United Progressive Voices

3,000 to many

2007-01-07T13:04:00.000-05:00

I'll eat my hat

2006-07-03T15:08:00.000-04:00

I admit it I was wrong, taking down lieberman in Conecticut is a smart move. Lieberman is getting all sorts of money from Non-Democrat affiliated orginzations that would otherwise be going to Republcians, and it would especially be going to Republicans who are in trouble. It also seems to be energizing the progressive base, which is a huge plus. The base is the key to the future, and this is going to help us hugely in november. Also, Ned Lamont is a true liberal, one of the first people to be truly liberal in a while and if we can get him in the senate, he will make us proud.

Go Lamont go

Rules to live by

2006-06-29T21:34:00.000-04:00

Many of us remember Ronald Regan saying that the 11th commandment was "Thou shall not talk ill of a fellow Republican." Newsweek recently wrote an article about Karl Rove's strategy of taking it to the strength of your opponent. You keeping hammering them on their strength to negate it and make it a weakness. Now its time for some progressive rules

Lightseeker over at dailykos wrote these and I want to expand on them.

Here they are:

We must stand for something, not JUST against the Repubs.

In communicating our message to the general public the 3 most important things to talk about are : values, values and values. The fourth most important things are factoids that rattle their cages.

Symbols of America are as important as words. From the Statue of Liberty to the Lincoln Memorial to the American Bald Eagle, what you show can be as important as what you say. Use symbols to help convey your agenda more powerfully. [ from the Repub playbook by Luntz ]

Democrats must not be afraid of the "G" word (God), indeed the real message of the Gospel is one of compassion and brotherhood not fear and division and that is what we stand for....

We must learn to effectively frame our message using our values.

We must work on establishing the Democratic brand by publishing it, repeating it , teaching it , and doing these things over and over.

We must challenge lazy and unfair media coverage with timely and effective responses and do so every time it happens.

We must stop answering questions that are framed badly and start answering bad questions with counter questions.

We must learn to engage in civil conversation and not let our message be sidetracked by Republican name calling and trash talk.

We must agree with people whenever we can , challenging not their fixed ideas, but their conclusions about them.

We must explain how the values we hold will positively impact the lives of the people in our community, directly and immediately.

We must tell stories. ......

Lately I am thinking of making this list a Baker's Dozen by adding: Connect your ideas to a master narrative, hopefully one that is shared by other Democrats!

To me what Progressive's and Democrats need to do is sync up our operations. We need to have a coordinated message. A master narrative is essential for the way the Republicans have been controlling the media over the last few years, and we need to start taking the fight to them.

The way you create a narrative is communication; you create email lists and phone databases of people who are best able to disseminate information. We get everyone who is going on tv, everyone who is blogging, and all opinion writers using the same language and this will help shift the media's focus and portray our issues better.

Remember its not cut and run, its redepolyment.
It's not welfare, it's community investment.
It's not banning gay marriage, its adding bigotry into the constitution.
Then again its more then that, its that Republicans are a failure and governing. Republicans forget about those less of then they are. And Republicans only care about people who act like them.

