Third Party & Independents:

Dr. Rice's Dilemma

Dr. Condoleeza Rice, National Security Advisor to President G. W. Bush, has a dilemma. Pressure is mounting upon the Whitehouse and Dr. Rice to testify in public and under oath before the 9/11 Inquiry Commission. As Lorie Van Auken, widow of a World Trade Center victim put it, "Rice should come out and explain what the national security adviser knew, didn't know, what kind of information was passed to the president and didn't get passed". Ms Van Auken was quoted in an Associated Press article by PETE YOST. In the same article, Yost states

Rice declared Sunday night that "nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be able to testify" to the commission. But, she added, "there is an important principle involved here: It is a long-standing principle that sitting national security advisers do not testify before the Congress." She has appeared before panel members in closed session.

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Hypocrisy Run Amok

It has been a wild week in Washington capped by Richard Clarke’s dramatic testimony before the 9/11 commission. His revelations have been devastating to the Bush Administration and they threaten to take 9/11 away from Bush as a campaign issue which would all but doom his chances in 2004. The Karl Rove smear machine wasted no time in going after Clarke but those efforts seemed strangely ineffective against the only government official, Republican or Democrat, who had the courage to take responsibility for 9/11 and apologize to the families of the victims and to the nation as a whole. Character is an amazing thing and if the Bush Administration had any they might have been in a better position to deal with this latest threat.

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Is it too late for an energy policy?

Thirty odd years ago OPEC slapped us around and made the U.S.A. look like an impotent giant. Now, here we are in the 21st-century with gas approaching 2 dollars a gallon and for all practical purposes we have not addressed the issue.

» Continue reading "Is it too late for an energy policy?"

Political Week in Review

Pres. Bush is in the N.E. defending his record on jobs and anti-terrorism. He is spending this time and money to shore up his record because it is under major attack from a number of directions. Both Democratic and Republican party members of Congress agree that jobs are critically important to both the economy and the November elections, and they both agree, the jobs growth is a major disappointment to economic recovery. On the other hand, 2003 saw our economy grow at a healthy 4.1 percent pace, a point that is sure to be touted in Bush’s speeches and ads from this point forward.

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Voting for the lesser evil, is still evil

To save America, Green Party members and Independents are again called upon to sacrifice our own voice to support the Democrats' nominee for president. As the “anyone but Bush” crowd likes to point out, the only real option in 2004 is to vote for Kerry--given that Nader (or any other progressive) is not going to win--and that Kerry, however undesirable, is preferable to Bush. Progressive Democrats in particular point out that anyone who does not understand this “basic principle” is strategically unsophisticated, irresponsible, and even destructive.

This type of thinking, however, illustrates one of the fundamental flaws of the left; i.e. our inability to articulate a vision of the future and what steps we need to take to get there. Instead, our political orientation is heavily geared toward the short term, with our highest goal set on throwing out the latest despot in the Oval Office. More often than not, we find ourselves in a defensive holding pattern, devoting little thought to the long-term implications of our actions.

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More Warnings About Medicare: Insolvency Likely by 2019

And the economic news just keeps getting worse and worse, under the stewardship of Bush Jr. Seems the new Medicare law will not cure all senior health care ills as the Republicans would have us believe. And with each passing day the law once hailed as the savior of seniors and the disabled, is nothing more then a prescription for disaster, one which might leave the Medicare trust fund drained of reserves by 2019, some seven years earlier then expected.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson and in his annual report on the Medicare Trust Fund stated that increased health care cost—which has to include prescription drugs—and decreasing revenues (tax cuts), are the primary motivators behind the revised forecast. He went on to predict that changes to the program called for under the new Medicare law will help slow the growth in spending, however, this predicated on seniors enrolling in managed-care programs.

» Continue reading "More Warnings About Medicare: Insolvency Likely by 2019"

Quickie

Those who believe that our nation's war on terror has made us more vulnerable, and made us a bigger target, would do well to read this mornings article on statements issued by Hamas' new leader. After their leadership issued veiled threats against the United States, Abdel Aziz Rantisi has made a point to state unequivocally that their only target is Israel.

Why would he backtrack so quickly, even while anger over the death of Ahmed Yassin is still high? I would think even President Bush's biggest haters know in their hearts, even if they won't admit it, that the reason is, quite simply, our leaders have shown the world that we mean business. Hamas sees what we have done to the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Baathists, and they know they would be next if we perceive them as a threat.

