Elections

From http://newprogs.org

And now we're over a decade of oh so many lessons not learned and in not one but two theaters of with a third front being bombed and invaded right next door to one of the two and joined with NATO in bombing another that the previous administration had brought the leader of back into the fold after years of calling him a terrorists supporter and supporting terrorists criminal acts!

As we were coming out of Vietnam, especially in the end of, the Country with almost one voice said they'd "never forget the lessons of!" that lasted oh probably five minutes or, even without cable then, a couple of news cycles as we've seen during this whole past decade. The War Hawk Neo-Cons thought they had the lessons, not the real lessons of wars of choice, needed to occupy and control an invaded country, well a decade plus later DeJa-Vu all over again.

Americans are feeling the chill of economic malaise, and the policy response should be to divert part of the defense budget and to tax U.S. corporations' offshore profits to develop an alternative energy infrastructure, columnist Cate Long writes.

Jobs, offshore profits and infrastructure

Jun 8, 2011 - Our nation is in a serious economic crisis. Both political parties dance around each other with varying demands for cuts in entitlement programs, tax increases and a rise in the debt ceiling. It’s a doomsday prospect and the American people are feeling the chill of economic malaise.

Humala Wins Peru's Presidential Runoff - by Stephen Lendman

On April 10, Ollanta Humala received most support among five presidential candidates, but not a majority. Eliminated were former neoliberal President Alejandro Toledo, his former economic minister and Lima mayor Luis Castaneda Lossio, and former Prime Minister Pedro Pablo Kuczynski.

Discredited and now imprisoned former President Alberto Fujimori's daughter Keiko proceeded to a runoff with him.

On June 6, New York Times writer Simon Romero headlined, "Ex-Officer Set to Win Narrow Victory in Peru," saying:

Incomplete returns show him heading for victory, rebuking Peru's "economic model that has driven (its) robust growth, (but left) millions of (its) citizens....mired in poverty...."

Notice how the congressional tepublicans, and especially their cult like followers, never mention the Wars after rubber stamping everything but Veterans Care and even Military Care related to while talking about the growing budget problems they created when they controlled it all. Even now gaining back the House and a few more in the Senate, to continue obstruction, they have sought to cut area's of the Veterans Admin budget!

June 3, 2011 - Even as the wars wind down in Iraq and Afghanistan the financial cost of taking care of veterans continues to mount and could reach a trillion dollars in coming decades

 

Not All Citizens' Votes Created Equal, and Study Says It Shows in Funding

ScienceDaily (May 28, 2011) — "One person, one vote" is often the rallying cry for democratic reform, suggesting everyone should get an equal say in their government.

Yet in some of the oldest and largest democracies, some votes are worth far more than others by design. A Wyoming voter, for instance, is significantly over-represented compared with a California voter. Each state has two U.S. senators, but California has 66 times more people.

How much does it matter? According to a recent study of decades of data, from the U.S. and eight other countries, it matters a lot when it comes to money.

By Dave Lindorff

In his latest speeches on the Middle East, President Obama, both at the State Department and at the G8 meeting in France, has pledged billions of dollars in economic aid to Middle Eastern countries, drawing a direct connection between the unrest and demonstrations that brought down the dictators in Tunisia and Egypt, and the joblessness and hopelessness felt by the young people in those two countries.

His adviser on international economics, David Lipton, has been more specific, saying that, “We believe that these two pillars go hand in hand. Without economic modernization, it will be hard for governments trying to democratize to show people that democracy delivers.”

Unemployment in Egypt among young men and women is about 30%. In Tunisia, it is over 40%. The White House claims that with figures like that, the future for democracy in those countries is tenuous.

FROM CALIFORNIA:

North Bay congressional candidate Norman Solomon said Monday (May 23) that his position for closure of California’s two nuclear power plants means that voters will have “a clear alternative to nuclear business as usual.”

Solomon, a longtime opponent of nuclear power, has called for closure of the state’s Diablo Canyon and San Onofre nuclear power plants.

In contrast, Solomon’s only declared opponent for Congress, Assemblyman Jared Huffman, has been equivocal about California’s nuclear power plants, saying he’d support closing them “if studies reveal that there is a risk that would warrant immediate closure” (Marin IJ, 5/8/11).

In a full-page ad that appears in the current Pacific Sun weekly newspaper, the Solomon campaign asks: “Do we really need more ‘studies’ from nuclear-friendly agencies in Washington to tell us whether nuclear power is an acceptable ‘risk’ -- particularly in earthquake country?”

