The comments on the post below have told me a couple of things.
1) There are actually people who read this site. At least occaisionally. Wow!
2) Anyone who is critical of Obama and the Democrats is being booted off of the CommonDreams website.
The latter makes me thing that people need a place to gather and discuss. Its better if we gather together and stay in touch. While the forums at CommonDreams used to be a place to do this, it seems apparent that the new Democratic censorship is going to make this hard to do there.
I don't know if this site is the place to do that. But, I'm willing to help where I can. CD refugees are welcome to comment here. I'd also be willing to open up the posting privlidges here to allow others to write here if they are interested.
And one thing that could certainly be done is if CommonDreams refugees want to post links or email to stay in touch, this thread could be a place to do that.
But, I'm also thinking maybe its time for a new site. I might try to get something started. Maybe have links to articles on other sites, but with the ability to comment freely on that site. So, for instance it could have a link to an interesting article on CommonDreams, but then it could also allow a free and uncensored discussion of that article.
If anyone is interested, leave a comment below. Not only about my ideas, but with your own.
Showing posts with label liberty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label liberty. Show all posts
Friday, November 07, 2008
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Progressives. Those who oppose the wars. Now is the time to act.
To all who oppose the war. To all who really call themselves 'progressives'. This is the time to act.
We can see the course of this election. Obama and the Democrats win this in a landslide. That's the big course of things and its set and its already in motion.
We are going to see an Obama administration with the Democrats in control of Congress. We also know that the Democrats won't want to listen to us. That they'll still want to continue the wars. That they won't want to prosecute the Bush criminals. That they'll want to give our money to their rich friends on Wall Street. That they'll want to call us 'idiot liberals' and ban us from the room. We know this from the Democrats. We have seen this from them over the last few years.
How do we make an Obama administration respect us and listen to what we want? We keep hearing that we have to be the ones to 'pressure' an Obama administration. How do we do that?
The only language they understand is political power. We need to show it. We need to have every Democratic Representative or Senator looking at the combined Nader\McKinney vote in their district or state and saying 'holy cow!'. The more votes we put on the board right now, the more we get their attention and the more respect we get. By putting votes on the board right now, we show real political power.
Its a safe vote. Obama wins this in a landslide. The Democrats win this in a landslide. The states 'in play' are traditional Republicans ones like Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina. To even think about winning, McCain has to sweep every state where he's even within shouting distance of Obama, and then maybe even one or two more. Obama and the Democrats have this one in a lock.
Spread the word. Now is the time. If there was ever a moment to vote your conscious and vote for an alternative to the corporate parties, it is this election. Its a safe vote. Obama wins big regardless. The key point for right now is that actually, the closer we make this, the better it is for us. If the Democrats are holding their breath on election night saying 'oh my gawd!' while they watch the numbers roll in with state after state they thought was solidly in their win column instead becoming razor thin with big vote totals for Nader and McKinney, then that's great for us. We want to give them a heart attack. That's the only way they'll take us seriously.
Do you want to really stop these wars? Then vote your conscience. Register a political earthquake the Democrats can't help but feel.
Do you really want to protect the environment? Do you really want to turn the tide seriously back against global warming? Then vote your conscience. Register a political earthquake the Democrats can't help but feel.
We want every congressional Democrat looking ahead to the 2010 elections while seeing a strong Nader\McKinney vote in their districts. We want each of them shuddering at what the prospects of an angry, progressive, antiwar, third party campaign in 2010 in their districts would do to their congressional careers. Do you want to really change things? That's how to do it.
Now is the time. This is the election. This is the moment to act.
We can see the course of this election. Obama and the Democrats win this in a landslide. That's the big course of things and its set and its already in motion.
We are going to see an Obama administration with the Democrats in control of Congress. We also know that the Democrats won't want to listen to us. That they'll still want to continue the wars. That they won't want to prosecute the Bush criminals. That they'll want to give our money to their rich friends on Wall Street. That they'll want to call us 'idiot liberals' and ban us from the room. We know this from the Democrats. We have seen this from them over the last few years.
How do we make an Obama administration respect us and listen to what we want? We keep hearing that we have to be the ones to 'pressure' an Obama administration. How do we do that?
The only language they understand is political power. We need to show it. We need to have every Democratic Representative or Senator looking at the combined Nader\McKinney vote in their district or state and saying 'holy cow!'. The more votes we put on the board right now, the more we get their attention and the more respect we get. By putting votes on the board right now, we show real political power.
