Sometime after Tuesday we'll be reevaluating our Government and a new area of conflict will likely be established...
I am curious as to what the results of the Election 2010 will leave us with. It seems likely now that the Republicans will take control of the House, likely putting John Boehner (R-OH) into the Speaker's chair. As to the Senate, the majority of pollsters have the Democrats keeping control by at least 1 seat... but there are odds that Harry Reid (D - NV) won't be in one of them. This makes the Majority Leader position a "what if" situation... and it looks like Charles Schumer (D - NY) might get it.
So who even uses the word “Negro” anymore, much less the phrase “Negro dialect”? Apparently Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, in a conversation with reporters before Barack Obama became president.
To be sure, one has to wonder whether a guy who uses that kind of outmoded language has other anachronistic notions about us Negroes. But let’s look at the substance of what Reid actually said—then apologized for:
First, that Obama is lighter skinned, and therefore likely more acceptable to the broader public, than darker skinned African Americans. Obama’s skin color is a fact. And, sadly, lots of social science research and practical experience supports Reid’s conclusion about how the public receives and perceives African Americans of different hues.
The great Wall Street Bail Out, TARP and the various programs associated with it, continues to breed deep levels of resentment and cynicism in the American public who footed the bill for rescuing the financial sector in America. The resentment is easy to understand. The fact that there really were no good options left by the time Obama was elected President helps to explain his Administration's actions in that crisis, all taken under duress and incredible pressure with virtually no time for full contemplation let alone careful detailed planning. Those facts do almost nothing though to deal with the publics anger, which repeatedly flares up like a California wild fire facing El Nino winds. Huge Goldman Sachs bonuses and Wells Fargo record profits are merely the latest gale wind gusts. All the while cynicism keeps growing that our government is in bed with giant financial interests writing sweetheart legislation as Valentine Day presents for corporate Sugar Daddies in a ritual that repeats as often and predictably as Groundhog Day in Hollywood.
The following is the basis for a letter to every U.S. representative and senator, and to the executive branch, regarding health care reform (or any other issue important to the left). It's meant to put the politicians on notice of what we demand, and what the consequences will be if they don't do as they're told.
Bear in mind something that should be plain to everyone reading this: the politicians are supposed to be working for Us, the People of the United States. We do not work for them. With that in mind, here is a letter on health care reform that can be applied to practically any issue of importance to the left.
I read three or four serious articles about the rise of fascism yesterday, and they were helping to ground me with an understanding of the violent mobs shutting down public meetings on health care issues and threatening Congressmen with lynching and poisoning.
I thought, who I should send this to is Senators Reid, and Lieberman, and Nelson, and Feinstein, and tell them that it is their responsibility to stand up for our democracy, and take some effective action to stop this insanity.
And so I sent emails, and quotes from the pieces comparing our violent lobbyist-coached mobs and the situation in Nazi Germany, and I asked each of them to take responsibility, take action to stop this violence in our public meetings.
So I have been thinking about it for a day, and I want to suggest that we approach these so-called Democrats who do so much business with the health care industry, and we ask them to not only repudiate the violent and threatening behavior we've seen, but ask them also to acknowlege that the lobbyists they have been doing business with are financing the PR firms and lobby shops who are openly coaching and encouraging the mob actions.
Are Senators Lieberman, Feinstein, Nelson, and all the others, willing to sign onto this move into violence themselves? Or are they willing to quit supporting the corporations which are funding it?
Are they willing to condemn the corporate funding of violence and distortion and lies? Are they willing to meet with their lobbyist supporters and insist they they call off the violence and the mobs?
Are they willing to organize in the Senate and the House against violent behavior and threats?
If they are taking health care money, and the same organizations are financing mob rule, then the Senators and Representatives who take that money are responsible to stop the promotion of violence, or resign their alliance with those businesses.
Don't you think so?
What do you think?
Some info:
http://www.openleft.com/... http://qwstnevrythg.com/... http://www.alternet.org/...
To make a long story short, if this is true and Reid intends to ignore Dodd's hold on the FISA Bill, then it is time to mount a leadership challenge against Senator Reid.
It looks like the ACLU has launched another pointless "successful" Internet based campaign. "Successful" in that it will help them raise money and collect email addresses. Pointless in that it likely won't actually help anything.
I noticed an Ad over at Talking Points Memo. It was a flash ad, but I've captured the important frames so that you can get the idea.
To be honest, I like the actual flash ad. It gets the point of what happened, why it's bad, and offers a way to do something about it. It properly puts pressure on Reid and Pelosi to DO something about it. Finally, frames it as "restoring our constitution". So, when I first saw it, I clicked the link. That's when things went downhill...
First, it takes you to the following page. https://secure.aclu....
On the page it lists the text with some more detail.
Care about Your Privacy? Care about FISA.
For five years, on presidential orders, the National Security Agency has been reading email and tapping phones without a warrant -- actions explicitly forbidden by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978.
Despite this 30-year precedent, Congress and the president colluded in a rushed Patriot Act-style vote just before the 2007 summer recess. The resulting legislation lifts longstanding protections between government spying and Americans' international communications. This law now gives the NSA a blank check to wiretap Americans without judicial oversight.
We need a Congress that can stand up to the fear-mongering of an out-of-control administration. It's bad enough that our leaders have still failed to restore habeas corpus, end torture and rendition, and close the Guantanamo Bay prison. But now they've voted to expand a warrantless spying program they should be investigating and dismantling.
Finally, on the right hand side is a giant red button that says, "What You can do". Again... going good. Clicking on the button, then takes you to the next page. https://secure.aclu....
On this page there are 3 red buttons to click on. From left to right, your options.
"Sign the Petition: Don't fail freedom"
"Send an E-Card: Share the Ad, Share the Sheep"
and, (of course)
"Donate: Support our Work".
So, let's go over the three things i can do to help restore the constitution.
1. Donate to the ACLU. I'm sure that'll be very effective.
2. Send a email form letter that Reid's and Pelosi's offices will promptly ignore, but not before the ACLU can harvest my email. That's right, when you go to send the form letter there are 2 checkboxes, conveniently already marked for you, to sign up for ACLU email lists.
3. Send an email to a friend so that the ACLU can harvest both my email and my friends.
Now, if you actually do the only remotely useful thing(option 2, of course). The ACLU harvests your email address and then takes you to the next page where it asks you to send the e-greeting to your friends. Then, if you do that, it then takes you to another page giving you 2 MORE things you can do. I took a screenshot, if you want to see.
Basically, it gives you 2 links. The top one really intrigued me. It said,
Support the ACLU to get our America back by keeping the pressure on Congress, mobilizing grassroots support in all 50 states and running ads to ensure we get the job done.
I thought it was organizing people and I could sign up to meet up with others. However, clicking the link takes you too...(wait for it) a FORM PAGE TO DONATE MONEY!!!
The Second link takes you to a page on the main ACLU site with facts and myths about FISA. You can see that page here.
So, it really looks like this campaign isn't structured to actually "restore the constitution" it's designed more to harvest email addresses for their e-newsletters and to collect donations.
In closing, let me point out one more thing. In case you don't agree with my conclusion. Go to the ACLU homepage. You'll notice that on the left side a picture and link for the "Sheep in Congress?" campaign. At the Bottom of the picture it says, "get involved". If you click the picture intending to get involved, guess where it takes you? That's right it takes you directly to a form letter to donate to the ACLU. I rest my case.
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