THE POLICY ROOM

An Unattractive Option

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 06:06:00 +0000

"Turn on CNN," he said. "A plane has crashed in New York City."

There was a local station feed running and I remember that the anchor thought it was a Cessna. But the sky was clear and blue. "How strange," I remember thinking.

Four minutes later at 6:03 a.m., my wife and I watched in disbelief and horror as the second plane hit the South Tower. That's when we knew. That's when the world knew.

For the rest of the day, along with millions of others, we watched the seemingly impossible unfold on live television before our eyes. Thinking back on it now, I was both incredulous as to what I was seeing and incapable of processing what it meant at that moment.

Having grown up in New York and having been in the World Trade Center many times, it immediately became personal. I thought of the people. All those innocent people. Those who didn't know, and those who did know. The first responders who ran up those stairs while others ran down—they knew.

In efforts to memorialize the 2,998 people who lost their lives on that fateful day nine years ago, the city of Hermosa Beach will be unveiling its 9/11 Victims Memorial Bench on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the corner of Pier Avenue and Valley Drive.

The bench will sit on the greenbelt, a beautiful and peaceful place. I heartily endorse the project and hope that many people will use that bench to sit and reflect about what 9/11 means not only to us in Hermosa and to other Americans, but also to the world.

The world has certainly changed in the nine long years since then with two wars, hundreds of thousands of people dead and increased tensions. Uncertainty is now a part of our everyday lives. We all wonder whether it will happen here again.

Terrorism is never justified, and it's a sad commentary on this world that the human race hasn't risen above using it as a means to address grievances. When confronted with the horrors of terrorist attacks, most people understandably feel angry and emotionally distraught.

What can we extrapolate from the tragic events of that September day and what has transpired since?

I can only speak for myself, but much reflection has inexorably drawn me to conclude the following: Violence only begets more violence, and there has got to be a better way.

A very small faction of Islamic radicals motivated by religious fanaticism is guilty of 9/11, and most other subsequent terrorist acts. But that should not indict all Muslims or the religion as a whole any more than the acts of Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh should be an indictment of all of Christianity.

Think about that when reflecting on the current mosque controversy in New York.

I believe that Muslims in general do not hate us, or our freedom. They have issues with our policies. And nothing helps the aforementioned Islamic radical's case against the U.S. more than the perception of our one-sided support of Israel.

Or our enabling and propping up of strong-armed, oppressive dictatorships in places like Egypt and Saudi Arabia. And most important, our invasion and occupation of Muslim countries like Iraq and Afghanistan.

All inevitably intensify anti-American sentiment, cause more death and suffering to civilians and serve to fulfill the prophecies of the most radical Islamic clerics. Not to mention guarantee more generations of disenfranchised Islamic youth who see a jihad against an oppressor as their only viable option.

The United States and other countries should make the effort to better understand and identify these seeds that enable terrorism to grow, and stop watering them.

We need to rethink our role in the world and our foreign policy, and focus on more positive means of engagement, being namely how to help impoverished countries fight disease, starvation and hopelessness.

Then and only then will we have a chance to realize the vision of a more peaceful world for ourselves and our children.

I hope to sit soon on that bench under the shade trees on the greenbelt and reflect. Reflect and honor those lives that were lost on 9/11, and reflect on how we as Americans can contribute in a positive and peaceful way to eliminating terrorism from the face of the earth forever.

I hope you will choose to do the same.

Let us all commit to embrace tolerance and inclusiveness. It will help make terrorism an unattractive option and go a long way toward preventing another 9/11.

PALIN REJECTS EVOLUTION

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:14:00 +0000

More captivating crap from the Palin memoirs. According to her ever so scintillating intellect, Sarah muses that evolution just doesn't pass muster as far as she is concerned. Well this isn't much of a surprise is it? What do you think, is this just further proof of the dumbing down of Sarah, or is she pandering to the wing-nut base with an eye on 2012? Take your pick. (Pretty talented isn't she though, eyes on Putin and political opportunism at the same time). On page bla-bla, she talks about creationism, saying she,

"didn't believe in the theory that human beings -- thinking, loving beings -- originated from fish that sprouted legs and crawled out of the sea, or from monkeys who eventually swung down from the trees."

And how about this gem from a debate she had with McCain campaign guru Steve Schmidt. I mean, when you're that far to the right of him, wow.

"But your dad's a science teacher," Schmidt objected. "Yes." "Then you know that science proves evolution," added Schmidt. "Parts of evolution," I said. "But I believe that God created us and also that He can create an evolutionary process that allows species to change and adapt." Schmidt winced and raised his eyebrows. In the dim light, his sunglasses shifted atop his hear. I had just dared to mention the C-word, creationism. But I felt I was on solid factual ground.

