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Zack's
Link Roundup - 3.31.05
Here's
a question: Why do protesters demanding Terry Schiavo
be kept alive in a vegetive state, usually only numbering
in the couple of dozens get 24/7 coverage,
interview after interview, yet two weeks ago, when
10's of thousands protested against our illegal occupation
of Iraq and the murder of 100's of thousands of
people based on lies got NO COVERAGE AT ALL, and
NOT ONE INTERVIEW with a protester was seen?
Let that sink in for a minute when considering the state
of our media and democracy.
Bang!
This guy just did it! The way to beat the Repubs! Ask
them all a simple question, "Are you with Tom Delay or
against him?" Answer the question!! Everyone on
this list for very long knows i've been advocating this
for two years...make Delay the face of the Republican
party, force them all to defend him, and talk about him
every god damn chance you get...why, because he runs their
party! Here's
a clip:
"Tom
DeLay never speaks during Republican conventions, even
though he is the House Majority Leader and the most powerful
Republican in Congress. Do you think that's a coincidence?
Of course not. They know the American people wouldn't
be comfortable with DeLay's extreme views. So they hide
him in the dark corners of their party. It's time to bring
him out into the light. If you're with Tom DeLay, great.
Stand next to him and be proud. If you don't agree with
him, prove it. If you're against his policies, then vote
against them. Why are Blue States tolerating so-called
moderate Republicans who keep voting with their hard right
wing compatriots? Make them accountable. Unless they renounce
the extremists who have taken over their party, there
should be no Republican left standing in the Blue States."
Krugman
nails it on the Schiavo case...Delay was right,
this is an example of what's happening in this country,
he just had the problem wrong. Indeed, we are headed in
the direction of Israel, where extremists will target,
intimidate, and kill those that oppose them. Think of
the fear already rampant among judges, doctors, and activists...America
as we knew it, or thought we did, is dead.
CORRUPTION DELAY ALLY PART OF ANOTHER INQUIRY:
Already under investigation for extorting
millions of dollars from Indian tribes in return
for access to prominent conservative politicians, AP
reports Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff "was
at the center of an earlier inquiry that said
his firm hadn't justified roughly $1.2 million it charged
the Northern Mariana Islands." Abramoff, who has traded
on his ties to President Bush and
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), was
the lead lobbyist for Seattle-based Preston Gates &
Ellis when it worked on behalf of the islands to keep
them free from certain federal labor and immigration
laws during the last half of the 1990s. One audit concluded
that about $1.2 million in government payments to Preston
Gates was "not adequately supported." The charges included
travel, telephone, photocopy, computer research, outside-professional
fees and "$2,000 for a June 1996 golf tournament."
There
is more right here
-
Zack

And
now back to the War on Terror, Already in Progress
Report
Calls U.S. Intelligence 'Dead Wrong' on Iraq Weapons
The
American intelligence community was "dead wrong"
about Iraq's weapons arsenal in large part because of
an outdated Cold War mentality and a vast, lumbering
bureaucracy that continues to shackle dedicated and
capable people, a presidential commission said today.
"The intelligence community must be transformed
- a goal that would be difficult to meet even in the
best of all possible worlds," the commission said
in its report to President Bush. "And we do not
live in the best of worlds." [...]
The report, several hundred pages long, contains portions
that are classified and were not made public.
Senator Pat Roberts, the Kansas Republican who heads
the Senate Intelligence Committee, said he was pleased
by the report. "I don't think there should be any
doubt that we have now heard it all regarding prewar
intelligence," Mr. Roberts told The Associated
Press.
Representative Ike Skelton of Missouri, leading Democrat
on the House Armed Services Committee, told The A.P.
that the faults were obviously widespread. "I don't
think you can blame any one person, although the buck
does stop at the top of every one of these agencies,"
Mr. Skelton said.
Ok
so they were wrong about the reason for going to war and
killing thousands upon thousand of people. Ooops! But
things in Iraq are improving right? ... Right?!
U.N.:
Iraq kids suffer from malnutrition
Almost twice as many Iraqi children are suffering from
malnutrition since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam
Hussein, a U.N. monitor said Monday.
Four% of Iraqis under age 5 went hungry in the months
after Saddam's ouster in April 2003, and the rate nearly
doubled to 7.7% last year, said Jean Ziegler, the U.N.
Human Rights Commission's special expert on the right
to food.
The situation is "a result of the war led by coalition
forces," he said.
Double
ooops!
Mission
accomplished?
-
Jordan

Terri
Schiavo: RIP
Terri
Schiavo has passed away.
My heart goes out to the family and the husband of Terri
Schiavo. My heart also goes out to the families of the
other 30,000 Americans who goes through this same tragic
situation but do so without the media circus that surrounds
Terri Schiavo. Where is congress for them? Where are the
Republicans when those other 29,999 people have their
feeding tubes removed?
Well Terri has finally found some peace. Make no mistake,
Terri is now where she should be. With her God. All the
misguided folks on the religious right were so far off
base on this issue. These religious folks would claim
that Terri's husband is killing her. That God wants her
to live.
Let me just say this. If God had a choice, Terri would
have dies 15 years ago. This is very simple. Without the
intervention of technology and the work of humans, Terri
would have passed away 15 years ago. How can the religious
right claim God wanted Terri to live, when Without science
and technology she would have passed long ago?
The Republicans who were against letting Terri Pass away
in peace were so far off base on this one. It pains me
to see so many people so misguided. They just need to
look at the facts. But the Pundits wont look the facts
in the face. They never do.
