35 Articles

Saturday, September 27, 2008
Straight Talk on the Financial Crisis
There's plenty of blame to go around for the current financial crisis -- both parties "drank the Kool Aid" of deregulation in the '90s -- but Obama and the Democrats in Congress are doing right by everyday Americans in rewriting the Bush Bail-Out bill, as McCain flips and flops day by day.

Thursday, September 11, 2008
Election 2008: Hope vs. Fear. Unity vs. Division. Success vs. Failure.
(2 comments) Today, seven years after a horrific shock to our collective system, we are embroiled in an election that the entire world recognizes is of truly historic proportions -- and not just because of the amount of pigment in one candidate's skin, or even the centuries of slavery and discrimination with which his race has been burdened. Simply put, the election of 2008 is no less than an epic contest between hope and fear.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
The Case for a Woman as Vice President, and then President
(3 comments) Should the Democrats nominate a woman to be vice president in 2008 and, thus, potentially, hopefully president in 2016? Should gender be a factor at all? Shouldn't this very important decision, potentially affecting every person on earth, be "gender neutral"? Well, at the risk of offending all those who recoil at anything even remotely resembling "affirmative action," here are a few facts to consider.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Progressives Must Not Be Divided: We Cannot Afford a Pres. McCain
(11 comments) African Americans and American women have made great strides with the Obama and Clinton candidacies. But we must not allow ourselves to be divided: Only by uniting can we prevent the continuation of the Bush legacy, under a Pres. McCain; only by uniting can we achieve a great progressive agenda for our nation.

Friday, February 15, 2008
On Michigan, Florida, & Superdelegates: Democrats Be Democrats, or Else
(6 comments) My greatest concern all along with the issues of seating or not seating the Democratic delegates from Michigan and Florida and with the now probably decisive role of "superdelegates" in the convention has not been about procedure in the primaries but about the outcome in the general election. Ultimately, Democrats need to play by the rules and be democratic; that is, not become what we are striving to overcome.

Thursday, November 9, 2006
The Last, Best Hope of the American People
(2 comments) As the Democrats retake Congress and statehouses and governorships across the country - and as President George W. Bush replaces NeoCon-in-Chief Donald H. Rumsfeld with the reportedly more pragmatic Robert M. Gates - it again becomes apparent, as it has throughout our history, that the power in the United States of America ultimately resides in the people.

Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Backed by Big Money, Congress May Gut Identity Theft Laws
With most of its members taking big money from big banks, the House Committee on Financial Services just voted in favor of legislation that would supercede strict state laws vs. identity theft. Article includes Action Form to oppose the bill US PIRG calls "the worst data security bill ever."

Tuesday, March 14, 2006
A Legacy of Damage to America: The President's Vile Precedents Etcetera
This president and his ilk are inflicting lasting damage upon America and the world -- a legacy that will haunt us and cripple us for generations yet to come. Let us not be as foolish or arrogant as those who misgovern us; let us never forget or dismiss their betrayals of the public trust.

Tuesday, March 7, 2006
One Less Bell to Answer
(1 comments) No sector of the economy is more vital to our Information Age than communications. The announcement this weekend that AT&T has agreed to buy BellSouth is not only newsworthy but also historic, in terms of its sheer size (one of the largest deals ever) and of its social impact. This article is a comprehensive review of the communications industry, from telecoms and cable companies to content providers and consumers.

Saturday, February 18, 2006
Priorities
“Put your money where your mouth is.” That’s how you tell the straight-shooters from the hypocrites. And see where someone’s priorities really lie. By that standard, I’m afraid our current leadership is misleading America.

Monday, February 6, 2006
"DON'T TREAD ON ME"!
One of the greatest hypocrisies is the claim by the Right to stand up for life, liberty, and property under assault by the Left. ... The Right has no right to our bodies, minds, or souls (let alone the fruits of our labors, which they apparently cannot help but try to horde for themselves).

