Greetings (if anyone other than I actually use the blog still)…..

As you can see from the delayed entry, I haven’t really been using this site to attach things I read and see on the Internet.  Since the election I have really been using this site as an online storage site for my favorite websites/blogs.  (For example, I just updated the site tonight with a cool site I found called “WorldChange”….it has the subtext that it will “Change your Thinking”…check it out!!!)

If you are wondering (or interested–again, assuming that anyone other than myself is actually reading this), I am utilizing my Facebook account to share articles, websites, videos, and the like simply because it is easier to update than this blog.  Maybe I can migrate this to be more of a online storage site for reference and resources?????  Any thoughts????  Is there anybody OUT THERE??????

GREETINGS!!!! I know it has been a long time since a new post. I apologize!!! To be honest, I was wondering if anyone was reading this, but I have received messages from people saying “why haven’t you posted anything lately?” Well, if people are reading this and using it, then……..back by (somewhat) popular demand:

• It seems that Obama’s “spread the wealth” isn’t new…even Republican presidents followed the same “socialist” course of spreading the wealth rather than allowing the wealthy to hoard wealth. Hopefully, this is the end of this “trickle down” economics myth.

• The voting results from last election cycle tend to show that this country is divided by more than the red and blue divide. The country seems to be divided into the informed citizenry and an ill-informed citizenry embracing a viral anti-intellectualism that makes them ripe for propaganda influence (like “Obama is a Muslim”).

• Now that the Obama team is moving forward with the transition, it is important for us to keep our eyes on what happens over these next 60 days (leading up to the inauguration) as to what to expect from the Obama administration. Naomi Klein believes that having survived such a horrendous 8 years of the Bush administration’s disastrous policies we should hope for a ROCKY transition. Frances Fox Piven’s great article argues that we shouldn’t believe the hype that America is in a period that demonstrates that the nation has moved past racial, class, and party divisions. QUITE THE CONTRARY….Piven clearly articulates the need for progressives and leftists of all stripes join together and seize this opportunity to force Obama to live up to his promises before the election.
  • Just in case you thought that Obama would bring real, radical change, his pick of Rahm Emanuel shows he is leaning towards being more of a neo-liberal (in the mold of Bill Clinton) rather than a radical who will bring true, progressive changes to this country. In addition to this appointment, this breaking news that the turn-coat Joe Lieberman (LOSERman) will keep his Senate committee posts just shows that the Democratic party (and by extension the Obama team) lack the will and intestinal fortitude to shake up the waters like their electoral mandate seemed to indicate. Better keep their feet to the fire!!!!

• After being the whipping boy during most of the 2008 campaign, Bill Ayers finally went public with his thoughts and views of being used by the Right in an effort to defame and delegitimize Obama. You can read his first written, post-election statement and then watch his first post-election interview (along with his wife Bernadine Dohrn) on Democracy Now! (the only news organization other than the Jim Lehrer NewsHour on PBS that actually allows people to speak their mind in a setting that isn’t trolling for a 15 second sound byte).

• To be filed under “civic duty”: For those of you who live in Georgia and fall into the areas involved with the Martin-Chambliss run-off, TODAY (Tuesday, Nov. 18) is the first day to EARLY VOTE for the Dec. 2 runoff…..GO VOTE!!!!!!

• Finally……here is a great talk that shows that humans are not the only animals that can learn and teach others. This is clearly demonstrated with one of my favorite animals, CROWS!!!

More to follow……..

What a beautiful day in Atlanta!!!!  Here are some interesting news and views I stumbled upon today:

• Nat Hentoff weighs in on the Troy Davis case and the machinery of state-imposed death/murder.

• In the spirit of Halloween and the ever present site of blood during this time, here is a great article by Natalie Angier (best popularizer of science today) about the biological, biochemical, and evolutionary wonders of blood.

I am now off to volunteer some time with the Obama campaign because GEORGIA IS IN PLAY, baby!!!!!  More to come later……..

Only one week left before this nasty presidential fight is over and here are some important things I ran across today:

• Steal Back the Vote:  the Republican machine is actively working to disenfranchise voters all over this country.  Greg Palast and Bobby Kennedy, Jr. have both been investigating voter irregularities that have already been taking place in this 2008 Presidential campaign.  As the video indicates, the Secretary of State of Colorado (a Republican) has already purged over 19% of the new registered voters on technicalities.  This isn’t a limited phenomenon….it is happening in at least 6 other states (including the other “battleground” states of Michigan, North Carolina, and Ohio).  Remember that “all that Republicans have to do is lose less than the margin of fraud”…..be aware!!!!  Please look at the site, watch the video, and then read the article from Rolling Stone.

