I have 7 fans: Become a Fan. You'll get emails whenever I post articles on OpEdNews
A jack of some trades, writing and editing among them, Marta Steele, an admitted and proud holdover from the late sixties, returned to activism ten years ago after first establishing her skills as a college [mostly adjunct] professor in three subjects, then writer ("born" in the South, of course), then mother, then highly successful publishing professional (editor). In the latter context, she began to write or, more accurately, couldn't stop herself from protesting when the entire country came down with media/ Monica obsession and, stripped of judgment, turned to impeach a capable president for doing, perhaps too openly, what few presidents haven't either done themselves or wanted to. Subsequently and probably as a result, Bush was elected and Steele's venom turned against the hideous corruption that had accomplished this. She became an election integrity activist and harsh media critic, incredulous about media indifference to issues of vital importance to democracy. She also became a peace activist, serving on the board of the Delaware Valley Coalition for Peace Action and writing droves of blog entries on this subject. Even as protest against the Iraq invasion burgeoned, the media had other, yellower, red herrings to throw at us. Concerned to inform the future if not the present about the protest movement and the amazing words and events that accompanied it, she attended as many protest events as she could, ink freezing in her pen under the worst weather conditions. These writings reside in hard-copy archives of Words, UnLtd., a paper journal born in 1999, as every blog entry since its cyberspace rebirth in 2005, just when the election integrity movement burgeoned, "fooled again" by Bush's reelection in 2004. She works as a freelance editor (mostly academic) and writer, the proud mom of an ABD. Liza Gwendolyn, working to gain her PhD in public sociology at Princeton University. She still blogs regularly, mainly at Wordsunltd.com and Opednews, but writings are picked up at other sites and sent out into the blogosphere and hard-copy publications as well. At work on an 8-year history of the election integrity movement, she was stricken with Bell's Palsy and had to divert her energies. Time willing, once this monster abates (well on its way, deo gratias), she hopes to resume work on it. She has a large opus she'd like to publish in hard copy as essay anthologies, but so far that hasn't worked--the advice is to make an attracting enough name to succeed in an effort that usually follows upon more single-themed hard-copy and public visibility. Wish me luck. All leads welcome.
Stage two: single-themed hard copy accomplished--advance orders welcome for "Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols." Blurb follows below:
"Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols: How the People Lost and Won, 2000-2008," by Election Integrity (EI) activist Marta Steele, is a history of the Election Integrity movement from 2000 to 2008, highlighting the corrupt practices of that decade, and how the people rallied to control and ultimately overcome them, at least in Election 2008. What happened thereafter will become another book.
The culprits were highly corruptible and low-quality machines and the machinery that allowed them to proliferate, defying the will of the people in favor of conservative values unconcerned with the exigent issues that drew the people to the polls. Voters turned out in record numbers in 2008. Thirty percent of those who usually sit out elections (a total of about 100 million) showed up. For their will not to have prevailed would have represented the biggest travesty in our nation's history; and yet a week before Election Day both John McCain and Karl Rove were predicting a Republican victory.
Then Rove changed his mind on the eve of Election Day, predicting that Obama would win. But this occurred after the huge battle, at so many levels, ultimately boiled down to a deposition in Columbus, Ohio, on November 3, 2008, of a Rove IT operative. Once Judge Solomon Oliver found holes in the deposition, the people's will exploded and the people's choice went to Washington.
Perhaps the day before Election 2008 did not become the major holiday it should have because the machinery of election corruption is up and running again and the people are still fighting. But in Grassroots, Geeks, Pros, and Pols the dramatic victory achieved was a successful revolution and in the long run may be remembered for that.
The ultimate success will not be a sigh of relief and a cheer for a brief period of time, but the permanent death of anti-American activities.
Our vote is our sacred right, nothing we need to acquire with a government-issued photo i.d. It is the bottom line of democracy. Without it, there is no democracy, which is not an abstract noun but continuous work. All this our founding fathers knew and passed down to us, a tough legacy and challenge but well worth our necessary efforts.
