dcpopenthread

An Invitation For Murder?

2009-06-24T23:12:36Z

No words. Just listen...

What do you think about what Michael Savage asked his audience to do? (Gotcha! You gotta listen to the whole thing to hear it!)

Now watch what Ed Schultz said about it.

Is this representative of our Freedom of Speech or is this an invitation towards something more violent? Do we need to protect Savage's right to say what he did or should there be some limitations on it?

What do you think?

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Ed Schultz Cleans Up for Single-Payer

2009-06-23T00:21:40Z

Ed Schultz is one of the few media members who is consistently using his soap box in support of single-payer health care. That's one reason why I'm a big fan of both his radio show and his tv show! If you have never heard the Ed Show on the radio, he allows anyone to call in. Democracy in action! All voices get heard.

Thus, today as I was listening, Ed had a couple of conservative callers take to the mic. The first one, Michael, demanded to know from Ed who had no health care in this country. He insisted that it was a 'few' and not a big deal. Since 'most' had insurance, there was no need for an overhaul of the system. He felt that the few without insurance could be tucked into existing programs. And he was confident since we were 'already forced to pay for illegal alien's health care' that there were no others who might possibly be uninsured.

I can honestly say that I was so ~~enraged~~ inspired to call and rebut his talking points. He wanted a list of 'non-aliens' who were uninsured, then I'd give it to him!!!

So I dialed away until eventually I got through.

"Would you like to talk to Ed?" his call screener said.

"Yes, I'd love to speak to Ed in response to Michael's call."

So.....

]]> I ended up on hold for quite a while. In the meantime, a different caller, Will gave his support to Michael's point of view. He went on to say how "he has insurance but as a responsible dad, he takes care of his family! He "did not want to pay for other people via a government program even though he probably already pays for those people who don't pay..."

You can only imagine the steam coming from my ears upon hearing his viewpoint.

Essentially, if you don't have insurance it's because you're irresponsible. In fact, he even tried to build that into his argument by pointing out that he knows a few people who chose to not have insurance! Only a few. Not many, of course! But, regardless, he was standing firm on his viewpoint: there is nothing wrong with the current system and it doesn't require an overhaul.

So, steam out my ears, face red as a lobster, hands shaking, I brewed and stewed, and listened to the show as I waited my turn to talk to Ed. While I waited, I heard Debbie Stabenaw insist that she will not vote for any plan that doesn't have a strong public option. She spoke of the lobbyists in DC each and every day. "You can't turn around without running into one." So she set up a 'health care lobby' for us on her website where she asks for you to submit your story to her.

There were more callers. Like a small business owner in New York who employs 22 people. He said, "Health insurance is the biggest part of my budget. It is killing the small business owner! " (I could agree with that!) He also mentioned how health care impacts his choices of employees. "If two employees are equal but one has insurance via the spouse and the other needs my insurance, then you know which one goes..."

And then there was Jan. Jan is a insurance sales person. She's worked with people like the NY business owner. She brought up many, many important things. I could list many, but I'll try to list the key things:

1. The health care and pharma lobbies are the biggest in DC.

2. They have Sen. Grassley and Sen. John McCain 'bought and paid for..." What this means is they will do exactly as the insurance wants them to because if they don't, they already have 2-3 people lined up and ready to primary against them.

3. The insurance company keeps pushing the envelope on health care co-pays and out of pockets. A few years ago, a family could get by with a thousand. Then when Bush was in office, the health care out of pockets became $2,500. And now, they are insisting per the current bill that there be a $5,000 dollar automatic out of pocket before insurance will kick in.

This is what having a strong lobby and having your representatives in their pocket does to your pocketbook!

4. Then, Jan told the story of her own family members who died due to lack of insurance and due to not qualifying for government help. Her brother recently died of throat cancer which could have been caught when it was in its early stages had he had insurance. He was a week away from qualifying when he died. Before he died, he asked her to write an $8,000 dollar check so that his survivors wouldn't have to pay for his bills upon his death.

Another family member died of stage 4 aids.

There was of course much more to her interview than what I have posted. And she was a hard act to follow, but red face and nerves and all...I did.

I had to put all my thoughts into a few sentences. So I said, "Michael and William, you have bought into their lies. There are responsible people who still have no health care. The private insurance company murders people each and every day by denying coverage, upping premiums, committing fraud, and getting between the doctor's orders and the patient's well being."

I quickly told a personal story. "I had insurance at the time when my daughter got very ill. We spent over thirty thousand dollars in ten months to keep her alive. It took us four or more years to pay off that balance. All of that thirty thousand went to the profits of the private insurance company and their CEO's. Now, if given a choice of spending thirty thousand for insurance profits or giving thirty thousand to save your child's life, I would opt to save your child's life! It is about being humane. It's not about people choosing to be irresponsible and lazy."

And at that point, my turn for the mic ended.

