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Defending Human Rights in Snohomish County

The Left Shue — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:21:13 -0500

I have posted here on occasion about the darker side of human/civil rights concerns in Snohomish County. You can review some of these stories, here, here, and here. While I am admittedly tardy in bringing you this next story, I am proud to shine a light on some truly inspiring people and their effort to address these issues.

On an August evening in 2007 Snohomish County Councilman, Dave Somers, then Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart, and Community Activist (and my personal friend) Luis Moscoso convened a public meeting to discuss issues of diversity and minority community relations in Snohomish County. On June 2nd, the Snohomish County Citizens Committee for Human Rights presented the Snohomish County Council a proposed ordinance to create a Human Rights Commission that would be the first of its kind outside of Olympia.

More below the fold..........

Luis Moscoso

Rev. Dr. Jerry Hebert, a commissioner with the state human rights commission, was selected to act as the facilitator of the committee. The committee decided early on to present a solution to the council that would institutionalize the value of inclusion. They felt that the solution should be in the form of an ordinance that would include education, outreach, alternative dispute resolution, and ultimately, if necessary, enforcement. Commissioner Hebert was asked by the committee to bring forward a draft ordinance for consideration by the committee and to bring examples of other county ordinances which could be edited to meet the needs of the citizens and visitors to Snohomish.

Jerry Hebert

Over the course of the next several months the committee carefully read each line of the draft ordinance and considered the legal and moral ramifications of each piece of the draft. They solicited advice and input from the Washington State Human Rights Commission, the Washington State Attorney General's office, U.S. Department of Justice Office on Civil Rights, as well as private attorneys and other state and local agencies. In addition, a cross section of concerned citizens and public officials from the county came together to help the committee with the task of refining the final ordinance. Among those attending at least one of the meetings:

State Representative, John McCoy (D-38th LD)

County Officials:

Dave Somers - County Council
Janice Ellis - County Prosecutor
John Lovick - County Sheriff
Tom Greene - Assistant County Sheriff
Rick Bart - Former Sheriff
Mark Hintz - Chair, Snohomish County Democrats

Human Rights Activists

Anita Moscoso, Deborah Parker, Dottie Cainion, Ed Glazer, Jackie Minchew, Jerry Otis, Jim Gow, Marian Harrison, Maru Mora Villalpando, Paul Benz, Pedro Gonzales, Rashida Harris, and others.

The ordinance as presented begins thus:

PROHIBITING CERTAIN FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION UNDER COUNTY CODE IN EMPLOYMENT, CREDIT TRANSACTIONS, PUBLIC ACCOMODATIONS, HOUSING, COUNTY PROGRAMS, AND CONTRACTING; ESTABLISHING THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION WITH ENFORCEMENT POWER TO ENFORCE PROHIBITIONS; CREATING A NEW CHAPTER OF THE SNOHOMISH COUNTY CODE

WHEREAS, recognizing the need to combat the effects of bias and bigotry throughout Snohomish County, the Snohomish County Council desires to afford greater protection against certain forms of discrimination than is presently provided under state law, to be known as the "Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance"; and

WHEREAS, Snohomish County desires to create a Commission on Human Rights to enforce the Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance; and

WHEREAS, this Ordinance is designed to protect all people who live and work in the County from discrimination and sexual harassment in employment, public accommodations, housing, credit transactions, County services and County contracting.; and

WHEREAS, this Ordinance prohibits these forms of discrimination when they are based upon a persons race, color, sex, age, religion, disability, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, parental status, military discharge status, source of income, housing status, or gender identity; and

WHEREAS, the Commission on Human Rights will be authorized to enforce the Snohomish County Human Rights Ordinance by investigating, conciliating and conducting hearings on complaints of discrimination. In addition, the Commission will develop and conduct educational programs designed to prevent discrimination before it occurs and to promote better relations among the County's diverse racial, ethnic, religious, cultural and social groups.

If enacted, Snohomish County would be the first government body other than the state to establish a separate Human Rights Commission. In response to a question about the current status of the proposed ordinance recently, Council Chair Dave Somers said that the council has referred the ordinance to staff and legal for review and that it has also been referred to the Executive for budgetary consideration.

Dave Somers

What can the public do? What we do best. Contact the members of the Snohomish County Council and let them know that this ordinance is the right thing at the right time for the county.

By the way, I would also like to thank Lynn Allen at the Institute for Washington's Future for the great piece on this subject over there.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

My Old Gig - Governor Gregoire - WA National Guard in Second Deployment to Iraq

Lietta Ruger — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:35:20 -0500

WA National Guard is being deployed to Iraq for the second time. They are training now (downfield) in Yakima and will deploy to Iraq in August. Wildfires in Spokane required Governor Gregoire's attention. A reporter type person, Kevin Taylor, in Spokane from The Pacific Northwest Inlander phoned me with questions because my name came up in a google search he was doing. Showed some of my activities in speaking out against Iraq war. Specifically of interest to him was the meeting we (military families) had with Governor Gregoire's office in March 2005 presenting her with the Resolution to Bring Home the WA National Guard

Same story only now it's going on six years later ---

read the article he wrote at The Pacific Northwest Inlander here.

I'm impressed because he quoted a lot of what I said accurately. And I said a lot. Which means he was likely accurate in quoting Governor Gregoire and military spouse, Becky Smith.

My New Gig

The Left Shue — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 21:09:13 -0500

A few weeks ago, in a totally off topic comment to a post on The Left Shue, I was contacted by a recruiter for the online venture Examiner.com. Laura Vecsey, a former sports writer for the Seattle PI and now content director for the newly created Seattle portal told me that she was interested in talking to me about posting on the site. She suggested that I take a look at what was there currently and that I would get an idea of what my potential role might be. It didn't take long.

Continue.........

Obviously the first thing I wanted to see was what type of political coverage they had and who would be providing it. The list of political "Examiners" consisted of two names, John Barnes - listed as the "Seattle Politics Examiner" and Eric Earling - "Seattle Right Side Politics Examiner." To be honest, I had no idea who John Barnes was but I certainly was familiar with the ring master over at Sound Politics. I decided to do a bit of checking on Mr. Barnes. His bio indicated that he worked for a "non-profit public policy think tank in Seattle." Hmmm, sounds like a quick check of "the Google" is in order. Oh, there he is: John Barnes, Communications Director at Washington Policy Center. So it seemed the rightwing was being adequately represented and therefore my role was defined; a Progressive voice to offset the rightwing talking points that Earling and Barnes would be free to repeat/re-post from their primary gigs.

A bit on the Examiner concept :

An online extension of the Examiner Newspapers with print versions in San Francisco, Denver, and DC, Examiner.com has a National portal as well as portals in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. There are currently 60 sites. Each site employs its own local "examiners" (I'm not sure whether they really intend to dis bloggers or simply want to reinforce their Examiner brand.) The examiners write on the variety of topics that you would find in any newspaper - news, weather, fashion, entertainment, food, politics, etc. The Seattle site has 30 different examiners with the addition of yours truly as the "Seattle Progressive Politics Examiner." I submitted my introductory piece yesterday. But wait! There's more...

Apparently it is a potentially controversial act to write for Examiner.com. No sooner had I submitted my post for publication I saw this from Andrew Villeneuve over at the Northwest Progressive Institute:

Local conservative think tank spokesman using "Seattle Politics Examiner" to promote the Washington Policy Center

While doing a Google search earlier tonight, I ran across the recently created Seattle extension of The Examiner, a network of newspapers and websites owned by Clarity Media Group, which is itself owned by conservative billionaire Philip Frederick Anschutz, the thirty first most wealthy American (according to Forbes) and a George W. Bush donor.

The initial object of Andrew's scorn is Seattle Politics Examiner, John Barnes who, as mentioned before, is the Communications Director for the Washington Policy Center.

In his page bio, Barnes fails to mention who his employer actually is:
'Born and raised in the Seattle area, John is the Communications Director for a non-profit public policy think tank in Seattle. He is a published historian and holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history. In his spare time you can find John traipsing Washington's rivers with a fly rod in hand or just exploring the countryside.'
But he doesn't have a problem promoting his employer's work on "Seattle Politics Examiner" without clearly disclosing that he works there. His most recent post on the Examiner website is actually a duplicate of a short entry at the Washington Policy Center blog hyping a report by the group that attacks Sound Transit for being engaged with local activists and stakeholders.

After taking Barnes to task (a move that must have paid off because Barnes' page bio NOW lists WPC as his main crib) Villeneuve then proceeds to take the entire enterprise to task for their lack of any Progressive content, their apparent disdain for bloggers (again "examiners" vs bloggers), and again raises questions about the conservative slant of the owner. Interestingly, Laura Vecsey who, in addition to her recruiting duties here in the Seattle market also writes as the "Seattle People Examiner" jumped right onto the comments for Andrew's post.