Bush Losing supoort

2006-06-22T18:39:00.000-04:00

Latest Polling Shows Bush Losing Key Supporters
WASHINGTON, May 11 - President Bush appears to be losing support among a
key group of voters who had hitherto stood firmly with the president
even as his poll numbers among other groups fell dramatically.
A new Gallup poll shows that, for the first time, Bush's approval rating has fallen below 50% among total fucking morons, and now stands at 44%. This represents a dramatic drop compared to a poll taken just last December, when 62% of total fucking morons expressed support for the president and his policies.
The current poll, conducted by phone with 1,409 total fucking morons between May 4 and May 8, reveals that only 44% of those polled believe the president is doing a good job, while 27% believe he is doing a poor job and 29% don't understand the question.
The December poll, conducted by phone with 1,530 total fucking morons, showed 62% approved of the president, 7% disapproved and 31% didn't understand the question.
Faltering approval ratings for the president among a group once thought to be a reliable source of loyal support gives Republicans one more reason to be nervous about the upcoming mid-term elections. "If we can't depend on the support of total fucking morons," says Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), "then we've got a big problem. They're a key factor in our electoral strategy, and an important part of today's Republican coalition."
"We've taken the total fucking moron vote for granted," says Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), "and now we're paying for it. We've let the Democrats control the debate lately, and they've dragged discourse back into the realm of complex, nuanced issues. So your average total fucking moron turns on his TV and sees his Republican Congressman arguing about Constitutional law or the complexities of state formation in the Middle East, and he tunes out. He wants to hear comforting, pandering, flattering bromides and he doesn't want to hear a logical argument more complex than what you'd find on a bumper sticker."
For Feeney, the poll is a dire warning that Republicans can ignore only at their peril. "This should send a signal that we have to regain control of the debate if we want the support of our key constituencies in the coming election and beyond. We need to bring public discourse back into the realm of stupidity and vacuity. We should be talking about homosexual illegal immigrants burning flags. We should be talking about the power of pride. We should be talking about freedom fries. These are the issues that resonate with total fucking morons."
But some total fucking morons say it's too late. Bill Snarpel of Enid, Oklahoma is a total fucking moron who voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. But he says he won't be voting for Bush in 2008. "I don't like it that he was going to sell our ports to the Arabs. If the Arabs own the ports then that means they'll let all the Arabs in and then we'll all be riding camels and wearing towels on our heads. I don't want my children singing the Star Spangled Banner in Muslim."
Total fucking moron Kurt Meyer of Turlock, California also says his once solid support for Bush has collapsed. "He invaded Iraq and all those soldiers died, and for what? We destroyed all their WMDs, but now their new president is making fun of us and saying he's going to build nuclear bombs and that we can't stop him. Well, nuclear bombs are even worse than WMDs, so what did we accomplish?"
Laura McDonald, a total fucking moron from Chandler, Arizona, says she is disappointed that the president hasn't been a more forceful advocate of Christian values. "This country was founded on Christian values," she says, "but you'd never know it looking around and seeing all the Mexicans running around. I thought Bush was going to bring Jesus back into the government. Instead, Christians are being persecuted worse than ever before in history, because all these Mexicans come here and tell Christians that we have to respect their religious beliefs. So now it's illegal for children to pray in school. Soon it will be illegal for them to speak English."
Not all total fucking morons have turned their backs on the president. Jeb Larkin of Topeka, Kansas says he still fully supports Bush. "He is doing a great job. He is a great president. He is a great decider.
I have a puppy.
His tail sticks straight up and you can see his butthole."
And not all Republican lawmakers are concerned about the poll. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), for one, does not find it a cause for anxiety. While he agrees that his party should not take total fucking morons for granted, they "really don't have anywhere else to go. They're never going to be able to understand someone like Al Gore or John Kerry or anybody intelligent and articulate who wants to talk about substantive issues. Just try having a conversation with one of them about global warming. They'll say, 'Oh, but Rush says volcanoes consume more ozone than humans do.' I mean, they're morons! Total fucking morons!"
"They've got nowhere else to go," Alexander reaffirms with a smile, "and they always vote."

They Came for my rights by the horsewithnoname

2006-06-17T00:31:00.000-04:00

They came for the tenth amendment in the name of expansive federal powers. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist. Also, I don't grow wheat. Or weed.

They came for the ninth amendment in the name of expansive federal and state powers of law enforcement. I didn't speak up because I am not a criminal.

They came for the eighth amendment in the name of extracting information from terrorists by any means necessary. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist.

They came for the seventh amendment in the name of binding arbitration. I didn't speak up because I don't sue people.

They came for the sixth amendment in the name of protecting us from terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am not a terrorist.

They came for the fifth amendment in the name of protecting us from criminals and terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am neither a criminal not a terrorist.

They came for the fourth amendment in the name of catching criminals and terrorists. I didn't speak up because I am neither a criminal nor a terrorist.

They came for the third amendment in the name of preserving order. I didn't speak up because I am not a criminal.

They came for the second amendment in the name of stopping gang violence in the streets. I didn't speak up because I don't own a machine gun.

They came for the first amendment in the name of supporting national unity and protecting national secrets. I didn't speak up because I no longer may.

Some people don't get it.

