Before I headed to our “Gather-In of Hearts” in Central Park West this afternoon, I was watching NBC’s Meet the Press. Except for a brief excerpt about the Alberto Gonzales hearing this week, the entire show was about Obama vs. Hillary. Should Obama hit harder? Should Hillary ignore him since she’s the frontrunner? How will this affect the primaries? Will it affect the primaries? Fox and CNN are trying to distract us from real news that affects us all by ‘round the clock reporting on Lindsay Lohan and NBC uses the shiny keys of Obama and Clinton, two people whose campaigns together have each raised enough money to pay for about five hours of the illegal and insane occupation of Iraq.
I was wondering when Tim Russert would get around to talking about the refugee crisis that BushCo and Congress Inc. have created in the Middle East which is rapidly destabilizing the entire region, not just Iraq. Or how about we talk about the impending invasion of Iran that Dick Nuke’em the VP of War is jonesing for? And wouldn’t it be nice if we heard some cons for an invasion of Iran instead of the neocon pro-war all the time crap? There is so much heartache and violence in the world. There are too many of our brothers and sisters going without the bare necessities and NBC wants us to care about two people who are co-opted into the power elite and are feuding over foreign policy when they are both Senators who have power right now and could affect the process positively if they weren’t busy campaigning for elections that are months away.
I was wondering when the real discussion was going to occur until I saw those five words: “Brought to you by Boeing:” the number one aerospace/defense contractor in the world according to Fortune 500. The next show after Meet the Press is The McLaughlin Group which is brought to a gullible American viewer ship by The Oil and Natural Gas Council.
I was at a Rage Against the Machine concert last night watching the thousands of young people in the audience from stage right. The crowd was as filled with life as the band and I was amazed at all the energy. I wondered if the crowd knew how socially and politically radical the words are to Rage’s music and are not just as mesmerized by the pounding music and Tom Morello’s amazing guitar playing as I am? I was wondering how the peace and justice movement could harness that energy in a positive direction to really shutting down the machine that is brought to us by Boeing and The Oil and Natural Gas Council among thousands of other companies that profit off of war and our politicians who let the machine tell them how to govern to keep that same machine well oiled while stealing financial and human resources right out from under the noses of families and communities.
Before Casey was killed, I did not rage against the machine that has been grinding up our soldiers and murderously oppressing other populations for generations. As a matter of fact, I practically threw my own son under the wheels of the machine. Despite my vague misgivings about the machine and my desperate worry about Casey going to Iraq, I watched him leave through tear soaked eyes and a worry-laden heart.
Rage, rage, rage against that machine! Don’t let it eat up you or your children because it uses our flesh and blood to engender enormous profits and while sending our children off to war to use up their airplanes, bombs, guns, bullets, uniforms, helmets and boots, the machine is sending its children off to expensive private schools to raise more machine heads.
It is impossible to bring back the lives that have been stolen by the machine, but it is never to late to save the future. I am hoping that my candidacy against Nancy Pelosi in California’s 8th will be able to put a little sugar in the tank of the machine.
The machine is powerful and heartless but if we all stand up to it, we can finally dismantle it this time.
Thanks for your overwhelming support of our Journey for Humanity and Accountability! We have been welcomed everywhere and feel the energy for impeachment building and the energy for a people’s campaign for humanity and accountability growing.
The next stop for our group will be to Jordan and Syria to visit Iraqi refugee camps and to take money and supplies to the refugees. To help go to www.thecampcaseypeaceinstitute.org to donate and please put “For Iraqi Refugees” in the subject line.
I will be formally announcing my Independent candidacy for Congress in San Francisco on August 6th, which besides being the day the machine dropped a nuclear bomb on Hiroshima, is the two year anniversary of the day we went to Crawford, Texas and established Camp Casey.
Good Luck and you will win! I just know you will be the next to hold the seat in the 8th! We are pulling for ya!
I told the “blew dog” in my own district(24th of New York) that if the useless dems budget one penny to the war in the FY2008 budget, I’m running for the 24th district seat. I am looking forward to taking on the two empty suits the dems and repubs will be running!
The scientifically impossible I do right away
The spiritually miraculous takes a bit longer
That’s the only way the media can cover campaigns — especially ones like this one that started at least a year too early, and which features candidates who don’t hardly disagree and who are good at masking the specifics of their positions in tricky language. If there wasn’t a “fight” between them, there would be no news. They would make policy statement sound bytes and the “audience” (can’t really call them an “electorate”) will get more bored than they already are.
There will be, as always, a focus on trivialities of appearance — Hillary’s cleavage, Edwards’ hair, etc. — and this will be treated as important news. Pundits will make serious pronouncements on what it means, what effect it may or may not have on the upcoming election. Serious issues like war and health care will neither be passionately discussed nor debated.
Even though there are occasional movies about candidates who “shake things up” by speaking “unvarnished truth” (Warren Beatty in “Bulworth” comes to mind), it never happens that way. Ross Perot, screwy little crackpot that he was, tried it and, despite his wealth, got frozen out of the real debate (probably a good thing but who knows).
Fake fights gives opposing pundits materials for saying their sayings, people who like the candidates will be outraged, people who hate the candidates will say that it serves them right and that way worse stuff should ought to be said. And the Establishment will win the election.
But I am tremendously thankful that Cindy is out there trying to dismantle the system by harnessing the energy of people excited by rock music. I hope she finds a way. If some of the rock stars were to devote themselves full time to using their popularity and charisma to turning things around — yeah, I know; Bono is out there doing what he can — maybe the “youth vote” that was supposed to make a difference the last two times could actually be mobilized.
I’m the Paranoid Pessimist so I don’t hold out much hope, but as long as Cindy is out there trying her best, all is not yet lost.
Cindy, you Rock!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have now found a campaign as worthy as the Nader/LaDuke of 2000.
I can’t wait to contribute to your effort to remove Nancy Pelosi from her duties—she isn’t using them anyway.
“Activists” should have their facts straight and not just go around sounding good and reciting information others compile.
Kinda like you, Doodle-boy?
