Thoughts On Sandy Hook

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Saturday December 15, 2012 · 6:18 PM PST

2012/12/15 · 18:18

I don't know why this time, unlike last time, or the time before, or the time before, is different. Another mass killing spree. Another deranged shooter. But it is different, because this time, the purity of the 5 and 6 year old victims are magnified by their manifest innocence. And the heroism of the adults that defended their tiny charges speaks testaments to their valor.

Their innocence demands, requires, insists, that they did not die in vain.

We can't hide behind the tired excuses anymore. We can't simply shrug and say, "nothing can be done", because ... of course ... something can be done. Something must be done.

According to Second Amendment as interpreted by the Supreme Court, we can't ban firearms outright. But the right to bear arms is not absolute and we can, through our elected representatives seek to balance the right to bear arms with the rights of the innocents. We can, at least, reduce the carnage.

Specifically:

canton

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Sunday March 04, 2012 · 1:18 PM PST

2012/03/04 · 13:18

Dear Congressman Renacci,

In recent days, the Republican talk show host Rush Limbaugh has characterized the Georgetown law student who gave testimony to Congress in favor of comprehensive preventative health care coverage for women as a "slut".

To add insult to injury, Mr Limbaugh suggested that Ms. Fluke was a prostitute and made even more reprehensible suggestions about the morality of this young woman.

By making these statements, Mr. Limbaugh, a well known conservative talk show host, has associated the Republican party, the Republican majority in Congress, and you with this hateful speech.

While persons of good will may disagree about the proper role of government in setting standards for health care coverage, in the words of Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia:

One need not agree with her substantive position to support her right to respectful free expression. And yet, some of those who disagreed with her position – including Rush Limbaugh and commentators throughout the blogosphere and in various other media channels – responded with behavior that can only be described as misogynistic, vitriolic, and a misrepresentation of the position of our student.

I would like to know your position on this matter:

Do you repudiate the statements of Rush Limbaugh?

Do you support comprehensive preventative health care for women including contraceptive care?

Stated simply, whose side are you on? Rush Limbaugh's? Or women's?

I look forward to your response

Ask Your Congressman, Sandra Fluke Edition

canton

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Friday March 02, 2012 · 8:14 PM PST

2012/03/02 · 20:14

The outpouring of support for Sandra Fluke and the public calls for advertisers to quit supporting Rush Limbaugh's hate speech is inspiring.

But don't stop with advertisers and Clear Channel.

Ask your Representative in Congress to repudiate Rush Limbaugh. Ask your Senator. Ask your state representatives. Call. Where do they stand? Get it on the record.

Do they stand for the free speech rights of a woman that supports effective health care? Or do they agree with Rush's disgusting attack on women?

Get it on the record. And then get it in the press in your community. Write letters to the editor in your local paper. And keep calling until each and every one of our public servants agrees to repudiate this baseless attack.

For our Republican friends in Congress, and in state and local government we deserve to know.

Which side are they on? With women? Or with Rush?

The Power Of The Purse

canton

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday September 23, 2008 · 6:55 PM PDT

2008/09/23 · 18:55

It's time to change the rules.

The power of the purse is the ability of one group to manipulate and control the actions of another group by withholding funding, or putting stipulations on the use of funds. The power of the purse can be used positively (e.g. awarding extra funding to programs that reach certain benchmarks) or negatively (e.g. removing funding for a department or program, effectively eliminating it). The power of the purse is most often utilized by forces within a government that do not have direct executive power but have control over budgets and taxation. Wikipedia

Rule #1 - NO DEAL on bailing out Wall Street unless and until all outstanding subpoenas by Congressional committees are honored. If Bush wants $900B, I want Alberto Gonzalez under oath.

Rule #2 - NO DEAL on bailing out Wall Street unless and until the State Secrets defense is dialed back from its current status as a Get Out Of Jail free card.

canton

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Thursday July 26, 2007 · 5:02 PM PDT

2007/07/26 · 17:02

Sherlock Holmes in the short story "Silver Blaze" solves the mystery by observing that the dog didn't bark, deducing from the lack of evidence that the intruder was not a stranger.

And in this strange affair, what has troubled me is the extreme lengths and odd sentence constructions that Gonzales and even FBI Director Robert S. Mueller have taken to avoid saying "Terrorist Surveillance Program" (TSP) in their sworn testimony before Congress.

GONZALES: There has not been any serious disagreement -- and I think this is accurate -- there has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed. There have been disagreements about other matters regarding operations which I cannot get into. ... Feb. 6, 2006

As for Mueller, in today's testimony before the House Judiciary Committee's, when questioned by
Representative Lee on the hospital room visit to AG Ashcroft:

Lee: Did you have an understanding that the discussion was on TSP?

Mueller: I had an understanding that the discussion was on a, uh, a, uh -- an NSA program, yes. ... Jul 26, 2007

Why all of the hemming and hawing?

canton

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Friday October 06, 2006 · 8:42 PM PDT

2006/10/06 · 20:42

While the American media has been obssessed with the Foley affair, and its coverup by the Republican leadership, John Leyne asks in an article in the BBC News dated 10/06/06:

Why did Condoleezza Rice come to Israel and the West Bank earlier this week?
By all accounts, the US secretary of state had no fresh ideas to offer to revive what used to be called the Middle East peace process.

So why bother? And why should her visit to Israel and Palestine raise quiet consternation in Europe and the Middle East?

