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About The Author
BooMan
Martin Longman a contributing editor at the Washington Monthly. He is also the founder of Booman Tribune and Progress Pond. He has a degree in philosophy from Western Michigan University.
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It’s been raining all day and now I have cabin fever…ack.
life the universe and everything. this includes, but is not limited to, sticking it to the hilton hotel chain.
Shameless plug for my diary–featuring the cutest darn rat’s ass you’ve ever seen. 😉
Why the Ohio Attorney General race matters: honest elections
http://www.boomantribune.com/?op=displaystory;sid=2006/4/22/135010/461
Cross Posted at Swing State Ohio
Subodh Chandra has a new campaign ad that is quickly gaining a lot of attention. The video is a Simpson’s spoof that compares Subodh to Apu and Marc Dann to Homer. Click here to view the video.
Even the painfully conservative Cincinnati Enquirer endorsed Chandra this morning, pointing out that he has “a keen legal intellect, solid prosecutorial experience, management experience in a large public law firm, and an incisive view of what the AG can and should do to protect Ohioans.”
From Subodh’s Campaign site:
Subodh Chandra is the real deal. I am confident that he will make a phenomenal attorney general and that he genuinely has the interests of Ohioans in his heart. Subodh will work tirelessly to put an end to the culture of corruption in Ohio. He has the experience, qualifications, and knowledge to get the job done; all he needs is your support. The primary is May 2nd, the time to act is now.
Question, why the dump on Mike Dann regarding Coingate?
Didn’t Dann do folks a favor?
Just asking.
I’m sending this Simpsons ripoff to friends. I think that it’s pretty good. Hopefully, other running Dems will be so inspired to both entertain and inform.
Republicans jittery
The Sunday Times, UK has this article
Dump Cheney for Condi, Bush urged
Guess the writer’s article went to press before the new “Condi leaks” made the news.
If he does dump Dead-Eye Dick for Condi, let me tell you quite frankly, that this development:
Will. Not. Impress. Black. People. What. So. Ever.
Period.
It might give the shades of Jefferson and Hemings some rest, but by only so much.
What would scare me would be if McCain got into that seat. His suckups to BushCo policy still hasn’t budged his maverick image among mainstream Americans. They haven’t yet seen the full extent of his bending over to BushRoveCo that deep-sixed his candidacy years ago. He wants to be prez that bad…but nobody should want to be prez that bad to make deals with this Beelzebub in the flesh in the White House.
Because when it all crashes and burns, no one, but no one wants to be under the space craft coming down.
I hear ya. Oh for the double O, as in oreo.
Unless the ‘Condi leaks sensitive docs to AIPAC’s operative Steve Rosen’ gains traction… It is ‘alleged’ she did the same thing Franklyn got 12 years on. Paint her ambitous.
Despite denials, Condi is muscling up her abs – new threads to go with her ferra shoes – for a Condi v. Hillary in ’08.
imho, she’ll be going as Colin went….a tattered liar.
it had better be while the Republicans have control of the Senate — wouldn’t they have to confirm the appointment? And could you imagine some of the questions regarding 9/11 and WMDs that would be raised if Democrats were asking the questions? Sure, she could deny to answer them for “national security” reasons — but the questions would still be out there and rattling around on “Countdown” and other such shows for quite some time…
Condi is a grand master at evading questions. The 9/11 Commission that whitewash event and her other displays go to her lack of truthiness.
This idea of the President just shuffling in a new VP to change the image of his administration sounds like something that might sound plausible to an Englishman, but I find it hard to believe that GOP congressmen are really calling for such a thing.
They have enough problems without this. Why should they think that pushing a back woman with no experience in elective office, and who probably truthfully says she does not want to be president, into the VP slot after sending Cheney home would somehow solve theirproblems? I just don’t get it.
Why does the nascent antiwar movement continue after three years of defeat after defeat in Iraq continue to only be a nascent movement? Why has this elephant in the living room of the blogosphere continued to crap up the carpet unnoticed?
When will all the antiwar folks get organized like the immigration reform movement has? What is the big mystery to putting aside the cafeteria of causes for the sake of being all antiwar all the time?
We’ve had only a handful of sizable antiwar marches because the leaders of the antiwar movement refuse to lead on this and enforce message discipline. The next offtopic protest sign I see at the next antiwar rally I will personally confiscate.
because anti-war activists are as yet unaware of the true power of nonviolent struggle strategy.
IMO, political party action alone will not suffice. Only nonviolent action pushing government, party leadership and corporate leadership will change anything.