Yankee Doodles July 30th, 2007 12:29 am wrote:
“Cindy Sheehan = Right-wing GOP hack mole.”
It seems much more likely that the blogger Yankee Doodles is the Republican plant. (It is of course inevitable that Right-wing GOP hack moles will try to confuse spaces such as the Common Dreams comment page.) The Democratic Party NEEDS to feel HEAT from the left. GO CINDY!
Of course, Pelosi always has the option of actually upholding her oath of office to protect and defend the Constitution from all enemies foreign and DOMESTIC.
I think it is unfortunate that Ms. Sheehan seeks to unseat Nancy Pelosi. The Dems have disappointed me, too, but I sure don’t want to go back to having a Republican controlled House of Representatives.
Cindy has a snow ball’s chance in hell of unseating Pelosi. . . but I bet she could find an elective contest that she could win. I think she has chosen to run against Pelosi to do what she is really good at: getting attention.
I was going to wait a while until jumping back into the fray because I just came out of surgery. I am a little groggy, so please forgive me.
Yankee Doodles,
You are full of shit! What have you done to protest the damage the Bush Administration has wrought on the world? Forget Cindy Sheehan and the Democrats for a minute. What have YOU done to protest your own ilk - the Republicans?? Enumerate what you have done to combat the Republicans?? Once you have done that, then you can talk. Until that, shut up!
I sincerely hope that this Iraq war is so utterly disgusting that more people really learn to HATE WAR. I grew up in the fifties when war was set forth as a noble and honorable thing to do. John Wayne,red white and blue. We grew up with toy guns, playing army and even had military shows to watch. I remember when iwas a kid I played army a lot until I was around 14. I finally grew out of it. But I remember my dad telling me WAR IS HELL. I didn’t understand at that time what he meant. He had been a medic in the second world war. I still believe there is an honor and a right to protect our homeland. But its called protect not attack!!! But to do what the United States has done is beyond all comprehension. I keep coming back to remembering how Bush must have been raised and what his own mother said about not watching the news and all the bodies coming back from Iraq something about why should she fill her beautiful mind with negative pictures even though her husband was complicit in the negative images. There is a sad and terrifying disconect between what this president is doing and Bush’s responsibility for the carnage. How the man can sleep at night is beyond me!!!! And yet he must have learned how to not care from his parents. It’s the only explanation I can fathom. WAR IS HELL AND SO IS HAVING A PRESIDENT WHO HAS AN ARMY AND CAN UNLEASH HELL AND HAVE NO COMPASSION WHATSOEVER!!!God help us!! God help us all!!
I thought for sure this comment thread would be in part about whether not US audiences “get” Rage Against the Machine’s lyrics, but instead I found another Republican in Democrat’s clothing dissing Ms. Sheehan with invective. Well, I, at least, will comment on the admittedly trivial topic of whether or not Rage Against the Machine’s audiences get or ever got their lyrics. My thoughts on that? They don’t, and they didn’t even when Rage was at the height of their popularity. Americans who even thought about the words probably thought all the Che and Marxist references were just to promote a “dangerous” image, nothing sincere. On the substance of Sheehan’s post, though, I support all the issues she’s devoting herself, too, and will continue to donate to her. She is the most clearly knowledgeable potential candidate out there. And the most compassionate.
Yeah I agree with Cladius. Yankee Doodle! Your a real dandy. Not!
Yankee Doodles,
Actually, I think you will find that I have a much higher grasp of politics than 8th grade. I posed some simple questions to you and you still have not answered them. I did the same thing to another con on the MSM who could not answer my questions yet resorted to ad hominems because he did not have an answer. Luckily over my years I have learned a simple lesson in dealing with overactive libidinous blowhards like you: ignore you.
I don’t remember which poster used the term, but whenever I see America referred to as “the homeland”, my gut seizes up. It would be much better for my health if that term were extinguished. Thanks…
And Doodles: Claudius is right in both of his posts. I’ve seen you on other threads and I’ve learned to just skip over your comments and not waste my time. Too bad we don’t have one of those “Ignore this person” gadgets here at CD.
Yankee Doodles:
I can only see two explanations for your statements:
1) YOU are the Karl Rove spy in here. Either for money, or just because you think that you are doing the right thing by calling any critic of GWB a “karl rove spin”.
2) You are a reckless supporter of the “democratic” party. As reckless as Karl Rove is fighting for the republican party.
In both cases, one thing is clear: you give a damn shit about basic american values like _democracy_ and justice. You belong to the set of sheeple that are the true reason for the state of the nation.
Yeah, too bad that there is no “ignore” button in here.
Television shows are not just controlled by their advertisers, but by their corporate owners. NBC is owned by GE, which is a major player in the war industry, for example. There is no hope for the media from a populist perspective.
I wish that I could cast my vote for Cindy Sheehan in 2008 and aid her to remove Pelosi from office and drive her into the pages of history as the woman who sold out the Democratic Party and the nation at the time of deepest crisis. Putting her view toward a future career before her nation, Ms. Pelosi needs to go home in 2008, unless she brings the articles and brings them SOON.
www.unknown-arts.org
Cindy may the force be with you, I can always feel the good side of the force when reading your articles. In fact, they are the only ones I read from beginning to end, the others I just scan.
You will defeat Morticia Pelosi in 08, that horrible witch who’s pissing on our Constitution right now. May your courage also inspire others. And at the end, may Darth Cheney and his apprentice Anakin Scumwalker Bush be defeated by humanity.
I agree with everything that Yankee Doodles said. Cindy Sheehan’s candidacy against Nancy Pelosi makes no sense. She also wrote a column that was full of inaccuracies a week ago, and here are my comments about that.
