Stepping Forward

I promise to be one of those "younger leaders" who "will emerge from the growing grassroots to provide the energy, innovations and solid ideas to take us further along this path to peace and justice in our time." 

I'm hard at work building up connections with people through the Dennis Kucinich campaign, seeking to find a way to get an income that will finance a political life, writing political pieces that get my ideas and mindset out there, and calling and contacting through mail my elected leaders to let them know how frustrated and upset I am and that I expect them to change.

I am seriously thinking about running against whomever in Indiana's 2nd District after I turn 25. That gives me six or more years to strengthen my soul, mind, and body plus get my life going so that it is stable. 

I encourage more people frustrated like me to come out of the woodwork and run. America needs you.

by Kevin Gosztola (235 articles, 127 quicklinks, 72 diaries, 907 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 8:44:47 AM
 

My election participation goes back to Eisenhower

so I was there with Nixon as well. The mistake you make (if mistake it is) has to do with changes in the way the country is run--then and now.

Then we had corporate power guiding things, but nowhere near the corporate tsunami that now drowns every aspect of our republic. In Nixon's time

There was no Blackwater--we ran our own military

Wars were profit centers, but they were not created for profit

The Judiciary still functioned

Republicans as well as Democrats turned Nixon out of office

My electoral 'memory' goes back as far as FDR and never over the course of 14 presidencies have I seen such universal alarm and discontent, tied like Gulliver to the sandy beach of lobbyist interest.

Patience and incremental progress is the culture of those who are sure of their rights. We were sure of those rights until very recently. No more.

America is going to have to go to the streets to get their country back. We have been remade into a homeland, crafted upon fear, greed, profit and world dominance. I don't want a homeland.

I want America back. My America.

by Jim Freeman (108 articles, 53 quicklinks, 224 diaries, 386 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 12:15:33 PM
 

I agree with Jim on this Bernie

"we had corporate power guiding things, but nowhere near the corporate tsunami that now drowns every aspect of our republic"

Globalisation has changed things. And I am pro fair trade just leery of piracy under the euphemism of free trade.

Capital flows faster than labor but also faster than governments can be elected. There are massive incentives for individuals to adopt shorter term planning horizons (every time one picks a managed investment or superannuation vehicle that operates globally to maximize profits or you change to another vehicle) because in the longer term national governments just don't have the power to control markets anymore.

What countries did better before was create a nexus between human rights with the citizens championing human rights as the interested parties through their votes and where and how money could be made. Citizens cared about human rights because when corporations pushed human rights aside it was they the citizens that were the effected humans. With an international financial system that nexus is broken.

Rupert Murdoch used to be an Australian. You know his nationality now. How could he deny himself the protections of the US Bill or Rights and operate a global company from a smaller pond.

The wealthy are already beyond nationalism and patriotism. So are major corporations. And that is not entirely a bad thing - except that the safety checks against human rights abuses mostly reside in national laws.

America is merely the biggest country now in a world where if human rights are to become part of a nexus and to influence where money is made the solution is likely to have to be global.

I don't actually think anyone even the very wealthy think what we have is an ideal state of affairs either in America or in the world. What we are up against now is in my opinion something of an evolutionary local peak.

Civilization is likely to have to climb down from the hill that was the United States of America (a national democracy) in order to get human rights and human values back into the way people live.

I don't think you can have your old America back. Civilization is going to have to be global now. To have human rights anywhere we are going to have to have the rule of law everywhere.

But getting from here to there is not going to be easy. Or quick.

by Brett Paatsch (0 articles, 2 quicklinks, 22 diaries, 1041 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 5:10:21 PM
 

All revolutions should be velvet

I can almost get into a wrinkle count with you.

You are right to draw attention to differing temporal contexts between the two eras. Sadly you then contradict your point by indulging in ‘picket fence delusions’ (we always imagine things of our youth were rosier than they objectively were) some of the claims you make are not supported by the facts. 

