The Divine Nexus

And a 15 Year Old Female Blogger Shall Lead Them...

2006-06-19T18:09:00.000-07:00

A week ago, Ava the 15 year old blogger had her video premier at the Netroots Conference in Las Vegas. It was a powerful, sincere full-throated anti-Bush roar! Ava lives in Alabama and is getting all kinds of media attention. She was interviewed by Joie Chen on CNN today and Ava handled her masterfully.

Anyway, I highly recommend that you visit her site called "Peace Takes Courage" and check out her animation. She has over 50 videos and they concentrate on telling the truth about the country America has become.

Not pretty, but necessary.

Murtha Tears Karl Rove a New ONE!

2006-06-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Democratic Hawk John Murtha appeared on Tim Russert's "Meet the Press" today and he was BRILLIANT!! He was an authentic and passionate Hawk with Commonsense and a Heart! I LOVED IT!

He showed the tongue-tied and intimidated Democratic politicians in the Washington Beltway how it is DONE! He man-handled the Republican talking points, crushing them and then creating his own concoction with them.

Murtha's a leader. I would follow him even though I know less than nothing about Defense issues but I do know this: Congressman Murtha speaks authentically from the heart and with HONESTY about the realities on the ground that the American public has seen on television and from the mouths of our troops. That much I know.

He is the ONLY one I've heard - Republican or Democrat - that has come forward with an authentic message and plan on Iraq. Now, John Kerry just gave a speech on Iraq that was startling in its forthrightness - but this only made me more angry with him because it was the damn speech he should've given 2 years ago!

Anyway, let me make with the goods! Here's a transcript of video excerpt from today's "Meet the Press" when Murtha responds to Karl Rove's regurgitated "cut and run" accusation against Murtha and John Kerry in New Hampshire speech Rove gave a few days ago:

ROVE (video): Like too many Democrats, it strikes me they are ready to give the green light to go to war, but when it gets tough and when it gets difficult, they fall back on that party's old pattern of cutting and running. They may be with you at the first shots, but they are not going to be there for the last, tough battles. They are wrong and profoundly wrong in their approach.

Russert: Cutting and Running

MURTHA: He's in New Hampshire. He's making a political speech. He’s sitting in his air-conditioned office on his big, fat backside-saying stay the course. That’s not a plan! I don't know what his military experience is, but that's a political statement. This is a policy difference between me and the White House. I disagree completely with what he's saying. We've got to change direction. You can't sit there in the air-conditioned office and tell troops carrying seventy pounds on their backs, inside these armored vessels-hit with IED's every day-seeing their friends blown up-their buddies blown up-and he says stay the course? Easy to say that from Washington, DC.

More from Blogger Rachel Sklar on how Murtha masterfully showed the Democrats how to beat the stuff out of Karl Rove, fake-swaggering Bush and the rest of ‘em.

2500 American Soldiers Dead

2006-06-15T09:49:00.000-07:00

It's official: The number of dead American soldiers is now 2500. Wonder will the corporate media give these courageous soldiers the coverage they deserve despite all of the distractions? We know that the actual coffins of the soldiers will never be shown on American television, but a framed picture of a dead Abu al-Zarqawi can be shown 24 hours a day on the cable news channels - for all of the children to see. How ironic is this?

And on this, the same day that we are told that the 2500th American soldier has given his or her life to defend American democracy, our Supreme Court hands in a 5-4 decision saying "police armed with a warrant can barge into homes and seize evidence even if they don't knock". Who was the deciding fifth justice? Why, Justice Samuel Alito who took moderate Justice Sandra Day O'Connor's seat - of course. The Bush Administration rejoices today. Our Constitution sustains yet another body blow in its previously tattered condition.

Yes, we are making our American soldiers proud.

Today the Republicans continue to play political games with the lives of our troops and the innocent Iraqi men, women and children as they engage in a farce of a debate on Iraq in the U.S. House and Senate. I hope that the anti-war Democrats and Republicans will stand their ground and demand an end to our Iraq invasion. The American people are behind the anti-war platform.