This column by Cindy Sheehan appeared in July 22nd edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, and perhaps it was on this site too. Now, take a look at this! Cindy says that the Democrats started EVERY war that the U.S. fought, and including WORLD WAR II. So according to her, the U.S. should not have fought that war or in other words, should not have fought Hitler. Afterall, if one says that the U.S. under the Democrats started every war, that has to include WWII, and if that’s so then according to that logic, we should not have fought Hitler. Now everyone who knows me knows that I don’t believe in the Iraq War, nor did I believe in the Vietnam War. Nancy Pelosi opposes the Iraq War and is working on getting legislation passed to get our troops out. Many Democrats including Pelosi opposed the Vietnam War. Cindy also attacks the Democrats for slavery and the internment camps, but these are not issues that she can successfully pin on Nancy Pelosi. Note this quote from Cindy Sheehan’s column: “I was a lifelong Democrat only because the choices were limited. The Democrats are the party of slavery and were the party that started every war in the 20th century, except the other Bush debacle. The Federal Reserve, permanent federal income taxes, not one but two World Wars, Japanese concentration camps, and not one but two atom bombs dropped on the innocent citizens of Japan — all brought to us via the Democrats.” In her column, Cindy also says “Good change has happened during Democratic regimes, but as in the civil rights and union movements, the positive changes occurred because of the people, not the politicians.” I agree that positive changes come because of mass movements by the people, but suppose we had someone like W. Bush as or Reagan as President during those times? Would we have had those changes? I think not! Cindy says “Some people have offered to quit their jobs to move to California’s Eighth Congressional District to help my possible campaign.” If that’s so, I’d say that it’s nice that Cindy has some rich friends who can up and quit their jobs like that, because most people can’t. Anyway, when next year rolls around perhaps SOME people will come to help her, but too many people are pleased that we have a Democratic House and Pelosi as the Speaker instead of the Republicans. More people will be working to elect a Democratic President and more Democrats to Congress, so Cindy Sheehan with her misplaced priorities is dreaming! I’m sure that her remarks that the U.S. started WWII, meaning that we should not have fought Hitler, will be very helpful to her in her campaign. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi will help Cindy Sheehan advertise that position of her’s. Here is a link her column.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/22/ INGC6R23F41.DTL
At a time of revolution, it is always the more radical elements that win. A total overhaul in the American system, that is what’s needed. And ‘Never again !’ should be enforced by a change in the constitution and the electoral system.
Of course there can be risky ‘radical’ elements in any revolution, but I don’t see any of that yet in the upcoming storm in the U.S. I have complete faith in Cindy Sheehan and her integrity. ‘Staying the course’ is a much more dangerous road than putting your faith in the so-called ‘radicals’.
People who call themselves ‘moderates’ are just standing in our way and will be trampled and swept aside in the upcoming revolution.
Yankee Doodles, you are one of those standing in the way.
You may call us insane, but it is just a simple law of nature: a revolution has to be complete and the most radical elements will win. Look around you in the rest of the world: the French revolution, the Communist Revolution, the South African revolution of 1994. Tempering the radical elements is a later worry, for now, just help building up the storm.
Yankee Doodle, I don’t recall seeing any of your comments here until yesterday, where you filled almost every string with an identical religious blog, that had nothing to do with the subject matter. Later you wrote a lengthy sensless blog that was inappropriate for the issue at hand and explained to all, that you did not approve of false Christians. Ho-hum.
Claudius has been here on Common Dreams for quite awhile, and his/her opinions and suggestions are both interesting and valued by most. Perhaps you would be happier someplace else, where your at times snide remarks, uneducated insults and idiotic rantings are appreciated.
I won’t be nasty and rude to you, or write mean or crude remarks about your lack of intellect and or common sense. I just offer the suggestion, that you may be happier somewhere else, blogging with others who appreciate your rather nasty personality.
Stay if you like, that of course is your perogitive, but for the most part, you will be ignored. Your blogs will be scrolled on by by most, who learn of what you actually are, both in your far rightest political beliefs and your inner nature.
I forgot, Yank his doodle asked a question. I will respond and from then on ignore him or her, one who writes, ALL of you idiots etc.
Whatt are the impeachment charges for Bush? Yankee Doodle asks us___ smart asses___ he writes?
Bush and Cheney both have violated the SUPREME laws of the land, our Constitution.
They have monitored our telephone calls and e-mails without having a legal warrant. They both knowingly lied to congress about intelligence matters relating to Iraq, in order to have congress approve funding a war with Iraq. They have approved using weapons of mass destruction, (depleted uranium ammunition), which violates four rules of the Geneva Conventions. They have given approval for torture of prisoners. There are more, but one is enough.
One crime is enough to impeach and congress by law, SHALL impeach__ and Congressman Conyers is guilty of breaking that law, by refusing to place the HR-300 bill on the floor for a house vote.
It is no longer Nancy Pelosi who is stopping the imprachment process, it is Conyers alone who is. He should be charged and arrested for that Constitutional crime, and I do not understand, why any of our congress persons have had Conyers charged and arrested.
To my supporters on this thread:
Thank you. It is unfortunate when from time to time, we get visitors who feel it is necessary to prove their political views by resorting to ad hominem attacks simply because they find contributors’ views disagreeable. In my estimation, ad hominems are unnecessary, when a civilized, intellectual discourse clearly will suffice. Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neil furiously debated daily, but O’Neil said at the end of the day “we were still friends” and frequently dined together. We are passionate about our political views, but must not lose sight of the fact that this is a forum for discussion, not a place for ad hominem potshots. I agree with Kem Patrick. If you need to take your anger and frustration out on people, go somewhere else. Another point to add is that in the past, there have been contributors critical of others because they did not demonstrate erudite knowledge and were unable to express themselves at the doctoral level. If we want to turn CD into an ivory tower for academics, then we will lose many contributors. It is an open forum FOR ALL, but please, let’s keep it professional, amicable, and inspirational.
Best regards,
Claudius
FRUITY AND PEACHY.
Where did I write that anyone was not welcome here and where did I mention Cindy Sheehan and or, Sensible Left?
It is apparent that you have a problem with reading comprehension?
If you read ALL of Yankee Doodles’s comments, he/she attacked all of us, including me, BEFORE I responded to his numerous and unnecessay insults.
