Third Party & Independents:

Ashcroft Recuses, Partially.

Announced today Attorney General Ashcroft is said to be recusing himself from the investigation of the Whitehouse leak of the identity of a CIA operative who happened to be the wife of a much publicized critic of this Administration. However, on MSNBC, a Dept. Of Justice Spokesman said the Justice Department would still remain involved in the investigation though a special prosecutor is now appointed to pursue the investigation. The article states: "the U.S. attorney in Chicago, Patrick J. Fitzgerald, will take over the investigation and report to Comey, who is Ashcroft's top deputy." Somehow, this does not appear to be a recusal. The DOJ spokesperson on MSNBC indicated the decision was made to promote the appearance of independent investigation and prosecution.

Pork by any other name

Several Democratic candidates have come out demanding federal money for the beef industry in the wake of the mad cow case. This is exactly the sort of attitude that prevents me from being a member of the Democractic party (not that the Republicans are any better). The instant anything major happens, the reaction is to throw money at it. Particularly if it will influence voters while not actually being a smart thing to do, or if it involves kickbacks to major contributors.

Deans Remark May Be Defensible

Former Gov. of Vermont, Howard Dean, now leader of the Democratic pack for President, has been raked over the coals by conservatives in the media and on the internet for his insinuation that President Bush and a number of his cabinet members may have knowingly permitted the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 on the U.S. to occur. One reference can be found reiterated just this week in a Washington Post article entitled Assessing Mr. Dean. This morning I discovered a document filed with the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Pa. in which a survivor of a victim on one of the attack planes has filed suit alleging that the Bush Administration did just what Dean referenced for profit and election goals.

Americans - Fire Your Boss(es)

It is an ironic title for this article. In a democracy, the people are supposed to be the boss. But, of late, this arrangement too has been turned upside down. The President and Congress have become the bosses of the people, telling them whom they can marry, whom they can't, how much they have to pay (taxes) to stay in this country or stay out of jail. They tell us we have to pay to go anywhere in this "free land". We have to pay taxes for the roads, pay for a driver's license to drive, taxes to fly, taxes to taxi, taxes to go by train, hell, they even tell us we have to pay taxes to talk to each other by phone, and coming soon, they will have us paying taxes to email each other. So much for "free" speech and "freedom of travel".

Toward a More Civil Union

Once again the tide is rising on the question of gay marriage (same sex marriage) in America just in time for the 2004 Presidential election. And despite the recent Massachusetts Supreme Court ruling that gay marriage is not illegal and the network/cable television’s infatuation with everything gay, a recent New York Times/CBS News poll shows that Americans are still not ready to give gay and lesbian couples their day at the altar.

I too, am reticent to say yes to same sex marriage, mindful as I am of the overall good of society. True, due to a number of factors, the traditional American nuclear family is in trouble, but I wonder if society is better served by allowing gays and lesbian to marry. In a society in which individual rights seem to supersede all at the expense of common sense and personal responsibility, it is wise to move with caution. In a country where the push is on to allow pets their day in court, if gay marriage were allowed, would other forms of unions outside the norms of society be espoused?

Nader declines to run on Green Party ticket

Ralph Nader announced today that he will not run for President on the Green Party ticket. He has not ruled out a run on another third party ticket, however. Interesting approach. I suspect his thought is that the Greens now have some degree of national attention and now he'd like to help another third party grow. This isn't a bad strategy. Using his name recognition and leftist bonafides to promote as many third parties as possible is a great idea. The more people are aware of alternatives to the Republicrats and Demicans the more likely they are to join parties that really reflect their ideals.

Failed Leadership - Failed Nation

These United States, under the Presidency of George W. Bush, with tremendous assistance of dire and challenging times not of his choosing or making, have taken the first major step down the slippery slope toward the end of a great civilization. As Rome bribed the barbarians, only to whet their greed for more, as ancient Greece with its wealth and democracy fell into complacency, apathy, and political expediency, as the Great British Empire upon which the sun never set lost its great dominion by spreading its power and reach too thin, we Americans are following all of these same paths toward diminishment, failure, and demise as a once great nation.

Condition Orange – Oh Boy!

As I was reading my newspaper this morning I saw that Tom Ridge had raised the terror alert to condition orange. This means we are at a high state of alert as opposed to condition red which is a severe state of alert. It seems as though the alert was brought on by an increased level of chatter among various terrorist cells that hasn’t been seen since the 9/11 attacks. According to my newspaper, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, al-Qaida is planning “multiple catastrophic terrorist attacks in the United States”. Since we can assume that al-Qaida is always planning catastrophic attacks our increased terror alert must be due to the increased chatter.

Has nothing changed since 9/11? Is the best we can do, after over two years, to increase the terror alert when we see increased chatter? We still have no specifics or details. You’d think our improved intelligence capabilities along with our extensive international coalition could do better than that. Hasn’t someone figured out how to interpret and translate the chatter yet? Just exactly what have we been giving up all our freedoms for anyway? It makes you wonder.