We need to get out of Iraq and bring our troops home. I fully support Congressman John Murtha's plan to re-deploy our troops. Here it is. It is a reasonable and wise plan (dictated in the ears of conservative Democrat Representative John Murtha by the frustrated military brass in the Pentagon) that will get us out of the greatest foreign policy disaster in the history of the United States of America.

Corporate Media Desparately Wants to Give Bush a Bounce

2006-06-13T20:51:00.000-07:00

Let there be no mistake: There is something terribly wrong with the mainstream American media. They are so intimidated that they bend over backwards to give Bush the benefit of the doubt and shill for him whenever they get the chance.

CNN and MSNBC are panting headlines like, "Bounce for Bush?" because of a "good week".

Let's see:

In a White House that had virtually forgotten what good news looks like, the past few weeks have been refreshing. A Republican won a much-watched special congressional election. President Bush recruited a Wall Street heavy hitter as Treasury secretary. U.S. forces killed the leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq. And now the architect of the Bush presidency has avoided criminal charges.

Now, let us examine the "successes" that are worthy of crowing about. A Republican won a California congressional race in a very tight race in a very RED district - foreboding how weak the GOP actually is going into the November elections. Bush found a new Treasury Secretary scapegoat for his continued horrible economic policies. U.S. forces killed Abu al-Zarqawi only to have another man promoted to his spot within hours. And now Karl Rove has escaped an indictment in the CIA Leak case which in and of itself is a thorough disgrace - anytime your top political aide and "indictment" are in the same sentence, you've lost the court of public opinion right off the bat.

But the corporate media myopically fails to see it this way in their eternal right tilt.

To me, Bush's secret trip to Iraq last night, Zarqawi's death (and the inhumane framing of his death picture) and all the rest of it is just more public relations spin packaged with a bit of truth to make the American citizen forget to remember what they already know.

I'm sorry. Zarqawi didn't do 9-11. Osama did. Where's Osama?

I don't care how many secret trips Bush makes to Iraq. Nothing's changing in Iraq until the country's leadership changes.

Everytime you look around, Bush and the GOP leadership is sticking it to the American people to the benefit of corporate America and the right wing social extremists.

People are fed up. I think people have become immune to Bush's PR moves and are tuning him out.

Zarqawi's death is not going to change anything in Iraq except perhaps it will get worse. Why? Because Iraq is going down the tubes because of American foreign policy, not because of one or two men. When individual men are killed, more will only take their place.

Karl Rove is free but the stink of corruption still follows him and the Republican Majority.

What has changed? Americans are suffering everyday financially, spiritually and physically. Soldiers are still dying and the IEDs in Iraq are still going off.
Nothing's changed.

Yesterday, a CBS poll came out to support my take saying al-Zarqawi's death and other recent "successes" are making little difference.

Why Unions? Labor 101

2006-06-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Detroit, Michigan and I guess you could say that I grew up breathing union much as I inhaled air. I took the Unions for granted and assumed they'd always be there. I did not always appreciate the true contributions of unions to the lives of unionized and non-unionized middle and working class Americans.

I assumed that pensions would always be honored, good health benefits, vacations, weekends and the 40 hour work week were just the American way if you went to school and learned a skilled trade or earned your higher degrees in college.

I didn't pay attention much when Ronald Reagan busted the Air Traffic Controller union in 1981 but was still able to get white working class Americans to vote for him. I didn't pay much attention to how the owners of the Detroit Free Press and News busted their own union during the mid-1990s and nothing's been the same since in the newspaper industry. By the way, that was a NASTY strike and some Detroit union members still refuse to subscribe to that newspaper again.

But today the 35 year attack on the Labor Movement is naked for all to see. Unions across the country are on their knees and whether you are unionized or not, I suspect that you as a blue or white collar American worker can feel the demise of pay and benefits.

There's an old saying: A rising tide lifts all boats.

The rising tide was provided by the unions and it pains me to hear people who have everything to gain from a strong union attack it by parroting right wing talking points on Fox News and the cable news pundits. As well, I think that unions have not been good at public relations and getting out there and letting the American worker know about the history of the labor movement and how unions have helped them as workers.