I do believe I made it perfectly clear, that as far as I’m concerned, it is his perogitive to stay and blog if he/she so desires. It is my perogitive to ignore any he/she writes in the future. Perhaps you should read more carefully, before you make a fool of yourself where all can readily see it. You may ignore me and I you also, it still is a free country.
I erred by not detecting an error. In my blog at 4:48am the final sentence should read, why congress have NOT had Conyers charged and arrested. I left the word NOT out. Sorry.
Boy Caudius, you sure can use some big words.
I reckon you’ll find, Yankee Doodle et al, that there’s nothing more calculated to cut through the ‘…intricacies of the legislative process’ than the needless loss of a son or daughter in this quasi-war of Bush’s and Blair’s. And here’s an interesting part - there’s many people on my side of the pond too, who think the same way as Cindy. Ask people like Rose Gentle, too.
‘Managed Democracy’ is no democracy at all. We’re tired of being treated as mere ‘consumers’ by those in power of whatever party, who can be bribed every four or five years or so and bidden to shut up for the rest of the time - WE’RE CITIZENS!
What a shame that discussion has been hijacked.
Corporate control over the media is a huge problem. It was a problem back in 1980 when Ben Bagdikian wrote Media Monopoly, and it is ten times worse now.
The partisan yammering against anything from Cindy Sheehan is foolish, wrong, and above all irrelevant. More to the point, the bipartisan Telecommunications Act of 1996 merely accelerated the existing damage (as so many other bipartisan efforts have). It continues writ small in the following comments in the very ways that Sheehan’s commentary describes, with discussants here focusing on personalities instead of issues.
The machine to which you refer is aka “The Military Industrial Complex”. Wiki it…
Dear Claudius,
Get well soon, –you’re a star!
As to what the recent wind has blown in, -well, some write sagaciously with the aim of building better futures, whilst others just litter the highway with inconsequentials. ‘It takes all sorts to make a world’ -etc.
All saints, earnest strivers and notables had and have their detractors; - we ought consider it a sign of maybe getting something right, when flies are attracted to the tasty picnic!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cindy, thanks for the comments regarding RATM and their song’s lyrics. As something of a songwriter myself, I freely admit bias when I opine that lyrics are an important ingredient in the process of cultural change, they often ‘get in under the radar’ of peoples’ consciousness, more especially when accompanied by what’s deemed to be an aesthetic melody / presentation.
This was exactly why Woody Guthrie was so keen to take his guitar and his self-penned songs out on the road to sing for the itinerant workers etc, his folk-protest songs both inspired ordinary folk, as well as challenged the ‘powers that be’ :::
“In the squares of the city
In the shadow of the steeple
Near the relief office - I see my people
And some are grumblin’ and some are wonderin’
If this land’s still made for you and me.”
(et al)
Pete Seeger said of Woody: “His songs are deceptively simple. Only after they have become part of your life do you realize how great they are.”
Guthrie wrote and performed a wide variety of songs: cowboy serenades, mountain ballads, religious music, hymns, blues, traditional songs, work chants, and songs of protest. He sang about love and war, natural disasters, fascism, and injustice…”
~Now THAT’s a life worth living!
And anyone who so inspired Phil Ochs to later write his venerable songs is definitely a friend of mine! (Oh, and ‘Bra-Advert Dylan’ was also an early emulator of Guthrie!)
There is a phrase, “The devil has all the best tunes” - I think this was a Christian initiative to believers to get on and write attractive ‘Christian songs’ that would assert their views, in place of those they didn’t care for.
Well, ‘the devil’ has taken over the music biz now and has very few of ‘the best songs’ anymore
-so that’s an opportunity for us to get on with creating brilliant music, even if the mEss media try to ignore any song that really *MEANS* or SAYS anything relevant!
I’m no fan of Mao Tse Tung, but do like his concept of, ‘The Cultural Revolution’ as it can aid the broadening of consciousness, and that, -at root, I feel to be one of the most important things of all. A hopeful sign is the likes of new, young songwriters who have some of the same spirit and fire in them as the protesters of yore, ~ the likes of Bright Eyes / Conor Oberst are worth hearing…
…
…now, where did I put that plectrum…?
There ought to be a Law: If you are going to run for President and you are currently serving the People as an elected official then you should resign that position. Continual compaigning on our dollar is not the job you were hired to do. It appears that laws aren’t necessarily important anymore. Laws are just to keep lawyers busy finding ways around them.
Yankee Doodles! Talk about a “mole”–sheesh. You’ve got so much time to trash-talk Cindy, you MUST BE GETTING PAID! Where’d you come up with that name? SO goddamn clever, like Operation Iraqi Liberation. Reviewing these comments, I see ‘Fruity ‘n Peachy’ is in exactly the same category. Somewhere down the road, after the revolution, and if the records of private contractors haven’t been shredded, we’ll find out that blogs were filled by PR shills. Sometimes, it just seems so obvious!
Footnote to, ‘The Artist Formerly Known as Evelyn Smith’
Kem, keep on truckin’!
(and I never did get round to mentioning to you that Evelyn Waugh (a fella, and prominent UK novelist) was married to (a female) -Evelyn Gardner.
No matter, they are long gone, and you are here, -and we are all the better for that!
Yankee Doodles and the rest of the Mortitia Pelosi hacks here are terrified that Cindy is running, as they should be, for Cindy exposes Democrats for what they really are: corrupt Bush enablers posing as liberals. Sheehan will wipe off the House floor with Pelosi’s wig and, personally, I can’t wait.
Cindy is the real left, wake up, fools.
SHameful is the only word for the attacks on Cindy Sheehan.
When she established Camp Casey and demanded answers from Bush personally, most of us were still wandering in a fog wondering how to confront the Beast. She did it very simply, and the Democratic majority does not owe to Hilary or Rahm Emmanuel, but to Cindy & the antiwar movement which they are still fearful of. Pelosi won’t meet with Cindy or Code Pink. Just as Humphrey slandered George McGovern in a final attempt to stop him from being nominated in ‘72, the Demographicrats want nothing to do with any candidates who want to dismantle the death machine. The “front-runners” have all accepted the Beast’s principle that any uncooperative government faces the threat of nuclear strike.