Monday, January 30, 2006
The Top Ten Reasons to Reject Samuel Alito
Why risk the majority's wrath, their threat to violate the rules of the Senate and exercise the Nuclear Option? I'll give you ten good reasons for Democrats, Independents, and moderate Republicans to stand tall and reject this nomination, pandering to those far to the right of the mainstream.

Monday, January 16, 2006
Beyond the "Dream": The Wisdom of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Speaking to the Challenges of Our Times
Numerous quotes from Dr. King on justice, brotherhood, and peace - "I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land." - with Urgent Action Page Vs. Alito.

Tuesday, January 3, 2006
If Bush & Alito Have Their Way, Our Votes May Not Count.
Call me old fashioned; but I thought that the president, sworn to uphold the Constitution, and a potential justice of the Supreme Court would hold democracy in reverence, not contempt.

Tuesday, January 3, 2006
More Bush Insanity: Fomenting Instability in Iraq
We're told that it would be patently irresponsible to withdraw our troops from Iraq without first making the country stable and then handing it over to Iraqi security forces. So does that mean we've got to redouble our efforts to restabilize Iraq, so we can get the hell outa there? Well, maybe not.

Friday, December 30, 2005
If George W. Bush Had Not Been An Un-American Un-President ...
... he would not have been put in office by a rigged election. ... he would have condemned any actions even vaguely resembling torture. ... he would not have defied the laws of the land or dreamed of employing the most powerful intelligence operations to spy on millions of innocent Americans. ...

Monday, December 19, 2005
Multi-Site Action Alert: Jam the Senate's Phones Monday Protesting Illegal Bush Wiretaps!
From Daily Kos throughout the 'net, the Action Alert is going out: Contact your senators and demand that Bush be held accountable for breaking the law and bragging about it. Article includes ref. to find your senators' phone numbers and easy-to-use Action Form! Fight this blatant abuse of power!

Saturday, December 10, 2005
Truth, Suffering, & Growth: "A Liar's Tale," by Andre Coleman (Book Review)
In his wonderfully inventive, thought-provoking first novel, Andre Coleman, who as a journalist has made a profession of unearthing the truth, creates a character, Scott Hampton, who tries to take the easy way out in life by lying, only to find the price of lies to be higher than that of the truth.

Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Killing the Messengers *
Getting an "F" in Homeland Security, the Bush administration retaliates against whistleblowing Chief of the U.S. Park Police and Agents of the FBI. [ * RE-POSTED WITH WORKING ACTION PAGE LINK, TO CONTACT YOUR SENATORS, CONGRESS. REPS., OR NEWSPAPER IN SUPPORT OF CHIEF AND OUR SECURITY AND LIBERTY]

Tuesday, December 6, 2005
Killing the Messengers
Getting an "F" in Homeland Security, the Bush administration retaliates against whistleblowing Chief of the U.S. Park Police and Agents of the FBI.

Friday, December 2, 2005
The Wit & Wisdom of Tom DeLay (A Little Levity & Some Serious Business)
"So many minority youths had volunteered [to serve in Vietnam], that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like myself." Gems like these seemed too “good” to be true, until I found some sources. Without further delay, here’s a peek inside the mind of our favorite indicted co-conspirator.

Saturday, November 26, 2005
Probing the Psyche of the Information Age: Repella.net (A Digital Art Website Review)
Endlessly stimulating, the visual language of artist Don Repella is both cautionary and inspiring: As individuals in a mass society we can be overwhelmed by the sheer volume and complexity of the information to which we are exposed; but we can also find meaning if we open our eyes, ears, and minds.