Check out this great clip from Media
Matters of MSNBC's Joe Scarborough getting blasted
by those pesky facts:
On
the March 28 edition of MSNBC's Scarborough Country,
host Joe Scarborough interviewed Dr. Ronald Cranford,
one of the two neurologists selected by Michael Schiavo
to examine Terri Schiavo pursuant to an October 2001
appellate court mandate. As part of that duty, Cranford
"reviewed her medical records and personally conducted
a neurological examination of Mrs. Schiavo," according
to the June 2003 Florida appeals court review of that
hearing.
Lets go now to the Video:
Quicktime
Windows
Media
That
piece is worth passing around. There we see a Doctor,
one who has actually treated Terri, with the facts on
the case. Dr. Ronal Cranford tells it just like it is
and calls Scarborough out for being what he is. An idiot.
If Republicans wanted Terri to live, why not actually
do something constructive and fund Medicare? Why not help
the Democrats when they try to build a better Medical
system for everyone? Why kick and scream and fight against
Democrats who want a better medical system? Why fight
us when we ask for funding for medical research? Why not
stand by our side as we demand better medical care for
ALL Americans? Where is the Right on these issues? It
was medicare that was keeping Terri alive. Yet Republicans
don't seem to care one bit about the failing medicare
system. Why doesn't the Right care about all this? What
will they do when the autopsy is complete and supports
everything Terri's husband claimed? This issue has hurt
the Republicans where they hoped to use it to unify their
cause. Well it bit them right in the ass. And its going
to bite them again before all is said and done.
Rest in peace Terri.
-
Jordan
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Indeed

-
Jordan

Too
Little Too Late
Colin
Polwel was used. They put him out there and fed him lies.
They used him as the sacraficial lamb.
They gave him evidence of WMD that they knew was false.
I do not believe for one second that they ever actually
believed Saddam had the WMD they claimed that he had.
Why else would the reasons for the war keep changing?
Well now Colin seems a bit bitter. And Rightly so.
Not as bitter as these
folks though...
Powell
Says U.S. Was 'Too Loud' Over Iraq -Magazine
The United States made errors in presenting its case
for war against Iraq, but Saddam Hussein had to be removed,
former Secretary of State Colin Powell told a German
magazine. "We were sometimes too loud, too direct,
perhaps we made too much noise," Powell told Stern
magazine in an interview released on Wednesday. "That
certainly shocked the Europeans sometimes."
He said terms like "Old Europe," the expression
coined by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to describe
countries such as France and Germany which opposed the
war, had not helped ease European concerns about Washington's
policies. [...]
Powell said he had argued for a diplomatic solution
against cabinet colleagues such as Vice President Dick
Cheney, who did not believe that diplomacy would work.
"The situation with Saddam Hussein had to be resolved,
either by taming him or by removing him by military
means," he said. "I'm sure that the Vice President's
view from the very beginning was: we'll never solve
this through diplomatic means."
Powell said he was "furious and angry" that
he had been misinformed about Iraq's stockpiles of weapons
of mass destruction when he laid out the case for war
before the United Nations Security Council in February,
2003. [...]
"Hundreds of millions followed it on television.
I will always be the one who presented it. I have to
live with that."
Powell
got a raw deal.
-
Jordan

We
Get Mail
A
friend sent this to me. She is correct. This is very important.
Please pass the word to the left.
This
is important!
I'm writing to tell you about the anti-choice movement's
latest--and most insidious--attack on a woman's right
to choose. Here's what's happening:
In as many as 20 states, pharmacies are able to refuse
to fill women's prescriptions for contraception, including
the morning-after pill. It's truly outrageous.
When a woman and her doctor decide that a prescription
for contraception is in the woman's best interest, a
third party has no right to override that decision.
Pharmacies must ensure that patients get their doctor-prescribed
medication without delay or inconvenience. Join me in
taking action at NARAL Pro-Choice America to stop them.
Click
here to tell our nation's biggest pharmacies
(Wal-Mart, CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, and Eckerd) not
to stand between a woman and her physician.
If
they can refuse service based on their beliefs couldn't
they be fired for not doing their job? I mean if you job
is to fill prescriptions and you are refusing to do that,
then you are not qualified for the position you hold.
If I am your boss your fired. Not on religious grounds,
rather on the grounds that you refuse to do your job.
Anyway its an interesting issue.
Pharmacists'
Rights at Front Of New Debate
Some pharmacists across the country are refusing to
fill prescriptions for birth control and morning-after
pills, saying that dispensing the medications violates
their personal moral or religious beliefs.
The trend has opened a new front in the nation's battle
over reproductive rights, sparking an intense debate
over the competing rights of pharmacists to refuse to
participate in something they consider repugnant and
a woman's right to get medications her doctor has prescribed.
It has also triggered pitched political battles in statehouses
across the nation as politicians seek to pass laws either
to protect pharmacists from being penalized -- or force
them to carry out their duties. [...]
"There are pharmacists who will only give birth
control pills to a woman if she's married. There are
pharmacists who mistakenly believe contraception is
a form of abortion and refuse to prescribe it to anyone,"
said Adam Sonfield of the Alan Guttmacher Institute
in New York, which tracks reproductive issues. "There
are even cases of pharmacists holding prescriptions
hostage, where they won't even transfer it to another
pharmacy when time is of the essence."
These
people are in the wrong line of work.
-
Jordan

Pope
on feeding tube
So
the pope is now on a feeding tube. I wonder if he has
a living will.
Pope
Being Fed Through Nasal Tube
Pope John Paul is being fed through a nasal tube to
boost his strength, the Vatican said Wednesday, casting
a dramatic new light on the Pontiff's struggle to recover
from throat surgery.
Doctors inserted the tube after the 84-year-old Pope
failed in efforts to speak in public for the second
time in four days. He has not been heard in public since
an emergency operation on Feb. 24 inserted a tube into
his windpipe to help him breathe.