2006-05-24T21:38:00.000-04:00

Desperate for Supporters, DeLay Turns to Stephen Colbert

A good sign that Tom DeLay doesn’t have the facts on his side: the top source for his latest defense against his critics is Stephen Colbert.

This morning, DeLay’s legal defense fund sent out a mass email criticizing the movie “The Big Buy: Tom DeLay’s Stolen Congress,” by “Outfoxed” creator Robert Greenwald.

The email features a “one-pager on the truth behind Liberal Hollywood’s the Big Buy,” and the lead item is Colbert’s interview with Greenwald on Comedy Central (where Colbert plays a faux-conservative, O’Reilly-esque character). The headline of the “fact sheet”:

DeLay thinks Colbert is so persuasive, he’s now featuring the full video of the interview at the top of the legal fund’s website. And why not? According to the email, Greenwald “crashed and burned” under the pressure of Colbert’s hard-hitting questions, like “Who hates America more, you or Michael Moore?”

Apparently the people at DeLay’s legal fund think that Colbert is actually a conservative. Or maybe they’re just that desperate for supporters.

This was brought to our attention by our good friends and think progress.

Blue baby!

2006-05-15T22:01:00.000-04:00

The new Survey USA 50-state Bush approval rating shows the depth of Bush's troubles. In forty-seven states, Bush has a negative approval rating. In seventeen states, Bush's disapproval rating doubles his approval rating. In fifteen states, his disapproval rating is lower than any disapproval rating ever achieved my Nixon nationally. In eight states, his net disapproval is lower than anything Nixon ever achieved nationally. In Missouri, Bush is at 29-68. Missouri.

Here is a county by county picture of his approval ratings

Dems lead the 2008 generic ballot by 19 points, and America thinks Bill Clinton was better than Bush at everything, and by huge margins. It is a blue nation. I'd love to see these map on television and in newspapers for a little.

Fight wiretaps with civil disobedience

2006-05-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

Fight wiretaps with civil disobedience?
by Jim J [Subscribe]
Thu May 11, 2006 at 11:30:07 AM PDT

No, I don't mean by giving up our phones. We all need our phones. Can't live without 'em, regardless of who's listening in.

But perhaps this modest proposal will prove popular as a common, inexpensive and relatively risk-free way to voice your opposition to the new police state we find ourselves in:

At the end of EVERY phone call you make -- all of them, even to your dear mama, even to a phone sex operator -- say "Fuck George Bush."

And persuade everyone you know to do the same.
Doesn't have to be theatric, doesn't have to be in context, doesn't have to be accompanied by anything else remotely political.

Just: "Fuck George Bush."

Hopefully, the anti-Constitutional and un-American fascist efforts of Herr Hayden & Co. will be thwarted in some small way by the white noise this protest generates.
After all, they've already put us on the quasi-terrorist blacklist for posting here. They know who we are already. May as well make a statement.

Elections

2006-05-10T17:46:00.000-04:00

Pine Valley has 100% voter turnout!

Here is some light for Jim Webb

2006-04-28T14:22:00.000-04:00

Political Wire received an advance copy of a New Republic profile of Sen. George Allen (R-VA) in which author Ryan Lizza finds many of Allen's high school classmates surprised that he's considering running for president because of the racist tendencies he displayed as a teenager. They say he "plastered the school with confederate flags" and drove a red Mustang with a confederate flag on the front. Then Lizza got a copy of Allen's high school yearbook:

I stared closely at Allen’s smirk in his photo, weighing whether his old classmates were just out to destroy him. And then I noticed something on his collar. It’s hard to make out, but then it becomes obvious. Seventeen-year-old George Allen is wearing a Confederate flag pin.

When confronted with this evidence, Allen sent an email through an aide with this explanation: "When I was in high school in California, I generally bucked authority and the rebel flag was just a way to express that attitude.”

Republican Corruption

2006-04-27T14:07:00.000-04:00

GOP Culture of Corruption Indeed

The ever-expanding list of Republicans mired in scandal, just in the past year. If the Democratic party did this much crap over a 10 year period it would be another 10 years before I'd even consider voting for anyone in the party again...

