Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Apologies
Sorry I haven't blogged recently. I've been working out a possible column on racism. It's been taking up my spare energy recently.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
What Hillary has to say
Hillary campaign speech from her Web site.
I'll be commenting on these later on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9zgCxtqG0
I'll be commenting on these later on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lI9zgCxtqG0
What John Edwards says
Here's a video of John Edwards talking about clean energy.
http://www.johnedwards.com/media/video/clean-energy/
http://www.johnedwards.com/media/video/clean-energy/
A letter from MLK III
In the interest of exploring other candidates, here's a letter from Martin Luther King III to John Edwards. It's interesting as the South Carolina primary approaches.
January 20, 2008
The Honorable John R. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Dear Senator Edwards:
It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.
There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.
I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.
You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.
I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.
From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.
I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.
So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.
Sincerely,
Martin L. King, III
January 20, 2008
The Honorable John R. Edwards
410 Market Street
Suite 400
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Dear Senator Edwards:
It was good meeting with you yesterday and discussing my father's legacy. On the day when the nation will honor my father, I wanted to follow up with a personal note.
There has been, and will continue to be, a lot of back and forth in the political arena over my father's legacy. It is a commentary on the breadth and depth of his impact that so many people want to claim his legacy. I am concerned that we do not blur the lines and obscure the truth about what he stood for: speaking up for justice for those who have no voice.
I appreciate that on the major issues of health care, the environment, and the economy, you have framed the issues for what they are - a struggle for justice. And, you have almost single-handedly made poverty an issue in this election.
You know as well as anyone that the 37 million people living in poverty have no voice in our system. They don't have lobbyists in Washington and they don't get to go to lunch with members of Congress. Speaking up for them is not politically convenient. But, it is the right thing to do.
I am disturbed by how little attention the topic of economic justice has received during this campaign. I want to challenge all candidates to follow your lead, and speak up loudly and forcefully on the issue of economic justice in America.
From our conversation yesterday, I know this is personal for you. I know you know what it means to come from nothing. I know you know what it means to get the opportunities you need to build a better life. And, I know you know that injustice is alive and well in America, because millions of people will never get the same opportunities you had.
I believe that now, more than ever, we need a leader who wakes up every morning with the knowledge of that injustice in the forefront of their minds, and who knows that when we commit ourselves to a cause as a nation, we can make major strides in our own lifetimes. My father was not driven by an illusory vision of a perfect society. He was driven by the certain knowledge that when people of good faith and strong principles commit to making things better, we can change hearts, we can change minds, and we can change lives.
So, I urge you: keep going. Ignore the pundits, who think this is a horserace, not a fight for justice. My dad was a fighter. As a friend and a believer in my father's words that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, I say to you: keep going. Keep fighting. My father would be proud.
Sincerely,
Martin L. King, III
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A letter from JFK
No ... not that one. The other one. John Kerry e-mailed me a letter about Barack Obama and how he wanted to stop the attempt to "swiftboat" Obama - by spreading rumors that Obama is not a Christian, didn't take oath as a senator on a bible, turns his back the flag during the pledge of allegiance.
His letter include a plea that we should fight this outright lie, not let it go unchallenged as Kerry did when the whole swiftboat episode happened. Personally, that's part of the reason I'm pissed at Kerry. He and the Democratic party just let W. win in 2004. As Lewis Black said, losing to W. in 2004 would be like a normal person who couldn't win in the Special Olympics.
Anyway, I wanted to share the e-mail. Here is the Barack Obama fact checking link that he wants to draw attention to.
Dear Ed,
I support Barack Obama because he doesn't seek to perfect the politics of Swiftboating -- he seeks to end it.
This is personal for me, and for a whole lot of Americans who lived through the 2004 election.
As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election. But as someone who cares about winning this election and changing the country I love, I know it's not enough to complain about a past we can't change when our challenge is to win the future -- which is why we must stop the Swiftboating, stop the push-polling, stop the front groups, and stop the email chain smears.
The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie.
This year, the attacks are already starting. Some of you may have heard about the disgusting lies about Barack Obama that are being circulated by email. These attacks smear Barack's Christian faith and deep patriotism, and they distort his record of more than two decades of public service. They are nothing short of "Swiftboat" style anonymous attacks.
These are the same tactics the right has used again and again, and as we've learned, these attacks, no matter how bogus, can spread and take root if they go unchecked.
But not this time -- we're fighting back.
And when I say "we," I mean that literally. I know Barack is committed to fighting every smear every time. He'll fight hard and stand up for the truth. But he can't do it alone.
We need you to email the truth to your address books. Print it out and post it at work. Talk to your neighbors. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. If lies can be spread virally, let's prove to the cynics that the truth can be every bit as persuasive as it is powerful.
The Obama campaign has created a place where you can find the truth you'll need to push back on these smears and a way to spread the truth to all of your address book.
Take action here:
http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction
So when your inbox fills up with trash and the emails of smear and fear, find the facts, and help defeat the lies.
Barack Obama is committed to bringing our country together to meet the challenges we face, but he knows that power gives up nothing without a struggle -- and to win the chance to change America, we must first defeat the hateful tactics that have been used to tear us apart for too long.