This
man must be so tired by now. It will be quite sad to see
this man wither away before our eyes. He seems to have
no intention to step down from his post. The pope suffers
from Parkinson's Disease, and has been in the hospital
recovering from throat surgery. In a little side note
of irony, Parkinson's Disease is one of many ailments
that could possible be cured through stem cell research.
The catholic Church, of course, does
not condone such research.
-
Jordan

Living
Will
Saw
this and thought it was a very spot-on rant on the whole
Shiavo Issue.
Living
will is the best revenge
Like many of you, I have been compelled by recent events
to prepare a more detailed advance directive dealing
with end-of-life issues. Here's what mine says:
* In the event I lapse into a persistent vegetative
state, I want medical authorities to resort to extraordinary
means to prolong my hellish semiexistence. Fifteen years
wouldn't be long enough for me.
* I want my wife and my parents to compound their misery
by engaging in a bitter and protracted feud that depletes
their emotions and their bank accounts.
* I want my wife to ruin the rest of her life by maintaining
an interminable vigil at my bedside. I'd be really jealous
if she waited less than a decade to start dating again
or otherwise rebuilding a semblance of a normal life.
* I want my case to be turned into a circus by losers
and crackpots from around the country who hope to bring
meaning to their empty lives by investing the same transient
emotion in me that they once reserved for Laci Peterson,
Chandra Levy and that little girl who got stuck in a
well.
* I want those crackpots to spread vicious lies about
my wife.
* I want to be placed in a hospice where protesters
can gather to bring further grief and disruption to
the lives of dozens of dying patients and families whose
stories are sadder than my own.
* I want the people who attach themselves to my case
because of their deep devotion to the sanctity of life
to make death threats against any judges, elected officials
or health care professionals who disagree with them.
* I want the medical geniuses and philosopher kings
who populate the Florida Legislature to ignore me for
more than a decade and then turn my case into a forum
for weeks of politically calculated bloviation.
* I want total strangers - oily politicians, maudlin
news anchors, ersatz friars and all other hangers-on
- to start calling me "Bobby," as if they
had known me since childhood.
* I'm not insisting on this as part of my directive,
but it would be nice if Congress passed a "Bobby's
Law" that applied only to me and ignored the medical
needs of tens of millions of other Americans without
adequate health coverage.
* Even if the "Bobby's Law" idea doesn't work
out, I want Congress - especially all those self-described
conservatives who claim to believe in "less government
and more freedom" - to trample on the decisions
of doctors, judges and other experts who actually know
something about my case. And I want members of Congress
to launch into an extended debate that gives them another
excuse to avoid pesky issues such as national security
and the economy.
The
rest is found here
-
Jordan
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Arnold
Is Breaking the Law
This
report is brought to you With help from Zack kaldveer.
Zack is a member of the 'Anti Arnold Media Task Force,
and can be reached at kaldveer- at - yahoo.com
Last
week I mentioned the story of Erica, who
encountered an angry mob of people who
she encountered as she was standing outside of a Target
wearing a sign that read, "I'm a teacher against Arnold's
special election. Ask me why."
However this is just the beginning of the unwrapping of
this story. There is much more below the surface. What
if those signature gatherers hired by Arnold were hired
illegally? What if Target stores had, as part of their
store policy, a policy of not allowing ANY signature gatherers
outside of their store? What if we found out that Target,
was a major contributer to the Arnold Campaign, and that
Target had made an exception to their own anti-petition
gathering policy to allow only Arnold's people to petition
outside their doors. Time to do a little digging......
Got your shovel?
First,
check out the actual California laws on signature gatherers.
Its ILLEGAL TO HIRE OUT OF STATE PETITIONERS!
Even more astounding is the fact that Target, the store
where the incident occurred just gave a huge donation
to Arnold's campaign, is a big back of his, and
in their OWN RULEBOOK it says signature gatherers ARE
NOT allowed.
Here is the Law in question:
Declaration
of Circulator
Each section shall have attached thereto a declaration
signed and dated by the circulator of the petition
setting forth, in the circulator's own hand, the following
(§§ 104, 9022):
* The printed
name of the circulator.
* The residence
address of the circulator, giving street and number,
or if no street or number exists, adequate designation
of residence so that the location may be readily ascertained.
* A statement
that the circulator is a voter or is qualified to register
to vote in the State of California.
* The dates between
which all the signatures affixed to the petition were
obtained.
Each declaration submitted pursuant to this section
shall also set forth the following (§§
104, 9022):
* That the
circulator circulated the petition section and witnessed
the appended signatures being written.
* That according
to the best information and belief of the circulator,
each signature is the genuine signature of the person
whose name it purports to be.
* That the
declaration is true and correct under penalty of perjury
under the laws of the State of California.
Petition Circulators
The proponent(s) of an initiative measure are required
to ensure that any person, company, or other organization
who solicits signatures to qualify the proposed initiative
measure, whether they are paid or volunteer, receives
instruction on the requirements and prohibitions imposed
by state law with respect to the circulation of petitions
and the gathering of signatures. Such instructions must
emphasize the prohibition of the use of signatures
on an initiative petition for a purpose other
than qualification of the proposed measure for the ballot.
(§ 9607) The petition may be circulated by
a number of individuals carrying separate, identical
parts of the petition called sections. Each petition
circulator who obtains signatures must complete the
attached declaration to the petition. Preprinted dates
or generalized dates, other than the particular range
of dates during which the petition section was
actually circulated, are not allowed (Assembly
v. Deukmejian (1982) 30 Cal.3d 638, 180 Cal.Rptr. 297).
