Sunday, September 23, 2007

Comments For This Post Are Now Closed

"High Holidays Over, Clinton and Obama Woo Big Jewish Donors." So reads the posting of a Chicago Sun-Times story on Huffington Post.

Too bad if you want to post a comment, comments are now closed. Too bad if you want to read comments already made, those are nowhere to be found.

I don't recall this ever happening on Huffpo. What gives? Did the system crash? I suspect that the comments were very critical of the blatant sucking up to Jews because of Israel. The comments were so critical that they were removed. Then again, why would they be removed? Did someone complain and if so who would that be? Clinton, Obama, the usual ADL/AIPAC suspects?

Of course, these are just my guesses. I asked Huffpo to explain but somehow I don't think I will ever get an answer.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Wish I'd Said That

"New York is the ATM for American politicians. Large amounts of money come from the Jewish community. If you're running for president and you want dollars from that group, you need to show that you're interested in the issue that matters most to them."
Hank Scheinkopf, political consultant


"There are a lot o f guys at the working level up here [Capitol Hill] who happen to be Jewish, who are willing to make a little bit of extra effort and to look at certain issues in terms o f their Jewishness, and this is what made things go in the last couple of years. These are all guys who are in a position to make the decisions in these areas for those senators. You don't need that many to get something done in the Senate. All you need is a certain commitment to get something done and, if guys are willing to put time into that instead of a million other things they have to do, if they're willing to make a couple of calls, if they're willing to become involved, you can get an awful lot done just at the staff level...The senators have a million things to do and they'll take the recommendations [of their aides] most times."
Morris Amitai, former AIPAC Executive Director
Obama Does Act Like He's White

Someone should have told Barack Obama that it is better to be thought a wimpy accomodationist than to open your mouth and prove it. When asked two weeks ago about the Jena Six case, Obama could only say that the young people ". . . appear to have been railroaded into a very difficult situation." That was all Mr. Audacious had to say on the matter.

His mealy mouthed response is apparently what got Jesse Jackson's goat. Now that a supporter quite rightly called him out and a mass movement spawned by the case has reached its zenith, the great audacious one proved that he is anything but. "Outrage over an injustice like the Jena 6 isn't a matter of black and white,"

Earth to Obama. It is all about black and white and black people are expressing more outrage than white people are. If Obama can't stand up for black people when we most need to be supported, he is worthless to us.

Go get him Jesse and while you are at it, rethink your endorsement.

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Obama "Acting White"

I read about Jesse Jackson's comments on the Crooks and Liars website. This was my response.

"Once again, the white liberal fans of C&L show their true colors. Pun intended. 'Let’s just stop talking about race already.' Difficult to do if you live in Jena. Difficult to do if you are black anywhere in this country.

It is unfortunate that there is no video or audio of Jackson’s statement. I would like to be able to comment on his remarks with greater authority. Also, it would be a mistake to discuss this issue by focusing on a poor choice of words.

He is correct that Jena is a defining moment, and all of the Democratic candidates should have spoken out about what is nothing more than old time lynch law, segregationist justice.
Obama should be taken to task. He showed his hand in his lame convention speech. “There is no black America.” There certainly is in Jena. He has not been acting white, but he has been doing everything to please white people. He wants to keep troops in Iraq, he supports military action against Iran, which would be a war crime. He seriously wants to be president, and that is bad news for black people and anyone else who believes in peace and justice. You can’t raise $30 million from the check bundlers if you don’t dance to their tune of empire and corporate control.

Should black people support Obama? I argue that we shouldn’t want a black president at all. Obama can’t win the nomination unless he tells white people that he will not talk about race. The end result of that gambit means more Jenas, literally and figurately, for black people. Sorry, this black person is not an Obama fan.

As for Jackson, he knew what he was getting when he endorsed Obama. Maybe he should rethink his choice. Kucinich’s platform is more in line with Jacksons anyway. Time for a switch Jesse.

Sunday, September 16, 2007

Why Bush Can Attack Iran

Read and cry.

Friday, September 14, 2007

"Suck on this"

"We hit Iraq because we could." So says pulitzer prize winner Tom Friedman. This prison rape fantasy, there is nothing else to call it, was spewed back in 2003. Watch the video from 2:52 until about 5:40. It will make your blood turn cold and then boil.

The billionaire bull shit artist gets hot at the thought of G.I.s going house to house and terrorizing Iraqis. His sick fantasy came true. He must be very happy now.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Democracy is Dead, Let the Movement Begin

As the Yearwood incident shows, democracy is dead. It is time for activists to acknowledge that fact and move on without the Democratic party.