• Alan Greenspan (the “professor” and defender of American style, hyper-consumeristic capitalism) finally admitted that his “worldview was wrong”!!!!  Finally admitting that the egoistic, unregulated selfishness praised by his ideological guide, Ayn Rand, simply doesn’t work, and what our economy is now experiencing is the inevitable outcome of capitalism.  Read the entire article… and then engage in the worldwide conversation about alternative ways of living and organizing ourselves as a society.  As Murray Bookchin said, “If we are intelligent beings, shouldn’t we be able to create a society that demonstrates that intelligence?”

• I went to the Atlanta chapter meeting of the Democratic Socialists of America to hear a panel on this financial crisis and discuss the article “A Case for a Democratic Economy and Clearing the Way for Socialism”.  Basically, they were asking a question that many Americans are now asking….what is wrong with socialism??  Not everyone in this world is buying the capitalist party line any longer.

All for now….more later.  PEACE….

After a Global Day of Action meant to call attention to the Troy Davis case, the 11th Circuit Court issued a stay of execution just 2 days from his scheduled execution for a crime he has continually denied involvement and 7 of the 9 eyewitnesses who have now recanted their initial testimony that incriminated Troy Davis. The court issued a stay of execution with the condition that his lawyers must show that new testimony and evidence is enough to prove “by clear and convincing evidence that…no reasonable fact finder would have found [him] guilty.”

• Here are the details of the stay of execution (ok….here is one for all of you who only trust mainstream media for your information).
• A great discussion by DemocracyNow! that investigates the background of the Troy Davis case and the latest news on new evidence, recanted eyewitness testimony, and appeals for saving his life (please note that this was from Friday’s episode that was recorded before the stay of execution was handed down by the 11th Circuit, but it provides great background information): Real Audio of the Troy Davis Case from DemocracyNow! or here is the Real Video stream or (if you are low-tech) here is the transcript.

So, it seems for the moment that the actions, voices, petition signing, and other activities have bought Troy Davis more time (and hopefully a new hearing). So, let’s savor this small victory (hey, they are few and far between in this fight against a global empire), and then refocus our resolve to continue the fight for justice….YOU GOTTA PUT UP A FIGHT!!!!!

The voices that demand justice in this country are on the RISE….

KEEP UP THE FIGHT!!!!! ALL POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!

Last Thursday, we were standing with the world against the horrible injustice that is the Troy Davis case. During the demonstration at the Georgia State Capitol, there were many different media groups present, professional and do-it-yourself, people’s media. One person who is “spreading the good word” decided to interview my wife and father-in-law. You can see my wife’s sense of humanity, love, and justice that burns through….and makes her so irresistible!!!!

POWER TO THE PEACEFUL!!!

• Osama Bin-Laden Endorses……John McCain?? I just read a report from the Associated Press that an Al-Qaeda related website is encouraging attacks in the US before the election on Nov. 4 to persuade the outcome of the election. Why you may ask??? So that John McCain may win as a result of the attack in order that the Bush administration policies continue and Al-Qaeda can continue the fight against America.

• The Pew Research Center’s polling shows a increase in Obama’s lead (52%) over McCain (38%). Gallup is reporting an Obama lead of 51% to McCain’s 42%.

• Howard Zinn’s latest interview discusses the need for direct action even if Obama is elected president. It seems that social movements lost steam when Clinton was elected president because many progressives felt that with a Democrat in office, all would be taken care of. Zinn points out that a new president Obama will have to be pushed into the level of change his rhetoric seems to indicate by organized, active social movements.

• Slavery…..something many people don’t think exists in the 21st century. But, the descendants of Fredrick Douglass and Booker T. Washington are trying to raise awareness of modern-day slavery. Did you know that approximately 27 million people are being held as slaves and approximately 80% of them are women or children?? It is sad but true. But, there is a wide-spread effort to educate people about modern-day slavery to combat the lack of awareness of the plight of 21st century slaves. Also, here is a news archive for recent stories related to modern-day slavery.

