Mission Accomplished?

Poet Steven Connell

Please go to Robert Greenwald's website to read the text of Steven Connell's entire poem and to write a banner.

The U.S. Congress has passed the first bill requiring the tiniest bit of accountability from President George W. Bush. The bill will be sent to the White House sometime between now and next Tuesday. Bush is expected to veto the bill on Tuesday May 1, 2007, the 4th Anniversary of his infamous "Mission Accomplished" PR event aboard the USS Lincoln. We all know how big a lie that banner was. Now, even the most ostrich-like Americans also know we never should have invaded Iraq.

It is our duty as citizens of this country to correct this dreadful error, to make ammends to the world for our leader's crimes. The first step is to get our military out of Iraq. As soon as the veto comes down, you, me, all of us, need to HIT THE STREETS. We need to pull the alarm, clang the bells, and hollar to the media. THIS VETO WILL NOT STAND, WE DEMAND AN END TO THE INVASION OF IRAQ!















Photo by Maarja Vigorito © 2007

King George(Mission Accomplished)
Words by Steve Connell

Same crime different time
King George is back
To bomb Iraq despite how the world reacts
The media is greedier and controls the facts
Makes you wonder if the facts is so white and black
They much grayer
Say your prayers Georgie don't want calm
He wants to bring this generation to the next Vietnam
Ain't content to let what's gone by be by gones
Until he turns Baghdad into Saigon
Bye mom im gone off to avenge my pops
Saddam used to be our friend now the friendship stops
The bombs they drop don't stop until Saddam
Is gone, choked, and rotten from the hangmans tourniquet
In case ya'll forgotten he's the bin laden surrogate
not the one we wanted but the one we could find
It feels good to have a war to take the fear off your mind
And Osama couldn't be happier with the decision we made
It's the outcome for which he prayed
Osama's like brer rabbit and the briar patch is Iraq
he masterminded an attack to force us to fight back
He prayed on the fact we wouldn't think just react
Like a kid freshly slapped-

Photographer Unknown

angry and lashing out at the bully who taunts us
We go forward not knowing we're going just where he wants us
There are ghosts all around us but they're not here to haunt us
They're here to beg us to do better then the people who wronged us
Because? the greatest trick the devil ever conceived
Is to make the people believe
That what they strive to achieve
Is connected to the bliss God wants to exist
While the devil sits back laughing crossing things off his list
Saying, "God? I got them duped. They think they're talking to you.
I got them eager to do everything I need them to
They go to war for peace make love with hate
They kill to protect life and if they don't feel safe
They surround themselves with danger until there's no danger left
How could you build life on a foundation of death

Photographer Unknown

And there's 53000 dead and rising countless numbers in the hospital
We've gone from mission accomplished to mission impossible
To someone please tell me the mission that we're on
Tell me we haven't spent the last 6 years going wrong
The good name of America is entirely gone
In the eyes of the world we're just as bad as Saddam
It's a game of chess being played that has gone for too long
And I'm afraid because our king is starting to look like their pawn
And Osamas happy to keep playing because he doesn't mind the loss
To the victor goes the holocaust so he doesn't care who gets it
And he brazenly admits it
He's happy in the Briar Patch, he's daring us to visit
His mission was to make America his accomplice
If we don't end the war in Iraq now--
Mission Accomplished.

By Steve Connell,
copyright 2007

Don't Mess With Our Chocolate!

Photo by Marina Oliphant

I don't know about you but chocolate plays an important role in my daily life. In fact it may be the one thing that's kept my marriage together! For a woman over 40, chocolate isn't just a dessert treat, it's medicine. There is something in this food stuff that is not found in anything else, and we NEED it!