My name is Laura Vecsey, content director for Examiner.com/seattle. We just launched in Seattle April 14. My job has been to recruit local experts to contribute to the site. Oddly, not one of the dozen or more left-leaning or progressive bloggers in Seattle and the Pacific NW has wanted to join us -- yet. Thankfully, Chad Shue will be on the site ASAP as the Seattle Progressive Politics Examiner. It has been oddly slow trying to enlist experts on progressive politics in Seattle to come on board.
I would love to talk to you about this. In fact, I would love for you to serve as the Seattle NW Progressive Politics Examiner!
Thanks
Laura Vecsey

Ouch! So I guess that would make me the 13th or lower pick for the gig. Now I don't know who was asked before me but, aside from the obvious ego hit, I'm not really too concerned. Knowing what I know so far about this venture, I saw an opportunity and I accepted. The challenge that I am presented with is daunting. For starters, as most people know, I spend quite a bit of my blogging on Federal politics. While I do engage in the local and regional stuff, I just find the national issues easy pickings (I mean McSame practically writes himself). As the Seattle Progressive Politics Examiner, I need to keep my focus on the local and regional action. I also know that I will be the Progressive voice that will serve as the counter point to Eric Earling. Regardless of what most of us think of Earling's politics, to a great number of folks (including many in the MSM) he is considered on a level with the Goldy. While I don't intend to turn my column into a direct head to head, post for post, confrontation with him, I am sure that we will both be taking hits at the same people and events from opposite ends of the spectrum on many occasions. The thing that really attracts me to this role however is the opportunity to reach a much wider audience. The Seattle portal is just now reaching its 90 day anniversary so I will have the chance to become the Progressive voice for Seattle and Washington State for other Examiners from around the country as well as their readers. The thing that gives me the most confidence in going forward is my fellow bloggers at Washblog. I know that I will always be able to come here for story leads and resources. I have already had some great words of encouragement from some of you. In turn I will be looking forward to directing other readers to this site.

By the way, I'm hoping that someone takes Laura's offer to become a Progressive counter-point to the current "Seattle Politics Examiner" - perhaps a Seattle Progressive Government Examiner?

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Washington Mutual: "It's A Wonderful Life!" Here In Washington - At Least It Was Until July 22nd

dlaw — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 04:45:31 -0500

[Front Paged:AR]

After being terribly alarmed by the numbers earlier in the year, I have been tremendously impressed by the way troubled banks have been able to sell HUGE amounts of stock - screwing present shareholders but possibly saving the financial system for all the decent people. ;-)

Unfortunately, I have to say "possibly" because of two agencies, two banks and the last three lines of one article.

The agencies are called Fannie and Freddie. One of the banks is called Indymac and the other is WaMu. What follows are the last three lines of that article, and a tale of a life that was wonderful and now,...maybe,...not. Ask not for whom the bell tolls because it's not an angel named "Clarence".

Last but not least, WaMu has been at the forefront of the entire mortgage crisis. We were skewered for saying so last August.
WaMu's two thrift charters had $354 billion in total assets as of March 31. This was 25% of total assets under the OTS' supervision, if we exclude Countrywide.
All eyes will be on WaMu on July 22, when it announces second-quarter earnings results.

What does it all mean?

Once upon a time just before the Great Depression in a town called Bedford Falls, a fellow named George Bailey (no relation) was a banker at the Bailey Building & Loan, as his father had been. A lot of people think the fictional town was Bedford Falls, New York but the town of dreams was actually a little-known but attractive hamlet near Tacoma - Bedford Falls, Washingon

We all saw how when the Depression came the people rushed in to get their deposits and there was a mean guy and a nice old lady and George kissed her and they got through with a single dollar left. And we all know that George's drunk Uncle Billy lost the deposit envelope at the evil miser Potter's bank and George threw himself in the river and then all George's friends backed him up with their cash so Potter didn't ruin the whole town.

But what the movie didn't show - in the interest of time - was why George had to be so worried about that one, small envelope of deposits. You see, during the Depression people lost their jobs and defaulted on the mortgages they owed to George Bailey. But evil bankers like Potter were too fearful and greedy to loan money to the people who had jobs so those people might buy the houses that the Bailey B&L held as collateral. Nobody could buy houses. The real estate market plummeted and stalled with empty houses and homeless people

George Bailey wanted desperately to lend to the good people of Bedford Falls so they could rebuild the town and save America from Fear Itself. But he could not recoup any of his losses. He no money to lend and less and less income. Things had gotten so desperate that when a single envelope of cash went missing, the Bailey Building & Loan was sunk.

And at the Oval Office, President Roosevelt and the Brain Trust were up late wondering what to do about it. Bankers at Building & Loans in little towns across America (predecessor of our Savings & Loans) were throwing themselves into rivers and there were not enough character actors and film directors available to fish them all out.

One member of the Brain Trust said: "What if we make a lot of angels by ringing bells?" and they slapped him.

A second member of the Brain Trust said "What if we create a market in "used" mortgages?" and they slapped him.

But then President Roosevelt said they should hear the second fellow out and slap the first fellow again.

The Second Brain Trustee said: "See, what we'll do is we'll back up some of George Bailey's better loans. George will offer to transfer ownership of those loans to another bank in exchange for an amount of cash about equal to the amount he lent out. If another banker - like Potter - will do the deal, we the government will guarantee the payments on those loans. With government guarantees, I think we can create a market in quality "used" mortgages and save this darn economy."

President Roosevelt regarded the excited, upstart economist coolly. He leaned back in his chair, exhaled a smooth, aristocratic stream of smoke and rolled the ivory cigarette holder into the corner of his mouth.

"Go on," he said.

"And if Potter won't buy those loans himself WE'LL buy `em and sell 'em to some other rich miser! We'll create a secondary market for mortgages. See, that way, George Bailey won't have to foreclose the bad mortgages, he can sell the good mortgages and get new cash to lend out that way."

The President started to say: "So, really, we have nothing to fear but-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Mr. President, but I'm rolling here. If we back these mortgages - guarantee 'em, buy 'em, whatever we have to do - even evil, greedy, fearful miserly bankers like Potter won't be able to resist the prospect of a government-guaranteed return. Cash will flow from evil misers like Potter who refuse to lend to nice guys like George Bailey who will lend. Then the Cab Driver and the Cop can buy houses and America can be saved!"

And that's exactly what happened.

The President told the first Brain Truster - the one they had slapped silly - to go get them some scotch, some soda and a Secretary of the Treasury. It was going to be a long night. The government had to create the agencies that would later become Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and do it fast. Then the government swooped in just like George Bailey's wonderful friends and backed his loans.

And just like they'd planned, George was able to sell those "used" mortgages and use the money to write new mortgages. The terrible weight was off his shoulders and things started brighten up at the Bailey Building & Loan and all over Bedford Falls. Pretty soon George got a new desk, fixed his banister and even had a couple more kids with Donna Reed. The Cab Driver and the Cop bought trim little starter homes, got married to understanding women and went off to kill Hitler.

That is the real story about how Bedford Falls was saved and it should kinda make you hate hearing the conservative press badmouth Fannie and Freddie like they always do. For purely ideological reasons, conservatives always want to revile rather than reform and reinforce these central, New Deal pillars of the American economy

And not only did the government create the modern mortgage system with these agencies and help increase the rate of home ownership enormously, but the "used" mortgage business turned out to be pretty sweet for all involved. Selling "used" mortgages is not a thing we really think about, and yet from its humble beginnings it became arguably the LARGEST FINANCIAL MARKET IN THE WORLD. Yes, you read that right.

From across the street, Potter even saw George Bailey occasionally put his feet up on his new desk and smoke a cigar.

In about 2002, Potter - it was Potter the Third by this time but just as evil and greedy - was still making good money in mortgages. But of course it was never enough. You wouldn't think that the business of selling decent mortgages to the government with nice, free guarantees could be improved, but financiers like Potter III craved to "improve" the used mortgage business nonetheless.

One day, looking over his portfolio of businesses, Potter noticed that some of the used car lots he had a stake in were making particularly good profit. So he looked into why.

Now as we all know when you buy a used car there are two important numbers. One is the "Blue Book" value and the other is the Odometer Mileage. On a used car, the "Blue Book" is an indicator of what you might sell the car for if you decide you don't like it a week after you drive it off the lot and the Odometer Mileage is an indicator of how likely the car is to keep runnin'.