Former Marine Corps Veteran Ron Kovic of Redondo Beach sends out a series of phone calls urging voters to cast their ballots for Marcy Winograd on Tues., May 17th. Kovic, author of "Born on the 4th of July," an autobiography made into a movie with Tom Cruise, applauds Marcy for her commitment to bringing our troops home and transforming the weapons-industry, anchored in the South Bay, into a green energy capitol.

Please share this message from Ron Kovic with your friends in the 36th CD (Venice to the harbor). http://winogradforcongress.com/2011/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Kovic.mp3

"I am deeply honored to have Ron's endorsement," said Winograd, who met Kovic on the 4th of July three decades ago, when fireworks lit up the night on Venice Beach. "I knew he was a soul brother back then," added Winograd, "because we shared a commitment to peace and a history in the anti-war movement. Never bitter, always hopeful, Ron's visionary outlook continues to inspire me and countless others."

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Please phone someone in Los Angeles now and tell them to vote and volunteer for Marcy Winograd tomorrow.

Here's why:

Here's the footage discussed above:

Two-thirds of America wants the war on Afghanistan ended. Veterans for Peace asked the candidates in this Tuesday's special election to sign a commitment not to fund more war. Marcy Winograd agreed to sign. Janice Hahn and Debra Bowen made up lame excuses for not signing. Watch the videos above.

Here's who lives in the 36th district:
http://winogradforcongress.com/2011/map

Here's Marcy's site:
http://winogradforcongress.com/2011

PS to LA Peace Activists who are not backing Marcy: please, no whining about your warmonger representative if Marcy loses, and no claiming they don't represent you.

By Ken Ferguson

The stunning victory in last week’s elections by the pro-independence
Scottish National Party was a result which was supposed to be
impossible.

Scotland, after all, ceased to be an independent country in 1707, when it was
forcibly joined with England to form Great Britain.

The union took place against a background of popular riots put down by
troops and has been controversial, to a greater or lesser degree, ever
since.

In 1999, following years of agitation and its endorsement in a
Scotland-wide referendum, the Scottish Parliament reconvened with
powers over a wide range of domestic matters such a health, education,
planning, etc.

The new parliament was designed with an electoral system designed so that it
would supposed be impossible for any one party to win a majority -- the explicit intention being to prevent the SNP from using it a stepping stone
to independence.

By Dave Lindorff

A new Gallup Poll conducted for USA Today earlier this week reports that a majority of Americans (52%) say that they would prefer a third party instead of the two parties, Republican and Democrat, that have dominated American politics for nearly centuries.

The poll shows that one third of Democrats say there’s a need for a new political party, while 52% of Republicans say the same thing. Meanwhile, 68% of independents say they have no use for either Democrats or Republicans and would prefer another option (no surprise there--that’s why they are not registered with either of the two major parties).

TRANSCRIPT:

DAVID SWANSON: Okay, we’re recording, this is David Swanson, I’m speaking with Harvey Wasserman, long time wonderful activist, author, author among other of wonderful books of "Solartopia," and Harvey, you were emailing me yesterday a little bit about success stories. Do you want to elaborate?

Democracy, Haitian Style - by Stephen Lendman

Except for Aristide's tenure, what passes for Haitian democracy would make a despot blush, thanks to America's imperial grip on the hemisphere's poorest, long-suffering people.

As a result, last November's presidential and legislative elections might best be called a cruel joke. The entire process was rigged to exclude 15 parties, including by far the most popular, Aristide's Fanmi Lavalas.

Moreover, the election was so tainted by brazen disenfranchisement and fraud, including ballot box stuffing and other irregularities, that legitimate independent observers would have demanded throwing out the results and starting over.

Most Haitians, however, weren't fooled. A scant 22%, in fact, voted, a hemispheric low since record keeping began over 60 years ago.

Orangutans are endangered by loss of their forest habitat. (Photo © naturepl.com / Anup Shah courtesy WWF)

April 29, 2011 (ENS) - Environmental leaders and politicians from around the world today called for an urgent move towards a global green economy in order to achieve sustainable development and wildlife conservation over the next 50 years.

Low-carbon technology, green infrastructures, investment in renewable energy and sustainable agriculture are essential in combating climate change, poverty and water shortages, said participants in the summit convened by WWF to mark the global conservation organization's 50th anniversary.

