Polidoc Productions

Humor in a Time of Insanity: MoveOn Socks Lieberman

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:10:00 PST

MoveOn socks Senator Joe Lieberman for his power play moves on healthcare insurance reform in this bit of amusing theater.

Links for 2009-12-17 [Digg]

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

Nespresso Recycling Program Launched in Spain (Video)
Nestlé announced in Madrid, Spain, the launch of the Nespresso Capsule Recycling Program, part of Ecolaboration, not only recycling the packaging, but also the used coffee grounds. The system depends on the consumer...

This Week's Greenwash: Nespresso Composts Jeweled Coffee Grounds

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:54:00 PST

A composting video from Nespresso Ecolaboration TM

We could not resist this beautifully produced and incredibly ironic promotional video for Nespresso's composting coffee and recyling campaign. That said, Nespresso does make a delicious expresso and brings to light the question of our urge for enhanced experiences and the implications they have for our sustainable planet.

Franken Defends Progressive Funding Amendment for Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:53:00 PST

In this video, it's good to see the Progressive Senators Frankin, Sanders and Brown fired up on all cylinders.

Republicans, who have driven the conversation regarding just how the healthcare bill will be payed for, have also pushed for rules that would lay the burden of the costs on moderate to middle income earners receiving employer based health care, presumably in an attempt to inspire public fury to help defeat the bill or to insulate the wealthy from a progressive tax, all the while protecting the escalating profit margins of healthcare insurance providers.

Senator Al Frankin (D-MN), along with Senators Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are sponsoring an amendment that would remove the 40 per cent excise tax on employer based healthcare insurance currently written into the Senate bill and replace it with a progressive tax, aligning it closer to the House bill.

A letter which the three Progressive Senators are circulating in the Halls states, "While we are in the midst of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, the last thing the American middle class need right now is a tax on their health benefits." The letter also said: "99.98% of individuals and 99.92% of families would not see their taxes go up by one dime under the Sanders-Brown-Franken Amendment."

In an attempt to derail the progressive Senators' agenda, Senator Thune (R-SouthDakota) had declared that Americans would see no benefits until 2016 while taxes would begin immediately, fueling the image of a bureaucracy unable to deliver. Frankin called out Thune, his "friend from across the aisle" for either not reading the healthcare bill or purposefully misrepresenting facts about when the benefits will begin.

"Let's have an honest debate, for goodness sakes. Let's not put up charts that contend one thing that are just not true.” said Frankin. “We are entitled to our own opinions. We are not entitled to our own facts.”

The Senators claim their amendment would raise $151 billion over ten years -- two billion dollars more than the estimated revenue from the excise tax.

Other healthcare bill fights Progressive Lions are leading include:
Sanders prescription drug importation rights
Frankin on Women’s Reproduction Rights

Links for 2009-12-09 [Digg]

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

OMG! Alan Grayson tells Dick Cheney to 'STFU!'
Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), the congressman who gained nationwide fame after declaring that the Republican plan for health care amounts to hoping that people "die quickly," has a few choice words -- or, rather, one choice acronym -- for former Vice President Dick Cheney: "STFU."
The Rachel Maddow Show: Uganda Be Kidding Me
Rachel Maddow and Jeff Sharlet discuss the ties between C-Street, Pastor Rick Warren and Congressional Reps from "The Family" and an anti-gay bill in Uganda that would allow lifetime imprisonment of homosexuals and people who fail to inform on them. It would also permit death by hanging for people with HIV/AIDS.
Steven Solomon: Water Is The New Oil
With the impending freshwater scarcity crisis, world politics and human civilization is undergoing another turbulent sea change. Alarmingly societies are bifurcating into those with enough water and those without.

Kucinich Calls for Congress to Seize Back War Powers

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:00:00 PST

Congressman Dennis Kucinich of Ohio has begun circulation of 2 privileged resolutions designed to retract powers lent to the Excutive Branch to fund wars in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Kucinich, a consistent anti-war Democrat, announced the drafting of the resolutions after President Hamid Karzai said his country would need US's military support for another 15 to 20 years, making the 2011 draw down that President Obama recently proposed impossible.