Potter the Third found that these very profitable used car lots were using a new, "Bluer Book" with higher values in it. And they were also SELLING A LOT OF CARS WITH "BROKEN" ODOMETERS.

Now what would you say was happening there?

And you would be right.

And this gave Potter III a wonderful, terrible idea about a thing called "Alt-A".

All you need to know about "Alt-A" mortgages is that although they are made to people with purportedly good credit, Fannie and Freddie do not buy them nor do they guarantee them. These mortgages are "Alt" because the bankers who sell these mortgages cannot meet Fannie and Freddie's very reasonable standards.

And from about 2002 onwards a rapidly, rapidly increasing number of mortgages were "Alt" because they - ehem - "lacked" documentation.

All of a sudden the banks like the main S&L owned by the Potter Holding Company - "IndyPottermac" of California - and the huge mortgage broker they owned - "CountryPotterWide" - and their Wall Street investment bank "Bear, Potter and Stearns" - were all selling mortgages with some interesting features.

Like Blue Book and Odometer Mileage on a used car, there are two really important numbers on a "used" mortgage - Appraised Value and Borrower Income. Appraised Value is the indicator of what you can sell the collateral (house) for if the borrower doesn't pay. Borrower Income, of course, indicates how likely the mortgage is to keep payin'.

Now suppose I told you that between 2002 and 2007 the Potter banks started selling a bunch of mortgages with Appraised Values that rose even faster than a rising market - like inflated Blue Books. And then supposed I told you that around the same time the Potter bankssuddenly decided to STOP RECORDING THE BORROWER INCOME on more and more of their loans. In other words, the Potter banks started selling many, many MORTGAGES WITH "BROKEN" ODOMETERS.

What would you say was happening there?

And you would be right.

The Center for Responsible Lending seems to have confirmed about Indymac what I long suspected about this whole mess: banks like Indymac were apparently breaking the odometers themselves or simply demanding that they be broken in advance.

We've all heard about "liar loans". The Potters of the banking industry have been quick to tell us how - as naïve, innocent financiers - like them were suddenly taken advantage of by thousands and thousands and thousands of deceptive borrowers - hypnotized or something, it seems.

And then there's the truth.

Rather than "liar loans" - as the banks described them - these were "Lemon Loans". They were used mortgages with Inflated Blue Books and "Broken" Odometers sold for a fast buck. Some of them barely got off the lot before the engines stopped cold. The "liars" were, of course, the people who sold these lousy lemons and put hundreds of billions of dollars in their pockets - the banks.

What's true of Indymac is almost certainly true of the rest of the Potter financial empire, wouldn't you say? But of whom else might it be true?

Let's recall those last three lines:

Last but not least, WaMu has been at the forefront of the entire mortgage crisis. We were skewered for saying so last August.
WaMu's two thrift charters had $354 billion in total assets as of March 31. This was 25% of total assets under the OTS' supervision, if we exclude Countrywide.
All eyes will be on WaMu on July 22, when it announces second-quarter earnings results.

The title of the article I reference here is "Indymac Wreck Could Lead to S&L Pile-Up" but the first thing to do is NOT to pull the money out of your WaMu account. Given what the FDIC says about Indymac you're safe - unless you're lucky enough to have a WHOOOLE lot of cash in the bank itself. In which case, screw you, you greedy, capitalist bastard.

No, I'm just kidding.

And if you have a whole mess of WaMu stock - well, you may be a greedy, capitalist bastard, but the management of WaMu has screwed you pretty well already. Time to talk to your investment counselor.

If you have a WaMu mortgage, this may even work for you because government money seems likely to get VERY involved here.

If you work for WaMu itself.........

The good news here, as I say, is that the government is probably going to get very involved - reaffirming, repairing and even expanding a whole lot of New Deal policies.

The bad news?

Well, I guess we have to see whether the bank headquartered here in Seattle should have changed its name to "PotterMu" rather than "WaMu".

We'll see on July 22nd, I guess.

Update [2008-7-22 16:40:39 by dlaw]: Holy S##t!!! WaMu has just reported a HORRIFYING number. The loss was SIX TIMES WORSE than Wall Street's consensus estimate. From MarketWatch:

WaMu reported a net loss of $3.33 billion, or $6.58 a share, late Tuesday. That compares to net income of $830 million, or 92 cents a share, a year earlier. The nation's largest thrift said it boosted loan loss reserves by $3.74 billion to $8.46 billion during the latest quarter. The company also said that the remaining cumulative losses in its residential mortgage portfolios will be towards the upper end of the range it disclosed in April. Excluding one-time items, the lender said earnings per share would have been $3.34 in the second quarter. WaMu was expected to lose $1.05 a share, according to the average estimate of 12 analysts in a Thomson Reuters survey.

More Yikes! stuff, from AP:

-- On the heels of reporting a $3 billion quarterly loss, Washington Mutual Inc. is said to have yet another problem on its hands: an exodus of its unsecured creditors, according to an analyst report Thursday. In a note to investors, Gimme Credit analyst Kathleen Shanley pointed to evidence that suggests many of the Seattle-based bank's unsecured creditors have been pulling funds from the bank. An unsecured creditor lends money without obtaining specified assets as collateral. This means the creditor has nothing to fall back on if the borrower defaults on the loan. Federal Reserve funds purchased and commercial paper declined to $75 million as of June 30, Shanley said, down from $2 billion at year-end and $3.4 billion a year ago. Securities sold under agreements to repurchase are down to $214 million, from $9.4 billion in the prior-year period. Other borrowings, she said, are $30.6 billion versus $39 billion in December.

I thought I told you unsecured creditors not to all take your money out of WaMu! Okay, I see your point.

Spokane is turning Democratic

EWVoters — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 18:47:58 -0500

[Front paged: NM]

Did you know that the city of Spokane is turning Democratic if not downright progressive? Democrats already have control of two legislative districts, and are poised to gain a majority on the County Commission.

The liberal 3rd Legislative District is currently represented by three progressive Democrats including Senate Majority leader Lisa Brown. In the more middle-of-the-road 6th Legislative District, there are two elected democrats including environmental champion Senator Chris Marr.

Also, progressive Democrats made serious in-roads into Spokane City Government with the election of Mary Verner as mayor and Richard Rush as a councilman in 2007.

Furthermore, Democrats have a real chance to gain control of the Spokane County Commission for the first time in many years. They elected Bonnie Mager in 2006, and one more will give them majority control. Dr. Kim Thorburn is running for a commissioner seat on the platform of Smart Growth, to Serve All Residents of the County, and for Transparency in Government.

Dr. Kim Thorburn has demonstrated her executive ability in leading the Regional Health District and in that capacity she showed that her interest is in the welfare of the citizens of this community not the special interests. Her integrity is above reproach and her dedication to public service has been amply demonstrated. Kim is committed to transparent and accessible county government. Her training and experience in public health would be a vital addition to county government as all issues coming before the county commissioners have public health ramifications. Dr. Kim Thorburn is the right choice for Spokane County.

Progressive Democrat, Brian Sayrs, from Liberty Lake is also running for the Spokane County Commission. Sayrs is currently on the Liberty Lake City Council.

Less than 4 months to go

Arthur Ruger — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 12:32:42 -0500

How come we cherish talk like this in our history and ignore it or put it down today?

Arthur Ruger — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:52:02 -0500

Do we consider ourselves now too politically sophisticated or somehow "no longer politically or idealistically naive" so as to believe that stuff?

Friday night Bill Moyers interviewed Mickey Edwards, a "Goldwater" conservative who invoked in me memories of my very limited but what - as a young American veteran - I considered conservative political thinking in the 70's and 80's.

What's the difference between a Goldwater conservative and a contemporary Republican conservative?

That's like asking the difference between Chuck Hagel ... who served
Dick Cheney ... who did not
and George Bush ... who ran away.

I'm impressed with contemporary soldiers who did not run away ... who got involved after serving ... and have earned the right to speak the way they do.

Read this rhetoric from a contemporary veteran. A member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, Adam Charles Kokesh writes very much like a Goldwater conservative ... and like Thomas Paine.