Palin, astoundngly, uses religion in an attempt to disprove science. And her talking-in-tongues faith, that earth is five thousand years old faith, appears to give her that internal certitude. I think I'm supporting her in 2012. We can't let something so intrinsically valuable disappear from the political landscape. Run Sarah run!

Suicide Watch On For Democrats

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 14:55:00 +0000

Well it looks like they’re at it again. This time, the masters of looking a gift horse in the mouth are taking it up a notch and kicking it square in the teeth. Only the Democrats could be so politically inept as to have both of their candidates down in the polls to John McCain in this politicial environment. A Rasmussen poll shows that McCain leads Barack Obama 49% to 41% and Hillary Clinton 50% to 42%. It's relatively early, but it looks like the Democrats, if they don't wake up fast, might actually blow this one . . . again.

This from Frank Rich in the New York Times:

Unless Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton find a way to come together for the good of their country as well as their party, no speech by either of them may prevent Mr. McCain from making his second unlikely resurrection in a single political year.

There is no way this election should be this close. The worst president in history, a five-year old unpopular war, $4 gas prices, a devastating recession, thousands losing their homes, the current state of affairs in this country courtesy of the GOP couldn’t be much worse. Yet, McCain, clone of the current lunatic in the White House is poised to compete and maybe to win. It’s almost seems politically impossible, or is it. For months now, the Democrats have been ignoring the warnings of many while they continued their vicious inter-party mud slinging with both Obama and Clinton resorting to such childish name calling that it's tearing the party apart. Both the Obama and Clinton campaigns are equally to blame, both of them, as is the ridiculously inept leadership of Howard Dean who has almost become a caricature of incompetence. But so are the Democratic rank and file themselves, who whatever kool-aid they are drinking seem unwilling or incapable of pragmatically looking at the ramifications of the words they utter and the big picture; the possibility of a John McCain presidency. So instead of worrying about more Scalia/Roberts clones on the Supreme Court and an endless war, they choose to fight over Michigan and Florida, call each other racists and vilify President Bill Clinton who until recently was loved and admired by most Democrats, even going so far as to compare him to Joe McCarthy. There is a very real possibility that the results of this primary pain will be millions of disillusioned Democrats, supporters of the losing candidate who may just stay home come November. John McCain and the GOP hierarchy are doing nothing less than laughing smugly at this pathetic side show as McCain starts to push back to the center and reaches out to the only people that really matter, the small group of moderates and independents who will decide this election. We’ve seen this routine before haven’t we.

Rally At The White House

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:39:00 +0000

Is that a white guy wearing a white robe with a Confederate flag behind him? Under ordinary circumstances and another administration this might be written off as just a bad camera angle of a state flag. Maybe that's all it is. But the reason this image has disturbed so many has more to do with the two head's of state in the photo and the horrific policies they espouse. It's an image that won't fade quickly.

Obama's Problem With Bill Ayers

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Not even close to being a member of the vast right-wing conspiracy, esteemed writer and social/political commentator John Ridley offers a perspective in the Huffington Post that many Obama supporters seem unwilling to face up to. Namely, that unlike other straw-man issues the Bill Ayers controversy is a very real problem which will not go away and it could very well be Obama's Willie Horton moment come general election time.

Election Turnout More Bad News For GOP

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Perhaps the real headline Tuesday night, was that once again Democrat's enthusiasm for their two inspirational candidates won out in a landslide over tired old Republican apathy. Even in Dubya's own back yard.

According to CNN election results, the Democrats garnered a record 4.3 million votes last night in Texas, Ohio, Maryland and Vermont, to the Republican's paltry 2.3. This included a 500,000 Democratic edge in the blood red Lone Star State.

The Democrats have consistently set records for turnout this year, voting in substantially more numbers than the Republicans. Gary Jacobson, a political scientist at the University of California made this comment about the primary season,

Turnout and various poll data suggest Democrats are more eager to vote and happier with their choice set than Republicans. I think it reflects an eagerness to get the Bush administration behind them.

It seems as if the winds of change are indeed blowing.

The Gaza Bombshell

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:48:00 +0000

An amazing read by David Rosen at Vanity Fair detailing yet another abysmal Bush Administration adventure and it's disastrous results. Here's the lead-in.

After failing to anticipate Hamas’s victory over Fatah in the 2006 Palestinian election, the White House cooked up yet another scandalously covert and self-defeating Middle East debacle: part Iran-contra, part Bay of Pigs. With confidential documents, corroborated by outraged former and current U.S. officials, David Rose reveals how President Bush, Condoleezza Rice, and Deputy National-Security Adviser Elliott Abrams backed an armed force under Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan, touching off a bloody civil war in Gaza and leaving Hamas stronger than ever.