I don't know that Will or Michael listened me, or heeded Jan's words, or heard the small businessman, but we tried to lay it on the line. They--the insurance industry and our Senators and Representatives in our government--are killing the American people.

And it has to stop now!

There is no excuse for letting this murder-by-spreadsheet industry thrive and cost millions of peoples' lives. Ed is standing on his soap box each day on the radio and each night on tv and demanding justice and true health care reform. He, and all of us, must keep pushing until we force each member of Congress and President Obama to do the right thing as 76% of Americans want them to do.

So, from this day forward, we need to be on our soapbox. We need to be heavily involved each and every day! (We can not rest!)

And while we're at it, we can grab the sponge and detergent and clean out DC from all the lobbyists, their scum, and the corruption within our government.

Health Care Insurance Reform...Stat!

2009-06-13T16:06:08Z

The fight is on for universal health care coverage for all. But this is not a new fight; it's a fight that's been taking place since FDR attempted it in the 1940's and that was renewed once again by Bill and Hillary Clinton in the 1990s.

Smart fighters learn from the past, and let me tell you, the past in this case involves many of the same players who are still around to create havoc with health care reform now! So, let's look at what happened in the 1990s and see what happened to derail universal health care back then and then we can strategize how to preemptively block those attacks this time.

A long time ago, a newly elected President and his wife created a task force to bring to the USA its first national universal public health care system--a system that would cover everyone. The year was 1992, and the First Lady, in an unprecedented move, was asked to lead the commission which would bring health care for all.

Conservatives, libertarians, and the health insurance industry fought voraciously against Hillary Clinton's plan which they condescending dubbed as Hillary-care. In a highly orchestrated move, William Kristol and his policy group Project for the Republican Future, created a series of "policy memos" which were faxed to Republican leaders. Then Republicans and their pundits sent their missives to the print media and the networks. They made numerous appearances across the media outlets.

According to the Wikipedia, the Heritage Foundation argued:

"the Clinton Administration is imposing a top-down, command-and-control system of global budgets and premium caps, a superintending National Health Board and a vast system of government sponsored regional alliances, along with a panoply of advisory boards, panels, and councils, interlaced with the expanded operations of the agencies of Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Labor, issuing innumerable rules, regulations, guidelines, and standards."

As the Clintons continued to press forward with their task force, more organizations took aim.

The Health Insurance Association of America paid 12 million for the highly effective Harry and Loise ad. This ad was integral in convincing the public that the plan was too bureaucratic, too complex, and too disorganized to succeed. They convinced people to be frightened of it.

Other news media like Time, CBS News, CNN, the Wall Street Journal and the Christian Science Monitor ran stories that questioned if there were indeed a health-care crisis or if Hillary and Bill Clinton were just wasting tax payer dollars.

Op-eds against it were published in major newspapers.

And even the Democratic party and the 'left' didn't pledge their support to the task force's plans because they wanted single-payer government sponsored, universal health care.

According to William G. Weisser in his book Governing Health, over 70 million dollars was spent in 90s to make sure the for-profit health care insurance would remain safe and secure and to see that Hillary-Care would fail.

There is a saying, 'Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.' The more things change, the more they stay the same. The same could be said in this case as well. Today, we have a health care crisis in our country. We have a popular president and a Democratic Congress. We have the potential for reform on the table. But we also have the same powerful Republican-controlled media. We have the same big corporations and their lobbyists trying to stymie strong (and real) legislation. We have the same DC-players (our duly elected and taxpayer paid) Senators and Congressmen trying to save their own hides instead of trying to save our hides.

So as activists, and as humanitarians, what are you willing to do to make sure that a new version of a Harry and Loise ad doesn't bring us more of the same?

Let's talk and then let's get rolling!

The Real Reason Why Newspapers Are Failing (Or... How stupid can Newsweek be?)

2009-04-08T11:35:41Z

I don't know if any of you caught the recent Newsweek article titled "Paper Money: Newspapers aren't assets to be stripped, leveraged and flipped." But, unfortunately I have. And I had a feeling, before I ever even read it, I was about to read an article that was completely full of shit. And Newsweek did not disappoint my expectation of a total load of crap.

In the article, they discussed the 'flipping' of newspapers, and the sometimes 'criminal' acts of bad management. And basically declared the 'business model" of all these 'newspapers' was ultimately 'unviable'. Oh man, how they did try to avoid the truth of it all, and in doing so, they perfectly demonstrated why organizations like theirs are 'failing'. Not once in the entire article did they address the fact that newspapers and the MSM as a whole are failing, because no one actually expects them to report the truth anymore.

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Never once did they address the public perception from all sides that newspapers are no longer the messengers of facts and reality, and as a whole, no one wants to buy a newspaper without any actual 'news' in them. Never once did they mention that the complete lack of ethics for 'journalists' in these last years might just be the reason no one can sell newspapers anymore.

