The comedian who spoke truth to bullshit died yesterday. Thank you, Mr. Carlin, for keeping it real.
Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.
George Carlin
SC Progressive Network member group Sean’s Last Wish is asking for community support at tonight’s meeting of the Richland Lexington District 5 as the board makes a final decision regarding extracurricular clubs at Irmo High School. See more about the school’s policies, the history behind the GSA controversy and more at the school district’s web site.
School Board Meeting on Monday, June 23, 7pm
H.E. Corley Elementary School,
1500 Chadford Road
Irmo, SC 29063
You can see video of a recent rally supporting the GSA here.
By Robert Parry
consortiumnews.com
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi claims that a key positive feature of the new wiretap “compromise” is that the bill reaffirms that the President must follow the law, even though the same bill virtually assures that no one will be held accountable for George W. Bush’s violation of the earlier spying law.
In other words, in the guise of rejecting Bush’s theories of an all-powerful presidency that is above the law, the Democratic leadership cleared the way for the President and his collaborators to evade punishment for defying the law.
So, why should anyone assume that the new legislative edict demanding that the President obey the law will get any more respect than the old one, which established the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 as the “exclusive” means for authorizing electronic spying?
It wasn’t that Bush and his team didn’t understand the old law’s language; they simply believed they could violate the law without consequence, under the radical theory that at a time of war – even one as vaguely defined as the “war on terror” – the President’s powers trump all laws as well as the constitutional rights of citizens.
Essentially, Bush was betting that even if his warrantless wiretap program was disclosed – as it was in December 2005 – that he could trust his Republican congressional allies to protect him and could count on most Democrats not to have the guts to challenge him.
This was forwarded by Columbia Christians for Life. Scary stuff. These folks’ preoccupation with “gay abomination” looks a whole lot like sicko titillation.
Wiley Drake is a California pastor vying to be president of the Southern Baptist Convention.
He caused a stir last year after he used church stationery and an Internet radio program to endorse former Gov. Mike Huckabee for president. After Americans United for Separation of Church and State protested, Drake issued a call for “imprecatory” prayer — specifically for the death of several of the AU leaders.
Using God as a hit man? Now that’s deviant!
**********
From: wileydrake @hotmail.com
Subject: Legal Same Sex Marriages
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:45:22 +0000
What Legal Same Sex Marriages Bring into society………..
Oral Sex with the ingesting of semen and anal contamination bringing about hepatitis A, gonorrhea, HIV, and hepatitis B
Rectal Sex brings a mixing bowl for saliva and its germs and/or an artifical lubricant which penetrates the rectal lining (which is only one cell thick) rectal intercourse is the most efficient way to spread hepatitis B, HIV, syphilis and a host of other blood-born diseases. This brings about the enteric parasites collectively known as “Gay Bowel Syndrome”
Urine Sex In a San Francisco survey of 655 same sex people, 5% drank urine, 7% practiced fisting, 33% ingested feces via anal/oral contact.
Some say same-sex marriage is ok and we should be concerned about the community that want same-sex marriage. We should be concerned when their life style brings early death to them and the rest of society. God called what same-sex marriages do sodomy and those who do it sodomites.
If we do not stand and fight this plague God will as He did in sodom and their neighborhood.
****************
Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:38:01 -0400
To: Columbia Christians for Life
From: Columbia Christians for Life
Subject: What Legal Same Sex Marriages Bring into society………..
Exactly - we don’t need just to DEFEND “traditional” marriage - we need to re-criminalize the filthy, immoral, abominable commission of ACTS of SODOMY!
Hard to believe, but this blog is a year old today. Time do fly. I’ve learned a lot since that first, hopeful post, not the least of which is that I may not be a Luddite after all. Who knew? I’ve found this to be a truly swell tool for grassroots organizing, and I’m committed to making this space as useful and relevant as I can for as long as folks keep stopping by.
And it promises to get better. Next month I’ll be going to St. Paul, MN, for a three-day workshop put together by the Progressive Technology Project. (Me, Little Luddie, going to a techie conference!) So watch out, boys and girls. Once my good intentions are supported by real skills, there’s no telling. I especially want to learn how to produce and share video clips of our members (meaning the SC Progressive Network - this blog’s daddy) who are doing amazing things in the trenches, largely unnoticed by the mainstream press.
Thanks to New Morning Foundation, the Network got a camcorder this year and, as communications czarina, I get to play with it. It is the best toy ever but, novice that I am, the videos posted here and on the Network’s new YouTube channel, so far have been, well, just sad. Sorry. But I have every reason to believe that the good people at the Technology Project can help.