Guest Opinion.
Cross-posted from his blog which is linked below.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Duty to Resist
Text of speech delivered 080712 at the west lawn of the capitol:
When I joined the Marines at a little strip mall in Santa Fe, and when I was in boot camp in San Diego, and when I was dodging mortars in Fallujah, I could not have imagined that I would one day share a stage with such renowned speakers. However, to march shoulder to shoulder, and to stand in solidarity with you, is a far greater honor.
It has been said that when in the course of human events, an oppression so revolts its subjects, it becomes necessary to alter or abolish the means of that tyranny.
Is it that time when our Bill of Rights is defiled every day?
When our adventures abroad threaten our security at home?
When the Federal Reserve keeps our free nation enslaved by debt?
When the people of the world tremble under the thumb of corporate imperialism?
And now our nation is drifting dangerously from freedom to fascism.
So I have to ask, is it time?
The time is now, the threat is clear, the bands of tyranny are tightening around America, and it is our duty to resist!
As empowered patriots, let us take stock of our commitment to the ideals upon which this country is founded.
America without her freedoms is like a body without a soul. The challenge before the Freedom Movement is no less, than to bring about a revolution of values, inspire a renaissance of American politics, and breathe new life into the tortured body of our nation.
We will meet that challenge with courage and love, and as always, we the people, will prevail!
To rally the troops of the Revolutionary Army in the winter of 1776, Thomas Paine said,
"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot, will in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered."
As Iraq Veterans Against the War, we are resisting an occupation that we once risked our lives for. We swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, but we found out the hard way that the greatest enemies of the Constitution are not to be found in the sands of some far off land, but rather right here at home!
We are your new winter soldiers and we are still defending America.
We bring the values, skills, and commitment that make us warriors to the fight before us today.
We are working to end the war by strategically withdrawing our material support and inspiring others to do the same.
By advocating for veterans, we honor those who served, and empower soldiers to become successful civilians.
With Truth In Recruiting, we are inspiring a generation of young Americans to find a better way to serve this country than dying for empire.
By supporting those who are actively resisting, we inspire further resistance, and ensure that soldiers still have the right, as is their duty, to disobey illegal orders.
During the siege of Fallujah, a young Lance Corporal was shot through the side of his flak jacket in a firefight to the west of the city.
The bullet hit an artery near his spine. My team was called to help get him to the field hospital at Camp Taqadum. He was on a stretcher in the humvee in front of me, and I watched the Corpsman treating the external wound in a frightened, hurried panic, as the dust from the hot road swirled around us.
When we got there, I carried him in as he moaned and writhed in pain, barely conscious. He flailed his arm off the stretcher, and as I put it back by his side I told him,
"Don't worry. You made it. You're gonna be OK."
But he died only minutes later from the internal bleeding.
I have to live with that memory every day, but I have learned from it.
I will not tell you that the band-aids applied by Republicans and Democrats will heal us.
I will not pretend that everything is just going to be ok while we are bled dry by tyrants. And if it takes the last full measure of devotion, I will not allow the same fate to befall this country!
This young movement, is getting past the external wounds to the greater evils plaguing this nation.
We know, that the greatest threat to American security is the current corruption of our government!
No politician has ever ended a war.
Civil rights were won in this country not by any legislator, but by a movement. I have great hope for America, but not because of an election. No, my hope comes from you!
Our tragic love affair with the state, has led us to put far too much trust in a government that we hoped could improve our lives, but has instead come to run our lives for us.
We have become, as a people, like a frightened, battered, beat down victim of an abusive relationship. A servile, unquestioning, obedient people, will always produce tyrants.
We must, as a nation, once again, embrace defiance, rebellion, and resistance!
Every day more and more Americans are avoiding unenforceable taxes, leaving government jobs out of disgust, and sending their kids to college instead of combat.
But our efforts as a movement must become unified and deliberate to fully withdraw our compliance and support. Be it with your lives, labor, or tax dollars, stop investing in your own oppression!
Guard your communities from the police state!
Do not waste a single vote, or a single dollar, on the two-party system!
Do not be content merely to grumble and to march while they are using fear, force, and violence as weapons of oppression.
We must embrace the opportunity to resist civilly while we still can!
We are compelled to be here for many different reasons, and there is strength in our diversity.
As within Iraq Veterans Against the War and Veterans For Peace, we do not need to be uniform to be unified.
Take a look at the thoughtful, passionate people around you on this field, and throughout this country.
Do not leave here without meeting a new brother or sister in the struggle.
Take with you the inspiration to share your passion with someone who does not know they are yet part of our movement. Seek out where you can be most effective in the cause of liberty.
Challenge our force fed culture of unquestioning conformity and compliance.
Embrace a world that is not defined by the politics of fear, our obedience producing schools, or the false prophets of the corporate media.
As we have been awakened, we must stir the sleeping masses.
As the forces of oppression are diligent, so must we toil.
As they are committed, we must surpass them.
As they step up their efforts, we must rise up to defeat them as a unified movement!
We have been labeled rebels, traitors, enemies of the state. All terms King George would have used to vilify our founders.
I, for one, will always rebel against oppression, a traitor only to tyranny, and I would be remiss to not be the enemy of a state, that so blatantly tramples our freedoms.
American values have been nearly vanquished by consumerism, militarism, and authoritarianism.
Yellow ribbons and lapel pins will not save this country.
When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes duty.
The utmost manifestation of love and devotion to America, is today as it always has been, resistance of tyranny!
Resist we must, and resist we will!
We will not be silent!
We will not obey!
We will not let our government destroy our humanity!
We will not wait another moment in fear to stand up for what we know to be right!
It is time the government starts fearing the people again!
It is time that we meet oppression with resistance!
They cannot stop us! Humanity marches on. You can fight it, or fight for it.
When we say revolution, we say it with love. As we march onward from this place where we have pledged to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, let us embrace the struggle, cherish the fight, and live in that love.
The passion of our hearts will be raised with our fists!

Adam Kokesh - Revolutionary Patriot

Iraq Veterans Against The War

Case against George W. Bush for Murder spelled out in Bugliosi's book. Is momentum building?

Lietta Ruger — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 12:41:20 -0500

Vincent Bugliosi, renowned prosecutor of Charles Manson, author of many books, most well known is probably 'Helter Skelter' has written his newest book laying out a case for 'The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder' . I ordered Vincent Bugliosi's newest book from my local library and began reading it a couple weeks ago. My husband, rather intrigued, asked if he could take it to work with him to read during breaks and I agreed. So I haven't finished reading the book -- yet. But as much as I've read has been exactly right on the mark!

Sharing the opportunity for legal minds to heed Bugliosi's Call to Heroes: The heroes in Vince's case are those who would prosecute George W. Bush for murder in an American court of law - which includes the hundreds of city and county District Attorneys, the fifty State Attorneys General and any of the ninety-three U.S. Attorneys in the ninety-three federal districts for whom Vince established jurisdiction to proceed with the case. And a bonus, Bugliosi offers his own services to assist in the prosecution.

Learned of the book, and was ready to put off reading yet another book about the lying President, but I already have respect for Vincent Bugliosi for his successful prosecution of Charles Manson, and the book he wrote about that trial 'Helter Skelter'. I took a chance that my local library branch would be able to obtain it for me and put me on the waiting list for sometime in the future. Wasn't even sure it would be in library circulation yet as the book is fairly newly released. I was surprised when the library phoned me to pick up the books I ordered and one of the books was 'The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder'. I started reading on a quiet early morning.

This past year I've been working on trying to quiet down from the intensity of the past five years of my activism as a military family speaking out. My perpetual state of anger and outrage has put me out of balance and harmony with my own internal life and well being. I was somewhat sure the Bugliosi's book would harness and regenerate all that intensity, so was reluctant to take the plunge, yet I have carried without reservation in my heart that this man who holds the office of President of the United States and ordered up on lies and deceptions this war in Iraq with all of it the devastating carnage of killing, death, dying, horrific maiming deserves to be on the receiving end of justice - and not simply an impeachment from which he can walk away pretty much unscathed, unrepentent, without remorse and without accountability for what he has unleashed.

Having George W. Bush prosecuted for murder by the legal system in this country fits for me, and having him declared guilty and spending time jailed works for me. The case laid out by Bugliosi in a call to action for such a prosecution is an effort and action I can support and get behind. I'm not sorry then that I felt compelled to seek out Bugliosi's book 'The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder'.

I was all the more compelled when I read this from article by Linda Milazzo who interviewed Bugliosi about his new book

Vince doesn't use a computer. He writes his books long hand on canary pads. He has no email address, doesn't surf the web, doesn't google, doesn't have a cell phone, and doesn't know the rest of us exist! He laughs when I tell him the blogosphere has become the mainstream. He doesn't know what a blog is, or a website. He's amused by the iPod I use to record our talk, and amazed by the iPhone I use to take his photo (above). Yet for all his lack of technology savvy, he did comprehend that without one corporate TV appearance and no major newspaper review, his book still debuted at #17 on the New York Times Best Seller list and at #30 on Amazon.com. Three weeks ago, when his book first launched to a corporate media blackout, his book signing lines at Book Expo America in Los Angeles were two hours long. When I explain to Vince that the internet drove that enthusiasm, he begins to catch on.