See, it must be the business model! Because if it wasn't, then Newsweek would have to print some actual hard facts and insert critical logic onto their pages. They would have to tell the truth of things, even about themselves. And their sponsors.

Is it just me, or does anyone else remember The Downing Street Memos...? I mention it, because it stands out in my mind as a perfect example of why every outlet of the main stream media is not doing as well as they should.

Yes, you remember, The Downing Street Memos. If you know what they are, it is because you had to use the internet to find out exactly what they are. And there is little doubt, what they are is proof of High Treason on both the part of the Bush and Blair administrations. We all had to go look it up. Why? Because not one single so called 'journalist' in the MSM in this country at any time fully explained them to their readers or viewers. None of them covered the 'news' of it.

When the news of them leaked out of London, it sparked a furious response online. While the MSM literally ignored it for as long as they could, the rest of us virtually traveled to London and familiarized ourselves with these unbelievable documents. And when the fury of them became viral, at some point the MSM had to at least acknowledge they existed.

But think back to what happened in that acknowledgment. The MSM only mentioned the fury over them, but not one of them simply laid out what they were or what they meant. There was no actual discussion of it on TV, no one in print debated the argument publicly about the actual content of the memos. No context was added. All they did was mention that online somewhere there was some argument about these things called the Downing Street Memos.

And the MSM, so eager to give us news and facts... took exactly two opportunities to ask Bush and Blair about them. And both men replied the same way with the same talking point. They did not dismiss or debunk them. They did not deny them. They did not explain or excuse them. They both simply said 'There is nothing new in them."

And all the MSM breathed a giant sigh of relief, telling the rest of us it was no big thing, you see, because there was nothing 'new' to report there. Then they quickly moved on. They just stepped right over it and went right back to entire panels that all agreed torture was needed on our enemies, it was the patriotic thing to do, see, we are all just so divided though on how much torture to actually apply to other human beings.

And then recently, a funny thing happened. A man named Jim Cramer, who is supposedly a financial wizard of some kind with his own megaphone show to millions met a little comedian named John Stewart. Most of us knows what happened next. Stewart, in a very unfunny way, completely eviscerated Mr.Cramer for his failure to see the economic collapse coming, and also outright accused him of knowing about it all along, while using his MSM slot to decieve the masses into believing everything was better than good. The fury of a comedian with his own megaphone revealed more truth in 10 minutes than all of the MSM has put forth in years.

I find it so strange that NewsWeek wrote an entire article about the collapse of the newspaper industry without ever mentioning any of these things. Think of how much ink, paper, work hours, and airtime has been devoted into deceiving us about so many things... And in the mind of MSM, outlets like NewsWeek, it never once occurred to them what we all already know. The entire news industry is failing, and everyone outside the news industry knows why immediately, instinctively, and certainly.

It is failing because it has not been giving us actual 'news' for some time now. Even worse, every outlet of the MSM has withheld, distorted, or flat out lied about certain facts and situations. They have completely ignored and dismissed repeatedly the people who were right all along. And even worse, used their positions to smear, intimidate and slander across their pages and airtime to shut up anyone not towing the MSM official 'business model'.

I find it odd that I now watch with glee the complete implosion of a news industry that gave us infotainment instead of any news for year after year. I find it odd because I never wanted them to fail.

For years, I prayed they would do better, inform us more, help us to understand the situation we were in, and ultimately, protect the public by simply telling them simple truths. For years I prayed the NY Times, the Washington Post and the La.Times would live up to a better standard and inform the nation of the hard brutal truths we all used to buy newspapers to get at. But they never would, they just could not bring themselves to report anything that might upset the corporate sponsors that supported their 'business model'. I really did want them to live up to their full potential, but they failed in so many ways, on so many issues of literally life and death and war, I don't even know anyone of any political stripe that actually trusts the MSM anymore.

This is the reason no one watches cable news anymore, this is the reason people quit buying newspapers. What is the use? People like Bill O'Rielly can sit there and brag about having 4 million viewers in a country of over 300 million people? That is just sad and pathetic. A grand total of less than 2% of the country trusts you. Congratulations! Asshole.

The reason they are failing, and will continue to fail, is because they have broken a sacred trust between themselves and us, the ones whos' job it is to inform us failed in every way possible. It used to make me sad to watch them fail so badly. But now all I can find in my heart for them is contempt and distrust. And after what I have seen from them, I doubt I will ever trust them again. Their pathetic pleas of 'Woe is we" makes me snicker in condescending glee. They really do believe we are so dumbed down, that we all must be as ignorant as they have deliberately intended to leave us.

Until the corporations also gobble up the internet, I will rely on my own ability to seek news out from around the world on my own. And so will tens of millions of others.

The next time NewsWeek wants to do an article on the failing of the MSM, they should first take a hard long look in the mirror at themselves, and then use their pages to tell us the truth about things that have been deliberately withheld from us because of their 'business model'. Then, maybe I will actually think about subscribing to Newsweek. Maybe everyone would. We would trust them, if only they would tell the full truth on a regular basis.