The GOP List of Shame

Abramoff and Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/30/AR2005123001480_pf.html
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000182.php

Abramoff and Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
http://www.auburnjournal.com/articles/2005/12/26/news/top_stories/01doolittle.txt
http://tpmmuckraker.com/doolittle.php

Abramoff and Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH)
http://tpmmuckraker.com/ney.php
http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/14263285.htm

Abramoff and Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT)
http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060426/NEWS01/604260303/1002
http://tpmmuckraker.com/burns.php

Abramoff and Rep. Dana Rohrabaker (R-CA)
http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/10/rohrabacher-abramoff/
http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0306/article0306261.htm

Abramoff and Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX)
http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/newsrelease.php?view=116

Abramoff and DeLay, Doolittle, Ney, Rohrabacher
http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/Comment/JoshMarshall/081705.html

Sen Bill Frist (R-TN)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/23/AR2005092301811.html
http://thinkprogress.org/frist-stock-timeline/

Sen Conrad Burns (R-MT)
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/04/23/news/state/25-post.txt
http://tpmmuckraker.com/burns.php

Sen Rick Santorum (R-PA)
http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=11174
http://www.citizensforethics.org/press/pressclip.php?view=1827

Sen John Thune (R-SD)
http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles/2005/07/08/news/local/news04.txt
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=John_Thune

Sen George Voinovich (R-OH)
http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050403/NEWS24/504030349
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bob_fitr_050731_dramatic_new_charges.htm

Gov Taft (R) and Ohio Coingate
http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_bob_fitr_050731_dramatic_new_charges.htm
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-5746148,00.html

Ky. Gov Ernie Fletcher (R)
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050829/NEWS0103/508290327/1059/NEWS01
http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050831/EDIT01/508310315/1020/EDIT
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/kentuckydocket.php#fletcher

Rep Tom Delay (R-TX)
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12141276/

Rep Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-CA)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050702/news_1n2duke.html
http://tpmmuckraker.com/cunningham.php

Rep. Virgil Goode (R-VA)
http://loper.org/~george/archives/2006/Mar/972.html
http://www.rollcall.com/issues/51_87/news/12286-1.html?CMP=OTC-RSS (sub req)

Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20051223-9999-lz1n23lewis.html

Rep Michael G. Oxley (R-OH)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/18/AR2006041800987.html?nav=rss_politics

Rep. John Doolittle (R-CA)
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000401.php

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20051204-9999-1n4adcs.html

Rep. Jean Schmidt (R-OH)
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/politics/14275670.htm
http://www.swingstateproject.com/2005/07/oh-2_jean_schmi.php

Rep. Charles Taylor (R-NC)
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/cats/charles_taylor/

Rep. Katherine Harris ’06 Sen candidate (R-Fla)
http://cfn13.com/StoryHeadline.aspx?id=15039
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/cats/katherine_harris/

Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA)
http://www.harpers.org/sb-curt-weldon-kim-employment.html

Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY)
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000158.php

Rep. Tom Reynolds (R-NY)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/22/AR2006042200995.html?nav=rss_politics

Ralph Reed ’06 Lt Gov candidate (R-GA)
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB114548590969830492-KX98zvSUWRHqye46SjeFOdagWUQ_20070419.html?mod=blogs
http://tpmmuckraker.com/reed.php

ex-IL Gov. George Ryan Sr (R)
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0604180306apr18,1,6246344.story?coll=chi-news-hed

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Jr
Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to Vice President
http://www.slate.com/id/2128530/
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=I._Lewis_Scooter_Libby

Whitehouse OMB Official David Safavian
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901859.html
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-10-05-official-indicted_x.htm

White House chief domestic-policy adviser Claude Allen
http://www.slate.com/id/2138116/fr/nl/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/24/AR2006042401825.html

(Karl Rove Coming soon?)

http://www.bugmenot.com/ can help you get around many of the Reg Req sites.

Please steal this list. Email it. Post it. Let it be known.

GE and the War Machine

2006-04-26T11:52:00.000-04:00

found this gem about GE and the war machine:

"This cartoon "Conspiracy Theory Rock" by Robert Smigel was shown on "Saturday Night Live" during the March 14, 1998 broadcast but edited out of reruns. For that broadcast, the host was Julianne Moore and the musical guest was the Backstreet Boys.