Another blogger Nathan Newman wrote a powerful entry on unions on DailyKos.com and I felt moved to share it here.

Please read it and pass it on. The truth needs to get out now because America is perishing for the lack of it.

America's Disgrace: 3 Suicides at Guantanomo Bay

2006-06-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

If you recall, a few months ago there were media reports of 75 of Guantanamo Bay prisoners engaging in a mass hunger strike to protest the inhumane conditions and their lack of access to a fair trial. We were told that these prisoners were force fed in the interest of humanity.

Now we are told that 3 of the prisoners has committed suicide by hanging themselves with their bed sheets.

And worst yet, one of the Bush administrations officials are trying to spin these suicides. One official says, "I believe this was not an act of desperation, but an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us." Crap! They think we are stupid!

If this were an act of warfare against us then these prisoners would've killed themselves years ago when they were first imprisoned.

Now let me say right off that I do not know if these prisoners were terrorists or not. But what I do know is that the United States has a mighty document called The United States Constitution that used to be held in pretty high esteem by our elected officials until George W. Bush stole his way into the White House. It guarantees these imprisoned men their day in a fair court where our government can make their case and prove that these men were indeed terroristic threats to America. The fact that our Supreme Court has refused to force Bush to abide by our laws is an absolute dereliction of duty!

As well, the fact that Bush has avoided giving these men their day in court makes me believe that the government is unable to prove that these men have done anything wrong. So why are they being held? It is a national disgrace. Our reputation as champions of human rights is in the toilet. America has sullied herself on Bush's watch.

I can understand why these men, who have been heinously imprisoned and tortured with no access to a fair trial, would finally opt to kill themselves.

And for a Bush administration official to come out and try to spin these suicides as "an act of asymmetrical warfare waged against us" is a cynicical attempt to appeal to Americans' fears and desire for self-protection. It is a very cynicial ploy that caters to our baser instincts.

But, my past knowledge of the Bush administration's lies and my sense of peace and social justice will not allow me to be manipulated in this manner. The truth is, I am more afraid of my government than I am of the existing terrorists. Yes, I am an American citizen and I am more afraid of my own government who continues to demonstrate such disdain for the American rule of law.

And I am appalled and outraged by every inhumane and corrupt act that is done in America's name within this country and around the world.

More than that, it is clear to me that the Bush Administration is hell-bent on protecting itself - and has declared war on the American people, our U.S. Constitution and the rest of the World.

Sermon from YearlyKos

2006-06-11T14:35:00.000-07:00

I'm an unabashed member of the "Netroots". Yes, I'm a daily visitor of DailyKos.com, the most popular political blog in America. It is a wonderful progressive outlet of information and rant-outlet for me.

As you may or may not be aware, this weekend the Daily Kos blog community held its first national conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. The conference is called "YearlyKos"

Since I was unable to make the trek to Las Vegas, I watched the conference on video at home. It was wonderful. There were so many delicious panels on diverse topics such as the CIA Leak, illegal wiretapping, getting out of Iraq, how progressives can start winning elections again and election reform. Many elected officials attended such as Gov. Howard Dean, Gov. Mark Warner, Senator Harry Reid, and Senator Barbara Boxer - and plenty of 2006 progressive candidates.

Here is some video of several of the speeches.

Anyway one of the spiritually progressives bloggers called Pastor Dan held a session on Religion and Politics and he gave this fascinating speech His blog is called Street Prophets.

I hope you will take a few minutes and read his speech. Here are some powerful highlights:

We need a way to seek the healing of the world.

I mean to suggest, then, that for progressives in 2006, there are a number of questions about religion that we should not be overly concerned with.

We don't need to worry about what we are doing to attract conservative evangelicals.

We don't need to argue for more "God-talk" in political campaigns.

We don't need to fuss and fight about whether or not the Democratic party is "friendly to people of faith."

We don't need to reconcile faith and science: they are separate, but not necessarily antagonistic, realms.

We don't need to seek the conversion of American voters. They're fine the way they are, regardless of what they believe or don't believe.