Will The People Turn on Bush?

Last night on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, the Republican jugular was exposed. Chris Matthews repeatedly asked Peggy Noonan, a most eloquent conservative spokesperson and top media champion for President Bush, a question which she simply could not answer. Recent polls were being discussed, specifically the bump in the President's ratings after the capture of Saddam Hussein. All was looking good for the President, when Chris Matthews took note of the fact that 52% of Americans believe that Saddam Hussein was directly responsible for the 9/11 attacks.

It has been unequivocally established that there in is no evidence at all that links Saddam Hussein to 9/11, and the other panelists agreed. Peggy Noonan took exception and Chris Matthews asked Noonan whether she believed Hussein was responsible. She gave an evasive answer; Matthews asked again; another evasive answer; and 3 or 4 more times Matthews tried to get Noonan to state the fact. She couldn't. And in not being able to admit the fact in public for reasons outlined below, and by evading and redirecting the subject numerous times, she appeared to be a person without credibility, without honesty, and this she did on prime time TV.

Two Party System Fails Us Once Again

It must be the week of the corrupt Republican governor. Fresh on the heels of Connecticut Republican Governor John Rowland’s disclosure of yet more ethics violations, comes the federal indictment of the former Republican governor of my state of Illinois, George Ryan, on you guessed it, corruption and ethics violations.

In Connecticut the Democrats, surprise, surprise, seem powerless to remove the scoundrel John Rowland from office. The scoundrel is unwilling to put the public good above his own bloated ego, and therefore refuses to do the honorable thing and step down. Meanwhile, here in Illinois, the acrimony between the former governor and the current Democratic governor is taking on a life of its own. Ryan, of course refuses to admit that he did anything wrong, despite the conviction of some 59 of his former inner circle cronies on a vast array of corruption and ethics violations, the most egregious of which were perpetrated by his former Chief of Staff, Scott Faywell.

Now that we have finally caught Saddam can the actual war on terrorism begin?

Saddam is definitely a bad guy and I applaud his capture. It is the one positive thing to come out of a pre-emptive war that was launched on a pack of lies. We have successfully dealt with an evil regime that though evil, had been successfully neutralized by the first Bush administration and then by Clinton. Iraq had no longer posed a threat to anyone and the pictures of a ragged Saddam and the rat hole he was found in really underscores this point. This subject has been debated endlessly and as far as the war on terror goes Iraq was never significant. Now that we have Saddam one has to wonder if it is finally time to start a real war on terror.

The battle in Miami

The violence at the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas conference in Miami, Florida was greater than at any globalization protest since the Battle in Seattle. However, the violence was restricted completely to one side. The appaling tactics of the police in beating and gassing of peaceful protestors caused sharp criticism even from conservative politicians in Florida. The FTAA organizers conceded that the demonstrators were peaceful and that there were indeed far fewer than they had expected. In light of this, what is the reason for the unprecedented brutality of the police? Is this the next step in the creation of a police state in the United States? Are any public demonstrations that are critical of the actions of the government going to met with such thuggish disregard for our Constitutional rights?

Another Fast One Coming

In a news release yesterday, "AARP Drops Out of Social Security Forums, Distances From Bush Overhaul Plans", two important items are discussed regarding senior Americans. First is the large response the AARP received from members regarding its endorsement of the Republican Medicare overhaul legislation which President Bush signed days ago. The response appears to have had a part to play in the American Association of Retired Persons decision to distance itself from the Bush Administration's upcoming attempt to overhaul Social Security.

Captured: Good, but so What?

I am very glad for the Iraqi people who suffered under Saddam Hussein. I am glad for the American and allied troops who have sacrificed, and their families, that Saddam's capture will give them a brief moment of satisfaction. But, justice applied to the man, and a modicum of revenge satisfied, little else has changed. The power struggle in Iraq will continue to cost American and allied lives. 'Collateral damage', meaning unintended death and maiming of innocent men, women, and children will continue. The draining of billions of tax payer dollars will continue as the occupation in Iraq continues for at least as long as George W. Bush is President, or the President learns the definition of diplomacy abroad. For our troops in Iraq, I am very glad they have something to celebrate, but, it will be a short lived celebration as the fighting continues.

Current Price of Free Enterprise

The following headline stories represent one 24 hour period of business news in America. Take a look. If this is what is in the headlines in 1 day, how much fraud, theft, cheating and bilking of American tax payers of 100’s of millions, perhaps billions of dollars goes on beyond the view of regulators, overseers and the media? And it goes on year after year after year.

The following headlines represent free enterprise under scrutiny and don't even include the pension and 401K mutual fund scandals. And on the other side, free enterprise works diligently to prevent workers from getting together to negotiate a fair return for their work.

Nice Guys Finish Last.