If you are willing to invest some time on this topic here’s my series of diaries which attempt to bring some light on the subject.
Part I
Part II
Part III
Our populace is at present unaware of the true power that resides in them. They just have to change their thinking, as our immigrant friends have done.
Most left wing bloggers will remain mesmerized by the latest disastrous news articles.
I’m more knowledgeable on the news of the day now than at any other time in my life. If weeks and months from now I know ten times more than what I know now, will that stop war? Not likely.
What if we all knew 10 times more than we know now of nonviolent struggle tactics… I submit that that might stop war.
too late, too many Pacificos.
Part I
Part II
Part III
organized, at least in the way I think you mean. From what I can tell, what “organization” exists is very minimal, very loose, very bare bones.
There has been some very good cooperation among radio stations in LA, but in terms of a centralized organization in the traditional sense, there really isn’t one.
In my community, for example, even the basic time and place of assembly was spread more by word of mouth, although there were some radio station announcements, and I am aware of a couple of churches that announced it at their masses and had very simple signs in magic marker on their bulletin boards.
There is certainly, at least not to my knowledge, anything so formalized and structured that would involve concepts like “message discipline.”
What there is, however, is a very near-unanimous agreement on the basic issue of human rights. The people are very strongly in favor of having theirs respected. I am saying “respected” as opposed to “granted,” “conferred,” or “bestowed” on purpose.
From the people I have talked to, the question is just not seen as having a lot of complications or “nuances.”
I believe that is why there is not really a need for a lot of organization.
The main differences between the immigration movement and the anti-war movement, or at least the ones that stick out most to me, are first of all, the numbers.
While it wpuld be hard to find migrants or immigrants who are in favor of NOT having their human rights respected, I don’t really get the sense that it would be as hard to find Americans who support US activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. And those who consider themselves “anti-war,” and consider themselves anti-war so strongly that they are interested in taking action such as attending a march, etc. appear to be in the minority
That is not to say that there is not a wide range of opinion on the subject of US activities in its various theatres, get ten Americans in a room and you get at least twelve opinions about it all, ranging from “get out, never shoulda been there” to “oughta take care of (insert names of countries here) while we’re at it” to everything in between. But that is my point.
There is not a wide range of opinion, from my view, among migrants and immigrants on the subject of human rights.
So the anti-war movement starts off with that disadvantage.
Then there are the purely pragmatic factors. Migrants and immigrants who have not purchased documents from the Washington retailer are likely to have employment situations that are very different from most Americans who are strongly enough opposed to military aggression in Afghanistan, Iraq, etc that they would be willing to attend a march.
While the migrant or immigrant is likely to have a low paying job where he or she might not even be using their real name, a job on such a low rung of the ladder that it can be replaced literally immediately should their employers fire them, the American anti-war activist is more iikely to have a job with benefits like health insurance, they use their real name, and replacing the job might take weeks or even months.
So the anti-war people are more likely to have more to lose.
I am tempted to go off on a tangent here on the interesting subject of the few circumstances in which poverty is an advantage, but I will resist the temptation and shut up and hit “post” instead. 😀
Condi “We do not Torture” Rice as VP would only upset the racist base and anyway, Cheney is the real decider.
As for the anti-war movement, it has been visible and if public opinion is a measure, very successful but it has not had good coverage in the embedded media. What is needed no is for a major summer long camping out surrounding the Whitehouse (yes, a non-violent activity) of large numbers demanding the resignation or removal of this administration. It would be hard for the media to ignore and would show the resto of the world an embattled nation not supporting the insane policies which have made us a global pariah.
Now that I’m somewhat over being severely pissed at my neighbors, not much. One cat was shot several times last week, once with a bb gun (ironic since her name is B.B., short for Black Beauty) and once with something more serious. The major wound to her tail became infected but she has oral antibiotics and a cream so she should be okay. The bb gun wound to her front leg makes her limp but the vet says it isn’t serious enough to remove it and she should be walking normally in a week or two.
Then another cat came home last night with ash all over what is left of her fur and several burned areas on her face. I assume she got in a refuse pile and got set on fire by accident, but around here you never can tell. She only visits a few times a week and ran away when I tried to treat her so hopefully she will be okay.
I never really had a temper until neighbors started killing my pets, but I get angry enough now that there is no way I will ever own a gun for fear of using it in a moment of major hatred. There are some sick people around here, and most of them are churchgoers who don’t think God has any problem with killing living creatures for fun.