My Liberal World

Bravo pour les Americains!

2008-11-04T10:28:00.008-05:00

Greetings from the city of light where the Eiffel Tower is lit up in blue! No, France is not the 51st (blue) state but it currently holds the presidency of the European Union.

Upon departure, I was shocked to see so many French people in line for the airplane wearing Obama buttons. Upon arrival, I have seen Obama buttons, stickers, and t-shirts in store fronts. I gave a friend's children Obama buttons (because they are half-American) and as we walked through the city, some teens spotted it and said, "Allez Obama! Allez Obama!"

I had a long conversation with a cab driver last night. He was from Antibes and we discussed the positive impact an Obama presidency will have on the world. I have been so used to America being hated (having lived overseas while Reagan was president) or derided for its political hypocrisy and puritanical obssession with sex and politicians (having lived overseas while Clinton was president). From an intellectual perspective, it was clear having a new president would have a positive impact on the rest of the world. But here in Paris, I felt the difference from an emotional perspective. A young, intellectual biracial President with an incredible rise and a Muslim middle name speaks volumes about the diversity of America and our potential for living the values of tolerance and justice that are laid out in our Constitution.

It is truly an amazing to witness such symbolic change. And it's so refreshing to put aside the cynicism and doubts of "politics" and celebrate the moment.

I told my cab driver about an interesting article in New York magazine that talked about how children under 10 today would only remember America having a black President and a black First Family and what an enormous impact that would be. He agreed and told me how when his kids were young they had friends of all races and ethnicities - and they were so open they didn't even realize they were black and they had friends who were not. He ended by telling me something I've never heard in France before, "Bravo pour les Americains! Bravo!"

There are many Obama parties in Paris tonight but most are sold out or trop cher. I will be watching coverage from a friend's house. I imagine horns honking all over America when the final tally is in! More later.

The Vote

2008-10-26T13:39:00.009-04:00

In a blog post in September 2004, I wrote, "I'm audacious enough to imagine a Clinton-Obama 2008 bumper sticker." And two years ago, almost to the day, I wrote a post, entitled, Barack Now that explained the reasons I thought he should and would be President. I included these lines, "I think he's going to run and I think he's going to win."

Friday, I submitted an absentee ballot in my eighth presidential election with my vote for Obama-Biden. The more disillusioned I have become about politics, the more emotional I am about having the right to vote. And so I cried, like I do every time I vote.

When I filled in that little circle with my black pen, I thought of Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks, Medger Evers, Emmett Till, Harriet Tubman, and so many other black Americans who gave their lives for such a moment. It is powerful and yes, hopeful, to see not only a man of color's name at the top of the ticket but such a colorful name it is - a name that represents the very idea of America.

I have been asked many times in the last few months, if I have become a Republican because I have questioned the authenticity of Obama's platform of change, because I have refused to make cruel jokes about Sarah Palin and her family, and because I haven't judged John McCain's personal life nor do I believe he is evil.

My answer is no, I have actually become more liberal.

And yes, I am fully aware that if either of the Obama girls were teens and pregnant, the Republican Right would be relentless in their assessment of Barack's and Michelle's parenting. I know that if Michelle had been pregnant when she married Barack, the Republican Right would say she was unfit to be First Lady. I know that if Barack had gone to six colleges and earned mediocre grades, he would not have gotten this far in the race.

But I thought - and believed Obama thought the same - that we Democrats respected all Americans -whether they were Red State or Blue State. That Democrats didn't need to be negative because our ideas were better and because we hold ourselves to a higher standard. That's why I stood for Obama when so many people said I was naive and didn't understand how politics work in this country.

What this campaign has revealed to me is the growing hypocrisy of the Democratic party. What I continue to find is that Democrats (including our nominees) can be just as manipulative, phony, greedy, and politically expedient as Republicans. And sometimes, more. Democrats wallow in Wall Street money (more, in fact, than McCain) and lobbyist money and make deals with those who help get them elected.

That is our system, everyone says. You have to play the game to get elected.

But when a candidate says they are running on a platform of change, he or she is asking to be held to a different, higher standard. And when that very stance is the one that has inspired millions of new voters, young and old, to get involved, it says something else. It says, maybe you don't have to play every single game to get elected.

So yes, I am going to hold you to a higher standard.

What this campaign has revealed to me is the utter state of mediocrity of the media and their push to divide instead of fairly and accurately presenting the facts. They have been relentless in trying to surface examples of racism. Didn't they learn anything from the Iowa primary? Americans are, in fact, ready and willing to vote for a black man for President! They present poll figures that "indicate racism" when in fact, no Democratic nominee has gotten more than 50% of the vote since FDR, with the exception of LBJ, 11 months after JFK died.

Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, and Maureen Dowd, among the self-identified liberal press, proved they could be just as petty, stupid, self-righteous, egotistical, and hateful as Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.

They write stories with a decidely sexist angle without shame. Consider the male who lost the Democratic nomination in 1980. He gave no speech, attended no event, and offered not a single appearance for the winning nominee. The winning nominee's eventual loss ushered in the Reagan Revolution which was devastating to the very people this losing nominee said he stood for. But this same man is now so highly regarded in the Democratic party that he was granted the power to "pass the torch" to a new generation of male leaders during an excessive and overwrought Democratic convention. Yet, a female in the same position in 2008, who gave a stirring speech, along with her husband, in support of the winning nominee and who makes weekly appearances for the candidate, is presented as "not doing enough," "only stoking her ambitions for four years later," and "not authentic or effusive enough in her praise."

Yes, it's true some women were angry when she lost. Much like Michelle Obama's honest admission of hesitation, in the heat of the campaign, when asked if she would support Hillary if Barack lost. Hillary supporters felt the exact same way when Hillary lost. They also felt the exact same way Michelle did when moments later she said that she would, of course, work so that the party won.

Women aren't that stupid to vote for a ticket that doesn't support women. It is after all women who elect the leaders of this country. We vote in greater numbers and with more consistency than men. And yes, have no fear, we still we continue to vote for men instead of women because our standard for women is much higher than for men. But that's another post.

And yes, racism does exist in this country. But I always find it intriguing when it's blamed on poor, white women. Last time I checked, the majority of government, corporate, religious, and academic institutions and organizations are being run by white men.

With the exception of Obama, I'm not sure that's going to change anytime soon. A recent article in The New York Times relayed that transition teams for both parties are hard at work getting potential Cabinet members and appointees in place. And I equally noted neither side mentioned a single woman's name. All white men.

Yes, change we can believe in.

This campaign also revealed to me my own immaturity in thinking that Barack Obama can or is even responsible for making America live up to its potential. And the more I sought to understand why my disappointment in him was so deep, the more I realized how little Americans, me included, actually do for their country.

And then I understood the reason Bush's junta succeeded in subverting the constitution, why our economic system is on the brink of failure, how two wars we started are spiraling out of control in violence and cost, how we can ignore a crumbling infrastructure, how we can tolerate an unmanageable and inefficient health care system, how we can accept embarrassing infant mortality rates, and how we do nothing about a public education system that allows children to graduate without being able to read or write.

The reason is because Americans are lazy, apathetic, ignorant about their own history, and only really care about issues when it affects them personally. We (and the Democrats) are the reason Bush, Cheney, and that whole lot of men have been able to run this country into the ground.

Yes, we are the ones we have been waiting for - and none of us showed up to make a difference because we were too busy watching cable TV, working overtime, filling our SUVs with gas, shopping online and at the mall, reading celebrity gossip, going out to dinner, bitching about evil Republicans, and isolating ourselves from the fact that our country is falling apart.

But at other times in this country's history, regular citizens standing up did make a difference. When did we stop having the courage to make a difference?

If we want this country to be different we have to stand up and fight for it. We have to do more than vote. We have to work to find new solutions and not just because someone with charisma and a talent for speech making tells us to. We have to do it because it's the right thing to do. John Edwards, even though he is being vilified for behavior that is quite common -especially among politicians and government officials -still had the best line in the campaign, "It is time to become patriotic about something other than war."

Patriotic means learning about your country's history, reading the constitution, holding your representatives accountable, criticizing them when you feel they are wrong, participating in your community's growth and success. It means not accepting racism, sexism, homophobia, or any other intolerance of people who are different than you. It means fighting just as hard for peace as we do for war (when we aren't ignoring it.). It means being more responsible with energy and finding ways to reduce consumption. It means we have to stop being a victim and stop demonizing the other side.

I know the media likes us to believe old lies like "war and poverty will always be with this" or "those groups have been killing each other for years" but until we change our thinking about what is possible we will have the same corrupt political system.

And so I voted for Barack Obama because when he gave that speech in July 2004, he inspired me to believe again in the potential of America not as the "best country in the world" but as a place where liberty, tolerance, and innovation flourishes, where women and men who think differently, believe differently, and live differently can still be respected and treated with dignity.

I voted for Barack Obama because I am as committed to my country as I am to the world. I am willing to pay more taxes to make better all that we need to make better - to bring our troops home and to care for them when they get here, to support diplomatic efforts, to provide health care for every single American, to reaffirm the values and morality of the Constitution, to clean up the corruption in corporations and Wall Street and in government, and to listen again -without judgment -to those who think there is a different way to get there.

I voted for Barack Obama because even though his actions to date have not yet reflected the change he offers in his speeches, he does represent a symbolic shift in what is possible to achieve in this country. That alone is reason to be proud and joyful.

Most important, I voted for Barack Obama because if we all accept our role to participate fully in creating, supporting, and accepting the changes that are necessary, then yes we can change the world.

MLW will be reporting the European perspective live from Paris, France, on Election Day 2008.

Bobby

2008-06-04T22:29:00.012-04:00

What is it about Bobby Kennedy that evokes so much emotion when we see his photo, read his words, listen to his speeches, and watch his interviews? History teaches us that iconic figures and events often make deep impressions that stretch beyond the individual and the circumstance to capture our own personal disappointments and sorrow.

And with Bobby, it has always been very personal to me.

Today’s post begins with family lore. The year was 1964; the place, the Municipal Airport in Kansas City, Missouri. Both my parents seemed in awe of Jack but in love with Bobby. My father guessed that Bobby would be coming through a different and less crowded entrance. As he did, I imagine all 11 of us were thrilled to discover he was right! But no one more so than my brother Frank, 5, who was crushed that the moment passed and he had missed shaking Bobby’s hand. Whether it was for the love of child or the adulation of someone who represented hope, my mother propelled herself forward, (with my 9-month old sister, Lorraine, in her arms) rushing after Bobby. His security pushed her aside but Bobby stopped and walked along with my mother asking about all the kids he had just met, comparing to how many he had at the time. And then he leaned over to shake Frank’s hand and tousle his hair. It is one of life’s ironies that Frank is the only member in my family to become a Republican (that’s how you rebel chez MLW) but he still has deep admiration for Bobby. And my mother says to this day, she has never seen eyes more blue or a face more full of sadness.

I was six years old when he was murdered four years later. Eight weeks before, I had been pulled from my First Grade class mid-day and sent home with my brothers and sisters. Martin Luther King had been killed and there was fear of rioting. I had seen National Guard tanks drive down our street the summer before during the riots. I remember feeling sadness for Mrs. Renaud, the only African-American teacher at my elementary school and her daughter, Nikki, who was in my class. It seemed to me as if Dr. King was a member of their family in that small way in which children view the world.

My father cried. My mother ripped from a wall in our TV room, a popular poster of the era of Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway as “Bonnie and Clyde.” I remember hearing through her anguished tears, “I am so sick of violence in this country.” I daydreamed I was a famous doctor who could save him so everyone could be happy again. We went to Mass. Later that evening I went to a family friend’s house for dinner. There was no conversation about Bobby, no sorrow, no tears. I was stunned that this family was not at all touched by the death of someone I assumed everyone loved. I wanted to go home. Like the Renauds and Dr. King, it seemed that Bobby was a part of my family.

As I grew up, I read everything I could about him. And deepening the connection, I remember, “Robert F. Kennedy and His Times” was the last book my father read.

There is no question that Kennedy was a flawed man. He supported one of the most hated senators in American history, Joseph McCarthy. He was obsessed with Jimmy Hoffa (perhaps their propensity for revenge was a mirror). He was famous for saying “Don’t get mad, get even.” He was considered ruthless, vindictive, and a person who would do anything to win. He was slight, barely 5’9”, introverted, a stumbling and uncomfortable speaker. There are shadows in many other places that may never be uncovered.

But the tragedy of his brother’s death changed him in a noble and lasting way. It is in this transformation that his largeness can be found. His sister-in-law, Jackie, was responsible for much of his adult education, introducing him to Greek mythology and French existentialism. He seemed to absorb these different perspectives of life as a salve against the pain in ways the faith of his childhood could not offer.

And in this sorrow, came the compassion and authenticity that reached across the divides of America that no politician since has been able to recreate. Bobby didn’t look like the disenfranchised, the forgotten, the oppressed, the poor, the hated, and the ignored –nor did he in his abundant wealth and extreme sports - live like them. He was, however, the first white male leader who noticed them; noticed them as human beings and not simply a demographic providing the Democratic Party with a voting advantage.

As he transformed, he became a more courageous politician. His face bore a vivid and ravaged map which spoke of what it meant to be human – to know both the best and worst of times; to know profound joy and deep loss; to know supreme accomplishment and bitter regret. And so, he entered places in which the forgotten of America and outside of America persevered, their hope stowed away in place of the grit needed to survive: the burnt-out streets of Watts, the forgotten black hills of Appalachia, the ignored farmlands of California, the entrenched poverty of Bedford-Stuyvesant. He flew to California to support the migrant worker’s strike and was humbled by the dedication of their leader, Cesar Chavez. Ascending from a horrendous coal mine in Lota, Chile, his comment to a reporter was, “If I had to work in that mine, I’d be Communist, too.” He challenged South Africans, still under apartheid rule, to imagine God as black.

He wasn’t afraid – although he was shocked –to listen in silence to the anger of blacks who were fed up with the slow pace of civil rights progression. Although their lack of patriotism was abhorrent to him (much like those who were naively shocked by Michelle Obama’s uncensored outburst of pride when her husband won the Iowa primary), he sought to understand their anger.

When I see photos of him cradling the face of a poor child in his very privileged hands – it is clear it wasn’t for his own personal glory but for the photo opportunity that would allow that child’s agony to be known to a wider audience. Over and over, published articles and books tell of his weeping after witnessing scenes of poverty and despair. It is no wonder, yet still astonishing, that he routinely used the words love and compassion in political speeches.

His words on the occasion of Martin Luther King’s death is one of these speeches and it is the best ever given by an American politician. He spoke in a poor, black, neighborhood in which the police refused to protect him. He asked the crowd to put down their signs of support for him and then he told them the news. He used no notes. He quoted the Greek poet, Aeschylus, in a voice –halting and full of sorrow- without arrogance, without exclusion, without expediency - because it was what had comforted his own soul and his own heart; and perhaps, theirs as well. Indianapolis –unlike many other American cities that night- was quiet.

His other nod to the Greeks, the phrase, “let us dedicate ourselves to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world” is what I wrote on my team’s white board when I returned to work after 9/11. It was one of the first things I thought of on that awful day because it captured the essential human condition – how to make sense of that which has no explanation?

Putting the romanticism aside, here’s the truth. He was not the favored candidate. He did not have the support of the Democratic Party. He was not the front-runner. He was not the candidate of intellectual liberals. He waited much too long to speak out against Vietnam and because of it, he did not –contrary to current media lore– have the student vote. His supporters were not the union heads but the union rank and file.

What he had was the poor –and he had them whether they were white, black, Latino, or Asian. In the Indiana primary, he won 85% of the black vote, and also won seven counties which had voted for George Wallace in the previous election.

What he had was the ability to transcend the boundaries of his upbringing - to demonstrate respect for those who were not respected, to share life’s pain in a way that did not demand pity but challenged us to be more compassionate, more loving, more honest, more soul-searching, and yes, more full of hope. Because this was the way he was living his own life.

For me, Bobby’s life is one of deep spiritual pain; pain that asks, “Why?” And when finding no answer, making the choice to keep being human, keep finding truth in compassion, and keep seeking salvation in empathy and redemption in action.

Maybe for those of us who admire him, we see our own potential for salvation, recognize our own pain of exclusion, our own chance for redemption. Maybe in his life’s example, we too, may choose a different and better way to live as individuals and as a country. We too, may, seek a newer world.

4,563

2008-05-25T02:29:00.005-04:00

Ever wonder about the origins of Memorial Day? I did, so I checked out http://www.usmemorialday.org/ and discovered...

"Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation's service. Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I. It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

To help re-educate and remind Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day, the National Moment of Remembrance resolution was passed in December, 2000, which asks that at 3 p.m. local time, for all Americans 'To voluntarily and informally observe in their own way a Moment of remembrance and respect, pausing from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or listening to 'Taps.'"

When I was growing up we had an American flag that we'd hang from our front porch on national holidays. I liked the rules associated with handling it. I liked watching my dad and my brothers fold and unfold it. Although I have a French flag hanging in my kitchen, I've never owned an American flag. As I grew older, the beauty of the flag's symbolism and the idea of American patriotism had been so manipulated by those who seemed to have little interest in our nation's history or its future, and who curiously enough, had never served in the military.

It's easy to forget that America is actually at war right now with all the media focused on waiting for a candidate to misstep or distorting a candidate's comments beyond recognition. I know this shit has been going on since Thomas Jefferson - but today, it seems so petty compared to what our country and our world is facing.

But no politics today.

My original intention was to list each of the 4,563 soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan but the list was too long for my blog platform to handle. So instead, I link to The Washington Post's site.

Please read at least one soldier's story. And while we are remembering, let's not forget the people of Iraq and Afghanistan the extent of whose suffering we may never know.

The Last Word

Leave it to an Elvis to get it right.

I don't own a recording of "Taps" but I do of this song. And listening to it will be how I remember the 4,563 who have lost their lives.

Recorded by Elvis Costello, written by Nick Lowe, this one is unfortunately timeless. For a modern version, you can also watch Chris Cornell.

"As I walk through
This wicked world
Searchin' for light in the darkness of insanity.
I ask myself Is all hope lost?
Is there only pain and hatred, and misery?
And each time I feel like this inside,
There's one thing I wanna know: What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

And as I walked on Through troubled times
My spirit gets so downhearted sometimes
So where are the strong
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.
'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?

So where are the strong?
And who are the trusted?
And where is the harmony? Sweet harmony.

'Cause each time I feel it slippin' away, just makes me wanna cry.
What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding?
Ohhhh What's so funny 'bout peace love & understanding? "

The Latest, Not So Greatest, the Past, and Obama for President

2008-04-28T21:30:00.013-04:00

As much as I love politics, the ridiculousness of our presidential campaigns sometimes gets the best of me. So I take a break and immerse myself in history where the characters seem more noble, less petty, and a hell of a lot smarter. Alas, negative campaigning and keeping women on the sidelines are as old as our country. But still, some of those 18th century guys were off-the-charts brilliant. If you missed it, buy the DVD for HBO's series John Adams and let freedom reign.

Generally speaking, though it's the media and the campaign experts and consultants and mercenaries (see David Alexrod and Mark Penn) who are more annoying than the candidates. For the first time in my life, I can understand some of the criticism of the Left. I'm not saying I agree with Republican policy but there isn't much intellectual or inspiring about today's liberal intelligensia. A few recent irritations and my reactions...

Samantha Power and Hillary the Monster
If you've read her book, The Problem From Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, which I highly recommend as it's one of my top-ten non-fiction books, you'd know she is no fan of the Clintons. Interestingly enough, she reserves praise in her book for only two American political figures - Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush with regard to foreign policy and action. When I was still an Obama fan I thought she was an excellent choice as a foreign policy advisor (one of many) because I thought she offered a unique view and understanding of the world.

Was I bummed that she called Hillary a monster?
Yea, I thought it was a cheap shot and it made her look like an amateur. It made me mad because I think she's brilliant. I hate when people I admire disagree with me!

Do I think she should have been fired or resigned?
Hell, no.

Democrats are always so spineless when demonstrating loyalty (and I count the Clintons among them) to their staffs when the press attention turns negative. She apologized a million times.
Get over it. She has a right to an opinion and a right to express it.

Reverend Jeremiah Wright and Chickens
I haven't watched any of the videos clips but from what I've read, I have to say I agree with a lot of what the man is saying. Did it really take Barack's overhyped (where he gave both his grandmother and the good reverend a slapdown) speech about race for people to realize that American blacks feel disenfranchised? Are you kidding me? I grew up in a very segregated city (not that New York is much better - it just hides it well) and I had enough relationships with African-Americans to know that they were treated and thought of differently by a large percentage of the white population. How is this news?

"The chickens coming home to roost" quotation (infamously used by Malcom X in response to a reporter's question about the assassination of JFK.) regarding 9/11 is exactly what Ron Paul said in one of the Republican debates, albeit, in somewhat less blunt terms. Rudy Giuliani then demanded that Paul apologize and he rightly refused to do so. If any American doesn't realize that our foreign policy plays a very large role in how we are viewed around the world then they need to immediately enroll in American History 101.

Does my statement mean I think 9/11 was an appropriate response? Of course not. I am pacifist who thinks violence only begets violence no matter how it can be justified. But America can't continue to intervene in political situations around the world and not expect violent ramifications. I do not believe there has ever been an American military action that was based solely on preserving human rights. Regardless of how we like to view ourselves, American economic interests are always in the foreground when it comes to military force.

I also like how the reverend reminded his audience that he served in the military unlike Dick-I-had-other-priorities-Cheney.

I haven't changed my mind about Obama but I think this is much ado about nothing. Do Catholics running for office have to defend some of the offensive, misogynistic messages that have come out of the Vatican? (Although the Catholic Church has always been right on poverty, war, and the death penalty - too bad most of their focus is on keeping women down.)

A small aside, Rudy is back in the news because he was given Communion during Pope Benedict's visit to NYC and as a twice-divorced man and pro-choice supporter, that's a no-no. The ever-evolved Cardinal Edward Egan of New York released a statement that he "deeply regretted" that Guiliani received Communion." How did Jesus Christ's teachings of love, forgiveness, and community get so distorted? Even if Rudy is a jerk and a professional Catholic who cares about giving him Communion? If he's going to Mass, doesn't that say something about his faith?

I always thought it was very revealing (and this is when I was for him) that Obama used Wright's "audacity of hope" line without giving him proper credit. It's such a powerful and a visual phrase - how could you not credit the source? Seems to me if he and Barry were really close, he would be laying low now instead of continuing to make speeches that inflame Fox News and force Obama to keep responding.

Poor, White People Are Racist and That's Why They Vote for Hillary
Yes, there are demographics that historically indicate that urban areas (with more minorities) will vote with Democrats. But in 2008, suddenly if you're white and poor, you are also racist and won't vote for Obama.