In the great election of 2000, Al Gore ran against George Bush in a bitter and close race for the presidency. At the last moment I decided to root for Al because when you look at the history, Al deserved it more as most of his life had been spent in public service. Then big AL won, but they wouldn’t give it to him. Even the Republican Party is starting to concede to that fact with a bit of a sneer and a wink. We all felt sorry for Al.

Gore Provides New Hope

I watched C-span's coverage of Al Gore's announcement of endorsement for former Gov. Howard Dean. As my previous writings indicate, I have held out no hope that President Bush could be unseated. Tonight, however, listening to Howard Dean speak prior to Al Gore's statements, (they were together on the same stage), a tingle went up my spine. I listened to a candidate who can, and does, connect with listeners, a candidate who will balance social need priorities with conservative fiscal priorities, and who will shut the door on the lobbyist bidders who circle through President Bush's revolving door.

I have issues

Everyone has issues. For some people they are very broad, for others they are very narrow. There are people who will vote party line every time because their issue is allegiance to the party and they are happy to let the party do the thinking for them. There are "single issue" voters, who have a litmus test for candidates (be it gun control, the drug war, abortion, etc etc). When you go into that booth, what are your criteria? What matters to you? What issue or issues make or break your support for a candidate or ballot measure? OK, now that you've got that in your head, answer this question: Why? Why do you put such importance on that issue? Reconsider yourself. Assess your motivations, and determine if you really want to vote that way or not. For a lot of you, this exercise may simply reinforce your opinions. If that is the case, then great, you've validated the logic behind your choices, and that's always good. If it doesn't reinforce your opinions, however, You owe it to yourself to reconsider how you are voting.

Common Goals, Common Ground, and the 2004 Elections

Last weekend I was stuck in New York City trying to get home to Florida while the entire northeast was struggling under the first heavy snow storm of the year. It was a frustrating, exhilarating, and beautiful experience all rolled up into one. I couldn’t believe how fantastic New York looked covered in snow and I was equally amazed at how this pretty, white, fluffy, and freezing cold stuff could grind the machinery of mankind to a halt.

Through it all I had the pleasure of experiencing the people of New York who were friendly, funny, and supportive as we all tried to navigate our way through this wintry mess. I stood in a taxi line at La Guardia, outside in 25 degree weather, with the wind blowing and the snow falling, for over two and a half hours waiting for cabs that never seemed to arrive. I was sharing this experience with Americans from all walks of life and we laughed, joked, and generally made the best of an ugly situation. It renewed my faith in people and reminded me just how much we all have in common.

A Vote For Revolution Seconded

Author’s Note: This article in response to David R. Remer’s excellent article entitled “A Vote For Revolution.” It started out as a comment, but in my passion it grew too large for that section.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed—The Declaration of Independence: July 4, 1776

A New Paradigm for Politics

The Greens have a saying, that they are "neither left, nor right, but out in front". This speaks to the fact that our political dialogue is stuck in the 18th century model of "left" and "right", established at the time of the French revolution, and reinforced by the long twentieth century battle between American "capitalism: and Soviet "socialism" and between political parties whose policies were based on socialist and free market economics (or a combination thereof).

George Monbiot recently posted an item (published in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper on the 18th of November) about a discussion that took place at the European Social Forum entitled "life after capitalism". In it, to paraphrase generously, he came to the conclusion that while capitalism sucks, all the alternatives suck more - primarily because no one can offer a system to replace it that doesn't depend on totalitarianism. As a result, he contends that advocates for social justice need to abandon the "anti-capitalist" moniker for something more accurate and functional (what that is, he wasn't able to say).

A vote for Revolution

Under our current system of government, we no longer have a democracy. Sounds like an outrageous statement doesn't it? But, consider the following. A democracy is a government of the people, whose decisions are made by the people and for the best interests of the majority of the society's people. But what we have today does not meet that definition. The reason is that 1/2 of the eligible voters don't vote, and 1/3 of registered voters are not affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican party, therefore, the Democratic and Republican voters don't even add up to one half of the eligible persons to vote.

Nader testing the waters.

Ralph Nader has thrown his influence behind Dennis Kucinich to date. In a CBS News article it is reported that Nader is testing the campaign contribution waters in consideration of a possible run for the Presidency in 2004. Ralph Nader was seen as a spoiler representing the Green Party in the 2000 elections by Democrats. Others have argued that Ralph Nader merely represented the disenchantment of Democratic voters who may not have voted at all if Nader had not run.

The President's No-Win Boxes

The President has boxed himself into some no-win boxes. He can spin and stutter until doomsday but, the pork filled Medicare Bill and the steel tariffs, are boxes with no way out while saving face.

Senator John McCain and many other conservative Republicans who believe in the 2000 Republican's platform calling for fiscal restraint and downsizing government are beginning to become quite vocal. Many are now calling for President Bush to veto the pork spending in the Medicare bill, and the comprehensive prescription coverage they believe should be provided only to the needy. Bush promised a prescription drug plan, and he lobbied heavily in Congress to get it passed.