Mike Gravel pointed up the sources of their funding. I guess he’s a Republican mole too.
“Fox and CNN are trying to distract us from real news that affects us all by ‘round the clock reporting on Lindsay Lohan and NBC uses the shiny keys of Obama and Clinton, two people whose campaigns together have each raised enough money to pay for about five hours of the illegal and insane occupation of Iraq.”
The message people, the message. The messenger is irrelevant, but thankfully we still have many of them. Is there a fundamentalist Christian who supports Bush and his war’s capable of actually and legitmately tying the preachings of The Peacemaker Yeshua to this greedy and bloodthirsty regime?
Cindy Sheehan is closer to God than anyone in this government. Put that in your collection basket of sins and hypocrisies.
Cindy–HillaryObama don’t represent a challenge, that is why they skate without the trolls going berserk. To inoculate themselves against attack they triangulate on neo-Con positions and to pander for corporate bucks. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so winning insures of the same.
The Democrats had ample opportunity and they’ve proven themselves complicit–constantly putting off the battle for another promised day. The polls reflect this sad state of affairs. The fact that you are rattling their cage has them all atwitter and their apologists, conditioned to view it all as a partisan battle of good and bad, are on the march. Hang tough and know they only lash out when they sense a growing threat in the comfort zone.
Cindy Bashers go to Iraq–
How can you pretend that the Democrats are a real opposition party ar this point. Have you only been watching the Sunday morning talk shows. Clinton Inc. visited flag factories for five years while bush destroyed Iraq off camera and made a joke of the constitution. And now you are ready to blame her for the Big Money Corporate Dems loss should they lose in 2008?? Sorry, they will lose because THEY DON’T SAY ANYTHING THAT MAKES THE OPPOSITON LARGER. They say things to pacify the opposition and lull it to sleep.
Then they can argue “well we dont have the votes for impeachment” Of course you dont, you have DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO MUTE THE ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT SO THAT THE NUMBERS ARN’T THERE. It doesn’t mean the numbers couldn’t be there if he had a real opposition party….. instead of Corporate Hos n Waiting.
Cindy - we here in SW New Mexico, a majority, care about our country, and support you with no caveats and wish that we could add our votes to those in San Francisco.
You will win!
Yankee Doodles: I’m interested getting a job as a paid shill blogger, and you seem to have some experience in this area, can you give me some contact info for your employer?
People who are posting from hearts and minds not pocketbooks: I’m very glad that Mrs. Sheehan has gotten in touch with the newly-reunited Rage Against the Machine. Very nice, crossing cultural boundaries with a unifying message.
Once again, I’d like to offer up System of a Down for all of you progressives out there. Look up the lyrics online first, the music itself might a bit much for some of you old-timers (wink wink, nudge, just pickin on ya) but many of their songs offer a look into the minds of the ‘disenfranchised’ (you know, the shat upon). Favorites of mine include Deer Dance (my very favorite except for Science and Forest, which are more spiritual than political), Toxicity, CIGARO, Suggestions, and others. These guys are highly aware of the psychological pressures todays younger (read: culture immersed) people are facing.
On a side note (the talk of mass media stirred up the brain-juices), the biggest threat to today’s youth (in my humble opinion) are the twin barrels of television-caused reality disassociation and the idolization of stupidity and cruelty. I’ve noticed that in the mass entertainment media attacks on the ‘nerd’ stereotype have been increasing, don’t want people to THINK or actually pay any heed to those that do. Oh, and never EVER been seen being kind to someone (unless they are ‘hot’) when you could crack a joke at their expense instead.
claudius - make a full recovery dammit!
anybody research the 1934 attempted corporate coup? involving Prescott Bush, evidently.
I don’t any attention to the blogger-that-shall-not-be-named, except to speed up the scroll bar.
I’m ready to support your campaign financially Cindy. As soon as I see the website, I’ll be on it.
As seriousprofessor wrote “…with discussants here focusing on personalities instead of issues.”
We miss out on a lot of fun and effectiveness when we focus on personatities instead of issues, and I’ll add organic process.
The name calling may give you excitement, but it’s not pleasure (see Body and Mature Behavior ch. 17, Feldenkrais).
I honor Cindy for the stands she’s taken, but critic her for raging against the machine. Why the critic? We are the machine. To rage against the machine is a schizophrenic split. It might be exciting, stimulate the quiver of self-righteousness, increase newspaper sales, masterbation and prostitution, but it’s not the pleasure that will sustain a society.
And Yank his Doodle is part of society so I’ll engage with him…with his argument that is. The numbers for impeachment weren’t there for Nixon either in the beginning, as they started to grow he packed his bags to go…
Sheehan makes a critical observation in asking how to harness the dancing hormonal energy of the concert. This in fact is starting to come to fruition with the Hip Hop caucus starting to energize the impeachment movement:
www.hiphopcaucus.org
And I invite everybody to get it on at the Sept. 22-29 DC Encampment and
March:
http://mecawi.org/Sept.%2029%20Call.html
Find out where you fit into the People’s Congress
http://www.progressivegovernment.org/
then get to DC and do it in the street - America The Beautiful - let’s get it on!
I apologise if someone already pointed this out, but aside from the argument of voting for your hopes and not your fears, a Sheehan electoral challenge of Pelosi is also tactically perfectly safe. Considering the overwhelmingly urban-left or Democrat constituency of Pelosi’s San Francisco (CA 8th)District, if Sheehan removes Pelosi, it can only be because Sheehan herself wins.
Any Republican challenger in the California 8th district is not going to garner more than 20 percent of the vote. So, even if Sheehan splits the rest of the votes down the middle, The republican still wouldn’t have a chance.
I know what I’m talking about, because, this is how it works here in the comparably constituted but probably not quite so liberal urban district of Mike Doyle (PA 14th) comprising Pittsburgh. Greens and occasionally Libertarians can and do challenge him every election and the Republicans still don’t even think of wasting their time runing a candidate.
So relax, DNC/Pelosi shill yankee doodle’s arguments are without merit.