But I doubt they will ever be completely honest with us ever again because at this point they would also have to admit complicity. It is their own fault they have failed so badly.

Good riddance to the old 'business model'. It won't be missed.

Truth and Silence

2009-02-07T14:12:52Z

(Ed note: Today's thread header was submitted by Woz.)

Yesterday I read an article that alarmed me because it seems to go against the pledge made to Americans by President Obama. Truth. In these few early days with Obama, we are getting more Truth than we've had from any president in my lifetime. Truth. Without it, what do we have? Suspicion? Excuses? Forgiveness?

Just over a week ago, on a train going to Barcelona, I met a young man whose family had emigrated to New Zealand from Iraq after the first gulf war when he was just 8 years old. He remembered the first war. He was there. He was unashamed in his anger towards the Americans and told many stories of his relatives' lives having been turned upside down and looted by Americans in uniform right now. Still today. He told me of things last week, last month, last year. We've all read the horror stories. This young man witnessed some of them many years ago. Truth. His country/men/women want the world to know the Truth.

So, I cringed when I read this article.

]]> Silence and Truth do not go hand in hand. I also watched a video clip of a young former guard of Guantanamo who described the torture meted out to inmates. Many of those conducting the torture actually revelled in it. "Psychotic", he called their treatment of the detainees. They were able to enact their most sadistic and psychotic dreams, he said. Others, he said, simply went about the business of the day which was to do what was expected of them. To torture as a matter of course.

I was disappointed to learn that no charges will ever be laid against the perpetrators of the torture, nor of those who wrote the torture bible. So, the next administration can simply turn around and do it all again. Learn nothing as we learned nothing? Shouldn't we be on about exposure? Naming, blaming, shaming and jailing the criminals who wielded their uniforms as a licence to torture?

This article disturbs me greatly. I know that every single person who was picked up by the American military anywhere in the world as a *suspected terrorist* was tortured. Everyone knows it. Rather than say, "America does not torture." Shouldn't America admit to the extent and degree of torture that was carried out for America. How can the president say, "America does not torture." George Bush said those same words. It didn't make it so then, it will not make it so now or in the future.

Can America restore its good name and good conscience without Truth? I think not. It's more CoverUp than OwnUp.

Dance With Us

2009-01-18T17:11:58Z

DanceObama: The Pulse for Peace

Over the next few days, change is a gonna come. The change is overt: a new President, a new administration, and it is as-yet-undefined. Some startling clues exist, however: pictures of dead children in Gaza horrify us, creating the clear loud message that brutality and carnage, no matter under what guise, are not to be tolerated. A pilot saves 155 people with calm and skill that reassures us that not all disasters end in total loss and that paying attention and thinking clearly actually works sometimes. A gay bishop and a rightwing preacher both celebrate a new government that is not catering to any one constituency but appears to want to cut a swath across all, and maybe even elevate the country to a higher moral ground, without privileging one belief system or lifestyle over another.

The train rolled into town yesterday, bringing a newly-forceful but always thoughtful guy to lead the changes. He did not bring the change with him on the trip, nor will he deliver it to us with his inaugural address. But over the next few days, through music , art, dancing, sharing food and warmth, change will come to us.

We will create it.

DanceObama: The Pulse for Peace is one of many events planned for Washington DC. It has also inspired people in Boston, Chicago and California to join in, at their own times, in their own celebrations of manifesting hope and change through music and dance. The event in DC is open to all, for a donation of $15.00, and it will happen at the Peace Mural Gallery at 3336 M. St in Georgetown from 4-6 pm Monday, in the midst of stunning paintings by the artist Huong. Hot drinks and small food will be served, and we will have drummers, dancers, and music to move to.

Over 100 years ago, a man named Rudolf Laban began to devise ways of bringing people together through specifically created participatory dance events called movement choirs, in which each person contributed to a communal celebration of harmony. By finding the universal pulse for change, individual voices and collective joy can be heard across the world, calling each of us to thoughtful, aware, and considered action.

Some of the music that we will be using for this event:

Sweet Honey in the Rock: “We Are the Ones We’ve Been Waiting For”

Kanye West: “Love Train”

Sly and the Family Stone: “Everyday People”

Cat Stevens: “Peace Train”

John Lennon: “Imagine”

Johnny Clegg: “Life is a Magic Thing”

Seal: “A Change is Gonna Come” (or any version)

The Pointer Sisters: “Yes We Can, Can”

U2: “Beautiful Day”

If you can, come down to Georgetown on Monday afternoon and be a part of starting the pulse with us. If you can’t, put on the music, be inspired, and begin to move with us. Together we cross the threshold into a new way of being in the world: as agents of our own lives and stewards for peace and hope everywhere.