By Sam Husseini

A group of demonstrators recently got into an Obama fundraiser to protest the imprisonment of Bradley Manning, the alleged source of the WikiLeaks cables.

They sang a song to Obama. Part of it went: "We'll vote for you in 2012, yes that's true / Look at the Republicans -- what else can we do?"

Manning is not the only one who is in prison.

These protesters have confined themselves. Or rather, they have allowed the political establishment to imprison them. They are attempting to pressure Obama, while saying outright -- as they are giving him money -- that they don't think they have any other choice but to back him.

Not exactly negotiating from a position of strength.

And some have mocked them. But, really, what is their choice? How can they emancipate themselves?

Does one need to serve, no, but that one had better choose his or her words very carefully, especially those 'his', when spinning what they think is wrong with a Country they avoided like a plague to do that service in their younger years!! Oh ya and Especially if one likes to brag about their vast wealth, some probably left to them other gained by investing in defense industry corporations, and Doesn't Demand they 'Sacrifice' for the Veterans, and Families of, sent into the wars of choice which reap those huge defense profits!!

Deferments Helped Trump Dodge Vietnam

How the presidential aspirant avoided fighting for his country

UPDATE: Shorter video:

EDITOR'S NOTE: The stunning part of the following video is how Hahn and Bowen weasel out of signing a commitment to vote against more war funding for wars opposed by 2/3 of Americans. Hahn's argument is that when Congress cut off funding for Vietnam, the Pentagon found a way around that. So, not only will she not commit to voting No on more war funding, but there will be no point in her voting No when the time comes. The Pentagon funds itself, with no role for Congress to play. And yet she wants to be elected to Congress. Bowen, on the other hand, says she's 99.9% sure she wants to vote No on war money, but she "doesn't know what she doesn't know" -- although I guess we know she's been studying a little too much Donald Rumsfeld. Um, Debra, the Afghanistan War is the longest one we've had. How long does it take you to form an opinion? What a remarkable pair of weasels! --David Swanson

Winograd only major Democratic Party candidate to sign veteran peace pledge before packed Venice, CA forum
Winograd calls Hahn's alleged 'peace' plan a 'war' plan

VENICE, Ca. – Congressional candidate Marcy Winograd (CA-36) – at a packed CD-36 candidates' forum in Venice Monday night – emerged as the only leading Democratic Party candidate to pledge to vote against future Iraq and Afghanistan war funding. She received a rousing applause from the hundreds attending the forum.

Both Janice Hahn and Debra Bowen, two other Democratic Party candidates, refused to sign a pledge that would defund the wars.

Watch this video of Winograd signing and Hahn and Bowen refusing to sign to end war funding.

Prior to the forum, which featured 15 of the 16 candidates on the May 17 ballot, Winograd signed her name to the Veterans For Peace-LA declaration, which read:

“We, the under signed congressional candidates (CA 36), sign this declaration vowing to vote

against Iraq and Afghanistan supplemental war funding, except for funding to bring our troops home safely ... To fund the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and occupations is to continue to endanger our troops."

“That’s not peace. That’s war," said Winograd of Hahn's mailer, “Green Jobs and Peace,” which outlined a plan for keeping over 100,000 troops in Iraq until 2015.”

Winograd’s "Jobs, With Peace" platform calls for substantial reductions in the military budget to reinvest in education, health care, and infrastructure repair.

“Hahn’s plan is a war on working Americans because it robs them of their taxes better spent on our health clinics, schools, and ports," said Winograd.

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Please sign the petition calling for a 100% hand tally.

The recount of the Supreme Court election in Wisconsin is scheduled to start today, Wednesday, 27 April 2011. In part of the state the ballots will be hand counted and in the rest of the state the ballots will be machine counted. If the machines malfunction or have been tampered with, there will be major problems with declaring an official winner. The court order mandating partial hand tallying in the Supreme Court race recount must be changed to require 100% hand tallying across the state.

Although we will have a good comparison in the parts of those 31 counties that are ordered to conduct hand counts to the machine counts in those same counties on April 5th. If the results are not the same, the voting machines will be suspect. In the remaining 41 counties ordered to do machine counts, those official counts will be suspect if there are major differences between hand and machine counts in the 31 counties. Thus the entire recount process will be thrown into confusion.

The election will still not be decided. And the up to 16 state senate recall elections coming up will also be thrown into confusion: candidates will all have to decide whether to ask the courts to order hand tallying in all of those races. Thus we, as a state, must modify the court order mandating partial hand tallying in the Supreme Court race recount to require 100% hand tallying across the state.

