Thursday, July 29, 2004

What Cali is thinking

Just got back from visiting my little brother in San Diego.  Had a great time, and had a chance to speak with alot of Southern Californians about this year's elections.  Once thing I kept hearing, and what really saddened me, is how many folks out there think their vote doesn't matter, since the election has pretty much been decided by the time they get to the polls.  I told them to ask people in Florida if there votes don't matter.  Each and every vote matters, not just for the Presidential race, but for the Senate and Congressional races as well. 

I got a chance to hear "Los Able Minded Poets",  a San Diego based group who mix awesome music with politically aware lyrics and poetry.  If you get a chance to visit San Diego, I highly recommend checking them out.  They're not Dems (they're a bit to the left of Trotsky, I think!), but they have positive message about keeping up the fight for everyone's rights.  And I'm not biased because my brother, Ken10, is a member of the group!  Here's their bio:

Los Able Minded Poets are a San Diego based spoken word, live instrumentation and beats collective. Irrational times deserve heartfelt measures. So armed with conscious spirits and Able Minds this six-person ensemble takes to creating politically charged grooves and visceral wordscapes. With America's rich history of vocal dissent laid out, AMP takes the baton looking and hoping to smash the myopic complacency of contemporary culture while keeping heads nodding and thoughts streaming.  Founded in 2000 by Nazareth Simmons, AMP began on the road toward continuous evolution, thought provocation and aural stimulation. With a healthy stable of various instrumentalists one is urged to not expect the exact same stage show twice. Our mission is to elevate consciousness throughout the universe with poetic verse and musical accompaniment, We BEAUTIFIGHT!  AMP has performed throughout Southern California at various venues, and many college campuses from San Diego to San Francisco. Being a group of conscious, artistic, opinionated individuals AMP is often requested to speak/perform at various protest, anti-war to police brutality.
 
Buy their album, so my little bro can stop asking me for money!!  Just playin', he hasn't asked me for money in a long, long time.  But you should buy the album.

Preach, brother, Preach!!!

Rev. Al tore it up last night at the Democratic Convention!  I may not agree with him all that often, but he was right on target with his speech - here are a few of my favorite lines:

"As I ran for president, I hoped that one child would come out of the ghetto like I did, could look at me walk across the stage with governors and senators and know they didn't have to be a drug dealer, they didn't have to be a hoodlum, they didn't have to be a gangster, They could stand up from a broken home, on welfare, and they could run for president of the United States."

He noted that President Bush last week at the Urban League conference made reference to the GOP being the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglas.  But since the Republicans, from Lincoln to Hoover, failed to deliver on their promise of 40 acres and a mule to freed slaves, "we didn't get the mule so we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us."
 
And it seemed he was reading my mind on whyI'm a Democrat when he said "Mr. President, the reason we are fighting so hard, the reason we took Florida so seriously, is our right to vote wasn't gained because of our age.  Our vote was soaked in the blood of martyrs, soaked in the blood of good men, soaked in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham. This vote is sacred to us. This vote can't be bargained away. This vote can't be given away.  In all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale."

Rev. Al, my man!

Thursday, July 22, 2004

Going back to Cali

I'm headed to San Diego on Friday to see what folks on the left coast are thinking.  I'll be back on Monday.  Stay tuned.

Wednesday, July 21, 2004

Poll Shows Kerry Leading Among Registered Latinos

Good news kids, Kerry is leading Bush among registered Latino voters 2-1!

A quick word from Jim Bonham

Dear Fellow Democrat:
I have incredible news for you today. Last night, we had our third major Democratic victory of the year when the first district of North Carolina voted overwhelmingly in favor of Democrat G.K. Butterfield for U.S. Congress.

Make no mistake about how this happened. Thanks to YOUR contributions and grassroots efforts on the ground, we are now three for three in the special elections held this year — and two of them in strongly Republican areas.

A Democratic House is well within our reach. But it's up to you to keep the momentum alive.

Something great is happening in our country.   This victory tells us that Republicans don't have the energy, the vision, or the people power of the grassroots community to compete like we can. Thousands of you contributed online to support hundreds of grassroots volunteers who traveled to Kentucky, South Dakota, and (this past weekend) to North Carolina to canvass and support G.K. Butterfield. That is why Democrats will win.

