It Looks Like This (sorry, no ice cream) 

Federal Marriage Amendment

The Senate will be voting within a couple of days on the Federal Marriage Amendment. Call your senators at 1-877-762-8762 to urge them to oppose this proposed amendment. Then click here to see what to do next.

Support the ACLU

For more than two decades I have been a member of the ACLU. I don't always find myself in agreement with the organization's positions but on balance I find that it deserves my support and gratitude. It is not the only or the oldest public advocacy group out there, but after nearly eighty years of service to America, it is the most distinguished.

Few, if any, organizations have been vilified as often for doing the right thing, for standing up for the rights of unpopular causes and defendants when nobody else would, not necessariy because the organization agreed with the views of those being defended, but because it has recognized that once we start denying rights to those we hate or disagree with, we will have lost our footing as a nation and a people committed to the notion that justice is the birthright of all men.

The organization has fought, and sometimes won, battles that I wish it hadn't. For those who deride the ACLU for the "damage" done by such decisions, I remind you that there is nothing the ACLU can do to take away from anyone of us a fraction of our liberty. They are battling governments at the local, state, and National level, however, who have the power, and often the inclination, to strip us, individually or in groups, of our liberty.

Go the its website, look around, and give strong consideration to joining. Be part of a proud and distinguished organization that has stood up for you when you didn't know it.

Saved by the Supremes

I've got to give the man his due. In the recent Hamdi decision, Justice Antonin Scalia, in a rebuke of the Bush Administration's claim to almost supreme executive power in its administration of the "war on terror," wrote:

"Many think it is not only inevitable but entirely proper that liberty give way to security in times of national crisis. . . . Whatever the general merits of the view that war silences law or modulates its voice, that view has no place in the interpretation and application of a Constitution designed precisely to confront war and, in a manner that accords with democratic principles, to accommodate it."

In times of crisis, perhaps the true measure of a man or of a form of government can be found. Since September 11, 2001, the executive and legislative branches of our government have repeatedly been tested and found wanting when it came to demonstrating through their actions that they were committed to the high ideals of the Constitution. Out system of government was redeemed by the branch from which I expected much less. The Supreme Court and each of the eight justices who found in favor of Hamdi in this case (Thomas was the lone dissenter) deserve the gratitude of each of us.

Reagan, Bush, Edwards, and Optimism

During the maudlin mourning for Reagan last month, much was made of his optimism, some pundits going so far as to say that was the key to his success. Picking up on this theme, the Bush/Pinochet (oops) campaign ran an ad on its web site last month emphasizing its optimism, contrasting it to images of angry and presumably pessimistic Democrats. It was enough to give optimism a bad name.

Now, again, comes John Edwards. Although I found myself in disagreement with many of his positions, I found myself captivated by Edwards' optimism during his primary campaign for President. The difference between him and the Republican mooks, however, is that theirs is based on a blind faith that even though everything Bush/Cheney have done since January 2001 had turned to crap they will somehow prevail by wishin' and hopin', Edwards recognizes that although the situation in America is gloomy and pretty messed up, a reliance on real American values, such as truth (as opposed to the institutional lying emanating from the White House), justice (as opposed to those currently in power who believe in million dollar law firms for corporations and limited access to courts for common citizens), and a sense of fair play can restore a sense of community in this country and, combined with a decent and respectful foreign policy, gradually restore America's standing in the eyes of the world. That optimism, and Edwards' ability to spread it around, will make a world of difference in Kerry's campaign. I feel better already.

California, the Political ATM

As Dan Walters points out here, California seems so safely on Kerry/Edwards' side in the coming election that the candidates from both parties view us chiefly as an ATM, to finance the campaign in other states. And that's fine; we can make valuable contributions in that role. So, if you don't mind, whip out your credit cards and go [link=https://contribute.johnkerry.com/contribute.html?team=53]here, to contribute to Kerry/Edwards[/link], [link=https://www.moveon.org/donatec4/creditcard.html]here, to donate to MoveOn.org[/link], or [link=]here, to donate to the DNC[/link].

Now you can vote for David Cobb, the Green Party Candidate, without feeling guilty.

MoveOn.org

This LA Times article (sorry, registration required)about MoveOn.org's attempts to broaden its reach by recruiting creative liberals, such as Moby and Rob Reiner, to help spread the group's message, contains a quote from an unnamed "Democratic strategist" that perfectly captures why I have such a hard time becoming supportive of the Democratic party and its less than aweinspiring candidate. According to this strategist, MoveOn's "contempt for Bush is alien to most Americans; it's over the top."

It may be that MoveOn's contempt for Bush is alien to most Americans, but Bush has gone out of his way to earn it, and if this contempt is alien to most Americans, I'd say it's a key job of this strategist and others in similar positions to convey to Americans why so many of us on the left have such a visceral reaction to Bush. That people such as this strategist are so disturbed by MoveOn may lie in the fact that Kerry, as I noted in an earlier post (It's Got to Be Kerry, June 28) hasn't displayed, at least through his voting record over the last three years on subjects that have ignited the more liberal wing of the Democratic party, that his priorities and values aren't that different from Bush's.