FOX Anchor Ignores Dead Women And Children While Reporting Somalia Missile Attack

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:56:00 +0000

Watch the FOX anchor ignore reports of women and children being killed while reporting today's missile attack today near Dhoobley, Somalia. Dhoobley's District Commissioner Ali Nur Ali Dherre told CNN the AP and other sources that the raid destroyed two homes and resulted in the deaths of three women, three children while wounding twenty others.

The attack provides yet another reminder as to why we are so despised by so many worldwide. Predictably, a U.S. military official said the attack was on a "known terrorist target" with precision missiles. Precision? Fatuma Abdullahi, a resident of the town, gave the following account of the strike to The Associated Press.

We woke up with a loud and big bang and when we came out we found our neighbor's house completely obliterated as if no house existed here. We are taking shelter under trees. Three planes were flying over our heads.

Ali Dherre said the remains of the missiles were marked 'US K'. Having all seen the images of children walking through the rubble of a U.S. missile attack, is it any wonder that they grow up harboring such hatred for us?

Hillary Gets Back At Bill

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Like William Congreve penned so eloquently in Act III Scene Vlll of The Mourning Bride, . . . "Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned". All set to the romantic, mellifluous wailing of Jessica Simpson as Blitzer cringed and the whole world watched. So sorry Bill.

Inflation Soars With Stagflation At Doorstep

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:22:00 +0000

Confirming something that the majority of working class Americans already knew, courtesy of the Bush presidency, we are now on the doorstep of a much more serious economic downturn than economists had envisioned.

Today, the Labor Department reported that inflation at the wholesale level soared in January by one percent, the fastest pace in 16 years. This was more than double the 0.4 percent increase that economists had been expecting. This combination of rising inflation and weaker growth raises the threat of "stagflation," the economic plague that battered the country in the 1970s, when a series of oil price increases left Americans battered by stagnant growth and rising prices. This is when those least capable of withstanding an economic downturn really feel immense pain and suffering, often being forced to choose between paying for their medication, rent or utilities.

With the January jump; wholesale prices have risen over the past 12 months by 7.5 percent, the fastest increase since the fall of 1981, when the country was in a deep recession. This gain was led by a 1.5 percent spike in the cost of prescription and non-prescription drugs, which will hit the poor and elderly hardest of all.

If anything was ever deserving of political analysis and the assignation of blame this is it. The Bush administration's abominable economic policies have finally burst the dam. Their foundation of tax cuts for the wealthy, a soaring deficit, spending billions on an endless war, outsourcing of quality jobs and the enabling of corporate greed and malfeasance at the expense of the American public is beyond the pale.

One can expect nothing but more of the same from a McCain administration; maybe even worse as he will inevitably try to reduce the deficit on the backs of needed social programs. That's the GOP way, spend billions on war and tax breaks for the wealthy, then make the poor and middle class pay.

John McCain Lies About Clinton And Obama's Position On NAFTA

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 22:13:00 +0000

At a town-hall meeting in Texas on Friday, corporate lobbyists best friend John McCain decided to emphasize his support for NAFTA. That's fine John, that’s certainly your right to embrace a treaty that has cost thousands of American jobs. But do you have to lie when you do so? McCain said in his comments that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement which would jeopardize crucial military support from Canada.

We need our Canadian friends, and we need their continued support in Afghanistan. So what do we do? The two Democratic candidates for president say they're going to unilaterally abrogate NAFTA.

What happened to that straight talk John, you’re in danger of losing your street cred. Too many martinis with the K street boys? Or perhaps lingering senior naps in the sweltering Arizona sun haved dulled your senses. The truth, is that neither Clinton or Obama said they would abrogate NAFTA. You see, the word abrogate means to abolish or repeal and they never said such a thing. What Obama and Clinton actually said, was that they would "renegotiate" NAFTA and would threaten to opt out of the agreement unless Canada and Mexico come to the negotiating table. Here are their exact quotes. Clinton then Obama.

I will say we will opt out of NAFTA unless we renegotiate it, and we renegotiate on terms that are favorable to all of America.

I will make sure that we renegotiate. I think we should use the hammer of a potential opt-out as leverage to ensure that we actually get labor and environmental standards that are enforced.

Tell the truth John and while you're at it, tell the people of Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas why you don't give a damn about them losing their jobs.

Chief Justice Roberts Sides With Exxon On Alaskan Oil Spill

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 22:17:00 +0000

Yesterday, the Supreme Court finally heard arguments on what ExxonMobil should have to pay for the Exxon Valdez oil spill of nineteen years ago. Yes, that’s right, Exxon still hasn’t forked over what the appeals court's judgment had ordered them to, as their cadre of attorneys have been fighting it tooth and nail in the courts for years. Fighting, paying the equivalent of a lousy three weeks worth of profits. During oral arguments, Bush appointee and Chief Justice John Roberts was predictably disturbed by the judgment against Exxon. The $2.5 billion in punitive damages that Exxon had been ordered to pay, was to provide restitution for the devastating spill that polluted a large coastal area of Alaska, destroying wildlife, pristine wilderness and the livelihoods of thousands of mostly indigenous, poor fisherman. The 32,000 fishermen and business owners affected stood to receive about $75,000 apiece and they have been waiting for justice for almost two decades now. Yet, Roberts astoundingly asked the following,

What can a corporation do to protect itself against punitive-damages awards such as this?

