1.24.2004
The General vs The Deserter
You may have heard the flap about Michael Moore saying he'd like to see Clark and Bush debate; He'd call it "The General vs The Deserter. (Scroll down offered Moore link for the David Broder WaPo story)
Here's a piece of the transcript of the NH debate where this was mentioned featuring Peter Jennings and Mr Clark... PJ: Let me ask you something you mentioned then because since this question and answer in which you and Mr. Moore was involved, you've had a chance to look at the facts. Do you still feel comfortable with the fact that someone should be standing up in your president, in your presence and calling the president of the United States a deserter?
WC: To be honest with you, I did not look at the facts Peter. That's Michael Moore's opinion; he's entitled to say that, I've seen, he's not the only person who's said that. I've not followed up on those facts, and frankly it's not relevant to me and why I'm in this campaign.
Michael Moore has compiled an extensive documentation on George AWOL Bush You might want to send a link to the Clark campaign.
1/24/2004
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Out with the Old, In with the New
For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on," Wolfowitz was quoted as saying in Vanity Fair magazine's July issue.
JAMES BAKER [Former Secretary of State]: This is a war of choice, more so, perhaps, than a war of necessity.
The last fellow in charge of looking for Iraq's fabled "Weapons of Mass Destruction":
David Kay, who stepped down as leader of the U.S. hunt for weapons of mass destruction, said on Friday he does not believe there were any large stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons in Iraq.
"I don't think they existed," Kay told Reuters in a telephone interview. "What everyone was talking about is stockpiles produced after the end of the last (1991) Gulf War and I don't think there was a large-scale production program in the '90s," he said.
Charles A. Duelfer, the fellow thought to be taking his place:
...told NBC in an interview aired Jan. 9: "I think it's pretty clear right now that they're not going to find existing weapons in Iraq of either a biological or chemical nature."
Of course, Dick Cheney says they will. Could there be a plane loaded with some US surplus WMD agents flying there even now?
And then there is the nearly forgotten question of Iraqi Nuclear weapons.
Donald Rumsfeld knows where they are, at least he did 9 days into the attack on Iraq.
We know where they are. They're in the area around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat.
After his defeat in the Gulf War in 1991, Saddam agreed under to U.N. Security Council Resolution 687 to cease all development of weapons of mass destruction. He agreed to end his nuclear weapons program. He agreed to destroy his chemical and his biological weapons. He further agreed to admit U.N. inspection teams into his country to ensure that he was in fact complying with these terms.
In the past decade, Saddam has systematically broken each of these agreements. The Iraqi regime has in fact been very busy enhancing its capabilities in the field of chemical and biological agents. And they continue to pursue the nuclear program they began so many years ago. -- Dick Cheney, August 26, 02
""The evidence indicates that Iraq is reconstituting its nuclear weapons program. Saddam Hussein has held numerous meetings with Iraqi nuclear scientists, a group he calls his 'nuclear mujahideen' -- his nuclear holy warriors. Facing clear evidence of peril, we cannot wait for the final proof -- the smoking gun -- that could come in the form of a mushroom cloud."
Mr Bush said the above in Cincinnati Ohio before the vote that saw Congress give away it's Constitutional Rights. Explore "The Two Georges, Orwell and Bush: A dramatic reading of George Orwell's classic work 1984 Interspersed with recent news clips from President Bush and others" for more Bush Administration "Big Lies", a Realaudio file from Democracy Now!
It was common knowledge among people who analyze the news, folks like you and me who read deeply to discern the truth of what the media tells us that Mr Bush was lying about Iraq's nuclear capabilities back then.
"We don't want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud," National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice said on CNN's Late Edition
"We know he's been absolutely devoted to trying to acquire nuclear weapons, and we believe he has, in fact, reconstituted nuclear weapons." -- Dick Cheney, three days prior to "Shock and Awe"
"I don't know anybody that I can think of who has contended that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons. I don't know anybody in any government or any intelligence agency who suggested that the Iraqis had nuclear weapons. That's fact number one." --Donald Rumsfeld June 24, 03
A slippery bunch, those war mongering Neocons.