For example it depends on whose perspective you apply about the Judiciary. Ask some older Americans who aren’t White. Particularly if they were in the Southern States. It could be argued that the Supreme Court was just as good maintaining the power structures as today’s.

 Wars and profit centres perhaps not on the scale of Vietnam but proxy wars ‘for influence’ is a long standing factor of the West including America. e.g.  Latin America, Africa, Middle East regimes were if not funded were supplied with weapons. By the way when did Israel first get military assistance?

Do you really imagine that Corporate America wasn’t influencing the decision makers?The only difference today is that it’s more blatant.

The same goes for government sanctioned private armies….soldiers of fortunepaid for by secret funds (cia).   

Human nature is the same now as it was when we sat in the sun grooming each others nit from our fur. “People and organizations resist change and aggressively resist rapid or dramatic change. The more dramatic the more violent the resistance”. Andris’ law of political change.

An Objective perspective of Black rights tell you that all serious change in incremental and requires commitment to the ultimate goal, doggedness, and patience and planning that factors in the above.

It has taken at two hundred years to weave the toxic web that is the Western reality one can’t expect to change it in one or two elections. The political institutions are rightly geared to slow changes and anyone going there as a representative will soon learn. only those with the above qualities will survive.

by Andris (4 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 531 comments) on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 9:20:42 PM
 

The New Broom Coalition

We are a group of candidates for Congress who promise a clean sweep of the corruption and cronyism, restoration of justice and re-establishment of the Constitution. withdrawal from foreign military adventures, rebuilding the infrastructure, working with other nations  to solve global problems.  We cross party lines.  Check us out at http://sances.info/newbroom/  If you are a candidate and can subscribe to our mission statement, and want to join us, email me your info at cwolman@mcn.org 

 Peace, Carol Wolman

Green Candidate for Congress, CA District 1

by Carol Wolman (220 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 105 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 12:29:34 PM
 

We can do both: incremental steps and leaps

Here are three blog articles I am sharing to promote education and in-your-face activism.

#3 http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-day-3-provides.html

by ALONE (151 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 336 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 10:29:06 PM
 

#2 incremental change or giant leaps of paradigms

http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-provides-opportunities_06.html

In this blog I announce my candidacy for US Senate in Kansas

by ALONE (151 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 336 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 10:32:55 PM
 

#2 incremental change or giant leaps of paradigms

http://the-teacher.blogspot.com/2007/11/writers-strike-provides-opportunities_06.html

In this blog I announce my candidacy for US Senate in Kansas

by ALONE (151 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 336 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 10:33:25 PM
 

#1 Small Steps , starting with clean water

WRITERS’ STRIKE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES:  Think!  Instead of Watching Reruns—Change the World:  Day 1 

Make small and large differences!

 Suggestion #1:  Clean Ports and Waterways 

http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_alone_071105_clean_ports_and_wate.htm

by ALONE (151 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 336 comments) on Wednesday, November 7, 2007 at 10:39:43 PM
 

We need to restrain an empire driven imperialist executive

In both cases, covering up their lies and crimes associated with reckless wars (Vietnam then, Iraq now) led Nixon and Bush further down the road to authoritarian misrule. Nixon claimed that the Chief Executive cannot violate the law because when a president acts, ipso facto what he's doing cannot be illegal. Bush claims that whenever he says he's acting in the national-security interests of the American people, he can violate whatever law or Constitutional protection he so desires. Furthermore, Bush asserts, the Judicial Branch should not restrain him and the Legislative Branch has no jurisdiction either. The courts, which he's packed with his ideological cronies, tend to uphold his "Commander-in-Chief" ukases, and the Democratic majority in the Congress tends to roll over and whimper whenever he (or The Cheney) raises his voice.

This is the main reason we need to advance Impeachment.  Nixon was allowed to resign and he was given a pardon.  This left his assult on the rule of law unchecked and lying dormant until this administration set up the needed criteria for implementation of the Patriot Act.

