Keith Thompson, San Francisco Chronicle - http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/05/22/INGUNCQHKJ1.DTL - 5-22-05

In the sixties, America correctly focused on bringing down walls that prevented equal access and due process. It was time to walk the Founders' talk -- and we did. With barriers to opportunity no longer written into law, today the body politic is crying for different remedies.

America must now focus on creating healthy, self-actualizing individuals committed to taking responsibility for their lives, developing their talents, honing their skills and intellects, fostering emotional and moral intelligence, all in all contributing to the advancement of the human condition.

At the heart of authentic liberalism lies the recognition, in the words of John Gardner, "that the ever renewing society will be a free society (whose] capacity for renewal depends on the individuals who make it up." A continuously renewing society, Gardner believed, is one that seeks to "foster innovative, versatile, and self-renewing men and women and give them room to breathe."

One aspect of my politics hasn't changed a bit. I became a liberal in the first place to break from the repressive group orthodoxies of my reactionary hometown.

This past January, my liberalism was in full throttle when I bid the cultural left goodbye to escape a new version of that oppressiveness. I departed with new clarity about the brilliance of liberal democracy and the value system it entails; the quest for freedom as an intrinsically human affair; and the dangers of demands for conformity and adherence to any point of view through silence, fear, or coercion.

True, it took a while to see what was right before my eyes. A certain misplaced loyalty kept me from grasping that a view of individuals as morally capable of and responsible for making the principle decisions that shape their lives is decisively at odds with the contemporary left's entrance-level view of people as passive and helpless victims of powerful external forces, hence political wards who require the continuous shepherding of caretaker elites.

Leftists who no longer speak of the duties of citizens, but only of the rights of clients, cannot be expected to grasp the importance (not least to our survival) of fostering in the Middle East the crucial developmental advances that gave rise to our own capacity for pluralism, self-reflection, and equality. A left averse to making common cause with competent, self- determining individuals -- people who guide their lives on the basis of received values, everyday moral understandings, traditional wisdom, and plain common sense -- is a faction that deserves the marginalization it has pursued with such tenacity for so many years.

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Here's a memo Bill Frist released yesterday afternoon (see extended entry), regarding what he, as Majority Leader, has proposed to the Senate in order to bring an end to the filibustering (see next entry for a small sample) which has been going on this week.

The proposal? That there be 100 hours of debate on each nominee, with each senator getting one hour of floor time. On Tuesday, 4 nominees are scheduled to be considered.

I believe that Senators, who after reading the JC's (Judiciary Committee's) comprehensive report (which includes nominees profiles and credentials) and the transcript of the interviews, they are still unable to make up their mind on nominees (who are currently sitting on the bench in Circuit Court) or are incapable of debating their credentials concisely on the floor, then these Senators don' t deserve to be on the hill! more...

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Last night, as I was doing computer upgrades and trouble shooting, I was listening to the radio on that day's filibustering in the Senate. Well, to hear what was going on was a mind-numbing experience.

I've posted in the extended entry a one page transcribed excerpt I found on either Hewitt's site or Fox news (sorry lost the link & page), just in case anyone was interested in seeing our hard earned tax dollars at work. Here's a link to the MP3 excerpt (via radioblogger.com) of the portion I didn't transcribe because of the overwhelming urge to laugh and scream simultaneously. For the love of God, can anyone tell me what this man means by the Republicans "Hamanizing" the Senate?

I'm interested in what others are doing to stay informed, so please let me know what you think and if you've kept up with the filibustering. Sometimes the personal annecdotes drive me over the edge, because I think to myself: "this is the crap that's going into the senate record for the day!"

Read on McDuff's, you be the judge and see if the wheels of democracy have come to a screeching halt. more...

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Last night I wrote another long post on the North Korean nuclear debate. In it I provided some background, history and listed a number of agreements and highlights facts that are relevant to today's situation. Why did I do this? Because pundits are very good at providing opinions and not sharing facts. I just care about the facts, I can formulate my own opinions thank you! Unfortunately, my computer began crashing, and I lost my post. Curses!

So I'll just summarize my most interesting observations and points and let you do your own research. For instance, I find it interesting that most people in our government, who have taken a position against this administration's policy on North KoreaÂ’s nuclear proliferation have never even visited South Korea, in order to get a glimpse into the mindset of North Koreans and it's presidenial dictator, Kim Jong II. Only then can they asses the real threat involved and assess the true character of Kim Jong.