...the Foreign Minister and I and the President and I, had a good discussion about the nature of the sanctions--the fact that the sanctions exist-- not for the purpose of hurting the Iraqi people, but for the purpose of keeping in check Saddam Hussein's ambitions toward developing weapons of mass destruction. We should constantly be reviewing our policies, constantly be looking at those sanctions to make sure that they are directed toward that purpose. That purpose is every bit as important now as it was ten years ago when we began it. And frankly they have worked. He has not developed any significant capability with respect to weapons of mass destruction. He is unable to project conventional power against his neighbors.-- Colin Powell February, 2001
1/24/2004
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Iraqi's rightly want Saddam to suffer justice. They also want his old friends from the US tried ( folks like you, Mr Rumsfeld). Here in the states the fact that the Reagan Administration was buddy-buddy with "Mr Evil" is glossed over; with the number of Reagan era politicos in the present administration you need not wonder why the collaborative press is mum on this fact. In fact Saddam Hussein rose to power with the help of our CIA.
Let justice be served.
1/24/2004
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Now this is what Democracy is about. A mix of people with different ideals sharing their perspective, in a forum where all get a chance to speak. When I say "different ideals" I mean it- in attendence were 2 Republican candidates for President, one who lead us in prayer. There was a Pat Buchanan supporter complete with confederate flag. A woman who claimed the use birth control pills is tantamount to having an abortion. The majority well informed, caring conscious Progressives. And all were heard, not heckled, not ridiculed. Folks with opposing points of view politely aired their say. A lively New England Town Hall Meeting in the spirit of that august tradition.
The evening started out with a presentation of Symbolman's "An Army of One" flash animation. This compelling video is being shown on TV commercials across the Granite State. I'd urge you to give it a look. The one minute TV version is a touch different; you'll get the tenor of their thought though from this internet piece. It was good to meet Symbolman, as another humble internet activist it was reinforcing to talk for a bit.
The centerpiece of this occasion was a screening of 'Uncovered: the whole truth about the Iraq war" ( Get this important DVD) by Robert Greenwald. You need to see this film, to purchase it and get copies circulating to everyone you know. Everyone. It is a damning expose` of the Neocon rush to war, very well done, the hypocrisy of the current Administration laid out for all to see. MoveOn and The Center for American Progress should be applauded for promoting this audio-visual monument to the truth of why our soldiers are dying in Iraq. And how lies wrest Democracy from the honest Americans that make up the majority of our nation.
I got to meet Stranger of Blah3, he too is associated with Take Back The Media and has been a blogging ally since I first started. He plays a serious sinuous strident strat too, if you didn't know. He rocked sweet playing his song "Den of Thieves" in a room where Democracy breathed. Later he played again, another cut from his upcoming CD.
CNN claims Mr Bush is running unopposed, but a viable Republican is running against George W. Bush. From hearing him speak I have to admit I admire the guy, despite his party affiliation. John Buchanan is his name, you may know him as the gentleman that outed the Bush family as Hitler supporters in America's oldest newspaper, The New Hampshire Gazette. Other newspapers in America have not touched the story in over 60 years. I talked with Buchanan, he has offered the story out widely.
Iona Bigga Yacht introduced the Billionaires For Bush video entry to the MoveOn "Bush in 30 seconds"contest "Leave No Billionaire Behind". F. Scott Fitzgerald was right, the rich are different from us, they have more money. And as the lovely Ms Bigga Yacht demonstrated, much cooler accents and diction than "We the People".
James, a lively guy from Walden3.org added to the festivities, offering us "Chicken Hawk-In-Chief World Domination Tour" hoodies- warm hoodies to counter the New Hampshire night deep in its single digit arctic blast. Much appreciated! Earlier this good man was marching in cadence to an accompanying video in an AWOL jumpsuit and helmet- and rubber George Bush mask. Working hard to get the message out. He was featured in a video with (I'm guessing) actors that looked like Mr Cheney and Mr Powell just rolling with corporate dough. What a hoot!
People to People TV was filming the action. This was not your usual "talking heads" manipulated media happening; it was real people coming together, making Democracy alive.