• A new book about the role and power of the military-industrial complex in modern American life is out that everyone should read: The American Way of War: Guided Missiles, Misguided Men, and a Republic in Peril. It was written by the filmmaker Eugene Jarecki who made the exceptional documentary “Why We Fight” that was inspired by Eisenhower’s (a military general, two-term president, and Republican) 1961 farewell address that warned Americans of the influence of the military-industrial complex:

But we listened and heeded the warning, right??

Eugene Jarecki was interviewed yesterday and echoed a sentiment that I have been advocating in this period of presidential hysteria–we should support Obama as the candidate that will be best positioned to change this country, BUT we should NOT expect him to lead this country away from militarism, materialism, and the “benefiting a few at the cost of the rest” way of doing business. Jarecki warns that the powers of the military-industrial complex are too great for Obama alone to resist UNLESS the people of this country get active and demand that he resist and advocate for a wholesale change of “business as usual” here in the US:

• Independent Senator Bernie Sanders (ok…so he is a socialist) just released an essay that argues that now is the time to rebuild America. He offers a very honest (and bleak) view of the financial reality of America and the way he sees to get out of this mess:

These are frightening and unusual times. The world of finance and the overall economy are both in perilous condition. Almost every day a new crisis erupts. The stock market has plunged dramatically, and is more volatile, than at any time in memory. Loans between banks have dried up. Major financial houses have either failed or merged. Government bailout follows government bailout.

Just how deep the financial crisis is can be seen from this paradox: the Bush administration, the most wild and irresponsible defender of right-wing economic ideology and free markets in our nation’s history, now has to muster one initiative after another to intervene in the financial markets. It is even in the process of nationalizing banks

Read the full text of Sen. Sanders’ remarks…..

• Finally, the people of this country are starting to stand up against the Bush administration. I was part of the anti-war march in Washington, DC in February 2003 before the Iraq War began in March. Our voices were dismissed (though we were absolutely RIGHT!!!!) Yesterday, a patriot went even further in San Francisco when she attempted to arrest Karl Rove for treason:

Of course ever since Rove refused to obey a Congressional subpoena, there has been a major effort to arrest Rove for blatant contempt of the American legal system and accountability to the American people (not to mention crating the fervor for war) by refusing to appear at Congressional hearings. Even a former governor spoke out that Rove should have been arrested:

Rally for Troy Davis

Thursday, October 23 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
State Capitol Steps
206 Washington St. SW
Atlanta, GA
STAND FIRM FOR JUSTICE Rally for Troy Davis

Troy Davis now has an execution date set for October 27, despite serious claims of innocence that have NEVER been heard in court. Join Amnesty International (AIUSA), the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and the National Action Network (NAN) for a rally for Troy Davis – and stand firm for justice!

Please take action by visiting http://tinyurl.com/troydavisaction and then help spread the word – Text TROY to 90999

For more information: 404-876-5661 ext. 13 | troy@aiusa.org

• Further evidence that even McCain doesn’t know what the McCain campaign stands for and now Fox News is turning on him……rough times for the Republicans!!

• What is wrong with spreading the wealth??

• This past Sunday on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulus, George Will commented that “is not whether elites should rule, but which elite should rule?” It was surprising to hear him express what is often overlooked by the “common Joe”–that a wealthy minority (the business party) are running this country (NOT the common folk). So, you may think that I am advocating that Obama will change this, but I have always said that IF Obama wins in two weeks, he will become officially employed by the Empire on Jan. 9 and will work and advocate for the continuation of the Empire rather than for “We, the People.” However, I do agree with Noam Chomsky that we should still vote for Obama–the lesser of two evils–but without illusions.

As Frank Lewellyn (National Director of the Democratic Socialists of America) has stated about the presidential campaign: “we do feel that people should vote for Obama over McCain, not because he is one of us or is even friendly to us and our positions, but because there is no hope of real change without a president that progressives and social movements can pressure to sign legislation that provides universal, affordable health care; reestablishes unions’ ability to organize, reexamines our trade agreements and withdraws our forces from Iraq as quickly as possible.”

Progressives, environmentalists, and anti-war activists should NOT think Obama is going to be voting along progressive lines. Progressives MUST be ready to hold Obama accountable to living up to his progressive, anti-war promises. Naomi Klien talks about Obama and the need to maintain the intellectual and political integrity of the progressive movements:

You can find a group of progressive voices who are trying to keep Obama true to the progressive spirit over at Progressive for Obama.