Video-WMP Video-QT

"The title and the style of the animation are a takeoff on the educational TV series, "Schoolhouse Rock," which was shown as a public service in-between network entertainment cartoons on Saturday mornings in the 1970s...read on"

Democracy for New Jersey

2006-04-22T11:24:00.000-04:00

Happy EARTH Day!

So about 17 of us braved the rain and the miserable roads to come early to the Democracy for New Jersey Leadership conference, the opening meeting of the Democracy for New Jersey Statewide conference held at the Raritan Valley Community College.

The meeting started out with the usual introductions of everyone representing all areas of the state. Not every meet-up/DFA in New Jersey had representative, but their region was represented. After a good, hearty and unhealthy Breakfast for America we got our meeting up and running. The meeting got off to a late start, because of the rain and the roads.

There was discussion about the naming convention. Should we standardize the way we name our groups? Are we Democracy for New Jersey or are we New Jersey for Democracy? We decided that we want to be DFA (or For Democracy). That means we probably will have to change our state organization name, but that is a discussion for another time.

We then went around the table talking about our county location organization success, goals and questions. Highlights include:

Bergen's Billboards.

Hudson County got 3 DFA affiliated people elected to the Board of Education.

In Morris County they got three Democratic Mayors elected in Morristown, Dover and Parsippany.

There was discussion of three races this November in the third, fourth and eleventh we will be working to unseat Republican incumbents.

This is going to be a good year.

Http://Upvoices.blogspot.com

Coulter still Crazy

2006-04-21T08:54:00.000-04:00

In her April 18 nationally syndicated column, right-wing pundit Ann Coulter claimed, "I have always been unabashedly anti-murder, anti-rape and anti-false accusation." Coulter's past statements, however, tell a different story.

Anti-murder?

"In this recurring nightmare of a presidency, we have a national debate about whether he [Bill Clinton] 'did it,' even though all sentient people know he did. Otherwise there would be debates only about whether to impeach or assassinate." [Coulter's book High Crimes and Misdemeanors: The Case Against Bill Clinton (Regnery, 1998)]

"I think the government should be spying on all Arabs, engaging in torture as a televised spectator sport, dropping daisy cutters wantonly throughout the Middle East and sending liberals to Guantanamo." [Coulter's December 21, 2005, column ("daisy cutter" is a nickname for the 15,000-pound BLU-82 bomb -- the largest conventional bomb in existence)]

"Would that it were so! ... That the American military were targeting journalists." [February 7, 2005, edition of CNBC's Kudlow & Cramer]

"I'm getting a little fed up with hearing about, oh, civilian casualties. I think we ought to nuke North Korea right now just to give the rest of the world a warning." [Quoted in a January 10, 2005, article in the New York Observer]

"My only regret with Timothy McVeigh is he did not go to the New York Times Building." [Quoted in an August 26, 2002, article in the New York Observer]

"We should invade their [Muslims'] countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity." [September 13, 2002, column]

Anti-false accusation?

Much of Coulter's career as a writer and TV pundit is marked by false accusations. For example:

She falsely accused University of Chicago professor Steven D. Levitt and Stanford University professor John J. Donohue III of "defending Roe v. Wade."

She falsely accused the Arizona Daily Star of anti-conservative bias for its decision to drop her syndicated column.

She accused Time magazine of liberal bias for its decision to feature an "elongated funhouse photo" of her on the cover of its April 25, 2005, edition.

She falsely accused The New York Times of "gratuitously out[ing]" gay children of prominent conservatives.

She called a white New York Times media critic an "Uncle Tom."

this was brought to you with the help of mediamatters.org

Boycott

2006-04-17T13:49:00.000-04:00

The following products are Republican contributors: Dell Computers, Walmart, Wendy's, Outback Steak House, Dominos Pizza, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Eckerd, CVS and Walgreens, Curves for women health clubs, GE and Exxon/Mobil. I ask that you boycott them.

Bush's lies keep piling up and the cost has been too great

2006-04-12T10:18:00.000-04:00

From Capitol Hill Blue:

President George W. Bush lied to the American public when he claimed two trailers captured by U.S. troops in Iraq in May 2003 were mobile "biological laboratories." At the time he made the claim, U.S. intelligence officials already knew it was not true and had told the President the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons.