Why isn't the long list of rich, powerful, white men who quite publicly endorse and support Obama called sexist? Maybe because they are still the ones in charge - of our government, our corporations, our hospitals, our military, our educational institutions, our economy.

There is no question that neither candidate grew up poor or worried about getting a privileged and elite education. (Student loans don't cover the entire tuition tab.) It reminds me of the same tone after Hurricane Katrina. Why are the poor in this country continually regarded as stupid and/or criminal? Working-class -whether white, black, brown, yellow, female, male -does not equal stupid nor does it equal racist. Just like upper-class doesn't equal smart or evolved or liberal or open-minded. Racists come in all shapes and colors and genders. This is where Bubba always scored more points because even though he had an extremely privileged education, he never pretended he was better or smarter than the people voting for him. More about our Elvis president below.

Bill Clinton has forever tarnished his reputation
The man was impeached - do we really think some stupid comments in this campaign are worse than that? I don't think so. Bill's speciality is redemption. He'll be back.

But I do think he's more focused on Obama losing than Hillary winning. And so much for FOBs. All those people who the Clintons campaigned for (word to Claire McCaskill - there is a difference between a man who cheats on his wife and a pedophile. But if you are really worried, at the next Obama event, you might want to keep your daughter far from Bill Richardson -he is rumored to know a thing or two about sexual harrassment.) jumping ship like nobody's business. Political karma will eventually bite all of them on the ass, too. I wish one of them would just say, "Listen it's better for me to go with who I think is going to win -this way I'll get that political appointment I want."

And now a long-time MLW Readers and guest blogger, Kelly Johnson tells us ...

Why I Support Barack Obama
During the last eight years, I have either experienced or witnessed the negative changes that have occurred in this country. I am at the point where most days I can’t stand to look at the news anymore because of what I might hear next.

I’m either hearing about the number of people who have lost or are losing their homes due to foreclosure; or people losing their jobs due to outsourcing, off shoring, or the impact of the slowing/poor economy. I never would have thought that in 2008 we would hear about nooses hanging from trees or in places of business, or trees that only white people can sit under. Worse yet, that we would have a federal justice system that does not care or is no longer equipped to fight these injustices because they are inadequately staffed.

Then there’s the youth in this country. They’re either impacted by poor educational systems, lack of good health care, or have just run out of hope. All of this is just the tip of the iceberg as far as what I see as the slow decline of this country.

Now more than ever, something must be done to bring about serious change in this country. We need to be brought together more now then ever or we’ll continue to fight against each other, never move beyond where we are today, and just continue on a slow decline.

American needs a change…bad! We need a new point of view; we need someone who isn’t so out of touch with what’s going on in the real world because they’ve spent too much time in Washington. We need someone who has worked among us to bring about change. We need someone willing to work with the people who may be on the opposite side of the political aisle from them. Or someone who doesn’t have a problem meeting with our enemies in an effort to defend America’s interest. Remember the saying “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer?”

I believe that Barack Obama is that candidate and not only understands the issues that affect Black America, but America as a whole. He’s done something that no candidate running for president has done in many years; inspire hope in so many different people.

And to see so many young people inspired by his candidacy is also moving. The impact of Obama becoming president will send a ripple of hope to so many of our young people, it’s unbelievable. I think young minorities, especially men, will be impacted most of all. I think for the first time for so many of them, they will have real hope in their dream to become President of the United States some day.

I support Barack Obama because he’s smart, he’s capable, and I think he can bring about the right kind of change we need. I support Barack Obama because the issues I care about, he cares about and wants to correct the problems brought on by our current administration.

I truly and honestly believe he’s the right person for the job. That’s why I’m supporting Barack Obama for President.

Kelly Johnson is a communications professional who lives in Houston, Texas, and knows when to use a classic quotation from Don Vito Corleone.

The Last Word
This made me cry and reminded me of John Edwards best campaign line, "It's time to be patriotic about something other than war." Start watching at 4:16 if you don't have time for the whole clip.

Yes She Can

2008-03-05T01:56:00.003-05:00

It ain't over til it's over. I don't know what over means but I do know this week,

The press woke up (for 60 seconds)
The voters took pause
Something in the VOTERS is not yet decided

What is clear .....on to Denver.

And the Comeback Kid comes alive.

MLW's First Guest Blogger

2008-03-01T13:36:00.008-05:00

As much as I love to write, I find that you, my readers, are often better and more interesting writers! In that vein, today's edition of My Liberal World has a guest editor known as DGB. Before we get there....If you'd like a shot being my guest blogger, just email me.

Last month's post, garnered the most comments of any post I've published -thank you for reading and caring enough to make public your comments!

A Shout-Out to...

Dorothy F. Bednar for voting in her 15th Presidential election (even if this was just the primary- Missouri didn't always have a primary!)

Micaela Johnson, Arthur Johnson, and Caroline Godfrey for participating in their very first primary caucus.

Here is what Caroline wrote about her vote...
I'm so excited that for the first time I got to voice, truly voice my opinion in the American Democratic system. The turnout was amazing; the place was soo crowded! People came to vote and were excited about it. Right before we went in to vote I was STILLL trying to figure out who to vote for. Hillary or Obama? Obama inspired me to care about voting, but Hillary is ready for the White House. It truly was a Super Tuesday!!!

Here is what Micaela wrote about her vote...
The reason I voted was to change America. I would like the economy to be reliable so i will be able to get a job in a few years when I graduate from college. I voted for Obama because to the young people in his country, he is fresh and clean and inspirational. Our generation wants a president with no history and Obama is brand new to us. He is uniting the young people of this country and that has to happen if we are really going to change America!

To the lovely woman who sat next to me at Hillary's speech at Hunter College last week who told me, "I'm a proud to be liberal because it means I look beyond my own interests and take into consideration the interest of others, too."

Who Will I Vote For?

I am a demographic. That sounds odd but that is what a pollster hack sees when he looks through his kaleidoscope to define who the voter is. I am divorced (anulled through the plenary power of the local dioceses), remarried to a beautiful and intelligent woman, a father of three incredible boys, and, I am a corporation. I'm a lawyer and I defend those accused of committing crimes.

I live in the world that most people are able to see and read about through the talented writings of more eloquent lawyers. In my world and yours, interrogations are not just a political issue limited to debate during times of war or presidential elections. They occur on a daily basis in any small town across the United States, not just in Cuba or some CIA building located in Europe. Those interrogated are not just the shoe bombers, the Muslims, or the Arabic men shuttled through the dark of night in an unmarked government jet.

Those interrogated are your neighbors, your co-workers, your brothers and sisters, and your children. When the government starts to chip away at our freedom because "it will make us safer," it should signal that we are about to give up something that is precious. We would never sacrifice something important unless there was something more important to be gained. That is why this con is always masqueraded as the pillow we lay our head on at the end of the day. The comfort we've been looking forward to, the security that we all need.

Is this what Malcom X thought when he said, "Don't be bamboozled or hoodwinked by the man!" Because that is what has happened over the last eight years. The demographic described in the first paragraph, has been so eager to trade his constitutional rights so he can take his wife and 2.5 kids to Applebee's and sit there safely and eat jalapeno poppers, that he does not give a shit that his son is, one day, going to be interrogated down at the county jail until he confesses to something he didn't do.

What is patriotic about letting the FBI conduct a "sneak and peak" search of your home because you donated to a questionable charity or surfed websites linked to terrorism? What is patriotic about letting the phone company and your internet provider disclose all of your records to overzealous field agents working for the Fed? What is patriotic about being stopped on the interstate and having to explain to a cop where you've been and what your intinerary is? Why do we sacrifice for safety? We don't. We sacrifice for political expediency. It's bullshit and it has to stop now.

I want a president that is going to value our constitutional rights. I want a president that looks to strengthen our right to counsel, our right to a speedy trial, and above all, the right of privacy in our homes. We've had enough and it's time to fight back.

I was recently impressed with the new-found strength of a client that sent her husband to the emergency room with a punctured lung. Mr. Tough Guy had been an abusive fellow for most of his relationship with my client. Taking advantage of her, as well as taking his problems out on her, she was his personal punching bag. She's been to the hospital, too. Black eyes, bruised spleen, broken jaw, and other "accidents" that afflict similar women. Tough Guy boasted that as soon as he came out of the bathroom she was going to get the ass kick'n she deserved for looking at his friends the way she did.

Things did not turn out so well for Tough Guy. He came out of the bathroom all fired up but he was greeted by the most appropriate of all things, a "survival" knife. After an extremely intense struggle, she called the paramedics to haul him off. She had enough.

Sure, he paid the rent, he brought home money for the kids to go to school, and money to put food on the table, but the security he offered was really none at all. Tough Guy had his own version of the Patriot Act.

Only fourteen Senators voted last year for change. Obama and Clinton were two of them.

Hillary is going to be my "survival" knife. Hillary is going to be my Big Sun. She can do what Obama dreams of doing.

Go listen to Eddie Vedder's cover of Indio's Hard Sun or read the lyrics.

Hillary is like the woman described in that song.

Hillary is the strength that we need.

When I first started defending people, I was frustrated when people told me that they appreciated my positive energy and my desire to fight their case and to fight for their defense, but they had decided to hire another attorney with more experience. However, after a decade of criminal defense work, I have not only gained the necessary experience, but the positive energy and the will to fight has grown stronger. When I look at Hillary, I see me. Hillary is not deterred by the obstacles and the challenges, those are her strengths, that is her energy. Hillary is my choice because I don't give a fuck where I lay my head down at night. Right now, the sense of security is false and I want it to be real.

I will hire Barack one day but not today.

Guest Blogger, DGB, a criminal defense attorney remains anonymous to protect his client's privacy.

My Vote This Tuesday

2008-02-02T23:58:00.000-05:00

I begin with a shout-out to five of my nieces and nephews - who will participate for the first time in this year's election.

Micaela, Michael, Andrew, Caroline, and Arthur - rock the vote!

And second, a salute to Senator John Edwards. It was a honor to support a man, along with his wife, who was angry, authentic, and focused in his support of Americans who have not had a voice in this election, and more important, in this country for an obscene amount of time.

I hope that our next president finds him a place in their administration. Imagine John Edwards as Attorney General - now that's a way to banish the hideous memory of smug, torture-advocate Alberto Gonzales.

With Edwards' absence, I've had to reassess many of my opinions and judgments. I read what the pundits have predicted about which candidate will pick up his supporters. It is interesting to start with an almost blank slate when trying to decide who to support. So this week, I researched, I asked other people for their thoughts, I listened, and I read.

And this is what I noticed...

I see Hillary being crucified for running a campaign - a campaign just like men have run for years.

I notice that Barack and his campaign's personal attacks on her (from Michelle Obama insisting one had to get their own house in order before putting the White House in order to David Axelrod, Barack's chief strategist/political mercenary, associating Benizar Bhutto's assassination with Hillary's vote for the war) are downplayed by the media.

I see Hillary being criticized - once again -for her husband. What American isn't aware of the flaws of Bill Clinton? The false incredulity and disdain is beyond hypocritcal. I don't understand why calling someone's stance "a fairy tale" is demeaning. Isn't dismissing the impact of Bill's presidency while giving props to Ronald Reagan more distasteful? I find the praise of Reagan particularly insensitive to those of us who didn't get a drop of the trickled-down wealth of the 80s. The compassionate echoes of Barack's 2004 DNC speech that left me speechless in awe are less and less audible.

During the South Carolina debates, I heard Barack compare his work as a community organizer to Hillary's presence on the board of Wal-Mart. (and her comeback was just as sharp - I think slumlord was bandied about.) The truth is both Barack and Bill owe the freedom to pursue their passion for public service to their wives who pursued the right to make 76 cents on the dollar working for the corporate man.

The headlines this week are so 1992 -Hillary who "will do anything to get elected." Bill is risking his flawless reputation as "global leader." The Clinton machine has "an unquenchable thirst for power and will stop at nothing to achieve victory." You'd think that they'd hired Karl Rove to run things.

This same outraged press was mute while the junta led us into a phony war; stole an election; and questioned a triple-amputee Vietnam veteran's patriotism. A press who quickly forgot the national disgrace in the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And all these self-righteous Democrats suddenly don the mantle of brave, ethical statesmen while forgetting their total and embarrassing submission to the Bush administration during the last eight years.

I used to complain about Edwards not getting media attention. This week I notice the disparity in coverage between the two remaining candidates. For example, how many times has the press mentioned the endorsement by Ted and Caroline Kennedy and now Ethel Kennedy? How many times have you read that Kathleen, Kerry, and Bobby, Kennedy, Jr. have endorsed Hillary?

The supposed biggest difference between Hillary and Barack is that he gave a speech against the war in 2002. Yet when he actually had the power to manifest that opinion as a U.S. Senator, we find that in 69 votes on the war in Iraq, he and Hillary have similar voting records. There is only one vote in which they differed. (Hillary voted against; Barack voted for confirming George Casey as Chief of Staff for the Army.) When Barack had the chance to -at least - symbolically stick with the his pre-election stance, by voting against the confirmation of Condoleeza Rice, he chose to go with the establishment. On his own website, the response to why he continued to vote for funding the war, was because so did the other Democrats. Now tell me again how he represents a breath of fresh air and progressive thinking?

So if there is no difference between Hillary and Barack in their overall stance on the war and other issues, how to cast my vote?

I've heard people say that jihadists will be less likely to attack the U.S. if a man with brown skin is our president. It has hasn't stopped anyone from killing the men and women of color who wear the uniform of the U.S. military.

I've heard people say Barack is inspiring young people to participate in the political process in unprecedented numbers. I have no argument with that. But surely there are some young women inspired by the first female candidate for president as well? Has anyone asked The White House Project and Emily's List for those demographics?

I remembered watching the healthcare debates in Las Vegas last spring. Even as an Edwards supporter, I was impressed by Hillary's performance. She was comfortable, confident, and comprehensive in her knowledge.

The next president is going to have a hell of a mess to clean up. This week at work a colleague told me she thought in terms of "who would I hire?" Makes perfect sense.

When you are under 25, you look for inspiration from those in authority above you because it's rare that you are doing the hiring. With age and experience, I think we demand something more substantial than just inspiration from those we hire or from those above us.

I'm not sure the person the LA Times describes as a poem and a self-proclaimed "work in progress" is who I would hire to clean up the disaster area that our government has become.

As you know from previous posts, being like JFK is not an asset in my eyes. He might have touched a generation with the poetry of his speechwriters (interestingly enough, Barack's speechwriters study the speeches of Bobby, not Jack) but his actual record is less than inspiring. And a lot of that inspired generation ended up fighting in a war he helped escalate. JFK didn't show much courage when it came to real societal change - a quick review of the civil rights movement demonstrates that.

When John Edwards said he had to step aside to let history blaze its path, I knew I too must make my contribution to this special moment in time. So I ask myself:

How can I ignore the impact of having a qualified woman -not just any woman -assume the most powerful position in the world?

How can I ignore that in 2008 women are still judged more harshly, paid less, and live in fear of their physical safety?

How can I ignore the possibility that the rampant low self-esteem of women could be replaced with a tidal wave of belief in their own potential for greatness?

How can I ignore the symbolic effect a female president could have on the dreams and aspirations of women in generations to come? Not to mention, the generations of men, too.

But in the end, the heart and the intellect must come together to choose -regardless of race, regardless of gender. So I am casting my vote for the candidate I think is smarter, tougher, more prepared, more able to facilitate lasting change through doing, and yes, more compassionate and more inspirational.

On Tuesday, in Election District 80 in Manhattan County, I am proud to say I will pull the lever for Senator Hillary Clinton.

Here We Are Now

2008-01-12T11:47:00.000-05:00

Yes it's been a long time. Working for the man can do that to you. But it's all good because sometimes working for the man ain't such a bad thing. Good pay, good people, great benefits. I can't bitch when 45 million Americans don't have what I have...

health insurance.

So let's start at the beginning....answering questions from the last post about the war in Iraq. The war isn't much in the news these days because according to our extremely curious and deep-digging press (See post "The Fourth Estate") the surge is working. In reality, I think it's probably a combination of the Presidential election and celebrity obsessions.

No one responded to MLW saying that knew anyone in Iraq personally - a few extended relationships. I still don't know anyone personally - there was a guy who I was friends with in grade school but he is long since back. Imagine being sent to war at 46.

What have we accomplished in almost 5 years?
I know a brutal dictator was taken down. A dictator we supported in the recent past. I don't know of any other accomplishment to put under this category. With all the mainstream media support of Bush's war, it's surprising that I can't name more victories ripped straight from today's headline!

How many American servicemen and women have been killed?
Since the war began on March 19, 2003, the Department of Defense (DOD) lists 3,921 American soldiers killed as of January 12, 2008.

How many American servicemen and women have been injured?
28, 822. Twenty percent of these are serious brain or spinal injuries. More than 30% of soldiers returning home will suffer from serious mental health problems.

How many Iraqi civilians have been killed since the war began?
The DOD doesn't keep records of civilians killed in war. You would think we'd be interested in knowing how many people have been killed in a country we are trying to "save." But nope. Not interested.

A British polling agency, Opinion Research Business who has been working in Iraq since 2005, released results in September 2007, that report more than 1 million Iraqis have been killed since the invasion began.

More than 1, 000, 000.

Most reports say that under Saddam, 100,000 Iraqis were killed. Do the math and tell me we haven't created a new generation who will hate us.

How many Iraqi civilians are now refugees?
There are more than 2 million Iraqi refugees currently living in Syria and Jordan. That's about half the population of Iraq before America waged war.

How much have Halliburton's profits increased since the war?
Halliburton's CEO, David Lesar's stock has increased by $78 million since the war began in 2003. The company itself has profited $13 billion. Although it's subsidiary, Kellog, Brown & Root was sold in 2007 (after they were handed down indictments when a Pentagon audit revealed rampant overcharging), they still have contracts worth up to $18 billion including the single no-bid contract "Restore Iraq Oil." I haven't even mentioned their contracts in Afghanistan.

How much have oil companies profited since the war?
Exxon posted record profits in 2006 - 39.5 billion. The biggest in their history. According to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, "In 2006, the big five oil companies made $97 billion — nearly five times their profits in 2002."

She described this rise as obscene. I think it's safe to say the only oil company who wouldn't have profited during this time is the now-defunct Arbusto Oil Company because their CEO wasn't very smart. Although he was smart enough to go bust and still walk out with cash. I'm not sure if that's smart or corrupt.

Now the Election

I think this race is going to topple a lot of longstanding conventional wisdom when it comes to American presidential elections. I can't tolerate TV coverage because all the reporters are so ridiculous - more interested in their celebrity status than actual journalism. Can we please get Bill Moyers to moderate a debate.

I watched both debates the first week in January and it continues to amaze me how the media and other candidates laugh at Ron Paul's wise comments about our foreign policy. Rudy Giuliani, in particular, makes such incredibly ignorant statements that I can't believe anyone takes him seriously. He is especially ridiculous when he talks about knowing how to handle terrorism. As a reminder, Rudy -against all expert advice- placed his emergency operations next door to the heretofore only American location attacked by terrorists -hardly indicative of good judgment.

The truth is - anyone is going to be better than George Bush. But we actually have a choice this time, so might as well be particular.

Who I Support and What I Think About The Others

I'm still for John Edwards. I've seen him speak twice since the last posting and each time he's impressed me with his vision for the future. He's not in the press much except as being behind in the polls and being portrayed as "too angry." He's still has a more passionate and authentic narrative than any of the other candidates. An AP article this morning indicated he still has 20% of American voters behind him and they are considered very loyal.

I think while John's message has hope it reminds us of what's under the carpet. Americans in this day and age are extremely judgmental about poverty or they feel all sorts of power about monitoring how their tax-deductible charity is spent. On the one hand, I agree. Life is about choices. Fiscal responsibility is a powerful choice.

But I can tell you, that it's by the grace of God that some of my bad choices and fiscal irresponsibilityhaven't landed me in a low-paying job, living in a crappy, unsafe apartment, with too many kids, and an abusive husband. At each step of the way in my life, there were people or institutions who extended themselves to help me. From work studies in high school to student loans for college to friends who got me an interview at the right place, I had help. That's what makes my experience as an American great. The ability to move up with encouragement and help. I didn't get here on my own.

My bottom line with Edwards - he's the real deal.

Hillary Clinton - I think she's the best debater, very competent, and brilliant. I think her tears were real. Trust me, I have cried more than once in the bathroom at work. And while I've had some shitty bosses (both men and women), I didn't have to put up with the indignity of journalists and pundits making fun of my hair, my ass, my cleavage, and my clothes. And yes that's what you get when you are in the public eye but why do we tolerate that?

And contrary to Maureen Dowd's misogynistic (yes, she's a woman-hater) comments, I think it was more than just about losing. I am conflicted about not supporting a woman because it's about damn time we had a woman as President. All this talk of being power-hungry. Why is wanting to have power to make changes a bad thing? Men have thirsted for power since time began but someone how it's evil when it's a woman.

My bottom line with Hillary - she keeps supporting the war and she's has so much lobbyist money behind her. How is she going to get universal health care that doesn't ensure the insurance and pharma companies keep reaping the monstrous profits?

Barack Obama - He's the male version of Hillary as for as special interests. He's got Wall Street and is only second to Hillary in health care lobbyists behind him. I was impressed that Samantha Power is his foreign policy advisor. Sure he was against the war in 2002, but once he got power, he voted to keep the funding. And yes the troops need funding to maintain but where's the fight to bring them home? Where's the fight to make sure they are adequately cared for when they return?

Smooth, elegant, intellectual, and aloof. I met the guy when I was at the height of my support for him and even then I could say he was not warm. Friendly but not warm. I think he's a poet and I think he's an unparalleled orator. I've got his DNC speech on my iPod! But I think he's the Ronald Reagan of the Democratic party. Great looks, great brain, great words, great speaker - but what else is there? I like his wife better.

My bottom line with Barack - I thought he was Bobby Kennedy and he's Jack instead.

Gail Collins wrote in The New York Times last week, "Who is 21 and not for Obama?"
Gloria Steinem endorsed Hillary.
Michael Moore is behind Edwards.

I think it's up for grabs. Still.

Questions for You

Who are you for?
Which network do you watch for coverage?

Do You Know?

2007-05-24T22:34:00.000-04:00

As we head into Memorial Day weekend, which according to Wikipedia, is to honor U.S. men and women who have died in military service, I have a few questions. If you know the answers, please post them in Comments.

Do you know anyone serving in Iraq?

Do you know anyone who has died in Iraq?

We are not a country at war. We are a small percentage of Americans fighting for a cause no one can describe, against a country that has done nothing to America.

There might be insurgents there now -since 2003 - who are sponsored by terrorist parties but there is no proof that they were there before we started this war.

We -as citizens of a country supporting pre-emptive war- have sacrificed nothing for this war.