We sure as shooting don't need to aim for using "Biblical principles" in Democratic political strategy or governance.

What we do need to do is ask some basic questions: what are we after, in the end? And how do we intend to go about getting it, together?

I found his speech particularly useful since it cuts through the media spin and gets at the spiritual and political truths we all need to grapple with.

I am clear on one thing: Reclaiming America requires a long-term committed progressive movement.

And I, like millions of others, have been called to serve.

The Truth About Haditha

2006-06-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Haditha. Now, I'm just going to tell the truth about the atrocious killing of innocent Iraqi women and children in Haditha. I don't need to wait to hear more of the United States politicians lying to my face about how it was an alleged deed done by only a handful of American soldiers.

The truth is, they did it and they've been killing, raping and pillaging the Iraqi women, men and children for some time now. This is what happens when you send brave young American soldiers ill-prepared and ill-trained on an ill-conceived mission for which the rationale keeps changing. No wonder the suicide rate is at an all-time high. They are trapped.

Our troops are over there being blown up and shot at by an unseen enemy. These are the conditions they must survive under for days, weeks, months and years on end with the date to go home being held elusively over their heads repeatedly. They feel forgotten and are stressed out and tired, tired, tired - and full of fear.

And nobody cares in Washington. Nobody cares about anything in Washington except getting re-elected and saying the right thing and doing the right thing to guarantee this almighty re-election. Democrat and Republican. (Well, maybe a few care but most of them don't.)

Don't insult my intelligence (and that of other Americans) by sending one general over to Iraq to lecture the troops on "military ethics and honor". It is laughable. How can any of the military brass or the political leadership lecture these soldiers on a subject that is totally lacking within them??? What does Rumsfeld, Gen. Peter Pace, Bush, Cheney, or Condolezza Rice know of ethics and honor??

And, for the thousandth time, the media is yammering about how this is it, Rumsfeld will be forced to resign! Crap! Rumsfeld's not going anywhere until there's a change in Congressional leadership ranks in Washington, DC. Until then, Bush's same poisonous, callous, myopic Iraq policy will continue.

Even the Iraqi Prime Minister is speaking out about the troops careless disregard for the lives of Iraqis.

The raping, killing and pillaging will continue because this is what you see when you continue to send the same exhausted military men and women back for two, three, four and five tours of duty.

What do you expect? What can we expect?

More of the same: American sin and disgrace.

America is a country in want of real leadership and it is killing the collective American soul.

Bringing Back Gay Marriage: So who is surprised?

2006-06-04T19:37:00.000-07:00

We knew it was about that time, didn't we? Bush will prontificate about protecting the sanctity of marriage in a speech on Monday in order to try to rally the right wing Christian base.

Trouble is, 2006 is not 2004 and it is questionable how many people can get worked up over this issue again - atleast, enough to save the GOP from losing big in the November elections.

One of Bush's friends makes the comment in the above link that he doubts if Bush cares about the issue at all since he never even talks about it.

This is pure political pandering - and it is naked for all to see. Wonder if the media will have the guts to take Bush and the GOP to task for it?

Doubtful. Although this Newsweek article is a pretty good start.

The REAL Hot 100

2006-05-29T05:01:00.000-07:00

Who are the REAL hot 100?

http://therealhot100.org/

The REAL hot 100 is a list featuring young women from around the country
who are breaking barriers, fighting stereotypes, and making a difference
in their communities or the nation.

This project will not only combat the popular notion that all young
women have to offer is their ability to appeal to men, but it will also
highlight the important -- but often overlooked -- work young women are
doing.

http://girlsingovernment.org/mambo/

What does it take for a woman to succeed in politics? Despite the
progress made in the last century, there are still few women leaders.
Together we can change that. To become the leaders of tomorrow, we must
learn from the leaders of today.

The Divine Feminine Reasserts Herself

2006-05-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

I've been reading quite a lot about Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" and its cultural ramifications including the conservative church protests. Most are concentrating on the notion of Jesus Christ marrying Mary Magdalene and little else. Very few in the media are using terms like "divine feminine","sacred feminine" or "goddess worship". Why? What's this all about?