Thanks Kem Patrick, Un-Commondreams,locust, abbybwood, and others. I appreciate the encouraging words and thoughts. It should not take much longer before I will be up and running again.
Best regards,
Claudius
L I B E R T A R I A N S for C I N D Y 2008!
Yankee Doodles is a Rovian Internet shill. The GOP interests obviously do not want Cindy to succeed and one should expect lots of “loyal Democrats” like Doodles to come out the woodwork now attacking Sheehan. Don’t be fooled.
I don’t think Cindy is much of a libertarian. The machine the band, and Cindy is raging against has a name - capitalism.
Hopefully this troll invasion is a shortlived infection.
They are so easy to spot because they don’t discuss issues, having no logical position to present. So they do personal attacks. On known personalities or some of us. It makes them easy to ignore from the start. Scroll bar.
Those who are singled out for abuse, like Kem and Cindy, actually represent the greatest threat to the troll masters, so pay attention to what they say.
Kem, I always enjoy reading your posts. And yes we need Cindy. We need to challenge the status quo or it will remain the status quo. And the march of our wealth will continue it’s uphill climb while our freedoms will continue their downhill slide. If Cindy wins, I am guessing she will caucus with the Democrats and not the Republicans. We need to replace these DLC Democrats with progressives, and while it’s almost impossible to get a third party Presidential candidate on the ballot, not so hard at the House of Representatives level. Sounds good to me. Might even get the attention of those deaf Democratic leaders.
This country wants a change and no one at the top is listening.
Kathy
The Democratic leadership “gets along” with the Republicans on issues of war, immigration, and healthcare. Just look at their voting records in congress. And, both parties seem to like the broken voting systems, especially in the swing states (no one has thought to fix them in the last 6 years). So, the 2 parties are conveniently one and only the president for the ‘corporations’ wil get voted in. America has lost its democracy and there is no progresssive movement to save it.
A win by Cindy Sheehan over Nancy Pelosi would send an electrifying message to both parties! Go Cindy!
I strongly support Cindy Sheehan in opposing W’s war mongering and all the rest through pushing for impeachment and removal. However, if she did say that the Democrats have started more wars than the GOP in the 20th Century, that’s getting into some troublesome territory, and most especially if she said the USA with the Democrats presiding starting two world wars, which isn’t at all right. Actually Germany’s state terror in the form of German navy submarines sinking unarmed American ships and killing innocent civilians starting in 1915 and going all the way into 1917 made it almost inevitable that the USA would go to war with Germany in the First World War. Germany engaged in this same form of state terror against unarmed American ships and killing innocent American civilians prior to the Second World War, and ultimately started the war by invading Poland in 1939.
The Democrats, could be said to have started two wars since the Second World War, the Balkans War and the Vietnam War with the GOP presiding over starting the First and Second Persian Gulf Wars and the Afghan War. That makes it three to two in favor of the GOP. In no way does that make the Democrats any kind of saints. But we also need to be careful when we’re talking about these wars to get things accurate, as the fascists won’t fail to use this against us.
Earlier in the 20th Century the GOP presided over starting two imperial wars– the Boxer rebellion in China and the war against Cesar Sandino in Nicaragua. Obviously the Democrats of today aren’t the Democrats of this earlier time when so many of their politicians opposed both these wars.
Then obviously we have proxy wars such as the Gipper’s in Central America against the people of Nicaragua and the rest of Central America and his proxy wars in Southern Africa against those people costing hundreds of thousands of lives.
Much depends on what kinds of wars people are talking about.
As for the Korean War, even with I F Stone’s view, we at worst simply got in on the wrong side, if that is, South Korea actually started that war.
Yes indeed Paul, Libertarians from Minnesota are for Cindy as well. These “false flag ” and “my Democratic party right or wrong” posters didn’t get the point.
Whether Cindy can unseat that malignant witch (i hope she does), or if the votes are there for impeachment are beside the point. If you’ve to threaten someone you better know what they’re afraid of. What would make this witch lose her bowel controls is losing her power, and Cindy is hitting her where it hurts.
It does seem that some see the Democratic party as the great shining knight on the white steed coming to save the day. My impression is when Cindy points out these dark historical facts about the party -it is to reveal that the Democrats aren’t and have not always been some perpetual lily-white pure entity. By pointing out the checkered past it gives better perspective on its present state without bias. It should be challenged. It should be held accountable–and when it was-is wrong it should recognize that fact. It should not be viewed as the savior because the Republicans symbolize the other extreme–especially when the Democrats have been enabling the worst excesses of the Republicans. It is healthy and necessary to recognize the flaws otherwise people are led astray by their blindness and if the party should be weak or experiencing a shameful moment, we should be able to see clearly rather than have a crisis of faith and attack those who bring the ugly reality into view.
Vern: Well said.
I would add that we need to look at the concept that Cindy has opened up a new possibility for the people to take back their government. We shouldn’t just be looking at San Francisco and a message to Pelosi and the DLC. We should all be looking in our own districts and evaluating the performance of our Repug and Dem in the House. Do they meassure up in terms of representing their constituants? Have they actively protected and defended the Constitution and the rule of law? Have they been Bush enablers? If your current congress critter does not meet these minimums, then you need to get together with like minded folks in your own districts and put up a candidate that will.
It doesn’t matter if you work within a party or field an independent candidate. It matters that you support a grassroots effort to shake up the status quo. It is the conversation that counts. It is the debate about what we expect and deserve from our representatives in Congress that should take place.
Let an honest discourse begin! Cindy has started the conversation. Who will join in?
I support Cindy Sheehan in what she’s been for sometime. and I’d like to think the points I’ve raised, if anything, might be of help. Oh, and I most certainly don’t see the Democrats as saints or even in many cases even decent. An progressive independent or third party alternative should be on the table.
Thanks to all, Kathy, Un-Common dreams and others for the compliments and understanding my distaste for the trolls and for replying to them in a rather unsavory manner. I do apologize to any I may have offended, but hope you will understand that I have a short fuse when someone comes at me or others for no reason. Pleasant criticizm is A-Okay.