It is time for serious movement building, which is what my current Black Agenda Report column is all about. Stay tuned for my movement to do list next week.
Rev. Lennox Yearwood Assaulted by Capitol Police

Rev. Lennox Yearwood was assaulted by capitol police officers when he tried to exercise his rights as a citizen. He wanted to see Gen. Petraeus testify. The hearing was open to the public and his presence should not have been a problem, but he has a black face and he was wearing a button in support of the Iraqi people. Video of the assault can be seen here, and an interview with Yearwood here.

Yearwood's leg was broken in the assault and he has been charged with assault himself. It is clear that he did not harm or attempt to harm anyone.

Monday, September 10, 2007

Anti-War Movement Frustrated

No s_ _ t. Of course the anti-war movement is stymied and frustrated. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

As my new idol Chris Floyd says, it is time to face facts. Democracy is dead and the Democratic party helped kill it. Bush is in better shape now than he was last year. Reid and Pelosi wake up every day and decide how they are going to assume the position. It doesn't matter that Rove, Gonzales and Libby are gone. They are always replaced and Bush and Cheney remain in place. Yes, impeachment remains off the table.

I feel badly for Michael Lerner and others. They think the Democrats will change, but it is time they woke up and smelled the coffee. In tomorrow's Black Agenda Report, I will begin writing about the formation of a new movement. A mass movement and the civil disobedience that must go with it are our last hope.

Give it up Lerner. They are just not into you.

Fake Bin Laden Video
No copy of the video had appeared on Islamic Web sites as of yesterday, as has been the norm for past al-Qaeda videos. A spokesman for SITE declined to comment on how it obtained the most recent video. - Winter Patriot

Maybe he did get a nose job and dye his hair, moustache and beard. Or maybe it is all a fake. It is strange that a right wing group, SITE, got this video before anyone else.

They are only cited on National Review Online, or Fox News, and one of the partners has been hand picked by Bush to man lots of posts on Homeland Security and other Bush organizations.

Hat tip to Chris Floyd at Empire Burlesque.

Friday, September 07, 2007

The Columbus Dispatch and Dr. Goebbels

It is the end of the week and I'm a little tired/lazy. So for the second time today, my post consists of a letter I already wrote to someone else.

An attack on Iran is imminent. Bush gave a speech worthy of Hitler wherein he claimed that Iran will cause a "nuclear holocaust" in the Middle East. Never mind the fact that Iran doesn't have the bomb and won't have the capability of producing one for at least five years. Of course, the only country in that region with a nuclear capability is Israel. If there is a nuclear holocaust they and their American partner in crime will be to blame.

The Columbus Dispatch recently published a cartoon showing Iranians as cockroaches. Paging Dr. Goebbels. Note the response to another reader. Here is my response to the call for genocide. (Hat tip to CAIR.)

I was stunned to see your newspaper compare human beings to vermin. Dr. Goebbels did that. Do you want to be in the same company? Your response to a concerned reader is as disgraceful as the cartoon.

"But since the drain cover depicted in the cartoon is clearly labeled with "Iran" and "extremism" it is clear that the cartoon refers only to those elements of the Iranian regime who support extremism. In other words, it doesn’t come close to labeling all Iranians as cockroaches."

When I exterminate roaches I don't discriminate. My goal is to take them all out. Clearly you think that Iranian human beings deserve the same treatment, whether "extremist" or not.

For shame.

Please write to the Columbus Dispatch and cc CAIR. The incitement to murder must not go unanswered.
Walt, Mearsheimer and Amazon

Stephen Walt and John Mearsheimer are professors at Harvard and the University of Chicago respectively. Last year they wrote a ground breaking essay, "The Israeli Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy." It was well past time that someone took on that elephant in the living room.

In my opinion, Walt and Mearsheimer are a little too kind. They don't go far enough in dissecting the harm done by the Israeli government and its American minions. I believe that Israel and its lobby are grave threats to the American people. They have made us complicit in the commission of many human rights abuses, from the killing of Lebanese citizens, to the use of children as human shields in the occupied territories. Israel has successfully placed a bulls eye on all of our backs. If bin Laden hates us, it isn't because of our "way of life." It is because of Israel.

Walt and Mearsheimer were called anti-Semites and everything else except children of God. Their credentials didn't shield them completely from criticism but it is difficult for any honest person to dismiss them out of hand. Of course, honesty and U.S. relations with Israel are oxymorons.