Nothing.

Not a dime.
Not a drop of blood.
Not a moment of our time.
Not a gallon of gas.

Although I bet those of us with SUVs are bitching about $3.50 a gallon.

The Bushes even broke tradition to decorate the White House at Christmas. Never before had that been done when America was at war. (Thank you, Nancy Johnson, for that fact.)

And George Bush and his chickenhawk junta support the troops?

I pass by a very small group of people at St. Paul's Church in Lower Manhattan every Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. who have stood vigil there since the war began.

In 2003.

4 years ago.

Next week, I'm going to join them.

What have we accomplished in 4 years?

Do you know how many American service men and women have died?

Do you know how many American service men and women have been injured?

Do you know how many Iraqi civilians have died? By civilian, I mean women and children.

Do you know how many Iraqi civilians are now refugees?

Do you know how much Halliburton's profits have increased since 2003?

Do you know how much oil companies' profits have increased since 2003?

Please ask anyone you know who supports this war to answer these questions.

Then ask them if they would send their son or daughter to fight this very critical war for our nation.

The Shame List
It's only partial. And it's in red for the blood on their hands. They can use all the phony and politically expedient language that will make them re-electable and prevent anyone from saying they "didn't support the troops." But they are no way supporting the troops by allowing this measure to pass. They can kid themselves for the rest of their political career.

100 billion dollars.

But they can't fool MLW.

Claire McCaskill (D) - Missouri.
I'm sorry I shook your hand and congratulated you on your victory in January. You are an embarrassment to all women of Missouri.

Chuck Schumer (D) - New York
Why didn't you vote, Chuck?

Diane Feinstein (D) - California
How can you look at yourself in the mirror? San Franciscans should revoke your senatorship.

Evan Bayh (D) - Indiana
I bet if you were running for President, your vote would be different. You'd have to keep up with Hillary and Barack, wouldn't you?

Mary Landrieu (D) - Louisianna
Not really a surprise, you sold out your own people on CNN during Katrina until Andersen Cooper shone a bright light on your political ass-kissing.

Robert Byrd (D) - Virginia
You can't tell me you prayed and then voted this way. After all this time in the Senate, you don't have the courage to vote the right way? And you carry the Constitution in your pocket? It is besmirched by your presence.

Joe Biden (D) - Rhode Island
Yes, Mr. Foreign Policy. What a wise and thoughtful vote. How many sons do you have that could enlist?

James Webb (D) - Viriginia
After you smarted off to Bush - you vote for his war? With your son over there?

The 14 Lone Rangers

Boxer (D-CA)
Burr (R-NC)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coburn (R-OK)
Dodd (D-CT)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feingold (D-WI)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Obama (D-IL)
Sanders (I-VT)
Whitehouse (D-RI)
Wyden (D-OR)

Former VP Al Gore spoke across the street tonight at the 92nd Street Y. My neighborhood was full of Gore 08 button-wearing people. I asked a woman how he did - she said, "He was forceful."

Yea, it's about time.

Only he and Edwards are speaking truth these days. Inconvenient or not. But let's focus on haircuts, why don't we? Because that is what really matters in politics and for the future of our country.

I'm a liberal feminist. I make a middle-class salary. I got my hair cut and colored a week ago. I do it every 4-6 weeks.

My bill was $300.

Yes. It's crazy. Yes. It's vain. Yes. It's way too much money. And I bet, 10 women who read this blog could give me similar figures on what they spend on their hair.

Please tell me how that makes any difference to my political views? My dedication to making this country a better place to live? My commitment to those less fortunate than me?

Yea didn't think so.

The Last Word
Why is Alberto Gonazales still our Attorney General? How is this possible?

Ad Astra Per Aspera

2007-05-10T17:17:00.000-04:00

Ad Astra Per Aspera

This special edition of MLW is in tribute to the people of Greensburg, Kansas and Governor Katherine Sebelius (D). The title of the post is the Kansas state motto, "to the stars, through difficulty."

As you know the town of Greensburg was devastated by a tornado last week. Twelve of their total population of 1,600 people were killed.

State emergency response resources were slowed because - like the towns impacted by Hurricane Katrina -a large percentage (60%) of National Guard equipment is being used in Iraq. Governor Sebelius was outspoken about the resource deficit and was derisively dismissed by junta propagandist, Tony Snow. Mr Snow-Job blamed the governor for the lack of resources by saying you have to ask for something in order to get it and the only thing she had asked for were FM radios. Here you'll find a history of the governor's requests for replacement equipment dating back to 2005. Some reports say that 90% of the National Guards across the nation face the exact same resource deficit. We see how this impacted the citizens of New Orleans and we see how difficult it's becoming to keep blaming the victims.

If you've got anything extra to spare, think about donating to this brave little town in the heartland. You'll find a link to one of the local organizations partnering with the American Red Cross on the right under "Give If You Can." An MLW reader in Houston, Kelly Johnson, provides this link to aerial photographs of the destruction.

The Fourth Estate - Blood on Their Hands

2007-05-06T14:48:00.000-04:00

This week, I bow to the best journalist in my lifetime. In his special, Buying the War, Bill Moyer's dignity and integrity stands far and above today's media. The non-celebrity grunts at Knight Ridder also earn this distinction because they take their role as journalists seriously - they do the actual work of reporting that the hacks at the Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) are too scared (lazy) to do. Their fear seems more connected to their personal bank accounts and status as celebrity journalists than it does to incurring the wrath of the junta. Even Oprah should be ashamed of herself - watch her slap down an audience member who dares question the war.

This story is also definitive proof that the Big Three and The New York Times are not liberal. Ever since I read "Unreliable Sources: A Guide to Detecting Bias in the Media" and saw "Manufactured Consent," I realized that while there may exist a liberal press in America -it is not mainstream nor is it referred to as journalism. More than often than not, the non-mainstream view is considered "out there cranks," "kooky and paranoid," and "anti-American."

When did questioning authority go out of fashion? On September 12, 2001? Or was it on December 12, 2000, when a non-violent coup d'etat led by the U.S. Supreme Court put the junta in power?

I remember coming to work the morning after John Kerry had been nominated as the Democratic candidate for President in 2004. The security at work was heightened and the headlines were not of Kerry but of then Attorney General, John Ashcroft, revealing a terrorist plot to blow up financial institutions, that the FBI had miraculously foiled. When I questioned the timing and the veracity of the claim, a consultant told me I was "out of control with the cynicism." Not cynical at all as it was later proven that the discovery of the plot had happened months before - with no fanfare or suggestions to tighten security - and the timing was to distract from Kerry's nomination.

The Moyers piece is five parts around 15 minutes each but it is well worth watching. If nothing else but to see the most overrated journalist in America, Tim Russert, flounder under Moyers succinct questioning.

I do wish Moyers had questioned Bob Woodward whose ascent to Chief Propagandist under the junta (until it was more lucrative to criticize it -unfortunately, that MO hasn't worked too well for George Tenet) almost, almost negates his role in bringing down King Richard.

France Stays Red

In France, it's Sarkozy. Eighty-five percent of the French electorate voted today.

85 percent of eligible voters voted.

Imagine asking Americans to vote twice within a two-week time period!
I had hoped it would be Madame Royal but fear seems to have won over faith. Maureen Dowd wrote her usual inane column today (with an inappropriate French word in the title. I'm pretty sure she didn't mean to say "The Countryside, That's Me" in her Louis XIV play on words) but she did provide an interesting description of Sarkozy, "the right-wing front runner is a brute, Rudy Giuliani without the restraint." Rudy the Rock, as Chirac called him - being compared to a French politician - quelle horreur for the right wingers in America! It would be interesting to see Rudy actually act with restraint in order to make an objective comparison. (LePen refers to a far-right, openly racist candidate. Sarkozy as Interior Minister once referred to immigrants in Paris' northern suburbs as "scum." He made these statements shortly before the three weeks of rioting in 2005).

Condi's Dad was a Black Panther
Just kidding - but that headline is an example of how the junta and the American media manipulated the march to war. I have never read about our Smoking Gun Secretary of State's father but in the Time's Lede blog post about the anniversary of Kent State this week, the following response was included. Dean John Rice, died in 2000 but the story below made me wonder what he would think of his daughter's role in this atrocious and unjustified war.

One college dean whose identity may surprise your readers was deeply disturbed by the Kent State shootings at the time. He was the father of our Secretary of State. Chip Berlet, who edited the student paper at Dean Rice’s institution, wrote this account in 2004:

“When I hear Condoleezza Rice defending the war in Iraq, I think of her father denouncing the war in Vietnam. Condi’s dad was a Dean in the college of liberal arts at the University of Denver in the early 1970s when I was editor of the student newspaper, the Clarion. His name was John Rice, but no student dared call him that. He was an imposing figure, and we all called him “Dean” Rice.

In her book "Bushwomen," Laura Flanders traces how Condi Rice was recruited by right-wing Republicans. Flanders recounts how Ms. Rice, speaking at the GOP convention in Philadelphia, said that her father “was the first Republican I knew,” and claimed “In America, with education and hard work, it really does not matter where you come from; it matters only where you are going.”

That’s not what I learned from Dean Rice. I took his class “The Black Experience in America,” and continued to attend the seminars with his encouragement. The seminar was built around a series of invited speakers who lectured in a public form followed by classroom discussions. That’s where I met Fannie Lou Hamer, a black voting rights activist from Sunflower County Mississippi, who led the successful challenge to the all-white Mississippi delegation to the 1964 Democrat Convention. That’s where I heard Dean Rice explain that he had always refused to register as a Democrat because that was the party of the bigots who had blocked his voter registration when he and his family lived in the South.

Dean Rice may have been registered as a Republican up North, but he taught me about working for progressive social change and opposing institutional racism.

He taught me that white people like me enjoyed privileges routinely denied to blacks. He taught me that the proportion of blacks serving in Vietnam was tied to economic and social policies at home. And he pointed out that along with this knowledge came an absolute moral imperative to act.

The seminar speakers invited by Dean Rice included a wide range of perspectives–from members of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, to exiled South African poet Dennis Brutus, to Louis Farrakhan explaining the teachings of Black Muslim Elijah Mohammed, to Lee Evans and John Carlos who were organizing black athletes to resist racism. It was Carlos and a teammate who gave the black power salute after winning medals at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City.

I still have a tape of the lecture by Andrew Young who was then a leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. It was long ago, but I think I remember Condi as a teenager all dressed up playing the classical piano introduction to Young’s speech. Condi was so smart and talented she was a bit scary. We all knew she was being groomed to go far, but we never suspected she would end up painting a public picture of her father that many of us would not recognize.

Dean Rice had high standards for all of us; and as his students we respected him enough to ask him to speak in May of 1971 at a campus memorial service for the students slain at Kent and Jackson State the previous year. Dean Rice eulogized the dead students as “young people who gave their lives for the cause of freedom and for the cause of eliminating useless war.” He read the names of those from the university community who had died in Vietnam. He spoke of the atrocities.

Then he challenged us all: “When tomorrow comes will you be the perpetuators of war or of peace? Are you the generation to bring to America a lasting peace? Or did your brothers and sisters at Kent and Jackson State die in vain?”

More than thirty years later I leaf through old issues of the University of Denver Clarion and old letters from Dean Rice. On the television I hear the Bush Administration justifications and rationalizations for the war in Iraq, the war on terrorism, the endless wars. And I know that what I taught my child, and what I teach others, is shaped by the question asked by John Rice in 1971: “When tomorrow comes will you be the perpetuators of war or of peace?”

The Last Word
Click on the icon to the upper right, A Million Blogs for Peace, and encourage all your blogsters to sign up!

This Week Other Peoples' Words Are Better

2007-04-29T22:54:00.000-04:00

Sometimes you have to concede when someone else's words are much better than yours. This week, first, I hand the keyboard over to an 80s icon for keeping it real, and then to the group that brought a political grassroots movement into the new millennium.

A shout to Paulie B for sending this to me. I checked on Urban Myth and it's real. Lee is cooking!

Lee Iaccoca Speaking Truth to -Everyone!

"Am I the only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage? We should be screaming bloody murder. We've got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.

But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'Stay the course.' Stay the course? You've got to be kidding. This is America, not the damned Titanic. I'll give you a sound bite: Throw the bums out! You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker, and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country anymore. The President of the United States is given a free pass to ignore the Constitution, tap our phones, and lead us to war on a pack of lies. Congress responds to record deficits by passing a huge tax cut for the wealthy (thanks, but I don't need it). The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys in handcuffs. While we're fiddling in Iraq, the Middle East is burning and nobody seems to know what to do. And the press is waving pom-poms instead of asking hard questions. That's not the promise of America my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough. How about you?

I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. My friends tell me to calm down. They say, 'Lee, you're eighty-two years old. Leave the rage to the young people.' I'd love to as soon as I can pry them away from their iPods for five seconds and get them to pay attention. I'm going to speak up because it's my patriotic duty. I think people will listen to me. They say I have a reputation as a straight shooter. So I'll tell you how I see it, and it's not pretty, but at least it's real. I'm hoping to strike a nerve in those young folks who say they don't vote because they don't trust politicians to represent their interests.

Hey, America, wake up. These guys work for us. (ed. note, Take that Karl Rove!)

Who Are These Guys, Anyway?

Why are we in this mess? How did we end up with this crowd in Washington? Well, we voted for them or at least some of us did. But I'll tell you what we didn't do. We didn't agree to suspend the Constitution. We didn't agree to stop asking questions or demanding answers. Some of us are sick and tired of people who call free speech treason. Where I come from that's a dictatorship, not a democracy. And don't tell me it's all the fault of right-wing Republicans or liberal Democrats. That's an intellectually lazy argument, and it's part of the reason we're in this stew. We're not just a nation of factions. We're a people. We share common principles and ideals. And we rise and fall together. Where are the voices of leaders who can inspire us to action and make us stand taller? What happened to the strong and resolute party of Lincoln? What happened to the courageous, populist party of FDR and Truman? There was a time in this country when the voices of great leaders lifted us up and made us want to do better. Where have all the leaders gone?

The Test of a Leader

I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the 'Nine Cs of Leadership.' They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008. Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country. It's up to us to choose wisely. So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the 'Yes, sir' crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. George W. Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines,' he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the United States and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, 'Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.' Bush disagrees. As long as he gets his daily hour in the gym, with Fox News piped through the sound system, he's ready to go. If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care. Before the 2006 election, George Bush made a big point of saying he didn't listen to the polls. Yeah, that's what they all say when the polls stink. But maybe he should have listened, because 70 percent of the people were saying he was on the wrong track. It took a "thumping" on election day to wake him up, but even then you got the feeling he wasn't listening so much as he was calculating how to do a better job of convincing everyone he was right.

A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervor to his certainty. Senator Joe Biden recalled a conversation he had with Bush a few months after our troops marched into Baghdad. Joe was in the Oval Office outlining his concerns to the President the explosive mix of Shiite and Sunni, the disbanded Iraqi army, the problems securing the oil fields. 'The President was serene,' Joe recalled. 'He told me he was sure that we were on the right course and that all would be well. 'Mr. President,' I finally said, 'How can you be so sure when you don't yet know all the facts?' Bush then reached over and put a steadying hand on Joe's shoulder. 'My instincts," he said. 'My instincts.' Joe was flabbergasted. He told Bush, 'Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough.' Joe Biden sure didn't think the matter was settled. And, as we all know now, it wasn't. Leadership is all about managing change whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt. Maybe Bush was absent the day they covered that at Harvard Business School.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Nobody in the current administration seems to know how to talk straight anymore. Instead, they spend most of their time trying to convince us that things are not really as bad as they seem. I don't know if it's denial or dishonesty, but it can start to drive you crazy after a while. Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful. The war in Iraq has been, among other things, a grand failure of communication. Bush is like the boy who didn't cry wolf when the wolf was at the door. After years of being told that all is well, even as the casualties and chaos mount, we've stopped listening to him.

A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, 'If you want to test a man's character, give him power.' George Bush has a lot of power. What does it say about his character? Bush has shown a willingness to take bold action on the world stage because he has the power, but he shows little regard for the grievous consequences. He has sent our troops (not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens) to their deaths for what? To build our oil reserves? To avenge his daddy because Saddam Hussein once tried to have him killed? To show his daddy he's tougher? The motivations behind the war in Iraq are questionable, and the execution of the war has been a disaster. A man of character does not ask a single soldier to die for a failed policy.

A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. George Bush comes from a blue-blooded Connecticut family, but he likes to talk like a cowboy. You know, My gun is bigger than your gun. Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk. If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes. Bush can't even make a public appearance unless the audience has been handpicked and sanitized. He did a series of so-called town hall meetings last year, in auditoriums packed with his most devoted fans. The questions were all softballs.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION, a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly? Bush has set the all-time record for number of vacation days taken by a U.S. President four hundred and counting. He'd rather clear brush on his ranch than immerse himself in the business of governing. He even told an interviewer that the high point of his presidency so far was catching a seven-and-a-half-pound perch in his hand-stocked lake. It's no better on Capitol Hill. Congress was in session only ninety-seven days in 2006. That's eleven days less than the record set in 1948, when President Harry Truman coined the term do-nothing Congress. Most people would expect to be fired if they worked so little and had nothing to show for it. But Congress managed to find the time to vote itself a raise. Now, that's not leadership.

A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma. Maybe George Bush is a at guy to hang out with at a barbecue or a ball game. But put him at a global summit where the future of our planet is at stake, and he doesn't look very presidential. Those frat-boy pranks and the kidding around he enjoys so much don't go over that well with world leaders. Just ask German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who received an unwelcome shoulder massage from our President at a G-8 Summit. When he came up behind her and started squeezing, I thought she was going to go right through the roof.

A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing. Bush brags about being our first MBA President. Does that make him competent? Well, let's see. Thanks to our first MBA President, we've got the largest deficit in history, Social Security is on life support, and we've run up a half-a-trillion-dollar price tag (so far) in Iraq. And that's just for starters. A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.

You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, 'Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it.' George Bush doesn't have common sense. He just has a lot of sound bites. You know Mr.they'll-welcome-us-as-liberators-no-child-left-behind-heck-of- a-job-Brownie-mission-accomplished Bush. Former President Bill Clinton once said, 'I grew up in an alcoholic home. I spent half my childhood trying to get into the reality-based world and I like it here.' I think our current President should visit the real world once in a while.

The Biggest C is CRISIS.
Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.

On September 11, 2001, we needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the ashes. Where was George Bush? He was reading a story about a pet goat to kids in Florida when he heard about the attacks. He kept sitting there for twenty minutes with a baffled look on his face. It's all on tape. You can see it for yourself. Then, instead of taking the quickest route back to Washington and immediately going on the air to reassure the panicked people of this country, he decided it wasn't safe to return to the White House. He basically went into hiding for the day and he told Vice President Dick Cheney to stay put in his bunker. We were all frozen in front of our TVs, scared out of our wits, waiting for our leaders to tell us that we were going to be okay, and there was nobody home. It took Bush a couple of days to get his bearings and devise the right photo op at Ground Zero.

That was George Bush's moment of truth, and he was paralyzed. And what did he do when he'd regained his composure? He led us down the road to Iraq a road his own father had considered disastrous when he was President. But Bush didn't listen to Daddy. He listened to a higher father. He prides himself on being faith-based, not reality-based. If that doesn't scare the crap out of you, I don't know what will.

A Hell of a Mess
So here's where we stand. We're immersed in a bloody war with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the country. We're losing the manufacturing edge to Asia, while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs. Gas prices are skyrocketing, and nobody in power has a coherent energy policy. Our schools are in trouble. Our borders are like sieves. The middle class is being squeezed every which way.

These are times that cry out for leadership. But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage, conviction, competence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the point.

Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo? We've spent billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already happened.

Name me one leader who emerged from the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. Congress has yet to spend a single day evaluating the response to the hurricane, or demanding accountability for the decisions that were made in the crucial hours after the storm. Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping it doesn't happen again. Now, that's just crazy. Storms happen. Deal with it. Make a plan. Figure out what you're going to do the next time.

Name me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How did this happen and more important, what are we going to do about it?

Name me a government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debt, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and milking the middle class dry. I have news for the gang in Congress. We didn't elect you to sit on your asses and do nothing and remain silent while our democracy is being hijacked and our greatness is being replaced with mediocrity.What is everybody so afraid of? That some bobblehead on Fox News will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show some spine for a change?

Had Enough?
Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope. I believe in America. In my lifetime I've had the privilege of living through some of America's greatest moments. I've also experienced some of our worst crises the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean War, the Kennedy assassination, the Vietnam War, the 1970s oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years culminating with 9/11. If I've learned one thing, it's this: You don't get anywhere by standing on the sidelines waiting for somebody else to take action. Whether it's building a better car or building a better future for our children, we all have a role to play. That's the challenge I'm raising in this book. It's a call to action for people who, like me, believe in America. It's not too late, but it's getting pretty close. So let's shake off the horseshit and go to work. Let's tell 'em all we've had enough.

The Last Word from Those Who Know More

Veterans and their families speak their truth.

French Politics, Google, and Hot Air

2007-04-22T14:54:00.000-04:00

The New York Times is reporting an 84% turnout for the presidential runoff in France today. This event allows two candidates to emerge from the field to face each other in the final vote on May 6. The two candidates are not a surprise as they've been in the news since the beginning. What I loved about the French election is two-fold - well the truth is what don't I love about anything French!

But seriously, two things: 1.) there is a 24-hour media blackout before voting begins. Can you imaginer? and 2.) Note that election day is on Sunday - makes it just a tad easier for the working man and woman, n'est-ce pas? Although, Paris isn't completely dead on Sundays, many things are closed including my favorite store, Prisunic (kinda like Target).

Nicholas Sarkozy, the current Minister of the Interior, was prominent during the civil unrest in the Paris suburbs in 2005, and is very conservative and controversial. Segolene Royal, an unmarried mother of four, who although she represents the Left, comes from a long line of elite politicians who attended the Harvard for politicians in France, École nationale d'administration (ENA), including my favorite, Dominque de Villepin. You may recall his thunderous speech at the United Nations in 2003 denouncing the march to war in Iraq.

Eighty-four percent of a population voting! In 2004, the U.S. Presidential election posted 60.7 percent of those eligible voted in the election (the highest turn-out since 1968.) White men are still the highest percentage of voters. I'm curious to see about the final vote in France - more or less than 80%? A shout-out to Jade and Gabs Maron for going with their Dad to vote this morning!

If I were a citizen of France, based on what I've read (which may be indeed be biased), my vote would go to Royal. If elected, she'll be the first female President of France. Both candidates have a very colorful life - much more interesting than most of the "safe" political candidates in the U.S. Google to find more. And speaking of Google...

Google Rocks

Except for their lame sell out to the Chinese government, they are so cool. Check out their graphic today for Earth Day.