The declaration must be signed under penalty of
perjury. It need not be sworn before a notary
public or other officer authorized to administer oaths,
but must include the circulator's signature, date, and
place of signing (Code Civ. Proc. §
2015.5). Prior to allowing a person to circulate an
initiative petition for signatures, the person, company
official, or other organizational officer who
is in charge of signature gathering shall execute
and submit to the proponent(s) a signed statement that
reads as follows (§ 9609):
I,___________
,
acknowledge that it is a misdemeanor under state law
(Section 18650 of the Elections Code) to knowingly or
willfully allow the signatures on an initiative
petition to be used for any purpose other than
qualification of the proposed measure for the ballot.
I certify that I will not knowingly or willfully
allow the signatures for this initiative to be used
for any purpose other than qualification of the measure
for the ballot.
_____________
(Signature of Circulator)
Dated this ____ day of ____, 20__
So
we have established that Arnold has hired petition gatherers
in an illegal fashion. We know Target made an exception
to its own rule to allow Petitioners working with Arnold
to do so on Target's store property.
Let
us dig deeper still.
Target Donates $100,000 to Support Schwarzenegger's Initiatives
As Lisa Vorderbrueggen
reports in the Contra Costa Times, signature
gatherers for Citizens to Save California got in a dust-up
with an opposing group as they canvassed for signatures
at Target.
Target? Didn't they bar the Salvation Army from collecting
money for charity in the parking lots and grounds outside
Target stores? Yep.
Target
Bans Salvation Army Ringers
Donation collectors for the Salvation Army have been a
familiar sight and sound for years outside retail outlets
during the holiday season. The bell ringers, though, will
be absent from some major North Texas stores this year.
Target stores have informed Salvation Army officials they
no longer can set up the donation sites outside Target
stores. Officials with the retail giant said they had
to cancel the Salvation Army's exempt status to the retailer's
no-solicitation policy.
"Target
Corporation restricts the use of its parking lots and
facilities to only business use. Target does not permit
individuals (including political candidates and/or their
campaign organizations) or nonprofit organizations to
solicit donations, distribute literature, sell merchandise
or hold events on our premises."
Huh.
That's weird. Why would Target go against its own company
policy to allow Citizens to Save California to collect
signatures in support of the Governor's agenda?
Maybe
for the same reason that
Target Corporation gave $100,000 to Citizens to Save
California two weeks ago .
Maybe Target didn't know CSC was going to be out there
collecting signatures. I doubt CSC's signature-gatherers
are ringing bells after all.
Regardless, it sure strikes me as strange that a store
would kick a charitable organization off its grounds but
not a big-business backed ballot committee with close
ties to the Governor.
If
you still have room for some more information here are
2 great articles from the past that provide information
on Arnold's shady dealings, conflicts of interest, and
the truth behind Arnold's "man of the corporations"
Governing style.
Pathological
Peas in a Pod
ike most everyone in and around Hollywood, I spent part
of this past weekend devouring DisneyWar, James Stewart's
572-page vivisection of Disney CEO Michael Eisner. Throughout
the chilling read, I couldn't shake the feeling that
Eisner reminded me of someone.
The answer came when I got to the epilogue. "Eisner's
most glaring defect," writes Stewart, is "his
dishonesty." Stewart goes on to describe Eisner's
"tendency to distort, embellish or forget the truth"
until he becomes incapable of distinguishing reality
from his own fabrications.
That's when it hit me: Eisner is the Disneyland doppelganger
of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It's all right there: the
unremitting duplicity; the penchant for saying one thing,
then doing another; the gift for irrational invective;
the way both men forge personal bonds with others, then
turn around and stab them in the back often just
hours later.
more
The
truth about Arnold (Watch the ad for entry)
The movie star poses as a corruption-fighting moderate.
But since taking office, he's pursued a blatantly right-wing
agenda while raking in big bucks from special interests
-- and ignoring his own financial conflicts.
Titillated by the star power of his populist coup in
California, the national media has swooned in Arnold
Schwarzenegger's muscular embrace for over a year. The
New Yorker profiled him as "Supermoderate!"
Wired found him to be "surprisingly effective."
The editors of the New York Times proclaimed, "The
last action hero can seemingly do no wrong." On
the cover of its January 2005 issue, Vanity Fair featured
the leather-jacketed Schwarzenegger posing atop a Harley
with his silken spouse, Maria Shriver. The story, like
so many others, portrayed the glam couple as the future
of American politics: bipartisan, moderate, effective
... presidential.
More
-
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
For
more information: http://www.therestofus.org
ARNOLD,
PLEASE PLAY BY THE RULES!
On February 7, 2005, TheRestofUs.org filed a complaint
with the California Fair Political Practices Commission
that asked them to investigate Arnold Schwarzenegger's
illegal fundraising for his so-called Citizens to Save
California ballot committee. Please
add your name to the following petition that
asks Arnold to abide by the laws of California.
http://www.ContestTheVote.org/
is also quite anxious to get publicity for our petition
drive: the same petition Erica was getting signed when
she was assaulted by Arnold's thugs.
http://www.ContestTheVote.org/
Report
Arnold Hotline
If you know of a signature gathering effort by Schwarzeneggers'
backers, please report it at the following number or email
address. Dean Democratic Club of Silicon Valley
will do our best to try to get local folks out there to
counter these despicable efforts to destroy the Californian
community.
http://www.dfasv.org/node/view/1365
Report Arnold's Signature Gatherers
Call: 1-206-666lead
reportarnold@dfasv.org
- Jordan & Zack
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Bread
and Circuses
Burger King to offer 'enormous' sandwich
That is what I saw when I went to CNN this morning to
see what was going on in the 'real world'. Our media system
is seriously fu*@ed up when a sandwich gets more press
time than any story about how our own government lied
and deceived us to start a war for profit.