I also find Hillary ClintonÂ’s flawed memory absolutely unbelievable. It seems that in blaming the current administrationÂ’s policy, of seeking a multi-lateral compromise between North Korea and itÂ’s neighbors, she overlooks what in fact brought us to this point.

Lest she forget I think I should reminder of several important facts:
First, it was agreements her husband made and pushed for, which forced the South Koreans to sell the nuclear reactor to North Korea in the first place. The South Korean government and it's people protested vociferously at the time and resented Bill's interference in their affairs. The US sent a delegation to threaten economic sanctions against a country whose major industries at the time (automobile parts and computer parts) were suffering heavily.

Second, within 2 years of the reactor being operatonal, North Korea began threatening to use it to create nuclear weapons. Weapons, South Korea beleived Kim Jong would build in spite of his pledge not to.

Three, it was subsequent agreements which Bill Clinton pushed for and brokered which essentially paid the North Koreans for not producing nuclear weapons, so they wouldnÂ’t make good on their threat of bombing South Korea, Japan and China.

Four, these payments happened in spite of protests by the South Korean/Pan Asian governments warning, that paying off Kim Jong was tantamount to paying off a terrorist and letting them keep their weapons plant.

Well, even if Hillary has forgotten I haven't. I lived in Asia at the time and was angered by our payments to a political criminal and murderer! But then, in looking back over Clintonian history I see this is something he practiced repeatedly!

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I’ve been mulling over _Jon’s post (of We Swear) on “College campus’ ban of military recruiters”. There were several reactions that came up for me as soon as I read it. The first and most immediate one was anger with the news story. Imagine what would have happened to women’s sports if the federal government had not threatened to cut off funds to schools receiving federal money, and not using at least 25% of it to go towards women’s athletics. Women's sports wouldn’t exist! As it is, Title IX has never achieved the parity with men's sports that it sought. However, women’s athletics have come a long way since the days of no women’s sports in schools.

Imagine if colleges had said to the federal government, weÂ’ll take your money, but you know what you can do with your ideas of equality.

Well, his post was compelling enough to make me want to do research on this issue. Below are the basic facts that I culled from various sources including the Thomas Register, which is the Library of CongressÂ’ archival repository for current and past legislation. That way I filter out the middlemen (Sorry _Jon, but just because a guy at the Washington Post says trust me on this, doesnÂ’t me I do.) So in my research I culled some basic and very important relevant facts:

- The policy being used as a pretext to push the military off campus is the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" (DADT) policy implemented by the military in 1993.

- The Solomon Amendment, requires all institutions, not just educational, who receive federal grants, to give limited access to military recruiters, so they can make unobtrusive presentations (in the form of pamphlets being left behind or visits by recruiters) to people who may be interested in a career in the military. This is done with the consent and approval of the school.

- The was passed under a number of laws in 1995 and extended to educational institutions in 1997. when interim rules were established.

- The final institutional rules were implemented in 1998.

Hmmm, I wonder who was President during this period?

I have several arguments to make on against the ban:

First, it was not until recently, with our government actively involved in a war, that this became an issue and recruiters and their pamphlets were banned from campuses across the country. Colleges still continued to use and accept federal grants and aid. in spite of violating the Solomon Amendment. During my tenure as undergraduate student government president from 1995 to 1997, this was an issue for some students (the anarchists and extreme left) and faculty. Administrators on my campus were indifferent because they relegated military recruiters to the same space credit card representatives were given at the edge of our campus.

Second, the overriding issue that I see is the denial of Free Speech. ItÂ’s OK for students, faculty and staff to openly object to the war, but let one ROTC or military recruiter come on campus with their recruiting table and pamphlets and all hell breaks loose.

So what I see in this fight, is more than just a simple college ban, it is college staff and administrators systematically limiting dialogue or free speech and denying studentsÂ’ the exposure to a differing point of view.

In the extended entry you will find a letter a former mentee of mine (and an impending law school graduate) will be sending to the Washington Post and New York Times. His argument is different from mine. Weigh in if you wish, IÂ’ve posted my 2 cents on this issue.
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I read a post by Ed Thomas yesterday, titled "BBC and the UN's problem with morality", in which he outlines the continual bias of these organizations against the US and UK governments. He uses the example of the UNÂ’s recent renewal of Zimbabwe's seat, as a member of the UNÂ’s human rights commission. He argues that these 2 organizations often overlook issues/abuses by African governments, in order to maintain their criticism against US/UK and their foreign policie. The reason for his criticism is summarized below.