Speaking of Global Warming, Karl Rove spews more toxins...

Take note of Missourian Sheryl Crow's encounter with Karl Rove at the White House Correspondents Dinner. What a charmer! I think all those trans fats and animal meat Karl eats make him a very angry man. Or perhaps like most sociopaths, there are underlying issues of which we know nothing. What I know for sure is this is a man who has bad breath.

The Last Word

The Supreme Court put another nail in the coffin of a woman's right to choose with the 5-4 vote this week to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act . I'm no legal eagle but it doesn't take much wisdom to understand the gross lack of scholarly aptitude that decides as reported in The New York Times,

"The justices went so far as to eviscerate the crucial requirement, which dates to the 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade, that all abortion regulations must have an exception to protect a woman’s health...these five male justices felt free to override the weight of medical evidence presented during the several trials that preceded the Supreme Court showdown.... ratified the claim that criminalizing the intact dilation and extraction method of abortion in the second trimester of pregnancy — the so-called partial-birth method — would never pose a significant health risk to a woman. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists has found the procedure to be medically necessary in certain cases. Justice Kennedy actually reasoned that banning the procedure was good for women in that it would protect them from a procedure they might not fully understand in advance and would probably come to regret."

Justice Kennedy, you will never know what is good or bad for me or any other women - ever - in your life time. Shout-out to Barrister JP Bednar for alerting me to the atrocity of this latest SCOTUS decision.

The Second Last Word

And now, the second last word specifically for the second worst Attorney General in U.S. history:

ALBERTO GONZALES: RESIGN NOW!

The Consultants and the Endorsement

2007-04-01T10:48:00.000-04:00

After reading an article in today's New York Times Magazine, I have decided the real problem with the American political scene is the consultants. Democrat and Republican alike: Lee Atwater, Mary Matalin, Karl Rove, Bob Shrum, James Carville, and now, David Alexrod, these hucksters have undermined the potential greatness of this country by propping up candidates like the newest and best products for us to buy. No small wonder candidates are bought and owned by the highest bidder: the American corporation.

No small wonder the American corporation bought a candidate who has done everything possible to protect American business as he has methodically and covertly dismantled the structures put in place to protect American citizens. From civil liberties to environmental protection to equipment and health benefits for our soldiers and veterans, the American corporation has been provided governmental protection while citizens have been left out in the cold.

These consultants have understood for a long time what I was just able to articulate in the last few months; Americans, vote not for issues but for personalities. They understand the power of myth and the power of hero archetype and they use it to its full extent. American voters are so disinterested, apathetic, and lazy, it works! Even I've been taken in and when I haven't been taken in, I've succumbed to whichever candidate the consultants decide should be the messenger. Vernon Clover was right in 1985, there is a cult of personality.

John Kerry is a perfect example. So are John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and unfortunately, George Bush.

I never liked Kerry when he was a senator. I did like Teresa Heinz Kerry. In contrast to her husband, she had spark, was outspoken, and clearly not tamed by the consultants. But it was hard to get excited about her husband. Even she got bored when he was speaking. I voted for Dennis Kucinich in the New York primary and I voted against George Bush in the general election with my vote for John Kerry.

As you all know, when I saw Barack Obama, I thought he was different. He wanted to lead a united country and he was going to do it without becoming like the Democratic machine who kept propping up the same easily-bought white men. But he's not different at all.

I can no longer support his candidacy because it represents the methodology of the Democratic party which has allowed the presidency of George Bush to succeed. Twice. It allowed Bill Clinton over and over again to repudiate those who got him elected. It allows Obama to play nasty politics and then pretend he didn't. So much for that higher standard.

I can't tell you how sad it is not to be riding the Obama wave. The wave is exciting, it feels fresh, cool, and full of hope. But I can't ignore the reality - the more I dig in support of his campaign, the more I find that it really is politics as usual.

Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. MLW won't get fooled again.

Stupid Journalists

This could be a regular feature in MLW but in today's issue, I include a note about the author of the Times Magazine feature that I linked above. He wrote the following in a profile of Senator Obama in Rolling Stone.

Then, running preliminary polls, his advisers noticed something remarkable: Women responded more intensely and warmly to Obama than did men. In a seven-candidate field, you don't need to win every vote. His advisers, assuming they would pick up a healthy chunk of black votes, honed in on a different target: Every focus group they ran was composed exclusively of women, nearly all of them white.

There is an amazingly candid moment in Obama's autobiography when he writes of his childhood discomfort at the way his mother would sexualize African-American men. "More than once," he recalls, "my mother would point out: 'Harry Belafonte is the best-looking man on the planet.' " What the focus groups his advisers conducted revealed was that Obama's political career now depends, in some measure, upon a tamer version of this same feeling, on the complicated dynamics of how white women respond to a charismatic black man. "I remember when we realized something magical was happening," says Obama's pollster on the campaign, an earnest Iowan named Paul Harstad. "We were doing a focus group in suburban Chicago, and this woman, seventy years old, looks seventy-five, hears Obama's life story, and she clasps her hand to her chest and says, 'Be still, my heart.' Be still, my heart -- I've been doing this for a quarter century and I've never seen that." The most remarkable thing, for Harstad, was that the woman hadn't even seen the videos he had brought along of Obama speaking, had no idea what the young politician looked like. "All we'd done," he says, "is tell them the Story."

For the record, the only people I know who have ever sexualized African-American men are men, black and white. I've never had a conversation with a woman whether she was white, black, Latina, or Asian who discussed this. I've discussed a lot of charismatic black men in my life with my girlfriends. But I can't remember a single moment when I've discussed Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Medger Evers, Jesse Jackson, Corey Booker, and James Baldwin that I talked about hooking up with them.

For the record, what Obama's mother was attempting (and I've read both of his books) was to make her biracial child understand that even though he didn't look like her or her mother or her father, she still thought him and others who looked like him beautiful.

Pretty easy to understand if you are woman and not a single drop of sexuality to it. Only a man with an juvenile and clearly insecure sense of his own sexuality would suggest such a concept in a political profile. Perhaps, Mr Wallace-Wells will be writing next about whether or not Hillary Clinton's lead in the polls is based on her sexual appeal for most white men.

Health Care

Back to the substantive issues. I watched a three hour and then some webcast of a health care forum in Las Vegas last weekend. All presidential candidates were invited, seven showed up - all Democrats. They were John Edwards, Christopher Dodd, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dennis Kucinich, Mike Gravel, and Bill Richardson. I thought the most impressive were:

John Edwards who was forthright and demonstrated that he had considered the issue at length
Hillary Clinton despite having no details demonstrated such a strong command of the issue you forgot she didn't have any specifics
Dennis Kucinich who speaks the truth. He is always labelled the "far-out candidate who we can't take seriously." If ever politics becomes a business of the people - he'll be the number one candidate.

Richardson was business as usual and frankly, full of bull. A universal health care package won't require new taxes? Obama looked like the kid who didn't finish his term paper on time. Kudos for showing up but his charisma failed him and supported his critics who say he has no substance. The others - not that memorable.

The Last Word

So I end this post with my official support for a candidate who is an underdog.

I don't think he's a hero, I don't think he's going to save the world, and I don't think he's perfect. I do think both he and his wife demonstrate an long-term and ongoing support for the underrepresented in America. I think they are plain and simple, decent people.

And I think it's time for American voters to grow up and stop looking for a leader to save us and our country. I think this candidate asks us to do it together.

They are criticized because they live in an expensive house. Who cares what kind of house someone lives in? If they lived in a rundown house in a bad neighborhood would that make their concern more genuine? All the candidates are millionaires except for Kucinich. You can't be rich and caring? You can only be genuine if you live like Mother Teresa? Let me poke that one full of holes for you.

Our current President pretends he is a good ole boy from Texas when he is the product of East Coast prep schools and has been bailed out time and time and time again by his daddy's rich friends. (For more details, read this - straight from the heart of Texas where journalists have a lot more chutzpah than our liberal elites of the East.) From Vietnam to drunk driving to Harkin Energy, Daddy's men have done the job. And for a more current example, think Iraq Study Group. Unfortunately, Mr. Baker, the Bush family consigliere (a nod to Ms. Dowd) couldn't convince Junior of his missteps. I guess the family will intervene in a different way cause you know Poppa Bush, when he isn't patting Teri Hatcher's ass, he is cringing at his son's excesses. But that's another post.

So back to the candidate.

I know his wife has been criticized for continuing to support his professional ambitions. Mostly by other folks who made the exact same choice. (Yes, I'm talking to you, Katie Couric) and that others have said his wife's health is karmic payback for what he's done to doctors. In the end, their choice is their choice and is illustrative of how they've lived their life - with a belief in service to others.

That's about as honest as you can get in our age of politics. And I'll take it.

MLW Supports John Edwards for President.

"And we have our gay friends in the Red States."

2007-03-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

Yes, but it seems the Blue States are afraid to acknowledge their gay friends in any state. By that I mean the initial responses from Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama on the assertion of one of the Joint Chiefts of Staff, General Peter Pace, that homosexuality is immoral.

It is so disappointing when a candidate cannot answer a basic human rights question without calculation. Clinton's response is not so surprising. I think her nature is to carefully weigh every word that comes out of her mouth or from her pen. If you read her autobiography, you would find that same lack of spontaneity. A quality which led to my original opinion that she is an exceptional politician but not a leader.

I read an article recently about her absolute refusal to apologize for her vote on the war because it wouldn't seem "presidential." Kinda like W's refusal to admit to any errors at all. Kinda like thinking you're beyond reproach because you are a leader. Senator Clinton's position that she was led astray by Bush on the war on Iraq unfortunately reminds me how she was led astray by her husband's denial of infidelity. I expect a president to be a little more intuitive on those types of matters; able to look beyond the superficial; able to dig just a little bit deeper even when it's painful and speak her truth.

And Senator Obama.

Everyone who has ever read MLW knows my position on Senator Obama. It pains me to write how disappointed I am in his caution. When Obama speaks from the heart - he is inspirational and as I've written before, asks us to become our higher selves. He calls on us to be our brother's and our sister's keeper. I guess that doesn't include our gay brothers and sisters.

As expected, once the negative reaction to their comments was noted, they both came out with stronger statements. But did they have to wait for the reaction? Couldn't they just speak from their hearts? Couldn't they stand with their gay brothers and sisters? According to Newsday, this was the reason for the delayed commendation of General Pace's comments:

"Clinton and Obama supporters, speaking on condition of
anonymity,said both might have been trying to avoid offending socially
conservative Democrats, particularly churchgoing African-Americans, who share
Pace's views."

What about conservative Democrats, particularly church-going African-Americans who are gay? Guess we don't care about offending them. Any church-going individual ought to think twice about a religion that condemns basic human rights. Too bad they couldn't have responded to these comments in the way of Bono - holding all of us to a higher standard - a rock star, imagine that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENp7c6TtBHk .
If you don't have time to watch it, the best comment was,

"True religion will not let us fall asleep in the comfort of our freedom. 'Love thy neighbor' is not a piece of advice,it’s a command."

And no, I'm not gonna fall for that "hate the sin, love the sinner" crap. Cause doesn't the Good Book ask who among us isn't a sinner? It doesn't tell us to hate anything or does it? Equivocating at moments like this is what gives shameless people like a certain blond conservative mouthpiece (whose name will never be mentioned in this blog ever) the chutzpah to use the word faggot when speaking about a presidential candidate and the response is an audience laughs and applauds.

And for the record, the general had every right to his opinion and every right to express them. While I would defend this very right to death, I cannot support comments of hatred against any group of human beings.

You know which candidate who was human enough to answer from the heart? Who was first in deriding the general's inhuman remarks in an immediate and very clear response:

"I don't share that view."

This race is wide open - at least for MLW. And no, it doesn't mean I'm giving up on Obama. I am just holding him to a higher standard. Maybe, Philippe and Dorothy are on the nose for an Obama-Edwards or Edwards-Obama ticket.

No MLW post is complete without another incredulous event in the W junta. I thought this captured it all.

Click Here for Hope

2007-01-16T22:15:00.000-05:00

44 Years and Hope Remains

2007-01-15T11:42:00.000-05:00

After visiting our nation's capital and in remembrance of today's national holiday, I watched Martin Luther King's speech from 44 years ago. It's hard to believe that he was only 34 when he stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial and spoke of his dream. As I watched, I noticed how the power of his words physically impacted him. The last five minutes of the speech, he seems to grow taller, almost out of himself. He was bigger than the time in which he lived and that's why his speech still resonates today. That, and the pathetic fact, that his dream has still not been realized.

Washington D.C. is majestic -the architecture, the boulevards, the memorials, the city plan. I thought during my visit that the layout of this city, designed by a Frenchman, Pierre L'Enfant, beckons us to live up to its glory. Can we remain as resolute as Lincoln? Can we soar to the greatest of heights like the Washington Monument? Can we be as disciplined as the Honor Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? Can we remember the humanity in war as the names remind us at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial? Can we be as visionary as the words at the National Archives? Can we show dignity like the simple wooden cross that marks Robert F. Kennedy's grave?

Despite the news this week, I think we can.

Patriotism and Hope

There were a few highlights during my time in D.C. An old KC family friend, who shall remain nameless for privacy's sake, gave us an inspiring tour of the Capitol. She impressed us with her knowledge and reminded us - even taught us - our history both good and bad. When I hear the word patriotic, it makes me sick to my stomach. The word, its meaning, and its value have been stolen by men and women willing to sell their soul for soulless ideology. After our tour ended, I told my sister Nancy that it was clear that our friend really loves her country - in the way she pointed out the details of the architecture, related small moments in history, provided us with humorous anecdotes, and questioned current policies. Still, she continues her work for the government with what seems to be optimism and hope.

Knowing the truth about something and continuing to believe in its capacity to be better and to work to make it happen - that is true patriotism.

The second highlight was the chance to shake hands with Senator Barack Obama. I haven't been starstruck too many times in my life but I can admit it, I was a little nervous. While waiting for the new senator from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, to speak at a reception in her honor, we visited Obama's office and inquired about employment. After being told no positions were available, Nancy interrupted, "She wants to work for the campaign!" His staffer let us know that he hadn't announced but we both said, "We know he will!" (In fact, I got a heads-up for a MLW reader in Houston, Kelly Johnson, that he will announce this week on Oprah as he promised.)

The staffer did let us know that he'd be at Claire's reception, so we went back downstairs. Five minutes later, he was there. Nancy shook his hand and told him that we were rooting for him and would work hard to get him elected. I shook his hand and quoted the conservative columnist at The New York Times, David Brooks, "Run, Barack, Run." I got a laugh and a big smile.

A few people have perceived and then dismissed my support for the senator as a school-girl crush. A revealing attempt at diminishing a life time of studying history and politics to nothing more than an adolescent fantasy. Do they say that to men who think of John F. Kennedy as their hero? It hasn't just been those on the right with this attitude. I expect those on the left to hold themselves to a higher standard when it comes to a woman's political opinion.

I support Senator Obama because I believe he is the voice of my generation. I believe his willingness to make judgments based on both sides of an argument, instead of following the Democratic party line, shows he didn't become a politician just to win elections. I believe his ability to speak the truth about his past, that he smoked pot and blew some lines, shows he is no different than a majority of American aged 55 and younger. I believe his inexperience in national politics is an asset and is what will make him a better leader. I believe that his ideas for change - although still in formation - reflect an emotional and spiritual intelligence that allows him to awaken the best of human nature.

I believe that electing a bi-racial man who looks black can heal this nation's racial wounds like nothing else can. You can say voting for him because he is symbolic is no rationale for electing a President but symbolism plays a powerful role in the journey of the human psyche and the human soul. All of our leaders have traced a deep path of symbolism in our nation's history. Most recently, W. as the risk-taking cowboy. Who among us can deny the impact - negative though it may be - on history of his image as a cowboy? Who can deny that those who worked to put him in power hoped he'd be the symbol, the macho and rebellious cowboy who wiped the scar of Vietnam from the American consciousness? Politics owes a deep debt to symbolism and acknowledging that is being realistic not idealistic.

What Can We Do?

Augmentation, surge, or escalation. Take your pick. They all mean one thing - more death and destruction for our servicemen and women, for Iraqi civilians, and for America's morality. I was impressed by Senator Ted Kennedy's speech in advance of Bush's wordplay, and I especially liked that he referred to his vote against the war as his most important in 44 years in the Senate.
From threatening lawyers who provide pro bono services for the unconstitutionally imprisoned at Guantanamo to reading our mail to demanding the financial records of suspect citizens, this administration continues to strike blow after blow against our civil liberties - due process, habeus corpus, privacy. Even when they lose, they win.

Take the case of Phil Kline, former Attorney General of Kansas. For those of you not familiar with Kansas politics, this is the man who demanded - but has not yet obtained - the medical records of 90 women who either had had a child or an abortion. He also took false credit for the capture of a serial rapist, insisting he had forwarded the subsequent abortion and adoption records of two of the rapist's victims to the District Attorney's office. The DA strongly challenge Mr. Kline's assertion of his role in the capture.

Kansans stopped Kline's 2006 re-election by electing Democrat Paul Morrison, former Republican and DA for Johnson County. So what do the Johnson County Precinct Republicans do? They appointed Kline to Morrison's vacated post. Now, Mr, Kline can get those medical records and invade the privacy of 90 women while he makes $50,000 more than he did as AG.

How is it that we are powerless to stop them?

Military and intelligence reports indicate this administration's actions have made us more not less vulnerable to attack. Military and intelligence personnel who are on the side of the President say this. It's not leftist, East Coast intellectuals saying this - it is people who have been on the side of the President.

I don't know how to stop it but I do feel better when I express my opinion. I've called Senator Clinton's and Senator Schumer's offices and asked them how they plan to deal with the President's immoral actions. I'm going to join the March on Washington on January 27.

At the end of An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore, says "If you believe in prayer, pray that people have the courage to change." (If you haven't seen this movie, take the pledge and see it. The fact that Gore gracefully handled a stolen election and turned to spreading the message about respecting our environment reflects a dignity that is missing in most our politician's today.)

I believe in the power of intention and of prayer and I believe in Gore's statement that political will is a renewable resource, too.

Behind the Times

Speaking of Washington, I just recently watched the First Season of The West Wing. I had only seen one or two repeated episodes. Wow, did I miss out - it's amazing how prescient the series was in 1999 on so many levels. I am eager to see the rest of the series.

The Last Word

I end with a quotation given to me by another old friend in Washington who will also remain nameless for privacy's sake. His journey has taken him on a different path, and most would agree, a more exciting path, that has been tempered by the realism of politics. He passionately believes he can contribute to making the world a better place and he asked that I consider these words from Theodore Roosevelt when thinking about a career in government or politics.

"In conclusion, then, the man with a university education, is in honor, bound to take an active part in our political life, and to do his full duty as a citizen by helping his fellow citizens to the extent of his power in the exercise of the rights of self-government. He is bound to rank action far above criticism, and to understand that the man deserving of credit is the man who actually does the things, even though imperfectly, and not the man who confines himself to talking about how they ought to be done. He is bound to have a high ideal and to strive to realize it ... Finally, his work must be disinterested and honest, and it must be given without regard to his own success or failure, and without regard to the effect it has upon his own fortunes; and while he must show the virtues of uprightness and tolerance and gentleness, he must also show the sterner virtues of courage, resolution, and hardihood, and of desire to war with merciless effectiveness against the existence of wrong."

MLW Goes to Washington

2007-01-02T22:48:00.000-05:00

Welcome to 2007 - the year of courage.

That's my vote anyway and I'm hoping leaders and politicians follow suit.

MLW heads to Washington this week for the swearing in of Missouri's second female Senator, Claire McCaskill.

The plan now is to enjoy the sites, the personalities, friends, and family members but if the stars align -as they just might - an emergency post may come to pass.

Biting the Little Apple and Ending up in Sin City

2006-11-12T15:56:00.000-05:00

We have a couple of reports from MLW correspondents around the country. But first some fun facts from this week's election.

Number of women now in the House of Representatives: 70
Number of women now in the Senate: 16
Percent of women voters: 51
Percent of women who voted Democrat: 55

To paraphrase, Emily's List, when women vote, we all win.

The Little Apple Report
Let's head over to the Little Apple where Micaela Johnson and classmates were refused entry to the Landon Lecture series where deposed Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld spoke to a very small crowd. Despite some difficulties with entry, Micaela was undeterred - she went back to her room and watched on KSU TV. She reports that Mr. Rumsfeld was low-key, didn't say much of anything, and when asked what advice he would give to a college student, he answered, "Study history."

Hello pot -kettle here.

After the sparsely-attended lecture, Mr. Rumsfeld, sporting his usual non-reality based perspective of events, insisted his speech was putting the Little Apple on the map.

Perhaps, you'll also put Germany on the map when its top prosecutor file charges against you for war crimes for your alleged role in abuses committed at LIEraq's Abu Ghraib prison and at the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Tom Bednar, wins our Landon Lecture Series trivia question by identifying Senator Robert Kennedy, D-New York, as the speaker in March, 1968. Sen. Kennedy, not the architect of a failed war based on lies, didn't find it necessary to disparage the Little Apple after his speech.

More Revisionist History
I am always annoyed when W is compared to HW, his father. Somehow, 41 has become this revered saint of diplomacy and progressive foreign policy. From the Wimp Factor to Mission Accomplished - seems to me the apple didn't fall too far from the tree.

As King Spook, HW served during the reign of America's most famous war criminal, Henry Kissinger. Mr. Kissinger's latest war advice to to W and Dick-I-had-other-priorities-Cheney was, "Victory over the insurgency is the only meaningful exit strategy."

Kinda like our victory in Vietnam over the North Vietnamese insurgency.

HW gets all kinds of props for the victorious Gulf War: a war we were fighting on behalf of a country, Kuwait, in which women were not allowed to vote, against a country to whose dictator, Sadam Hussein, we had supplied arms. Just like LIEraq, the justification for the Gulf War changed over the course of the build-up to invasion. From freedom fighting to stopping Saddam's potential invasion of Saudi Arabia (now there's a country with a spotless human rights record) to the original, weapons of mass destruction.

How quickly we forget.

James Baker, Secretary of State under HW, gets all sorts of platitudes for being King Diplomat. As former senior counsel to the Carlyle Group, Mr. Baker certainly has an interesting background as does his former employer.

Nothing unseemly, of course, just a lot of old, white men from the Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 administrations (including King Spook HW) making a whole lot of money off war. And per usual, a scant few of them or their spawn have ever actually fought in a war.

Imagine if Hillary Clinton had these same business associations. Ken Starr would whip out that same checkbook that allowed $70 million dollars for the Whitewater investigation. Compare that to the $12 million allocated to investigate the worst attack in U.S. history, September 11.

And what was the verdict in Whitewater? Anyone, anyone, anyone? Bueller?