Paying the Piper

2009-01-16T14:41:21Z

I came across an interesting article that discussed the way new laws have allowed people or local governments to collect cash damages from gangs or hate organizations. According to the article gangs in LA, organizations such as the Mafia and the KKK and Aryan Nation, have lost assets for damages resulting from their violent crimes.

Daniel B. Wood of the A.P. wrote:

The city of Los Angeles, plagued by 23,000 violent gang crimes since 2004, including 784 murders and 12,000 felony assaults, announced Tuesday that it had won its first civil judgment, for $5 million, against a criminal gang that had dominated the heroin trade downtown for decades.

The verdict could bode well for another first-of-its-kind lawsuit the city filed last month that goes after all assets of gang leaders, not just those associated with their criminal activity. Both suits seek to plow the money back into improving the neighborhoods affected by the gangs through a fund.

"By giving prosecutors more tools to fight gang activity at the local level, we are protecting our communities at the same time [that] we're able to strengthen our statewide anti-gang efforts," said Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in a statement released with the announcement of the $5 million verdict against the 5th and Hill gang in L.A.

There have been other positive outcomes according to the same article:

The tactic of trying to cripple organizations by taking away their assets has been commonly used against the mafia. More recently, it has been used against white supremacist organizations. In 2000, the Southern Poverty Law Center won a $6.3 million verdict against the Aryan Nations that forced the organization to give up its 20-acre compound in Idaho.

The center won its most recent case last November, getting $2.5 million from the Imperial Klans of America on behalf of a teenager assaulted by Klan members in rural Kentucky.

Looks like a win-win situation, doesn't it?

However, a reminder that we all don't think alike comes from the opponents of these laws who claim that these actions will create racial profiling and will go against our civil liberties.

Austen Parrish, vice dean for academic affairs and professor of law at Southwestern University School of Law, Los Angeles gives some arguments against these laws. (from the same article)

The new law, too, "may raise significant civil rights issues depending on how it's used," Mr Parrish adds.

Unlike with organized groups, street gang members may be hard to identify.

"Gangs are not like a corporation with a company house and car. There are potentially lots of arguments over who is in the gang and what that means," says Peter Bibring, staff attorney for the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union

Which argument convinces you more? And is this an instance of the common good pre-empting possible racial profiling? Or is one argument stronger than the other in your opinion? Your opinion might differ depending on your proximity or experience with gangs or hate groups.

What do you think?

First Open Thread of 2009

2009-01-05T19:06:51Z

A mixed bag of news for our first open thread.

Main headlines:

The Israel and the Palestinian conflict continues. U.S. joins calls for a cease fire.

Al Franken will be certified as the new Senator in Minnesota. The MN Supreme Court has unanimously rejected Norm Coleman's lawsuit to restart the counting of improperly-rejected absentee ballots

U.S. asks other nations to take in Guantanamo inmates.

Obama, GOP, and Congress haggle over an economic stimulus package.

Today leaves us fifteen more days until we have an active and intelligent President and Congress. Fifteen more days of a lame duck President and a Congressional session that saw the biggest filibuster record ever.

So...what's on your mind as we await a new tomorrow?

Gratitude Can Be Tough...

2008-12-25T20:12:06Z

So we thought it would be a great idea to do some Spine thank-you cards just before the holidays. We began with Sheila Bair, the head of the FDIC, who stood up for families losing their homes:

Moving along to Barney Frank, for suggesting a 25% cut in military spending might really be OK, and might prevent further mayhem.

And then, Jerrold Nadler for realizing that criminal behavior ought to be punished, not pardoned:

Lest you think we just sit around here in DC, eating bon-bons.

Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and love to all!

Open Thead, Science and Fact Version

2008-12-16T11:22:17Z

Obama: "We Will Value 'Science' And 'Facts' "

In the next few years, the choices that we make will help determine the kind of country - and world - that we will leave to our children and grandchildren. All of us know the problems rooted in our addiction to foreign oil - it constrains our economy, shifts wealth to hostile regimes, and leaves us dependent on unstable regions. These urgent dangers are eclipsed only by the long-term threat of climate change, which - unless we act - will lead to drought and famine abroad, devastating weather patterns and terrible storms on our shores, and the disappearance of our coastline at home.
For over three decades, we've listened to a growing chorus of warnings about our energy dependence. We've heard President after President promise to chart a new course. We've heard Congress talk about energy independence, only to pull up short in the face of opposition from special interests. We've seen Washington launch policy after policy. Yet our dependence on foreign oil has only grown, even as the world's resources are disappearing.

This time must be different. This time we cannot fail, nor be lulled into complacency simply because the price at the pump has - for now - gone down from $4 a gallon. To control our own destiny, America must develop new forms of energy and new ways of using it. This is not a challenge for government alone - it is a challenge for all of us. The pursuit of a new energy economy requires a sustained, all-hands-on-deck effort because the foundation of our energy independence is right here, in America - in the power of wind and solar; in new crops and new technologies; in the innovation of our scientists and entrepreneurs, and the dedication and skill of our workforce. Those are the resources we must harness to move beyond our oil addiction and create a new, hybrid economy.