Thursday, May 17, 2012 I-Voting: A Breakthrough Is Needed
A lively and provocative panel discussion on May 16 at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC on I-voting in the present and future (the preferred scenario).
Tuesday, May 1, 2012 Occupy Rallies and Mayday March Peaceful in DC: A Journalist's Journal (1 comments)
May 1 is International Workers' Rights Day in most countries of the world, though not here. Barack Obama chose to celebrate it in Afghanistan. Here follows an account of an anarchist/labor rally and march today in Washington, DC.
Thursday, April 26, 2012 Enlightened Backbone of Liberalism Amputated: How it Happened (4 comments)
A conversation at DC's Center on American Progress (CAP) about the roots and recent history of liberalism, with reference to Eric Alterman's newly published book, "The Cause: The Fight for American Liberalism from Franklin Roosevelt to Barack Obama."
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 Day 2: Some SCOTUS Photos (2 comments)
A few hours in front of SCOTUS on a clear day when you could predict a late-June edict thanks to the 5-4 ratio that hangs over our freedoms like a dark cloud that was camouflaged today.
Monday, March 19, 2012 Waxman: Clean Energy Solution to Federal Deficit
Congressman Henry Waxman and former Congressman Wayne Gilcrest were guests at a panel today at the Center for American Progress on legislation being written to reduce the deficit by requiring a set fee from industries that pollute the environment with hydrocarbons.
Monday, March 19, 2012 Questioning the Vote (2 comments)
Questioning the value of the vote within an extremely flawed democratic society (plutocratic?).
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 Deradicalizing Islamist Extremists (2 comments)
Summary of a presentation on various methods used to deradicalize Islamist extremists, held today at the Rumi Forum in Washington, DC.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Peace in the Holy Land: Hailstones of Fire and Water? (3 comments)
A panel session of distinguished religious leaders of Israel/Palestine/Jordan, where the key to finding peace is located in an educational project led by the one secular participant.
Friday, February 24, 2012 Apologies to Afghans Continue in Wake of Recent Burning of Religious Materials
A press conference was held at ADAMS Center in Sterling, Virginia, today, one of the US's largest Muslim centers, to address the continuing violence in Afghanistan sparked by the accidental sacrilege committed by some members of the US military early this wee,.
Saturday, February 4, 2012 The Way It Was: McPherson Square (Photo Essay) (2 comments)
Some photos I took last week with my cellphone and finally succeeded in pulling out of cyberspace today.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012 "The Middle Class Is Also Too Big to Fail"
Senator Tom Harkin this morning addressed an audience at the Center for American Progress on how he plans to confront and eradicate the dire condition of the middle class and restore its former security and well being.
Thursday, January 12, 2012 The Rise and Consequences of Inequality
Alan Krueger, chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers, today addressed the Center for American Progress on the consequences of inequality for our society.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012 From Dearborn to DC: "All-American Muslim" Cast Members' Forum (2 comments)
Four members of the cast of "All-American Muslim," a controversial 8-part reality TV show, came to DC this evening to discuss their experiences and feelings.
Friday, December 23, 2011 Holiday Thoughts, 2011-2012
My annual holiday thoughts this year surround environmental decay--the yellow light is turning to red, green becoming a distant memory.
Thursday, December 15, 2011 Palast Back in DC to Sign Vultures' Picnic (1 comments)
Greg Palast returns to DC to a warm welcome from colleagues at the National Press Club--dinner and a discussion followed by book signing of his latest blockbuster "Vultures' Picnic."
Wednesday, November 23, 2011 Thanks to Giving, Thanks for Giving . . .
A list of thank-yous and a wishlist for changes as T-Day approaches and we wish that turkeys could fly free, if their habitats are still inhabitable.
Sunday, November 13, 2011 Smart Security or Dumb Dollar$?