Final Stop: Sin City
Now let's head over to Sin City where our MLW correspondent, Paul Bednar, had a political sighting. As he looked up from his game of craps at the Mirage (so did you win, dude?) he recognized the guy at the table next to him as none other than, Ray Nagin, Republican-turned-Democrat and former Bush supporter, Mayor of NOLA.

Ray got his share of blame for Katrina - some of it deserved. Ray didn't do himself any favors in Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke when he recounts taking his time showering on Air Force One before he meets W. As Paulie said, "Dude should've met W and the national media just as he was -let everyone see and smell Katrina up close."

On the other hand, his radio interview sounded the alarm in a way that no politician ever has. Between this and Anderson Cooper's emotional report, everyone finally understood how bad it was and that it couldn't be ignored any longer. And finally, it was General Honore, that "John Wayne dude" to the temporary rescue.

Fact check: John Wayne, like so many of Republicans, never served a single day in the Armed Forces, even though he was a part of the Greatest Generation (a term I can't stand - used to romanticize war - but that's another post.)

Hallelujah!

2006-11-08T19:22:00.000-05:00

BREAKING NEWS!

AP is reporting that Jim Webb-D has won Virginia. Hallelujah -one more time.

Democrats take the Senate. Yes! Yes! Yes!

I brought muffins to work to celebrate the election results. In New York, it was a slam-dunk. I am especially excited about Eliot Spitzer. I met him last spring at the 86th Street subway entrance. Very slight and almost shy but he kicked some serious white-collar ass as AG. I'm guessing the the timidity is about approaching crabby NYers at rush hour when they are hurrying to hurl themselves into a crowded metal tube lurching at 30 miles a hour, facing morning breath, thumping Ipods, and holy-rolling preachers on the number 4 Downtown.

I think Eliot is all about fighting the man. I can dig it.

Saddam and Rumsfeld: Smackdown For Two
How can anyone resist a political two-fer in one week? Need I say more?

Yes indeed as I was reminded of the replacement's history and another amazing political two-fer. Reminder is courtesy of Wonkette.

Meet Robert M. Gates, Iran-Contra Crook and Bush 41 CIA Chief
How twisted is this country? An Iran-Contra crook and ex-CIA chief is immediately greeted as a sane, grown-up yet “fresh” replacement for the delusional old Donald Rumsfeld. Even more fun, Gates’ nemesis Daniel Ortega was elected president of Nicaragua on Monday. You may remember Ortega as the Sandinista leader who fought off the Contras in a long bloody “civil war” in large part engineered by...wait for it...Oliver North, William Casey and deputy CIA director Robert M. Gates, among others. North, a convicted felon and official fall guy for Iran-Contra, was in Nicaragua last week campaigning against Ortega.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose....

News from the Little Apple
Our MLW field correspondent, Micaela Johnson, reports that over 1,000 seats are still available for Rummy's speech tomorrow night at KSU as part of the Landon Lecture Series.

A $25 iPod card to the first person to note in Comments who spoke in the Landon Lecture Series in March, 1968.

In The Meantime: Let's Party Like It's 1992!
Who else feels like it's November 1992 all over again? I remember coming home from my stint as an Election Judge at a polling place on Roanaoke Parkway (the basement of an apartment building?) and having a million messages on my voicemail, "Bill takes Texas!" "Bill just won Missouri!" "Bill is cleaning house!"

I remember heading to The Hurricane with Tina Ritko to celebrate and listen to a girl band from Baltimore, called Disappear Fear. And it felt just like that - like all the fear and hatred and injustice had disappeared. For a short while anyway. About 24 hours in fact until suddenly the most important issue facing our nation was "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

But tonight - let's keep it positive and celebrate the good stuff. Cause it's really good stuff. Some of the list below is courtesy of Worth Reading with a few MLW inclusions for my peeps in the heartland.

I heart the heartland!

Missouri: Show Me Liberal
Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Missouri
Amendment to Support Stem Cell Research: Passed

Kansas: From Red to Blue
Representative Nancy Boyda, D-Kansas
Representative Dennis Moore, D-Kansas (incumbent)
Governor Kathleen Sebelius-D (incumbent)
Attorney General Paul Morrison-D

Salute to the Pioneers of 2006!
First woman to serve as Speaker of the House: Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-California
First Muslim elected to U.S. Congress: Keith Ellison-D
First Democratic Socialist elected to U.S. Congress: Bernie Sanders
First Jewish Governor of New York: Eliot Spitzer, D
First African-American Governor of Massachusetts: Deval Patrick, D

First openly gay person ever elected to any office in their state
Representative Patricia Todd, Alabama State House-D
Representative Kathy Webb, Arkansas State House-D

The first openly gay person ever elected to their state legislatures
Al McAffrey, Oklahoma-D
Matt McCoy, Iowa-D

First openly gay State Senators in their states
Senator Jolie Justus, Missouri-D
Senator Ed Murray, Washington -D

First State Supreme Court with two openly gay justices
Ohio - Judge Virginia Linder join Judge Rives Kistler

Keep the Faith
Representative Harold Ford, Tennessee-D: Your time has not yet come - it will!

Profiles in Courage
Senator Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island -R

One of 15 Senators and the only Republican who voted against the war in Iraq, Chafee was ousted yesterday despite 62% approval ratings from voter exit polls. Chafee is pro-choice, supportive of rights for gays and lesbians, opposed to the death penalty, and favors environmental protection. If only all Repulicans were like Mr. Chafee.

Fear and Politics

2006-11-05T00:09:00.000-05:00

Someone wise once told me that negativity is the manifestation of fear. I think that aptly describes every single action and statement in the entire life of Karl Rove and his merry band of D-staters. (D is for Denial). Poor Karl - don't they have an Employee Assistance Program at the White House?

Story One
This week we saw an Orwellian attempt (aren't they all) to make John Kerry appear to be against the troops. As I wrote to Senator Kerry, the truth is "You aren't running for office and you can't win in 2008, but everyone ignored the subtext of what your gaffe was really saying - we don't send our college graduates to war. It's not a question of intelligence, it's a question of poverty. "

I don't see any military recruiters hanging out on East 90th Street by Dalton but they are crawling like cockroaches all over Spanish Harlem and the South Bronx.

Story Two
I received an e-mail today with a blurb of a negative story about Barack Obama - derisively referred to as Obamania - and a "shady land deal with a criminally indicted Democratic fundraiser." Along with those outdated Geneva Conventions, the D-staters have also thrown "innocent until proven guilty" out the window.

Amazing the fear a two-year senator is provoking in the ranks of the veteran politicians! If someone has no potential, you don't bother mentioning their name. If you know they can lead a revolution, you start to find ways - via that good old liberal press (in this case, The Chicago Tribune) - to smear their name. Call it your basic WMD - but it's personal - a WMPD.

Created by Mr. Atwater. Perfected by Mr. Rove.

I googled the story and it apears Obama completed a real estate transaction with a criminally indicted individual (was it Jack Abramoff ? guess again!) who was a Democrative fundraiser. Apparently buying real estate from a thief means you are a thief.

So what do we call it when we buy gas every week?

There seems to be no evidence of any illegal or even unethical actions by Barack. But trust me, my friends, this is only the beginning. I fully expect they will try to retro-arrest Obama for his admission of smoking pot and using cocaine. Oh wait, then they'd have to arrest W, too. Oh wait again, he lives in a state of denial about his cocaine use.

The real news this week:
October in Iraq brought the death of 100 U.S. soldiers and over 2,000 Iraqis.
Rest in Peace.

Saddam Hussein is sentenced to death for crimes against humanity. Although I am adamantly opposed to the death penalty, it's criminal he wasn't brought to trial for all of his other human rights abuses before he killed all those Kurds. But he was too busy doing deals with the U.S. government.

Does transacting business with a genocidal dictator make you a genocidal dictator?

A Word from Generation Y
A shout-out to Michael Bednar for provding this Pink link to the best political song since Tracy Chapman's ode to Ronald Reagan in "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution" or maybe Neil Young's ode to Richard Nixon, "Ohio." I'll let you be the judge.

Look for MLW correspondent blogging from Micaela Johnson this week when Donald-genocidal-dictator-handshaker-Rumsfeld makes an appearance in the Little Apple.

Don't forget to Rock the Vote!

The Ultimate Celebrity Sighting

2006-10-30T23:10:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful mild evening in the Big Apple tonight. I joined a friend for dinner after work at the The Half King (co-owed by Sebastian Junger, author of The Perfect Storm) for their Monday night book reading series.

After dinner, we headed east on 23rd Street. As we walked past the restaurant Bette, two doormen asked me to step back. I thought it odd since I had just about passed the doorway.

Then I noticed the standard celebrity vehicle, a black SUV, parked in front of the restaurant entry. I looked at the doormen and as I moved back from them, I rolled my eyes. They told me it would just be a few minutes. I told my work colleague Philippe that this had never happened before - I was sure it was going to be someone like Lindsay Lohan.

But instead, who steps out but Bill Clinton! His hair is full and very white but he looked older because he was so gaunt. I know everyone always looks smaller in person but he's very thin!

I looked at the doormen and they smiled. I said, "Okay this one is definitely worth it. I don't have a problem stepping back for Bill." As he walked by me, I said, "We love you, Bill." He stopped, took off his glasses, turned toward us, and raised his hand and said, "Thank you, thank you very much."

Bill, he's just so Elvis!

And no, there wasn't time for me to mention that I had missed the family portrait in 1996 because I bartendeding at a youth hostel in Tel Aviv. But I knew if I had asked to shake his hand, he would've stepped over. (But no Nancy, I didn't ask.)

Then we kept walking down 23rd street - Philippe was thankful it wasn't Obama -he's afraid I would have caused a scene but he said, "just like a New Yorker - tell a former President, 'we love you' then just keep walking to your subway."

Sometimes, I forgot that New York is pretty cool.

(Happy Birthday Micaela!)

Tear Down That Fence, Mr. Bush!

2006-10-26T13:50:00.000-04:00

A little paraphrasing from the GOP's favorite icon, Ronald Reagan, as he commanded Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall in 1987.

The Bush Administration moved boldly today to address the issue of Immigration Reform. Did they come up with a progressive, thoughtful solution that the majority of Americans can support? Did they consider the aspect of human dignity and the reality of poverty? Did they think about the history of this nation as a place of opportunity for all? Did they send a message that moves beyond the fear and distrust; from a victim mindset to a place of innovation and hope; to the mindset of a leader?

Nope.

They came up with a solution that reflects the limited thought process of your average five-year old - a big wall to keep the bad guys out.

Yes, let's keep all of those immigrants making $4 cooking our meals, cleaning our toilets, and trimming our hedges out of America! Those criminals must take responsibility for all the havoc they are wreaking on American security and the economy. They don't deserve our respect, empathy, support and certainly not any benefits at all! Because by golly, my grandparents didn't get that when they came over from Yugoslavia! God knows, we don't want to make anything one iota better than what our grandparents experienced 75 years ago!

That's how much we've evolved in our humanity - everyone has to suffer just like me - then maybe they'll get my empathy - as long as they look like me, practice the same religion as me, eat the same food as me, and have the same political beliefs as me.

Never mind acknowledging that the existence of immigrants led to an evolution of legislation that supported the dignity of the America worker from the 40-hour work week, to child labor laws, to the National Labor Relations Act. I wish Americans - especially American lawmakers - were interested in the history of this country.

This law and this manner of thinking are a disgrace to the lady that stands in the New York harbor offering words of hope, encouragement, and welcome to all who wish to call America home.

(I know a little dramatic - but honestly, a FENCE?)

The New Colossus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Barack NOW!

2006-10-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

I wish this entry was about my support for Hillary Clinton as the next President of the United States. As a woman who appreciates the vast strides and unappreciated battles of all the women who came before me, nothing would give me more pleasure.

I think Hillary is brilliant, I think she cares, I think her focus and determination helped Bill get elected. But Hillary is not a leader, she's a politician. When she could have made a difference, she went along with the crowd - because it would make her and keep her electable.

Great, I voted and got a female Senator to represent me and she's not one iota different than the rest of the white men in Congress.

I don't dislike Hillary and I don't think she is simply in pursuit of power like so many of her critics say. (And my response to that criticism is "So what if she were? Nothing is wrong with using the power instilled in you for the greater good.") I just don't think Hillary has the courage to be a leader. Bill had the charisma and the opportunity but he gave into his fears and his ego. The real shame of Bill's administration is not the impeachment but that he didn't realize his potential. His immaturity and his lack of discipline failed him. And the Republican machine was standing by ready to fill the void.

The Democrats have disappointed me for years. They react. They whine. They keep propping up unelectable men with no charisma, no backbone, no vision, no courage to stake a claim on what is best for the entire country and the world. They say they are different from Republicans but when push comes to shove they vote right along with them. They are more concerned with saving their seats than making this country better. Yes, there are exceptions but they are far and few between and are viewed as flaky or out of touch. (i.e., Dennis Kucinich)

What this country desperately needs is a leader. A mature, thoughtful, determined leader - man, woman, black white, straight, gay. I don't mean a hero. Like the word angel, hero has been overused to the point of meaninglessness. Besides, I'm a self-sufficient, 45-year-old woman, I don't need a role model or a hero.

What I need and what I think this country needs is an individual who will stand up and speak my best voice. The voice inside me that believes all the myths of America's greatness, of the possibility that anyone can become anything, that people are genuinely good, that we support each other, that big dreams come true, and more than anything, that we invite the rest of the world to embrace our best self - that self of freedom, optimism, innovation, hard work, tolerance, and respect for all.

Since I first saw Barack Obama speak at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, I knew that he was different. So did everyone else who saw him speak! As I wrote in my blog entry, I stood alone and clapped and cheered and cried in my apartment. I called my Mom and said, "Are you watching - he's going to be our first black President!" Go to YouTube if you haven't seen this speech. Read his 2005 commencement address at Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois if you think it was a fluke.

I was thrilled. I was moved. I was inspired. For a few minutes, I even believed in our political process again. A few weeks later I bought his book, "Dreams f My Father" and was impressed by his unprecedented candor, his poetic perspective, and his willingness for self-reflection.

Then the election. I gave up. I was bitter. I was angry. I was apathetic. I felt like I wasn't represented by anyone in my government - even the ones for whom I'd voted. I vowed I'd never give another dime to the Democratic party. I didn't read any blogs and I didn't write in mine. I felt powerless.

Then I watched a Keith Olbermann video and I got re-engaged. I made a choice to get re-engaged instead of moping like the Democratic party on the sidelines. As the tide has started to creak, I wanted to be excited about the buzz for Hillary. I knew I'd vote for her because as everyone said, "Who is the alternative?"

Then.

This week, Barack was in NYC promoting his new book, "The Audacity of Hope." A group from work were going to go but an early arriver let us know that an hour before he was due to speak, the store was packed, no seats left, no promise there would be time for all books to be signed. I decided to stay at work because I knew I'd get a chance to see him speak again. So I bought the book and started reading. Then I googled more recent speeches.

And I remembered.

In this new book, he gets to the heart of the matter. Each and every matter. Past the polarization, past the hatred, past the judgment, to a place of thought, of consideration, of spirit, of intelligence, of optimism, of accountability. It made me, for the first time since I was an adult, want to stay in the U.S. and see what we could be instead of moving to Europe as another disaffected, cynical, Bush-hating, American expatriate. Those of you who know me well - know this is not a small statement I make.

The true leaders force us to dig deep and find the best part of ourselves. They help us excavate the parts of our soul that are barricaded by pain and fear so that our spirit can emerge and reach its potential. They tell us that we cannot sit and wait for change - we must be a part of the change. One of my favorite quotations is from Ghandi, "We must be the change we wish to see in the world."

Imagine if each and every one of us had the courage and support to reach our potential, to be that change we are so hungry for? What would our world look like then?

I know people say because he's young, because he's black, because he doesn't have enough experience, he'll never get elected. To all of those arguments I say, "When it's destiny, the time is right."

Just like the best art, music, and nature, authentic leadership is inspiring. Not because it is created by those better than me but because I can see myself in it, in them. I believe Barack is a normal human being with flaws and imperfections. He's pissed me off with some of his votes but he's also had the courage to speak to why he made those votes and they weren't about protecting his Senate seat.

So here it is.

Barack Obama is an authentic leader and more important, he is a channel for change. Like Ghandi, like FDR, like JFK, like Malcolm X, like MLK, like Bobby. These leaders didn't just sit back and pontificate. They said, "Join me. I'm not better than you. If I can do this, so can you." They inspired people - first to imagine, then to participate, then to take responsibility for building a different and better world.

I think he's going to run and I think he's going to win. I think he'll appoint Hillary to his Cabinent. I'm going to work like I've never worked in my life to get him elected. I'll make the calls, I'll go to door-to-door. I'll make sure I study to learn the issues so that I can speak intelligently to those who aren't ready to believe that change is here. That we can be better.

I hope you join me.

Ici C’est 100% Sans Tabac

2006-10-06T22:10:00.000-04:00

Am I the only person shocked that the French government has approved a ban on smoking in public places?

C'est pas possible!

Actually since New York and I agreed to quit on the same day (July 11, 2002), I've always been afraid (of my own lack of self-control) that I'd started smoking again during my twice-yearly visits to the City of Light. The previous time I quit (April 11, 1994) I started smoking again after 12 hours in London (May 2, 1996).

Although, I have been sorely tempted since then - I've never given in.

I do remember Paris 2001 when I was the only smoker at the table (4 frenchies, 2 american expats) and I kept my lit cig behind my back. The friend seated next to me said, "What are you doing?" I said, "I'm used to holding it away from people." As our waiter approached, cigarette in hand, it was clear that sort of politesse was not expected in my favorite city in the world.

I also remember Paris 2003 when a French guy told me, "Can you imagine they have banned smoking at Charles de Gaulle. What were the idiots thinking? This cannot be!"

Paris has, of course, an esprit. Part of that is not only its incomparable energy but the sights and smells. For some reason, smoking doesn't stink there. It is Paris! I guess because it permeates everything it doesn't stand out like it does here.

Mais, oui - I'm a little smoking obssessed.

I have beautiful memories of the year I lived in Toulon, France in 1985-86. We spent hours and hours and hours talking about the meaning of life (as if we knew at 24), drinking espresso, and smoking Marlboro Lights with Indochine or The Cure playing on the radio at Le Chantilly on Boulevard Strasbourg. If money was tight, we'd switch to Gauloise Legere.

I also remember Paris 1996, a dreary Sunday afternoon in November drinking red wine, eating oysters, and smoking at Le Baron Rouge.

And Paris, 1998, a beautiful Saturday, eating boudin, drinking red wine (again) and smoking (again) at Le Coude Fou in the Marais.

I know you ex-smokers know of what I speak even if you've never been to France.

I learned from an article in The New York Times that "France’s history with tobacco goes back more than four centuries. Nicotine, after all, is named after Jean Nicot, a 16th century ambassador to Portugal who took tobacco leaves imported from America to Catherine de Medici as a cure for her migraines."

Bernard Hinault and Zinedine Zidane. Le Louvre and la Tour Eiffel. Coco Chanel and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Champagne and brie. Louis XIV and Dominque de Villepin. Jeans and cigarettes.

France rules!

My favorite line in the Times article was from a French politician, André Santini, a center-right member of Parliament from a Paris suburb and compulsive cigar smoker, “What disturbs me is the ayatollahs you meet everywhere. They tell you how you have to make love, how you have to eat.”

I am guessing he hasn't tried to order pate in Chicago lately.

The truth is almost all of the Europeans I know no longer smoke.

And in the end, Paris is a Virgo city. Virgos for all their obsessions and guilt are health puritans at heart.

a bientot.

My America - Where Have You Gone?

2006-09-29T22:42:00.000-04:00

I want to throw my passport in the trash because I live in a country in which our government has agreed that torture is acceptable. But really, aren't I naive to be surprised?

Nothing new in this photo- but still it just boggles my mind every time. One torturer salutes another - mano-a-mano, as they say.

Yes, I have been away for awhile. I was overwhelmed by apathy. That's a lazy-ass excuse to stop caring though so I'll take some responsibility for this mess of a country we live in. Anyone have any ideas on how to get it back?

What Happened That Made Me Mad Enough to Come Back

I am committed to writing in my blog again - even if a single person doesn't read it. Why? Because of the the bill passed this week by Congress. But before I go there and everywhere else I haven't been in 2 years...

Let's Dig in to The Periphery -
People and Things in the News That Make Me Sick

Aren't we all so glad that Bob Woodward has experienced a respite from his epic hubris to write a more objective perspective of the junta? Bob is a flawless intuitive of the pulse of the American consumer. He knows in his politically expedient and greedy heart that "Now's the time to dog Bush! Before it was better to make him look good - especially if it came from someone from the liberal mainstream! Ka ching, baby - let me upgrade my house on Martha's Vineyard, tout de suite."

Bob's new book delivers the not-so-surprising news that America's most famous war criminal - Henry Kissinger - whose expertise can be felt from the fields of Cambodia to the boulevards of Chile - has been advising the junta on war strategy.

The Chileans who died on September 11, 1973, salute you, Mr. Kissinger, and your late boss, Richard M. Nixon. Read about General Augusto Pinochet to learn more about the fruits of Mr. Kissinger's advice.

And before I forget, strike Harold Ford, Jr., D-Tenn from the potential cool Dems on the horizon. He proudly voted with the Republican majority on the above-mentioned Military Commissions bill. How do you sleep at night, Congressman Ford?

Probably just as easily as Mary Landrieu, D-La. You remember her from the interview with Anderson Cooper? Tell us again where you were when the levees broke Senator Landrieu? I notice your website doesn't show your proud vote for this bill this week. Come on sister, be brave and show us your true colors!

I have received a buttload of e-mail from Democrat organizations this week and you know what my response is to them: "Where have you all been in the last EIGHT YEARS? I am not sending another dime to you cowardly p0liticians until one of you has the guts to become a LEADER!" None of them have yet responded.

Bubba Talks Back

I loved all the journalists who spoke on behalf of Chris Wallace's courage during his exchange with Bubba this week. I wish Chris was brave enough to ask our current President and the current Secretary of Defense the following very simple questions:

Why have we spent in excess of $500 billion at war with a country that has absolutely zero ties to 9/11?
How many Americans have died and been wounded since the War on Terror began?
How many Iraqi women and children have died since we liberated Iraq from the dictator we supported?
How much of that just-approved $70 billion dollars is going to help the returning wounded American soldiers numbering more than 20, 000?
Mr. Rumsfeld, why were you shaking the hand of the known torturer and human rights abuser in the photo above?

Post-Katrina Justice: Only for the People not for the Leaders

Tina Ritko, an MLW reader in the great liberal metropolis of San Francisco, gave me this article from Esquire to read. It made me wish I was a criminal defense attorney so I could defend them. It's a long article but it's worth your time. I've never heard of Nancy Grace but I think someone should let her in on the principle of karma. The subjects of the article were indicted last week.