My bills, which would trigger a timeline for a timely withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and Pakistan, invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973 and are intended to secure the Constitutional role of Congress, as directly elected representatives of the people, under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, to decide whether or not America enters into war, continues a war, or otherwise introduces armed forces or material into combat zones.

Despite the president's assertion that previous congressional action gives him the authority to respond to the attacks of September 11, 2001, a careful reading of the Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF) makes cleat that the AUMF did not supersede "any requirement of the War Powers Resolution" and therefore did not undermine Congress' ability to revisit the constitutional question of war powers at a later date.

Kucinich will be speaking at an anti-war rally in Washington D.D. on December 12 sponsored by EndUSWars.org. Other speakers include Senator Mike Gravel, 2008 Green Party Presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney and World Can't Wait's Executive Director Debra Sweet.

Privileged Resolutions PDF
War Powers Act of 2001

Links for 2009-12-08 [Digg]

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

Glenn Beck's double standard on convicted felons
Media Matters examines Beck's next assault on the Obama Administration, specifically attacking the Democratic White House dinner guest once convicted of a felony related to cash flow while failing to mention felony holding Republican dinner guests who planned murders, robberies and more. It's just another smear campaign from Beck but media matters

Climate Talks Hike Carbon Footprint in Copenhagen

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 10:13:00 PST

The UK Telegraph provides a seriously amusing redux of the first day of the Climate Talks and is well worth a read. Private jets, private cars, a carbon footprint that displays no serious effort to contain itself - these are the earmarks of a great party. However both critics from the Left and Right wrangle with the Cap n' Trade of this junket. Will there be serious negotiations?

The Obama Administration declared yesterday that, yes - greenhouse gasses including carbon dioxide emissions "threaten the public health and welfare of the American people," thus empowering the agency to regulate a wide range of CO2-emitting industries under provisions of the Clean Air Act. President Obama intends to drop-in on the Climate Talks after receiving his Nobel Prize in Norway, a photo op which is likely to draw all sorts of praise and criticism.

From Americans for Prosperity

The provided video from Americans For Prosperity, critical of the Climate Talks and its impact on American capitalism, displays the mega-use of private cars carrying delegates while public transportation stands unused. Of course, there is the excuse that delegates must be concerned with security, but the irony is nonetheless delicious.

Links for 2009-12-07 [Digg]

Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

Ethics Rules for Congress Curb Trips but Some Find Loopholes
Rules enacted with great fanfare after scandals involving the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff still have glaring shortcomings.
Greg Palast: Confronting the Globalcrat
Video report on the World Trade Organization, ten years after Seattle. Palast takes us to WTO headquarters in Switzerland where he talks with its chief about an opaquely pushed clause that usher the dubious derivatives tool into third world countries.

Links for 2009-12-04 [Digg]

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 00:00:00 PST

Why is it so hard to be black and green? | Sylvia Arthur
Sylvia Arthur: Minority groups with real and vested interests are not so much excluded as forgotten. But activists would do well to leverage their support

The Story of Cap and Trade

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 10:39:00 PST

The Story of Stuff meteored to international success and has fueled the next chapter in Annie Leonard's animated series on the environmental impact of our policies and practices, " The Story of Cap and Trade." Ironic and amusing, this animation points a finger at the troubles with using a market-based system to control the amount of carbon emissions we create because, as Leonard says, "there are a lot of devils in the details of the cap n' trade proposals on the table."

Future chapters include more animated storytelling on the life cycle of Plastic Bottles and electronics. Check it out on The Story of Stuff website.

RFK, Jr. and Ralph Nader on the Economy

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:41:00 PST

Links for 2009-11-28 [Digg]

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

The great climate change science scandal - Times Online
The storm began with just four cryptic words.