I sometimes wonder how it is that such huge stories seem
to break at just the right times. Both the steroids story
and the Michael Jackson story came at such a time as to
be very convenient for directing attention away from the
failures of the Bush administration. I remember during
Bush's State of the Union Address, when he started speaking
about steroids. I was thinking "what the heck is
he going on about. Steroids? How is that relevant?"
This was of course before the steroids thing became an
issue. So did Bush know this issue was about to
go mainstream? Or did the story go mainstream because
Bush needed a distraction? The whole Iowa vote fraud was
just trying to get some legs right at that time. The 'salvador
option' was just getting press. There was all kinds of
bad press about the Gonzales confirmation. Etc, etc.
Then you have the issue of documents that should
be secret (in the steroids case or Gannon/Guckert having
classified information regarding Valerie Plame) being
leaked to blow the story open at just the right time.
IIs the government releasing classified information to
certain people top nudge a story to break at an appropriate
moment?
Michael Rains, Bondss lawyer, implied that the
Government had leaked the documents to smear Bonds.
My view has always been this case has been the
US versus Bonds and I think the Government has moved
in certain ways in a concerted effort to indict my client,
he
said.
I
hear ya Michael. I hear ya.
When some seemingly obscure news story is highlighted
for months at a time (as in the Scot Peterson) you just
have to wonder who is pulling the strings. How hard is
it to pull those strings when all media is owned by 5
corporations? To put that in perspective, in 1983,
about 50 corporations owned most of the media.
Now it is just 5. I wonder of those 5 corporations even
give huge donations to any political party? Gee I wonder....
NBC is owned by General Electric, one of the largest corporations
in the entire world. GE, a major contributor to the Republican
Party, has substantial financial interests in weapons
manufacturing, finance, nuclear power and many other industries.
ABC is owned by the Disney Corp., which produces toys
and products in developing countries where they provide
their workers atrocious wages and working conditions.
CBS is owned by Viacom, yet another enormous media conglomerate
that also owns, MTV, Showtime, Nickelodeon, VH1, TNN,
CMT, 39 broadcast television stations, 184 radio stations,
Paramount Pictures and Blockbuster Inc. Etc. Rinse and
repeat.
Well the best way to control people is to control what
they believe. Control the messenger and you control the
message. This is the very reason Blogging is such a threat
to them. All of a sudden people are getting their information
from sources they do not control.
Its all just distraction. Bread and Circuses.
The
American Heritage dictionary defines bread
and circuses as Offerings, such as benefits
or entertainments, intended to placate discontent or
distract attention from a policy or situation.
The term was used by the ancient Romans to describe
how their rulers kept the population in the dark at
politically opportune moments. [...]
The corporate media make sure that Michael Jacksons
pajama clad appearance in court was known to anyone
not living under a rock. On the other hand, very few
Americans know that their government is now responsible
for kidnapping terror suspects and sending them to countries
that routinely engage in torture. In one instance a
German national was kidnapped in Europe and sent to
Afghanistan where he was tortured not by vicious foreigners
but by Americans. The tactics used by Chile under Pinochet
or Argentina during its dirty war are now routinely
used by the U.S. government. [...]
When celebrity crime or juiced up athletes dont
provide enough distraction, the corrupt government and
their media side kicks return to the old standbys of
fear and paranoia. [..]
What a coincidence. As the anniversary of the Iraq occupation
brings annual protests and renewed questions from a
skeptical public we are given new reasons to fear, keep
our mouths shut, and put our faith in Dubya and his
team.
More
Distractions.
Mars bitches!
- Jordan
Kos
sighting
Just got back from lunch at my local cafe. Same cafe I
eat at almost every day. Which is why I was so surprised
to see none other than Markos Moulitas. Thats the man
behind the Daily
Kos for those who don't know the name. I felt
bad interrupting the interview but I had to say hi. I
just shook his hand and said I was a big fan and thanked
him for all the work he has done. It was short and sweet.
I think the woman interviewing him was a bit surprised
that I had recognized him. He doesn't seem to put his
face out there too much.
He came by after the interview and asked if I was a registered
user. Yes I am. he knew my handle, which was cool. (He
had front posted my social security artwork
a few weeks back). He was very nice and obviously was
making a point of coming back to say hi to his fan after
his work at the cafe was done. Anyway I thought I would
share that with ya.
Wish I had had my camera with me.
- Jordan

Stop
Arnold Petition
The
Gropenator is naked. The emporor weares no clothes.
Zack,
the man on the inside sends me this. Pass it on:
We
are quite anxious to get publicity for our petition
drive: the same petition Erica was getting signed when
she was assaulted by Arnold's
thugs.
It's accessible at www.ContestTheVote.org
for on-line signing.
This STOP THE SPECIAL ELECTION petition gives folks
a chance to tell the Gov, "Hey, we see the emperor
has no clothes!" Californians don't want this special
election; polls show they don't want to spend up to
$70 million dollars on an election that could be held
in seven months--in June 2006. And, once we inform them,
they also prefer an election in 2006 because of security:
there will be a mandated voter verified paper audit
trail in the electronic machines next year.
The average, everyday folks we talk to at the Target
in Concord (and at the other stores in Contra Costa
County that Arnold's petition companies have "targeted"),
don't like the thought of public employees being under
attack. These moms and dads tend to like the teachers
at their neighborhood schools, and see firefighters
and police officers as folks who protect them.
Especially hard to take is a bullying, wealthy Gov trying
to take away death and disability benefits from firefighters
and police.
Indeed.