Today's Real Important Story

The Military Commissions Bill - all the barely understandable legislative-speak confused me so I leave it to the experts to help me unravel what it really means.

From the Washington Post
"Congress approved landmark changes to the nation's system of interrogating and prosecuting terrorism suspects last night, preparing the ground for possible military trials for key al-Qaeda members under rules that critics say will draw stiff constitutional challenges. They include restrictions on a suspect's ability to challenge his detention, examine all evidence against him, and bar testimony allegedly acquired through coercion of witnesses.

The new bill is designed to legalize military commissions and to clarify interrogation techniques that CIA officers may use on terrorism suspects considered "unlawful enemy combatants," who are granted fewer protections than are prisoners of war. Hundreds of such detainees have been held for several years without trial at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, while others were held at secret prisons overseas.

... it grants the executive branch substantial leeway in deciding how to comply with treaty obligations regulating actions that fall short of "grave breaches" of the conventions.

It would bar military commissions from considering testimony obtained through interrogation techniques that involve "cruel, unusual or inhumane treatment or punishment," which the Constitution's Fifth, Eighth and 14th amendments prohibit. The bar would be retroactive only to Dec. 30, 2005 -- when Congress adopted the Detainee Treatment Act -- to protect CIA operatives from possible prosecution over interrogation tactics used before that date.

From Amnesty International:
Our representatives in Congress have just passed legislation that:
- Establishes a new judicial system to try a wide variety of people in military commissions that lack the minimal safeguards regarding coerced evidence may deny the right of the accused to examine evidence against them. A person could be sentenced to death under this flawed system.

- Strips prisoners in Guantanamo – and other alleged “enemy combatants” in U.S. custody -- of the ability to file a writ of habeas corpus and challenge their detention. Many of these prisoners have been held for almost five years without charges or meaningful judicial review

- Expands the definition of ‘unlawful enemy combatant” to allow the U.S. government to detain people – on or off the battlefield – indefinitely without charge or access to judicial review for an act as minor as writing a check.

- Provides retroactive immunity to those who may have been implicated in creating policies or participating in abuse and other acts that most of us would consider torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.

From Michael Stickings:
"Yesterday was a terrible, terrible day in American history. It was a day that may live on in infamy, a day that America, or at least an important part of her, died. The vote in the House was 253 to 168. The vote in the Senate was 65 to 34. Twelve Democrats supported the legislation. They should be ashamed of themselves. One Republican, Lincoln Chafee, opposed it. He should be a Democrat. "

Dahlia Lithwick expressed it at Slate:
"Now we are affirmatively asking to be left in the dark. Instead of torture we were unaware of, we are sanctioning torture we'll never hear about. Instead of detainees we didn't care about, we are authorizing detentions we'll never know about. Instead of being misled by the president, we will be blind and powerless by our own choice. And that is a shame on us all."

The Last Word

I know the junta will continue to wave the flag bearing the profound, intelligent, and sophisticated belief that "if you disagree with us, then you support the terrorists."

And you know what my answer to that is - War is terrorism.

But I do believe that good does eventually overcome evil. So I'm with Jesse in keeping hope alive. I wish our leaders - Democrat and Republican would work just as hard and invest just as much into peace as they do war. If we continue to advocate violence to stop violence all we achieve is a violent world. War only leads to more war.

If it is our intention to create a peaceful world - where are our actions that back up that intention? War for peace, says the junta. And the violence grows and the wallets get fatter.

I think Dennis Kucinich had the best idea- a Cabinent-level member devoted to peace. We've got to start somewhere - and as someone wise once told me - "Thoughts create intention. Intention creates reality."

Walking along the boardwalk in Belmar this summer, I found a book by Peace Pilgrim. I think her ideas are a lot more interesting, albeit difficult to live, than the men and one woman who came up with Pax Americana which violates the word peace for an agenda focused on propogating fear and war to soothe egos bruised by the Vietnam experience. Note the infamous names among them and guess how many have ever served in the military.

And finally, a little bit of humor from Harper's Index, January 2006.

Percentage approval rating of:

Bill Clinton the day after impeachment: 73
George W. Bush in November, 2005: 37

Peace out, people.

Politics and the City - Issue 5

2004-10-20T09:57:00.000-04:00

MLW Returns
MLW suffered from a little political overload the last few weeks. Between not having personal experiences to share and feeling overwhelmed by the absolute crap theatre that is our political process, I was stymied in my writing attempts. But I read an interview with Barack Obama last night and I thought that regardless of the results of this election, I am optimistic. Because we are engaged. People have not talked politics like this in a long time. When voters are actually engaged, throw out the polls cause who knows how it's all gonna turn out. Let's dig in...

The Debates
Yes,Yes, Yes, Kerry won but he could have done better. Bush just kept repeating the same empty and meaningless slogans. I thought maybe he was having a flashback to his Yale cheerleading days. "Gimme an H! Gimme an A! Gimme an R! Gimme a D! What's it spell? Hard!'- No shit George, lots of jobs require hard work, you've just never had one before.

I thought some of the questions were stupid, too. Bob Schieffer's shallow pandering to women with the "We've surrounded ourselves by strong women..." Why are we measuring candidates by their spouses? Frankly, I'd like to hear more substantive talk about a REAL ISSUE than an camera-ready phony display of their "humanness." Also annoying, Gwen Ifills inane question that instructed, "..without saying the candidate's name..." Are we in 5th grade?

Random thoughts -it's interesting that it's okay for a Republican - in this case, Alan Keyes - (running futilely or is that facile-ly in juntaspeak for an Illinois Senate seat-against Barack Obama) to call Mary Cheney a "selfish hedonist" but not okay for Kerry to refer to her as, ohmygod, a lesbian. It's only a bad thing if you think being a lesbian is bad. Yea, Lynn Cheney, I'm talking to you, girlfriend.

and

I want to know why Edwards didn't respond when Dick-I-had-other-priorities-Cheney said they had not met. I wanted to jump up at slap his smug, arrogant white corporate mercenary ass on my 13" TV.

and

Since when are trial lawyers to blame for health care costs in America? I can't wait to see Michael Moore rip on the pharma companies.

More White Corporate Asses
MLW attended an"Election Outlook" presentation at her day job last week. What I assumed would be an interesting discussion quickly transformed into a thinly-veiled junta commercial. I have to give kudos to our lobbyist who facilitated the session. As a former Newt Gingrich staff member, you can imagine the non-partisan nature of his comments. There was a junta power spill all over his power point deck. He began his comments with the completely objective opinion that "In 2005, the focus will return to domestic issues." Hmmm..Last I knew the junta's occupation of Iraq had racked 120 billion from the police state's treasury. So it's just going to end in January 2005? Amazing how these silly little wars just disappear!

I have to hand it to his white corporate ass (WCA), he was very subtle in his propagation of the junta agenda. Let me give you another example. He brought up taxes and assured us that Senator Kerry would not only be raising individual taxes but he would start taxing our very company for all the outsourcing it sponsors. Bad, bad liberal! Making corporations pay for sending their work overseas for cheaper wages, cheaper benefits, and tax loopholes! He also mentioned the privatization of Social Security and how that would benefit the financial advisors group in our firm. My question - what happened to being good businessmen and good citizens? He also mentioned 527 groups but only the ones that support Kerry. No Swift Boat Veterans (who weren't actually there) for Truth (Lies) going on in this "discussion."

And yes I know I'm a white corporate ass, too. But this ass is also liberal.

And You Thought Your Family Was Dsyfunctional
Check out this website I just found through ABC News Online, The Note www.bushrelativesforkerry.com. My favorite relative is Jeanny House from Wisconsin, a self-proclaimed Christian. Jeanny thank you for wiping hate from the slate of the Christian right.

"My Christian faith moves toward greater inclusiveness and acceptance, George Bush moves toward punishment, division, and exclusion. My Christian faith seeks to bring people into the circle of decision-making, George Bush seeks to keep them out. My Christian faith seeks to afford equal rights and responsibilities to all, George Bush seeks to reserve more rights for the privileged few. My Christian faith is not looking for a new Messiah named George Bush. I am, however, looking for a leader. I believe that leader's name is John Kerry."

For an interesting commentary on the power and manipulation of The Note, Read the October 25 edition of The New Yorker. More evidence, that the political process is just a game for the media whether you are ABC or Fox.

Contest - Guess the October Surprise
The winner gets an anti-Bush teeshirt! Deadline for entry midnight EST on Monday, October 25. Unless it happens before and then it's first come, first serve. I am guessing the surprise will be unveiled on October 28. Hit the envelope below and send me an email with your mailing address and the size you'd prefer.

White Corporate Whiner Asses and Power to the People
It appears that the numerous petitions and threats to boycott the Sinclair Broadcast Group for their mandate that 62 of their stations, located in swing states, broadcast "Stolen Honor" about John Kerry's anti-war activities actually worked. Sinclair is the largest television station firm in the U.S., whose executives have given thousands of dollars to the junta campaign.

Today's New York Times reports, "The company, already suffering from a sluggish advertising climate, has had its stock price fall by almost 17 percent and its market capitalization drop by $140 million in the last week and a half. The protest grew yesterday. The Burger King Company announced that it would pull all its commercials from Sinclair stations all day on the date the program is broadcast. "Burger King wants to maintain neutrality during this election," said Eric Anderson, a spokesman.

Doesn't some British congolmerate own Burger King? Can you imagine if someone forced stations to air "Fahreheit 9/11" - there'd be a massive government takeover of television.

Direct from the Sinclair website, read this from the CEO, David-white- corporate-ass-whiner-Smith.

"The experience of preparing to air this news special has been trying for many of those involved. The company and many of its executives have endured personal attacks of the vilest nature, as well as calls on our advertisers and our viewers to boycott our stations and shareholders to sell their stock. (MLW: the First Amendment in badass ction.) In addition, and more shockingly, we have received threats of retribution from a member of Senator John Kerry's campaign and have seen attempts by leading members of Congress to influence (MLW: as is their duty as Congress) the Federal Communications Commission to stop Sinclair from broadcasting this news special. Moreover, these coordinated attacks have occurred without regard to the facts since they predated the broadcast of our news special. We cannot in a free America yield to the misguided attempts by a small but vocal minority to influence behavior and trample on the First Amendment rights of those with whom they might not agree... We also took comfort in the positions of other media organizations which supported our right topresent this story notwithstanding any disagreement they may have with thec ontent, (MLW: this can only be Fox News) as well as in the words of Michael Powell, Chairman of the FCC (MLW: nominated by Clinton for a Republican seat on the FCC, designated by Bush as chairman. One job on his resume, former policy advisor to Dick-I-have-other-priorities-Cheney) who refused to block the program, noting that to do so would be 'unconstitutional' and 'an absolute disservice to the First Amendment.'"

If it was such a small minority why did they change their policy? If they really think they are right, why are they backing down? I'm not sure how forcing your TV stations to interrupt regular broadcasting for a anti-Kerry documentary constitutes employing your First Amendment rights while choosing to boycott your advertisers does not. No wonder their stock price has gone down- they aren't very smart guys! I think that just ought to show "Going Upriver" and then they'll prove how non-partisan they are and everybody is happy!

Shout Out to a Stranger
Bush Slam Poetry Winner - Rated PG
If an f-bomb or two offends you (and it's the only kind of bomb I like), skip this section.

I am acknowledging a complete stranger here- Vanessa German who was awarded First Place in in the Bush Slam. Hear Vanessa speak her truth at http://www.slambush.net/nationalchamp.cfm#poem I am posting it here in its entirety. It wasn't copyrighted but I would gladly pay a fee for a recording of this powerful indictment of the junta. Vanessa, your writing makes me want to stand up and shout.

Thank you George Muthaf@%#king Bush
thank u
for makin it easier for meto get a tech9 or AR14 than a pap smear & a good education
thank u from the first boy i kissed who u sent off to fight your war in iraq he returned home only by telegram & in a box
thank u from me from my body from the woman i love that i want to marry & call my wife
without u bible thumpin daggers & demanding constitutional amendments to prevent us from loving this revolutionary love (az tho we cud soil the sanctitiy of marriage)
u cud nevah touch my love or fuck with my love
its just the right u seek to deny us so we must fight for it in the end
it's all a matter of voice of exercising choice & flexing the muscle of democracy
which shudn't be pigeon holed marginalized or constitutionaly compromised under the pretense that who i love kiss fuck hold hands & make family with iz destructive to the fiber that quilts the fabric of america
which ironically happens to be cotton
that notoriously bloody lily white thread that my grandfather & hiz fathers fathers before picked by hand in mer rouge louisiana
i hav not forgotton that i am america
that my blood iz in these rivers & at the roots of these redwood treesi know that this country was built on the backs of blacks that were shackled strapped & stacked slashed gashed taxed & then cashed in onlike cattle
i hav not forgotton that i am america & even tho u want me to be quiet & invisible i will not
i hav decided that if u r not with US then u r against US
US the 99% of the population that makes less than 1.2 million dollars a year
the 43 million people that hav no health care
the 14 million children that got left behind that go to bed hungry every night
if u r not with US then u r against US
& we understandthat terror iz not always guns & knives & otherwise explosive devices of evil
sometimes terror iz just making no living wage going day to day pay check to pay check praying that no one gets sick
terror iz not knowing which of ur sons will fit the description & die while reaching back pocket for identification to prove he iz american but not american enuf to live free
terror iz being 13 having no access no choice & taking matters into ur own hands
terror iz being a woman begging for emergency contraception when u've been raped taken by force & foresaken
just like the constitution after the presidential election of 2000
which u did not winu stole like a purse off the shoulder of an old lady
making america ur bitch
didn't anyone ever tell uwhen u take shit that's not urs u give it back & apologize but no.
we realize that u mr bushr just the figure head the smoke screen the sony nike gmc tommy hilfiger blue jeans brand name of a regime of evil so vicious & arrogant u hav the audacity to murder in my name & call it justice call it liberation
long time come when all it really iz iz economic imperialism or occupation which iz the same thing hitler did in poland austria & hungry ...
if u really wanted to liberate u cud hav liberated delbert or r africa janine holloway africa micheal sims africa or mumia abul jamal
it wasn't 6 weeks it waz 17 thousand lives not just american lives but human lives
how sacred are they tell me answer me tell me how sacred are they
stop trying to convince us that justice iz always this bloody
that liberation costs babies & mothers & homes & sons & lovers & fathers &amp; dignity& truth & purity & hope & democracy
thank u mr bushfor showing us that we must fight everyday for our freedom as tho we r fighting for our lives
obviously u r not going to beat a path of justice to our front doors
this is my requiem for the last four years
my premptive strike on the next four years
this iz my love poemto america
even tho he took u by force violated u forsook u
before the eye of god made u barely recognizable to the rest of us
i still love u baby he can not shame u before my eyes
u r beautiful i will fight & die for u r the people & i am u
this iz my love poem to america

Knowledge is Power
Here's a few links and books I encourage you to check out. Send me your recommendations!
Books
Losing America - Senator Robert Byrd
Moyers on America - Bill Moyers (I am awed by his writing.)

Magazines
O, October 2004, Column - "What I Know For Sure"
If this doesn't inspire you or someone you know to vote - I don't know what will.
O, November 2004 "Oprah Talks to Barack Obama"
Hope is on the way!
The New Yorker - October 18, 2004 - "Remember the Alamo. Why George W. Bush Became Radical"
by Nicholas Lehann
Insightful. And when it's insightful about W, it's usually frightening.

Online Articles, Blogs, and Websites
Crimes Against Nature
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
http://yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_14108.shtml
You'll be more green than you ever realized.

Investigative Journalist Seymour Hersch Spills the Secrets on the War on Iraq
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2004/10/11_hersh.shtml
More commentary from the man who brought us The Killing Fields during Vietnam and Abu Ghraib from Iraq.

www.wonkette.com - a much more famous blogger than MLW - she's got sponsorship and an insider's view. She also lives in D.C.
www.bushoncrack.com - hilarious
www.democraticunderground.com - good stuff
http://littleevilbush.blogspot.com - more good stuff

Politics and the City - Issue 4

2004-09-30T20:15:00.000-04:00

MLW Rocks the Uptown Vote with Ginger
MLW attended a women's event last week at the 92nd Street Y. Entitled, "About Women" the panel included former Representative Geraldine Ferraro (D-NY), Jehmu Green, President of Rock the Vote, and Gloria Steinem. The discussion, a focus on the female vote, was moderated by Amy Richards of The Third Wave Foundation, a feminist activist organization.

The night began with a celeb-sighting. As I waited in line for my prepurchased ticket, a tall, extremely thin, and heavily made-up redhead pushed me aside to loudly ask for tickets. "My name is Tina Louise and I need my tickets." Apparently, Ginger left her manners on Gilligan's Island. For some reason, the celebrity sightings I have in New York are either A list (Woody Allen, Kirsten Dunst) or D list (Tammy Faye Baker) - no middle ground. But on to the serious stuff...

As I've mentioned before 22 million women did not vote in 2000. The panel discussed the reasons behind this and how to encourage women to vote. Steinem noted that "Guilt is not a radicalizing emotion. We need to get radical on our own concerns." She also criticzed the Democrats who "... do not know how to activate their own base." Steinem went on to describe voting as an act of rebellion and self-respect and briefly discussed the history of voter suppression in the U.S. (starting with that Republican icon loudly applauded at the RNC, Tricky Dick Nixon)

As the least-participatory democracy in the world, the U.S. lands on tops in the "difficulty in voting" process. Other countries keep elections open for a week or hold them on a weekend. Don't employers have to give their employees ample time to vote? Richards spoke about her views on voting and I liked this comment on how voting is good citizenship, "It's the least we can do, not the most we can do."

Greene shared her experience at Rock the Vote and for the first time, I felt there is a chance for Kerry can win. She noted that over 700,000 registration forms had been downloaded from their website. Today, the site notes that more than 900,000 individuals have been registered. She brought up an excellent point about the polls that show Bush ahead. She noted that most young voters exclusively use cell phones so there is no way for their opinions to be represented in polls. She talked about the power of same-day registration in states like Minnesota and how that has increased the 18-25 vote.

I was excited to see Ferraro but I have to admit, overall she was disappointing. She talked about being elected when she was not the party favorite, but she towed the party line. Why can't Democrats just speak the truth instead of following outdated and robotic words that do not incite action or support? We can handle the truth! She mentioned that she had two female candidates who she would like to see in the The White House. Steinem asked her to name them. She said Hillary Clinton and Kay Hutchinson, a conservative Republican Senator from Texas. I don't know anything about Hutchinson so I did some research from her website. This is what I found:

On Iraq- "I am troubled when I hear leaders say this is another Vietnam. We have troops on the ground in harm's way. Is it really productive for us to be labeling Iraq after 1 year as another Vietnam? Is it helpful to heap criticism on our President? Is it even helpful to be dissecting what happened in the run-up on the war on terrorism that began on September 11, 2001? Is that what we ought to be talking about right now? I don't think so. I think what we ought to be talking about right now is how we can come together as a country and make sure everyone in America understands the importance of this cause; that we support our Commander in Chief, and that we support our troops on the ground. But the one thing we must all do is be committed to the proposition we can't fail, and dividing our country in half over who was responsible for faulty intelligence is one way we could fail. What we need right now is a united country, not a country sniping at our President, whether it is on the Senate floor or out in the field.

Yes Kay, discourse about the direction of our foreign policy and the state of the occupation is productive, is helpful, and is we what we should be talking about. It's the best evidence that we are a healthy democracy in action. But wait there's more. Breeze through these insightful comments regarding the highest-ranking female in the junta, Condoleeza Rice.

On Condi Rice's testimony before the 9/11 Commission: "I am pleased by the extremely strong testimony provided today by Condi Rice to the 9-11 commission. She established beyond any doubt that the Bush Administration fully appreciated the threat posed by terrorist organizations, including Al Qaeda, and was rapidly putting in place a more robust policy to combat it.

That robust policy that led John-7-deferments-Ashcroft on September 10, 2001, to dismiss acting FBI Director Thomas Pickard's request for counterterrorism enhancements? That robust policy that had proved our military incapable of stopping an attack on our shores? I'm guessing the state of Texas has a different definition of robust than my dictionary. But back to the panel discussion . . .

Steinem pressed Ferraro on her support of Hutchinson and she responded with a lame story about Margaret Thatcher and girls growing up believing that they can be in politics; that just having a female in office, regardless of her political affiliation, was important. I had rather hoped we were past the idea of voting for someone based on anything but their views. I'm not denying the impact of a role model but being female doesn't exempt you from misguided and fascist political idealogy. There is a big difference between Eleanor Roosevelt and Laura Bush. There is an even bigger difference between Clarence Thomas and Al Sharpton. It's El Al in my book and I'm not talking about the Israeli airline.

Ferraro did speak about the voting organization she is currently represents - www.grannyvote.org which states its mission as "We want to inform, inspire, and engage grandparents so that they vote for sustainable policies protecting the quality of their grandchildren's lives decades into the future and the stability of the America they will inhabit." A fascinating contrast to W's complete disinterest of his impact on the future - something along the lines of not caring how he'll be judged since he'll be dead.

After the lecture, my friend Alica and I went to an outdoor cafe for a quick bite. As we were chatting we saw Greene leaving the Y alone and walking in our direction. We asked her to join us for a drink and it ended up being a much later night than anticipated. I asked her how she got involved with RTV and she talked about her previous work at the Democratic National Committee. She told us some great stories about who she had met in her non-stop travelling job and she confirmed that Barack Obama is the real deal.

I asked her opinion on the potential for fraud with the computerized voting based on blurbs like this one from www.inthesetimes.com:
"In August 2003, the head of one of the biggest manufacturers of voting machines wrote a fundraising letter saying he is “committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year.” According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Walden O’Dell, CEO of Diebold INC., also “attended a strategy pow-wow with wealthy Bush benefactors—known as Rangers and Pioneers—at the president’s Crawford, Texas, ranch earlier this month.” The next week, he invited guests to a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser for the Ohio GOP at his mansion in the Cleveland suburbs. This is the man whose machines have no paper trail and will be used by at least 8 million voters in the upcoming election."

She said she wasn't worried because the same potential for fraud existed with paper ballots, too. That old saying, "Vote early. Vote often" came from somewhere (1960, Richard Daley, Cook County). Besides Rock the Vote, P. Diddy's Citizen Change (www.citizenchange.com) has also been focused on registering the 42 million eligible individuals between the ages of 18-25. For most states, the last day to register is October 4. Ask everyone you know if they are registered. If they aren't, send them to either of these websites for information about registration in their state.