The Act should have required Constitutional ammendments and received none.  It was an assult on the Constitution and it was implemented with acts of TREASON.  There is no way ever that a false flag attack on citizens or a cover-up of such a false flag attack should be considered anything less then treason at the very least it is aidding and abbeiting an enemy of our Constitution.

We need to get back to our founding basics.  Give the Constitution the validity that it deserves.  I have seen some initiatives calling for a Constitutional Convention to address some of our problems but first we have to acknowledge the crimes of a runaway executive branch that seeks to dismantle the civil protections of our Constitution.

by Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 10:10:14 AM
 

We need to restrain an empire driven imperialist executive

In both cases, covering up their lies and crimes associated with reckless wars (Vietnam then, Iraq now) led Nixon and Bush further down the road to authoritarian misrule. Nixon claimed that the Chief Executive cannot violate the law because when a president acts, ipso facto what he's doing cannot be illegal. Bush claims that whenever he says he's acting in the national-security interests of the American people, he can violate whatever law or Constitutional protection he so desires. Furthermore, Bush asserts, the Judicial Branch should not restrain him and the Legislative Branch has no jurisdiction either. The courts, which he's packed with his ideological cronies, tend to uphold his "Commander-in-Chief" ukases, and the Democratic majority in the Congress tends to roll over and whimper whenever he (or The Cheney) raises his voice.

This is the main reason we need to advance Impeachment.  Nixon was allowed to resign and he was given a pardon.  This left his assult on the rule of law unchecked and lying dormant until this administration set up the needed criteria for implementation of the Patriot Act.

The Act should have required Constitutional ammendments and received none.  It was an assult on the Constitution and it was implemented with acts of TREASON.  There is no way ever that a false flag attack on citizens or a cover-up of such a false flag attack should be considered anything less then treason at the very least it is aidding and abbeiting an enemy of our Constitution.

We need to get back to our founding basics.  Give the Constitution the validity that it deserves.  I have seen some initiatives calling for a Constitutional Convention to address some of our problems but first we have to acknowledge the crimes of a runaway executive branch that seeks to dismantle the civil protections of our Constitution.

by Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 10:11:18 AM
 

We need to restrain an empire driven imperialist executive

In both cases, covering up their lies and crimes associated with reckless wars (Vietnam then, Iraq now) led Nixon and Bush further down the road to authoritarian misrule. Nixon claimed that the Chief Executive cannot violate the law because when a president acts, ipso facto what he's doing cannot be illegal. Bush claims that whenever he says he's acting in the national-security interests of the American people, he can violate whatever law or Constitutional protection he so desires. Furthermore, Bush asserts, the Judicial Branch should not restrain him and the Legislative Branch has no jurisdiction either. The courts, which he's packed with his ideological cronies, tend to uphold his "Commander-in-Chief" ukases, and the Democratic majority in the Congress tends to roll over and whimper whenever he (or The Cheney) raises his voice.

This is the main reason we need to advance Impeachment.  Nixon was allowed to resign and he was given a pardon.  This left his assult on the rule of law unchecked and lying dormant until this administration set up the needed criteria for implementation of the Patriot Act.

The Act should have required Constitutional ammendments and received none.  It was an assult on the Constitution and it was implemented with acts of TREASON.  There is no way ever that a false flag attack on citizens or a cover-up of such a false flag attack should be considered anything less then treason at the very least it is aidding and abbeiting an enemy of our Constitution.

We need to get back to our founding basics.  Give the Constitution the validity that it deserves.  I have seen some initiatives calling for a Constitutional Convention to address some of our problems but first we have to acknowledge the crimes of a runaway executive branch that seeks to dismantle the civil protections of our Constitution.

by Sleeper (1 articles, 1 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 276 comments) on Thursday, November 8, 2007 at 10:11:26 AM