I have a tiny problem here, I am going to criticize Cindy, not her personally, but whomever it is that advises her, if any, about her campaign methods. I believe she would be a great congressperson and or a senator and or a friend.
However, when one tosses their hat into the political ring, they should be well prepared and Cindy is not, she is learning and she is making some serious political mistakes as one of the trolls pointed out, and he was correct on some points. Which is helpful BTW. It can be Constructive.
Cindy needs a highly exprienced campaign mnager and someone who is excellent in advertising and editing speeches. She needs votes from all people of all walks of life, she will be facing a multi-millionaire who knows the game and knows it very well.
When the times comes to announce her candidacy, Cindy should also listen to the advice given by a wise old sage. (older than me.) “The clothes make the man”, that pertains to wemon also and it does matter, a lot. One would not apply for a job at a bank or a law firm for example, wearing a T shirt. But Cindy, don’t spend $400 bucks for a hairdo. That is gonna really hurt John Edwards, silly as it may seem to be. It already has.
Look out for very little things that can trip you up Cindy, and clothes really do not make anyone. However, when runnig for public office it is necessary at times to toss almost as much bull-shit as your opponent, as long as it is friendy bull, like wearing a nice suit.
“A little sugar in the tank of the machine”–there’s a great bumper sticker!
I’m behind you all the way, and would be happy to volunteer for your campaign. I pray that this is the start of something big! Time to change the power structure, one Congressperson at a time (if need be).
Ms. Sheehan needs a social-constituent behind her, such as Labor, or she has no chance. Sadly, Labor is not progressive, and is basically conservative, especially the pie cards who run the show. Then, too, guess who manufactures and delivers the armaments and armoring? Companies like Boeing, which is composed mainly of union workers. I am pro-union myself, but I would like to see the trade-union movement be really progressive in their support of candidates. Someone who has been in the Labor (movement) should ask to manage Ms. Sheehan’s campaign, because all
the feel-good intellectuals,peaceniks and bloggers, are not going to effect social and political change.
Cindy… why waste energy?
RUN FOR PREZ!
What is disappointing is that some discussions on this site evolve, on and off, about personality disparagments—-off topic. Unimportant and Irrelevant. The result of this is usually a lengthy and unproductive diversion to the defense of oneself. In defending attacks, several “regular” repliers counter with defensive claims — to a stranger, nonetheless.
The best response is no response, no attention. Inore them. They’ll go find someone else to bug. As was suggested, Scroll past their name and laugh at the idiocy. You know their game. You’re not interested in playing. Whatever the derailer’s intent, as a PAID TYPIST; or more phychologically cunnining, to provoke, attack, and step back and gleefully watch their own wrecking ball accomplishments. The best advice given was to go to a doctor.
I guess that those (paid typists) tend to target articles which center on real action taken by “the average person or American,” in efforts to overwhelm and derail people from being effective in dealing with the REAL ISSUE at hand. ie. Cindy Sheehan’s
American activism,
in America,
for America,
not giving up.
PURE PATRIOTISM. ..it’s not generic or organic (another bumper sticker?)
Surely, this wouldn’t be threatening to big power, now would it? The average American(s), making a public stand for betterment in the name of life —human life and the continuation of the LIVES of SPECIES on the planet, regaarding the issue of war.
I think this format works kind of like the evening news (how it used to be, I mean.) There’s a crechendo into the negative stories of the day, it peaks, and when people are good and pissed off - and maybe ready to get off the couch to do something more than get a PopTart from the kichen, —- at the VERY END of the news segment, a short human-interest blurb of little consequnce brings the viewer DOWN from climax into lala land. Aaaaaaaggghh. Firefighters rescue kitten in tree.
Later on, it’s easy to forget, be distracted, and anything else that would prevent one from responding, to the world calamities happening around the world and in our own communities. Remember, if we argue among ourselves, we won’t be arguing with the big powers at be.
I appreciate readers’ links of usable sources provided by persons via discussion email + tips on how to approach and deal with well-greased politicans/business, for the well-meaning but unexpereienced. Your suggestions are much more productive, rather than keeping going the inactive yet addictive ranting at the keyboard every night.
I imagine you care, or you wouldn’t be visiting this site. Let’s be effective, especially in the long-term; rather than more dramatic, yet ineffective, ranting at the keyboard every night. thank you for caring.
two tiny comments
Treefitz says Cindy just wants attention..isn’t that the point?
RebelFarmer hates the term “homeland”. Yes!!! It was started right after 9/11..before that we had a country. Homeland sounds like we don’t live here any more…?
And see what a great job the Homeland Security Dept has done…take Katrina, for instance.
Dwarf, I agree and disagree with you, obnoxious people can only go so far, that person stepped far over the line and was hitting almost every string last night. If no one had spoken up he would likely still be here annoying all and for new bloggers, possibly corrupting them to the true purpose of Common Dreams and they may just log off and never return.
If you check, the trolls blogs have now been erased. Wonder why? Probably because so many told them where to go and an editor agreed. Besides, at times it’s good for the soul to relieve inner tension and toss a few rocks back.
SkySonja, I’ve wondered about this too. What I’m guessing (without courses in persuasion psychology or logical arguments) is that THE BIG THEY bring in the “just wants attention” comment as a personal negative. It’s vague. It’s hard (and pointless) to defend one way or the other. Possibly, sidetracking to personal attributes removes the focus off the issue in attempt to encourage cowering down. It was used on me in local gov’t and I didn’t run for office, just stood up for myself. After all, aren’t obnoxious kids just wanting attention? Not getting attention, after all, is not doing anything + everything stays the same. Someone had the best advice: focus and stay logical on your topic (singular). And of course, THE ISSUE needs attention.
Kem, thanks for clearing it up. I actually scrolled right past to the end to write about frustration with “trolls.” I am new to this blog thing. I’m glad to know that the site administrator removes the superfulous garbage. thanks for caring.
Brava Cindy!! Brava Americana!!