Meetings like this are what America is all about.
Even if you have a longish drive, you should be a part of this Sunday:
Sunday, January 25
Universal Unitarian Church
292 State Street
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
7-9 p.m.
603-436-4762
Tell them m prophet says "Hi"
Links Fixed
1/24/2004
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1.23.2004
Janklow Sentenced
Republican Ex-Congressman of South Dakota William Janklow has been sentenced for second-degree manslaughter, reckless driving, speeding and failure to stop at a stop sign; actions that resulted in the death of motorcyclist Randy Scott.
He recieved 100 days in jail, and after 30 days will begin a daytime work release program allowing him to be out of the facility for up to ten hours a day. He will be on probation for 3 years, and will not be allowed to drive during this time. Judge Rodney Steele gave Janklow a suspended prison sentence, allowing the case to be dismissed after the second-degree manslaughter probation period, erasing the felony conviction from his record.
In South Dakota
...40 people have been found guilty of second-degree manslaughter since 1989, and 32 of them were sent to prison or jail. The average jail term was six months; the average prison term nearly seven years. About half of the convictions involved traffic accidents.
In sentencing the Judge considers the whole of Janklow's record, more than his 12 speeding tickets from '90 to '94, his near miss at the same stopsign a year ealier- the ex congressman has a past with allegations of rape of a child under his guardianship and more.
Brandee Scott, the daughter of the man Janklow killed said "Yes" when asked if she was satisfied with the sentence.
Others have pointed out the absurdity of it.
A person could go out and smoke a joint in this state and get more time than that, and nobody ends up dead"
Russ Knutson, of Magnolia, Minn., was a close friend of Scott's. He said outside the courtroom that he supports the length of the jail sentence but is disappointed the felony would be wiped off Janklow's record if he successfully completes three years of probation.
"In three years he can get his driver's license back. With the record he has, he should never get it back."
Janklow will begin serving his sentence February 7.
Incarceration is not an equal oppurtunity punishment. (Please visit that incredibly informative link) People such as Mr Janklow and Rush Limbaugh who advocate harsh sentencing should be afforded the chance to experience it firsthand. As you learn about the state of incarceration in America I think you'll see that there are well too many people becoming fodder for the prison industrial complex.
1/23/2004
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1.22.2004
Truth Can Set Us Free
Some thoughts...
Powell said it was "just awful" and "total absurdity" for former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean to speak openly about theories that suggest Bush was warned in advance about the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
"What's Bush hiding from 9/11 commission?" by Joe Conason points out the fact that the truth about Bush foreknowledge of a 911 type event prediction would wreck his election chances.
In yesterday's post that offered some facts to shed light on Mr Bush's non-reality based SOTU claims I mentioned that Ellen Mariani, a widow of the 9/11 tragedy has a lawsuit pending against Mr Bush and many in his administration for failing to prevent attacks with civilian jetliners, although Mr Bush had been briefed in August of 2001 that Osama Bin Ladin was interested in hijackings and poised to attack the United States.
...in September 2002, the House and Senate intelligence committees disclosed that an early July 2001 intelligence warning had noted, "We believe that [bin Laden] will launch a significant terrorist attack against the U.S. and/or Israeli interests in coming weeks. The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning."
John Ashcroft stopped flying on commercial airliners in July 2001 due to a "threat assessment". The link also illustrates that terrorism took a backburner for Mr Ashcroft pre-911
San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown seems to have been warned not to fly that fateful day.
For Mayor Willie Brown, the first signs that something was amiss came late Monday when he got a call from what he described as his airport security - - a full eight hours before yesterday's string of terrorist attacks -- advising him that Americans should be cautious about their air travel.
Ms Mariana, as well as sueing the Bush Administration for negligence in the death of her husband is sueing United Airlines and Huntleigh USA Corporation for not protecting her husband from the hijacking. By Federal Law carriers are
required to protect passengers from terrorists and hijacking.
Intelligence agencies the world over warned of an attack pre-September 11.
Flight 77 lifted out of Dulles less than an hour before an exercise simulating a corporate jet hitting a building was scheduled to begin at the National Reconaissance office four miles away, on it's way to impact the Pentagon building.