As I began reading the book, with the recognition that Bugliosi was not following the Iraq war using internet, but the more traditional news media, so he was not exposed to what some like to dismiss as radical, revolutionary or conspiracy theory kind of mentality. And as I was reading how Bugliosi came to arrive at his conclusion that George W. Bush should be prosecuted for murder, I felt like I was reviewing a history of the many of the postings I've placed here over the years at my own blog, Dying to Preserve the Lies.

Apparently there is a corporate or media blackout on promoting Bugliosi's book - an experience he has not encountered in his years of authoring books . Given the topic and title of his book, why am I not surprised that media won't touch his book. But that hasn't prevented his book from reaching #12 on the New York Times Best Seller List. The word is getting out, and I look forward to seeing the momentum grow as the book (case) catches on amongst those with legal minds and in a position to do something.

From Linda Milazzo's interview with Vincent Bugliosi and her article on June 23, 2008 at Huffington Post - 'A Call to Heroes'

Which brings us to Vince's CALL TO HEROES. The heroes in Vince's case are those who would prosecute George W. Bush for murder in an American court of law - which includes the hundreds of city and county District Attorneys, the fifty State Attorneys General and any of the ninety-three U.S. Attorneys in the ninety-three federal districts for whom Vince established jurisdiction to proceed with the case. Vince is certain that amongst this vast population of prosecutors, there is at least one patriot who loves this nation deeply enough to hold Bush accountable for the murders of over 4,000 service men and women whom he lied into going to war.
The good news for whomever does step forward to take George Bush to task is the promise of assistance from Bugliosi himself - who as a prosecutor is held in the highest regard. In the words of famed defense attorney F. Lee Bailey, Vince is "the quintessential prosecutor." For Harvard Law Professor, Alan Dershowitz, Vince is "as good a prosecutor as there ever was." Thus, Vince's offer to serve as consultant to whomever accepts the case should be incentive enough to take it on - especially since whomever does take it on will encounter instant fame. Vince has also offered to accept a Special Prosecutor appointment from any U.S. Attorney or District Attorney who would like him to try the case.

Ingrigued? Interest piqued?

Then read an updated article from Linda Milazzo(also at Huffington Post) on June 29, 2008 - 'Momentum Building for Bugliosi's Case Against George W. Bush for Murder' and enjoy the five videos posted there of Bugliosi speaking about his book.

It is not my intent to regurgitate Linda's articles, there is no need, so read those for yourselves. But it is my intent to do my bit in promoting Vincent Bugliosi's book and I would love to see momentum build around an effort to do exactly that - prosecute George W. Bush for Murder. He has earned and deserves the scrutiny of the justice system for how he has abused and misappropriated the powers of the Office of the President of the United States.

ed note; addition: I didn't realize there is website for the book see it here

Note: from Amazon.com where you can purchase 'The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder' About the Author, Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent Bugliosi received his law degree in 1964. In his career at the L.A. County District Attorney's office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, including 21 murder convictions without a single loss. His most famous trial, the Charles Manson case, became the basis of his classic, Helter Skelter, the biggest selling true-crime book in publishing history. Two of Bugliosi's other books--And the Sea Will Tell and Outrage--also reached #1 on the New York Times hardcover bestseller list. No other American true-crime writer has ever had more than one book that achieved this ranking. His latest book, Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy, has been heralded as "epic" and "a book for the ages."
Bugliosi has uncommonly attained success in two separate and distinct fields, as an author and a lawyer. His excellence as a trial lawyer is best captured in the judgment of his peers. "Bugliosi is as good a prosecutor as there ever was," Alan Dershowitz says. F. Lee Bailey calls Bugliosi "the quintessential prosecutor." "There is only one Vince Bugliosi. He's the best," says Robert Tanenbaum, for years the top homicide prosecutor in the Manhattan D.A.'s office. Most telling is the comment by Gerry Spence, who squared off against Bugliosi in a twenty-one-hour televised, scriptless "docu-trial" of Lee Harvey Oswald, in which the original key witnesses to the Kennedy assassination testified and were cross-examined. After the Dallas jury returned a guilty verdict in Bugliosi's favor, Spence said, "No other lawyer in America could have done what Vince did in this case."

Bugliosi lives with his wife, Gail, in Los Angeles.

High Gas Prices Cause Shifts in Attitudes on Drilling and Environment

The Left Shue — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:43:12 -0500

Cross poted from The Left Shue as an extended comment to both Lietta's and Arthur's recent posts concerning Peak Oil and Off Shore Drilling.

Troubling news from Pew Research (as reported by the Associated Press):

Gas prices change views on energy
By H. JOSEF HEBERT
" WASHINGTON (AP) -- High gasoline prices have dramatically changed Americans' views on energy and the environment with more people now viewing oil drilling and new power plants as a greater priority than energy conservation than they did five months ago, according to a new survey.

The poll released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center shows nearly half of those surveyed -- or 47 percent -- now rate energy exploration, drilling and building new power plants as the top priority, compared with 35 percent who believed that five months ago..."

Even with all the emphasis on Global Climate Change and more experts willing to go on the record about Peak Oil it seems that the folks over at Big Oil seem to be winning the battle of the ad wars.

This change in attitude is happening even though every respected expert in the field will tell you that, even if we began drilling in every conceivable location today, the American consumer would not see any real relief from higher gas prices for at least a decade (if ever). In the meantime real damage to the ozone will be occurring and additional energy resources will be depleted in the exploration process while the potential for ecological devastation lingers precariously around every project. And, at the end of the process, we will still find ourselves pumping more CO2 into the atmosphere. It's like the smoker who chooses the "nicotine substitute" to break his nicotine addiction.

Most disheartening in this study is that it crosses almost every political and ideological demographic:

" Among the survey's most astounding findings is the dramatic increase in a span of five months in the support for energy exploration and production among groups that have traditionally championed conservation as being the answer to the country's energy problems.

For example, the percentage of liberals who said expanding energy exploration was their most important priority doubled from 22 percent in February to 45 percent; increased by 19 points to 50 percent among independents; and by 18 points to 46 percent among women..."

So what is the compelling information being ~~spewed~~ disseminated by Big Oil? Well according to one of the current crop of ads being run by the American Petroleum Institute,

"Oil and natural gas powered the past. But the future? Fact is a growing world will require more, 45 percent more by 2030 along with greatly expanding alternatives. We have substantial oil and natural gas resources right here [SPOKESMODEL STROLLS OVER MAP OF THE LOWER 48 STATES]. Enough to power 60 million cars and heat 160 million households for 60 years. With advanced technology and smart policies, together we can secure America's energy future."

Ok, there are a couple of things here that kinda stand out:

1.) While claiming that "We have substantial oil and natural gas resources right here." The spokesmodel doesn't say that these are estimates of what they think is there. Oh, and the there? She conveniently stands in front of a map of the lower 48 states; thereby deflecting attention from the "off-shore" areas (such as the Florida and California coasts) and the entire wilderness area of Alaska.

2.) "Enough to power 60 million cars and heat 160 million households for 60 years." Well that might be ok I guess if we didn't live in a country with over 250 million registered highway vehicles. She also doesn't seemed concerned with the fact that gasoline and heating oil are not the only by-products of crude oil and, therefore, either her number of units fueled or heated or her "60 years" might need "adjustment."

And, again there is nothing indicating the timeline before the American consumer would start seeing any of the benefit from this folly.

The only silver lining to be found here is that, with an election contest underway between presidential candidates with differing views on drilling our way out of the problem, there ~~will~~ should be no sudden shifts in policy before the next president is sworn in.

Peace,
Chad (The Left) Shue

Response to Peak Oil, price of fuel and other significant shortages

Arthur Ruger — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 11:04:08 -0500

Lietta and I have allocated enormous amounts of our spare time to a serious examination and plan for our future. We plot our response to the implications of Peak Oil, gas guzzling transportation and what to do about potential shortages of commodities, services and medical expertise that stare us in the face as we move into our 60's.

All this business causes us to miss some of the prime entertainment and diversion available via the media. Often the question arises, "do we need to prepare and participate in social revolution or should we continue mindlessly on distracted by corporate-sonsored propaganda, bread and circuses?"

(Well one bread/circus e've recently discovered is Eddie Izzard - who is sufficiently entertaining to get me to turn the TV on at night and stay subscribed to Netflix.)

This excerpt from Lietta's post July 2, about what our neighbors think about energy and other stuff.