As we face this challenge, we can seize boundless opportunities for our people. We can create millions of jobs, starting with a 21st Century Economic Recovery Plan that puts Americans to work building wind farms, solar panels, and fuel-efficient cars. We can spark the dynamism of our economy through long term investments in renewable energy that will give life to new businesses and industries, with good jobs that pay well and can't be outsourced. We will make public buildings more efficient, modernize our electric grid, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect and preserve our natural resources.

We must also recognize that the solution to global climate change must be global. I spoke a few days ago with Senator John Kerry, who updated me on the recent climate negotiations in Poland. Just as we work to reduce our own emissions, we must forge international solutions to ensure that every nation is doing its part. As we do so, America will lead not just at the negotiating table - we will lead, as we always have, through innovation and discovery; through hard work and the pursuit of a common purpose.

The team that I have assembled here today is uniquely suited to meet the great challenges of this defining moment. They are leading experts and accomplished managers, and they are ready to reform government and help transform our economy so that our people are more prosperous, our nation is more secure, and our planet is protected.

How Do We Punish An Errant CEO?

2008-11-30T20:57:08Z

(Ed note: This article was written by Diane and is especially timely given the outrageous actions by corporations which have done severe damage to our country. How we respond to powerful CEO's and their corporations has long term consequence, both good and bad. So let's discuss them...and more!)

Earlier this morning, I was sent a YouTube video which was part of the Young Turks broadcast. Cenk reported that the CEO of Home Depot had flippantly spouted off that those retailers who did not support politicians such as Norm Coleman "ought to be shot." Cenk did a good job of putting the comments in perspective as to which party tends to support which constituency - business vs consumer or laborer.

Here is the video, with a graphic. I was siding with the sender, who wanted it to "go viral," and posted it at our blog and here (see end of last thread.) I had to seriously consider dissenting opinions, and remember similar discussions we have had on this site, and was happy to see an intelligent compromise, as the discussion proceeded on-line.

The original sender encouraged a boycott, saying "BOYCOTT HOME DEPOT. USE LOWES OR LOCAL MERCHANTS. WE CAN BRING THEM DOWN. 54% of Americans voted Democrat this year. We need to boycott Home Depot. This is class war. Send this to every list you are on."

Then came a dissenting opinion saying that a boycott was a complete waste of time and that we needed Home Depot to help us retrofit our homes and increase their energy efficienty. They suggested instead that we "buy" Home Depot by collecting the dividends (currently paying 3.89%) and investing those into progressive candidates and campaigns. We would thus "fight fire with water" rather than with fire. They further said that they had never seen a boycott to be effective in changing corporate policies and that there were not enough numbers of activists to have a strong effect. He advocated again for buying their stock and kicking the bad apples out of the company, just as you'd join a political party and vote out bad leadership.

I had to chime in for the boycott again. I said that you don't boycott a company for a day or a season, but make a lifestyle change of going elsewhere. I told how we had "bought blue" every since the 2004 election and had virtually deserted corporate grocery chains, that a family spends thousands on food in a year and so this can not help but have an impact.

Finally, the intelligent compromise, which made me smile: A thinking person advised that both methods (shareholder activism and sustained mass boycotts) could be effective. She reminded us that one requires a serious pool of voting capital, and the other requires withholding discretionary capital, en masse, and that both require long-term, dedicated effort by groups of well-informed, like-minded people – not unlike the movement that resulted in this historic election.

Ah .. peacemakers! (But I also hope that people don't just let the Home Depot CEO slide .. )

Monday Open Thread

2008-11-24T17:15:47Z

While the economic crisis continues relentlessly and without aid from a lame duck pResident and his lame duck Congress, Obama pushes behind the scenes for a major stimulus package on his day one.

This is great news for our country because too many "Main Street Americans" are watching their retirement savings disappear and watching their jobs fold just as quickly.

This news comes to us via Josh Marshall and TPM:

Congress will have a stimulus bill in the half trillion dollar range ready for President Obama to sign on the first day of his presidency -- January 20th, 2009

Even with big Democratic majorities and the incentive of crisis, you still don't get this sort of legislation through Congress in a day. So if the new Congress gets sworn in January 6th, I think it's realistic to say that you need bill basically written -- at least the major line items -- when both chambers convene.

Today is November 24th, one month before Christmas and the New Year's Holidays. The severity of the crisis and the realities of the transition will keep things moving much more than usual over the holidays. But still, the holidays block out some time.

All of which suggests to me that to keep on a realistic schedule, the basic outlines of how to spend that half trillion-plus dollars needs to be worked out over the next four weeks. And there's a lot to figure out.