9/11 Investigation - Not Good

Testimony today before the 9/11 Investigating Commission was shocking. Among those testifying were Generals, Mr. Armitage, M. Allbright, and C. Powell, D. Rumsfeld, and P. Wolfowitz. Overall, it appears that both administrations, Clinton's and G.W. Bush's governed over a history of intelligence from 1991 right up through the summer of 9/11 which gave a host of indications and warnings of airliners to be used as weapons against the U.S. There were even, though not during 2001, intelligence data indicating the Pentagon and World Trade Center may be targets. Despite this intelligence neither the Clinton nor the Bush administration took any steps to beef up security of our airline industry, or to warn Congress that such action might be necessary.

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Presidential Politics, it's "FANtastic!"

Jesse "The Body" Ventura, former Minnesota governor and pro wrestler has all but thrown his hat in the ring for the 2008 presidential election. Ventura said yesterday, "It's time to put a wrestler in the White House."

Ventura also announced that his intended running mate is former NBA superstar Charles Barkley. Barkley has expressed interest in holding elected office previously, including rumors he might run for governor of Alabama.

Do they stand a shot in 2008? Did anyone think Ventura could be elected governor before he won, or that action star Arnold Schwarzenegger could become governor of California? What could this ticket do to the race?

Is Killing a Terrorist Wrong?

Imagine if tomorrow Osama Bin Laden was killed by a targeted attacked in the hills of Afghanistan. Could you imagine that the following would be the world’s reaction:

"What happened was more brutal than anyone can imagine and it doesn't make sense. We condemn this aggression..." (Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian president)

"I do condemn the targeted assassination... Such actions are not only contrary to international law, they do not do anything to help search for a peaceful solution. I appeal to all in the region to remain calm and avoid escalation in tensions." (Kofi Annan, United Nations secretary general)

» Continue reading "Is Killing a Terrorist Wrong?"

Coming out of the woodwork

Like rats jumping off a burning ship, an election year must seem to be a nice cleansing moment for Washington D.C., with their own version of the ship-board vermin leaving town to write books and blast whoever is currently in power, such as Clinton and Bush terror advisor Richard Clarke has recently done. The real trick for America is trying to tell just who the heck is telling the truth, and who doesn't mind playing hard and fast with the truth in order to sell books. While not at all easy, little clues will appear that often put us in the right direction.

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Is Bush Planting WMD in Iraq?

There is a story circulating on the net about Americans unloading the kind of parts needed by Hussein in the early 1990’s to develop WMD and long range missiles. The source is an Iraqi Government official who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Mehr, an Iranian news agency covering Iraq. The official reports Americans were seen unloading cargo of the kind mentioned above at a port in Southern Iraq and timed to coincide with other big news and events that would overshadow the unloading.

Two sites reporting this are Forum for America and Dread Times.

The implications, if the story can be verified, are enormous.

Could 9/11 have been prevented if Bush had paid attention to intelligence?

Well the mud just keeps getting deeper and deeper in front of the White House this election season, and the lies become more and more pervasive and despicable in their scope. Now comes compelling evidence that had the Bush Administration listen to the intelligence being presented, there is a more then even chance that 9/11 could have been prevented.

For anyone that missed it, 60 Minutes held an interview with Richard Clark the Bush Administration's former counter-terrorism coordinator. He stated:

“[f]rankly, I find it outrageous that the president is running for re-election on the grounds that he's done such great things about terrorism," Clarke said during the 60 Minutes interview. "He ignored it. He ignored terrorism for months, when maybe we could have done something to stop 9/11. Maybe. We'll never know."

» Continue reading "Could 9/11 have been prevented if Bush had paid attention to intelligence?"

An ACLU Resurgence?

The ACLU was once the pillar of non-partisan protection of constitutional rights in America- it would defend any person, no matter how much they disagreed with their views, if their constitutional liberties were in danger. I used to want to even want to work for the ACLU (I even called them once to volunteer but could not get hours that jived with my job). Sadly, the ACLU came under control of more leftist types, and started having a much more left-wing agenda- refusing to come out strongly against speech codes on campuses (because it did not want to anger minority groups), refusing to defend the free speech rights of anti-abortion protestors, ect. Many, including myself, who once admired the ACLU despite our disagreement with them on key issues (like abortion), have been dismayed there is no group that now fills the shoes of an even-handed proponent of civil liberties for all people, no matter their political ideology.