Jeffrey Fisher the lawyer arguing for the Alaska fishermen whose ability to make a living was harmed by the spill, and clearly referring to Exxon’s negligence in allowing a known alcoholic Captain Hazlewood to pilot it’s tanker said this in response,

Well, it can hire fit and competent people.

If you ever want to understand clearly why elections make such a difference, this should do it. In 2000 and 2004, progressive voices cried out in vain, warning about the effect of a Bush victory in the context of his ability to make Supreme Court nominations that would be critical in moving the Court far to the right. They largely fell upon deaf ears and Samuel Alito and John Roberts are the result. So think about that when John McCain speaks about appointing strict constructionists to the Supreme Court. It’s not just about upholding Roe v. Wade; it’s also about being able to legally challenge corporate America’s stranglehold on the working people of this country; like the fisherman of Alaska. A couple of more conservative appointments to the high court and the judicial battle will be irrevocably lost for a generation, with utterly disastrous consequences as a result.

Animal Rights Activist Treated as Terrorist

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 23:15:00 +0000

After you tuck your kids in tonight, say a prayer and give thanks that George Bush and his intrepid band of warriors are tirelessly fighting the war on terror and defending our homeland. For thanks to their efforts, another dangerous terrorist no longer walks the streets among us. For months the FBI clandestinely tracked the dangerous suspect, watching his every move and those of his friends. They tapped his phone, intercepting and recording more than eight thousand calls. They read his e-mails, they bagged his garbage, and they followed him everywhere he went. Finally, in May of 2004, the authorities felt they had enough and the suspect was indicted by a grand jury on federal charges of orchestrating an interstate campaign of terrorism and intimidation. A conviction would mean a $1,250,000 in fines and 23 years in prison. Warrants were issued, clips were loaded, and soon it was go time. One cold, foggy morning a squad of hardened agents in black moved in on the terror suspect’s hideout near San Francisco as an agency helicopter flew cover overhead. Equipped with a battering ram and heavily armed, the agents easily secured the premises, the terror suspect was taken into custody and the country exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Then the questions started. Who was this terrorist that the government spent so many millions of dollars pursuing? In what country was he trained? How did he get here? What God does such an evil man worship? The average American would be shocked to know the answer.

It turns out that the suspect was not a terrorist at all. His name was Kevin Kjonaas, a born in the USA, twenty-something, Catholic school grad who worked at a doggy daycare. His crime? Being president of SHAC USA, Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty an animal rights group dedicated to shutting down Huntingdon Life Sciences, the New Jersey based British company who tests products on animals. Every year HLS kills about 180,000 beagle dogs, mice, primates, rabbits, cats, farm animals like goats, chickens, sheep, guinea pigs, and rats to test a range of products from diet drugs, toothpastes, tanning lotions, food supplements like Splenda, adhesives and pesticides. The animals in the testing process, endure weeks, months, and sometimes years of isolation, poisoning, and violently invasive experiments. What were the specifics that warranted Kjonaas to be labeled a terrorist? Surely to be labeled a terrorist and to be facing most of his life in prison, he must have done something pretty evil. Not even close. Kjonaas, and six other animal rights activists were convicted on March 2, 2006, under the controversial Federal Animal Enterprise Protection Act. The Act punishes anyone who "physically disrupts" an animal enterprise. Kjonaas and his colleagues fought to stop the torturing and live dissection of animals, many of which were household pets. He posted the home addresses and telephone numbers of Huntingdon employees on the group’s website and sometimes Kjonaas helped organize protests in front of workers’ homes. When he couldn’t make it to a demonstration, he posted other people’s accounts of the event, seeing himself as a conduit for information. The bottom-line, these activists are alleged to have operated a website that reported on and expressed ideological support for protest activity against Huntingdon. That was it. Support the SHAC 7! Their prosecution and incarceration is just another example of the Bush administration's relentless pursuit of their corporate agenda and their defense of those pursuing wealth at the expense of others. Let no one be fooled, this is not fighting terrorism; this is an assault on freedoms accorded all Americans by the constitution and a way to silence them using the fraudulent war on terror as an excuse. Kevin Kjonaas is not only not a terrorist, he is an American hero and it’s critical that all social and political progressives and activists support people like Kevin. Please spread the word, contribute to his defense fund and take a moment to send him a letter in prison.