The plan is to feature profiles of our Network members, clips from our meetings and trainings, video of rallies, protests, vigils, legislative hearings and whatever else we hope might interest the uppity class in South Carolina. Note to Network member groups: if you want us to document something you’re doing, or if you want to borrow the camera to shoot your own footage, e-mail me at becci@scpronet.com. Also, if you are a writer-sort/thinker interested in a soap box upon which to rant - politely - let me know. We need more local voices here, more original content about what’s going on in the Palmetto State - and what ought to be.
Finally, thanks to Steve Hait for all the years of tech support at POINT and the SC Progressive Network. We owe you big.
Becci Robbins
North Carolina added the town of Chapel Hill to its Voter-Owned Elections roster this week (we call them Clean Elections here is South Carolina) when the town council approved a measure to offer a full public financing option for town council races.
Following the national trend, the cost of running for office has risen in Chapel Hill in recent years, putting the cost of running for office out of reach of many town residents. Public financing will help remove that barrier to entry, and encourage people from all backgrounds to seek office.
North Carolina has made steady progress in advancing Voter-Owned Elections policy thanks to the efforts of Democracy North Carolina and their allies. Candidates for the state’s Supreme and Appellate courts as well as three of the nine Council of State positions all have the option to run with public financing.
By Robert Parry
consortiumnews.com
There are two ways of looking at the landmark 5-4 Supreme Court decision recognizing the habeas corpus rights of detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba: As a stirring victory for individual liberty over collective fear – or as a reminder that the one more right-wing justice could make George W. Bush’s imperial presidency “constitutional.”
At the heart of the June 12 decision was the majority’s recognition that President Bush and his political allies have been playing games with the Constitution by turning Guantanamo into a legal black hole for the indefinite imprisonment (or kangaroo-court trials) of people Bush deems “unlawful enemy combatants.”
By the narrowest majority, the Supreme Court rejected Bush’s legal loophole, declaring that the U.S. government cannot evade the constitutional tradition of judicial oversight simply by citing an indefinite “war on terror” and by placing detainees off-shore at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
“The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times,” Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the court’s majority.
The majority also saw the Guantanamo loophole as a device used by the President and the Republican-controlled Congress of 2005-06 to evade the authority of civilian courts as well as the habeas corpus obligation for the Executive to justify a person’s detention.
“The writ of habeas corpus is itself an indispensable mechanism for monitoring the separation of powers,” the majority ruled, adding that it “must not be subject to manipulation by those whose power it is designed to restrain.”
In a concurring opinion, Justice David Souter also noted the duration of many Guantanamo imprisonments, “some of the prisoners represented here today having been locked up for six years,” he wrote.
However, four right-wing justices – Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas, John Roberts and Samuel Alito – saw nothing wrong in creating this modern-day Devil’s Island outside the reach of traditional justice for the duration of the indefinite “war on terror.”
Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain also has vowed to appoint more justices in the mold of Bush’s selections, Roberts and Alito. If another Roberts or Alito replaces one of the five more moderate justices, the new right-wing majority would be in position to reverse the latest ruling.
Stephen Moller, who murdered Sean Kennedy on May 16, 2007, was sentenced June 11 to a five-year suspended sentence to three years with three years probation after he gets out of jail. He will spend about 10 months in jail, after which he is then entitled to parole. If granted, he will then be on probation for three years. Moller was also sentenced to 30 days community service, ordered to take anger management classes and undergo alcohol and drug counseling.
Sean’s mother, Elke Kennedy, held a press conference after the hearing. Here is her statement:
I want to thank you all for being here today. You have followed the story since Sean’s violent murder last year and I appreciate it. There was no justice today for my son Sean. The sentence that Stephen Moeller received is a joke and a slap on the wrist.
Once again it proves that in the state of South Carolina there is no justice for the victim, especially for a victim of a senseless, violent, bias-motivated crime. I understand that the judge had to sentence according to the plea agreement and the existing restrictions in the law, but that does not make this any easier!
Our judicial system is a joke and it is trying to make you believe that it is there to assure justice. Decisions are made by the solicitor instead of judges and juries. Like in Sean’s case, nobody will ever hear the evidence and all the facts like the voice mail because it was plea bargained by the solicitor, who has only met with me one time almost 10 month ago.
In essence, when the solicitor plea bargains any case, are they not really working for the defendant instead of the victim? Most pleas benefit only the defendant because it results in a lesser charge.
In fact, I believe that Sean’s case has been mishandled from the beginning. Getting the investigation started - we had to initiate the securing of evidence - sheriffs deputies did not take it serious. Our Solicitors got a lot of pressure about the case, received weekly phone calls from our SC senators from Washington and from congress man Inglis himself. Do any of you know of another local case that our Senators and congressman would be that interested in? I don’t!
Furthermore, our officials have known about the 25-year gap in our laws and have not done anything about it! When asked why there was this gap I was told that nobody had ever complained. Well this mother has and will continue to do so.
