While you debate superdelagates and primary outcomes, the House of Representatives is preparing to vote for war funding into the next administration. Is this what we want?

An article I found today. My one point of disagreement is that it is not necessarily important to "change" the two parties to make them more responsive to the people. I think we can render their influence neglible by our own caring action.

When the people take responsibility for their world, the parties will seem like child's play.

Comments?

Hillary's ad: debate footage doctored to make Obama blacker

Hillary: McCain would be better than Obama! (UPDATED)

Olbermann and Maddow Assail Hillary [video]

Obama's Predictions for Today and Beyond.

How Hillary Wins Complete with math.

Dionne on Daily Kos and Obama - is he right?

Rush Limbaugh Blows Clinton a Kiss - What more do you need to ...

If Hillary steals the election, I will return to Ralph

Hillary's 3AM Phone Call

The failure of  the Times Picayune to seriously address the ongoing criminal investigation of  HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson provides cover for what may well be the illegal awarding of so-called redevelopment contracts tied to the demolition of  public housing in New Orleans. We will protest the lack of coverage at 4pm, Thursday, February 28, at the Times Picayune Building, 3800 Howard Ave., New Orleans, La.  

Doing a little research, I came across this web site that reveals that Rudd has committed to continue what is called the Military Intervention into the Northern Territory, and concurrently, the suspension of the Racial Discrimination Act will continue, although Rudd has signaled he is open to change.

In the midst of all the cheerleading for the democrats, Rolling Stone magazine is a lone voice, exposing manipulations that have helped to silence the anti-war movement in the Democratic party.

I'm coming out of the closet. Yes, I am fundamentally, a socialist. And I'm still defining what that means for myself politically. It does mean that I wasn't afraid to defend the public housing in New Orleans, as our "leaders" have proposed, and are currently, demolishing viable housing in our city at a time when there is a crisis lack of affordable housing in our city.

I was drawn to the Edwards campaign precisely because he at least acknowledged class differences, whereas Obama seems to have based his campaign on blurring those distinctions.

Here in New Orleans, the politics of class was never more evident than post Katrina efforts to rebuild our city.

And I'm not talking about class as in "classy". I'm talking about the upper, middle and not very often mentioned, lower class in this country.

In New Orleans, there has been a concerted effort to rebuild, and exclude, the lower class, the working poor, and those teetering on the edge of poverty, in our city.

City, state and federal leaders have been blunt in what they hope will be a "new" New Orleans.

John Edwards, in defiance of the "agenda", has visited twice to the lower ninth ward here, hammer in hand, to pound some nails, and make a point.

I wrote this after a recent visit to an homeless encampment in New Orleans. I'm a native Louisianian, struggling to grasp the issues here and present them to the rest of the world.

The rate of homelessness has tripled in New Orleans since Katrina, and the actual numbers are probably far higher than the 15,000 reported. Homeless homeowners are living under the overpass at Canal and Claiborne in New Orleans, along with a host of New Orleans natives, and people from out of town looking for work. Another encampment has sprung up at Claiborne and Tulane Ave., in the shadow of the not shuttered Charity Hospital.

BTW, a homeless, tent encampment has sprung up recently in Los Angeles, spoken about in this Daily Kos diary. I used the link in that diary to a Guardian article, but now the link doesn't work. I think we are on the verge of an explosion in homelessness, both here in New Orleans and across the country.

There was a tornado warning on Thursday, December 20th, with a cool front marching down south. The tornado that touched down though, was the incredible spirit, will and determination of those fighting for public, and affordable housing in this city, and taking on the NOPD and New Orleans City Council in the process.

We were prepared, Thursday, to challenge what we already knew would go down: the vote in the affirmative by the New Orleans City Council to demolish over 4000 units of critical, public and affordable housing in New Orleans. Our intent was to keep the meeting from happening, to prevent the vote, by peaceful, but loud, raucous protest. There was no intent to commit violence. Many of us were quite willing to be arrested. One of the principles decided on by public housing residents in this struggle is that it will be a non-violent struggle.

17,000 plus homeless people in New Orleans right now, a rate that has tripled since Katrina, and HUD and Alphonso Jackson are determined to tear down 4500 units of public and affordable housing in New Orleans, demolition scheduled to begin next week.

20,000 people lived in public housing prior to Katrina. These are the people, the working poor, that city, state and federal leaders have turned their backs on.

My recent article on indy media, "New Orleans: The Perfect Storm", describes some of the forces leading to this crisis in New Orleans. Today, I'm going to let this short video tell the story:

http://www.youtube.com/...  

I told my friend this morning, I think the city is coming apart. An outbreak of robberies, some perhaps by teenagers, authorities believe; homeless population exploding; politicians looking the other way when corruption serves their purpose. I'm reminded, I tell her, of the Bugs Bunny cartoon, where he is busy, furiously, digging underground, trying to tunnel his way to paradise, or a beach, or somewhere pleasant; I can't remember exactly.



He pops his head up, in the middle of the North Pole, and says something to the effect, "I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque".



It can feel like that sometimes. That one wrong turn and you wind up in a very cold environment.

HR 1955, or "The Violent Radicalization Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007", passed the House last month almost unanimously. Congressman Dennis Kucinichwas among one of 6 representatives who voted against this legislation.

Rep. Jane Harman, D-California,  introduced the bill that some are now referring to as the "thought police bill".

Here is a link to the text of the bill.

In an essay with this chilling title, "The Next War", Wes Clark provides instruction as to how to win the next war in Sunday's Washington Post Outlook. I wish he and other dinasours would lumber away and take their war loving ways with them.

Halliburton continues to siphon off our hard earned tax money while our leaders are making deals in Congress to never fillibuster except under the most extraordinary of circumstances. We cut deals with the devil while they protect this company from public scrutiny.

I don't know how else to characterize the decision of the Senate  Select Committee on Intelligence to close yesterday's hearing to the public, after having an open hearing on Monday.

Since this "compromise" on the nuclear option there have been rumors that a Bolton comfirmation is part of the compromise.

While all talk and eyes are on the nuclear option and its "compromise", certain republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee want to drop a nuclear bomb on your civil liberties.