Links for 2009-11-23 [Digg]

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST

All 193% of Republicans Support Palin, Romney and Huckabee
Oh FOX News, don't feel bad. Math is tough.

This Turkey Talks Politics

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 22:29:00 PST

Turkey That Thinks it's a Dog from Polidoc on Vimeo.

Here's a turkey, convinced that it's a dog. He'd much rather be a part of the political discourse then a main course at dinner. Kent Mesplay of the Green Party talks with his self-sufficient green-leaning Libertarian friend in San Diego about some of the similarities between the two minor parties.

Politicians Act as Professional Weather Vanes - It's Up to Us to Blow the Wind in the Right Direction

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:50:00 PST

David Sirota at Cody's bookstore in Berkeley, CA June 12, 2008

This piece we shot of David Sirota back in the summer of 2008 continues to address the problems we see swarming the halls of government that affect our lives. We are pulling it out of the archives as a reminder of the work ahead of citizens to pull the reins of government so that it will perform for the people and not the special interests.

Evangelicals Undertow Drowning Republican Bastion

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:01:00 PST

This video interview of author Frank Schaeffer by Rachel Maddow is worth a listen to if you want some insight into the Evangelical power hold over the Republican Party.

It was aired back in September in the lead up to the November election. In it, the former Evangelical turned critic Schaeffer describes the cultish undertow drawing the Republican Party away from what many of us call reality into "La-La land." Schaeffer says he knows of no Republican brave enough to bark down the mad dogs for whom anything good is bad because they seek negative feedback to reinforce their belief that America is being punished for its "sinfulness".

Congressman Cao Breaks from Republican Ranks Even Before Election

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 12:17:00 PST

Polidoc interviewed Representative Cao (R-LA) on the day of his election last December and snatched a quick interview with him in this video. (this is a revised video from one posted earlier today)

Joseph Cao, Congressional Representative from Louisiana has an independent streak and won't buckle down to Republican Party rhetoric. As seen in this video on the day of his landmark election in December 2008, this lawyer hopes to represent his community even in areas that aren't considered Republican today.

On November 7, 2009, Cao, a lawyer and the first Vietnamese Representative in the history of the United States, demonstrated his willingness to break from the Republican Party rhetoric by voting for a landmark healthcare reform bill. While progressives suspect the bill will be a boon to the healthcare industry rather than the reform it had hoped, Cao's break sharpens points of difference between the teabagging Constitutionalist Party leaning Republicans from more moderate voices who might be willing to consider a different definition of conservative.

Cao, who ran as independent in a previous election, was the first Republican to win this district since Reconstruction. As the Representative of a majority black community, Cao had asked to join the Black Caucus but was denied.

YES Men Take Survivaballs for a Stroll On San Francisco Streets

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:30:00 PST

Fun video by Polidoc featuring the Yes Men's Halliburton Survivaballs Escorted down Market Street by "Chevron Minions" during this San Francisco action on November 1, 2009.

Serving up the message of corporate responsibility to San Ramon, CA based Chevron Oil, the YES Men marched down San Francisco streets after the premiere of their activist movie "The Yes Men Fix the World" on November 1, 2009. In conjunction with Global Exchange and other Bay Area environmental and human rights groups, the Yes Men hope to link Chevron's plan to expand its refinery in the East Bay to human and environmental rights abuses in other countries and part of the United States.

In "The Yes Men Fix the World," the infamous pranksters, amongst them Andy Bichlbaum, heaps doses of irony to shine a light on the negligence of companies that place profit over people. Clever vignettes, something that crosses between "Ocean's Eleven" "Pink Panther" and "Get Smart" weave the documentary pieces of their actions together into a great piece of entertainment. This movie now showing across the nation serves up a hopeful and eviscerating commentary on the corporate players of our world.