This just sums up the wrong headedness of the Beeb (BBC) and the UN, who often these days seem partners in crime. The cause of suffering, ie. the tolerance of foul and callous leadership in Africa, is demoted to a footnote, while the sticking plaster of what amounts to compassionateÂ… is foregrounded- and thus we get warm and fuzzies about the UN and totally misled about [their] failures to confront the evils that plague Africa.

It's a criticism with which I concur, except that I would have used stronger language. I have many problems with Zimbabwe's renewal; mostly for what it means for both the UN and Annan, that they are once again escaping public scrutiny and hiding behind a diplomatic cloak. But I'm especially angry, for what it means, in terms of the tacit approval given, to Zimbabwe's government; that it's OK to tolerate corruption and fraud, so long as your taking some small miniscule step to feed and help your people while pointing the finger at others. It seems that the criticism labeled at us stems from the US/UK holding off or cutting aid and support until the UN cleans up it's act and honestly conducts a thorough investigation in the Oil for Food program scandal.

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Remember how the UK newspaper, the Guardian, who gave out addresses to British citizens so they could write to Ohio residents in order to influence our presidential vote last September? Well, it turns out that my old comrade at The Politburo Diktat is issuing a similar challenge, in order for us to do the same.

In the Commisar's post, 'My fellow non-Britons ...' he gives us important details and links to a similar project in which we try to influence the voters of Monmouth, Wales (a swing region) to vote for who goes to live at 10 Downing St.

If you're up for the challenge, and are not intimidated by the Queen's English, then I suggest you write to a Briton and return the favor. Tom, the person I wrote to in Ohio, not only wrote back to thank me, he also informed me that he was of like mind. It was really cool!

To find out more details or to get involved visit our dear Comrade in arms at the link above. Thanks!

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Bloggers are a force to be contended with, and we are here to stay!

I have to admit, bloggers like Wonkette and her leftists ilk, did a great disservice to the credibility of bloggers everywhere on election night. They created a damaging situation by releasing unverified, speculative poll numbers prematurely on the web. In doing so they spun things out of control.

Had the margin of victory been narrower, the would have created a situation that would have been worse than Florida in 2000. In the eagerness to scope the media, they hurt Kerry campaigners and volunteers, by leading them to believe a false victory.

I found, that honest, self-respecting bloggers on the right, did not engage in spin. Instead, they stated the facts as facts, and their hopes as personal opinions and were up front about it all.

In this past year, five things made it clear for me that the internet, as a political tool and medium, was here to stay:

1. Howard's Dean's online fundraising efforts made it clear that the internet is not only a viable information tool, but also a grassroots campaign fundraising tool. Dean's fundraising began explosively and increased exponentially the moment after he went online.

2. Kerry's "Plans" were laid out in detail on his website, which garnered many hits from people on both sides of the aisle. People on the opposite side of the aisle (like me) used it as ammunition to deconstruct his policies and show the plain truth behind them.

3. The DNC was able to use the internet to:

• raise over 5 Million dollars in campaign funds,
  
• mobilize people/protestors during the RNC, and
  
• get out their message and "rapidly respond" or spin statements made by Republicans during their convention.

4. The Swift Vote Vets were able to get their message out, even when the Main Stream Media was supressing it. This caused Kerry's post convention bounce to slow to a dribble.

5. Two words: CBS' Memogate.

I firmly believe that Bush's re-election was directly obtained by those who worked tireless to spread his message, who questioned and relentlessly dogged the opposition and the media medium by holding them accountable for their half-truths.

In the end, the internet has grown up and now has the role as the seeker and vanguard of truth.

Posted by: Michele at 02:02 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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The people have spoken and so will Kerry today, conceding at 1PM.

I am so glad that American citizens taught lawyers, judges, the media and all other vote challenger or nosey bodies a lesson: that local areas can handle voting and tallying if given good reliable equipment and enough personnel to handle the influx. Instead of looking for problems, they need to make sure there's enough staff to make it easy for citizens to vote!!!!