With your help, we can turn the page on an era of small, divisive politics -- but only if next time you hear these attacks on Barack, you take action immediately:
http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction
The fight is just heating up -- we won't let them steal this election with lies and distortions.
Thank you,
John Kerry
His letter include a plea that we should fight this outright lie, not let it go unchallenged as Kerry did when the whole swiftboat episode happened. Personally, that's part of the reason I'm pissed at Kerry. He and the Democratic party just let W. win in 2004. As Lewis Black said, losing to W. in 2004 would be like a normal person who couldn't win in the Special Olympics.
Anyway, I wanted to share the e-mail. Here is the Barack Obama fact checking link that he wants to draw attention to.
Dear Ed,
I support Barack Obama because he doesn't seek to perfect the politics of Swiftboating -- he seeks to end it.
This is personal for me, and for a whole lot of Americans who lived through the 2004 election.
As a veteran, it disgusts me that the Swift Boats we loved while we were in uniform on the Mekong Delta have been rendered, in Karl Rove's twisted politics, an ugly verb meaning to lie about someone's character just to win an election. But as someone who cares about winning this election and changing the country I love, I know it's not enough to complain about a past we can't change when our challenge is to win the future -- which is why we must stop the Swiftboating, stop the push-polling, stop the front groups, and stop the email chain smears.
The truth matters, but how you fight the lies matters even more. We must be determined never again to lose any election to a lie.
This year, the attacks are already starting. Some of you may have heard about the disgusting lies about Barack Obama that are being circulated by email. These attacks smear Barack's Christian faith and deep patriotism, and they distort his record of more than two decades of public service. They are nothing short of "Swiftboat" style anonymous attacks.
These are the same tactics the right has used again and again, and as we've learned, these attacks, no matter how bogus, can spread and take root if they go unchecked.
But not this time -- we're fighting back.
And when I say "we," I mean that literally. I know Barack is committed to fighting every smear every time. He'll fight hard and stand up for the truth. But he can't do it alone.
We need you to email the truth to your address books. Print it out and post it at work. Talk to your neighbors. Call your local radio station. Write a letter to the editor. If lies can be spread virally, let's prove to the cynics that the truth can be every bit as persuasive as it is powerful.
The Obama campaign has created a place where you can find the truth you'll need to push back on these smears and a way to spread the truth to all of your address book.
Take action here:
http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction
So when your inbox fills up with trash and the emails of smear and fear, find the facts, and help defeat the lies.
Barack Obama is committed to bringing our country together to meet the challenges we face, but he knows that power gives up nothing without a struggle -- and to win the chance to change America, we must first defeat the hateful tactics that have been used to tear us apart for too long.
With your help, we can turn the page on an era of small, divisive politics -- but only if next time you hear these attacks on Barack, you take action immediately:
http://my.barackobama.com/factcheckaction
The fight is just heating up -- we won't let them steal this election with lies and distortions.
Thank you,
John Kerry
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Who wants to draw a cartoon for me?
Here's a concept for a cartoon:
A damned soul amidst the fires of hell. He sits on a rock, with his head in his hands and a befuddled look on his face because of the sign over his head:
"Welcome to Hell - No smoking area."
A damned soul amidst the fires of hell. He sits on a rock, with his head in his hands and a befuddled look on his face because of the sign over his head:
"Welcome to Hell - No smoking area."
Fame - I'm gonna live forever. I'm gonna learn how to fly. HIGH!
It just came over the wire that Heath Ledger of "Brokeback Mountain" and the Joker for the upcoming Batman movie has been found dead. Police are already hinting that drugs may be a factor. (Within a couple of hours, the hinting pointed more toward a possible suicide.)
I don't know much about Ledger. When I first heard the name, I had trouble placing it. I said, "Isn't that one of the 'Dead Poets' actors?" (I might have been thinking of Ethan Hawke. How I got there, I don't know.)
There may be more to his death than this, but it occurs to me that fame is a health risk, like smoking, drinking excessively or working in a building with asbestos insulation. Life expectancy of the famous can be shorter than for the nonfamous.
Consider the self-destructive lives of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Yes, they have trouble with substance abuse, but the real problem may not be narcotics or alcohol. For them - and for many in the public eye - fame itself is the drug, the substance that they abuse.
If a friend of mine were to become famous, I would add a note of caution to my congratulations. It may be fun to enjoy that ride for a few moments, like riding a roller coaster. But if you seek a complete life, you need to get off that ride.
I don't know much about Ledger. When I first heard the name, I had trouble placing it. I said, "Isn't that one of the 'Dead Poets' actors?" (I might have been thinking of Ethan Hawke. How I got there, I don't know.)
There may be more to his death than this, but it occurs to me that fame is a health risk, like smoking, drinking excessively or working in a building with asbestos insulation. Life expectancy of the famous can be shorter than for the nonfamous.
Consider the self-destructive lives of Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. Yes, they have trouble with substance abuse, but the real problem may not be narcotics or alcohol. For them - and for many in the public eye - fame itself is the drug, the substance that they abuse.
If a friend of mine were to become famous, I would add a note of caution to my congratulations. It may be fun to enjoy that ride for a few moments, like riding a roller coaster. But if you seek a complete life, you need to get off that ride.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)