For too long these terms have been wrapped in mystery and fear - much like the notion of feminine sexual power has. Yet the divine feminine continues to swim in the air we breathe and it affects our cultural identity assumptions, as well. Whether we are conscious of it or not. It matters not whether it is apparent to us in our thoughts or is on the outside of our consciousness influencing as the abstract "other".

Just think of how the Religious Right and Corporate America has formed a powerful coalition that now resides in the White House. They garnered much of their power by putting their collective feet on the faces of women and gays. The GOP's Southern Strategy traffics in seeking to control the bodies of women, gays and people of color. How much more "other" can you get?

What I find fascinating is that "The Da Vinci Code" has been published during a time of spiritual warfare between modernity (progressivism/liberalism) and a kind of traditionalism (conservatism) that is based in puritanical prejudices. For the past 6 years it seemed like these puritanical beliefs had won out. But not so fast. The battle is not yet done.

The Divine Feminine reaaserts herself daily in word, deed, thought and in Mother Earth. America and Latin America are leaning left now. The progressive tilt will continue to grow in America because things are definitely going to continue to get worse. There's no way around it. America is reaping the rotten public policy that it sowed for the last 6 years and thought it could wallpaper over with the constant lies and bullying of the right wing media machine.

But the truth continues to come out....

Howard Zinn: How to Fix What's Wrong

2006-05-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

I love to hear legendary progressive hell-raising historian Howard Zinn weigh in on our current debacle in America. He has some insightful things to say in his latest interview Howard Zinn on Fixing What's Wrong.

For those of you not familiar with Zinn, here is a video clip of his 2005 appearance on The Daily Show. Enjoy!

Prosperity Gospel vs. Peace & Justice Gospel

2006-05-17T13:39:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see progressive black preachers with integrity beginning to speak out against these mega-church preachers like Bishop Eddie Long, T.D. Jakes and Creflo Dollar who are on Bush's Faith-based Initiative payroll.

Righteous preachers like Cornel West have said they are bothered by Prosperity Gospel Mega-churches in which you encounter two ATMs before you see a cross when you enter. Columnist Tonyaa Weathersbee weighs in as well.

I was truly bothered back in January when Coretta Scott King died, there emerged a number of articles on the future of the black church in the Atlanta Journal Constitution that claimed that mega-church preachers like Eddie Long were the future of the black church. Long, himself, came out and proclaimed himself the torch-bearer for the future of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s teachings. He said it in several publications several times.

My skin crawled when I heard it. I first began to question the integrity of Bishop Long when he led a march along with Bernice King in downtown Atlanta - only days after Bush stole another election and the Republican party took over Georgia. To this day, many Georgians have little confidence in our current electronic voting machines with no paper trail.

But, Georgians, rest easy - Bishop Long leads a march against gay marriage - not the Iraq War, not the lack of universal health care, not the poor public schools, not the systematic fazing out of women's reproductive choices and affirmative action.

Long, T.D. Jakes (who covered for Bush during Katrina), Creflo Dollar and the like will NEVER take a stand against the corrupt power structure. You can depend upon it.

All of these bought out preachers on Bush's payroll are a disgrace.

Turns out he's eavesdropping on ALL of US!

2006-05-11T17:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm not surprised. But I am HOPPING MAD! Bush is recording tens of millions of Americans' phone records who are not suspected of terrorist activity. Tens of millions! And BellSouth, Verizon and AT&T willingly turned over their phone records in capitulation to the government.

I already wrote my phone company and read them the riot act. Now to find a new phone company...

I initially watched CNN, ABC & CBS Evening Newscasts to see how they'd spin this debacle and, predictably, they claimed the program was legal, praised Bush for coming out this morning to explain without taking reporters' questions and generally downplayed this matter.

Later, I watched Keith Olbermann's MSNBC "Countdown" show and he had Constitutional Law professor Johnathan Turley on who was appalled by this program and proclaimed that we're in the midst of a CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS! You won't hear that on ABC or CBS. To CNN's credit, they had Jack Cafferty weigh in and he was a breadth of fresh air. He told the unvarnished truth:

Cafferty: We all hope nothing happens to Arlen Specter, the Republican head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cause he might be all that stands between us and a full blown dictatorship in this country. He's vowed to question these phone company executives about volunteering to provide the government with my telephone records, and yours, and tens of millions of other Americans.