Checks and money orders can be made out and sent to: The SHAC7 Support Fund  740A 14th St #237 San Francisco, CA 94114 Here’s how to write to Kevin and the others in prison: www.shac7.com

Remembering Your Neo-Cons

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 22:38:00 +0000

Warning! What follows may cause nausea, headaches, panic attacks, temporary blindness, impotency and a sudden burst of anger.

The celebrious philosopher, poet and cultural critic George Santayana was known to appreciate multiple perfections in humanity, but I am certain he never imagined such multiple imperfections as those pictured above. He once prophetically mused,

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

Along those lines, thanks to thinkprogress.org for this insightful look back at the detestable neo-cons who were the architects of the Iraq War. See what these immoral degenerates are doing now and how they have been rewarded and not held to account for their despotic behavior and total ineptitude. It's an enlightening re-cap, if you can stomach it.

Terrorism

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 03:00:00 +0000

What happens as a result of terrorist acts is horrific. People going to work, kids going to school; their lives ended tragically in mere seconds. Most human beings, myself included feel so personally devastated and emotionally distraught when individuals and their families have to experience such physical pain and terror.

It's so hard to understand and a sad commentary on this world that the human race hasn't risen above terror as a tool to better address grievances and defend a particular way of life. George Bush, said the war against terror in Iraq was going well.

I wonder if he meant it was going well for all the soldiers and their families killed this week in Iraq. I wonder if he meant it was going well for all the civilian's killed in Iraq; more than 125,000 by the most conservative of estimates. Killed in a war that was justified by lies, for the benefit of American oil companies and defense contractors. I wonder if he feels for all those that die? Or don't Iraqi men, women and children count or feel pain? Perhaps only Americans and British citizens count and feel pain. The war on terror is not going to be won by military might.

The war on terror is not going to be won by additional military forays into sovereign Moslem countries. The war on terror is not going to be won by fulfilling the prophecies of the most radical Islam clerics and guaranteeing more generations of disenfranchised Islamic youth who see a Jihad against the oppressor as their only resort. The war on terror is not going to be won by the United States support of the corrupt governments in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan, continuing to man military bases in Islam's holiest lands. The war on terror is not going to be won by the United States continued support of Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands and their oppression of the Palestinian people. The war on terror is not going to be won until the United States and other wealthy countries address the root causes of poverty, disease, starvation and hopelessness.

A Lesson Learned

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:00:00 +0000

I wonder if we have l learned anything. I recall post election , when the Bush family court awarded the presidency to the fair haired boy wonder of Yale fraternity drink fests and executions. My initial despair and nausea at that profound moment soon gave way to a more selfish but beneficial calmness; perhaps akin to what someone feels when strapped to the gurney as the first numbing drops are felt. Not dead yet but heading in that direction. Blazing profundity soon followed, "the American people got what they deserve". We did didn't we? It's our collective responsibility after all isn't it, rigged election aside. It shouldn't have even been close. The con man is to blame of course for flunking morality 101A but the persons conned were at best colossally stupid. I wonder which is worse and wonder even more if a lesson was learned.

They Are Still Killing Baby Seals

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 03:00:00 +0000

I humbly beg you to read this. It's a personal plea from me. Every Spring in Newfoundland and Eastern Canadian provinces the seal hunt will start. Baby harp seals will be dragged screaming from their mothers and clubbed to death and shot in front of them in as cruel and inhumane act as a human being is capable of. Their bodies are then dragged away using wooden poles with hooks. More than 350,000 seals were slaughtered in the 2006 seal hunt. A staggering 98.5% of the seals killed were three months old or younger!, some of them skinned while still conscious and able to feel pain. These animals are mainly used for their pelts, for fashion purposes. This is why they club them repeatedly in the head, so as not to ruin the pelt. Understanding people have presented countless proposals to the Canadian government as to alternative income sources that could be arranged if they would agree to stop this barbaric and cruel hunt. Studies have shown that eco-tourism would bring in many times more the income annually then the hunt does. A model for this is whale watching as whales were hunted for years and replaced as an income source by countless whale watching excursions. There are also funded buy-back programs and a myriad of other financial alternatives that have been presented to no avail. I plead with you to join the boycott of Canadian seafood products!; financial pressure is the only way to stand up for these precious animals that have no choice or voice. Don't buy Canadian snow crab, cod, salmon, scallops, and shrimp until Canada ends its commercial seal hunt for good and please do not ever eat at Red Lobster the biggest importer of Canadian seafood. Just remember; next year around the end of March while you sit comfortably in your home eating dinner, laughing, enjoying your families and friends as you should be....thousands of these precious, lovable, feeling babies will meet a painful, barbaric fate in front of their mothers who gave birth to them a month or so earlier. PLEASE DON'T BUY CANADIAN SEAFOOD PRODUCTS! Ask at your store or restaurants where the seafood comes from and if they don't know or won't answer do not buy it. As Ghandi said, "We must be the change we wish to see".