Tuesday, November 22, 2005
George Plays Dumb as Dick Plays Dirty. Welcome Back, Karl!
As Cheney mounts an Orwellian defense of lies that led to war, Bush picks the wrong door in China and looks like Inspector Clouseau falling for "the old closet ploy." Which is the lesser of two political evils: To be seen as a liar or a fool? It seems to me Karl Rove is back in the saddle again.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005
What Could Be More Moderate Than To Be Progressive?
The conventional wisdom is the GOP has become too extreme; Democrats are cautioned not to go too far to the Left. But sometimes, God forbid, Liberals actually do lead our country in a better direction than Conservatives; that's why we're called Progressives. What could be more moderate than that?

Saturday, November 5, 2005
"I Will Swear to Uphold the Honor and Dignity of the Office to Which I Have Been Elected, So Help Me God."
In 2000, George W. Bush accepted the GOP presidential nomination. What follows are excerpts from that speech. I cannot resist the temptation to add some pointed comments; but ultimately, failed promises -- not to mention hypocrisy and outright dishonesty -- speak loud enough for themselves.

Wednesday, November 2, 2005
I Am Pro-Choice AND Pro-Life
It is no more murder to abort a human fetus in the first two trimesters than it is to withhold life-support from a terminally ill patient in a permanently vegetative state. Unpleasant as they may be, those are the facts of life.

Monday, October 31, 2005
The Nuclear Question: Are Women Chattel?
There is no more "middle ground": the moment of truth has arrived. Either we stand up for women's rights -- and all other human rights -- or every last one of us will indeed be reduced to chattel. (Article includes Action Form to contact your senators vs. the Alito nomination.)

Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Iraq, LNG, Credibility: As Plame Was Losing Her Cover, Cheney Was Losing His Power
First in a Four-Part Series. Next -- The Conventional Wisdom: Trying in Vain to Salvage the Hostile Takeover of Iraq. Then -- The Inside Story: Trying in Vain to Salvage the Historic Saudi LNG Deals. Finally -- The Bottom Line: Trying in Vain to Salvage Dick Cheney's Credibility.

Thursday, October 13, 2005
Another Crony?! It's Enough to Make You Sick. Or Dead.
Meet Stewart Simonson...charged with safeguarding the nation against a devastating attack of smallpox from Osama Bin Laden or a cataclysmic pandemic of bird flu from Southeast Asia...a lawyer, not a doctor or anyone else with an iota of formal training in the field.

Thursday, October 6, 2005
The Truth, The (Less Than) Whole Truth, & (Almost) Nothing But The Truth About Harriet Miers
As if it weren't frustrating enough to have so little information to go on about Harriet Miers, some of the most crucial information that is being published about her one day is being contradicted the next! To set the record straight, here is some of what we do in fact know.

Wednesday, October 5, 2005
Meet "Justice Miers": Love-Child of Bush in Bed with Top Dem
Certain members of our leadership are apparently more part of the problem than part of the solution, more appeasers of the Right than champions of Left. But at least they kept our powder dry.

Friday, September 30, 2005
Save Grassroots Democracy: Save Community Access TV!
The very existence of Community Access TV is threatened by powerful interests in the nearly trillion-dollar-a-year telecommunications industry. Use the "action page" to send a powerful message to your senators and representative in support of this contemporary form of grassroots democracy.

Monday, September 26, 2005
GOP Jackals Descend on the South
While everyday people, on the Left and the Right, have contributed record amounts to help the victims in the South, this catastrophe has brought the positions of the leaders on the Right and the Left into much sharper focus. They are as different as greed and compassion.

Thursday, September 22, 2005
The GOP Drowning in Their Own Hypocrisy
Bush told...his prime-time audience: "We have a duty to confront this poverty [that exacerbated the Katrina disaster] with bold action..." The very next day, Bush offered his solution [to the problem of rebuilding]..."It's going to mean that we're going to have to cut unnecessary spending."

Wednesday, September 21, 2005
A Most Unusual Job Application
Dear Senators:

My name is John G. Roberts...I would like to apply for the position of Chief Justice of the United States...

Just please don't ask me about any of my opinions, passions, or prejudices; I just don't have any. Really. I'm not an ideologue; I'm a...uh...um...