Waiting for the Elephant: Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 14:24:00 PDT

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Progressive Talk Show Host Ed Schultz says that President Obama's backroom deals are leading to a trigger and denying a public option in which real competition can be created, all in the hopes of attaching a Republican or two to the healthcare reform bill in this video.

Protesters Storm Chain-Linked Fence of Coal Plant

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:48:00 PDT

Climate Activists Charge the Fence of a Coal Energy Plant in the United Kingdom in a series of protests leading up to the U.N. Climate Convention in Copenhagen in January, 2010.

Senate Moves Ahead with Co-op & State's Opt-Out Rights

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:05:00 PDT

International Climate Action Day Storms into San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 22:18:00 PDT

Saturday marked a day of unprecedented international climate actions by activists in 181 countries who are building momentum to inspire political leaders to take substantial steps towards climate reform at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen this December.

In the Bay Area of California, cyclists from as far away as Arcadia descended upon Justin Herman Plaza in San Francisco in the culmination of the kickoff. In a speech by San Francisco City Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who initiated the plastic bag ban in this country, urged people to push their municipal and state legislatures to take aggressive action to reform climate regulation, regardless of what the international community does (or does not) do. He is a consistent advocate for local control for attaining a green agenda.

The international day was spearheaded by the group 350.org and supported by numerous environmental activist groups, including GreenPeace. The number 350 represents the parts per million of carbon dioxide emissions that the atmosphere can bear if we want to avoid runaway global warming.

Creative Sprint Inspires Insurers to Embrace Competition

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 11:47:00 PDT

Heather Graham embodies an energized and healthy government sponsored public health insurance option in a race with health care insurance company execs who seem to have forgotten the benefits of competition. It's a very hopeful and funny ad campaign for public option.

The Yes Men Act UP Against the Chamber

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:36:00 PDT

"This event is about the only sane thing for the US Chamber of Commerce to do." defended the bold and theatrical Hingo Sembra, one of the celebrated or notorious Yes Men, depending upon your position, at a Press Club event in Washington, D.C. this morning. The Chamber of Commerce has been criticized recently for holding out against Climate Bill efforts, though a growing number of business have pulled away.

Sembra, a master of political hoaxes started his style of activism pretending to be a DOW chemical company executive and apologizing for the Bhopal disaster on the BBC. Based upon how nervous he appeared in this action, he might be suspecting his poser days are numbered. His new activist movie "The Yes Men Fix the World" premiered in NYC last week, introduced by the Reverend Billy, a political performance activist and Green Party candidate for Mayor of the city. And this last weekend, it had it's West Coast Premiere at the Bioneers 2009 convention where the audience responded with uproarious laughter and applause.

Anti Mountain Top Removal Protesters Arrested in West Virginia

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:47:00 PDT

Governor Joe Manchin of West Virginia has taken a lot of heat these days, all for the love of coal. Protesters in the State's Capitol insisted that the two-time Governor could arrest the violent surface mining of Coal River Mountain, situated in the South-West of the state, if he wanted to. However, the only thing arrested were the protesters.

Our friend and fellow videographer, "FluxRostrum" posted this video today showing local and student activists with a burning desire to speak truth to power squatting in the Governor's way.

Manchin has said that he does not have the authority to overstep the federally granted rights of the out-of-state corporations who conduct surface mining in his state. A legal opinion called Dillon's Law which instituted, the rights of property owners ( read "corporations") over the right of individuals (read "communities"), provides the necessary veil behind which the Governor can defend his inability to protect his citizens. However, the opinion can be challenged and that would be a strong statement from the pro-death penalty, anti-choice Democratic Governor of West Virginia for his constituents. Where the Governor's pro-corporate cards may be more apparent is in the lack of prosecution of errant coal and drug companies whose accidents have often cost local communities their survivability and have compromised the health of its residents.

West Virginia residents concerned with demanding local rights within their state may have to model themselves after other communities seeking to dominate local control. In Spokane, WA, a town under the oligarchical control of a few families, a nexus of organization have created Envision Spokane. Guided by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF), Envision Spokane has placed an initiative on their November ballot calling for a community bill of rights that could challenge Dillon's Law.