Actually, dark chocolate is one of the best foods we can eat to remain strong hearted, strong boned and juicy. Three quarters of an ounce of chocolate, (which is a tiny amount since most chocolate bars are 3 or 4 ounces) has more polyphenols than a cup of green tea or a glass of red wine. Polyphenols prevent heart disease. An ounce of dark chocolate also has more anti-inflammatory power than two aspirin, and is a better anti-oxidant than 500 milligrams of Vitamin C. - Susan Weed

One of my personal favorites:
Equal Exchange Dark Chocolate with Almonds

Chances are you're not going to argue with me about any of this but guess who is out to destroy chocolate? George Bush's FDA!!!

Now Mr. Bush has done a lot of stupid, dangerous things in his privileged life but replacing cocoa butter with synthetic and highly saturated fats is right up there. Let's send a clear message to the FDA that we will NOT tolerate having our chocolate doctored with chemicals and unless they want to see another Revolutionary War in this country they'd better leave women's most basic food group alone!














Photo Source

Please go to THIS link and click on "Submit Comment". Write your message to the FDA about saving the purity of chocolate and click "submit". Do your part to save this, one of humankind's BEST inventions, pure!

Bush's Supreme's Restrict Abortion!

Artist Unknown

Ms. Magazine - April 18, 2007

BREAKING NEWS: Supreme Court Upholds Federal Abortion Procedure Ban Without Health Exception

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 to uphold the federal Partial Birth Abortion Act, a ban on an abortion procedure that the Republican controlled Congress passed in 2003. This ban has no exception for the health of a pregnant woman.

Feminist Majority Foundation President Eleanor Smeal issued a statement this morning, saying, "This ruling shows the true colors of the current Bush-stacked majority of the Supreme Court: it does not care about the health, well-being, and safety of American women. This must serve as a wake-up call to women: we are losing our fundamental rights as Bush continues to stack the courts. Elections matter: this is the consequence of a Republican, ideologically driven president and Congress."

While Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote the majority decision on behalf of Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Antonin Scalia, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote a dissenting opinion, calling today's decision "alarming."

More Details on the ruling.

You can reject this ruling by donating to the organizations that fight for women's right to private reproductive health care with full options:

Planned Parenthood

National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws (NARAL)

National Organization for Women (NOW)

Whose Plan Do YOU Like Better? 2008 Democratic Presidential Candidates on Ending the Iraq War

Last night MoveOn.org did a remarkable thing. The progressive PAC (political action committee) used the tools of their technology, combined with the power of their 3.2 million members to get all seven Democratic 2008 presidential candidates to explain their positions on Iraq. All the Republican candidates were also invited but not a single one was willing to open themselves up to questions (cowards).

You can listen to each candidate describe in detail what they plan to do about the Iraq debacle if they're elected in 2008. This unprecedented early look at what is likely the deciding factor in the election, without filtering by the media or political consultants, really brings democracy back into OUR hands.

MoveOn has posted each candidate's interview both in video and written transcript. You can see them HERE. And if you get to the page sometime today you will even get a chance to vote on which candidate you like best, so far.

Howard Dean Tears Bush a New One

Photo by Lyn Millett

DNC Chairman Howard Dean gave the Democratic response to Bush's weekly radio address (read transcript the of Bush's speech HERE (if you can stand it.) As usual the feisty head of the Democratic National Committee spelled out exactly what's going on, what's at stake, and that it's zero-hour for Bush. Here's an excerpt of what Dean had to say (you can read the entire transcript or listen to Dean HERE!

We have made it clear that we will work with the President to find a solution. In response, the President continues to say "my way or the highway," and Vice President Cheney uses divisive rhetoric to question the patriotism of members of Congress who disagree with him. That's not what the country needs right now.

It is time for the President and Republicans in Congress to stop try to bully their way through this and work with Democrats to end the war. It's time for the President to show respect to the American people, who voted overwhelmingly to leave Iraq.

President Bush and his Republican allies did not have a clear plan when they misled our nation into this war and they do not have a clear plan to get our troops out. The Republicans sent our brave men and women in uniform to Iraq without proper body armor, equipment or training. [...]

Casualty List

We have presented [our] plan to President Bush, but he stubbornly refuses even to discuss it.

We intend to see that the troops get what they deserve and we will not give President Bush a blank check for a war without end.

