Daily Kos

Third of World's Amphibians Threatened with Extinction

Tue Feb 22, 2005 at 05:58:12 AM PDT

Too bad it isn't the reptilian species inhabiting the White House. This news is not suprising. The ultimate hubris, arrogance of man is to assume our first place importance, over and above all other species on the planet. We do this every day, in the way that we live, and it is up to each of us to change this.

Don't hold your collective breaths waiting for the democrats to launch the environmental movement sorely needed in this country. This will be a grass roots effort.

Is DKos slipping?

Wed Feb 16, 2005 at 06:02:59 AM PDT

While Gannon has been covered ad nauseum, and everybody is busy patting themselves on the back for the story, several issues have slipped below radar.

True Reformers

Sat Feb 12, 2005 at 06:47:45 AM PDT

William Greider, in this article, highlights reform activities within our own party, and Why California Matters. Ever heard of California Treasurer Phil Angelides? Corporate ceos are quaking in their shoes in California, because Angelides is proposing a radical concept: Corporate responsibility for the pensions promised to their workers.

I don't agree with Greider in the article, btw, that democrats are dispirited, largely. I think some of us are dispirited, some of the time, including myself. I also see great energy around the blogosphere. There is much activity in my hometown on the activist front.

Howard Dean is part of an aspect of reform in terms of who actually influences the party philosophy. This is important, because we are going to have opportunities, and do currently have opportunities, to greatly inflence the measure of the debate and the type of reform that is to take place in the coming years, within our country.

Here's a portion of the article:

Bush Budget: Screw America

Fri Feb 11, 2005 at 06:20:40 AM PDT

While you expose the Gannons, be careful to keep your eye on the real Bush prize: the elimination of the middle class, and the devastation of the working poor.

A dumbed down, financially struggling class, versus the rich, is what their battle cry is, secretly.

It is my belief that this administration has written off huge portions of our population, in the name of enriching a few, private coffers.

World Citizen: Corporate Tool?

Fri Jan 28, 2005 at 08:16:43 AM PDT

The Bush administration gives lip service to global warming, and wants to keep it from public, international discussion. during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction. That symposium is occuring simultaneously with the World Social Forum in Brazil, and if only the twain should meet.

Our's is not the only country, btw, whose practices on an international basis are harming world citizens.  

CNN endorses Pentagon Secret Spy Unit

Tue Jan 25, 2005 at 06:53:38 AM PDT

It was interesting to see Jamie Pilgrim, sitting in for Lou Dobbs last night on CNN, feed leading questions to Frank Gaffney, rather lazily I might add, on the Pentagon's secret intelligence gathering unit.

The obviously biased and delusional Gaffney basically gives the program the green light because Rumsfeld is one of the most "competent" Secretaries of Defense that we've ever had, Gaffney says; and therein is the problem with this report.

More commentary and transcript below:

Living on Planet Bin Laden

Sat Jan 22, 2005 at 07:56:09 AM PDT

"Living on Planet Bin Laden" is a quote from a French journalist, Christian Chesnot,  in a recent interview in Salon.com concerning his kidnapping at the hands of radical Islamists in Iraq.

He and George Malbrunot, during their captivity, caught a glimpse of the underbelly of the beast, and lived to tell about it.

Something Malbrunot said of the radical Islamists' goals, struck me as eerily similar to the grandiose ambitions of George Bush, as he expressed in his inauguration speech.  

Authentic leadership in Short Supply

Tue Jan 11, 2005 at 07:11:29 AM PDT

I'm quoting Anna Quindlan in the title of this diary. Her recent Newsweek column ably sums up my views, and I hope, the views of many who post here. We need authentic leadership in the democratic party, now more then ever.

Some here have posted on giving up on Roe versus Wade, some have posted to encourage us to move on from election reform.

What is troubling about this advice, is that the decisions for so many democrats to do this would be inauthentic. You are asking people to give up on what they believe in.

Emerson on New Year's Day

Sat Jan 01, 2005 at 11:06:44 AM PDT

Ralph Waldo Emerson lived during a time before the Civil War, and through his reliance on his intuition and educated reason, provided a body of work that can still guide us today. The same burning questions marked his quest for his truth, that smolder today: the relationship of the individual to state, the ultimate triumph of the individual over state sponsored attempts to suppress, the question of property and its protection.

I'm a new student of Emerson, and I've just begun to explore his marvelous works. His essay Politics, is my favorite, so far. So I share with you my favorite passage from that essay, in the hopes that it can help light the darkness in such a time as ours.