Bob Arial stated last October that involuntary manslaughter charge and the maximum time with that is not enough in the case of Sean’s Murder, but that is all they could do according to the existing law! Our solicitor invited me to help him change these laws - Mr. Arial - I am here, I am willing and I demand that we change these laws.
So moving forward we must identify the gaps, educate the public and we must demand all inclusive laws in our state that will protect all human beings. We need to be able to identify bias-motivated crimes and be able to report them.
Remember, this is an election year - you can make a difference!
My son was violently murdered because of hate, and as his mother I want justice. This could have happened to anybody’s son, daughter, brother or sister. My family will never be the same. A big part of our lives has been ripped out of our hearts and we are all struggling through birthdays, holidays, etc.
No mother should ever have to bury her child. No mother should ever have to lose her child to violence and hate. No mother should ever have to fight to see justice for her child!
Actor John Cusack donated his time to make a TV ad reminding voters how McCain is just like Bush on all the important issues.
by Eric Boehlert
Media Matters
“Some Bush defenders, including former press secretary Ari Fleischer, [suggested] that McClellan may have had a ghostwriter or undergone heavy-handed editing.” Washington Post, May 30
“McCellan’s publisher, Peter Osnos, denies that a ghostwriter worked over McClellan’s draft.” Slate, May 28
Now that Scott McClellan has come clean in his book about the real nature of the Bush White House, I’ll confess my own secret: Scott McClellan was a ghostwriter for my 2006 book, Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush.
No, really.
But let’s be honest, prior to McClellan’s new turncoat book, What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington’s Culture of Deception, where the formerly loyal aide confirms so many liberal critiques of the White House, as well as chastises the complacent media for rolling over for Bush, how many people would have even believed my unlikely tale of collaboration? Talk about a possible career-killer for McClellan.
And trust me, he understood the risk of colluding with a liberal media critic, especially while he was on the White House clock. I remember back when he was secretly helping me with the book, I’d say, Mac (that’s what I called him), are you crazy? What would Republicans say if they found out you were being disloyal to Bush, as well as aiding to puncture the long-running myth about the “liberal media”? I warned him that party elders like Bob Dole would open a can of whupass on him if they found out.
But McClellan was committed to my project and insisted on helping me craft my critique of how the press adopted a flagrant double standard when covering the Bush administration. He was especially angry about the media’s lapdog performance during the run-up to the Iraq war.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised by the revelations in his new book last week. In fact, they sounded a little bit too much like Lapdogs, if you know what I mean. (But Mac and I are buds, so it’s all good.)
This passage from his new book certainly had a Lapdogs ring to it:
And through it all, the media would serve as complicit enablers. Their primary focus would be on covering the campaign to sell the war, rather than aggressively questioning the rationale for war or pursuing the truth behind it. … [T]he media would neglect their watchdog role, focusing less on truth and accuracy and more on whether the campaign was succeeding. [Page 125]
So did this blast:
If anything, the national press corps was probably too deferential to the White House and to the administration in regard to the most important decision facing the nation during my years in Washington, the choice over whether to go to war in Iraq. … In this case, the “liberal media” didn’t live up to its reputation. If it had, the country would have been better served. [Pages 156-157]
And, man, did the press act shocked last week, or what? Tim Russert on NBC was stunned that McClellan was using “MoveOn.org” language to describe the Bush White House, and the Politico’s Mike Allen likened it to rhetoric used by the “left-wing haters.” (C’mon, Mike, don’t be a hater hata.)
by Christopher Kuttruff
t r u t h o u t | Report
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) introduced 35 articles of impeachment against President George W. Bush late on Monday during a speech on the House floor.
Kucinich, a former contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, pointed to “high crimes and misdemeanors” committed by the Bush administration, including misrepresenting intelligence in the lead-up to the war, violating domestic and international laws against torture, illegally spying on American citizens, obstructing justice and governmental oversight, and dozens of other violations.
The impeachment resolution came four days after a June 5 Senate Select Intelligence Committee report that vigorously challenged statements made by the Bush administration regarding military intelligence in the runup to the invasion of Iraq. Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee John D. Rockefeller said in a press release, “Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence.”
“It is my belief that the Bush Administration was fixated on Iraq, and used the 9/11 attacks by al Qa’ida as justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein,” Rockefeller noted.
While House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) and other members of the Democratic leadership maintain that such a resolution is “off the table,” Kucinich, along with a group of his colleagues, has consistently pressed for a more urgent and direct response to the often unilateral and controversial actions of the Bush administration.
Despite the unlikeliness of impeachment gaining much traction in Congress, advocates of such a resolution continue to demand greater accountability of the executive branch.