Shout-Outs Around the Nation
All you 25 and under- Listen Up - The Call Up - Coming Up
We have two shout-outs this week. First Jennifer Scott from the land of the cactus directs us to websites for all men (and women, too!) under the age of 25 with some disturbing information:

"There is pending legislation in the House and Senate which will time the program's initiation so the draft can begin as early as spring, 2005, just after the 2004 presidential election. This legislation called HR 163 and can be found in detail at http://thomas.loc.gov/. Enter "HR 163" and click search and it will bring up the bill for you to read. If this bill passes, it will include all men and all women from ages 18 - 26 in a draft for military action. In addition, college will no longer be an option for avoiding the draft and they will be signing an agreement with the Canada which will no longer permit anyone attempting to dodge the draft to stay within its borders. This bill also includes the extension of military service for all those that are currently active. Please take the time to write your congressman and let them know how you feel about this legislation. www.house.gov and www.senate.gov. For more information, please see www.sss.gov/perfplan_fy2004.html to view the Selective Service System annual performance plan, fiscal year 2004. The Pentagon has quietly begun a public campaign to fill all 10,350 draft board positions and 11,070 appeals board slots nationwide."

Nevermind about the hunt for Bin Laden
And for John Beary and Dennis Virga - their movie theatre, The Majestic , in Crested Butte, Colorado is one of only three theatres in the country showing "The Hunting of the President" which follows "The ten-year campaign to destroy Bill Clinton."

From the Barrister's Chair: More Fodder for Winning Family Fights
Thanks to Ann Molloy for her contribution of excerpts from Bush pere's memoirs "A World Transformed" on why he didn't pursue Saddam Hussein at the end of the Gulf War.
"Trying to eliminate Saddam...would have incurred incalculable human and political costs. Apprehending him was probably impossible.... We would have been forced to occupy Baghdad and, in effect, rule Iraq....There was no viable "exit strategy" we could see, violating another of our principles. Furthermore, we had been consciously trying to set a pattern for handling aggression in the post-Cold War world. Going in and occupying Iraq, thus unilaterally exceeding the United Nations' mandate, would have destroyed the precedent of international response to aggression that we hoped to establish. Had we gone the invasion route, the United States could conceivably still be an occupying power in a bitterly hostile land."

Thanks to Joe Bednar for these words from the man in charge of Mourning in America, Ronald Reagan.
"I think when you make that decision (to vote) , it might be well if you would ask yourself, are you better off than you were four years ago? Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago? Is there more or less unemployment in the country than there was four years ago? Is America as respected throughout the world as it was? Do you feel that our security is as safe, that we're as strong as we were four years ago?

And if you answer all of those questions yes, why then, I think your choice is very obvious as to whom you will vote for. If you don't agree, if you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another
choice that you have. This country doesn't have to be in the shape that it is in."

Button of the Week
"I only sleep with Democrats"

Overheard in Union Square
"These New Yorkers just HATE Bush!"

Guess which Dictatorship
MLW has plethora of reports about goon squad tactics by security forces in an unnamed country currently ruled by a a leader who assumed power during a bloodless coup d'etat. Can you guess in which country these events occured?

A woman getting fired because she had a bumper sticker in support of the opposition party on her car
A mother being removed from a speech by the wife of the ruling party's leader after questioning the legitimacy of the his war in which her son was killed
Individuals being barred from a speaking engagement of the ruling party's co-leader unless they signed a pledge to vote for the dictator in the upcoming "election"

You guessed it - the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Red State Mutiny of the Week or Another Son of a Former Republican President Gets Smart
From the New Hampshire Union Leader on Septmber 30, 2004
http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showa.html?article=44657

"As son of a Republican President, Dwight D. Eisenhower, it is automatically expected by many that I am a Republican. For 50 years, through the election of 2000, I was. With the current administration’s decision to invade Iraq unilaterally, however, I changed my voter registration to independent, and barring some utterly unforeseen development, I intend to vote for the Democratic Presidential candidate, Sen. John Kerry."

2004-09-21T19:50:00.000-04:00

Liberals of the World Unite!

Politics and the City - Issue 3

2004-09-15T21:55:00.000-04:00

Back to Blogging
Welcome back to MLW. I took a small hiatus while I wondered if I should keep the blog going. I'm still fired up about the state of American politics but the reality is setting in and it ain't pretty. But I like writing and I love hearing everyone's comments and stories. If you'd like to be taken off the list, just click "Comments" to send me an email and I'll remove your name.

You'll notice I removed the "Thought for the Day" archives. They take up too much space and many of you already receive them through my email. If you are interested in having them sent to your email address, let me know and I'll add you to that list.

Between Frances and Ivan, this week blew in a star-studded doubleheader of female power. On September 13, I had the pleasure of listening to an afternoon speech by former Texas governor Ann Richards followed by an evening with playwright/activist Eve Ensler and friends at the "world-famous" Apollo Theatre in Harlem.

Born with a Silver Foot in his Mouth
She was talking about Bush le pere but it's even more appropriate for Bush le fils. The Honorable Ann Richards who lost her re-election bid to Bush fils in 1994, appeared at my job to talk about work/life balance. Early in her remarks, in a dry Texas drawl that hinted at her "smoking like a stove and drinking like a fish" days, she mentioned that you could tell a lot about a person by the people around them. She followed that line with, "But I'm not going to talk about politics today."

She talked at length about what it takes to be a good leader. What struck me was her comment that being a good leader meant not only taking risks but being able to accept the ramifications of those risks. She is the definitive no bs, straight-shooter who has lived one life like it was ten. That concept captured me because it's rarely seen - especially in politics and it comes down to one thing - personal accountability. Isn't that what it means to be an adult? Why don't we elect adults to political office?

Vaginas Vote , Chicks Rock, Chicks Vote, and one Twisted Sister
Eve Ensler hosted an evening designed to encourage women to get out the vote. Opening the show with a serious call to the polls , "Do we have any registered vaginas in the house?" the mostly female crowd responsed loudly. She then introduced a beautifully diverse female performance group called We Got Issues. Addressing women's issues with utter frankness and in-your-face Betty-style chatter, the girls warmed up the crowd for an amazing night of female political and artistic icons wooing women to show up at the polls and get their female friends to do the same. Women danced, sang, and read excerpts from Eve's powerhouse play, "The Vagina Monologues." Among them were Rosaria Dawson, Vanessa Carlton, Isabella Rosellini, Marisa Tomei, Charlotte Martin, and Toni Childs. Eve also acknowledged serious financial support from Jane Fonda and George Soros. Some frightening statistics that were presented during the evening:

Over 23 million eligible female voters did not vote in 2000
The U.S. ranks 57 in a list of 180 nations measuring female governmental representation
Congress is only 14% female

Two female activists from Afghanistan, Malalai Joya and Zoya, and an Iraqi woman named Yanar Mohammed presented their experience of "liberation" in their respective countries. The reality of their lives and the twist* we've received from the junta's propanganda ministers is a long distance from my ideal of freedom. The Taliban and the Northern Alliance warlords continue to violate basic human rights in Afghanistan. Many of them have been appointed to new government positions. Yanar spoke of the current 97% female unemployment rate in Iraq and the oppression of women with the rise of the fundamentalists in the vaccum created by the occupation. Of course, (Do I really have to repeat this?), there is no love lost for Saddam but it's curious that only American corporations (with junta associations) are making jack in this deal. She also spoke of over 400 women having been raped and abducted since the start of the occupation. These are the numbers that have been reported.

It was a sobering moment when these women spoke. Their words and their un-celebrity presence were the most compelling of the evening. Some part of me felt that they put us to shame when comparing their lives to the vast liberties western women enjoy. But we are born where we are born for a reason. The best we can do is show support for those who don't have our good fortune by listening to their story, raising our voices in their name, and treating the human beings in our own lives with respect and care. To me that's being a good citizen of the world and that's the energy that will extend beyond our borders to change the world.

When Gloria Steinem took the stage, it was an amazing moment. So much of what women have today is due to her and her contemporaries tireless efforts to bring women to the table. As much as the crowd was starstruck, so was a very elegant, 70-year-old Gloria, as she revealed her dream to have tapdanced one day at the Apollo. She emphasized this relevation with "if a crazy white girl from Toledo, Ohio, can make it to the stage of the Apollo, then we can win this fucking election." Her best line was simple and succint. "I don't want to vote for someone I wouldn't hire."

And one more going out to Ms. Maggie Cannon of Denver, Colorado. When Gloria read the Top 10 Reasons she was not voting for W, she noted that W had yet to meet with the Blauck Caucus because "he didn't have time." Yet, she pointed out, he had found time to meet with the Pope, as in "...the Holy Father, not always a women's best friend," on three occasions.

* I'm tired of the word, spin - my new word is twist as in not just spinning but all out LYING; twisters describe the ones who do it; and twisted is the emotional and mental state after hearing/reading the junta lies. Let me use it in a sentence to see how it sounds: "I was one twisted sister after hearing Dick "I- have-other-priorities" Cheney tell everyone that if John Kerry wins the election, there would be another terrorist attack. Yes, that works for me.

But since I bring it up - let's talk about this one - The biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil took place on Bush fils watch. (Note to entire junta: "Bin Laden determined to strike in the U.S.") The second biggest terrorist attack on U.S. soil took place less than one month after Bush pere left office. What's the common denominator here? Add that one up, Dick "I-had-other-priorities" Cheney.

Tshirts/Buttons of the Week
Better Karma...Vote Kerry
Daddy's Little War Criminal (under a smiling photograph of W)
Go Vote Go Run Go Lead Go Girl!

Fuel for the Fire - Help for winning debates with Republican co-workers and family members
www.misleader.org
www.americanprogress.org
http://afamilyinbaghdad.blogspot.com/ (***best of the bunch)

Today's Shout-Out
Illumination from the land of Jefferson
Jefferson City, Missouri resident Kelli Stiles gets this week's shout-out for sticking it to the man with enlightened humor.

How many members of the Bush Administration are needed to replace a light bulb? Seven.
1. One to deny that a light bulb needs to be replaced
2. One to question the patriotism of anyone who has questions about the light bulb
3. One to blame the previous administration for the need of a new light bulb
4. One to arrange the invasion of a country rumored to have a secret stockpile of light bulbs
5. One to get together with VP Dick "I-have -other-priorities" Cheney and figure out how to pay Halliburton one million dollars for a light bulb
6. One to arrange a photo-op session showing Bush changing the light bulb while dressed in a flight suit and wrapped in an American flag
7. And finally, one to explain to Bush the difference between screwing a light bulb and screwing the country

London Calling
Our man on the street in that city on the Thames, Ranjit Chagar, sent MLW a warning about the ramifications of risktaking vis-a-vis sporting anti-W clothing. Apparently and unknown to virtually all American citizens, it has become a criminal offense to wear anti-Bush tshirts.

A husband and wife were arrested, yes arrested, for wearing anti-W tshirts (they read, "Love America, Hate Bush") at a presidential "appearance" ("not a campaign event" according to a junta spokesperson) in Charleston, West Virginia on July 4, 2004. How completely and appropriately ironic? Or maybe Orwellian is more appropos considering the date. Did I mention they were arrested? No news on whether they've been transferred to Guantanamo on the Hudson. Click here for more really disturbing details http://64.4.46.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=82ec7821761252b57ee46c8adda2bb09&lat=1095393785&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eveteransforpeace%2eorg%2fCouple_in_antiibush_tee_071504%2ehtm

Sweat Arbusto's Lying Ass out of the White House
A new Bikram Yoga studio on the Lower East Side offered a benefit class for the Democratic National Committee and MoveOn.org, "Sweat Bush Out of the White House." The sweat factor dominates because with Bikram Yoga the room is heated to 105 degrees. The less-serious class featured lots of prizes, trivia, and political quizzes. In the final savasana, a meditative pose as one lies on the floor with eyes closed, the instructor slipped in a tape of Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. After 90 minutes of yoga in a sweltering room on a sultry New York summer night, the "audacity of hope" inspired me once again. I'm audacious enough to imagine a Clinton-Obama 2008 bumper sticker. The other Clinton would be the mayor of New York.

Eyes Wide Open
I attended an extremely moving event sponsored by the American Friends Service Committee, otherwise known as Quakers. Called "Eyes Wide Open," the exhibit graphically illustrates the human cost of war with photographs, posted facts and figures about the U.S.'s relationship with Iraq, and shoes. Yes, shoes. When I attended on Sunday, September 10, 983 Army boots were placed in several rows (alphabetically by state) representing the soldiers killed in Iraq. As we all know, that figure has exceeded 1,000. The exhibit also provides information about the number of Iraqi citizens killed. I've read figures stating 10,000 to 25,000 civilians have died.

It was a beautiful late summer Sunday when I walked to a little church across from Washington Square Park. I expected to be humbled by the exhibit. But as I walked into the room, the shock of all of those boots - in their stark simplicity - moved me to tears immediately. I can only compare it to seeing the piles of shoes at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. Because the junta has prevented publication of photographs of the war dead, it seems as if the war has had no impact on Americans. But here in this old church on a sunny afternoon, the cost of war cannot be ignored. How many soldiers' funerals have junta officials attended in support of our troops? Zero.

It is a travelling exhibit, so click here http://www.afsc.org/eyes/upcoming-dates.htm to view the schedule.

Politics and the City - Issue 2

2004-09-06T14:43:00.000-04:00

War is Peace
The smell of patchouli wafted through Union Square last Thursday night which had been transformed into a liberal outdoor mall - tshirts, bumper stickers, banners, and pins galore celebrating the unique yet traditional qualities of the junta and its associated henchman. I'll be forwarding more photos through snapfish so you can see the highlights. A few favorites:

"Who Would Jesus Bomb?"
"Bill O'Reilly is Full of Shit"
"Abstinence: No Bush or Dick in 2004"
"Dethrone Emperor Bush"
"Nazi Lite"

There were a few W supporters. Dressed in bourgeois BC (business casual), they kept bellowing, "Four More Years. Four More Years." One of them, evidently unaware of current economic conditions added, "Four more GLORIOUS Years." Maybe he was a wanna-be Billionaire for Bush slumming it with the anarchists and socialists (as Fox News repeatedly and erroneously described all protestors.)

After walking around for about an hour, we headed to a local bar to watch W's speech - a masterpiece of Orwellian doublespeak. My favorite line was the one that trumpeted the expansion of liberty. I guess he meant "with the exception of the enemy combatants being held illegally at Guantanamo in total disregard of the Geneva Conventions, the Patriot Act, and women who have had abortions."

My big question for Bushie is how come we haven't invaded Saudia Arabia when 17 of the 19 hijackers are from there? I notice the junta is a very fond of uttering the phrases "9/11" and "Saddam Hussein" in the same breath. Maybe they think if they keep saying it, it will become true? Maybe because a large percentage of Americans still think there is a connection?

The Old Town Bar was fairly quiet while W was speaking. One 50-ish white, drunk guy kept clapping. The only real reaction, besides overwhelming disgust and repulsion, came when Fox News split the screen to show a protestor being dragged out of the hall. Most people were in disbelief that the Chickenhawks ("The Few. The Rich. The Elite. Born to Kill. Not to Serve." ) continue to deride Kerry's military service while their deferments (e.g., "Dick-I- had-other-priorites-Cheney") total double-digit figures. Check out http://www.nhgazette.com/cgi-bin/NHGstore.cgi?user_action=list&category=%20NEWS%3B%20Chickenhawks for more specifics.

I spoke to some Quaker women who encouraged me to visit their exhibition Eyes Wide Open which depicts the cost of the Iraqi war in a very compelling manner. I had read about it a few months ago and sent some of you a link. More on that in my next post.

U.S. Postal Service - Official Sponsors of the Bush-Cheney Junta
A postcard bumper sticker reading "It Takes a Village Idiot" with a line drawn through Bush's name was stolen after being mailed to an address in Chicago, Illinois. Isn't that a federal offense?

Upper East Side - We're Blue!
I decided to tally reactions to a tshirt I wore in my neighborhood (traditionally - more blue blood than blue state) on Friday morning. A simple, white tshirt (made in America) with BUSH IS A LIAR printed boldly across the front inspired quite a few impromptu discussions.

As I waited in line at the bank, a 69-year old Hungarian women told me I was brave to wear it. When I asked why she told me she had been hassled (enough to scare her) by a group of young men while she wore her "Beat Bush" tshirt. Apparently, verbal aggressiveness isn't reserved for the unruly anarcharists who were hassling delgates last week.

As I ran errands, a young man walking toward me said, "He most certainly is a liar!" I asked, what became my standard response for the day, "Are you registered to vote?" Everyone with the exception of my UPS guy, Dennis, said "Yes!" "Hell, Yes!" and "Abso-fucking-lutely!"

(The latter response is complete dramatic license. I have yet to spot Chris Noth - that's Mr. Big to you Republicans - but I'm hoping like the junta, if I just keep repeating it over and over, it will become a reality.)

I spoke with Dennis for about 15 minutes trying to convince him that his voted mattered. If nothing else but to prevent the Supreme Court from becoming completely overloaded with Le Famille Bush consiglieres. He told me that he thought the war in Iraq was W's form of population control. Of Puerto Rican descent, he has a wife and two kids who live in the Bronx. He said he felt safe because he was 29, but was worried about his younger brothers if a draft becomes necessary. He talked to me about the military recruiters all over his neighborhood. Fahrenheit 9/11 certainly had it moments of manipulation but the scene of the recruiters in the urban mall came immediately to mind. I've never seen any recruiters in my neighborhood - just about a mile or so south of Spanish Harlem.

All along Lexington and Park Avenues, doormen smiled and nodded at my shirt. One man offered to buy it. I had only one negative response - a woman in Starbucks walked past me and muttered, "Stupid tshirt." I called after her, "Read the First Amendment."

MLW Reaches Detente with Car Service Drivers
Some of you know about my ongoing impasse with the car service drivers who gather under my apartment window. These guys yack and yack - LOUDLY - from 6:00 am to 7:00pm. I've been polite, I've been rude, I've called the police, I've tried to reason with them - all to no avail. When I came home Friday, one of them stopped me and said, "Miss, I love your tshirt! I'm going to bring you a present tomorrow." Sure enough, he brought me a Kerry/Edwards button on Saturday. Who would have thought a quick political discussion would have brought our contretemps to a peaceful resolution? He smiled at the banners hanging from my apartment windows. ("Impeach Bush" "The World Says no to the Bush Agenda" and "I Say No!"). I think I've acquired my own personal doormen working a revolving 13-hour shift.

A taxi driver, a U.S. citizen from Bangladesh, told me Sunday night that 95% of his customers were "happy that all those Republicans leave us!" We talked for awhile and he told me he was also registered to vote. His family wants him to come back because they think the U.S. is too dangerous now. Overall, it was encouraging but New York City isn't exactly a balanced representation of the U.S. The Democrats outnumber the Republicans 5-1.

Overhead on the Train
A girl from the Dominican Republic reading The New York Post article about the massacre in Russia, "Let's see them bring that shit to the Bronx."

An abomination for sure - there is absolutely zero justification for bringing children into a dispute. I reserve the same opinion for the manner in which the Russian government has dealt with the children of Chechnya the past several years.

Stoddabobbas Rock the Vote
Following the footsteps of Pearl Scher of the Lower East Side in NYC, Dorothy Bednar of the Lower West Side of KCMO gets today's "shout-out" for organizing a Voter Registration Drive at Cathedral Towers in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. Aiming to register the entire population of her building's senior citizens and to ensure they have transportation to cast their vote on November 2, this 75-year old stoddabobba (Croatian for "old lady") is doing her part to smush Bush.

Teed Off and Wearing it on your Sleeve
Kudos to B540 of Flagstaff, Arizona, for letting MLW know about the tshirt he sports the most:

Graphic: Four Native American Warriors circa 1800
Slogan: "Homeland Security: Fighting Terrorism since 1492"

Give Junta Loyalists a Chance
MLW flashes a peace sign to Bill Barloon of RNC Central for even considering mixing it up with folks definitely not of his political ilk on Thursday night. He mistakenly chose W's reading of the Imperialist Manifesto over a rocking display of the First Amendment in Union Square. Dude, we'll save our indoctrination sessions for the near future. In the meantime -remember - the hottest chicks vote Democrat. (Wouldn't that be an awesome tshirt. Maybe I can get Carrie Bradshaw to wear it?)

The Last Word: To Be PC Or Not To Be PC
You might wander why I often mention a person's ethnicity in my articles. Easy - it's to provide a glimpse of the awesome diversity of New York. The size and space limitations of Manhattan make it more melting formaggio fondue pot than any other place I've experienced. I purposely took a mental survey around the train this morning on my way downtown. Across from me were two Chinese boys, three Dominican girls, a young girl from India, and an African-American man. A Russian woman and her child sat to my left; a Puerto Rican kid to my right. A Jewish girl stood in front of me.

Even in my one-block region : my coffee guy Frank is from Naples, Italy; my bodega guy is Pakistani, my dry cleaner is Puerto Rican, the cobbler is Russian, my tailor Eddie is from Uzbekistan, the pizza restaurant is owned and operated by Koreans and Hasidics. I get my manicure from a Sarah, a Nepalese woman; my pedicure from Amy who emigrated from Hong Kong. My landlord and super are from Turkey. The diner across the street is owned by Greeks and the used book store by a Jewish guy from you got it, - Manhattan!

You might also wander how I know what ethnicity someone is - sometimes I ask, other times, people wear or carry things that enable you to identify their heritage. (A Star of Davidnecklace, a Puerto Rican sticker, a pierced nose, a book with Chinese characters, copy of the Koran, etc.)

This then, is the best part of New York City. Not the fashion, the restaurants, the shopping, the museums, the culture. But this - Lady Liberty (of French descent) - my favorite NYC landmark, lives and breathes on every street corner every hour of every day. She's one lady who never sleeps. Let's keep her wide awake on November 2.

Politics and the City - Issue 1

2004-09-02T09:59:00.000-04:00

A few quick notes this morning -

One Dick Trumps Another
I noted on the way to the subway this morning that Kobe Byrant's apology out-tabloided Cheney's vitriol on the two morning conservative tabloids.

I'm Not a Doctor but I Play One on TV
In response to Sarah Jessica Parker's outspoken anti-Bush stance, Republican women in New York are wearing black tshirts that read, "Carrie doesn't speak for me" on the front with "Neither does Kerry" on the back. Can someone let them know that Carrie Bradshaw is a fictional character?

Men and Women in Uniform
You may hear the Republicans mention today that the Uniformed Firefighters Association (9,000) has endorsed Bush. It's true. But it's also true that the International Association of Firefighters (265,000 in the nation; 2,900 locals) and the Uniformed Fire Officers Association (number unknown), representing the fire lieutenants, captains, and other officers have endorsed Kerry.