What seems to me an uncanny coincidence is that the Bush name pops up here too. Marvin Bush, the brother of the current White House resident. In an amazing Trifecta of involvement Marvin Bush was on the board of directors of a company called Securacom and is now named Stratesec that handled electronic security for the World Trade Center, Dulles International Airport and United Airlines. The link is to a Margie Burns article that does a good job of charting out the complicated connections between Bush, Securacom/Stratsec and the Kuwait -American Corporation, a company both friendly with the Bush family and the Kuwaiti royal family.
For clarity you should know that the although Marvin left the board of directors before the tragedy of September 11 he was still a significant share holder in both Kuwait-American and the security company.
Marvin moved on to be a board member of HCC Insurance, formerly known as Houston Causalty Company, an insurance carrier for the World Trade Center. Marvin left that position in November of 2002. Now he is partners in a group that is making money from the passage of the PATRIOT Act.
The truth is powerful. Share it out.
Please...
1/22/2004
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Open Source Black Box voting is an idea which is very timely. It only seems sensible that the voting machines tabulating the ballots in a Democratic society could be easily checked for accuracy. Link gleaned at Black Box Notes
1/22/2004
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1.21.2004
The Big Lie SOTU style
Mr Bush gave the annual State of the Union Address last night, here is the transcript I am working from. I typified the Address in a quick post last evening as a "lie-fest", a terming that sounds mean spirited and partisan, or at least it would seem so if the statement did not reflect the truth. Mr Bush is not being honest with "We the People". I'll offer a few examples of where Mr Bush's rhetoric departs from reality.
THE PRESIDENT: Mr. Speaker, Vice President Cheney, members of Congress, distinguished guests, and fellow citizens: America this evening is a nation called to great responsibilities. And we are rising to meet them.
As we gather tonight, hundreds of thousands of American servicemen and women are deployed across the world in the war on terror. By bringing hope to the oppressed, and delivering justice to the violent, they are making America more secure.
Dr. Jeffery Record states in a monograph for the US Army War College that the Bush administrations attack on Iraq as a facet of "Global War on Terror" (GWOT)
...an unnecessary preventive war of choice against a deterred Iraq that has created a new front in the Middle East for Islamic terrorism and diverted attention and resources away from securing the American homeland against further assault by an undeterrable al-Qaeda. The war against Iraq was not integral to the GWOT, but rather a detour from it.
Additionally, most of the GWOT's declared objectives, which include the destruction of al-Qaeda and other transnational terrorist organizations, the transformation of Iraq into a prosperous, stable democracy, the democratization of the rest of the autocratic Middle East, the eradication of terrorism as a means of irregular warfare, and the (forcible, if necessary) termination of WMD proliferation to real and potential enemies worldwide, are unrealistic and condemn the United States to a hopeless quest for absolute security. As such, the GWOTs goals are also politically, fiscally, and militarily unsustainable.
I'd urge you to give the .pdf file"Bounding the Global War on Terrorism" by this professor in the Department of Strategy and International Security at the US Air Force?s Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama a good looking over.
As for our brave service people, Nearly 11,000 U.S. troops have been killed, wounded, injured or become ill enough to require evacuation from Iraq since the war began, in this Neocon quest for empire.
As Posted on Sun, Jan. 04, 2004
As Charles Knight co-director of the Project on Defense Alternatives in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Marcus Corbin director of the Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information in Washington point out, a four- or five-year occupation of Iraq by 65,000 regular and 35,000 reserve troops will require a rotation base of 260,000 active troops, comprising 65 percent of our deployable active ground forces and another 315,000 Reserve troops which are 63 percent of our deployable Reserve ground forces.
So far, Congress and the American people are only dimly aware of a crucial decision just ahead due to the new Iraq war: Either we invest in larger armies trained and ready for long occupation duty, or we jettison the Bush administration's radical doctrine of preventive wars and regime change.
In light of Bush policies, will we see a post election revival of the Draft? After the election would not hurt the sitting Presidents chances of election by the people, rather than his initial appointment by the Supreme Court. A valid question is "What form would the revived Draft take? Another is " Do the current 'stop loss' actions that keep servicepeople who have fulfilled their obligation bound to the military a sort of "Stealth Draft"?