As Kucinich began to issue his remarks, shuffling and talking could be heard in the background of the House chamber. Responding to the disarray, Kucinich objected to the Speaker, “The House is not in order.” After several strikes of Pelosi’s gavel, Kucinich started reading his articles into the record.
“In violation of his constitutional oath to faithfully execute the office of president …” Kucinich stated, “George W. Bush … both personally and through his subordinates … illegally spent public dollars on a secret propaganda campaign to manufacture a false cause for war against Iraq.”
Kucinich started his speech by referencing a variety of news and intelligence reports regarding White House communications, specifically the White House Iraq Group, which was composed of senior officials (then-National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, then-Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Karl Rove, then-Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs Karen Hughes, former chief of staff Andrew Card, then-chief of staff to the Vice President I. Lewis Libby, then-White House press secretary Scott McClellan and others) who “produced white papers detailing so-called intelligence of Iraq’s nuclear threat that later proved to be false.” These papers included later-debunked claims that Iraq sought uranium and specialized centrifuges for enrichment.
These claims, which were central to the administration’s rationale for preemptive action against Iraq, were used, according to Kucinich, to “market an invasion of Iraq to the American people.”
Kucinich also noted that the White House Iraq Group papers “were written at same time and by the same people as speeches and talking points prepared for President Bush and for some of his top officials.”
Congressman Kucinich went on to challenge the administration’s policies toward Iran, as well as its conduct regarding military interrogations.
The resolution comes days after a sharply written letter by 56 Congress members requesting that Attorney General Michael Mukasey investigate potential crimes committed by the Bush administration during the course of its interrogation program. The letter, signed by House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Barney Frank, Jan Schakowsky, Dennis Kucinich and other House Democrats, urged that the seriousness of the evidence on the program warrants a thorough investigation by a special counsel.
Revelations about the Bush administration’s interrogations policies, along with its systematic practice of controlling information provided to the media and the American people, led Kucinich to conclude that the president has “misled the Congress and the citizens of the United States” and should be held accountable for violating his oaths of office to “faithfully execute the office of the president” and “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.”
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has commuted the death sentence of Percy Walton, who was scheduled to be executed tonight (6/10/08) at 9pm for his murders of Jessie Kendrick, Elizabeth Kendrick and Archie Moore. Late yesterday afternoon, Gov. Kaine commuted Percy Walton’s death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole, citing Walton’s severe mental illness. You can read the Governor’s statement here.
OTHER UPCOMING EXECUTIONS
Texas is expected to resume executions tomorrow night, and several others are scheduled this month. Visit NCADP.org for a schedule of upcoming executions and action opportunities.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR DIRECT ACTION ON THE EAST COAST
If you are willing to sweat, get wet, bake in the sun, and have some fun while meeting and working with other committed abolitionists, consider joining in part or all of the following events.
OR… if a little suffering for the cause is not your cup of tea, or these events don’t fit your availability, then please become a co-sponsor and help spread the word to others you know who might want to participate.
First, starting June 15: Pilgrimage and Walk of Remembrance 2008:
“Making Strides toward Abolition and Reconciliation”
Join with and/or co-sponsor this 300-mile walk from Raleigh to Washington, DC organized by Nazareth House, a Catholic Worker house ministering to the families of people on death row. It is a spiritual pilgrimage and walk of remembrance - remembering murder victims and their families, people on death row and their families, persons executed and their families and calling for abolition of the death penalty.
Begins in Raleigh on June 15. Concludes in Washington, DC on June 29
To learn how you can help and participate click here.
And that walk is schedule to arrive at the start of Starvin’ For Justice: the 15th Annual Fast and Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the U.S. Supreme Court
June 29 - July 2, All day and into the evening, each day on the sidewalk in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Starvin, for Justice ‘08″ is the 15th Annual Fast & Vigil to Abolish the Death Penalty at the US Supreme Court. The event is a four day fast & vigil maintaining a presence at SCOTUS, the Supreme Court Of The United States. Some of the participants fast during this time, but fasting is not required. We encounter thousands of visitors to the Court and share our message that no matter how you slice it, the death penalty is BAD PUBLIC POLICY. Much of the time is spent talking to individuals and creating visibility. Several larger events are held at key times during the event to highlight specific concerns, with a series of speakers each evening to educate, enlighten and entertain.
Those who participate in the full event arrive on June 28 and depart on July 3. June 29 and July 2 are anniversaries of key death penalty decisions: June 29th is the anniversary of the Furman v. Georgia decision in 1972, in which the U.S. Supreme Court found the death penalty to be arbitrary and capricious. More than 600 condemned inmates had their death sentences reduced to life. All states were required to re-write their death penalty laws. July 2nd is the anniversary of the Gregg v. Georgia decision in 1976 which allowed the resumption of executions in the United States.
To see photos and videos from past years and get more information, CLICK HERE.