Its a safe vote. Obama wins this in a landslide. The Democrats win this in a landslide. The states 'in play' are traditional Republicans ones like Indiana, Virginia and North Carolina. To even think about winning, McCain has to sweep every state where he's even within shouting distance of Obama, and then maybe even one or two more. Obama and the Democrats have this one in a lock.
Spread the word. Now is the time. If there was ever a moment to vote your conscious and vote for an alternative to the corporate parties, it is this election. Its a safe vote. Obama wins big regardless. The key point for right now is that actually, the closer we make this, the better it is for us. If the Democrats are holding their breath on election night saying 'oh my gawd!' while they watch the numbers roll in with state after state they thought was solidly in their win column instead becoming razor thin with big vote totals for Nader and McKinney, then that's great for us. We want to give them a heart attack. That's the only way they'll take us seriously.
Do you want to really stop these wars? Then vote your conscience. Register a political earthquake the Democrats can't help but feel.
Do you really want to protect the environment? Do you really want to turn the tide seriously back against global warming? Then vote your conscience. Register a political earthquake the Democrats can't help but feel.
We want every congressional Democrat looking ahead to the 2010 elections while seeing a strong Nader\McKinney vote in their districts. We want each of them shuddering at what the prospects of an angry, progressive, antiwar, third party campaign in 2010 in their districts would do to their congressional careers. Do you want to really change things? That's how to do it.
Now is the time. This is the election. This is the moment to act.
Friday, July 04, 2008
Self Evident Truths
Just because these words should always be said on this day. And the corporate media will stop at just acknowledging the right of the pursuit of happiness.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,
that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
That to secure these rights,
governments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends,
it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new government,
laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.
Prudence, indeed,
will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes;
and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer,
while evils are sufferable,
than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism,
it is their right,
it is their duty,
to throw off such government,
and to provide new guards for their future security."
-- The Declaration of Independence
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Gotta love those Democrats
Where do we begin?
Well, first there's the Dems getting ready to both rubber-stamp Bush's illegal, unconstitutional spying on Americans, but making sure that the telecoms get immunity for the crimes they committed by aiding this illegal spying.
Democrats Ready to Gut the Constitution to Protect Their “Constituents” — The Telecoms by tom Burghardt and found over at www.dissidentvoice.org
Then there's the Dems acting to fully fund more of the war and occupation in Iraq.
Democrats to back down on Iraq war conditions found through a link on www.antiwar.org
" Lawmakers are arranging to send Bush $165 billion in new money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, enough to last for about a year and well beyond when Bush leaves office on January 20.
"It'll be the lump sum of money, veterans (funding) and that's it," said one House aide familiar with the negotiations on the legislation."
The article on the Dems allowing immunity for illegal wiretapping has this quote from the ACLU.
"Allowing phone companies to avoid litigation by simply presenting a “permission slip” from the president is not court review. This is immunity pure and simple because the companies are NOT being judged on whether they followed the law. A document stating that the president asked them to conduct warrantless wiretapping is not enough justification for violating the basic privacy rights of Americans. (”Facts on Senator Kit Bond’s (R-MO) FISA Proposal,” American Civil Liberties Union, June 13, 2008)"
When you read this, what you realize is that what is at stake is clearly and simply whether or not we still operate under the Constitution, or whether we live in a country ruled by an all-powerful executive that can do whatever he chooses. The Founding Fathers based their system of Checks and Balances on the belief that the Congress would work to protect its prerogatives from encroachment by an aggressive President. Instead we see a Congress that is willing to completely abandon its role in the law-making process and just give the President the authority to do whatever he wants.
Anyone who stayed awake in high school civics learned what the proper law making procedure is under the Constitution. A bill is proposed in either House of the Congress. It then has to be passed by both Houses, when it then goes to the President for his signature or veto. Afterwards, its the Presidents role to enforce that law.
The 'law' that is on the books from that process is very clear. Its starts with a Constitution that says we are protected from unwarranted searches. There was a big loophole carved into that law in the name of 'security' by the creation of the FISA act. But even that protected the need for a judge to review evidence to give a warrant, albeit by a secret court.
The President's role is to obey and execute that law. Its not the President's role to independently make a new law when he wants. If the President wants changes, then he needs to go to Congress and ask for them. And its deliberately not automatic and a protection of our liberties that the Congress might choose not to make changes just because the President asks for them.
What we've seen instead is the President just making up the law on his own. He wanted to have the capability to spy on Americans without getting a warrant. So, he just told himself that this was ok. Then, he went to the phone companies and told them he said it was ok. According to this Congress, led by the Democratic majority that pretends to be an opposition party, this is just fine and dandy.