Each day, law enforcement personnel and intelligence officers are tracking terrorist threats; analysts are examining airline passenger lists; the men and women of our new Homeland Security Department are patrolling our coasts and borders. And their vigilance is protecting America.
MATRIX, a non-governmental successor to "Total Information Awareness", is building a multistate "Terror Database", that collects all available electronic information on all citizens as if each were a terrorist threat
There is a list of 5 million potential terrorist subjects world wide that will be screened on airlines.
Americans are proving once again to be the hardest working people in the world. The American economy is growing stronger. The tax relief you passed is working.
As mentioned here earlier the tax cut aimed to profit Mr Bush's richest supporters is not doing what he said it would, in fact the economy has only gained 221,000 jobs compared to the Bush promise of 1,836,000. In 48 of 50 states jobs are shifting to lower pay industries. Note the framing of the phrasing "tax relief"- not tax cut, but relief, a linguistic technique explained by George Lakoff.
An example of the new US employment realiy: IBM will be hiring 15,000 workers, worldwide. More than half it's employees are offshore. About 4500 of the new jobs will be in the US, offsetting the 3000 jobs it at the same time is farming out to other nations. US corporation IBM will see it's stock rise. What does that mean to the people of America?
Tonight, members of Congress can take pride in the great works of compassion and reform that skeptics had thought impossible. You're raising the standards for our public schools, and you are giving our senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare.
Compassion? (.pdf link)Community Services Programs: The Bush Budget would cut $88 million out of HHS Community Service programs ? most of which is a $75 million cut (24%) cut to the Community Service Community Services Block Grant Program. Bush is also requesting a $90 million (20%) cut to Americorps, which includes USA Freedom Corps, and an
overall $39 million cut to the Corporation for National and Community Service.
The Elderly: The Bush budget would freeze all funding in the Administration on Aging. This means very severe after-inflation cuts to Congregate Meals, Meals on Wheels, and Home and Community Based support programs.
...He proposes to eliminate various low-income housing programs, cut off 33,000 children from child care, slash 438,000 families from heating assistance, cut 36,000 seniors off of meals on wheels/congregate meals, and eliminate 50,000 children from participating in after school programs.
On the Bush education claim
"Schools across the country are being forced to lay off teachers, eliminate after-school activities, and reduce school hours because of drastic budget shortfalls.
"Two years after the signing of the law, the Republican Congress and the Bush Administration have created a $7.5 billion shortfall in public school funds. "Nearly five million children in schools across the country are being left behind. That is the truth the Administration is trying to hide, and no amount of accounting tricks or Presidential photo opportunities in schools can hide it."
Why the Right Hates Public Education by Barbara Miner is a thought provoking article.
The Medicare drug coverage spoken of so glowingly actually will cost seniors more, as Dean Baker of the Center For Economic and Policy Research illustrates in his paper"Still a Pain: The Cost of Prescription Drugs to Seniors With the Medicare Drug Benefit" (.pdf). By 2013 seniors will be paying two and a half times as much (adjusted for inflation), 60 percent more in 2006. There is also a predicted change of the percentage of after tax income the elderly will be paying for their medicines- 6 percent of after-tax income in 2006, 13.7 percent in 2013... Mr Bush and GOP legislators are not " giving our senior citizens prescription drug coverage under Medicare" , they are giving them the shaft, plain and simple. The MoveOn Voterfund fully illustrates the reality gap between what Mr Bush has to say about Medicare and the facts.We have faced serious challenges together, and now we face a choice: We can go forward with confidence and resolve, or we can turn back to the dangerous illusion that terrorists are not plotting and outlaw regimes are no threat to us. We can press on with economic growth, and reforms in education and Medicare, or we can turn back to old policies and old divisions.
We've not come all this way, through tragedy, and trial and war only to falter and leave our work unfinished. Americans are rising to the tasks of history, and they expect the same from us. In their efforts, their enterprise, and their character, the American people are showing that the state of our union is confident and strong.