In just 105 days, we will witness one of the most important elections of our lifetime. But it's not just about the White House. Bush has had the advantage of a Republican Congress to push his right-wing agenda. We need to throw our efforts into electing Democrats at every level of government — from the White House to the School Boards.

Please join us online during our pre-Convention Webathon to help continue the momentum. It is too important to our country not to elect a Democratic Congress. There are only 2 days left!
https://secure.dccc.org/webathon/default.aspx?id=webathon3

To victory,

Jim Bonham
Executive Director
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee

Why I'm A......

This is the 1st in a series of entries on why people identify with specific political parties/ideologies.

Lesley, 31:

"Because I am so apolitical, I call myself an independent. I tend to be rightleaning on world affairs and left leaning on domestic and social affairs.But, I can't decide, and since I hate politicians so much, I am not in any hurry to decide. Well, maybe I am. I should take a class, or something.Learn more. Also, listening to talk radio is sure to make me a democrat, but the newspapers and news shows, a republican. I tend to rebel."
 
 

Tuesday, July 20, 2004

Butterfield Wins!!

Yep, we kicked ass in North Carolina boys and girls.  GK won!!

RALEIGH, N.C. - In a likely preview of November's general election, Democrat G.K. Butterfield beat Republican Greg Dority in Tuesday's special election to fill out the term of former U.S. Rep. Frank Ballance.
With 45 of 263 precincts reporting unofficial results, Butterfield had 7,206 votes, or 70 percent, to 2,989 votes, or 29 percent, for Dority, a Republican. Libertarian Tom Eisenmenger had 158 votes, or 2 percent.

In party primaries to see who will compete in the November general election, Butterfield led his fellow Democrats with 8,233 votes, or 72 percent. Sam Davis was second with 1,277 votes, or 11 percent, with Don Davis, Christine Fitch and Darryl Smith trailing with 51 precincts reporting.

LIVE FROM THE FIELD: LUKE WEBSTER, DCCC FIELD OPERATIVE

"It’s been a long and exciting week down in NC 01. We’ve been hitting doors since last Thursday and with the help of our volunteers that generously gave their time to help our cause, we’ve been able surpass our door knocking goals. Our volunteers and staff have battled July temperatures, thunderstorms and the occasional dog bite to hit 45,201 doors and directly contact 19,271 voters.
It’s game day! We are out in the district canvassing targeted precincts, giving voters rides to the polls and getting out our vote. Our team has developed into a GOTV machine. We are taking this seat one door, one vote and one precinct at a time. When the polls close, we’ll know that all the late nights and hard work have been worth it. Mr. G.K. Butterfield will represent North Carolinians from the first district and we will be one step closer to a new Democratic majority."
Luke Webster

Freedom of Speech?

Linda Ronstadt was fired by the Aladin casino in Las Vegas for dedicating the song "Desparado" to filmaker Michael Moore.  I'm not a fan of her music (hey, I'm not that old!!), but it seems to me that we do have a right to say what we want in the USA, or at least we used to.  Do you think she would have been fired for dedicating a song to Charlton Heston?  Sorry, I can't think of a conservative film-maker - I guess there is a Hollywood cabal out to get rid of Bush.  Remember folks, all art has a responsibility to inspire and provoke, not just soothe and entertain.

Allawi - He's a Bad Mutha

In an effort to show President Bush (who oversaw 152 executions while governor of Texas) that he can keep it real, Iraq’s new Prime Minister Allawi personally shot and killed six suspected members of the Iraqi resistance at a Baghdad police station just days before he became prime minister.  Just before firing the shots, Allawi reportedly said "You wanna f*ck with me? Okay. You wanna play rough? Okay. Say hello to my little friend! "
 
The allegations first appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald. The newspaper based their report on two eyewitnesses who said Allawi used a pistol to execute six prisoners who were handcuffed and blindfolded. Allawi has denied the report. The story was broken by an award-winning reporter at the Sydney Morning Herald who has since left Iraq for his own safety.
 
This is the guy we handpicked to lead Iraq?  I'm sorry, that's just f'ed up!