Gas Prices; Astonishingly - well to us anyway - when the question of gas prices came up, as we knew it would, and someone asked about off shore oil drilling and leased land not being used for oil drilling, Brian Baird started to discuss it and then asked the audience for a show of hands as to who was in favor of off-shore oil drilling. And almost all the hands went up. Then Brian Baird asked who was not in favor, with my husband, mine and probably 3-4 other hands going up.
I was stunned. And in somewhat confused language pointed out peak oil
The majority of hand-raisers were approving of off-shore drilling. When asked by Baird whether or not this community - whose economy is heavily reliant on the ocean - is willing to risk oil spills and damage to marine life (economic or otherwise), the hands stayed up. In fact one of the attendee's who had "done her homework" justified her vote based on the preserved integrity of off-shore wells in Louisiana during and after Katrina.
So why not?
Peak Oil is here. Demand now outpaces supply and the number of global competitors for a diminishing supply is rising.
Regarding Peak Oil, all we need to understand is that an SUV getting less than 20-30 mpg needs to be jettisoned in favor of something smaller and now more expensive that reaches for 50 mpg. (BTW, I ran the trade-in value of a 2002 Ford Explorer Thursday. Where it normally hovered in double digit thousands, Kelly BB now says a whopping $1850.)
My thoughts on Peak Oil
Peak Oil explanations have for the most part not told it all.
Surprising observation from Certified right-winger and advocate of the Corporate American Core Values, Charles Krauthammer:

"Forbidding drilling [in the Arctic refuge] does not prevent despoliation. It merely exports it. The crude oil we're not getting from the Arctic we import instead from places like the Niger Delta, where millions live and where the resulting pollution and oil spillages poison the lives of many of the world's most abysmally poor"
So should the amount of energy input required to get the oil include the 'cost' of basic human life?
Economic statisticians love to estimate the value of things and enterprises in terms of man-hours, labor units and whatnot. This from the point of view of valuing how much we First-Worlders must pay to get our oil from Third-Worlders who probably have very little say in whether or not we move in and take away their resources, usually for less than fair market value.
When a talking head expounds knowledgeably about the high costs of finding disappearing pockets of new oil, our wallets wiggle, self-focus increases and we begin to think of our 4-cylinder 1985 diesel pickup in the back yard with weeds peeking out from behind all the wheels.
But beyond our comprehension and more than likely not even considered by the authoritative Think Tank Energy Know-It-All is what reality is to our neighbors elsewhere on the planet who are not aware that their turf is part of our god-given mandate to dominion. Do they have a right to the stuff (as Carlin put it) in their own back yard?
You know who they are; them folks who live in a society older than ours that already possesses a physical infrastructure older than ours. Theirs was built by how many millions of man-hours, labor-units, blood, sweat and tears?
I agree with the asker of the following question (all quotes in this article come from the reference link posted at the end of the article.)

" Do all the billions of hours of materialized human labor that have historically been destroyed by Westerners in the Middle East enter the equations telling us how many energy units are needed, under the current market conditions, to produce the equivalent of one BTU (British Thermal Unit) of energy?
At the Baird Town Hall questions about immigration came up (see Lietta's article) and Baird gave excellent responses to an audience that included many who have some vague resentment of all foreign poor people that is driven by broadcast rhetoric regarding the status of aliens in our midst.
As we discuss our own and other nations' population-related problems, especially since we are an electorate which has approved by ballot an aggressive corporate imperialist rape of someone else's natural resource assets by the use of force, need we remember and understand that

"any proposed 'cost analysis' that excludes historically accumulated human social labor is not an a scientific explanation. Further, such a perspective is racist since the only human life worth its consideration, implicit in its tenets, is the ethnocentric, western self.
Just the amount spent on the destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan is in the trillions of dollars. How many tens of trillions of dollars worth of human creation has this war actually destroyed? Do these destructions enter American environmentalists' calculations?"
Now this ought to remind baby boomers about sixties-era notions such as that book and movie entitled The Ugly American.
Problem is not so much the absence of lots of boomer citizens who remember the Great Depression with intense feeling.
No, our problem is the generation missing at the time of the Oil Embargo in the 1970's; today's primary consuming generation for whom all this is mere intellectual or conscious "information" buttressed by little if any real understanding or intuition as to what it all means.

"Now, we know that even in the worst locations on earth (except war zones) those fires, shootings, school fights due to hanging nooses, teachers and priests having sex with students/believers, and all the millions of miles of footage on this or that celebrity seen locally (or anywhere) were obviously not the only things happening within the local universe in the 24-hour interval between last night and tonight.

Some selection has clearly taken place, which is of course what 'news' organizations do to prepare their programs. This carefully produced selection, when repeated daily and over the decades, keeps the public on edge on two levels: envious of the rich and the famous and, more so and more importantly, scared and insecure about their own lives.
And that, not information sharing, is the rhetorical agenda of 'news organizations': Danger creeps around every corner!
Put your trust in the authorities!
State violence is your only security!
Peak Oil serves exactly the same rhetorical purpose in a more nuanced way, with regard to the 'energy crisis': it keeps people revved up and on edge about the coming doom regarding oil and 'our way of life'. And who to trust to solve the problem?

Since Peak Oilers don't say, the actually existing answer is provided happily by, who else, the western corporations, the global 'free market' and the first world governments.
Now I'm curious in a kind of conspiracy-nut way as to the reality of how short we Americans are on native oil under our control. If as claimed, 60 percent of the current price of oil is caused by the futures traders in this commodity has nothing to do with supply shortages, is there in fact "too much supply for the actually existing capacity of refineries to refine the available oil fast enough?"
Chief Seattle could have uttered these words:
"Since Peak Oilers work with capitalist vocabulary, their solutions will never have anything to do with a fundamental reconceptualization of property rights, and no form of socialization of natural resources will enter their platforms."
As we read this, what comes to mind in terms of what we really need to be thinking about?

What is suggested is "nothing short of a social revolution."

That's what drives the small plans being implemented in our own household and on our little plot of land where we're investing in new personal infrastructure such as raised bed gardens, vegetables hanging from plastic buckets and turning one of our basement rooms into a root cellar.

It seems that a social-economic revolution in our personal and societal lives would be the "politico-logical thing to do."
Let me then speak to Rep. Baird's position vis-a-vis my son-in-law's personal survival in harm's way. Baird's political justifications agree with all those who insist that the broken pottery barn will go to hell in a hand-basket if we leave now.

Any who believe that the United States of America is the global Roy Rogers wearing a white hat and spreading peace, prosperity, truth, justice and the American way to an ignorant, impoverished world are stuck knee-deep in their own personal intellectual quagmire.
We are not and have not been Roy Rogers. We are now and have been Oil Can Henry.

" ... the U.S. is a world imperialist power that historically has as often projected power through 'civil' means (corporations and financial institutions) as through state violence (coups, bilateral security agreements previously, and now open military interventions). For this type of imperialism, local or regional powers willing to and capable of acting independently and wielding power are not desirable, unless (as with Israel) such a local power is in a fundamental fashion (existentially?) dependent on Washington's patronage."

Other than quoting Lietta's post, all other quotes are from Peak Scam by Reza Fiyouzat, Online Journal Contributing Writer, Jun 30, 2008, 00:18
Hm .... The author looks to have an Arab name. According to American jingoists, we're misunderstood and probably Reza has written nothing truthful. It only appears that astride [the] Trigger sits Oil Can Henry.

For more thorough and knowledgeable biography of Oil Can Henry Google Chalmers Johnson and William Blum.
This araticle cross posted to Lietta's and my joint blog, Our Life on Willapa Bay

Torture IS A Moral Issue: Reverend Rich Lang

Arthur Ruger — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 08:27:16 -0500

Rich gave us permission to post this article which will appear in the July 9th edition of Real Change, Seattle's Community Street paper.

Why don't all those pulpit preachers speak out about this rather than herniate themselves about gay marriage?

Rich speaks to the very religious fabric of this nation. This is at a time when God-talk by right wing politicians and their religious base is now commonplace.

So when Obama talks Christian common cense and compassion, when Dobson & Co. react by raging flight from reality, and the other candidate needs gay marriage as the more useful issue, lets ask Reverend Rich Lang.