Our greatest responsibility is the active defense of the American people. Twenty-eight months have passed since September 11th, 2001 over two years without an attack on American soil. And it is tempting to believe that the danger is behind us. That hope is understandable, comforting and false. The killing has continued in Bali, Jakarta, Casablanca, Riyadh, Mombasa, Jerusalem, Istanbul, and Baghdad. The terrorists continue to plot against America and the civilized world. And by our will and courage, this danger will be defeated.
Is the state of the union confident and strong? Ruy Teixeira of The Century Foundation has collected a slew of poll results in a paper called "The State of Public Opinion"(.pdf) that seem to point out the one thing America feels confident about is that the Bush administration is mis-handling policy on Iraq, the economy, healthcare and education.
Twenty-eight months have passed since the 9/11 tragedy occured. Although the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11th attacks needs more time, Mr Bush and house speaker Hastert(R-Ill.) have denied the request for more time to prepare a thorough and credible accounting of missteps leading to the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. But the White House and leading Republicans have informed the panel that they oppose any delay, which raises the possibility that Sept. 11-related controversies could emerge during the heat of the presidential campaign, sources said.
With time running short, the 10-member bipartisan panel has already decided to scale back the number and scope of hearings that it will hold for the public, commission members and staffers said. The commission is rushing to finish interviews with as many as 200 remaining witnesses and to finish examining about 2 million pages of documents related to the attacks.
Oddly enough the Director of the "independent" commission, Phillip Zeliko, was actually interviewed by the commission. As one frustrated family member saidDid he interview himself about his own role in the failures that left us defenseless?" asked Lori Van Auken, the widow of Kenneth. "This is bizarre.
"We entered a looking glass world on Sept. 11 and we're still in it."
September 11 widow Ellen Mariani has filed a civil RICO action (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) against President Bush and many in his administration that she feels can be proven culpable for the tragedy.
Inside the United States, where the war began, we must continue to give our homeland security and law enforcement personnel every tool they need to defend us. And one of those essential tools is the Patriot Act, which allows federal law enforcement to better share information, to track terrorists, to disrupt their cells, and to seize their assets. For years, we have used similar provisions to catch embezzlers and drug traffickers. If these methods are good for hunting criminals, they are even more important for hunting terrorists. Key provisions of the Patriot Act are set to expire next year. The terrorist threat will not expire on that schedule. Our law enforcement needs this vital legislation to protect our citizens. You need to renew the Patriot Act.
The ACLU publication "Seeking Truth From Justice: PATRIOT Propaganda - The Justice Department's Campaign to Mislead The Public About the USA PATRIOT Act" will fill you in on the dangers of this program. The ACLU website is a good resource to get familiar with the many ways our freedoms in America are being infringed upon.
Nationwide, 3 state governments, and 236 communities in 37 states have passed resolutions against the Patriot Act.
The first to see our determination were the Taliban, who made Afghanistan the primary training base of al Qaeda killers. As of this month, that country has a new constitution, guaranteeing free elections and full participation by women. Businesses are opening, health care centers are being established, and the boys and girls of Afghanistan are back in school. With the help from the new Afghan army, our coalition is leading aggressive raids against the surviving members of the Taliban and al Qaeda. The men and women of Afghanistan are building a nation that is free and proud and fighting terror ? and America is honored to be their friend.
The reality is that one of our allies in "The War on Terror", Pakistan, is allowing Taliban recruitment and border permiability to the fundamentalist forces that are returning to neighboring Afghanistan.
And
Military analysts and aid-agency bosses agree that southern Afghans are growing increasingly resentful of American forces in their country and offering increased support to a resurgent Taliban.
Womens rights are still at risk there do to some wordings in the Constitution.
Concern among women's rights and human rights advocates remains over language in the Constitution that states that "in Afghanistan, no law can be contrary to the beliefs and provisions of the sacred religion of Islam." This language and another article leaving matters where there is no provision in the constitution or law to adjudication by religious laws may leave individual rights, human rights, and women's rights vulnerable to extremist interpretations of Islam.