Monday, July 19, 2004

Getting out the Vote in North Carolina

I just got back from a great weekend in North Carolina, getting out the vote with over 100 Democratic Activists for a special election being held tomorrow in the 1st Congressional District (GK Butterfield is running for the seat vacated by Rep. Frank Ballance).  Two busloads of us hit the road Friday evening, headed for Wilson, NC.  My team (H-Bomb!!!) was assigned Scotland Neck, NC on Saturday and we canvassed like there was no tomorrow!  They're going to be talking about that blue van for a long time down there!  I want to give a shout out to Renae, Octavio, Shannon, Julia and Kelly - we kicked ass! 
 
After a night of  unwinding back in Wilson (that's the understatement of the year), we hit the streets again yesterday, this time in Enfield, NC.  It was hot, it was muggy, but most of all, it was awesome.  We Democrats talk a lot about diversity, but damned if this wasn't the most diverse group of people I've ever seen.  On H-Bomb alone we had folks from Dallas, LA, Sacramento, S. Dakota, Connecticut and Virginia.  Canvassers were Black, White, Latino, Native American and Asian.  Straight and Gay.  Young and old.  But most importantly, we were all Democrats and we're taking back the House!



USA or USSR?

Jacksonville Congresswoman Corrine Brown's words accusing the GOP of stealing the election were stricken from the Congressional record in a move eerily similar to tactics used by Stalin back in the day.  Unfortunately for the GOP, you can erase the words, but not the tape!  C-Span has been showing her speech over and over.

Sunday, July 18, 2004

Back from NC

Just got back home from North Carolina.  Lots to tell, no time tonight, so I'll write a ton tomorrow. 

Team H-Bomb (Charlie, Julia , Shannon , Renae , Kelley , Octavio) Posted by Hello

Julia getting out the vote! Posted by Hello

Shannon canvassing in Scotland Neck, NC. Posted by Hello

Posted by HelloDonna Brazile, Getting Us Fired Up For The Road Trip 

Signing in for NC. Posted by Hello

Friday, July 16, 2004

Okay class, open your books.

Just wanted to put a link to this site from PBS.  It's a great tutorial on this year's elections.

Fair and Balanced

Howdy boys and girls.  In an effort to be "fair and balanced" I thought I'd post an e-mail a good friend of mine forwarded to me.  Now, she's a Republican (gasp!!), but she's good people.  Honest!!  The e-mail is from a friend of her Dad.  Now, be careful - it made my head hurt reading it.  I'm going to NC for the weekend and when I get back, I'll be addressing this message point by point.  In the meantime, here it is, inside the mind of a Republican.  Enjoy!!
 
 BEWARE
 
Following is a brief background on Mrs. John Kerry. She hates being called that, by the way:
 