You are welcome dwrarf, and welcome aboard. I have learned so much good and so many important things at Common Dreams, and by far, most of the people here are wonderful, even though we often may disagree, especially on political issues. They are all wrong of course,___ I never am.
Sky Sonja, homeland security did some wonderful things in New Orleans after Katrina.
Some were not told to us.
This is off of the subject, but it is a true account, it may sound like a fable but it is factual, it did happen. I saw it on CNN, they only ran the story once last week.
FEMA made a no bid contract with a company to bring in bags of ice to New Orleans. FEMA paid the company $36 million dollars to supply the ice. All of the ice was not handed out, and so the leftover ice was stored for two years. FEMA paid the company $12 million dollars to store the ice. Now, FEMA has determined that the ice is not safe for use.
So we no longer have to realize, that our tax money is storing bags of ice. Pretty good deal____wellll, maybe not.
FEMA paid the company $3.5 million dollars to MELT the ice. So there you go, Homeland security is on the stick. And a stick we should shove right up the appropriate rears, if we ever have the opportunity.
“Sensible Leftist” accuses Cindy Sheehan of holding the opinion that the USA should not have participated in World War II. I don’t know if that is indeed Cindy Sheehan’s opinion, but if it is, I agree with it. There was no legitimate reason for counrties like Brazil, Cuba, Mexico, the USA, Canada or any other American country to participate in WWII. It was not an American war, it was a European and Asian war. It was simply none of our business. There was never any chance that any of the Axis states could have invaded America. For American countries, WWII was a war of choice, not one of self-defence. I believe that the only legitimate war is a war of self-defence. Even if no American country had joined the war, the USSR certainly would have defeated Germany, and probably Japan as well. It is true that Germany was committing genocide, but I would not sacrifice my life to stop genocide in a foreign country. Would you? I would not sacrifice my life to stop genocide in Darfur. Would you? Any of you? (if so, I would be interested to hear about it) If the Canadian government announced a military intervention in Darfur to stop genocide and issued a call for volunteers, I would not go. It is just not worth sacrificing my life for. And I don’t think I would have felt any differently about sacrificing my life to save the lives of strangers on the other side of the world if I had been living during World War II.
Moreover, I am not convinced that American participation in WWII really did save anyone from genocide.
Mark Marshall
Toronto
Well I changed the subject, so can’t criticize any others of doing the same. Please ignore me while I answer Mark Marshall here,he sounds like a real nice person, he probably is.
Hi Mark, don’t know your age or history experience, but perhaps you are unaware, that Germany declared war on the United States, on or about December 9, 1941. I’m certain you are aware, that Japan did also on December 7, 1941, not a proclimation of war, Japan just started a war without saying so beforehand.
Now Mark,___ you assert we should have brought all of our troops home from Hawaii, the Panama Canal Zone and our other legal territories, and hunkered down until Russia defeated Germany and Japan.
You may be right Mark, I never thought of that splendid senerio. You are a pretty smart fella. You don’t do mind altering drugs by any chance do you? ___ Just wondered.
I also wonder how Russia would have done fightng Germany and Italy, if Germany had all of the Mid-East oil they needed and were able to maintain their factories, maing tanks, guns, cannons, submarines, aircraft, developing jet fighters, bombers, buzz bommbs and ICBMs?
Did you know Mark, that Americans and some brave Norwegian guerilla fighters, prevented the Germans from developng atomic weapons?
Ah well, we did get into WW 2 and the American public was firmly against it, right up until we were attacked by Japan. Yeah Mark, Japan planned to come into our country via Alaska and down through Canada. If we’d allowed that, you might not be here, your parents skins might be decrotive, souvenir lampshades.
Wish we didn’t have to fight wars Mark, for certain, we didn’t have to fight this disasterous war in Iraq. World War 2? Well,___ that was another story buddy.
Unless one lives in Pelosi’s district, there is only one way to help Sheehan in her run: SEND MONEY. Soon. Lots, if’n you have it…if you don’t have lots, send what you can. Every penny, every dollar will be needed: one extra lawn-sign, one more radio/TV spot, even a bumper-sticker might make a difference. Please, please…SEND HER SOME DAMN MONEY!
We can’t send money for the campaign until the campaign is organized and announced. Meanwhile we can self-organize at http://www.sheehanforcongress.us
To Kem Patrick: Thank you for the constructive feedback. I am 46 years old and I did in fact know that Japan and Germany declared war on the USA. I only want to to repeat my strongly-held view that the only legitimate war is war of self-defence. And no Axis power attacked any part of the American continent, nor did they appear likely to do so. It is true that Japan attacked a US base in Hawaii, but Hawaii is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, nowhere near America. And the USA had no business being in Hawaii in the first place.
In solidarity and peace,
Mark Marshall
Toronto
Hi Cindy —
Thanks for a great article — and just look how we immediately got off the subject!!!!
One troll and we’re all totally distracted!!!!
The issue of the refugees is barely being touched by MSM so thank you for bringing it to our attention. In fact, I think in Iraq we are close to genocide. We’ve been bombing Iraq for 12 years, spreading Depleted Uranium everywhere, refused to clean it up after Gulf War I …. and now we’ve been running a 5 year war!!!! 5 years!!!!
And, personally, I think this is playing out the way they knew it would — the way they hoped it would. We now have Iraq at war with itself!! If we leave, things will calm down.
The longer we stay, the higher the death toll of Iraqis. We seem to already be responsible for more than 1.5 million deaths over all these years.
I also like that in challenging Pelosi you are sticking with the issues: no funding for the war — and impeachment. And, as Ralph Nader pointed out today, when we so easily see the need to impeach Gonzales, what we are acknowledging is that Cheny/Bush who gave him his orders must be impeached!!
Certainly we’re not the only ones who see this and understand it — it’s being ignored by Congress and MSM. Evidently, they don’t have TIME to impeach????? But they do have TIME to recess for the summer break!!!!
Good luck, Cindy –
Cindy is not perfect, but, I’ll take her any day over Pelosi. Brought to you by Boeing. . .priceless.
Don’t forget, help the government help the needy children, buy more cigarettes.