative. There are two questions that need to be answered by your Representative:
1) Do you support the united ENDA bill that includes gender identity, House Bill 2015?
2) Will you oppose any motion to recommit? (a procedural tactic used to kill bills).
What you want to hear is YES to both questions. If you don’t hear that urge them to say yes to inclusion and to oppose any motion to kill the bill.
If you don't know about this, or if you haven't bothered to call / write your representative yet because maybe it seemed like it didn't matter, or other people were doing it, or you were just too busy - well now is the time. It still matters. And it matters A LOT. Many queers throw around words like community and LGBT and assume that we're all in this together. But that means taking action. It means not standing by when people who are a part of your family and community are getting screwed over and having their right to HAVE A JOB violated. This is most basic. To be allowed to work and support yourself and your family and not be at risk just because of who you are. Because of your gender. Queer folks of all stripes have stood up for each other (and not) many times before. Please push aside your apathy and bother. All you have to do is make a two minute phone call.
Keep Jamming Those Phone Lines
Your voice is being heard, but let’s remember this is a race and not a sprint, and we must keep the pressure on. Call the Congressional Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to speak with your Representative. There are two questions that need to be answered by your Representative:
1) Do you support the united ENDA bill that includes gender identity, House Bill 2015?
2) Will you oppose any motion to recommit? (a procedural tactic used to kill bills).
What you want to hear is YES to both questions. If you don’t hear that urge them to say yes to inclusion and to oppose any motion to kill the bill.
( Read more... )
CONTRACT TALKS RESUME, PROGRESS FOR SECURITY OFFICERS TODAY
San Francisco security officers terminate for now their unfair labor practice strike
SAN FRANCISCO – Contract negotiations for more than 4,000 Bay Area security officers resumed today with the security contractors committing to continue talks tomorrow and Friday. Security officers, on strike since Monday morning in protest of their employers’ use of intimidation, harassment, and other unfair labor practices, made the decision to terminate for now their strike as a gesture of good faith and a nod to the progress made today at the bargaining table.
Security officers’ decision to terminate for now their unfair labor practice strike against Securitas, Universal Protection Services and ABM means security officers from more than twenty commercial office buildings in and around the Financial District of San Francisco will return to their posts Thursday morning.
( Full article )
I preface this by a comment. I have always thought that Bush would try to stay in office past two terms. I think that this recent development is leading us in that direction. This means he can never be impeached, b/c logically he can invoke exec priv to prevent any investigation that would lead to impeachment. Please - tell me i am wrong.
Executive privilege -- Bush's new twist
President insists his authority trumps all in attorney firings
Friday, July 20, 2007
(07-20) 04:00 PDT Washington -- Bush administration officials introduced a bold new assertion of executive authority Thursday in the dispute over the firing of nine U.S. attorneys, saying that the Justice Department will never be allowed to pursue contempt charges initiated by Congress against White House officials once the president has invoked executive privilege.
The position presents serious legal and political obstacles for congressional Democrats, who have begun laying the groundwork for contempt proceedings against current and former White House officials in order to pry loose information about the dismissals.
Under federal law, a statutory contempt citation by the House or Senate must be submitted to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, "whose duty it shall be to bring the matter before the grand jury for its action."
But administration officials argued Thursday that Congress has no power to force a U.S. attorney to pursue contempt charges in cases, such as the prosecutor firings, in which the president has declared that testimony or documents are protected from release by executive privilege. Officials pointed to a Justice Department legal opinion during the Reagan administration, which made the same argument in a case that was never resolved by the courts.
( Read more... )
Candidates start yr gay gay gay engines
Jul. 10th, 2007 01:32 pmBarack Obama, Hilary Clinton and several other Democratic presidential candidates are set to take part in the first-ever debate devoted solely to LGTB issues (that’s Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender - for you lay folk).
The event is scheduled for August 9th at 6:00 PM and will be televised on MTV’s gay cousin, Logo, as well as on Logo’s website.