Shortly after 9/11, AT7T, Verizon, and BellSouth began providing the super-secret NSA with information on phone calls of millions of our citizens, all part of the War on Terror, President Bush says. Why don't you go find Osama bin Laden, and seal the country's borders, and start inspecting the containers that come into our ports?

The President rushed out this morning in the wake of this front page story in USA Today and declared the government is doing nothing wrong, and all this is just fine. Is it? Is it legal? Then why did the Justice Department suddenly drop its investigation of the warrantless spying on citizens because the NSA said Justice Department lawyers didn't have the necessary security clearance to do the investigation. Read that sentence again. A secret government agency has told our Justice Department that it's not allowed to investigate it. And the Justice Department just says ok and drops the whole thing. We're in some serious trouble, boys and girls"

To see actual Jack Cafferty video, see crooksandliars.com

Russ Feingold gets it!

2006-05-08T20:24:00.000-07:00

It is truly pathetic when one of your own has to continuously go public to shame you into acquiring a set of balls. Yet, this is what Democratic Senator Russ Feingold is forced to do. And I admire him for it. He is miles ahead of the rest of the "leading Democrats".

I do not understand why Hillary, Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Barack Obama, Biden and the rest of those nimrods continue to let Bush and Rove intimidate them. And, yes, I understand that our guys have to face a huge GOP political machine and a bought out corporate media, but Bush's approval ratings prove that the public is way ahead of Beltway Conventional Wisdom regarding Bush and the GOP.

What the heck are the Dems so afraid of? Fire the losing, quivering consultants and lead from the heart. Before it's too late.

America is hungry for a leader with real solutions and the more I see Russ Feingold the more attractive he becomes. He's willing to stand alone - on principle and brings IT everytime.

I think I'm in love.

Warrior for Peace & Environmental Justice Damu Smith, 1952-2006

2006-05-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

We honor the powerful life and contributions of yet another elder who has joined the Ancestors - Damu Smith. There is no question that the progressive movement has taken a mighty blow with this warrior's early demise:

Activist, Radio Show Host Damu Smith Dies

By Darryl Fears
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, May 7, 2006; C07

Damu Smith, an internationally known D.C. peace activist who advocated for a Martin Luther King Jr. holiday in the 1980s, fought chemical pollution on the Louisiana Gulf Coast in the 1990s and campaigned against the war in Iraq in the new century, died May 5 at George Washington University Hospital after a year-long battle with colon cancer. He was 54.

Mr. Smith was one of the city's preeminent civil rights activists, the voice of a thriving local movement. He co-hosted the show "Spirit in Action" on WPFW (89.3 FM), where his advocacy continued "right up to the bitter end," said his partner on the show, Milagros A. Phillips.

"He was a freedom fighter. I mean tireless," said another friend, Dera Tompkins. "You could not know Damu and not be politically active. He demanded it."
Mr. Smith had many other friends, including Jesse L. Jackson Sr., with whom he traveled, poet Sonia Sanchez and actor Harry Belafonte, who presented him with a plaque last month for his community service.

LeRoy Wesley Smith was a native of St. Louis who came to the District in 1973 to study at Antioch College. His older sister, Sylnice Williams, said he was a curious child, drawn to science, and a natural organizer who became active in school politics.

When Mr. Smith was 17, he took a field trip to Cairo, Ill., and attended a black solidarity rally that showed him the power of community service. Jackson, writer Amiri Baraka, singer Nina Simone and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, King's top lieutenant, spoke that day.

Shortly after arriving in Washington, Mr. Smith was drawn into two causes: the fight for a national King holiday and the battle against South African apartheid. He took the name Damu, which means "blood, leadership and strength" in the Swahili language of Kenya.