Torture is a crime against humanity.
It destroys both those who are tortured, and those who inflict the torture. Torture, the willed infliction of severe pain on helpless, vulnerable captives, leads inevitably to further and further cruelty until the ones who do the torturing become the very evil they hate. It seeps out of the torture room into the body politic and changes the character of the nation.
We move from a people of optimistic idealism into the sewer of a people wallowing in fear, filth, despair, and cynicism. We move from being a light to the nations, to being the deepening darkness that extinguishes the light of life itself.
As a Christian Pastor, and a follower of One who was himself tortured, rendered, and murdered by political agents for imperial purposes, I declare that followers of Jesus Christ are forbidden to engage in, or support practices of torture. Such activity is Demonic, and is a further crucifixion of Jesus. Christians are summoned by the Holy Spirit to publicly oppose the use of torture.
Indeed, one cannot sing the hymns of faith on Sunday, and partake of, or benefit from the instruments of terror on Monday. For Christian soldiers and intelligence agents this means that in the name of Christ you must stand down and disobey your orders when called upon to break faith with God.
For those involved in rendering prisoners to other nations for torture, in the name of Christ you must stand down, and disobey those orders.
For Christian citizens, in the name of Christ, you must support those who are disobedient to the State but faithful to God.
You must do all in your power, including civil disobedience, to expose, and end the evil being done in our name.
To do otherwise is a denial of Christian faith and practice. To do nothing is to remain complicit with evil, and thereby desecrate the body and blood of the living and risen Christ.
In other words, there is no moral distinction between America's use of torture, and the German Christian capitulation to the holocaust of the Jews. Indeed, one leads inevitably to the other.
A nation so devoid of moral reason that it practices, and approves of torture, is a nation well on its way to the slaughter of countless innocents.
In those days the victims were the Jews, in our time, Muslims.
As a nation we have crossed a line of evil that we had pledged we would never cross. Without repentance there will be nothing but sorrows for our future.
As a Christian Pastor, I appeal to both fellow Christians, and all who will hear, that we renounce this activity of fascism, expose it to the light of day, and cast out those who have betrayed this nation, who have broken covenant with humanity, and who have opened up the gates of Hell on earth.

National Religious Campaign Against Torture

Let's compare this resume with any ministerial personality advocating that citizens make choices and take action:

Who is Rich Lang? The following from Trinity United Methodist Church

MY CALL INTO MINISTRY:

I was converted to the values and vision of Jesus from a lifestyle of adolescent drug-abuse, alcoholism and its resulting despair in 1975. My conversion was a very powerful mystical experience that changed my way of thinking, acting and feeling.
Since that moment I have known that my life would be in service to promoting the good news of God's power and ability to redeem. I never much cared for the institutional form of Christian expression.
I interpreted the Church as an institution of hypocrisy and mediocrity. I wrestled with and rebelled against becoming an "institutionalized Christian".
But over the years I have learned that institutions (although not perfect) are necessary. Institutions, like persons, can be redeemed to work for justice and the care of the earth. My call to be an "institutionalized clergy" is an opportunity to proclaim the person of Jesus and his power to redeem.
My current ministry allows me to work with a congregation that seeks to role model justice, peace, compassion and kindness in our care of creation and each other. I consider myself a Liberation Theologian that is intrigued by the vision of Jubilee (canceling debt, creating a limit on wealth and a floor under poverty).
Thinkers who have influenced me greatly are Ernest Becker, Jacques Ellul, Ted Peters, Robert Jewett, Walter Wink, Walter Brueggemann, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Rosemary Ruether, Mark Noll, Ched Myers, David Korten and Noam Chomsky.
I try to read deeply into the field of politics, Biblical studies and theology so that I might be useful to the congregations I serve. I very much believe that America is currently undergoing severe change as it moves into the fullness of Empire with a corresponding perversion of media-driven Christianity which I call Christian Fascism.
The good news is that God is a great anarchist that constantly subverts the plans of control freaks and the power hungry.

Rich married Cathy in 1983 and they have two sons, Mike and Andy.

Rich has been honored with the following community awards:

Ballard Community (2006)

Taking the Bull by the Horn "& for Courageous Social Justice Leadership

Sacred Activists (2006)

Ordinary People/Extraordinary Outcomes Award

Rauschenbusch Center for Spirit and Action (2005)

For leadership in the Social Gospel.

Volunteers of America: Heroic Leadership (Spokane) (1995)

He has published articles in

Yes Magazine, Zion's Herald, Real Change, and various newspapers and websites.

CLERGY EXPERIENCE:

Seattle: Trinity UMC July 2000 to the present

Spokane: Central UMC July 1995-2000

LaConner-Bay View UMC July 1989-1995

Booth Gardner and Initiative 1000 - Sad HMO Dupes???

dlaw — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:19:10 -0500

[Front paged: NM]

I heard Booth Gardner and his merry band on the radio cheering their "victory" at having secured the signatures for Initiative 1000. It is bad law - poorly informed, short-sighted and the political tool of HMOs.

But even if they can't see the ethical problems with it, the sponsors of this Initiative are intelligent Democrats of great political experience. Therefore, it should be patently obvious to them that the more signatures they got for it - the more popular it is - the more surely Initiative 1000 should be retracted and a bill from the legislature put in its place. Otherwise, it will be a bad law AND a political failure.

Here's why:

First, many Progressives dislike the initiative process altogether. They feel that it is something that will inevitably be abused by the right wing. Although this has been the case in fact, I disagree that the initiative process is broken. I admit that the requirement an Initiative be single-issue tends to favor emotional issues over more comprehensive legislative approaches, but I support the concept of initiatives nonetheless - just not this one.

Initiative 1000 is a terrible idea in and of itself.

It undermines one of the fundaments of Progressivism, one of the oldest and best-working ethics in the history of the world: "First, do no harm."
It gives physicians a power they don't need and shouldn't have to solve a problem of liability that is solved more logically with bills like this and this.
It undermines and confuses the ethics of palliative care by redefining an action intended only to kill a human being as "palliative".
While the AMA tries to help Progressive groups fight against the death penalty by persuading doctors that they must not be involved in executions, this Initiative tells doctors that they SHOULD be involved in an act intended only to kill.

The difference between an administration of medication for the purpose of relieving pain which may become lethal and the administration of a drug intended only to be lethal is a crucial, ethical distinction.

But even if they agree with the Initiative, the enormous demonstrated popularity of it should lead Progressives to conclude that it should be retracted. If the people of the state of Washington really disagree with me and really want "Death with Dignity" on a large, bipartisan basis, then the backers of 1000 should immediately sacrifice the Initiative and use it to push through a new healthcare bill.

A strong, Democratic majority should easily be able to tie the language of this popular Initiative with other, positive healthcare legislation and create a "Healthcare With Dignity Act". Instead of a single-issue Initiative, surely these Democratic leaders would be willing to share their political capital and help pass something that will help more people than the dying who choose to take their own lives this way.

Wouldn't that be a better idea?

Booth Gardner is persuaded that this is important and he's been successful. But surely he'd be willing to use his success on this no-cost, single-issue Initiative that will be used by a very small number of people (only about 350 patients choosing euthanasia in Oregon after 10 years - very small pdf - and obviously no improvement in health outcomes) to push something - or the expansion and funding of existing programs - that would be used by large numbers of some of our state's equally-vulnerable or more-vulnerable populations.

If securing a healthcare "right-to-die" is popular, can we agree that securing the healthcare rights of, for example, children and the mentally ill is more important? Isn't dying a pretty easy "right" to secure relative to the challenges faced by uninsured children and the mentally ill?

Wouldn't a combination of expanding and funding this breakthrough law and, say, this fledgling initiative as well as giving doctors the freedom to prescribe lethal drugs to these nice elderly ladies, be more positive and useful for the citizens of Washington?

[Sorry about the cute old ladies, but I just don't like this bill. At the same time, if "dignity by death" was combined with something really positive, I'd drop my protests in a minute.]

Shouldn't Booth Gardner and the happy backers of Initiative 100 be willing to share and compromise in order to help more people?

How about using the support for "Death with Dignity" to create "Mental Healthcare with Dignity" and insure "Childhood with Dignity"? How about "Pain Care with Dignity"? How about a bill that protects the elderly and terminally ill as well as offering them drugs to die with?

I appeal to the supporters of Initiative 1000 to table this legislation until it can be combined into a Washington Healthcare With Dignity Act!

Wouldn't that be a real accomplishment compared with this ?

[Again to supporter, I'm sorry about the above link, but I strongly believe that unless it is coupled with positive legislation, Initiative 1000 is worse than useless]

Congressman Brian Baird talks on the issues at Town Hall Meeting, July 1, 2008

Lietta Ruger — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 13:29:21 -0500

[Front paged: NM]

Attended U.S. Representative Brian Baird Town Hall Meeting in South Bend, Pacific County, Washington on July 1, 2008. I had very personal reasons for wanting to talk to Congressman Baird this year based on our experience talking with him at his Town Hall meeting last summer.

You may recall that last year Congressman Baird made national news in his support of the 'Surge' (of U.S. troops deployed to Iraq. We were in great opposition and wanted him to know as his constituents living in his district our views as a military family, with 2 returning Iraq veterans.