Also note that firefighters and cops are currently protesting in New York for a better contract. A group was demonstrating in front of Ground Zero the other night when I was leaving work. A cop told me that NYC cops are ranked 143rd in the nation for pay. He asked me where I was from and I said the Upper East Side. He nodded and then said, "Cops in Newark..." Let me digress, even when New Yorkers don't say "fucking" out loud, their body language and tone make it clear when it goes without saying it - out loud. This is the manner in which he said, "Newark, New Jersey cops make more than us."

Interestingly enough, cops who have been loudly protesting outside of Bloomberg's apartment on East 79th until 1:00 a.m. have not been arrested or trapped with the orange net.

This morning as I crossed the West Side Highway, I turned to look at some jackhammers working away at Ground Zero. A cop noticed me staring and looked at my anti-Bush button. We caught eyes , he smiled and waved. A reminder that we can't judge politics by our work uniforms.

W stands for Warmonger

2004-09-01T20:58:00.000-04:00

I want to start with a thank you to all of those who have sent such wonderful comments about the blog. Writing this is the best part of my day so thank you for the encouragement. Please feel free to pass the blog on to anyone you think might be interested.

There have been many episodes of civil disobedience in Manhattan since Sunday's march. The group A31 prompted a warning from Employee Communications at work yesterday because our building was being targeted for a 4:00 p.m. protest. I checked out their website and they had several companies listed under categories like "War Profiteers" and "RNC Contributors." I was relieved to see that we were under the latter. Not that I would quit my job for either category - (re: conversation with young Communist on the merits of paycheck paying the rent) since the laptop on which I write my blog is owned by my company. Maybe that cancels out a little of the contributions to the RNC?

In any case, nothing materialized at our location because the group gathered across the street on the east perimeter of Ground Zero and marched to Madison Square Garden. The nearly 1,000 protesters Bushivicks (as opposed to Bolsheviks so named by some conservative media as reported to me by Cathy Godfrey. I thought she said Bushivicks so it was my word for the day!) who have been arrested are being held at a detention center near Chelsea Piers. The conditions are fairly primitive and already it's been nicknamed (How do you say melodramatic in New York-ese) "Guantanamo on the Hudson."

I went to my local electronics store yesterday and the sales staff cheered my anti-Bush button. I chatted with one older gentleman who was disgusted by Guiliani's speech. He said, "I found him repugnant." I loved that he used such a formal word. I had forgotten that Rudy was originally a Democrat, just like Michael Bloomberg. Following the Corleone tradition of keeping my enemies closer, I watched bits and pieces of the convention, but I must confess I'm not evolved enough to handle it with much grace. I thought Rudy made a good point when he mentioned that after 9/11, Republicans and Democrats worked together to rebuild New York. That, in fact, after the election, Republicans should work with Democrats united for one America. I noted the tepid applause.

I stopped at Union Square yesterday on my way to yoga and the mood seemed to have shifted to an angrier tone. I took a few pictures and wandered around listening to conversations. There was a man with a sign that said, "Trust Bush and Jesus." I'm not sure how a pacifist whose greatest legacy is one of love and forgiveness can be compared to a man who says "You're either with us or against us." I would have asked him but he was busy arguing with some young kids who broke into a chant of "Two more months. Two more months." I wish I could believe it.

I noticed a Causcasian guy in his mid-40s with a sign that read, "Kill All the Rich People and End Slavery Now." As I came upon him an older African-American man told him that his message wasn't right, "You're just driving people away by telling them to kill. That's not right." The sign bearer sneered that he wasn't liberal, he didn't care if it drove people away, and added, "Malcolm X didn't care if his message was too strong."

I said, "Yes in the beginning but in the end, he didn't promote violence. Besides, rich is relative. To most Third World countries, the poorest American is rich." He ignored that comment - anarchists are just not people-persons!

A young woman came up with her little boy and agreed that the message was wrong. In the end she said she thought that all politicians were bad. "All the good ones they kill." I mentioned Barack Obama and they both said, "But not for another 8 years - if he isn't killed first."

After yoga (during which we heard non-stop sirens - presumably all headed to the Garden) I came across a guy registering people to vote and selling anti-Bush tshirts. I'm not sure that's legal. As I was chatting with him he suddenly leaned over and said, "Lady, I am making so much money tonight!" I congratulated him and told him capitalism was the American way.

As I was crossing the street to the subway, an elderly woman grabbed my arm and asked if I would help her cross. As we walked, she told me that the city couldn't even handle a few protestors, how could they handle another terrorist attack? Her husband said it was all - and here she whispered - "bullshit." With a boisterous crowd milling around us and sirens blaring, I didn't get a chance to ask her which part he thought was bullshit. She thanked me at the next intersection and then grabbed a young man's arm to help her cross 4th Avenue. A little bit of NY chutzpah to get her home safely.

On the train I was thinking if nothing else the protests seemed to have encouraged dialogue. As much as it's fired up New Yorkers, I think it's making people all over the country feel emboldened and empowered to do something - anything! Even if it's just talking to strangers and asking their opinion.

I came home and I read some of Bobby Kennedy's To Seek A Newer World and I realized how little real discussion we've had because the Republican machine is totally focused on character assasination. They've learned everything and nothing from Lee Atwater.

Can you imagine Bush or any neocon for that matter quoting a Greek poet or Albert Camus - not because it makes a speech dramatic - but because the words, the poetry, the literature, inspired or healed some part of their spirit? If Bobby were running today, he wouldn't make it past the primaries. He would be destroyed all over again. I know, like Che, he was flawed, very flawed - but the level of compassion, the willingness to let life and pain transform him and his political experience are unparalleled in American politics for the last 35 years.

An administrative assistant on our team, Sophia, is an actress and a member of a group called THAW - Theatre Against War. She participated in The Line this morning that stretched from Wall Street to the Garden. (I overslept!) Participants stood in a line and held up a "pink slip" with statistics about unemployment in America. There was a great photograph in the NY Times this morning but you can find more information on the website for People for the American Way. Again, I am revelling in the ingenuity of the protests!

When I mention at work that I've participated in a few protests - I am surprised how many people are surprised! My biggest supporter besides Sophia is a British expatriate on a two-year assignment in New York. He asked me today, "Did you slip in a demo before work this morning?"

Employee Communications sent us a warning about today's protests. They were referring to The Line and mistakenly said it would begin at 5:00 p.m. I sent my team an email indicating that it had already taken place. The Brit came by and said, "So now you're giving us up-to-the-minute demo information? Before you know it your email address will be Protests.org."

I couldn't watch Arnold last night but I understand he was compared to Obama. Another incongruous association. I thought the "W stands for Women" signs were curious. I wonder which women that W refers to? The women who have had abortions and whose medical records the Justice Department tried to subpoena? Perhaps, not.

I'm going to end this post with two small but powerful stories. The first appeared in the NY Times yesterday and is my favorite RNC week story so far. I think you will agree. (I hope this isn't copyright infringement. Lawyers, let me know.)

"...One group kept far away from midtown and the Garden, which has been a focal point for many of the organized protests. "We are just not able to walk it," said Pearl Scher, the organizer of a downtown demonstration of about 100 elderly people who came out with walkers, wheelchairs and canes. Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with slogans like "Fermer le Bush" and "Fire the Liar," the elderly protesters were forthcoming in spirit if not mobility. "It was unbelievable," said Ms. Scher, who said the average age of the protesters was 83. "There must have been 100 of us," she said. "When you multiply 80 by 100, you've got 8,000 years of experience."

Pearl - you rock!

And finally, a shout out to Jackie-Loya Torres who successfully fought off an attempt by a conservative mother at her children's Catholic grade school in Kansas City to have the Girl Scouts removed. Why would anyone want to remove the Girl Scouts you ask?

For their liberal, feminist stances and their "association" with Planned Parenthood, of course. Those subverisve Girl Scouts always causing trouble with their badges and those cookies! Thin Mints everywhere wreaking havoc and poisoning girls with ideas of independence, environmental respect, self-sufficiency, and civic duty. Jackie, you do all of us former Girl Scouts proud ! As I told her it's easy to get up one Saturday morning and walk a mile across a bridge but it's the day-to-day battles and our willingness to fight them that change the world.

This is What Democracy Looks Like

2004-08-30T23:53:00.000-04:00

A quick note before I begin this update. A few of you asked about my New York Times interview. Unfortunately, the reporter never called me back and the story ran (on the front page, no less!) in Friday’s paper. My views weren’t represented but it was fun to take part in a poll.

Back to the streets – (don’t let that fool you, I’m writing from the 35th Floor of a building in the Financial District-not normally known as the bastion of underground blogging.)

The United for Peace & Justice organization sponsored the demonstration on Sunday that everyone feared would end in violence and mass arrests. The route and rallying point had been contested in court. In the end, the march moved up Seventh Avenue (that is Fashion Avenue to you, Nancy Johnson) from 23rd Street to 34th street. At 34th the route turned right to Fifth Avenue and then moved south to Union Square.

Organizers suggested marchers bring whistles, drums, tambourines, and noisemakers. So I headed to Union Square on one of the hottest days of the summer with my tambourine, a few bottles of water, and the New York Lawyers Guild pamphlet, “Street Law: What You Need to Know during the RNC Protests” that were distributed at the women’s march on Saturday.

I spent an hour or so taking photos and talking to people. I had an extended conversation with a 16-year old Communist from Atlanta who was disappointed to learn I worked for a big, fat American corporation. “Dude, that like sucks like so bad.” he told me. I said, ‘No dude, a paycheck that covers my rent does not suck at all.” He replied, “Dude, see that is so, like the problem, like, with capitalists, like, they think, like, money is like, power.” I said, “Dude, they, like, think that - because, like, it IS.” As he recovered from my bluntness, I added, “But you know, so is knowledge and idealism – so don’t lose your optimism!” I wanted to ask him how he had managed to get from Atlanta to New York without money but I figured it was time to move on.

High on my entertainment list of Union Square folks were the anti-Bush cheerleaders. A unisex group in pink, black, and red A’s for anarchy - protesting Bush with funny cheers and general silliness, e.g., awkward ballet moves from men in kilt-like skirts. The guys from gwvoodoo.com got a laugh from me while asking people to “stick it to W” - red, white, and blue pins to stick in their plastic W doll - a clever reference to voodoo economics from 41. Both of these groups are in the photos.

I noticed a good deal of diversity in the crowd , the same that you see in the subway everyday - men, women, grandmothers, grandfathers, strollers, Sikhs, Latinos, Asians, Indians, African-Americans, Italians, straights, gays, yuppies, lawyers, military, Quakers, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Arabs, Socialists, Communists, Democrats, - all united in sticking it to the MAN as Jack Black would say.

It took a long time to start moving because there were people from 23rd Street all the way down to Canal. As the crowd approached an intersection, it stopped to allow people spilling in from the side streets. It was awhile before I could find the friends I was supposed to meet. The man in the photos carrying the “Let Peace Begin with Me” asked me to join his group from Chelsea. We stood next to a group of young people who were pretty rowdy and fairly obscene in their chants (which I cannot remember) and he said, "Let’s hear it for the undergrads!” Everyone laughed, except the undergrads who didn’t get that we were all very, very post-grad. Someone added, “Rage on!” and they liked that better.

After a block or so, I caught up with my friend Alicia and we started moving with the crowd. We walked by so many creative displays, costumes, posters – many of which I captured on film; the enormous white fabric with the No-Bush graphic, the green dragon which later was set on fire and those responsible arrested, the hilarious signs with that very unfortunate photo of W; the huge beach ball globe with a man dressed as W hammering it. . I also noticed that several of the groups selling t-shirts and buttons – presented their websites as dubya.dubya.dubya. whatever -their-name.com. The giant pink penis balloon being followed by a big green bush. Check out the Empire State Building in Picture 41.

Those were the little things that made me laugh out loud.

A list of buttons I bought this weekend:

“One Nation Under Surveillance”
“Asses of Evil”
“Re-Defeat Bush in 2004”
“NYC does not love (heart-graphic with a line drawn through it) Bush more than ever”
“Get that warmonger out of the White House”
and the classically crass - “Fuck Bush”

There were also numerous t-shirts that declared,
“The only Bush I trust is my own.”
“My Bush would make a better president.”
"ABB Anybody but Bush"
and the one I wanted to make into a tee – “Dissent is Patriotic.”

And the t-shirts I purchased – (all sweat shop free, of course!)
"Resist and Refuse"- with a Keith Haring graphic (refuseresist.com)"
"I Love Liberals!"
"I’m not Down with G.O.P." (all the sales people at a local store in my neighborhood loved that one.)

There were lots of chants:
“Drop Bush, Not Bombs”
“No More Bush”
“George Bush Sucks”
“Hey Hey, Ho Ho, George Bush has got to go.”
“What do Want? Peace! When do We Want it? Now!"

There were also a fair number of failed chants that just didn’t cut the mustard. Someone started chanting, “Bush is a no-good, scum-sucking, neocon, warmonger…”, but a voice from the crowd said, “Dude, that’s too long to repeat.” Always a critic in New York.

A huge Fox News banner near the Garden motivated the crowd to stop and scream, “Fox News Sucks” – Try saying that numerous times at the time of your lungs.

And my personal favorite:
A lone voice with an arm pointed toward the Garden – “That is what Hypocrisy looks like!”
The crowd answered pointing to themselves, “This is what Democracy looks like.”

After I chanted that for a few times, I felt like I do after I vote. Corny, I know but the potential of freedom is limitless.

We stood there for a good 10 minutes chanting. I realized for the first time the absolute adrenalin rush of a crowd. Between the chanting, horns, flutes, drums, whistles, bells, tambourines, I can understand the appeal of a tribe, even if it is momentary and based on solely on emotion. It was a powerful moment and it made me feel a tad bit better after four years of being pissed off with W’s atrocious politics. My girls from Betty might say that with a tad more gusto and much more colorful language.

Once we passed the Garden, the police presence was massive but calm. A good portion of the police were smiling and laughing or others just seemed serious and focused on doing their job. I never saw or experienced any violence except for a girl who shoved me trying to get through the crowd. I called her out for her un-peaceful protest-like behavior and she promptly apologized. The crowd was quiet as we walked down 34th Street to Fifth Avenue - all the energy expended for those last few blocks in front of the garden. The crowd seemed to thin and I assumed we were at the end. I later discovered that the march continued behind us for two more hours! An anonymous police official agreed with the organizers that the crowd was close to a half million.

As we neared the end of Madison Square Garden, a women next to me yelled, ”Hey you Republicans, why don’t you all just GO BACK TO KANSAS where you came from!”

I said, “Hey sister, my family lives in Kansas!” I think I caught her off guard.
“Oh no! well I didn’t mean it like uh you know bad..“

I said, “I know but really there are some good liberals that live in Kansas. I’m related to them.”
I should have added - in fact, more liberals than who live in Staten Island!

She said, “Oh I know but you know what I mean.” I said, “Yes I do know what you mean, unfortunately.” But still, a girl has got stick up for her peeps in the heartland!

As we walked down Fifth Avenue, there was finally room for spectators. Down Seventh Avenue, the crowd had covered the entire street from sidewalk to opposite sidewalk without an inch to spare. And once again, a voice surprised me with its anger. A man started yelling apparently very confused in his understanding of American history and law , “All of you should move to Cuba! Go to Cuba! Go to Cuba! See what it’s like!!”

I turned around to look at him and my tank top inflamed him. “You with the Che Guevera t-shirt, GO TO CUBA and see what it’s like! GO!” I smiled and walked toward him, banging my tambourine and chanting, “NO MORE BUSH. NO MORE BUSH.” I walked away with a final comment, “and I love Cuba!” and the crowd around me started laughing. He was not amused.

Further down, another man yelled me at me, ‘Oh yea Che Guevera, oh yea lady, there’s another killer for you.” Che was not without his flaws but “killer” doesn’t quite cover the full spectrum of his life. I turned around banging my tambourine and chanting, “VIVE CHE, VIVE CHE” with a smile on my face. He was not amused either.

At Madison Square Park, we ran into the Billionaires for Bush dressed to the nines holding a pretend press conference to discuss tax cuts and yachts. Soon after, we saw the CodePink: Women for Peace group. They were pink from head-to-head and in great spirits giving W the Pink Slip! (their costumes? a big pink slip.)

We walked around Union Square and then headed to the East Village. At 17th and Fourth Avenue, the streets were calm and quiet. You would never know that a group of half million people were marching three avenues away. For the final time, a man yelled at me as he walked by, “Take off that Che Guevera t-shirt lady!” I should explain that Che t-shirts and pins are fairly common in Manhattan. I see one at least once a day. I’m not sure why my shirt evoked so much passion yesterday!

After a quick meal and no nude model scouts, I headed uptown to clean up, change clothes, and meet some work colleagues of the Republican persuasion for a beer in a local Irish pub. They loved all my stories and the chants. Yes, we all can get along. But it’d still be better without W.

I Am Woman Watch Me Vote

2004-08-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

As I roam the streets of NYC this week, giving over to my lifelong journalist fantasy, please note that in my world, I don't have to be politically objective. It's all liberal, all the time. Some offensive language will be used in the spirit of giving you the uncensored picture and for purely humorous effect! The thing I did most this weekend was laugh - so much good will and creativity it was astounding!

My weekend started early Saturday morning when I took the 4,5 to Borough Hall in Brooklyn Heights to join the March for Women's Lives rally. (Visitors you've been here with me, this is the starting point for the brooklyn tour.) It was mostly women but there were a few men joining us. Several indviduals representing local Brooklyn government spoke and a womyn's (tongue firmly in cheek) a cappella group named, "Betty" sang "America the Beautiful." They introduced themselves by saying, "Get up and sing with us cause we dragged our asses all the way from Manhattan to tell the Republicans, "We're fierce, we're feminist, and we're in your fucking face."

I about fell over laughing. There were definitely some militant sisters marching next to grandmothers doctors, mothers, Christians for Choice,and sure enough, Republicans for Choice - 25,000 of us from Brooklyn to Manhattan. It was girl power all the way!

Some chants heard along the bridge:

"2, 4, 6, 8, we're the ones who ovulate."
"George Bush is a sexist, send that bastard back to Texas."
"2, 4, 6, 8, we don't have to procreate."
"George Bush is a wussy, keep your hands off our pussy."
"Keep your rosaries off my ovaries."

Buttons and stickers that proclaimed:

"Well-behaved women rarely make history."
"When Women Vote, Women Win."
"W. Like a Rock. Only Dumber."
"Teresa for President" (with the Heinz ketchup bottle as the backdrop.)
"I love pro-choice New York."
"Between a Dick and a Bush, we all got screwed."

There were lots of policemen (note: white plastic handcuffs hanging from their belts in photos) on the bridge but they were smiling and laughing with us. I asked one if I could stand on a bench to take a picture. He said, 'I'm turning my head - so I don't see what youse doing, but lady, don't jump."

Some of Randall Terry's group (Operation Rescue) were waiting for us on the Manhattan side. But they were small in number. When I arrived at City Hall Park, Eve Ensler (author of The Vagina Monologues - I highly recommend the play if you have occasion to see it.) was just finishing her speech. She ended it with - "So get your vaginas to the polls in November and vote!" Peggy Kerry, John Kerry's sister, an actress from "One Life to Live" whose name I cannot recall, along with women from several ethnic groups in New York talking about various women's health issues. By then, we were hot and tired so we headed to the East Village for a burger at Life Cafe.

The East Village could be considered one of NYC's most liberal neighborhoods so I was surprised when I was confronted by a less liberal agitator. As we were coming out of Life, a women sitting with her kids yelled at me, "Get that pro-choice shit out of my face."

She continued and I finally said, "Listen lady, I am standing on a street corner. I can stand here. If you don't like it, you can turn your head." (The pro-choice shit she is referring to is the sign in the photo of me on the bridge. It was leaning upside down against my leg outside of Life as I stood on the corner.) Some women having lunch yelled to me, 'You tell her, sister!" and "You ladies you just have a great afternoon!"

The pro-life person kept yelling at me so we left. We also encountered some not very friendly vibes as we walked by a fire station - which surprised me at first but later, it made sense considering the demographics of NYFD.

As we walked futher, we came across a man screaming in the street, "My name is Francisco Ricardo Gerado ... don't run away, I'm looking for nude models." But that's just a typical New York moment. Sort of like a commerical break. Although his demeanor reminded me of Mandy Patakin's character in The Princess Bride "My name is Iago .. . and I'm here to avenge the death of my father. Prepare to die."

I heard there were lots of celebrities but I only saw Maggie Gyllenhall (she was in The Secretary and Mona Lisa Smile) She looked hot, tired, but inspired like the rest of us!

In the small world category, the woman in my photos on the bridge with a baseball hat, jean skirt, and grey tank is a girl from San Diego who went to school at Mizzou! She's been to KC and knew lots of STA girls but no one I knew. Her girlfriend in the cowboy hat and pink Planned Parenthood shirt is a lawyer at Physicans for Reproductive Choice, the non-profit where Alicia (in striped skirt) my old rooomate from Brooklyn used to work. I noticed when I was downloading some of my photos that there was a woman with a Royals hat on in the crowd- I wished I'd noticed before! Stay tuned for more "Kansas" interaction on Sunday.

The barristers among you - notice the people in my photos with the neon green baseball hats. They were legal observers from the New York Lawyers Guild who were on hand to witness/support any issues that arose.

You'll be receiving an email shortly that gives you access to photos from Saturday and Sunday from snapfish.com. Enjoy!

Up next, a report about the Anti-Bush rally on Sunday, August 29. Half a million strong...!

RNC in NYC

2004-08-26T00:00:00.000-04:00

News from the police state formerly known as Manhattan. I'll be providing intermittent coverage the next few days as events unfold, let me know if you'd rather not receive updates!

The Paul Revere ride ("The Republicans are coming! The Republicans are coming! One if by chartered jet, two if by S.U.V.” ) happened Sunday night down Lexington Avenue! I missed it but they are having another event ...

Crossing of NY Harbor – Friday, August 27, 2pm. Having lost Manhattan to the Republicans, we will stage a daring “Crossing of New York Harbor” on the Staten Island Ferry to liberate New York from the Bush loyalists, and America from its corporate monarchy. This will mimic the famous painting of George Washington crossing the Delaware with General Jonny America at the front. But, this is a crossing of a bigger America, one where we take back our government from the Enrons and Halliburtons. here's their website - http://www.greenedragon.org/

Saturday it's a woman's march for choice across the Brooklyn Bridge. The Operation Rescue folks will be countermarching against us. Sunday, the big anti-Bush march down Seveth Avenue.

Al Franken is asking everyone to yell out their window Fuggadeboutit" when Bush accepts the nomination. (I love this idea.)

In other news, the NY Times is supposed to interview me today for views I expressed in an CBS/NY Times Poll about Bush, Kerry, the RNC, the fear factor in Manhattan. If I make it to print it will be in Saturday's paper - I will keep you posted!