White House Press Puppet Dana Perino - Climate Change Is A Good Thing!

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:36:00 +0000

Ok, the lunatics have finally gone over the edge. They are leaving behind the despotic philosophy of reactionary neo-con political theory, for the more fertile grounds of the babbling criminally insane.

At her press briefing Thursday, you know, where she downs the kool-aid and appears from behind the curtain to try and justify the mindless depravity of Georgie Through The Looking Glass; White House Press puppet Dana Perino hit an all time high on the loon meter when she tried to explain the White House's evisceration of CDC head Julie Gerberding's Congressional testimony on climate change. The babbling Barbie doll said the following,

So the decision on behalf of CDC was to focus that testimony on public health benefits, there are public health benefits to climate change, as well, but both benefits and concerns that somebody like a Dr. Gerberding, who is the expert in the field, could address.

Public health benefits? Public health benefits to global warming? There was an uncomfortable pregnant pause when she said that, an eerily disturbed silence as the press waited for time to reverse itself and her words to be swallowed back up, or, for the men in the white coats to appear to whisk her away to happy-happy land. Unbelievably, neither happened and she went on to say,

This is an issue where I am sure that lots of people would love to ridicule me --

Ya' think Dana??? I believe you are pretty damn good at self-ridicule. You haven't embarassed yourself this much since you staggered out of the young Republican's frat house at 4AM, way back when.

-- when I say this, but it is true that many people die from cold-related deaths every winter. And there are studies that say that climate change in certain areas of the world would help those individuals.

They're coming to take Dana away ha-ha, to the happy home. With trees and flowers and chirping birds and basket weavers who sit and smile and twiddle their thumbs and toes and they're coming to take Dana away, ha-haaa!!!

Meet One Of The Most Dangerous Men In The World

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 16:35:00 +0000

Do you know who he is? Not many people do, not yet. He is known as the Godfather of modern neoconservatism, who devoutly believes America has to go to war with Iran as quickly as possible. He is also Rudy Giuliani's Senior Foreign Policy Advisor, a racist and a dangerous human being. Here are a just a few of his most notorious rants.

Fretting about whether to attack Iran sends only a message of weakness to the combined Shiite and Sunni enemies in the Middle East.

If we were to bomb the Iranians as I hope and pray we will, we’ll unleash a wave of anti-Americanism all over the world that will make the anti-Americanism we’ve experienced so far look like a lovefest.

I continue to believe that what Sept 11, 2001, did was to plunge us headlong into nothing less than another world war. I call this new war World War IV.

The creation of an independent Palestinian state would now only create another terrorist state.

In short, the plain and brutal truth is that if Iran is to be prevented from developing a nuclear arsenal, there is no alternative to the actual use of military force, any more than there was an alternative to force if Hitler was to be stopped in 1938.

Negroes made one feel inadequate. But most important of all, they were tough, beautifully, enviably tough, not giving a damn for anyone or anything. This is what I envied and feared in the Negro. Then there were the effete snobs, the writers and intellectuals and artists who romanticize the Negroes, and pander to them, and all the white liberals who permit the Negroes to blackmail them into adopting a double standard of moral judgment.

On economic matters, I agree that if immigrants are not of net benefit to the country, it makes no sense for us to allow newcomers to do harm in this way.

This is who you get when you support Rudy Giuliani.

Dennis Kucinich – A Great Visionary For These Times

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:47:00 +0000

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. - Oscar Wilde

Dennis Kucinich will not be the nominee of the Democratic party in 2008. That reality will have nothing to do with his intellect, morality, or leadership capabilities. It will have everything to do with money, fame and stature. Fortunately, Dennis’s greatness and value to this country will not be measured by his winning or losing a presidential election. It will be measured by his acute reasoning, political philosophy and honest perspective on what America can truly be. On that playing field, Dennis Kucinich is already a winner. Dennis Kucinich's vision for America embodies the truest sense of America’s greatness and potential. A country where justice, fairness, humanity and the needs of working people triumph over corporate greed and international arrogance. Where telling the truth and standing up to power can mean something in America once again. Dennis says,

We need to understand the connection between peace and the environment. We know that life on our planet is threatened by the twin threats of global warring and global warming. They are linked, and we have to understand that as we cognize the world as being interconnected and interdependent, we know that resource wars are passé and that the focus on sustainability will create peace.

Dennis Kucinich is the only candidate for President who has voted against authorizing the war in Iraq and against funding its continuation.

Dennis Kucinich knows that health care in the US is too expensive and leaves 46 million Americans without insurance and millions more underinsured. He believes in a Universal, Single-Payer, Not-for-Profit health care system.