Looking beyond the presidential race, I see that we picked up 5 seats in the House and 4 seats in the Senate. Three senate seats we picked up were: Tom DaschleÂ’s, John Edwards and Zel MillerÂ’s!

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I don’t know about you, but I find it ironic that P. Diddy’s latest voting campaign ad, “Vote or Die” was taken to new heights by Osama bin Laden yesterday. Not only is he taunting us to vote in his latest video, he threatens us with more acts of terror if we vote Bush back in office.

Hmmm, now let me get this straight, Osama – a well known terrorist, who yesterday admitted to being the mastermind and financier of the 9/11 attack which killed over 3,000, is threatening me with violence if I vote for Bush? Of course later he says that we will not be safe as a nation if we interfere with any Islamist nation, no matter who is president.

As any new yorker would say: “What is he… stupid!?” Does he think that I’m actually going to listen to what he has to say to me? Does he really think that I can threatened into changing my vote?

I just realized thatÂ’s the 3rd Islamist endorsement Kerry has received in the last 7 days. It seems that Kerry's sister Beth, was busier than I originally thought in getting ex-patriots and others oversease to campaign or vote for Kerry.
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With the DNC and Pres. Jimmy Carter, demanding that foreign observers be dispatched to our polls on election day, citing the 1965 Voting Rights Act; and with the Justice Dept. sending over 1000 election monitors nationwide, I expect November 3rd to be a contentious day in America, thanks to the unresolved issues over provisional ballots and computerized voting. I took a look at provisional voting earlier in the week, here are some news articles that discuss the issues surrounding these machines: FoxNews, Christian Science Monitor,

What do you envision on Nov. 3rd?

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The Commissioner for the NYC Health Dept said yesterday that the Federal Government was to blame for this flu vaccine disaster. He said more, but I wasnÂ’t willing to listen beyond this point as this alone made me angry. No blame was placed on Chiron or the decision of US drug companies to get out of the vaccine market years ago due to the federal constraints and interference.

Never mind that British officials were warning for almost a year now, that they might have to shut down Chiron, the 2nd largest flu vaccine maker in the world, for health and manufacturing violations. I get angry with this commissioner for laying blame elsewhere, when in this crisis could have been managed more effectively and with a more positive spin.

Instead of blaming George Bush, why not take responsibility for your failure to plan and find other alternatives, like educating the public to the flu mist option and urging people to observe safe health practices before and when they do get sick. Instead, they are creating panic and fear, which has caused dangerous situations in NY, Georgia and Florida. Of course, the media is doing a great job at helping to create panic and fear instead of disemminating good information. So I raise my coffee mug in salute to the harbingers of doom.

To get a different perspective on drug companies visit Laughing Wolf and read his post "On Merck, Drugs, and Medicine.

Posted by: Michele at 10:12 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Bush and Kerry endured a fierce battle today, Hip-Hop style. To see a replay of the action and the debate results view this mini-clip. Once you've seen all their moves, you too can VOTE for your favorite candidate and make it a decisive victory!

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1 THAT'S funny. I had to LOL when I saw the Bush Kick. How flippin' appropriate was that?!?!? Thanks Girl! I loved it!

Posted by: Tammi@roadwarriorsurvival.com at October 14, 2004 05:46 PM (UOdfZ)

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UPDATED 10-12-04 at 10:12pm: I have provided 8 new source links on this post to show the seriousness of the situation. In visiting a reader's site, The Cassandra Page, I also came across this link to a Powerline post that talks about a reently uncovered voter fraud scheme in Wisonsin, relating to provisional ballots.

As if the 2000 elections were not bizarre enough, and the current political condition not tense or divisive enough, along come provisional ballots. What’s that you ask, “what are provisional ballots?” Well they are nothing more and nothing less than paper “ballots [made available to] voters if they cannot be found on registration lists, are in the wrong polling place or don't have proper identification but insist they are eligible to vote. Those people will be given "provisional" ballots that will be kept separate from others until their eligibility can be confirmed.”

Now lets see, if theyÂ’re at the wrong polling place, doesn't that mean that someone will check with the correct polling place that they didnÂ’t already vote there before counting it here? Funny, I made sure I was able to vote and check my polling place online. I also checked what documentation I will need to present in order to vote. Of course the democratic party here has also sent me voting information on my polling place. That was nice of them, donÂ’t you think? more...