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The Great Bush Hoax

Half the country has been fooled by the Great Bush Hoax. The other half saw it for what it was when it was launched. The Great Hoax is the idea that any amount of money, soldiers, or equipment sent overseas could possibly win the War on Terrorism. If you are a Bush supporter, you won’t want to read this, the inescapable logic of it will make you angry. For all others, the simple and elegant logic that follows will vindicate your gut feelings about this President’s foreign policy and War on Terrorism.

For centuries China had it’s warlords who terrorized their feudal serfs into submission and taxation. The armies of the warlords were terrorists. Ancient Greek history is full of myth, legend, and history regarding terrorists and terrorist tactics by opposing armies. The great Roman Empire ended with the terrorism from the likes of the Visigoths and Huns who with their hit and run tactics, drove fear into the hearts of Roman legions. They did so effectively that Rome actually hired (bribed) the terrorist leaders to join Roman campaigns, only to see the terrorist tactics grow by throngs hoping to get bribed by Rome also.

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What Price Unilateral Free Trade?

Question: is the sole purpose of humankind to consume goods? And if so, to what end? How much stuff can you accumulate before it’s too much? How far do you chase prices downward before the interest of societal preservation takes hold? How much profit is too much, or is there such an idea in the free-market mindset?

A fellow WatchBLOG editor bade us all to read a paper written by Milton and Rose Friedman The Case for Free Trade, and I am stunned by the near-sidedness of their collective viewpoint. This paper is totally divorced of common sense and the real world understanding, or values that would make it germane to the realities of today.

» Continue reading "What Price Unilateral Free Trade?"

Free trade: Is it ever a bad Idea?

First off, I am not an economist. On the other hand I am not an idiot either. I have worked for decades in the physical science field and can smell bad logic a mile away.

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Terrorists and Tantrums

Simple Lesson: When a child gets their way every time they throw a tantrum, the kid will continue to throw tantrums every time they do not like what’s going on.

Lesson Application: When you let terrorist groups think they can have you make policy changes to bribe them into not attacking your nation, they will continue to threaten your country when they do not like what you are doing.

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Statement of Peace and Freedom Party Presidential Candidate Leonard Peltier

[Posted in the interest of equal time - no matter what the Green Party does, there WILL be an alternative for progressive voters on the fall 2004 California Presidential election ballot.

See the Leonard Peltier California Yahoo Group for more information about the campaign and Free Leonard Peltier for more information about the candidate. -Thomas]

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Terry Baum - first "write-in" candidate to qualify for general election ballot since 1968.

Terry Baum will be running for Congress against Democrat Nancy Pelosi on the Green Party ballot line - after waging California's first successful "write-in" campaign in the last thirty years. 1,651 members of the Green Party "wrote in" a vote for Terry in the March 2nd, 2004 primary election - 46 more than were needed to qualify for a line on the November ballot. The last folks to do that were Huey Newton and the Black Panthers in 1968 on the Peace and Freedom Party ballot line, so that tells you a bit about how difficult it is to qualify for the ballot this way.

This was an incredible organizational feat by the SF Green Party: qualification via "write-in" requires that 10% of the registered voters in your party show up at the ballot booth and write your name in - not an easy process at all in a low turn out election. Especially one that offered Greens no high profile candidate in the Presidential nomination contest (apologies to Camejo, but he's still not in Nader's league in terms of name recognition). It shows both the depth of dissatisfaction with Nancy Pelosi and the Democratic Party's support for the war in Iraq (Baum's primary focus is opposition to the war in Iraq - her slogan is "Baum for Peace"), and the growing strength of the Green Party at the grassroots.

» Continue reading "Terry Baum - first "write-in" candidate to qualify for general election ballot since 1968."

Some Sanity about Outsourcing

There is no issue that has frustrated me as much in his election cycle as the so-called outsourcing “crisis” the democrats have all been harping about. These politicians have picked up on America’s anxiety about jobs and have turned it into disingenuous rhetoric which, if taken seriously, will take our country and the lives of poor people around the world in the wrong direction. All of a sudden John Kerry, whose chief merit as a politician was his support for free trade, has now turned into a so-called “fair trader”, decrying the outsourcing of American jobs. This is a dangerous and economically illiterate trend- but why does it always keep happening?

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Spanish Lullaby

I’ve been away on business and during that time had been relegated to getting my news from the USA Today that was delivered to my hotel room each morning and the 15 second sound bites that seem to have all but taken over the evening news. Like the rest of the world I was very saddened by the tragedy that has recently befallen the people of Spain and truly the people of the world. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. The events of 3/11 are but another sad reminder of how far we still have to go to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and an even sadder reminder of how ineffectual that effort has been so far.