The more I think about this, the more it strikes me that this is just shredding the Constitution. Its removing any protections Americans have against unwarranted searches. And it removes the basic checks and balances that allow all the voices of a democracy to participate in the law making process and instead just tells the President to do whatever he wants to do.
When the talk is of street criminals, we are told we need tough laws and enforcement as a 'deterrent'. What do we see in this case if we look at it this way? If the President decides he wants to in some other way to spy upon Americans or to take away other rights under the Constituion, if he looks at this he has to thing just 'sure, go ahead.' That's the precedent that's being set. Or, if the President is asking some other corporation to break the law, this now establishes the precedent that the President can do that.
And anyone who thought that electing Democrats would either slow this down or stop the war was just delusional. And its the same for this election. Voting Dem is voting for more of the same. If you want something different, its time to elect some different people.
Well, first there's the Dems getting ready to both rubber-stamp Bush's illegal, unconstitutional spying on Americans, but making sure that the telecoms get immunity for the crimes they committed by aiding this illegal spying.
Democrats Ready to Gut the Constitution to Protect Their “Constituents” — The Telecoms by tom Burghardt and found over at www.dissidentvoice.org
Then there's the Dems acting to fully fund more of the war and occupation in Iraq.
Democrats to back down on Iraq war conditions found through a link on www.antiwar.org
" Lawmakers are arranging to send Bush $165 billion in new money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, enough to last for about a year and well beyond when Bush leaves office on January 20.
"It'll be the lump sum of money, veterans (funding) and that's it," said one House aide familiar with the negotiations on the legislation."
The article on the Dems allowing immunity for illegal wiretapping has this quote from the ACLU.
"Allowing phone companies to avoid litigation by simply presenting a “permission slip” from the president is not court review. This is immunity pure and simple because the companies are NOT being judged on whether they followed the law. A document stating that the president asked them to conduct warrantless wiretapping is not enough justification for violating the basic privacy rights of Americans. (”Facts on Senator Kit Bond’s (R-MO) FISA Proposal,” American Civil Liberties Union, June 13, 2008)"
When you read this, what you realize is that what is at stake is clearly and simply whether or not we still operate under the Constitution, or whether we live in a country ruled by an all-powerful executive that can do whatever he chooses. The Founding Fathers based their system of Checks and Balances on the belief that the Congress would work to protect its prerogatives from encroachment by an aggressive President. Instead we see a Congress that is willing to completely abandon its role in the law-making process and just give the President the authority to do whatever he wants.
Anyone who stayed awake in high school civics learned what the proper law making procedure is under the Constitution. A bill is proposed in either House of the Congress. It then has to be passed by both Houses, when it then goes to the President for his signature or veto. Afterwards, its the Presidents role to enforce that law.
The 'law' that is on the books from that process is very clear. Its starts with a Constitution that says we are protected from unwarranted searches. There was a big loophole carved into that law in the name of 'security' by the creation of the FISA act. But even that protected the need for a judge to review evidence to give a warrant, albeit by a secret court.
The President's role is to obey and execute that law. Its not the President's role to independently make a new law when he wants. If the President wants changes, then he needs to go to Congress and ask for them. And its deliberately not automatic and a protection of our liberties that the Congress might choose not to make changes just because the President asks for them.
What we've seen instead is the President just making up the law on his own. He wanted to have the capability to spy on Americans without getting a warrant. So, he just told himself that this was ok. Then, he went to the phone companies and told them he said it was ok. According to this Congress, led by the Democratic majority that pretends to be an opposition party, this is just fine and dandy.
The more I think about this, the more it strikes me that this is just shredding the Constitution. Its removing any protections Americans have against unwarranted searches. And it removes the basic checks and balances that allow all the voices of a democracy to participate in the law making process and instead just tells the President to do whatever he wants to do.
When the talk is of street criminals, we are told we need tough laws and enforcement as a 'deterrent'. What do we see in this case if we look at it this way? If the President decides he wants to in some other way to spy upon Americans or to take away other rights under the Constituion, if he looks at this he has to thing just 'sure, go ahead.' That's the precedent that's being set. Or, if the President is asking some other corporation to break the law, this now establishes the precedent that the President can do that.
And anyone who thought that electing Democrats would either slow this down or stop the war was just delusional. And its the same for this election. Voting Dem is voting for more of the same. If you want something different, its time to elect some different people.