In the 1990s, Mr. Smith joined Greenpeace USA, monitoring corporate pollution on the Gulf Coast. He coordinated the first National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit, in 1991, helping to link the civil rights movement to the environmental movement for the first time, colleagues said.

As founder of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, Mr. Smith arranged so-called "toxic tours" of an area in Louisiana known as Cancer Alley. In 2001, he took author Alice Walker, poet Haki Madhubuti and actor Mike Farrell on a tour of the region, where black people experience a high level of cancer deaths.

Greenpeace released a statement saying that Mr. Smith's work led to a confrontation with Shell Oil over its "chemical dumping practices and forced the Shintech PVC Plant out of Norco, Louisiana." John Passacantando, Greenpeace's executive director, said Mr. Smith's death "is a monumental loss" for many groups and movements.

Mr. Smith was sometimes controversial. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Mr. Smith cautioned Americans and the U.S. government against targeting Arabs. At a forum, he reminded the audience that the former South African president Nelson Mandela was once considered a terrorist and that federal officials stood by as southern politicians and the Ku Klux Klan terrorized black people during segregation.

"As I recall, there were no Arabs riding horses terrorizing black folks," he said.
Love him or not, said a friend, Kwesi Ron Harris, Mr. Smith "spoke with maximum clarity. Whether you agreed with him or not, you had to take notice. When he walked into a room, you knew something was coming behind him, a rush of energy."

Said Phillips, the radio co-host: "He just had this passion for fairness and justice and wanted all people to live in a world that was compassionate." On the air, he would criticize Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld "for something they had done, and he would end by saying, 'But you know I love you,' " Phillips said.

Activist Ayo Handi Kendi said Mr. Smith was such a tireless activist for others that he ignored his health.

Last year in March, after complaining of stomach problems off and on for years, he fell ill while leading a delegation for Palestinian rights in the Middle East. After his return to Washington, doctors told him that he was in the end stage of colon cancer. He was given three months to live.

In interviews before his death, Mr. Smith said he wanted to see his daughter, Asha Moore Smith, 13, grow to adulthood and that he wished to broaden his relationship with Adeleke Foster, who became his companion after his cancer diagnosis and assisted him until he died.

"He did fight," said Williams, his sister. "With God's help, he fought. He lasted longer than they thought he would."

In addition to his daughter, from an earlier relationship, and sister, of St. Louis, survivors include two brothers.

Stephen Colbert is doing the job that our media WON'T

2006-05-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

As the corporate media and the right wing castigate Stephen Colbert for the balls he displayed during the White House Press Dinner last week, Editor & Publisher columnist Greg Mitchell weighs in and calls it as he and I (and I suspect many others on the left see it).

Mitchell decries the hypocrisy and blindness on the part of the corporate media to criticism directed at Bush's sinking credibility and the media's refusal to directly mount a consistent challenge of it.

YAYY Greg!

A Presidency Out of Control

2006-05-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

This article written by Charlie Savage for the Boston Globe appeared a few days ago. It is about how Bush is using signing statements to argue that he can ignore long-standing American laws that he does not like.

It has gotten very little attention in the media. I saw a discussion of it on Keith Olbermann's MSNBC show, but not much more.

I've said it before, but it is shocking how thoroughly intimidated our corporate media is. Bush's use of signing statements should have triggered a "Firestorm" .

We're in trouble.

Thank you Stephen Colbert!

2006-05-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

CNN and MSNBC yammered on about how hilarious Bush's speech was at the White House Correspondence dinner which included a Bush double. But the lesser-covered and REAL story was the bit Stephen Colbert, host of Comedy Central's "Colbert Report" gave. Colbert is a brilliant satirist! He scorchingly criticized the Bush Administration and the corporate media at the same time. He spoke truth to power and Bush wasn't too happy about it.

Yet, CNN, the New York Times and other outlets wrote up the White House Correspondence dinner and mysteriously "overlooked" ANY mention of Stephen Colbert's bit. How can it be???
Not surprisingly, bloggers are on fire about it.

Here is one particularly powerful blogger response that correctly analyzes the problem: The media has chosen to ignore Colbert and continue to decide what is and is not news.