Sign this thing and pass the word on to the left. Here
are some more links on the subject:
http://www.arnoldwatch.org
(click on "Get Involved")
http://www.speakoutca.org
(click on "Join Now")
http://www.calnurses.org
(click on "Patient Advocacy Action Center" under
"Get Involved")
http://www.cta.org/
PoliticsandLegislation/PAL.htm
Heres
some recent numbers for the Gropenator:
Field
Poll
(PDF). 2/8-17. MoE 3.5% (September 2004)
Schwartzenegger's
Job Approval ratings
Approve
54 (65)
Disapprove 35 (22)
Among
Democrats
Approve
34 (46)
Disapprove 54 (34)
Among
Republicans
Approve
84 (88)
Disapprove 11 (6)
After
you have signed the petition think about joining some
fellow Californians here:
On
April 5 at 6 p.m., nurses, students, teachers, parents,
firefighters and people who care about public health,
education and justice will rally at the Ritz Carlton
in San Francisco (600 Stockton at California) outside
one of Schwarzenegger's fund raisers for fat cats. YOU
ARE INVITED!
-
Jordan

Behind
enemy lines
Got
this in an e-mail today. It is an e-mauil from Dr. Lucido
who I had mentioned the other day.
Just
found out this past Friday, that I am scheduled to be
on Bill O'Reilly's , O'Reilly Factor on Monday 3/28/05.
Per google search of "bill o'reilly" AND "medical
marijuana" and got this quote of his:
'"...i believe Montel Williams when he says , "Look,
medical marijuana helps me, helps me cope with this
disease, cope with my suffering. There's no reason why
I should be denied it." And I agree that if this
is the case, if a doctor -- a doctor -- says he needs
it for his MS, he should have it." 7/7/04
So at least we have some common ground. The assistant
producer, Owen Rounds, today, and they/he were impressed
with my
article on my practice standards for medical
cannabis consultations on by MedicalBoardWatch.com website.
Owen indicated that part of what will be asked is "what
a patient looks for in a medical cannabis doctor or
recommendation" That is one of my fortes, but I
do know he is against legalization, but in favor of
decriminalization in some way. Any advice or warnings
are welcome. Sounds bites to remember safe and effective
medicine (again my forte or Ambush questions to anticipate
"isn't this really about legalization?" "what
about kids getting this stuff?"Thanks! peace and
health,
Frank
Good
luck with that Frank. You are a braver man than I. Just
don't expect the man to play fair and you should do OK.
You should also know the man has no problem with flat
out lies. Heres a fun O' Reilly blast from the past:
"I
said on my program, if, if the Americans go in and overthrow
Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will
apologize to the nation, and I will not trust the Bush
administration again."
- Bill O'Reilly, on ABC's Good Morning America, 03-18-03
-
Jordan
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BREAKING
STORY - More intimidation from the Right
Special
thanks to Zack kaldveer (who you all know from
his great 'Link Roundups') for this story.
UPDATE:
Zack has just informed me that Phil Angelides ( California
State Treasurer) & Assemblyman Mark Leno are holding
a dual Press Conference on this story TODAY. More information
when it becomes available.
More
intimidation and scare tactic from the Right. This time
it is Arnold cronies who are doing their best to make
sure the opposition is stiffled. Below is the personal
account of a woman engaging in her first ammendment rights
when she was confronted in a rather frightening manner
by those who wish her message would never be heard.
Zack
kaldveer, who regular readers know from his fantastic
Link Roundups, has brought to my attention this breaking
story. This story is already being covered in the Contra
Costa Times and on KPFA Radio. There will be a press release
in the near future so stay tuned.
Here
is a message straight from Zack on this breaking story:
"The
question to ask is why is the "peoples' governor"
hiring out of state signature gatherers, some of which
are allegedly felons, to intimidate and threaten young
teachers out of standing up to his attempt to reduce
their job security (as if teachers don't have it bad
enough in our society...why not go after Ken Lay Arnold...oh
yeah....you guys are allies)? Strange that this "man
of the people" picks teachers and nurses as his
enemies (and calls them "special interests")
as he raises record sums of money from giant corporations
that depend on his anti-consumer, pro-corporate agenda
(see
chart of where his $$ come from here).
Could this former steroid using body builder, turned
shitty actor and serial woman groper, turned two-faced
poltical con-artist, not be the "People's Governor"
he claims to be? I'm inclined to say "yes".
This man needs to be exposed for what he is, and this
is one more story that does this, now it depends on
us to get the truth to the people".
- Zack
Below
is the letter sent by Erica to Assemblyman Mark Leno,
regarding her frightening experiences trying to have her
voice heard. This story needs to get out fast as this
is a shocking foul bit of play by Arnold supporters.
My
name is Erica and I am a graduate student at San Francisco
State. I am student teaching in Berkeley, specializing
in Deaf/hard-of-hearing Education. In brief, I decided
to go out alone and stand near a man who was collecting
initiative signatures in front of the store. I was wearing
a laminated, hand-made sign that read, "I am a
teacher against Arnold's special election......ask me
why".
I was shocked to encounter his immediate intimidation
and threatening language. Within the first five minutes
he said the following, "I'm going to call and get
thirty guys down here. You won't be here long. There
isn't a problem too big I can't handle. You won't last
long". And from there it became completely out
of control. Fifteen people arrived and attempted to
surround me, hurling abrasive insults with aggressive
voices. I was afraid for my safety. My husband and four
other people drove down to protect me. I called the
police.
The tactics were unbelievable. I stayed there four five
hours in the rain under those conditions. I left with
purple lips, shivering and all of us were followed to
our cars. They wrote down license plate numbers. It
was awful.
What is worse, they are all from Michigan!! They are
paid by the signature and they have no vested interest
in the welfare of California. It is ironic that Arnold
claims to protect Californian's jobs, yet people are
being flown in from other states to support his initiatives.