On May 29, 2003, Bush hailed the capture of the trailers, declaring "We have found the weapons of mass destruction."
But a Pentagon-sponsored fact-finding mission had already concluded that the trailers had nothing to do with biological weapons, citing government officials and weapons experts who participated in the secret mission or had direct knowledge of it.

The group's unanimous findings had been sent to the Pentagon in a field report, two days before the president's statement.

The revelation is the latest in a series that shows how the Bush Administration intentionally withheld or downplayed information that did support its now-discredited claim that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and posed an immediate threat to the United States.

Bush cited the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction as the prime justification for invading Iraq. No such weapons ever were found.

Read the rest at the title. How much more do we have to pay for your unjust war in human cost and financial burden? When will your lies start getting you in trouble and stop getting our soldiers killed? When will we RISE UP and end this rule by deception and demand justice?

New Feature: Human Cost of the War

2006-04-11T16:33:00.000-04:00

From ABC News:

BAGHDAD, Iraq Apr 11, 2006 (AP)— The U.S. military reported the deaths of five more American soldiers, including three killed Tuesday north of Baghdad.

A U.S. statement said the three members of Multinational Division Baghdad died Tuesday afternoon in a roadside bombing but did not give a precise location.

Read more at the title.

Total US Casualties: 2,360 and counting.

More foul play from the GOP

2006-04-11T16:29:00.000-04:00

From The Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

WASHINGTON -- Republican officials describe the two-dozen calls to the White House around Election Day 2002 as normal conversations about a close Senate race in New Hampshire.

Democrats have suggested in a court filing that another subject was discussed: a GOP scheme that jammed phone lines to keep state Democrats from being encouraged to vote.

The phone-jamming operation has led to three federal convictions and a pending indictment. Prosecutors have not raised questions in court about the White House conversations - but records of the calls were available to them as criminal court exhibits.

The records show that Republican campaign operative James Tobin, who recently was convicted in the case, made two dozen calls to the White House within a three-day period around Election Day 2002 - as the jamming operation was finalized, carried out and then abruptly shut down.

Read more at the title. Fair voting practice is another big theme here at UPVoices. More on this issue to come...

New lows for Bush and the GOP

2006-04-07T10:06:00.000-04:00

Curtesy of AP/IPsos:

WASHINGTON - President Bush's approval ratings hit a series of new lows in an AP-Ipsos poll that also shows Republicans surrendering their advantage on national security — grim election-year news for a party struggling to stay in power.

Democratic leaders predicted they will seize control of one or both chambers of Congress in November. Republicans said they feared the worst unless the political landscape quickly changes.

Just 36 percent of the public approves of Bush's job performance, his lowest-ever rating in AP-Ipsos polling. By contrast, the president's job approval rating was 47 percent among likely voters just before Election Day 2004 and a whopping 64 percent among registered voters in October 2002.

As bad as Bush's numbers may be, Congress' are worse.

Just 30 percent of the public approves of the GOP-led Congress' job performance, and Republicans seem to be shouldering the blame.

"These numbers are scary. We've lost every advantage we've ever had," GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said. "The good news is Democrats don't have much of a plan. The bad news is they may not need one."

There is more at stake than the careers of GOP lawmakers. A Democratic-led Congress could bury the last vestiges of Bush's legislative agenda and subject the administration to high-profile investigations of the Iraq war, the CIA leak case, warrantless eavesdropping and other matters.

In the past two congressional elections, Republicans gained seats on the strength of Bush's popularity and a perception among voters that the GOP was stronger on national security than Democrats.

Those advantages are gone, according to a survey of 1,003 adults conducted this week for The Associated Press by Ipsos, an international polling firm.

• Only 40 percent of the public approves of Bush's performance on foreign policy and the war on terror, another low-water mark for his presidency. That's down 9 points from a year ago. Just before the 2002 election, 64 percent of registered voters backed Bush on terror and foreign policy.

• Just 35 percent of the public approves of Bush's handling of Iraq, his lowest in AP-Ipsos polling.

"He's in over his head," said Diane Heller, 65, a Pleasant Valley, N.Y., real estate broker and independent voter.

By a 49-33 margin, the public favors Democrats over Republicans when asked which party should control Congress.