Just as religious fundamentalism is a danger to peoples rights the world over when mixed with statecraft the position of women in Afghan society is nebulous. FindLaw columnist Madhavi Sunder offers a very clear picture of this.
Mr Bush is championing Pell Grants and our nations community college system- or so he says:
...I propose larger Pell grants for students who prepare for college with demanding courses in high school. I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges, so they can ? I do so, so they can train workers for industries that are creating the most new jobs. By all these actions, we'll help more and more Americans to join in the growing prosperity of our country. Job training is important, and so is job creation.
The reality: President Bush is visiting Ohio today to trumpet a $500 million job training/education proposal announced in his State of the Union address.1 But the president has recently proposed to cut almost $700 million out of the same job training and education programs he is now touting.
As part of his new proposal, Bush said last night "I propose increasing our support for America's fine community colleges."2 Last year, however, the president sought to cut $230 million out of vocational/community college education, along with "eliminating funding for technical education." When lawmakers tried to restore the cuts in April, Bush was adamant that the cuts be preserved, and his allies in the Senate voted down the funding. The president also recently eliminated all $225 million in funding for youth job training grants.5
The other key piece of Bush's proposal involves college funding. The president said last night, "I propose larger Pell grants for students." But he did not mention his recent decision to "cut the Pell Grant program by $270 million"6 - a move his own Education Department admits will cut off 84,000 students, and reduce grants for "an additional one million students."
I hope these few examples of Presidential deception of the American people are useful to you. To call a State of the Union Address a "lie-fest" is not something I take lightly. The sad truth is Mr Bush and the present Administration rely on "the Big Lie" technique of governance. Without a collaborative media this underhanded political technique would be impossible.
We need to be the media, you and I; we need to see that the truth gets out into the public discourse.
"The Bush Credibility Gap: the Budget 2004- Rhetoric, Reality & The 43rd President of the United States (.pdf)" is an eye opening government resource that will help you to cut through the BS while giving reality based facts and figures.
Here is Al Franken's response to the Bush State of the Union Address.
1/21/2004
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1.20.2004
Dennis Kucinich Is For Real
I saw Dennis Kucinich tonight. He took questions from the audience after we saw the G.W Bush liefest. Mr Kucinich was earnest and so darn human, so for real. He offered substantive answers to the questions of the gathered populace.
He is the real deal.
Read excerpts of his "State of the Nation" speech.
Listen to the RealAudio file of the man who is the only fresh and real choice for President give his "State of the Nation" speech.
You need to hear this mans ideas. Then compare his substantive policy solutions to our nations current woes with the other Democratic contenders rhetoric. You be the judge.
Speech links added 1.21.04
1/20/2004
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1.19.2004
Dick Cheney: The Evil Genius in the Corner
"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
On this official holiday honoring the late advocate of "We the People" Martin Luther King I'd like to tickle your memory about Dick Cheney.
Dick Cheney voted against a resolution that advocated the freeing of Nelson Mandela and recognition of the African National Congress back in 1986 under President Reagan. He stated that it was "common knowledge" that the ANC was a "terrorist organization" while defending his vote on a network television show in 2000, although the vote was 245 to 177 in favor of the resolution, putting the lie to that Cheney statement. Although a majority of those voting were for the resolution it needed to be a two-thirds vote to overturn a veto imposed by then President Reagan.
Oddly enough as this well endnoted (linked) letter from Henry Waxman to Donald Rumsfeld dated April 30, 2003 shows the Halliburton Corporation under Mr Cheney's helm had no compunctions about doing business with terrorist nations.
I'll leave you with a current quote from Dick Cheney:
"Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole?" he said. "It's a nice way to operate, actually."
Without attribution I would have guessed that to be a Karl Rove quotation. Go figure.
im-tv offers a good resource "Documenting the Halliburton / Cheney Crimes and Controversies" to learn more.
"How Dick Cheney and USA-Engage Subvert Democracy At Home And Abroad" gives the larger picture of Mr Cheney and his actions as Halliburton's CEO around the world
Learn more about Dick Cheney.
1/19/2004
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I'd like to introduce you to a perspective widening blog that is really well done; American Amnesia is worthy of note.
1/19/2004
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