I would like to believe that MoveOn represents the future of the Democratic Party, and it's large subscriber list and the success of many of its activities show that it is a powerful force on the left. From entries and comments I've seen on other "progressive" blogs, though, I've concluded that even among many who hate Bush, the agenda of MoveOn and even more so, the agenda of the Green Party, are too "radical" for them to be comfortable.

Bush's American Values

Not that anybody paying attention could have had any lingering doubts about this, but we got another example today of the value the Bush people place on those traditional values found in the Bill of Rights. From Yahoo, we get this description of a Bush speech in front of the West Virginia Capital,

"Two Bush opponents, taken out of the crowd in restraints by police, said they were told they couldn't be there because they were wearing shirts that said they opposed the president."

Is any further comment necessary?

I'll Swap you a Russert for a Carol Coleman

In addition to reflecting poorly on Bush, this this story about Irish journalist Carol Coleman's interview with George Bush and the White House's reaction to it reflects poorly on the White House press corps. Bush was so put off by the temerity of Coleman, who dared to ask follow up questions and interupt when he strayed from answering her questions, that the White House lodged a complaint with both her news organization and with the Irish Embassy. Those of us who watched Tim Russert lob soft balls at Bush in February and just move on after Bush avoided answering even those easy questions, those of us who recall the NYT's Elizabeth Bumiller's confession that she and her cohort were too intimidated by Bush to question the nonsense coming out of his mouth at the beginning of the war can't help but contrast their no-balls performance to that of Coleman. According to the TAP article I've linked to, Coleman's performance is standard for the Irish press. Sadly, so are Russert's and Bumiller's for the American press.

It's Got to be Kerry

I saw "Fahrenheit 9/11" Saturday night. It's not a movie you can be indifferent to. My own feeling, walking out of the theater, was that Bush must be defeated, at all costs. I've had that feeling for about two years now, but this movie aroused my passion to a level it hadn't been before. The movie also left me exceedingly angry, though, with the Democratic Party. All of its failings, its shortcomings of the last couple of years have to be examined if you want to understand how Bush managed to accomplish (if that term fits what has been done) the last couple of years. Without a quiescent Democratic Party, without the opposition party trying its damnedest to not be offensive, we wouldn't be where we are today. And John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for President, has distinguished himself during this time by going along with the program. Very early in the film you see black Democratic house members raising objections to the certification of the 2000 election results. It was already clear by that time that in addition to the vote counting irregularities in Florida there was a lot of hinky stuff going on with black voters being tossed from the voting rolls. When the time came that the black members of the House objected to this, when they tried to shine a light on these misdeeds, they needed one senator, only one, any one, to join in their protest. None did. Most specifically, John Kerry failed to.

In the days after 9/11, the Bush Justice Department quickly cobbled together a bill that would relax (or eliminate) restrictions on Police investigatory tactics. None of the items on the wish list were specifically tied to fighting terrorism and the absence of the freedoms the items on this list would give to police agencies had in no way contributed to the success of the 9/11 terrorists. These were just things that Ashcroft and his ilk had wanted for years and they saw in 9/11 an opportunity to get what they wanted. When the USA Patriot Act, as this police state abomination came to be known, came to a vote in the Senate, only one man (God bless you Russ Feingold) voted against it. John Kerry voted for it.

When, a year later, the vote to authorize George Bush to use virtually unlimited force against Iraq came up, John Kerry once again was on board.

When just a couple of months ago the Senate voted on the approval of John Negroponte to be the Ambassador to Iraq, the vote was 95-3 for his confirmation. John Kerry was one of the two no-shows. John Negroponte established his reputation as a diplomat in Central American in the eighties, carrying Reagan's water in his dealings with the tin-pot Saddams of the time who the Reagan and Bush administrations seemed to have a special affinity for cozying up to. John Kerry had no special objection to a man linked to multiple regimes with atrocious human rights records on their hands becoming our man in Baghdad.

When, over the last couple of years, somebody needed to step forward and take the lead in fighting back against George Bush's agenda, John Kerry, at every opportunity, failed to do so. He has enabled George Bush to do every awful thing he had done. And yet...

And yet, he is our only hope. I don't know what kind of President he will be. Based on his service in Vietnam his physical courage in unassailable. But he has failed, with the exception of his earliest years in the Senate, to display the moral courage this country so desperately needs to raise us out of the mire the Bush administration has us slogging through. We can only hope and pray that he will grow into the job, because we have to vote for him. We have to remove George W. Bush from the Presidency. So hold your nose and vote for Kerry. Just once. Sadly, somehow, he's the best electable option we've got. What a system, eh?

The Patriotism Police Strike

You gotta love it when Republicans start eating their young. Governor Arnie is in hot water in some conservative circles because he was observed not reciting the pledge of allegiance or singing the national anthem at Reagan's memorial service.