The story is much richer than I can explain in brief.
I was interviewed my KPFA and the Contra Costa Times
today. KPFA will air the story at 6:00pm tonight.
Please do not hesitate to discus this story with anyone.
However, my husband and I would prefer to release my
first name only at this time. We have reason to believe
these people have criminal records. In fact one women
admitted to being a felon. Feel free to contact me for
more detailed information.
Thank you for you time!
This kind of intimidation is unacceptable in my opinion.
The fact that the intimidation thugs used for this nonsense
are not even from California is a clear indication of
the kind of morals and mind set that is being used by
the opposition in this matter.
The Contra Costa Times has more on the story (Registration
required):
Petitioners
claim foes play dirty
Dueling signature-gatherers squaring off on the sidewalks
of California's shopping centers create a potentially
explosive mix that has already ignited in Pleasant Hill.
Members of California for Democracy, the state arm of
Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean's grass-roots
political network, accuse petition workers for Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger's reforms of using intimidation
tactics as both sides appealed to Target shoppers Tuesday
night.
Two Democratic activists said their opponents made inappropriate
comments and followed them to their cars, where they
took pictures of or wrote down their license plate numbers.
The battle is over the governor's reform package, which
would replace public pensions with private accounts,
enact budget reforms, pay teachers based on performance
and change how the state draws its political boundaries.
[...]
A spokesman for Citizens to Save California, which hired
the petition workers, said late Wednesday that he had
no details of the Target incident and would investigate
the allegations.
"What I do know is that union bosses have told
their rank-and-file members to harass our signature-gatherers
and disrupt the process," Reed Dickens said. [...]
The dust-up began when Erika arrived Tuesday afternoon
at Target, wearing a sign that read, "I'm a teacher
against Arnold's special election. Ask me why."
[...]
A man already stationed at the store, where he was gathering
signatures for the governor's petitions, accused her
of interfering with his job and "told me 'I'm going
to call and get 30 of my guys here. You won't last,'
" Erika said.
"Slowly, people started to gather," Erika
said. "They surrounded me. Some tried to pretend
they were regular citizens and tried to goad me into
a confrontation. They were doing everything they could
to intimidate me to leave."
Erika called the police and her political activist colleagues,
telling them that she feared for her safety. [...]
During the next few hours, Erika and Klein said, the
signature-gatherers for the governor repeatedly positioned
themselves close to their opponents, then yelled out
in a theatrical manner, "Stop shoving me!"
One man pounded his fist on one petition and said, "This
job, petitioning, can be very dangerous," Klein
recounted.
More
(name in above article changed to "Erika",
as I was told she did not want her last name involved).
Arnold,
who ran on the promise of improving California is now
seeing his worst nightmare come true. His promises to
work for the people can only bee seen as a smoke screen
with this kind of intimidation tactics being used against
the very people he would claim to be protecting.
-
Jordan
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Daily
Show
Great
bit on the Chiavo situation on the Daily Show the other
night. This whole situation is out of hand. tens of thousands
of feeding tubes are pulled every year. Chiavo is being
used by the Right for nothing more than political
advantage and it makes me sick. Furthermore the
people in congress who are making a medical diagnoses
based on a video tape is utterly disgraceful, not to mention
illegal. As usual the hypocrisy is in full swing. Bush
has written laws that allow for hospitals to pull the
plug on comatose patients who are unable to pay for care
so the whole "Right to Life" argument is transparent.
If they really cared they would be passing laws for better
health care, for better prenatal care for infants, for
things that actually help people live a better life. Instead
they argue in congress about a matter that should be settled
privately by those close to her.
Check
out John Stewart at his best.
-
Jordan
|
Link
Roundup 3.22.05 - From Zack
Greg
Palast releases his first groundbreaking report on
the true reasons for war, the battle between
big oil and the neo-cons, and the cover up of a lifetime.
Get ready...listen to the interview on Democracy Now...I'll
be on the phone with him tomorrow night and report
to you all Wednesday. This could be big...but I've
said that before, and the truth just disapears into
the Matrix, never to be seen again, and not able to
puncture the pubilc conciousness to the level we all
hope. Nonetheless...this is unreal:
And,
John Zogby, arguably the most reliable pollster in the
United States, who has freely admitted he "blew" last
November's elections and does not exclude the possibility
that foul play was one of the factors knocking his calculations
off course. "We're plowing into a brave new world here,"
he says, "where there are so many variables aside from
out-and-out corruption that can change elections, especially
in situations where the races are close. We have machines
that break down, or are tampered with, or are simply
misunderstood. It's a cause for great concern.
The
Politicization of Terri Schiavo...this is just too sick
Just
like countless other families, the family of Terri Schiavo
has struggled for years with the intensely difficult
decision of how to match her course of treatment to
her wishes. Now President George W. Bush, Rep.
Tom DeLay (R-TX) and Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) are using
the
tragic case of Schiavo a severely brain-damaged
woman who has been incapacitated for the past 15 years
as an opportunity for political grandstanding. A memo,
which the AP reports was distributed
by Senate leadership to right-wing members,
called Schiavo "a great political issue" and urged senators
to talk about her because "the pro-life base will be
excited." Over the weekend, DeLay and Frist held special
sessions of Congress to facilitate passage of a bill
that would allow
a federal court to overturn years of Florida jurisprudence
encompassing seven courts and 19 judges and intervene
in the Schiavo case. (Underscoring that this was about
the politics of the Schiavo case and not policy, the
bill was
written explicitly to apply only to Terri Schiavo.)