That 16-point Democratic advantage is the largest the party has enjoyed in AP-Ipsos polling.

Read more at the title. The tide is turning. Be a part of it.

Tell your Senators to reject discrimination

2006-04-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

From Human Rights Campaign:

In 2004, Human Rights Campaign led the fight against the Federal Marriage Amendment. Millions of fair-minded Americans like you spoke out in defense of equality, and the discriminatory amendment was defeated. But now it's back again - under the misleading title "Marriage Protection Amendment" - and we need your help to stop it.

Prompted by anti-gay Senator Rick Santorum, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist announced his intention to force a vote on the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment during the week of June 5.

In the next month, the Senate Judiciary Committee is planning to vote on the amendment, which would ban marriage for same-sex couples, and threaten domestic partnerships and civil unions for all gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Americans. Click here to tell your Senators to reject the Marriage Protection Amendment today.

Throughout our history, the Constitution has been amended to defend and expand the rights of the American people. Now, some Senators want to turn their backs on the proud history of increasing liberty and equality by amending the Constitution to target a single group of Americans for discrimination. You and I must act now - and every time the rights and freedoms of any American are threatened.

Take action by clicking on the post title.

House wants to impose limits on nonprofit political groups

2006-04-06T16:24:00.000-04:00

From The San Fransisco Chronicle:

Washington -- The House narrowly passed a bill Wednesday to set new limits on independent so-called 527 committees, seeking to close a loophole in campaign finance law that allowed major donors to give more than $400 million in soft money to influence the 2004 presidential election.

The bill could prove a blow to the Democratic Party, which has relied on contributions to these groups from wealthy donors such as George Soros and Peter Lewis, who each gave more than $20 million in the last election to pay for get-out-the-vote efforts. But Republicans have also benefited from 527 groups, including the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, which ran TV ads attacking Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.

Campaign finance reform advocates say the current rules allow a small number of wealthy donors to have an inordinate influence on federal elections.

"It's unfair and it's dangerous," said Fred Wertheimer, president of Democracy 21, a reform group supporting the bill. "We had just 25 individuals put up $145 million to these 527 groups for the purpose of influencing the last presidential election. Those are the kinds of contributions that can corrupt the political process."

But opponents said the legislation would limit the ability of citizens to pool their resources and engage in voter registration and issue advocacy to affect the outcome of elections.

"What this proposal would do is to curtail the free speech rights of millions of Americans," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose.

Critics of the measure believe it also could spark new efforts to funnel large contributions from donors to other nonprofit groups run by Democratic and Republican operatives, undermining the intent of the bill.

Read more by clicking on the title. We need to get the big money out of politics, not the small-time individuals. Much more on this issue to come.

Wisconsin citizens demand troops come home now

2006-04-05T14:56:00.000-04:00

From The Capital Times:

Wisconsin voters from the northern forests to cities of the south, from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi River, sent a message Tuesday that will be heard nationwide by passing referendums supporting an immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq, advocates said today.

"It's reverberating around the country," said Tim Carpenter, executive director of the Progressive Democrats of America, an organization promoting similar referendums in other states.

"The bottom line is that Wisconsin is ahead of the curve. You'll see more of these referendums, more grass-roots efforts to bring the war to the forefront of the debate," he said.

Read the rest by clicking on the title of the post. Particularly noteworthy from the article is:

"This vote was a test," said Karen Dolan, a fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies and director of the Cities for Peace project, adding that Tuesday's results now brings to 100 the number of communities nationwide that have either passed resolutions or approved referendums against the war.

The begining of Universal Health Care in the US?

2006-04-05T14:47:00.000-04:00

From Medical News Today:

A bill that would require nearly all Massachusetts residents to have health insurance was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers in a 155-2 vote. This is despite the fact that employer-based insurance cover in the USA is falling.

Half-a-million Massachusetts residents currently have no health insurance cover at all. This new policy will provide cover for approximately 95% of them.

A business that employs more than ten people will have to pay $295 for every uninsured employee.

Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts, has indicated he will sign the bill.

Read the rest at the link (at the title of this post). Massachusetts leads the way once again. Let's keep the ball rolling on this one.