Lawyers are the new soldiers in the war against environmental degradation, according to Breean Beggs, Chief Catalyst and Counselor for the Center for Justice who spoke at the 2009 Bioneers.
"We have a democracy deficiency in this country." he said as he addressed an eager crowd that had gathered. The lack of democracy is apparent "When the whole status quo system comes after you for putting up your hand and saying, boy, this just doesn't seem right."

CELDF Executive director Thomas Linzey said, "The game is up all over the country...A crisis of jurisdiction has to happen." It is perhaps time for West Virginia communities to consider building its own coalition throughout the hallows.

The Yes Men and Reverend Billy Levitate an Immigrant Detention Center

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:12:00 PDT

"The Yes Men Save the World" premiered in NYC last weekend, introduced by Green Party candidate for Mayor of the Great Apple, Reverend Billy Talen. The Reverend has been preaching his philosophy of local community building and anti-credit cards for more than 10 years. In a city where shopping and high finance is a major passtime, he draws a loyal niche crowd.

After the screening and a march with the audience through city streets to the immigration detention center, Rev. Billy shared these words: "Once you understand that we're controlled by clowns, you can be a clown yourself. Once it's clown versus clown, maybe the best idea can win. And the best idea is compassion."

Bill Maher's Real Time Covers Great Turf in Show #170

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 14:19:00 PDT

Great show from Bill Maher this week.

The lead segment features an interview with Admin. Lisa Jackson, Environmental Protection Agency who discusses the slow and steady path to reinstituting clean water and air regulations. Maher and Jackson banter about the balance of powers between state and federal powers. Over the last eight year, federal powers have exerted more and more influence over state rights, denying states like California the right to advance higher emission standards.

Real Time's second guest segment includes guests:

Thomas Friedman, columnist and author;
Janeane Garofalo, actor/comedian;
The bold Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH);
Richard Dawkins, author/biologist.

They cover the need for more bold moves from more Democrats. Points to Kaptur!

Again, great humor worth thinking about.

Senior Citizens March Against Mountain Top Removal

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 22:09:00 PDT

Our friend Flux Rostrum has posted this video of a rally and march against Mountain Top Removal (MTR) going on over a five day period in West Virginia. Starting at the Capitol steps, senior members of ILoveMountains, Christians for the Mountains, and others have taken to the streets.

Jesse Johnson, the Green Party's 2008 Gubernatorial candidate was on hand and has described a growing tension between the marchers and coal workers. We'll update when we get more news.

Sierra Club's Anti-Coal Campaign Serves This Dish of Humor

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:54:00 PDT

The National Sierra Club ad campaign targets schools in 11 states which currently rely on coal power.

* Indiana University-Bloomington
* Indiana University of Pennsylvania
* Lewis and Clark
* Ohio University
* Penn State University
* SUNY-Binghamton
* University of Colorado - Boulder
* University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill
* University of Georgia
* University of Iowa
* University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
* University of Missouri-Columbia
* University of North Dakota
* University of Southern California
* University of Washington
* Virginia Tech
* Washington University-St. Louis

It offers a petition website for students.

Japan's Aggressive Regulatory Practices Makes Green Sense

noreply@blogger.com (Babette Hogan) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 09:12:00 PDT

Today's NPR California Report looks at how Japan's energy regulatory practices have spurred greater competition and innovation amongst its companies. At first, manufacuturers resisted the aggressive standards, including a 1% increase in efficiency annually. However, now manufacturers embrace the regulations, seizing it as an opportunity to compete.

Pelosi Goes Back to the Matresses for Public Option

blog@polidoc.com (blog@polidoc.com) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:41:00 PDT

From THE HILL:

“I don't even want to talk about a trigger,” Pelosi said at her weekly press conference. She said the “attitude” of her fellow Democrats is that “a trigger is an excuse for not doing anything.”