'Stimulus plans' are generally numbered in the tens of billions of dollars. $500 billion is the number we're talking about now. And I think you have to assume that number grows. Extensions to unemployment insurance and other counter-cyclical spending is critical. But it doesn't put a dent in that overall price tag. So clearly to spend that kind of money you need to fund programs that do more than inject money directly into the economy. You need to fund major new programs that will likely shape the economic direction of the country for years, perhaps decades into the future -- major spending on infrastructure, laying the cornerstones of a green energy economy and more.

Looks like Congress may not be taking their usual winter break. Obama is working behind the scenes to create the stimulus package and it's regulations and oversight here and now. Once again, hattip to TPM:

Dem Congressional leaders are working with Obama officials to create and pass a massive stimulus package before Obama takes power on January 20th, a senior Dem leadership aide confirms to me.

The timing is significant because it means Obama could sign it the first day he takes office.

"We come in January 6th and Obama is sworn in on January 20th," the leadership aide emails to me, adding that the timing "gives both of us a month and a half to work on a plan that could be taken up in House shortly after we come in and sent to the Senate before January 20th."

The crisis has forced Obama to walk a tricky balancing act: He's under tremendous pressure to show that he's acting on the economy, in order to calm the markets, while not appearing to step on the current president's toes.

Hence the leaks from Obama's team last week about his choices for economic advisers -- leaks which rallied the markets on Friday -- and, now, his team's behind-the-scenes work to get a stimulus package prepped and ready for him in advance.

So...we have some movement on this crisis even if it's the under the surface. And even though the stealing continues, most of the world watches with anticipation for the change of Presidents and the changes in policy. With that expectation of change comes hope.

And so for now, I will spend the next two months hoping for the best and probably fighting for universal health-care as part and parcel to the economic stimulus package.

What will you be doing?

Power Never Concedes, but Hatred MUST.

2008-11-18T20:31:29Z

My friend Christopher sent me this message this morning, Jack is his life partner:

Friends,

I am sending out this email because I want all of my friends to know that Jack was assaulted yesterday evening by three men who called him a “Fucking Faggot” and then punched him in the face knocking him to the ground. Jack does not want to make a big deal out of this. I implored him to file a report with the police but he has refused to do so. I think he is embarrassed and just wants to forget it. I believe that the last thing to do is forget it and that is why I’m sending this email to you. Tell your friends. Keep it in your mind. These things happen and they happen a lot. There is a heightened awareness currently around equal rights and Marriage Equality and I believe that this assault is directly related to this heightened awareness. There is a push forward. There is a push back. Jack is resting and is okay. This is not the first time that he or I have been verbally assaulted by strangers but it is the first physical attack. We have no idea why they singled Jack out but they did. When he arrived home he was understandably hysterical. Imagine it happening to you. Keep this in your mind. Tell your friends. We must keep living forward for safety and equality for all.

I am furious and believe that people must know what’s happening if there is to be hope of an enlightened future.

~Christopher

I replied:

This kind of enraged violence is happening and will continue to happen, although perhaps you and Jack will be vigilant and alert to it. "Power concedes nothing without a fight; it never has and it never will" Frederick Douglass knew.

The hatemongers have been comforted for eight years now and they are furious at their losses. PROP 8 is only one symptomatic event; Jack's beating is another. This election is significant on so many levels, but it is not a forward movement without drag backwards. Backwards is where so many want to go; where they ruled and felt safe from the niggling pleas of disenfranchised and victimized others.

WE the people who see by the dawn's early light need to be working together, to not be lulled by success into believing that all is well, now and for the future.The attacks will come from above, below,and behind,and occasionally from our own lack of vigilance. The best we can do is remind ourselves, as you, Christopher, are reminding us now,that we absolutely must work together, support the change we want to see, and work like the devil to see it through.

Love to you and Jack, and the commitment to keep on keeping on. Breathe and have a good breakfast; you need the nourishment. More to come.

Karen

Actually though, I got the Douglass quote a little wrong. It goes like this:

“Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will. Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.”

I am not really willing to endure assholes anymore. I'm past my limit; how about you? And I am not recommending the blows part of the above quote, although blowBACK is fine with me. But words? Yeah, got 'em. Tell this story, everywhere you can. Jack and Christopher live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, and if this is what is happening THERE, you KNOW it is worse in smaller towns and more isolated environments. Check out DiAnne's piece on the front page if you don't believe me. Or if you do.

And after the stories are shared, it's time for action. Legal, social, educational, and creative ACTION.

Healthcare Still on Agenda

2008-11-13T01:30:30Z

Proponents of Universal Healthcare and/or subsidized healthcare have already fired warning shots to the Conservatives (in the media) that healthcare for all is not off the table and they're not going to be bullied into behaving as if this country is anything but moderate-left!

Baucus was the first to speak out:. According to Paul Krugman there are hopeful signs on this issue.

One of the key questions about the new Democratic majority was whether Congress would try to play it safe, backing down on big ideas about reform, especially on health care. You can view the whole chorus about how we’re still a “center-right nation” as an attempt by the usual suspects to scare Democrats into scaling back their ambitions.