High points of "Smart Security: Reducing Military Spending to Fund Urgent Needs at Home," 32nd annual conference of the Coalition of Peace Action, Princeton, New Jersey.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011 Mayor Disses DC; Or, Bloomberg on Gloom-Day or Doomsday?
Mayor Michael Bloomberg visits the Center for American Progress in Washington, DC, to diss the District, by which he means Obama and Congress.
Sunday, October 30, 2011 Quick Message From OccupyDC:
Words to the progressive world from OccupyDC, McPherson Square, Washington, DC:
Friday, October 28, 2011 Ohio Heroes On Path To Deposing Rove (8 comments)
Latest developments in the King-Lincoln-Bronzeville Neighborhood Association v. Blackwell lawsuit initiated in 2004 in Columbus, Ohio, by attorneys Bob Fitrakis, Cliff Arnebeck, and others.
Friday, October 14, 2011 Coffee, Tea, or Us: How Leaders and "Followers" Feel (2 comments)
Some surprising and expectable stats on various aspects of the nearly month-long occupations, principally, or course, Occupy Wall Street.
Thursday, October 6, 2011 The Rally: Taking Back the Dream: A Photographic Essay (2 comments)
Pictures speak thousands of words, especially about the Capitol Hill rally yesterday: Take Back the American Dream!! You go, occupiers!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 Take Back the American Dream: Day 3
a description of the final day of the Take Back the American Dream conference, along with the rally.
Monday, October 3, 2011 Take Back the American Dream, Washington, DC
Description of some of the events of the first day of the Washington, DC, conference "Take Back the American Dream."
Sunday, October 2, 2011 Westward Ho! For the Arab Spring
A visceral reaction to the burgeoning revolution. Our own country has become a land promised to us by Obama. Let him assume a MLK mentality and lead us back here.
Monday, August 8, 2011 The African American Vote in 2012 and Beyond
A panel discussion August 8, 2011, on the Future of the African American Vote, in 2012 and Beyond. Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) was the keynote speaker.
Saturday, August 6, 2011 A Survivor of the Hiroshima Bombing
An encounter with a survivor of the Hiroshima attack and with others at a most moving memorial to the Hiroshima/Nagasaki bombings.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 The Biggest Red Herring Yet (1 comments)
Raving rant against an America they won't let be America, pushing for neofeudalism. What of the tired and poor?
Monday, July 18, 2011 The Arab Spring--Where to Now? Ask Robin Wright (1 comments)
Report on a most enlightening presentation by foreign policy analyst Robin Wright on the future of the Arab Spring now that its beginnings are rocking the establishment, one part of it 6,000 years old.
Tuesday, July 12, 2011 The Disunited States: Was Abe Lincoln Wrong? (2 comments)
A satyrical projection as to what is needed to fix our country at this "crux desperationis" of radical disunity.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011 Four Attended Funeral of Lifelong Humanitarian
A young student of linguistics grows up to use the knowledge to coin a word used and printed every day throughout the world.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011 A Republican Surprise!
There really are some good Republicans, even aside from Abe Lincoln, a member of the GOP back in the days when Republicans were far different from those we know so well these days.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 The Gore Score (1 comments)
Before even reading Gore's entire blockbuster just published online in "Rolling Stone," the wheels turned so quickly I had to put it aside, but just to write this.
Friday, June 17, 2011 If a House Fell on the House (the HR) . . . ?
Doomsday thought about those Republicans in the HR who deny that our choice of energy sources may destroy our world.
Friday, May 20, 2011 Brzezinski and Woodward Speak at Inaugural Al Jazeera U.S. Forum
The Inaugural Al Jazeera conference held at Washington, DC's Newseum on May 18, 2011, was a magnificent education from beginning to end. Here I offer summarized interviews of the two hottest celebrities, aware of my elitism, at the same time not having enough time to report more.
Monday, May 2, 2011 Ding Dong, the Warlock Is Dead . . .