Dennis Kucinich believes in ending America's participation in NAFTA and the WTO. Huge, multi-national corporations ship American jobs overseas, turn a blind eye to human rights abuses and hide behind their lobbyists in Washington.

A champion of working families, Dennis Kucinich believes in universal health care, restoring our schools, strengthening Social Security and protections for private pensions.

Dennis knows that The USA Patriot Act and secret strategy meetings to set policy tear into the very concept of We the People. He believes in protecting individual liberties and privacy and restoring balance and fairness in America's electoral system.

We could all learn a great deal from a man with such clear vision and humanity.

The Power Of Nightmares - A Must See BBC Documentary

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 18:49:00 +0000

Watch it online here Mandatory viewing for those eager to understand the true genesis of the great divide that threatens us all today. Neocon Conservatives versus Islamic Fundamentalists. Sayyid Qutb, the father of Islamic Fundamentalism in the Muslim world and Leo Straussburst, father of Neo-Conservatism in America, were initially brothers in idealism fighting against the same enemy, albeit in different parts of the world both figuratively and literally.

They shared the same mutual disdain for modernity and the permissive culture of laissez-faire democracy. They decried the failure of the liberal vision and both shared the same belief as to which tolerant and indulgent beast caused that failure. American and Middle-Eastern governments were corrupt; the freedom of the individual and liberal thought were the cause of all societal ills.

They also correctly discerned that religion was the most efficient way to intoxicate the masses and enable their power and authority and that those who were able to rule based on fear became the most powerful. That's where it all came apart. Now their ideological decendants are enemies fighting against each other.

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." - Voltaire

And here we are . . .

Democrats In Congress Listen Up - It's OK To Vote And Lose

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:43:00 +0000

Sometimes you have to be toughest on the ones you care for the most. Doesn't mean you love them any less; just that you want them to be the best that they can be.

I saw this absurd statement in an Associated Press article, regarding what an appropriate Democrat response would be to General Petraeus's congressional testimony.

Absent a new political climate, Democrats are in a tough position. Continue to insist on a hard-line position and fail, letting weeks go by without passing anti-war legislation, or soften their stance.

Nonsense, the Democrats aren't in a tough position at all and the more they continue to act like they are and seem confused as to what they should do, the angrier the American people and especially Democrats are going to get. Yes, we all know that you only have 49 seats and Bernie but so what. Do your best to lobby and cajole those on the other side of the aisle, give your best impassioned plea on the floor of the Senate. But when push comes to shove, stand up for what you believe in. Vote and lose. That’s what we want you to do, we're screaming now can you hear us?

We all know why Congressional approval ratings are so low. It's because Democrats are sick and tired of this senseless war and they want Congressional Democrats at the very least to stand together in unity and say no more.

Would you tell your kids in little league to back down against those bigger kids? No. You would tell them to go play the game and give it their best so everyone watching can see what they're made of. You would tell them it's not whether they win or lose, it's how they play the game.

We’re tired of your safe political decisions. We don’t want you to soften your stance. We don’t want legislation that reactionary traitor Joe Lieberman can agree to. Don’t you get it? We elected you for your principles, integrity, promises to do the right thing and to vote to get us out of Iraq. Not to vote that way only when you have enough votes! Get it now? We're smart, we know the math, we know you don’t have 60 votes to overturn the veto of the war criminal in the White House, but we don’t care. We don’t want calculated, pragmatic, political positioning that will result in some namby-pamby, watered down, safe bill with no benchmarks and no withdrawal date. Vote your conscience and if you lose so be it. That’s what we want.

Rudy’s Biggest Headache - Brave New Films

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:49:00 +0000

Just when you thought that there was hope for Democracy in America. This morning, I was thrown out of a Rudy Giulliani press conference in Santa Monica, California after being told I was welcome to attend. The reason? They found out I worked for Brave New Films.

We were all curious as to why Rudy Giuliani did not think it was important to attend the Republican presidential debate tonight at Morgan State University in Baltimore, a historically black college. The debate, hosted by Tavis Smiley will focus on issues important to minority communities. Giuliani’s campaign suggested there were “important scheduling conflicts”. So, we decided to see what was more important than listening to and addressing the concern’s of African-American voters.

We discovered that Giuliani’s schedule today was to include campaign stops in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara and Lancaster, California. According to the Bay Area Center For Voting Research,

Lancaster, California ranks among the top 25 conservative cities in the country. It’s population is also 63% white and 16% African-American.

Clearly it was more important for Rudy to go pander to his white, conservative base in Lancaster, then to listen to and engage African-American voters nationwide.

The first stop in Santa Monica at 10AM was to be a press conference where he was to receive the endorsement of former Republican Governor of California Pete Wilson. Well we thought why not go and see if we could ask Pete and Rudy a polite question or two. So I called Giuliani’s press officer in New York, Alexis Garcia, who assured me and I quote,

The press conference was open to all interested parties and that no press credentials were needed.