Many Arab and Israeli commentators have found the same answer: Iran.

canton

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Tuesday July 04, 2006 · 11:02 PM PDT

2006/07/04 · 23:02

The 2006 Election year cycle is beginning to heat up, witness the recent cynical efforts by the Republican majority to force symbolic votes on standard right wing wedge issues:

Gay marriage amendment.
Flag burning amendment.

We can also expect state and local initiatives on Gay adoption to hit the ballot as another means to energize and mobilize the Republican base and get out the vote.

While progressives may hope that the public's disgust with Congress and the Bush administration translates into success in local races, its not enough to be against Bush. In fact, while we'd like the 2006 elections to be a referendum on Republican corruption and Iraq, I suspect that when the right wing noise machine cranks up for the mid terms, the message, repeated ad nauseum, will be:

Democrats are soft on terrorism!

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This I Believe

canton

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Sunday June 18, 2006 · 11:06 AM PDT

2006/06/18 · 11:06

Lost in the passion and fury of raucous and self-serving debate, in the posturing of servile politicians, in the public pandering to the basest of motivations, in the laundering of votes for campaign contributions, in the ceaseless drumbeat of think-tank pundits and talking-heads ad nauseam, in the oh-so-pure prejudice of religious fundamentalism, is the still, quiet voice of reason.

The moral bankruptcy in America today isn't about black or white, Muslims or Christians, rich or poor, straight or gay, right or left. Our challenge is the monopoly powers granted to extremists of all persuasions in the marketplace of ideas. We are a nation whose birth was conceived by revolutionary ideals and baptized on the willingness of those self same idealists to die for the concepts of certain inalienable rights.

"Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness ..."

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Starving the Theocracy: A Modest Proposal

canton

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Saturday June 17, 2006 · 11:10 AM PDT

2006/06/17 · 11:10

The Detroit Free Press recently published IRS tells churches to stay out of abortion politics, an article originally published by the Sioux Falls Argus Leader:

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The Internal Revenue Service is warning religious leaders in South Dakota that their churches' tax-exempt status could be jeopardized if they campaign against a challenge to a law that bans nearly all abortions in the state, a proposal that could be on the November ballot. -- CORRINE OLSON, SIOUX FALLS ARGUS LEADER

It's not just South Dakota, and its not just abortion. From a news release dated June 1st, the IRS website, the IRS "Reminds Charities to Avoid Election Activities During Election Season":

While the vast majority of charities and churches do not engage in politicking, an increasing number did take part in prohibited activities in the 2004 election cycle," IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson said. "The rule against political campaign intervention by charities and churches is long established. We are stepping up our efforts to enforce it. (Emphasis added)

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Netroots: Redefining the Democratic Movement

canton

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Saturday June 10, 2006 · 4:41 PM PDT

2006/06/10 · 16:41

kos quotes Hartford Courant columnist Paul Bass:

The Bush administration values Joe Lieberman because he has been a crucial ally in efforts to free Enron-style corporate crooks from regulation, transfer wealth to the wealthy, hound gays, trample on the rights of government critics and sacrifice the lives of thousands of Americans and Iraqis to dishonest, dangerous military adventurism.

Whilst the Democratic Leadership Council decries the move to unseat Lieberman as The Return of Liberal Fundamentalism

This phenomenon is best illustrated by the nationally driven campaign to deny re-nomination to Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT), with MoveOn.org and Democracy for America (an organization founded by DNC chairman Howard Dean and now run by his brother, Jim) playing an especially active role in recruiting money and volunteers for the challenger, Ned Lamont.

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Lies, Pathological Liars, and the Leaker In Chief

canton

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Tuesday May 30, 2006 · 3:51 PM PDT

2006/05/30 · 15:51

Tip of the hat to ThinkProgress for reporting on another case where the President blatantly lied to the American Public:

You've got to see this. Tony Snow spills the beans on another case where the President misled the American Public.

- On May 25th, the President indicated that he had NO indication that Treasury Secretary John Snow was resigning.

- On May 20th, the President met with Hank Paulson, who accepted the job a day later.

The rather bumbling excuse by Tony Snow, was that the President was "protecting the financial markets".

Heckof a Job, Tony

ACLU Opens New Fronts in Domestic Spying Case

canton

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Monday May 29, 2006 · 1:49 PM PDT

2006/05/29 · 13:49

Give the ACLU Credit. Not content to simply file in federal court, the ACLU has opened new fronts on the war against illegal wiretapping and "strip mining" of US telephones.

ACLU Files Lawsuit in California Court Demanding End to Privacy Violations by AT&T and Verizon
SAN FRANCISCO - The California affiliates of the American Civil Liberties Union today filed two lawsuits in state court requesting injunctions against telecommunications giants AT&T and Verizon to prevent them from illegally providing the National Security Agency with the personal phone records of millions of California customers.

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Thoughts On Sandy Hook

OH-16 Whose Side Are You On?

Ask Your Congressman, Sandra Fluke Edition

The Power Of The Purse

Alberto Gonzales & The Dog That Didn't Bark

BBC Reports: Iran behind Rice's Mid-East tour

2006 Election Issues: Terrorism

This I Believe

Starving the Theocracy: A Modest Proposal

Netroots: Redefining the Democratic Movement

Lies, Pathological Liars, and the Leaker In Chief

ACLU Opens New Fronts in Domestic Spying Case