President Bush played his part in the spectacle, flying
to Washington from his ranch in Crawford to sign the
bill, even though waiting a few hours for the bill to
be flown to him would likely "have made no difference in whether Ms. Schiavo lives."
BUSH
SIGNED LAW ALLOWING HOSPITALS TO DISCONTINUE LIFE SUPPORT:
In a statement released early this morning, President
Bush said he will "continue to stand on
the side of those defending life for all Americans."
But the facts make it hard to believe that Bush is standing
on principle. In 1999, then Gov. Bush signed a law that
"allows
hospitals [to] discontinue life sustaining care,
even if patient family members disagree." Just days
ago the law permitted Texas Children's Hospital to remove
the breathing tube from a 6-month-old boy named Sun
Hudson. The law may soon be used to remove life support from Spiro Nikolouzos, a 68-year-old man. Bush
has not commented on either case.
DELAY
VOTED TO SLASH FUNDING THAT PAID FOR SCHIAVO'S CARE:
At every opportunity, Tom DeLay has sanctimoniously
proclaimed his concern for the well-being of Terri Schiavo,
saying he is only trying to ensure she has the chance
"we
all deserve." Schiavo's
medications are paid for by Medicaid. Just last
week, DeLay marshaled a budget resolution through the
House of Representatives that would cut
funding for Medicaid by at least $15 billion,
threatening the quality of care for people like Terri
Schiavo. Because the Senate voted to restore the funding,
DeLay is threatening
to hold up the entire budget process if he doesn't
get his way.
FRIST
FIGHTING AGAINST FINANCIAL RECOVERY FOR PEOPLE LIKE
SCHIAVO: Bill Frist has been positioning himself
in the media as a champion for Schiavo's interests.
Yet, much of Schiavo's medical care has been financed
by $1,000,000
from two medical malpractice lawsuits Schiavo
won after her heart attack 15 years ago. Frist has been
leading
the charge to limit recovery for people
like Schiavo who are severely debilitated. If Frist
is successful, people like Schiavo would not be able
to recover any punitive damages no matter how severe
their injuries.
More
-
Zack
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A
Free Speech Zone Challenge
So I was reading a
Diary over at Kos about a young Democrat who wanted
to hear first hand what Bush had to say about Social Security,
but was kicked out of the event. Imagine my surprise.
He was caught blue handed committing the ultimate crime.
He wore a shirt proclaiming he was a Democrat. Funny thing
is, at the event, Senator McCain was quoted as saying
something like:
"The door is open for the Democrats to talk to
us about Social Security ... but they won't!".
Classic. No Senator, we have plenty to say, but Republicans
just won't let us in the door.
So this got me thinking. This is a fantastic chance to
get this kind of thing more attention. I am just sick
and tired of the Bush team talking about how bipartisan
they will be, and then throwing everyone out the door
who wears anything resembling a Democratic T-shirt. It
is as if the peace sign is like cryptonite to them. And
that is how my idea was born.
Here is my challenge. Bush uses the word "peace"
in his speeches liberally. Now he may not favor it as
much as he does words like "freedom" and "liberty"
but "peace" is always there. (Only Bush can
make a sentence with the word "peace" in it
seem menacing). So Bush will use "peace" as
a term when it suits him politically to do so. He is always
going on about peace and spreading peace throughout the
world. Ok then. Bush endorses peace. Perfect. So I
have designed a Tshirt (Side note: I am making
no money off of the sales of this particular shirt) with
the classic Free Speech Zone patriotic Peace sign, and
a Bush quote below it:
" The best hope for peace in our world is the
expansion of freedom in all the world ".
- President Bush 1/20/05
My challenge is this. Wear this
shirt to any Bush event where they seem to be
screening folks to keep anyone anyone to the left of Strom
Thurmond from having a say. (In other words wear it to
any Bush event). They of course will not let you in. Because
you have a Peace sign on your shirt you must be a criminal
or something. When you go to do this it would be best
to have at the very least a camera with you. At best someone
from the press. Because it is going to be a great moment
when you shout out to the stern man dragging you away
from the event that the shirt you are wearing is a
PRO BUSH shirt! Point out the quote and make sure
they see that it is their fearless leader who has inspired
the peaceful shirt you now wear. Make sure the cameras
zoom in for the close up as the security team is now forced
to confront their own hypocrisy. Do they throw you out
for wearing the vile and hated symbol of the left? Or
do they kiss your ass and treat you as "one of them"
since the peace sign on the shirt is referring to King
Bush's own desire to spread peace in this world. If they
throw you out be sure to let everyone watching the drama
unfold how disillusioned you are to discover that Bush
does not mean the things he said in his inspired speech.
If cameras catch this it just might expose this hypocrisy
to the world. It has the effect of bringing to the forefront
the idiocy of the pre-screened Bush events as well as
showing Bush's use of the word peace for what it really
is. A political tool. If the security guard throws you
out you can tell the press, rightly so, that Bush does
not believe in peace. If they let you in, then even better.
You now have created a precedent for Bush actually believing
the words he says when he speaks of peace.
Either way we win.
If you manage to do this let
me know. I want to tell your story.

Please
check the store for more shirts
-
Jordan

Raich
v. Ashcroft & Schiavo V. Bush
The Republicans might be shocked to find out that some
of their values are out of the main stream. Since the
Republicans are always saying that Democrats are so out
of touch this little bit of irony is a delicious tid bit
bit that I would like to point out to you. I am of course
taling about the Schiavo case and the questionable role
Congress has decided to play. It seems like the people
disagree with some of what the GOP and Congress is doing
in regards to the Schiavo case. Heres the numbers from
a recent ABC
poll. (PDF)
-
70% of Americans say it is inappropriate for Congress
to involve itself in the Schiavo case.
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