But now Max Baucus — Max Baucus! — is leading the charge on a health care plan that, at least at first read, is more like Hillary Clinton’s than Barack Obama’s; that is, it looks like an attempt at full universality. (The word I hear, by the way, is that Obama’s opposition to mandates was tactical politics, not conviction — so he may well be prepared to do the right thing now that the election is won.)

Additionally, Baucus also addressed Kennedy directly in his opening statements. This is great news because Kennedy has been working on Universal Health Care from his hospital bed while receiving cancer treatments! (via Ezra Klein)

The fact is I did not write an actual bill that is legislation because I want to work with Senator Kennedy, the HELP committee, and senators on both sides of the aisle. I've spoken with Senator Kennedy three times over the last few weeks about this, and we're very much on the same page

And President-elect Barack Obama issued a press statement already. And he seems intent to keep that campaign promise:

"President-elect Obama applauds Chairman Baucus’s work to draw attention to the challenges of the health system and looks forward to working closely with the Chairman and other Congressional leaders, as well as the American public, to make quality, affordable health care a reality for all Americans."

I see this as a promising sign. As we continue to witness more and more layoffs and people unable to get jobs, the healthcare issue becomes more important to rescuing workers and their families but it's also important because many of those unemployed might become entrepreneurs and small business owners.

As the big corporations falter, the little guys and the little business owners will become the backbone of our country's infrastructure. As I've watched Obama's speeches since the major collapse of the banking industry, and as I've listened to his recent post-election press conference on the economy, I can see very clearly that Obama understands that jobs and health care are two bottom-up issues that need immediate action.

Universal health care will be a vital part of that new paradigm. There's lots of options out there PNHP, UHCAN, HR676, and more.

We can do our part by keeping up the calls and the letters and talking to our fellow Americans every chance we get.

We can get Universal Health Care.

Yes, We Can!!!

Dobson's Deplorable Rhetoric

2008-11-08T20:28:32Z

Focus on the Family compares Obama victory to Nazi bombing.! Via Think Progress:

The author of the e-mail, Focus on the Family Action senior vice president Tom Minnery, told his readers not to despair, saying that the right wing would overcome this situation just as Britons overcame Hitler’s bombing in World War II:

The spirit of Winston Churchill was alive and well on Tuesday night at Focus on the Family Action headquarters.

You may recall that in the most desperate days of World War II – when Great Britain was being pounded daily by Hitler’s Luftwaffe – that Winston Churchill called on his countrymen not to despair from danger but to rise to the challenge. […]

As our incredible team of staff members watched the election results pour in on Election Night, an amazing thing happened that Churchill might have recognized. Despite some sobering disappointments, there was no mood of despair and no “bunker mentality.”

Update: Ben Smith points out that, on the Corner, John Derbyshire compares Obama's Americorps program to Nazi concentration camps and medieval forced labor.

Focus on the Family’s show airs on more than 1,000 stations in the U.S. reaching millions of listeners.

This is deplorable hate speech coming from a Christian show that is supposed to focus on the family.

Let's focus on my family.

]]> Specifically, let's focus on the portion of my family that is dead and were murdered at Auschwitz and other German concentration camps during World War II. At least half of my family on both my mother's and father's side lost their homes during Kristallnacht.

Crystal Night was the night when all hell broke loose on the Jews in a firestorm of rage and breaking glass as Hitler intentionally inflamed the hate against Jews. He allowed anti-semitism to explode in the city. Jews hid in closets or attics as they heard the shouts and curses and sound of broken glass. They saw their families hauled off and put on trains---sent to an unknown place.

During Crystal Night over 7500 Jewish shops were destroyed and 400 synagogues were burned down. Ninety-one Jews were killed and an estimated 20,000 were sent to concentration camps!

They lost everything they loved and everything they owned.

They lost their lives and they slowly starved to death as they prayed for death in the concentration camps.

Yes. What happened on Kristallnacht happened to some people in my family. They're gone. Aunts, uncles, cousins that never got to "bunker down..." as Focus on the Family so crassly phrases it.

Let me tell you, Focus on the Family's statement is an insult to families who lost loved ones in Crystal Night and during the Holocaust!

We have witnessed inappropriate intolerance and hate speech from the religious conservatives this whole election season.

Mr. Dobson and his organization should know full well that they've crossed the line. You know you've crossed the line when you compare our President-elect to a man who murdered millions of Jews and innocent people. You know you've crossed the line when you compare a U.S. President-elect to one of the dictators who committed the worst inhumane crimes against humanity. Furthermore, you know you've crossed the line when your supporters are doing things like this.

Mr. Dobson owes us an apology and a retraction. I suggest that if you've lost family in the Holocaust (even if you're a non-Jew) then contact Focus on the Family here and remind them that their words and actions are indecent and decidedly unchristian.