Please sign the petition calling for a 100% hand tally and ask you friends to sign also.

Thank you!
Buzz Davis
Citizen

Waukegan community organizer vows to take on Rep. Dold in N. Illinois District, securing over 500 supporters and $100,000 in pledged contributions

WAUKEGAN, IL (April 27, 2011)— Just weeks after forming his exploratory committee, Waukegan-based community organizer Ilya Sheyman launched his campaign for U.S. Congress in the Illinois 10th Congressional District on Wednesday, saying his leadership would represent a “break from the past” in an area that has seen three decades of Republican representation.

Sheyman, a first generation Jewish immigrant raised in Buffalo Grove, vowed to defeat Rep. Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) by focusing on the freshman Congressman’s Tea Party agenda.

Actor Ed Asner's voice reached 10,000 absentee voter households today, urging absentees to cast their ballots for Marcy Winograd in the May 17th special election to fill Jane Harman's newly vacated seat.

Click on the link to hear Asner talk about how the robber barons looted Social Security to pay for the wars -- and how now they don't want to pay us back. To make real live calls to absentee voters, contact Bill@winogradforcongress to virtually phone bank for Marcy Winograd -- the candidate who mobilized 41% of the vote against Jane Harman last June.

Advertising Age's Marketer of the Year in 2008 was the Obama Campaign. In 2010, with more elections underway, Ford Motor Co. got the prize. (In 2009 it was Hyundai.) By September 2010, Advertising Age was writing about how Obama had screwed up his message. In 2012, I expect Southwest Airlines or Chick-Fil-A may step up their game. Obama is a long shot even for this coveted Prince of Propaganda Prize.

This week on War news Radio First, we learn about the Raymond Davis case and the implications of Islamic and secular law.

Then, we hear about Shepherds of Helmand, a recently released documentary about the war in Afghanistan.

These stories, plus this week's news.

 

In this I will just add a few reports I've come across this morning while waking up, might add some more as they trickle in.

Dishonored Americans: That's All of Us When A Vet Is Left Homeless

April 20, 2011 - L. Tammy Duckworth came to Hartford on Monday and told a sad story.

Duckworth was a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in 2004 when she lost both legs and the partial use of one arm in combat. Now, she's assistant secretary of veterans affairs in D.C., and recently, she was in Vermont talking to a man who was staying with his family at a homeless shelter.

That's sad enough, but the man was excited. A member of the Vermont National Guard, he was getting ready to deploy, and his family had received permission to stay in the shelter for the duration of his tour overseas.

Imagine. Excitement that your family could stay in a homeless shelter.

Please sign this petition.

Target: To WI citizens & all citizens in USA concerned with justice
Sponsored by: Buzz Davis, Stoughton, WI - Progressive activist & advocate for candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg
WI Supreme Court candidate JoAnne Kloppenburg has until close of business on Wednesday, April 20, 2011, to request a statewide, full recount of all ballots cast in the April 5th Supreme Court election.

The race was close. With a total of approximately 1.5 million votes cast, Mr. Prosser, the conservative, pro-business incumbent, is in the lead by less than half of one percent of the vote (0.5%).

The suspicious handling of votes in conservative Waukesha county is one matter of concern to all who fight for fair elections. But the other issue is this: people do make mistakes in filling out their ballots. When a race is this close the only way to determine who absolutely won is to review all ballots cast with human eyes and resolve any disputes over ballots that are questionable.

Norman Solomon -- the North Bay political activist who has been a leader of the region’s Green New Deal commission and the national Healthcare Not Warfare campaign -- announced on Wednesday (April 13) that he has filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for Congress. He said that his name will be on the June 2012 ballot if Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey decides not to seek re-election.

“After so many years of progressive leadership from Lynn Woolsey, her successor in the House should have a proven commitment to a wide range of progressive values,” Solomon said. “Whether the issue is war in Afghanistan, massive giveaways to Wall Street, chronic deference to corporate power or Washington’s failure to take drastic action against climate change, the North Bay should be represented in Congress by someone with extensive knowledge and a track record of strong public advocacy on key local, national and international issues.”

In an electoral system corrupted by money, media, and parties, the U.S. people are offered a choice every four years between two hideously awful candidates for an office that increasingly resembles an imperial throne. And increasingly the primary motivation of voters is to oppose the candidate they believe is the greater evil.