I also confirmed this with the Fairmont Miramar hotel before I left, wearing a nice suit jacket and dress shirt. I arrived at the hotel at 9:45AM and checked in at the front door with a nice young woman with Giuliani’s campaign team. She wrote my name down on a legal pad and I again asked to make sure that no press credentials were needed. She smiled and said no, go right on in. I did and found myself a seat in the second row and waited for the press conference to begin. A few minutes later another woman, blond, tall and not looking happy came up to me and asked me who I was and who I was with. I told her my name is John Ehrenfeld, I am a writer for Brave New Films and my blog the Policy Room. She immediately said and I again quote,

I am going to have to ask you to leave.

I asked why and referenced all the other people in the room with no credentials hanging around their neck; she just glared and said again that I was going to have to leave. Security soon escorted me from the room, no histrionics, no muss no fuss. I was polite and did as I was asked and left the room. I was then approached by a reporter from KPCC radio Frank Stoltze who interviewed me. I have since has another conversation with Mr. Stoltze, on the phone, after the event ended. He told me someone in the roon, possibly with the Guiliani party said I had not identified myself. I suppose giving my name at the door and again when I was asked was not enough. What I think they really meant to say was, we don't like Brave New Films because they produced 'The Real Rudy' which exposed Rudy's lies and distortions on and after 9/11.

I went downstairs to get a cup of coffee and proceeded to sit down on a couch in the hallway to make a few phone calls. Immediately security came up to me, even though I was well outside the room, in a public place, sitting on a couch talking on the phone. They told me that this was now “an incident” and that if I didn’t leave I would be arrested. They firmly escorted me through a side door of the hotel and barked out to the valet parking folks to get my car and to make sure I left the premises immediately.

It was rather an illuminating experience to see the power that Brave New Films and the free alternative press has and the perceived threat they present to the right-wing in this country. I can only imagine what a Giuliani presidency would be like.

Debate Is No Longer A Reasonable Undertaking

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:42:00 +0000

It was encouraging to see the American people take to the streets this weekend to loudly denounce the Iraq war and the policies of the Bush/Cheney administration.

Until the people make it clear by their actions that the status-quo is no longer acceptable; nothing will change. Mass demonstrations and civil disobedience is what helped bring the outcry against the Vietnam war to critical mass and that's what will be needed now if there is any hope of effecting change.

Debate is under most circumstances reasonable. But not when it comes to the astoundingly deplorable policies of this administration. Not anymore. There can be no reasonable debate as to whether or not the invasion and occupation of Iraq and the subsequent carnage it caused was warranted. There also can be no reasonable debate on whether the Bush administration’s assault on the Constitution and our civil liberties is warranted.

To do so would be to suggest that there are plausible and defensible positions to take in support of this administration's policies thus according them theoretical legitimacy. That's just not credible, and delusion whether intentional or not isn’t an appropriate state-of-mind for an individual and it’s certainly not a sound foundation for making decisions as to the future of this country.

One does not have a debate whether the criminal who lied his way into a home and held up a family at gunpoint was justified. One does not debate whether a child abuser was justified. Some things are egregious enough assaults on human decency that they don't warrant "debate".

George Bush and Dick Cheney's immoral, unnecessary and unjustified invasion and occupation of Iraq and the subsequent bloodbath that followed, was the biggest foreign policy disaster in US history and an assault on human decency. That's not open for reasonable debate. This administration's illegal and unjustified support of torture, illegal imprisonment and warrant less wiretapping are among the most blatant executive branch assaults on our freedom and civil liberties we have ever seen and an assault on human decency. That's not open for reasonable debate.

Many on the right suggest that debate on these issues is a sensible procedural path to take. That’s just not appropriate anymore.

Gates Says Bush Should Veto Troop Relief Bill

noreply@blogger.com (John Ehrenfeld) — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 18:10:00 +0000

Well, looks like another back-stabbing assault on US troops by those they trust to look out for them. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Sunday he is against a Senate proposal to give battle-weary US troops in Iraq more rest between tours of duty. Gates also said that he would recommend that Bush veto the proposal if passed. Incredible!

Gates hesitated and stumble his way through Chris Wallace's softballs and then Joe Biden clearly and articulately lay waste to Gates's position. When are those Republicans who claim to care for and support the troops so much going to wake-up and realize that no one supports the troops less than this administration! Inadequate body armor and Humvees, atrocious conditions for the wounded at Walter Reed and contaminated drinking water supplied by Halliburton's KBR subsidiary for 60 million dollars, demonstrate the contempt that the White House has had all along for our military in Iraq. Not to mention sending them to die for an immoral, unjustifiable war based on lies, oil and the enrichment of Bush and Cheney's war profiteer buddies. This is just another reprehensible example of the same.