Contrary to what President Bush says, Democrats are funding priorities that Republicans have long ignored. We are providing $96 billion to ensure troops have the resources they need. We're providing $4.3 billion to make sure they receive the health care they deserve and we're providing $2 billion to secure our ports, mass transit and airports. That's what President Bush calls pork. We call it supporting our troops.

Seventy one percent of the American people have made it clear they want to get out of Iraq. The American people are asking: How can the President continue to ignore our voice and the voices of military experts?

Boston Tea Party

The answer is that he can't continue this way. He has forgotten the simple truth that the power he has is not his to keep, it is on loan from the American people. That's why Democrats have put forward a clear and reasonable plan to get our troops out of the middle of a civil war in Iraq.

We have a new Congress in Washington. The American people have elected us to hold President Bush and the Republicans accountable for the incompetence in Iraq, the mismanagement at Walter Reed, the purging of Justice Department officials for partisan gain. We will do what the American people have asked us to do. We will bring our troops home.

Democratic Party Website

Call for Entries

Propaganda III Poster © Shepard Fairey


PROPAGANDA III
global call for submissions of political posters

ARTIST SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

ONLINE GALLERY OF CURRENT SUBMISSIONS

On July 4, 2007, the PROPAGANDA III art show opens in San Francisco.

There will be no curation and absolutely NO censorship of any sort. Expressed political viewpoints, be they left, right, or center, will be displayed side-by-side, both online AND in the real world. We are currently accepting poster submissions from around the world.

PROPAGANDA III will tour the globe through 2008, with dozens of one day art shows worldwide - the current schedule includes stops throughout north america, south america, australia, asia, europe, and the middle east.

NO art will be sold at any of the shows, although copies of the posters will be available for sale directly through the websites of participating artists. This is NOT a commercial art show, but rather a celebration of free speech + untrammeled freedom of expression.

The collection of political posters will tour the world through 2008, before being donated to the Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles. With over 50,000 posters, the CSPG archive is the largest collection of Post World War II graphics in the United States, and we are absolutely honored that the posters from PROPAGANDA III will have a permanent home following the world tour. HERE!

FULL SHOW DETAILS


Please respect the work of the artists you see here and be sure to credit them when you share their artwork with others.

To share your opinion on this or any other post, please click the word "COMMENTS" below.

Who's the Most Qualified Democratic Presidential Candidate?

Governor Bill Richardson
Running for President in 2008

The 2008 Presidential contest is going to be interesting for many reasons: so much is at stake, the candidates are already raising millions, it's the first time that a woman (Senator Hilary Clinton), an African American (Senator Barack Obama), and a Latino (Governor Bill Richardson) candidate have been viable in our country's history. Note: I have not decided yet who I'm supporting for the Democratic Primary. Here in California we might possibly have a say in who the candidate will be for a change, now that our primary has been moved from June to February!

There is so much media hubbub about Clinton and Obama, and even John Edwards, whose wife Elizabeth is battling a re-occurance of breast cancer, but there's little to be found about Richardson. The Governor of New Mexico is easily the most qualified of all the candidates to lead America. Richardson:

Served in the U.S. Congress for 15 years.

Was Bill Clinton's Secretary of Energy.

Was later appointed by Clinton as the Ambassador to the UN where he, "...worked with world leaders to build alliances and help prevent the development of nuclear weapons in North Korea."