Maria Teresa Thiersten Simoes-Ferreira Heinz Kerry. Married Senator Kerry in 1995. She only took his name eighteen months ago and she is an "interesting" paradox of conflicts. If you thought John Kerry was scary, he doesn't hold a candle to his wife Maria Teresa Thiersten Simoes-Ferreira Heinz Kerry was born in Mozambique, the daughter of a Portuguese physician, was educated in Switzerland and South Africa. Fluent in five languages, she was working as a United Nations interpreter in Geneva in the mid-60's when she met a "handsome" young American, H. John Heinz, III, who worked at a bank in Geneva. He told her his family was "in the food business."  They were married in 1966 and returned to Pittsburgh where his family ran the giant H. J. Heinz food company. He was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1971, and in 1976 he was elected to the first of  three terms in the United States Senate. A Republican, he wrote a burning diatribe against some of the causes backed by young House member John Kerry.   Several years later, in 1991, he was killed when his plane collided with a Sun Oil Company helicopter over a Philadelphia suburb. The senator, his pilot and copilot, and both of Sun's helicopter pilots were killed. He was survived by his wife, Teresa, and their three young sons.  Four years later, having inherited Heinz's $500 million fortune, she married Senator John Forbes Kerry, the liberal then-junior senator from Massachusetts. She became a registered Democrat and the process of her radicalization was set in motion. Heinz Kerry is not shy about telling people that she required Kerry to sign a prenuptial agreement before they were married. John Kerry may not have check writing privileges on the Heinz catsup and pickle fortune, but he is certainly a willing and uncomplaining beneficiary of it.  A lot of hard-earned money, made through many years of hawking catsup, mustard, and pickles has fallen into the hands of two people who despise successful entrepreneurship and who believe in the confiscatory redistribution of wealth.  So how does Mrs. Heinz Kerry spend John Heinz's money? Just one example: According to the G2 Bulletin, an online intelligence newsletter of WorldNetDaily, in the years between 1995-2001 she gave more than $4 million to an organization called the Tides Foundation. And what does the Tides Foundation do with John Heinz's money? They support numerous antiwar groups, including Ramsey Clark's International Action Center. Clark has offered to defend Saddam Hussein when he's tried. They support the Democratic Justice Fund, a joint venture of the Tides Foundation and billionaire hate-monger George Soros. The Democratic Justice Fund seeks to ease restrictions on Muslim immigration from "terrorist" states. They support the Council for American-Islamic Relations, whose leaders are known to have close ties to the terrorist group, Hamas. They support the National Lawyers Guild, organized as a communist front during the Cold War era. One of their attorneys, Lynne Stewart, has been arrested for helping a client, Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, communicate with terror cells in Egypt.  He is the convicted mastermind of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. They support the "Barrio Warriors," a radical Hispanic group whose primary goal is to return all of Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to Mexico. These are but a few of the radical groups that benefit, through the anonymity provided by the Tides Foundation, from the generosity of our would-be first lady, the wealthy widow of Republican senator John Heinz, and now the wife of the Democratic senator who aspires to be the 44th President of the United States. Aiding and supporting our enemies is not good for America, regardless of your political views. If voters will open their eyes, educate themselves and see the real Teresa Heinz Kerry, they will not appreciate her position as ultra rich fairy godmother of the radical left. They will not want to imagine her laying her head on a pillow each night inches away from the President of the United States. Hopefully they love this country enough to decide that the only way these two will ever be allowed into the White House is with an engraved invitation in hand.  Instead of deleting this, pass it on. Let everyone know these people are unfit to represent this great nation. The uninformed will never hear the truth from the press, who wants Kerry elected! Those who buy the Kerry facade, beware what you vote for - - - you may regret that you got it! 

Well, I'm glad to find out that Kerry is an Islamic terrorist commie! 


  
 


Thursday, July 15, 2004

Fun Stuff

C'mon, click. You'll be happy you did.

The Wild, Wild East?

Okay, I'm a Virginian. Born in Virginia, raised in Virginia, went to the University of Virginia. I love "The Commonwealth" more than you can know. But things are just getting too crazy here. On page 1 of today's Washington Post, there's an article about it now being legal to walk around with a gun in a holster in Virginia. So far, it seems that only white Virginians are exercising this "freedom". Just wait until brothers and other brown Virginians start packing heat. I can see it now, M-13 and other local gang-bangers just hanging out, with their 9's on their hips! But hey, it's our right!

She hit it out of the park!

Did anyone see the 60 minutes interview with John-John and their wives? One of the questions they got was "How can Kerry and Edwards, both very wealthy, appreciate the needs of the average person?" Elizabeth Edwards answer was a home run! She said that both Kerry and Edwards voted against the tax cut bills that would have made given them a ton of dough. Then she said "Isn't that what we want? A leader who looks at the greater good instead of what simply what benefits the person himself, or the people in his own class or their donors or whatever else you're looking at? These men did what was right for all Americans and it seems to me that's an enormous test of character--whether you're willing to step out and do something against your own self interest."
She kicks ass!!

Get Out The Vote, Bush Style!

In and effort to reach black voters, GOP.com has the following on their site: "From the founding of the Republican Party to today, African Americans have been central to the GOP. The leadership of President George W. Bush provides an opportunity for us to work together and better include everyone of all backgrounds in the Republican Party. Bringing African Americans back to the Party of Lincoln has been a central priority of President Bush, RNC Chairman Ed Gillespie, and is the mission of the RNC's African American Team Leader Outreach program. President Bush has been a champion of real policies that will make a difference to African Americans - from the No Child Left Behind Act that improves education through choice and accountability, to strengthening faith-based and community organizations, to welfare reform that helps people find work. Working together with African Americans in communities across the country, we can make the Party of Lincoln stronger and more diverse than ever before."

So how does President Bush kick-off his black outreach efforts? By being the 1st President since the 1930s to snub an invitation to speak to the NAACP. "You've heard the rhetoric and the names they've called me," he said last week. I guess Dubya never played the dozens when he was a kid!