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GOP-Going for Broke

Under Democrats, Congress had a 'pay as you go' rule for spending by the federal government. They were called "Tax and Spend Democrats" because if they elected to pass a program needing money from the budget, they would raise taxes or decrease other spending to pay for it. The Republican's Grand Old Party (GOP) now have control of Congress and they long ago dismissed the pay as you go rule in exchange for a Spend and Bankrupt policy. That action has resulted in the record half trillion dollar budget for 2005 without any attempt by the President or Republican House of Representatives to raise taxes or cut other spending in order to pay for this record deficit. And only an estimated 6% of the budget deficit is due to the lackluster economy. This contradicts the President's and Republican spokesperson's rebuttal that the deficits are resulting from the 2001 recession and the 9/11 attacks.

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Bush/Kerry = Lincoln/Douglas?

Recently John Kerry challenged George W. Bush to a series of monthly debates. He made this challenge in Quincy, Illinois with the goal of recalling the famous Abraham Lincoln-Stephen Douglas debates of 1858. While I think its an important civic exercise to have the sort of televised debates that we have become accustomed to in the TV era, this reference to the Lincoln-Douglas debates illustrates exactly why presidential debates today are rather meaningless in terms of real engagement of the issues.

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Laci and Conner's Bill

U.S. Senate Will Vote on Unborn Victims Bill With No Filibuster

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) Members of the U.S. Senate have agreed to have a debate and vote on the Unborn Victims of Violence Act as early as the week of March 22. The Senate has never before voted on this legislation, that would allow prosecutors to hold criminals accountable when they kill or injure an unborn child as a result of an attack on a pregnant woman. One of the biggest hurdles the bill has faced has been the threat of a filibuster by certain Democratic senators, which would force supporters to find 60 votes to pass the legislation. Without the filibuster concern, a simply majority can pass the bill, turn back a substitute bill and send the legislation to President Bush, who has been pressuring Congress for years to send this bill to him.

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Another Bush Con Job

The NY Times today is picking up on a story I saw a couple days earlier entitled Medicare Expert Says He Was Told To Withhold cost, which ran on Friday.

It is a detailed read about how the Bush administration knew the true cost of the Medicare legislation, and told at least one official, who thought Congress should know the true cost, he'd be fired if he said anything. When the President deceives the Congress, he decieves the people of the U.S. for Congresspersons are the people's representatives from their local states and districts.

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Politicians say the darndest things.

When I was a kid and got into a fight, the excuse "He started it" never really won me any points on getting out of trouble. Apparently, it's one of those many hypocritical lessons we learn as a child that is very useful as an adult, especially if you happen to be a politician in today's political climate.

» Continue reading "Politicians say the darndest things."

Bush Pulls Plug on Manufacturing Czar at Last Moment

Talk about egg on your face (boy it looks good). Just hours before the Bush Administration was set to announce the nomination of its long awaited manufacturing Czar, or the new Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services the Kerry Campaign revealed that the nominee, one Anthony F. Raimondo, chairman and chief executive of Behlen Manufacturing Co. of Columbus, NE had himself shipped U.S. jobs overseas to China. It seems Raimondo’s company laid off some 75 U.S. workers in 2002, four months after publicizing plans to build a 3 million dollar 150,000 sq foot factory in northwest China, which employees 180 people.

» Continue reading "Bush Pulls Plug on Manufacturing Czar at Last Moment"

House of Bush, House of Saud

Craig Unger's new book is the result of his investigations into the thirty year relationship between the Bush family and the al-Saud family. I've found it interesting that in the late 80's and early 90's the Bush coterie emphasized the importance of their relationship with the Saud's and since 9-11 they've been denying that there's any real substance to the relationship.

This book highlights the incident immediately after 9-11 where many members of bin Laden's immediate family were allowed to leave the country without being questioned along with members of the Saud family. In what is promising to be a vicious election year, I'm surprisde that the media is making no effort to cover this story at all.

I would imagine that if Kerry (or Nader) had such a close relationship with a family that has been funding al Qaeda it would be front page news every single day. And if Kerry were smart he'd be asking questions about this constantly.

Bush: Classic Commodity Defense

A few years ago there was a scandal regarding Archer Daniels Midland (ADM). Barely after the headlines ink dried ADM saturated the media with paid advertising. You remember it, it said they were Feeding The World. Now which do you remember about ADM, their scandal, or their commercial? This is classic commodity defense. When your product or company gets in trouble, advertise the negative news out of existence. Shell Oil is currently being reviewed for underestimating reserves and today I saw an advertisement on Satellite TV for Shell exploring where no man has gone before.