This year, at his Town Hall meeting, which covered a range of issues, I had opportunity to discuss the Surge one year later with him. Read my report below the fold.

On Monday, June 30, I received an email from Congressman Baird's office advising he was holding a Town Hall meeting in South Bend, on July 1 (the next day). He holds Town Hall meetings annually in towns and cities across his district. I wanted to attend, for a couple of reasons.

Some background: Last summer, Congressman Brian Baird held a Town Hall Meeting in Raymond, and this was at the time that Congressman Brian Baird who had voted against the invasion into Iraq, decided that he wanted to come out approving President Bush's `Surge' of U.S. troops in Iraq. Congressman Baird had made a trip to Iraq last year, to assess the situation of war in Iraq and had conversation with General Petreaus, coming home to believe in the value of proceeding with a Surge in U.S. troops deployed to Iraq. The deaths of U.S. troops was at an increasing frequency, and violence was rampant in Iraq, IED's and suicide bombings - killing civilians, Iraqi police and soldiers, and U.S. troops. Last year, Congressman Baird made national news in his support for President Bush's call for a `Surge' (of troops) in Iraq.

My husband and I, being a military family with 2 returning Iraq veterans (both from Washington state), attended that Town Hall meeting in Raymond, WA last summer primarily to challenge the Congressman on his support of the `Surge' and it was a contentious exchange with the Congressman. Please refer to the article `Baird faces his constituents in Raymond' in Daily World last September.

The article features photo of my husband, Arthur Ruger, and the pointed question he put to Congressman Baird man to man - "was the war worth our son's blood.", to which the Congressman responded yes, he believed it was. That was a slap in the face to us, as we do not believe, have never believed this war was worth any son or daughter's blood. It was important to me then, last night, a year later at the Town Hall Meeting in South Bend, for me to connect to the Congressman based on our exchange from last year. That same year, in December 2007 our son-in-law deployed to Iraq in his second 15 month stop-loss, extended deployment, where he is now.

I wanted very much to attend Congressman Baird's Town Hall meeting last night, even though I seem to have run out of things to say about the wrongness of the Iraq war. Arthur and I attended, and after Congressman Baird gave his presentations, he opened it to audience questions. I listened through all of the questions, intending to ask my two questions at the end of the proceedings.

Issues discussed during course of the meeting:

Gas Prices; Astonishingly - well to us anyway - when the question of gas prices came up, as we knew it would, and someone asked about off shore oil drilling and leased land not being used for oil drilling, Brian Baird started to discuss it and then asked the audience for a show of hands as to who was in favor of off-shore oil drilling. And almost all the hands went up. Then Brian Baird asked who was not in favor, with my husband, mine and probably 3-4 other hands going up.

I was stunned. And in somewhat confused language pointed out peak oil and global warming and then gave up, saying never mind. I could not believe what I had just witnesssed. An expectation that enough information is out there now about the growing oil crisis, that I had thought more would be appreciative of our need to change our lifestyle to become less oil dependent and the urgency in finding alternative energy lifestyles.

Acidic Ocean; Congressman Baird acknowledged Al Gore's documentary `An Inconvenient Truth', and then explained to the audience some research he had done on acidic ocean, and his first hand visit where he witnessed disappearing coral reefs, and how as a coastal community we should be concerned about our oceans. Then he answered other questions, and while I was listening attentively, I had already recognized that once again, our views on oil dependency (my husband and mine) were indeed the minority opinions amongst the community we live in. We've encountered this before along the course of our speaking out against the Iraq war as military family with loved ones deployed in Iraq.

Funding Iraq War vs Domestic Needs; Later when a young reporter from the Aberdeen Daily World newspaper tossed out a comment about trading off the $$ being spent in Iraq against using for homeland needs, Congressman Baird explained that we were not using current funds, rather creating a deficit that would be paid in our children and grandchildren's time. As Congressman Baird explained it that were we to withdraw the troops now (which he then went on to explain was a time consuming process and needed to be done responsibly so as not to leave troops exposed and at-risk), there would still be no funds available to be used for domestic concerns. Rather that it would reduce somewhat the future deficit which would be paid for by our children and grandchildren.

Copper Roof Replacement at Pacific County Courthouse; would cost considerably more than was originally estimated with rising costs of copper. Inquiry if the Congressman could get the county some $$ help to replace the copper roof. It being a historic building, must comply with regulations pertinent to historic buildings. (Read more about it at this Daily World article, `Costs of New Roof Skyrockets')

The discussions flowed covering various issues:

Historic Post Office in Raymond lacking accessibility for disabled; seems because the Raymond Post Office is considered a historic building, and it lacks accessibility for disabled, changes cannot be made to the building to be more facilitative without regard to the regulations governing historic buildings. At this time, disabled citizens (wheelchair bound, or unable to manage the stairs) are unable to make access to the Post Office. (Read more about it at Daily World article, `Baird Hears of Acces Woes')

Illegal Immigration: Someone asked the Congressman about illegal immigrants, and he responded by breaking it out into three categories;
a) illegal immigrants who are hardened criminals should be sent back to countries of origins, but how to do that - ask the country `hey will you take back so and so who is a hardened criminal?';
b) illegal immigrants who are hired by employers knowingly as illegal and paid under the table should not be permitted to remain; and
c) illegal immigrants who are hired by employers who have verified social security number and background and taxes are being paid out of wages - those illegal immigrants have likely been here number of years, working all of those years and some provision should be provided that permits them to remain on worker permit. Congressman cited responsive employers like Coast Seafood who work to comply with current laws and have large number of immigrants employed.

Columbia-Pacific National Heritage Area Study: Included was a concern expressed by owner of Rose Ranch regarding our area (Willapa region) becoming a National Heritage region. She identified probably 10 coalitions that have concerns should we become designated a National Heritage site. I have tried to blog some about this at Washblog , but am too underinformed to articulate the concerns well.

As the meeting wrapped up, I was at last able to ask my two questions;

1) Senator Cantwell obtaining $2 million towards Doppler Radar for SW Washington due to the December 07 storm (read more here) , and what was his position on that? He said fully in support. Then I pointed out that while the $2 million was great it was going to take a lot more $$ to build the Doppler, and where would that money come from, would he work towards that end. He said something about $2 million being a big drop, and likely the rest of the money might have to come from the State.

2) Last year, in your Town Hall, we talked with you about our son in Iraq because you had just gone national in your approval of the Surge, and I guess I wanted to have you inquire how he is doing. Before I could finish the sentence though, it seemed that Congressman Baird did remember and did ask how our son was doing. Which left me with a weak follow up, that really that was all I wanted was for him to inquire after our son's well being. Then the Congressman went on to explain why he took the position that he did last year on the Surge and how it seemed to be working, violence was down. I actually did find myself saying that conditions did seem to be more favorable to our son's (actually it is son-in-law) deployment this time, or at least I'm relieved that if he has to be there, it isn't the year before, and that I hope he gets through this deployment and safely home.

After the meeting concluded, Congressman Baird, did come over to where I was sitting, and had some private words with me. He wanted me to know that he cares, that what I was doing as a mother was natural and he was glad that I was doing what I was doing; that what my son was doing was patriotic and what I was doing was patriotic; that when he is in DC the groups that hold vigils in DC showing the 4,000 killed, he looks at each and every face and feels it deeply.

Congressman Brian Baird talking with Lietta Ruger, Town Hall Meeting, South Bend, July 1, 2008.

(photo courtesy of Steven Friederich of the Daily World)

For the most part the words he chose to use with me were agreeable, but I didn't like the words about patriotic - and I wasn't altogether sure he understood that I am among those military families opposed to the war in Iraq and have been speaking out against the war in Iraq. Personally, I wouldn't say the `Surge' (of troops) in Iraq is working, that would really be beyond my ability to discern. But it does seem the violence is down, and whatever strategies are being used, our son-in-law who is deployed in Iraq now in his second 'stop-loss', extended 15 month deployment seems to be less at risk than had he been deployed in Iraq a year earlier.

As Congressman Baird was shaking my hand and done with his part of the conversation, and before I could correct any misperceptions, others were coming around, and reaching out to me, whereby I offered my smiles of appreciation. Right about then someone else said to us, wait, wait, I didn't get the picture, and then snap went the camera. I remember saying is this a photo op and we shouldn't be smiling then. It was a confusing moment, and then there were 2 reporters wanting me to spell my name, wanting my son (son-in-law, I corrected) name which I never give, and the moment to correct any misperceptions that the Congressman might have about my position had passed.

More details of this Town Hall Meeting reported in the Aberdeen Daily World articles here and here.