Scott Ritter: UN Scandal a Cynical Smokescreen

Tue Dec 14, 2004 at 08:12:32 AM PDT

In this article,Ritter highlights his beliefs concerning the oil for food program that is now in the spotlight as "evidence" of corruption in the UN.

Ritter believes the "scandal" is designed to hide
the true intent of the creation of the oil for food program: regime change.

Who would you rather dance with?

Tue Dec 07, 2004 at 10:04:37 AM PDT

Howard Dean or Harry Reid?

There is a battle for the soul of the democratic party, ably represented in the differences between these two men. Although they are not in a contest, the direction of the party is being contested:

You know, I'm not even sure I'd be willing to call Harry Reid pragmatic; I'd be more tempted to say he is heavily invested in the current power structure, hence statements like this:

Deliberate Diversion on Election Day?

Fri Dec 03, 2004 at 06:43:27 AM PDT

Voodoo just posted this comment on the open thread( I hope he or she doesn't mind if I use their quote):

Something that hasn't received much mention is the "bomb threat" in the Tallahassee elections office on November 1. Tallahassee is the state capitol, and this building holds the main vote tabulating computer. This incident, in and of itself, might seem to be unfortunate coincidence, however, it was followed by the "terror threat" in Warren County on November 2. Both incidents resulted in evacuations leaving critical sites unattended, with only "authorized" personnel allowed access.

from the comments section.
the whole thing can be found here:

cannonfire.blogspot.com/2004/12/jeff-fisher-bobo-graham-and-more.html

I had found information that wmd/terrorism drills were held on election day, as well as info on Senator Dayton closing his D.C. office on election day due to "intelligence reports of possible terrorism in D.C."  I'm posting this info as a dairy simply to present what took place on election day in defferent parts of the country. You may draw your own conclusions. From  Citizens for Legitimate Government:

Falluja: Ends Justifies the Means?

Wed Nov 24, 2004 at 01:37:35 AM PDT

This is an excellent article I found in Editor and Publisher Magazine regarding the battle in Falluja, and the aftermath of its destruction. It can't be underemphasized that we took an ends justifies the means approach to Falluja, and the results are an untold number of civilian dead, a physically destroyed city, and now where to begin to rebuild Falluja.

Letter to John Kerry

Sat Nov 20, 2004 at 11:01:36 AM PDT

This letter is based on the video statement from Mr. Kerry now posted on his campaign web site. His statement is a request for supporters to sign a petition backing his effort to introduce legislation for health care for all children, a laudable goal in and of itself.

However, he makes several statements regarding this election, and election reform, and those are the statement I wish to focus on at this time:

Who killed Margaret Hassan?

Wed Nov 17, 2004 at 04:03:58 PM PDT

I just posted this as a comment. I have so much respect for Robert Fisk as a journalist, that I decided to create a diary around this article, posted today on www.commondreams.org.

In this article, Fisk raises doubts as to who really killed Margaret Hassan. I've had my doubts before as to the true identity of some assassins in Iraq; things aren't always what they seem. In the case of Margaret Hassan, the Iraqi's no longer have a human rights ally, and which "side" does this benefit, really?  

The republic is in eclipse

Wed Nov 17, 2004 at 07:39:38 AM PDT

This is a letter written to someone who posted an article from the national review online on a forum I participate in:

The Democratic-party elite .... portray [us] as religious bigots, racist rednecks, and generally stupid people.
-Mackubin Thomas Owens, National Review Online

NY Times Headline Fun

Tue Nov 16, 2004 at 08:08:07 AM PDT

The headlines tell the illusion.

The headlines in the New York Times yesterday tell the story of the media's complicit support of this war, and its support of the offensive against Falluja, specifically. Some of yesterday's headlines read like a diary of anything but reality: The headline "Raids in the Mosul Region Undermine Value of Victories" positively scream Orwellian doublthink.

Our leaders are appeasers.

Sat Nov 13, 2004 at 10:07:47 AM PDT

Donna Britt in the Washington Post said today that Karl Rove would be insisting all of the votes be counted. Where the hell are our democratic leaders on this issue? Where is  Kerry, Donna Brazile, Howard Dean? Where is James Carville? Where is Clinton on this issue of the recount?

The Democratic party has become the passive party on issues that matter most, including the outcome of this election, including the widespread use of electronic voting systems.  Remember how most of them voted when Bush asked for authorization of the Iraq war? Remember what Gore did when we needed a full recount of the vote in Florida?

Our leaders are appeasers, and we must demand change.

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