Some thoughts in the wake of the object of the Afghanistan invasion from which Bush & co. quickly distracted us.
Sunday, April 24, 2011 Against Islamophobia: The One-Man Jihad (3 comments)
About a man in a dark suit who vigils weekends in front of the White House in his effort to combat Islamophobia.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 Sharleen Leahey: Back to the Future?
Having enjoyed a performance by Sharleen Leahy and spoken with her afterward, I decided to share this voyage back in time that highlights parallels with the past and provides directions toward a better future.
Monday, March 28, 2011 The Odd Couple: Torture and the Truth
On the paradoxical symbiosis between torture and the truth at the dawn of the twenty-first century.
Sunday, March 20, 2011 TEN YEARS LATER IN THE MIDDLE EAST--THE BOMB PLAYS ON
When will we ever learn? Still in Iraq wanting to stay, still in Afghnistan, more furtively in Pakistan, our bomb plays on. Has the strikeback shifted to peaceful time bombs in Japan?
Sunday, February 20, 2011 President's Day or Presidents' Day? (1 comments)
The United States as an entity becomes introspective: a very serious spoof.
Monday, February 14, 2011 . . . on Valentine's Day (2011 and forever)
Thoughts on the meaning of St. Valentine's Day and how distorted it is into materialistic hearts and flowers, not the type we really need, nor even the corny song, but let's ascend from there and see what happens.
Sunday, February 6, 2011 Howard Zinn's "Ballade for Americans"
Impressions of a masterful volume, Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States."
Saturday, January 15, 2011 MLK's Birthday: Shot Full of Holes (4 comments)
It's MLK's birthday, but what progress have we really made? Is it only tokenism writ large?
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 Meteorology, Ecology, and the Future of Our World (1 comments)
Did global warming cause the epidemic of die-outs among birds and fish as much as it is blamed for the natural disasters that killed so many people and destroyed so many municipalities last year (and continuing into this year)?
Friday, December 31, 2010 The Magic Word for 2011: "More" (2 comments)
Heading into 2011, I clump all of my resolutions into one word, "more," in the positive sense and hope we can take baby steps, if not giant steps in that direction. I'm thinking that all things are possible. Improving "things as they are" should be our top priority. Not just doing more or thinking more, but accomplishing more.
Friday, December 17, 2010 Encore, WickedLeaks, and More! (3 comments)
Thoughts on where WikiLeaks needs to go from here. Government opacity is a curse on freedom, but terrorism is a curse on life as we know it.
Thursday, December 9, 2010 Tax Cut Extension Traded for Unemployment Pittance: Appeasement? X not equal to Y (1 comments)
Yesterday a 5-minute U-Tube version of Obama's Tuesday speech was circulated throughout US cyberspace with a plea for reactions. Here's what I said, wearing a T-shirt from Inauguration Day depicted Obama and McCain in a boxing ring, Obama triumphant, McCain KO'ed.
Saturday, November 13, 2010 "In$ide Job" Inside Out (4 comments)
An attempt at reiterating the salient points in Charles Ferguson's new documentary "Inside Out," which I re-spell with an internal dollar sign, in an attempt at wit and humor in an extremely tragic context.
Monday, November 8, 2010 On Wars of All Time: Peterson and O'Hare's "An Iliad" (1 comments)
Review of the final performance of the hit production "An Iliad," by Lisa Peterson and Richard O'Hare, at Princeton's McCarter Theatre yesterday, November 7.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010 Woody Allen and "Hair": More Strange Bedfellows? (1 comments)
Another post on the benefits and education from comparing unlikely components. This hearkens back to my "Tale of Two Books" and forward to the November elections.
Sunday, October 17, 2010 Will the Upcoming Election Keep This Country Up? (1 comments)
My contribution to the wonderful and burgeoning phonebanks. My call to those at all undecided to give Obama more time to help them out.