Posted by: Michele at 01:41 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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No, I've not lost my marbles. I simply want to jump for joy over the Australian elections, which is a very important event. John Howard has won his 4th Consecutive election, and picked up 85 seats for the Coalition, to retain his position as Prime Minister of Australia.

Pixy of Ambient Irony, gave a detailed description or breakdown of how things stand per region. These elections were important because John Howard, is a strong supporter and an important member of the Coalition of the Willing in the Iraqi war. For some thoughts on what this means to Americans, visit Nicole at Potomac Ponderings.

Now, only one election remains for this year, ours. Let me say that from walking around NYC this weekend things do not look well for Bush in NY. Yes, despite having a Republican mayor and governor, the Democratic machine and celebrities have been out in full force these past 2 weeks.
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Posted by: Michele at 11:48 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Yes, Lady Liberty wants you to register to vote or update your registration, if you haven't done so already. The deadline in some last few states is this week. For New York, it's October 6th.

If you haven't registered then you can still do so from the comfort of you're own home [and in your jammies if you prefer]. Just stop by the League of Women Voter's website. Simply follow the instructions and make sure you print and mail it by your state's deadline.

The representatives from the democratic party were all over New York City this past weekend. There were so many Kerry buttons around I was afraid I had stumbled onto a Kerry Convention. Almost hourly I was asked by someone if I wanted to register to vote. All were wearing Kerry propaganda items, I felt like a fish out of water, struggling for air. You should hear the fear they were putting in people's head's with their horrific statements. "If Bush gets into office again we'll have the beginning of WW3." I wanted to vomit when I heard that one!

BTW, how come no one is writing or speculating about the stolen laptops from Bush's campaign headquarters? Nothing else was stolen. Hmmmm, is this the start of Laptop Gate or Affair?

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This was the most painful debate to watch in my entire lifetime of watching debates.

The debate and rhetorical skills were unevenly matched as were the visuals. Those I give to Kerry hands down. However, the winner of providing the most factual information was Bush, although he missed a few opportunities to really do damage. I chalk that up to him trying to be a gentleman.

I hated the debate because it was too rigid. It forced the candidates to be too artificial or contrived.

The President's facial expressions kept reminding me of Mad Magazine's popular character, Alfred E. Newman [wait for all the pictures to load].

Posted by: Michele at 10:32 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Spain's El Pais (its national newspaper equivalent to the NY Times) apologizes to New Yorkers and to US citizens for their use of 9/11 images in their online ad campaign. Below is my translation to their editorial apology.:

"El PAIS asks forgiveness for the use of images of the attack against the Twin Towers of New York, which happened the 11 of September of 2001, in a campaign to increase circulation of online subscribers to ELPAIS.es. This lamentable campaign, made through electronic mail, gleaned two photographs of New York, one with the Twin Towers and another one of its smoldering remains, with the subtitle "A lot happens in one day. Imagíne what can happen in three months ". The promotion began Monday, 13 of September, and was sent to more than 50,000 adressees before it was cancelled on Wednesday, 15th of September." more...

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Yesterday, after I wrote the Little Nut Brown/Ronnie post and received wonderful emails of support, I decided do my daily internet walkabout. I went to visit one of my favorite sites by a gifted Spanish writer I respect very much. Barcepundit has had several Insta-lanches in the past year due to his incredibly insightful breaking news, and I always start my day there or at NetWar04.

As his page loaded I saw an all too familiar image in an ad I was unfamiliar with. The image seemed inocuous at first, then I read the ad text and BAM! I got the full impact of the ad campaign by the trigger of one word - "ENJOY"! The online ad is designed to increase subscriptions to this Spanish news website which is the equivalent to the NY Times.

It is without question the most offensive, opportunistic, sadistic and immoral ad I have ever seen. I waited more than 24hrs before posting, to see if there would be a detraction or an apology to New Yorkers or US citizens, but none has been forthcoming.
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I was one of those children that always loved to stay up and listen to adults discuss the news of the day. Since we didn't have a tv set (my parents were against owning one) my sole entertainment were the political discussions my parents, grandparents and our elderly Jewish neighbors had from time to time.

It was from them that I learned about the Geopolitical factors that led to WWII. But of all the historical stories they told me, there was one that I just couldn't believe. Who could believe that Muslims would join hands with Nazi's in an unholy alliance to eradicate Jews from the world?

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