Rockets Red Glare

“If somebody was sending rockets into my house where my two daughters sleep at night, I would do everything in my power to stop that, and would expect Israelis to do the same thing.”

That is Sen. Obama speaking from Israel, according to this article on Dissident Voice.

The rather obvious question is, if Sen. Obama were living in Gaza and it was the Israeli military sending rockets and bombs into his house, what would he do?
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And in general, it seems to be the typical response that when one group of people fires bombs and missiles at another, then they fire more bombs and missiles back to 'do everything in their power to stop that'.

Of course, realizing this means realizing that the way to stop bombs and missiles from raining down on your and your children is not to fire more bombs and missiles back at others. Instead, the way to 'do everything in your power to stop that' is to find a way to have peace.

Pretty sure that's not what Obama was intending to say. Which means that he just isn't willing to do anything about the fatal flaw of both American and Israeli policy.

Money, Civil Disobedience and other stuff

Money .... can't help but to notice that the little Maplight.org widget above these posts has updated with June numbers on campaign finance. Obama must have raised about $50 million last month compared to McCain with $25 million.

Its striking to someone who's followed politics for a long time that its the Republican who's taking the public financing route for an election, and criticizing the Democrat for not doing so. That alone speaks volumes about the current campaign. Along with the numbers showing that Obama is out fund-raising McCain by Republican-like numbers.

Follow the money, and usually it will show you the winner in American politics. And, you can count on a candidate not biting the hand that feeds it. Want to know why Obama is disavowing everything even moderately progressive that he said or even hinted at to get the Democratic nomination? Just watch the dollar amounts tick over on that little Maplight.org widget and you'll know the reason why. That and the "AT&T Convention" handbag for the corporate party here in Denver tell you all you need to know.

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Sometimes people are critical of the Palestinians for not opposing the Israelies non-violently like Dr. King or Ghandi might do. This article over at DissendentVoice.org tells you what happens when they do. "A West Bank Town’s Struggle to Survive"

I strongly believe that people should try to achieve needed change through legal means provided by society as their first option. In a place like America, that means contesting elections and using the courts to enforce laws when possible.

But, the question becomes, what do you do next if you find that the system is rigged to prevent change by those means? To me, the next stage is non-violent civil disobedience.

In order for non-violent civil disobedience to be effective though, you need a couple of things. One is that hopefully your opposition is willing to stay within the rules and not respond with violence in return. If that doesn't happen, you get the line from "V for Vendetta" :

"What's going to happen? What usually happens when people without guns try to stand up to people with guns."

Even that's not the end of the road for non-violent civil disobedience. Ghandi was met with violence at times. And the people just marched forward and let the police beat them.

But that only works when your opposition is willing to listen. What happens if this occurs, but no one knows about it.? Note the lead to the article about Palestine where it notes that this village that is attempting to resist the Israelis is only found in press searches 71 times. How effective is non-violent civil disobedience when no one knows that its suffering at the hands of a violent opposition?

And what are people, who are suffering and who legitimately have grievances, to do when legal attempts to ask for change are blocked and non-violent attempts to step outside the law are met with violence?

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

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day!

Celebrate your independence!

Just one little thing. Call the holiday by its real name. Don't call it 'the fourth of July'. That's a day on a calendar. Big deal. By that one would thing that some day was just picked randomly from the calendar and chosen to be a day of bread and circuses for the people. Celebrate 'the 22nd of July'. Whoo-Hoo, lets shoot off some fire works.

No, the holiday is "Independence Day". Just saying that has a certain power to it. Say 'Happy Independence Day' to someone and you both reminding them that they are independent and congratulating them on it.

So, be a rebel from the corporate marketing, call the holiday by its real name. Happy "Independence Day" America!

American Food Riot

First report I've seen of what could basically be described as an American food riot.
Desperate in Milwaukee

We've seen them in other parts of the world, as food prices have climbed. But this is the first I can remember hearing about in America in my memory. Of course, its a little different in America. In the American system the desperate don't surround a bakery or a bread truck. Instead they surround a government office demanding emergency relief. But its the same thing.

Chaos broke out outside Milwaukee’s main welfare office June 23 after as many as 3,000 people lined up, starting around 3 a.m., based on rumors that emergency food vouchers would be distributed to those in need when the center opened its doors on Monday morning.

The crowd grew so large that people began blocking traffic in the street. Fearing that there wouldn’t be enough vouchers to go around, a number of people began to rush the door, and some people were caught in the crush. Several fights broke out, and at least 34 squad cars were sent to the scene.