See Colbert's courageous bit on this site called Thankyoustephencolbert.org

Colbert is brilliant.

Huge Anti-War Rally in NYC

2006-04-29T14:49:00.000-07:00

The people continue to awaken and RISE UP! According to CNN, the military announced that April was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Iraq this year. Tens of thousands of patriotic Americans (and no doubt, people from around the world) showed up to roar against the war.

Trying to silence the press

2006-04-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Right in front of the public's eyes, Bush is arrogantly trying to intimidate the press into silence. The government is trying to start prosecuting not only the courageous Whistleblowers who alert the public when our government is breaking laws - but journalists, too.

Not since Richard Nixon have we seen such blatantly arrogant and hypocritical activity. But it's okay when the leaker the President himself.

I can't believe this is America. Seems like America is turning in to China or Russia really quickly - and right before the American public's eyes. American democracy is circling the drain while all kinds of illegal acts are being committed by our government in the name of the American public and this is why Bush is trying to jail the Whistleblowers and the Press.

The Truth is Coming Out if we are only willing to see and hear it.

More pressure on Bush to stop the killing in Darfur

2006-04-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm glad to see that public outcry for Bush to stop the genocide in Darfur is ramping up. Some U.S. representatives were arrested today in protest outside of the Sudan embassy in DC. Wish I could attend the rally tomorrow in Washington, but I will be there in spirit.

Bush: The Manichurean President

2006-04-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

What doesn't Bush and the Congress get? Americans believe that Americans should be in control of their own national security. Incredible! But par for the course...

Bush approves Dubai defense purchase By Caren Bohan
Fri Apr 28, 9:58 AM ET

President George W. Bush approved Dubai's $1.24 billion takeover of Doncasters, a British engineering company with U.S. plants that supply the Pentagon, the White House said on Friday.

The decision, announced by White House spokesman Scott McClellan, followed a congressional uproar over security fears that scuttled another Dubai state-owned company's plan to acquire operations at major U.S. ports.

The interagency Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States sent its confidential recommendation on the Dubai takeover of Doncasters to Bush on April 13.

"The president this morning accepted the committee's recommendation," McClellan said. "The committee recommended approval of the transaction after closely scrutinizing it and concluding that it would not compromise our national security."

Pat Buchanan: Impeach if Bush attacks Iran

2006-04-28T10:26:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm about to say something that I rarely say. I agree with right wing crazy Pat Buchanan! He writes adroitly about how outrageous and immoral it is to even discuss attacking Iran - a country that has no nuclear weapons yet and will not have one for another 8-10 years.

The Neo-conservatives and Bush are crazed, bloodthirsty, corrupt and incompetent traitors to America. How many more of our children will they use as cannon-fodder. But the main question is, how many more of our children will WE allow them to kill?

We need to rise and light white hot flames under the GOP-led Congress and Democrats to make it plain under no uncertain terms that the madness stops today: WE WILL NOT ATTACK IRAN - A COUNTRY THAT HAS NOT ATTACKED US.

Andrew Young is a traitor to himself and the Civil Rights Movement

2006-04-24T19:11:00.000-07:00

Andrew Young has sold his soul for a few coins. Whatever Walmart is paying him it is not enough. He has been a morally compromised, bought out fool for quite a few years now. It is only now that he has broken the mold and declared his moral treachery to all the world! How dare he become a Walmart spokesman "for Working Families" and declare he is doing so on behalf of Reverend Martin Luther King!

No wonder Bush asked Young to join his administration just after he'd stolen the White House in 2000.

No wonder it was Young who claimed that changing Georgia's flag was not an important issue back in 2001.

No wonder it was Young who criticized Joseph Lowery for taking Bush to task for Katrina and Iraq at Mrs. King's funeral in January in the national media.

No wonder it was Young who stood beside Republican Majority Leader Bill Frist to endorse Condolezza Rice for Secretary of State in 2005.

Anytime a bought off, weak-kneed, triple-talking shell of a black "Civil Rights Leader" is needed to provide cover for Bush and the Republican agenda - there stands Andrew Young.

How does he look at himself in the mirror?