Wednesday, July 14, 2004

Majority Makers

The DCCC has rolled out a new tool that the activist community can use to help make change before the big GOTV push in November called Majority Makers. You are all invited to JOIN THE MAJORITY MAKERS TEAM. Curious to know what Majority Makers is all about? Check it out, join and you can win a trip to the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Volunteers needed

If anyone is interested in joining up with the DCCC and help campaign this weekend in North Carolina, here's a link - http://blog.dccc.org/nc/ftaf.php



Why am I a Dem?

The other day at work, someone asked me why I'm a Democrat. My immediate, smart-assed response was because I'm black! But so are Condi, Colin and Armstrong, so that won't do. I guess I'm a Democrat because I feel that government is there to help the less fortunate, to enable everyone to have access to the American Dream, whatever that may be. Last week, Kerry quoted Langston Hughes's "Let America Be America Again". This states beautifully why I'm a Democrat!

Charlie

Your friendly host! Posted by Hello

Road Trip

I'm headed to North Carolina this weekend to help out in the special election and primary being held in the 1st Congressional District. My 1st campaign - let's see if everything I've learned in the DCCC Campaign School has taken root.

Deja Vu, Anyone?

Well, by now you've all heard how the Bush administration is thinking about possibly postponing the election in case of a terrorist attack. Sound a little familiar? Read on:

January 30, 1933 Weimar Republic President Paul von Hindenburg appoints Adolph Hitler Chancellor.

February 27, 1933 The German Parliament (Reichstag) burns down. A dazed Dutch Communist named Marinus van der Lubbe is found at the scene and charged with arson. [He is later found guilty and executed].

February 28, 1933 President Hindenburg and Chancellor Hitler invoke Article 48 of the Weimar Constitution, which permits the suspension of civil liberties in time of national emergency. This Decree of the Reich President for the Protection of the People and State abrogates the following constitutional protections:

Free expression of opinion
Freedom of the press
Right of assembly and association
Right to privacy of postal and electronic communications
Protection against unlawful searches and seizures
Individual property rights
States' right of self-government
A supplemental decree creates the SA (Storm Troops) and SS (Special Security) Federal police agencies.

Who Did It?

Historians do not agree on who is actually responsible for the Reichstag Fire: van der Lubbe acting alone -- a Communist plot -- or the Nazis themselves in order to create an incident. Writers such as Klaus P. Fischer feel that most likely the Nazis were involved.
But regardless of who actually planned and executed the fire, it is clear that the Nazis immediately took advantage of the situation in order to advance their cause at the expense of civil rights. The Decree enabled the Nazis to ruthlessly suppress opposition in the upcoming election.

March 5, 1933 National elections give Nazis 44% plurality in the Reichstag. Herman Göring [who later played a central role in the Nazi government and war effort] declares that there is no further need for State governments.

Over the next few weeks, each of the lawful Weimar State governments falls to the same ruse:

Local Nazi organizations instigate disorder;
The disorder is quelled by replacing the elected state government by appointed Nazi Reich Commissioners.

March 24, 1933 The Reichstag passes the Law for Terminating the Suffering of People and Nation , also known as the Enabling Law , essentially granting Adolph Hitler dictatorial power.


The events in 1933 can be summarized as follows:
While it is not clear whether the Nazis intentionally set the Reichstag fire in order to create a national crisis, or whether the Nazis simply were opportunistic, the event was used as justification for a sharp curtailment in constitutionally guaranteed civil liberties. The Nazis took advantage of the additional Federal police powers to suppress opponents. It is clear that in other situations, the Nazis did use the tactic of creating a "law and order" crisis so that they could provide a solution which further eroded civil liberties and entrenched their power. The right-wing Nazis and the left-wing communists were cut from the same cloth -- the point is not that the far right destroyed civil rights. Rather, the point is that a democracy can be destroyed by creating a law-and-order crisis and offering as a 'solution' the abdication of civil liberties and state's rights to a powerful but unaccountable central authority.

Welcome!

Hi there,

If you're here, it's either because you're really, really bored or you're a friend of mine who I've told to visit! After a long time of talking about it, I've finally decided to start my own blog. Why? Because we've got to get Bush II out of office, that's why. I'll be writing about all things political, from my secret headquarters deep inside the Beltway.

Let's get going, shall we?