He's been "nominated four times for the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the release of hostages, American servicemen and political prisoners in North Korea, Iraq, and Cuba. Governor Richardson recently negotiated a 60-day cease fire in war-torn Darfur following direct talks with rebel leaders and the President of Sudan." Source

Governor Bill Richardson
Running for President in 2008

Here are portions of a very recent interview of Richardson by progressive blogger, and Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellow at Dartmouth College, Laura Clawson:

On Iraq - what should happen now and what he would do as president: Democrats should unite behind one policy, which should be to deauthorize the war, to look at the Congress having authorized the war four years ago. I would have a war powers resolution deauthorizing the war, with timetables and benchmarks. I would withdraw this calendar year. The consensus seems to have been built around March of 2008, but I'd get out this year. But the Congress authorized the war and the Congress should deauthorize the war. Then, there will be a legal fight - the administration will say "well, we don't recognize the war powers act." Then you go to the Supreme Court. That's what I would do, because my sense is that every effort should be made to cut the funding, but I worry about whether we have the votes to do it. What this veto will do is President Bush will have made the war by far the number one issue in the 2008 campaign, because this veto means gridlock, deadlock. So I would proceed with a deauthorization resolution. And I was there, I was in Congress fifteen years.

The best case [right now] would be for the House and Senate to agree on the next step. That should be a complete priority, and then there should be a national effort, mobilized by the Democrats, to cut funding. That's the constitutional role of the Congress, and they should pursue that. They should have a deadline.

Renewable Energy Partners

On energy policy: I have experience as Secretary of Energy in promoting renewable energy, which I think is the key to a new policy that I would promote, which would be an Apollo program to reduce our dependence from 65% to 10% using renewable technology, public and private investment. But I would also go on a national crusade to make the country greener. Green buildings, fuel efficiency, solar roofs in schools, more conservation, more efficient washing machines, air-conditioning, a whole push to change America's behaviors and attitudes towards energy.

Governor Bill Richardson
Running for President in 2008

On his upcoming trip to North Korea: Well, my goals are to bring back some remains, because I believe that that will bring further progress to the disarmament talks with North Korea. It's a good sign if the North Koreans turn over some remains, that they're pleased with the six-party talks. This is a case where I believe politics should stop at the water's edge - when it's national security, when you're dealing with a country that has six nuclear weapons. If I can work with the administration to just improve the atmosphere by having a good visit, and bring back some remains of Americans missing from the Korean war, I will have made a contribution. That's the goal.

My ulterior goal is for the president to realize that dealing directly with North Korea makes sense and that's the reason he had progress. That now he'll be prepared to deal directly with Iran and Syria, which I think is essential for a broader Middle East agreement and for resolving the situation in Iraq and for maybe making some progress on the Palestinian issue. The point I make is that I'm the presidential candidate with the most direct foreign policy experience. I've negotiated with foreign countries, I've negotiated cease-fires, I've rescued American servicemen, I've dealt with regimes that are a problem - North Korea, Iraq, Sudan, Cuba - and I believe that I know how to protect American interests and pursue a dialogue that might lead to peace. Source

More information about this very experienced, perhaps best Democratic candidate:

Watch Video clips of Richardson's Speeches

Wikipedia Entry

Richardson's Presidential Campaign

Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Town Hall Meeting April 10th

Middleborough, MA Town Hall

MoveOn.org is organizing a series of Virtual Town Hall Meetings at which some of the 2008 Presidential candidates will answer questions from its progressive membership. This is rather revolutionary as it puts candidates in direct contact with voters via the web. The mainstream media isn't filtering communication from either direction and hopefully there will be a minimum of "handling" by the candidates' advisors.






















Mont Vernon, NH Town Hall


This is our first, best opportunity to hear what the 2008 Presidential candidates plan to do about Iraq should they win our vote in 2008. The list of candidates was chosen via membership survey and includes people from both major parties.

Not all the invited candidates have agreed to participate yet (what are they afraid of?) but I believe Clinton, Obama, & Edwards have so far. Even if all the invited candidates don't show up for the first Virtual Town Hall Meeting, they'll have several other opportunities to do so.

Any candidate who doesn't participate may risk losing the votes of MoveOn.org's more than 3 million members (ouch!)























Kirkwood, MO Town Hall

If you'd like to host one of these Virtual Town Hall Meetings, sign up HERE.

If you'd rather attend someone else's sign up HERE.

These will be LIVE events so the best way to hear from the candidates, in their own words, is to attend.

















Paola, KS Town Hall

Barack Obama's Record on Iraq