Your good news for the day

2006-04-04T16:36:00.000-04:00

CNN has just announced that Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana will block all Executive nominations until relief for Katrina victims has been approved!

This coupled with Tom Delay running away from Texas so he can't run for re-election makes for some great 24 hours.

Keep it up.

Proof of our corrupt system

2006-04-03T14:46:00.000-04:00

If you needed anymore proof that the Bush administration was beholden to lobbyisys and corporations here you are:

Recently, particularly after the Sago mine disaster in which 16 were killed, states have been paying more attention to the effect that mining has on their lives, communities, and environment.

West Virginia's governor Joe Manchin wanted all WV mines shut down for safety reviews.

Tennessee Phil Bredesen (D-TN)

also filed a request with the Office of Surface Mining, requesting that the OSM Reclamation and Enforcement develop an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to review the effects of coal mining in Tennessee.

The OSM also received similar requests from Paul Sloan (Deputy Commissioner, TN Department of Environment and Conservation) and Gary Myers (Executive Director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.)

In response to these requests for an assessment of their actions, and the results thereof, the OSM respectfully flipped Governor Bredesen, Commissioner Sloan, and Executive Director Myers the bird....

Below is proof of government oversight gone missing, and of corporations running completley reckless outside of the law.

WHAT DO THEY HAVE TO HIDE??

After receiving Governor Bredesen's request for an EIS, the Office of Surface Mining sent back a reply telling the governor that they weren't interested in letting people know what they do, how it effects Tennessee, and that they would rather keep it secret.

TDEC Commisioner Sloan recognized SEVERAL reasons why the OSM should do an Environmental Impact Statement.

including:

Four "lands unsuitable for mining" petitions granted since 1985, plus a recent petition covering the New River watershed that was rejected by the OSM;

Unsatisfactory treatments for acid mine drainage;

New information about threatened and endangered species since the 1985 EIS;

Advances in mining technology, including augur mining;

Stricter water quality standards; and

A need to address cumulative impacts from landslides, post- mining land-use problems and abandoned mine lands.

KnoxNews reports.

Last year, a 23-acre section of a reclaimed strip mine in a remote area of Scott County slid into the drainage of Smoky Creek in the Sundquist Wildlife Management Area. The landslide on High Point Mountain has been dumping sediment into a tributary of New River for 12 months, endangering aquatic life and clouding the water for miles downstream.

Please read these exerpts from the OSM reply to Governor Bredesen...

I appreciate your concern regarding the impacts of coal mining in your State and your interest in its proper regulation. However, after careful review, we have determined that preparing a comprehensive programmatic EIS to address all Federal regulation of coal mining in Tennessee under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) is neither warranted nor appropriate.

So, the coal mining wants to keep their actions secret, doesn't want any accountability, and wants us to give them the power to police themselves while they run rampant around law and order. Not only does the OSM brush off their complete and well-documented disrespect for Tennessee, but they encourage minimizing federal oversight.

While we have confidence in our Tennessee Federal program and our compliance with NEPA, we believe strongly that the most effective way to achieve the goals outlined in your letters would be for Tennessee to resume State regulatory authority, consistent with the role envisioned for all States in SMCRA. Of the 25 coal-producing States, Tennessee is one of only two that do not have primacy. By implementing a State program, the citizens and government of Tennessee could directly address the concerns raised in your letter in ways that best meet the needs and interests of Tennessee.

Somehow...I still don't believe for a second that the OSM wants coal companies to be held accountable. (See the Jack Spadaro interview in the upcoming issue of the Appalachian Voice)

I am encouraged by your interest in the regulation of surface coal mining, and we at OSM are ready to assist Tennessee in taking the future of coal mine regulation into its own hands.

What are all these little red flags I am seeing?!

I commend you for your leadership and concern for the long-term welfare of the people and the environment of Tennessee. We also appreciate the good working relationship that we have with TDEC staff, and we will continue to work with the State as we fulfill our responsibilities under the Tennessee Federal program.

...

Sincerely,

Brent Wahlquist

Director

Brent also lists his numbers. How convenient!

Brent Wahlquist - 202-208-4006

He also suggests that folks might want to call Tim Dieringer, the Knoxville Field Manager at - 865-545-4103.

I think Ill do that.

from the new Appalachian Voices blog