Saturday, October 2, 2010 We Have a Dream--"One Nation Working Together" (4 comments)
An emotional, highly illustrated take on today's rally at Lincoln Memorial, "One Nation Working Together."
Monday, September 27, 2010 Who Really Rules the Roost?
Opinion piece on an age-old rant and what we can do to aid and abet the solution (nothing; just hope for a best-case scenario--God).
Wednesday, September 22, 2010 "Listen to the Wind": Greg Mortenson Visits DC with a "Great Conversation" (2 comments)
Review of a visit to DC by educational proselyte Greg Mortenson, whose "Great Conversation," an hour-and-a-half-long discussion and film, thrilled a packed house that lined up around the block to have his new book signed, "Stones into Schools."
Monday, September 6, 2010 A Tale of Two Books (3 comments)
Two books I was reading simultaneously but didn't realize would reward such close comparison until I began to try it as an exercise.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 Review of Damali Ayo's "Obamistan!" Part 2 (1 comments)
Review of Damali Ayo's dynamic and eloquent, utopic "Obamistan!" a bestseller-to-be and must-read.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010 "Plunder: The Crime of Our Time," a New Film by Danny Schechter (1 comments)
Review of Danny Schechter's new documentary "Plunder: The Crime of Our Time," a dissection of the financial meltdown predicted by his previous film "In Debt We Trust," which he released in 2006.
Sunday, July 18, 2010 An Evening with Damali Ayo: The New Erewhon (1 comments)
Damali Ayo came to DC's Busboys and Poets January 12 to do a most riveting book signing, entertaining us with readings that well summed up her message and at the same time obliged us to read the whole and extend her addictive performance--she is also a professional comedian.
Sunday, July 11, 2010 Dr. Akbar Ahmed's Journey into America (2 comments)
Review of an amazing presentation by Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, called "the world's leading authority on contemporary Islam" and Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies at American University. The event was a signing of his latest book, "Journey into America," a tour de force, "the first of its kind . . . rich in ethnography and international relations." The issue is relations between Muslims and us xenophobic "others."
Thursday, July 8, 2010 Congress vs. SCOTUS: Let Democracy Prevail (1 comments)
a plea for massive lobbying to assist those enlightened souls in Congress militating against the SCOTUS decision in January, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. Once again democracy is being threatened from the right, this time at a global level--more overtly anyway.
Sunday, June 20, 2010 Green or Greed: What's Next for This Poor Old World?
Some research, some stats, some projections, and lots of worry about this poor old, oil-saturated world, starving while the feast is gushing out of the ocean depths.
Friday, May 28, 2010 Nakba, Shoah, and May 14-15 (12 comments)
Review of a lecture given by a distinguished professor of history and middle Eastern Studies as well as an articulate and compelling activist, Dr. Mark Ellis.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Dancing off the Streets: Jacques d'Amboise (1 comments)
Review of a dance recital in Trenton, NJ, directed by former New York City Ballet star Jacques d'Ambroise, who tours the country with his people to include inner-city school students in an annual masterpiece that makes us all feel special in many different ways, from imbuing beautiful, sometimes once-in-a-lifetime experiences to remnding the bourgeoisie how much their participation can truly let America be America.
Sunday, April 11, 2010 Mac to the Future? (5 comments)
Speculations upon the implications for the future of an inevitable epidemic of iPhones/Andreoids.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010 Both Sides Now: "Reunion" with Judy Collins
A few weeks ago, at Princeton's McCarter Theater, where I had first heard Joan Baez and sensed the changing world she was heralding, I encountered the flip side of the coin, the twenty-first century's response, today's Judy Collins.
Monday, March 1, 2010 Whose Fault? OUR Fault!! (2 comments)
I looked into the mirror the other day, this feather-preening ex-Flower Child (virtually drug-free), and realized that it was when we stopped, when they killed off so many of our leaders, the Repugs kicked in and it's been downhill since then, but let's remember not to let them make us give up again. How?