The two have written a book that was published just this week. Yesterday I checked out Amazon.com with every intention of buying it. I was floored when I saw that Amazon is recommending it ("Buy Both and Save") alongside The Dealiest Lies by Abraham Foxman. Deadliest Lies was written for the sole purpose of debunking Walt and Mearsheimer. I wanted to complain to Amazon, but that is nearly impossible because they don't tell you how to contact them. I wrote Walt and Mearsheimer instead. Here is my letter.

Gentlemen,

I order books and CDs from Amazon. I do so in part because Amazon always informs me about books with subject matter similar to the one I am ordering, books I may not know about.

Yesterday I went to the Amazon site to order your new book. To my dismay, I was also offered an opportunity to order The Deadliest Lies, Abraham Foxman’s new book. Neither I nor anyone else interested in your book wants to read Foxman’s. There are numerous books for people with similar interests that could have been linked to yours.

Once again you two have been proven correct. There is an Israeli lobby and it doesn’t allow dissent. Even a powerful corporation like Amazon is terrified of selling your book along with others that address the same issue. They feel compelled to link your book with one written for the sole purpose of debunking it. I’m sure this is a first for Amazon. They have insulted you and your readers.

I don’t know if this situation has come to your attention, but I hope you can persuade Amazon to de-link you from Foxman. Amazon purposefully makes it difficult for customers to reach them. I thought you might have access where I do not.

Thank you for writing your book. You have done the world a great service by doing so. I will buy it, but not from Amazon.

Barnes and Noble will get my money this time around.

Thursday, September 06, 2007

Impeach Bush

Salon.com has a great article which proves what many people already surmised. Bush knew that Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction.

It isn't really news, nor does it let Hillary Clinton and John Kerry off the hook. If I figured out that Bush and Cheney were lying, they did too. They made a political calculation that being pro-war would get them campaign cash and a presidential nomination. The pro-Israel check bundlers would have looked askance at an anti-war position.

Poor stupid Kerry. He was hoisted on his own pitard and then didn't know how to get down. As I said many times in 2004, he needed only to be doubly cynical to get into the White House. He just should have said that he depended on the president and gave him the benefit of the doubt. Silly me, thinking that the Democrats have any political sense.

Well that is all in the past. The biggest question is this, what does Bush have to do to get impeached? There is already plenty of evidence but the Democrats have declared impeachment "off the table. They are accessories to all of Bush's crimes. Nothing will come of this information and an attack on Iran will begin World War III. Maybe the fundies are right after all. We are living in the end times.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Dennis Kucinich Disappears

August 30th is International Day of the Disappeared. It is a day to remember those who have fallen victim to the worst human rights abuse of all. Thousands of people around the world have had their lives snuffed out by political violence. They haven't been imprisoned and they haven't died on a battle field. They are simply gone and are almost always gone forever.

In America we have political disappearances. Just ask Dennis Kucinich. The Democratic Congressman and presidential candidate is alive and well, but you wouldn't know that he is alive or that he is running for president if you depend on the corporate media for information. I dissect it all in this week's edition of Black Agenda Report.
Vacation Ends

I took a couple of trips in August and came home relaxed and refreshed. Of course I also returned to reading the news, and so my light hearted feeling came to end along with my vacation.

The Bush administration is about to start World War III by attacking Iran and no one with the power to stop him is willing to lift a finger. The president raves about a "nuclear holocaust" caused by Iran, when it is Iran's sworn enemy, Israel, that is the only nuclear power in the Middle East.

The House and Senate pass anti-Iran resolutions, letting us know that they will be silent when the bombs begin to fall. Press reports indicate that 1,200 bombing sites have already been chosen, which means that thousands of Iranian human beings will die.

While we watch and wait for the destruction to begin, we should at least listen to those brilliant, prescient voices that explain so much to us. One of my new favorite bloggers is Arthur Silber. Silber has been trying to warn us both about the Bush decision to start another war, about Democratic party complicity and the liberal naivete/stupidity that will make more killing inevitable.

Thanks to Arthur Silber, I now know about Chris Floyd, who explains it all so well.

It is, by any measure, a remarkable achievement, one of the greatest political feats ever. Despite Bush's standing as one of the most despised presidents in American history, despite a Congress in control of the opposition party, despite a solid majority opposed to his policies and his war, despite an Administration riddled with scandal and crime, despite the glaring rot in the nation's infrastructure and the callous abandonment of one of the nation's major cities to natural disaster and crony greed -- despite all of this, and much more that would have brought down or mortally wounded any government in a democratic country, the Bush Administration is now in a far stronger position than it was a year ago.

It does't make me happy to say it, but Floyd has hit the nail squarely on the head. As we slide towards destruction, we should at least know why this has happened. I will be making more recommendations in the days to come.