What has this to do with President Bush?

» Continue reading "Bush: Classic Commodity Defense"

Green Party Presidential Candidates Overview

I received the item below via Owen Bradhurst, who runs an informational list for Massachusetts Green-Rainbow Party members entitled "need-to-know". This list is a great source of inside information (amid a fair amount of "noise", as well). I'm reposting this item, because it is one of the most comprehensive overviews of the various candidates for Green Party presidential nomination that I've seen; even I wasn't aware that Dr. Johnathan Farley had declared that he was running for President:

NATIONAL: Dr. Jonathan Farley has announced his candidacy for the Green presidential nomination. On Monday, February 16, Dr. Farley participated in a Green presidential candidates' debate sponsored by the University of Minnesota College Greens, the Green Party of Minnesota, and the 5th Congressional District Greens at the University of Minnesota.

» Continue reading "Green Party Presidential Candidates Overview"

The Death Penalty Issue

I watched “Dead Man Walking” for the first time tonight and it got me thinking about the death penalty. The death penalty will be an issue in the upcoming presidential election since John Kerry is the first presidential candidate (in the general election) since Mike Dukakis to oppose the death penalty, and it is one of the issue where Bush and Kerry are actually very different. I have to admit that the death penalty has never been an issue I have been passionate about either way, but I have always been curious as to why many people get so worked up against it. As far as I can tell, there are a couple of arguments they put forth:

» Continue reading "The Death Penalty Issue"

Nader polling 6%

Ralph Nader, just 10 days after announcing his candidacy as an Independent for President, is polling 6% of voters according to the Associated Press. Nader is going after corporate corruption of the laws, environment, economy, and the exploitation of American workers. Nader has also raised a quarter million dollars in that same 10 days. So many said he could not be taken seriously except for the votes he would draw from Democrats. That may be so. But, if the money and support continues at the same level it has these last 10 days, both front running candidates will need to reevaluate both Nader's impact and their own issue platforms to court Nader's vote.

packing a lot into one sentence

For someone who votes Republican as much as I do, you'd think I'd have more nice things to say about their political skills. But I've always found them too timid to take on the Democrats. They've always let the other side dominate and define the issues, not to mention letting them demagogue those same issues. Their rhetorical skills have been too often dry and uninteresting, while the Democratic machine is well oiled, slick and ready to attack the Republicans for literally anything they try to do politically.
maybe that has finally changed...

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Gary Nolan wins California

Democrats weren't the only candidates on the ballots yesterday. Libertarian primaries were held in California, where frontrunner Gary Nolan locked in his lead against competitors. Nolan garnered 59%, Aaron Russo trailed at 25% and Michael Badnarik at 17%.

The Libertarian Party Presidential Nominating Convention takes place May 27–31, 2004 in Atlanta, Georgia. Gary Nolan is expected to claim the nomination.

Kerry Steamroller headed for Swing States

Super Tuesday was no surprise for those who have followed my previous articles on the Kerry Steamroller here and here. The question now is can the Kerry steamroller turn the swing states into win states? It is very likely and here is why.

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Live Super Tuesday Results; Edwards Out

12:44AM - I'm off. End score: Kerry 9, Dean 1. The Democratic primaries are officially over as far as most people are concerned (myself included). Now to see if a 3rd party candidate will emerge (Nader is being booed thus far). If not, this is going to be a Bush vs Kerry match-up in November. Anyways, I hope some of you enjoyed the semi-continuous coverage. I'll be sure to do it again on election night.

11:24PM - MSNBC just called California in favor of Kerry with a gargantuan 2% of precincts reporting. You would think they would have learned something from the 2000 elections, right? Selah.

11:05PM - In regard to my previous remark: CNN just called California in Kerry's favor with 0% reporting. Polls closed at 8PM PST (11PM EST).

» Continue reading "Live Super Tuesday Results; Edwards Out"

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

Apparently the California Supreme Court has declared that Catholic Charities is required to provide birth control coverage to its employees. As I see it, thanks to this heavy-handed government intervention, the charity has three options- (1) violate the articles of their faith by providing contraception coverage; (2) cut off prescription drug coverage for all of its workers, thus escaping the scope of the law they were sued under; or (3) stop offering “counseling, low-income housing and immigration services to people of all faiths, without directly preaching Catholic values”, and then it can be classified as a religious employer under the statute’s exception.

» Continue reading "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished"