Author: philinmaine

I’m surprised this hasn’t made it to the blogs yet (I checked) but it’s pretty amazing. An in depth expose of one of the key contractors who openly admits to manipulating intelligence. This is a long but fascinating story of someone hired to spread dis-information, plant information and in his own words “I am a politician, a person who uses communication to meet public-policy or corporate-policy objectives. In fact, I am an information warrior and a perception manager.”

What has he done? Lots. He set up Chalibi and even named the Iraqi National Congress. He trained so called ‘defectors’ and fabricated their stories of WMD and then got the stories printed through conduits like, you guessed it, Judy Miller. Read on, it’s fascinating and he’s exactly the type John Conyers as head of the Judiciary Committee would go after.

Go straight to the article here http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/8798997?rnd=1132620310812&has-player=true&ve
rsion=6.0.8.1024
 or go below the fold for more quotes. One last thing. This guy got his start in politics as a state coordinator for none other than staunch anti-war candidate George McGovern. Just goes to show, power corrupts.
More choice quotes from the article:

“According to one senior administration official involved in intelligence-budget decisions, half of the CIA’s work is now performed by private contractors — people completely unaccountable to Congress.”

….he boasted openly of the sweep and importance of his firm’s efforts as a for-profit spy. “We’ve worked in ninety-one countries,” he said. “Going all the way back to Panama, we’ve been involved in every war, with the exception of Somalia.”

“Rendon, who went on to serve as executive director of the Democratic National Committee, quickly mastered the combination of political skulduggery and media manipulation that would become his hallmark.”

NOTE: I am not a member of the conspiracy ring that believes Dems and Repubs are the same and we’re all going to hell and so forth. This guy got sucked into power is everything.

The key element of Rendon’s INC operation was a worldwide media blitz designed to turn Hussein, a once dangerous but now contained regional leader, into the greatest threat to world peace. Each month, $326,000 was passed from the CIA to the Rendon Group and the INC via various front organizations. Rendon profited handsomely, receiving a “management fee” of ten percent above what it spent on the project. According to some reports, the company made nearly $100 million on the contract during the five years following the Gulf War.

A key weapon, according to the documents, was Rendon’s “proprietary state-of-the-art news-wire collection system called ‘Livewire,’ which takes real-time news-wire reports, as they are filed, before they are on the Internet, before CNN can read them on the air and twenty-four hours before they appear in the morning newspapers, and sorts them by keyword. The system provides the most current real-time access to news and information available to private or public organizations.”

NOTE: Feeling paranoid yet? Makes me wonder. And to think we are on the verge of collapsing their house of lies and sending their butts packing.

“Still another newly formed propaganda operation in which Rendon played a major part was the Office of Global Communications, which operated out of the White House and was charged with spreading the administration’s message on the War in Iraq. Every morning at 9:30, Rendon took part in the White House OGC conference call, where officials would discuss the theme of the day and who would deliver it. The office also worked closely with the White House Iraq Group, whose high-level members, including recently indicted Cheney chief of staff Lewis Libby, were responsible for selling the war to the American public.

…”If you do this correctly, I can tell you what’s on the evening news tonight in a country before it happens. I can give you, as a policymaker, a six-hour break on how you can affect what’s going to be on the news. They’ll take that in a heartbeat.”

…”But Rendon also cautioned that individual news organizations were often able to “take control of the story,” shaping the news before the Pentagon asserted its spin on the day’s events.”We lost control of the context,” Rendon warned. “That has to be fixed for the next war.”

Gee, I wonder just how they are going to control blogs. Bet he has a plan for that as well. Again, the whole article is at:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/8798997?rnd=1132620310812&has-player=true&ve

rsion=6.0.8.1024

We have a lot of work ahead of us but we can do it, we just need to be aware at all times.

Periodically, I check in on the late night comedians and see what they are saying about DC. They are a reflection of at least part of the country and they are dumping. And if you’re missing the new Doonesbury on the WH ethics class, get on it.There’s good stuff so away we go:

“Scooter Libby has set up a legal defense fund to help pay  
his lawyer bills. For a thousand dollars you get a hand-  
written letter and the name of a current CIA agent.”  
–Jay Leno  

“Vice President Dick Cheney is in town. Everyone likes it  
when Dick Cheney is in New York City because he makes the  
rest of us seem friendly.”  
–David Letterman  

“President Bush is busy traveling. Last week he was in Latin  
America. Next week he will be in Asia. This all part of his  
new domestic program called ‘you can’t blame me because I’m  
not there!'”  
–Conan O’Brien  
“When these oil company executives walked into the Capitol  
building, all these senators and congressmen were scared and  
nervous. It’s always a little nerve-wracking when the real  
owners of the place show up.”  
–Jay Leno  

“Well, while all this is going on, all these indictments,  
President Bush has now ordered everyone in the White House  
to attend ethics classes. And you thought FEMA was late?”  
–Jay Leno  

“Tomorrow is Election Day and Mayor Bloomberg is so confident  
that today he called Florida and told them to cancel the  
crooked voting machines.”  
–David Letterman  

“The White House announced that if there is an outbreak of  
bird flu, they could restrict air travel. Americans would  
not be allowed to go anywhere – except Iraq.”  
–Jay Leno  

 “President Bush, is on his Asian tour now. He’ll visit Japan, China, South Korea, Mongolia. Once again, he’s skipping Vietnam.” –David Letterman

“President Bush on Monday defended U.S. interrogation of terrorists, saying ‘We do not torture.’ He added, ‘We freedom electrocute.'” –Amy Poehler on “Saturday Night Live”

 “Every Friday night, CBS has this tremendous hit show, ‘Ghost Whisperer.’ It’s about a woman who is contacted by the dead, and she does things for them. As a matter of fact, earlier tonight, she was contacted by George Bush’s second term.” –David Letterman

“The price of gas is down for the 5th straight week. President Bush has called an emergency cabinet meeting to find out what the hell went wrong.” –Jay Leno

 “Last month, the Senate voted for a ban on torture 90-9. You heard me correctly, nine United States senators refused to vote against torture. Those senators included Illinois Democrat Thumbscrews McGee, Iowa’s Cattleprod von Analpair, and of course, Ted Stevens of Alaska. … The vice president is lobbying to keep torture an option. That’s the guy not running for office in 2008.” –Jon Stewart

The big story from Washington today is that President Bush may have lied to investigators about the CIA leak. The theory is that President Bush may have been playing dumb. Well good luck getting anyone to believe that one.” –Jay Leno

Insiders say that if Karl Rove resigns, President Bush will not function effectively. Wait a minute, all this time he’s been functioning effectively?” –David Letterman

“President Bush, not looking good. His approval rating is down to 38. 38! That’s lower than Dick Cheney’s pulse. In fact, his approval rating is so low he’s actually eligible for FEMA assistance now. And It gets worse. According to the new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, among African Americans, President Bush’s approval rating is 2 percent. You know who the 2 percent are? Condoleezza Rice and Clarence Thomas.” –Jay Leno

And how about some Bill O’Reilly wonders? I won;t even bother with the San Francisco one, it’s gotten plenty of play.

“I just wish Katrina had only hit the United Nations building, nothing else, just had flooded them out, and I wouldn’t have rescued them.” –on his radio show, Sept. 14

“And guys, if you exploit a girl, it will come back to get you. That’s called ‘karma.'” -in his book, “The O’Reilly Factor For Kids,” 2004 (Source)

“You know what’s really frightening? You actually have an influence on this presidential election. That is scary, but it’s true. You’ve got stoned slackers watching your dopey show every night and they can vote.” -to “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart, Sept. 22, 2004 (Source)

10) “The ‘shut up’ line has happened only once in six years.” -responding to a viewer who said if he was so concerned about public figures being bad role models for children, he should stop interrupting guests and telling them to shut up, Nov. 15, 2002 (Watch video of O’Reilly telling various guests to shut up) (Source)

and to the star of them all. Mr. Stewart:
“You know if I had nickel for every time Bush has mentioned 9/11, I could raise enough reward money to go after Bin Laden.” –Jon Stewart

[Clip of President Bush addressing national guardsmen in Idaho]: “Nineteen individuals have served both as guardsmen and as president of the United States, and I’m proud to have been one.”
“Ah, the first rule of public speaking — always start with a joke.” –Jon Stewart

xposted at DKos where it got little attention but I think it is worthy….

What if candidates ran for public office on public money? Wouldn’t that tick people off to have these parasites running on taxpayer $$? Voters would reject such a system out of hand wouldn’t they? Conservatives and liberals would agree that funding campaigns with taxpayer $$ is the ultimate rip-off.

Or would they? Maine voters passed a Clean Elections law in 1996 and it’s been in effect for two elections and easily fought of an attempt to gut it this year. What is it, how does it work, and more importantly, how can you get it in your state? Below the fold we go…
I’m going to quote liberally from

http://www.mainecleanelections.org/

cause why re-write what they already wrote clearly:

There is a common perception that in politics, only people
with money matter. Mainers decided in 1996 that they did
not want that to be the case in Augusta, and overwhelmingly
passed the Maine Clean Election Act by citizen initiative.
The Maine Clean Election Act is a voluntary full public funding
system for candidates for all state offices. The idea behind
it is to sever the connection between private money
and public office. It allows candidates to run for office without
engaging in extensive fundraising or spending their own
money, thus making a run for office accessible to the
broadest array of Maine citizens.

So far so good eh? Not so bad. So how does it work? What’s the process. How can I run for office on chump change?

Candidates who voluntarily choose to participate in
Maine’s Clean Election system follow three simple steps
to qualify for public funds:
1] Demonstrate their grassroots support by collecting
$5 Qualifying Contributions from voters in their district
(50 for House, 150 for Senate).
2] Agree not to raise or spend any private money.
3] Limit spending to the amount received from the Maine
Clean Election Fund.
Candidates who qualify successfully receive an equal and
limited amount of public funds with which to run their
campaigns. If they are outspent by their opponents or by
others trying to influence the campaign, they will receive
more funds to keep them competitive.

Are you kidding me? If a person raises fifty $5 checks they can run for the legislature? And if their opponent raises more private funds they in turn get more public funds. Damn, pigs at the trough I can see it. So how has it worked?

Candidates for the Maine Legislature had their first chance to
use Clean Elections in 2000. One-third of candidates
participated, and more than half of them won their races. In
2002, twice as many candidates opted to use Clean Elections – a
majority of all candidates who ran for legislative seats. For the
first time, gubernatorial candidates also had a public funding
option, and two of them used it.
Maine is the first state in the nation to have a majority of legislators
in office who took no special interest money. Clean
Election legislators make up over half of the Maine House, and
three-quarters of the Senate. In 2004, more candidates are
using Clean Elections than ever before.
Maine Clean Elections has also increased voter choice by making
the playing field more level. The number of contested races in
both general and primary elections is up and the total number of
candidates has increased.
Many candidates say they never would have been able to run if it
were not for Clean Elections. More people and different kinds of
people are using the Clean Elections program to run for office.
Voters and candidates agree: The Maine Clean Election Act is
good for democracy.

Are you kidding me? It works? Voters like it? You gotta be kidding me. But this can only work in some true blue state like Maine. It’s all controlled by the Dems and all those Dem voters. Actually, members of both parties have run on Clean Elections and members of both parties like it and Maine is hardly all Dem. We’re a swing state with ares of the state solid Dem and others solid Repub and that’s reflected in the legislature.

Now you might be thinking, well that’s great for Maine but how the heck can I get something like this in my messed up state. Luckily for you, you can. It will take a committed group of people, it will take some time and effort but what a prize once you get it. Google Clean Elections or Go here for more info: http://www.publicampaign.org/

A new kind of politics is taking root in America called Clean Money, Clean Elections (CMCE) campaign finance reform. CMCE reduces the influence of special interest money and provides a level playing field by offering qualified candidates a limited and equal amount of public funds. It’s a bold, new experiment in campaign finance reform, seeking to restore democracy and the principle of one person, one vote.

If you’re looking for real solutions to clean up the campaign finance mess in this country, you’ve come to the right place.

So there you have it. Take this project please. Go with it, work on it, spread it around.

and a few others, but this is Maine and he personally signs a lot of the letters (no kidding). What’s on his mind? Let’s let him say it:

“Knowing of your interest in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I wanted to let you know about a new report that provides a good deal of useful information. This report, entitled “The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan and Enhanced Base Security Since 9/11” gives detailed information on the true costs of the middle east military campaigns….

Like you, I have many concerns regarding the war in Iraq. I am concened about the rising number of casualities, the lack of adequate protection for our troops, the choices that have been made in how we went to war and how we waged it, and how the overall cost of the war will affect our economy. Along with many other members of Congress, I have urged President Bush to develop an exit strategy to bring our troops home as soon as possible. That would be the best way to protect them, to help the Iraqi people, and to keep America secure.

If you are interested in viewing this report go to www.house.gov/michaud.
The link appears on the left side under “Features.”…..
So what does this report say that my Congressman wants me to read? In essence, Iraq is a black hole into which the Administration has poured a massive amount of $$$, doesn’t know where a bunch of it went, is constantly adding supplemental funds and doesn’t have much to show for it.

IF these wars had been effective, IF they made us more ‘secure’, IF we were really freeing people…lots of IF’s. IF we took a fraction of this massive $$$ and spent it on medical teams to Pakistan (as shown last night on 60 Mins) if we really made the Peace Corps strong again, if we invested both at home and abroad we could spread truth and freedom the old fashioned way, we’d earn people’s trust instead of killing indiscriminately but hey, you don’t need my rant to know that.

If you go to Cong. Michaud’s site, take a look at his other letter on the budget: You can’t miss it, it’s entitled Budget Deception: Here’s my favorite part…

“The Congress is about to consider a proposal that is one of the worst I have ever seen in my years so far in Congress.  This bill cuts a total of $50 billion for assistance to farmers, food assistance for the poor, student loan assistance, Medicaid, conservation funding, and help for people with disabilities.  The Senate version of the bill even opens up ANWR to drilling.

The leadership of Congress says that these budget cuts will pay for the costs of rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina.  That is simply false. In fact, the bill has nothing to do with Katrina.  These cuts to programs that are meant to help the poor are being pushed for one reason only: in order to allow $70 billion in new tax cuts, much of which goes to the wealthy. In other words, this bill robs the poor to feed the rich. And that is simply wrong.”

GO Mike GO…Accountability, Responsibility & Justice. Thank you for your efforts. And yes, there hasn’t been a budget vote has there? 🙂

crossposted at dailykos.

Markos said it well. An anti-gay ballot initiative actually failed. That is rare indeed. Let me give you a little background. In 1998 and again in 2000 this same issue (anti-discrimination or ‘gay rights’) had been on the ballot and Failed. Both times the right wing was using the issue to try and raise their clout by dividing and trying to scare the voters. If you pass this it means gays will control your children in school. This will lead to gay marriage and in this campaign, they trotted out the idea that men would use female restrooms, wear dresses to teach children the ‘alternate’ lifestyle and gay marriage, gay marriage, gay marriage. Both times the right wing won in Maine, albeit, narrowly (once by only 4,000 votes state wide) This time was different.
This time equal rights supporters organized themselves differently. Instead of running on the issue of gay rights, they didn’t splinter into different groups but started one group, Maine Won’t Discriminate and stuck to the anti-discrimination theme. They had a Dem and Repub co-chair, field organizers and worked the media to not call the issue ‘gay rights’. A pretty good plan and they will want to take credit for last night’s success but in reality the leadership was not strong and in fact, very inept. More on that later.

Meanwhile the so-called Christian Coalition mobilized its forces. Spreading dis-information through the churches, emails, telephone phone trees and much of the Republican party. Fortunately, enough Repub voters voted against them this time. As you can imagine it was not a civil campaign (but not as nasty as say New Jersey). Again, please remember Maine is basically a conservative state and hardly a leader on social issues, especially gay rights.

In fact, for most voters, they wish they didn’t have to deal with this issue. Now, let’s move behind the scenes of the campaign to our county. We had run a highly effective 2004 campaign, improving Dem performance dramatically by doing the obvious. Local, volunteer phone ID and solid GOTV. We carried our county for Kerry by 3,565 vs 260 in 2000. In fact, it basically made the difference in Kerry winning the 2nd CD in Maine.

So we lost the nation but scored big in the county. Towns that had hardly ever voted Dem, voted Dem. We kept our little election office open and forged ahead. It was fewer than 10 core people that made the difference. Onward and upward we figured. We’ll beat the right wing. Our wonderful unpaid county coordinator started the Voter ID phone bank in late August, we fundraised, contacted volunteers and got ready to roll.

Well, we certainly experienced a drop in interest. It was pulling teeth to get people to phone, to man the office, to get out signs, you name it. Some nights no one showed up, others only one or two. Still she kept at it. Key people went on vacation, cross country travels and one even went to MS for Sep & Oct (that was me) and still she slogged on. A few new people rose to help but it was her persuasion and stick to it work that made the difference. Come election week she had pulled togetehr a decent Voter ID effort and almost every town had a crew to poll watch and then call our voters to vote.

Meanwhile, the state campaign was bogged down. Inept management, internal conflicts,etc. There are 16 counties in Maine, that’s all, 16. Yet the campaign mgr didn’t deign to talk to the counties. He missed a key campaign debate and sent out people to canvass at 6PM on election day (a tactic that doesn’t work in Maine)The media persisted in calling it ‘gay rights’ and the polls showed a decent lead for our side but that mirrored the last two elections. A lead in the polls that didn’t make it to the booth. Were we to be out organized by the wackos?

It will take a few days to analyze the results but the state campaign did a few things well. They stuck to the message that it was about discrimination, they did put families, ministers, regular people front and center in their media. They did canvass in the larger towns. WE’ll see if our local efforts resulted in a greater margin of victory. I think so.

So, after all this, about 40 people gathered in our little HQ in our largest town in the county, population 7,000 to await returns. Awaiting returns means a combination of our folks calling from the polls after the count to relying on newspaper web sites. Town clerks call in results to the papers. When you go to vote in Maine, in most towns that means going to the town hall, there’s only one precinct per town and most of the time you know pretty much everyone there, the PTO has a bake sale, it’s all a very friendly but well run operation. And yes, we use paper ballots. In larger towns they are opti-scanned but Diebold style is against the law. So we wait, we are anxious, we want the hard work validated.

As a few towns report in, the optimism rises. Cheers as we take a couple of towns we have lost before. 374-216 from one town is a big one. We are hopeful. We talk of the future, of the relief we are starting to feel. I corner a prospective leg candidate and make a heavy pitch. She can’t make the run, has legit reasons but darn. Her husband ‘might’ consider it. It is hard to get good people to run. It is never the right time because they are good people, over committed, etc. We’ll keep working it.

The room erupts as the two leaders from one town, where they got the chamber of commerce to endorse our side, which led to a conservative town voting our way, come in. We cheer again as Bush goes down in Virginia and by 10pm we know we are winning state wide and will wake up the next day in a state where an anti-gay ballot initiative actually failed. A big relief and encouragement for the future. Today, Maine can stand tall and welcome diversity. It was about a 55-45% win statewide, probably a 10-15,000 vote margin and turnout will go over 40%, very high for an off year election with this as the lead issue. This is what America can look like, we can turn the tide, we are, and we will. Make no mistake, local action, local volunteers, and dogged persistence make the difference. Many people helped but our coordinator made the difference. Hat’s off to her. She deserves it. Thank you for your time and hope it gives you a flavor behind the scenes.

As many of you know I host a short feature segment on WERU Weds AM (7:30) and here’s another of the ongoing series…I haven’t recorded this one yet…your thoughts welcome. (I’m not trying to be preachy or holier than thou so keep that in mind before shooting please)  

Hello and welcome to Earth Sense, thanks for stopping by. The topic? Two ugly words. Words that have followed and haunted at least me, if not you. Those words? Personal responsibility. The actions we take in our daily lives that help or hinder the planet, the ecology and our own lives. I’m not sure what it is but it often seems the easiest things to do, just don’t get done. How hard is it to recycle stuff anyway? What does it really take in terms of time and effort? There’s the throwing of the can, bottle, papers, etc in some kind of bin and taking those bins somewhere, maybe once a month. Or changing incandescent light bulbs to compact fluorescents. Once one makes the change, there are hardly ever any annoying burnt out bulbs `cause the compacts hardly ever burn out.
The average American drives  250 miles a week. Replacing just four incadescents with compacts can save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide. Turning the thermostat down (or up) just 3 degrees can save over 1,000 lbs of CO2 annually. For every 1,000 of us who install faucet aerators and high-efficiency showerheads, we can save nearly 8 million gallons of water and prevent over 450,000 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions each year. http://newdream.org/tttoffline/actions.php

Enough with the numbers, you get the idea, you do make a difference. So now we’re back to being lazy, indifferent bums or maybe just unaware, habit driven good people. I’ll vote for the latter. We’re good people, caring people, we just haven’t replaced some of our habits. I just gave you all these stats from newdream.org but when was the last time I went back, learned something new and applied it? Maybe it just seems overwhelming, all this stuff and composting and green energy and sustainable living we should be doing for the environment rag. It’s a lot to remember and nag oneself about. Are we all supposed to be Catholic or Jewish or start a new religion to be called the Eco-guilty? What would a church service consist of? Eco-flagellation? Followed by a lengthy Rachel Carson reading? Silent meditation on our eco-sins of the past week? I have a feeling this approach just wouldn’t work.

One thing will work. Just one. Pick it. Currently not buying green energy?..switch, it’s not even painful. Stopped recycling? Start. The lightbulbs? Compact fluorescents now cost $20 for 10..what the heck, change a bunch. Pick one. It can’t hurt.

There are states of mind we will not win over anytime soon. I’ve been in one of those states for a month and have a story to tell. I’ve lived for a long time (30 years) in other red states, Virginia and Colorado. I now live in Maine (my home state) for the past two years. (PS.I haven’t been able to blog in a while and may not be able to respond promptly.)

We arrived in Mississippi a week after Katrina to do post Katrina construction relief work. Get people back into their houses, roof over their head and so forth. We started in Laurel, MS, a town of some 30,000 90 miles from the coast. Every fourth house had a tarp on it, trees into houses, across driveways, debris in the roads, well, it looked like a week after a mighty big storm. Now, before anyone gets started, there are great people in MS, there are great people everywhere (regardless of political affiliation), and there is always the possibility of changing peoples minds. I’m sure Kerry got over 30% of the vote in MS, I even saw a Southerners for Kerry sticker. I got help and advice from Dems and progressives in MS. I live in a rural state, I lived in rural Colorado but I am here to say, there is a different world down here.
First, it’s physically different. Young (white) men’s haircuts are pretty much a variation of the old Ringo Starr look, long bangs hanging over the eyes, a throw back to the `rebel’ days of American Graffiti. Andy and Opie, sex, football, and Jesus (although Jesus is another code name for white and pure). Blacks know they are not equal, but most are also a throw back to the `50’s.Just give me my crappy job, leave me alone and come on Friday night is at least one motto. The invisible lines are everywhere. Go into a small convenience store and the sign says 79 cents, get to the register and if you’re white you pay 59 cents. It’s called double pricing and it exists. I’m sure I haven’t even picked up on half of it.

A few select scenes: I’m on the phone with a property manager who tells me he has some good places to rent and some worker homes but he can tell from talking to me that I would not want a worker home because, “those are for blacks, mexicans and guatamalans, they’re used to living on dirt floors.” Casually, normal conversation, no change of voice, he says this. I had to meet him. His office is replete with several copies of the Bible and from the news clippings I can see he is a minister who likes to bowl. He shows me a couple of places and along the way assures me there is no racism in MS today.

I’m standing outside a print shop in downtown Laurel. The owner brought me outside to show me downtown Laurel. Like many downtowns of mid size towns, it has been relatively deserted for the malls so there are few stores, not much to recommend it but he says, “Did you expect to see this in MS? In Laurel, it’s still 1978, and let me tell you, there is no color in MS, contrary to popular opinion.” Allow me to explain that statement. Since I’ve been in MS, I have been reassured many, many times there is no racism in MS today. I’m sure I’ve been told this since anyone can tell I’m not `from here’ in less than two seconds. I don’t even need to open my mouth. But they want me to know there is no racism in MS. Then they often proceed to tell me something racist. I quickly learned racists introduce themselves by saying, `there is no racism in MS today.’

I’m on the roof of a rental home (next door to the owner, there are a lot of landlords) with the owner who just had a huge tree (huge) removed from his own living room. He seems to be a nice person, quiet, a gentleman, and we’ve had a couple of conversations before. I mention to him he is lucky not to be in New Orleans or the coast where people lost everything. He said, “God was sending a message to New Orleans. They have evil ways and he has sent a message.” The man had a tree in his living room, and yet he said that.

Starting to get the idea? There’s more. The word conservative doesn’t even begin to describe it. This is beyond that. They have been drinking the Kool Aid so long, they don’t even know it’s Kool Aid. It’s like water, it is in the water, maybe even the genes. It’s deep. It’s everywhere. George Bush is a good man. Remember how blacks in the South used to have pictures of MLK and Kennedy around. Well, George is on the refrigerator and W stickers are on the cars.  

Except one car. I’m on another roof and I see the owner’s car in the driveway. In large letters it reads, `Vote Republican’. I drive a blue Prius with blue bumper stickers (just 3) and a license plate that reads DEAN4US. I’m careful to park it where only my Red Cross donor magnet faces the house and I wear neutral t-shirts. Two of my sons are on this expedition and they call it the Deanmobile. So, I climb down the roof and then see what is under the Vote Republican. In smaller letters it says, `It’s easier than thinking’. That’s it, MS in a nutshell. I crack up. I ask the owner if I can show her something and take her halfway down the block to my car. She cracks up. She tells me about MS, double pricing and more.

It’s just a taste of the everyday world. We’ve been here a month, and we left Laurel after a week. Even for my sons who tend to dismiss all politics (at least they vote and vote Dem) it was too much. It’s a feudal world in MS. The plantations are alive and well. We moved to the college town of Hattiesburg. It’s larger, there’s a college but the mentality is really just a little more veneered. There are little islands of stuff like coffee and CD houses but it sure seems like 90% of the people are let’s say mis-informed. Again, I’ve only been here a month, these are my observations and anyone who wants to defend their blue life in MS, no problem. I grew up in the country, I make fun of big city liberal tenderfoots all the time so corrections to my perceptions are fine.

It’s going to take more than a bunch of people sitting in blue states thinking we can win a red state like MS just by `working hard’. This is a different world. You can work as hard as you want, reality and facts are not even part of the framework. I have some ideas though. They probably don’t involve Bush tho. FEMA and the hurricane? Some guy who fooled George with a bad resume. President Bush was here like 5 times after the hurricane, he cares. These people (well not the rich) send their sons and daughters to die for him. Attacking the feudal system won’t work either I’m afraid. They just want to be rich. Consumerism is alive and well, be you black or white. For instance, Wal Mart so dominates it’s driven other chains away. K Mart is gone and I’ve heard there’s a Target but haven’t found it. On Sunday (after church) people go to the real church (Wal Mart) and it’s a daze of addicts spending what little they have. There’s a `gotta have stuff to justify existence’ thing going on. Walking across the parking lot, I saw a normal looking college aged person getting on a motorcycle. I can’t explain it, she just looked `normal’. I felt like going over to her and saying, `Excuse me, are they all crazy or is it just me.’

So, what do we do? The word that might work here is   Fair. This word might resonate. Is it fair that some people get health insurance but the rest of us don’t? Is it fair that college is priced out of sight? Is it fair that military service is about the only option for many? Is it fair? What happened to truth, justice and the American way?  I’ll close on a note of hope. In the aftermath of Katrina, a reporter was interviewing a young, white redneck standing in the midst of what used to be his home. The reporter said, “What are your thoughts on the situation.” The young man shook his head slowly and said, “I don’t think Bush should be President no more.”

Two of my sons and us are headed for Mississippi. The damage is too extensive along the Coast and dangerous for us to deal with but the damage from the storm goes far inland and people are hurting. We’ll have chain saws, a trailer of equipment, a generator, etc. People need basic repair help to get back into their houses. If we could fund it all ourselves we would but we don’t so if someone has insurance we’ll bill, if not we’ll just do it.

Here’s where the help part comes in. Near as we can tell the Meridian to Hattiesburg, MS area is pretty hard hit without much in support services available. We’re going to need a garage or similar to store plywood, equipment, etc. We could also use an apartment we could rent for a month or so or a lead on a place to stay. We’re taking tents and are ready for most anything tho…..More
Besides the above if you have sites of the storm’s path, blog reports from the ground in that area (NOT the coast), any local contacts to share, please let me know. I leave later today or early tomorrow so respond quickly please. If you’re in the area described (Meridian-Hattiesburg) that would be most helpful to get direct info on conditions. Thanks…oh and for those who say Dems have no family values, I’m twice divorced and technically this is my son and step-son. Values are values. I’m proud they care enough to even try this.

This also means I’ll be offline for a while. I’ve appreciatedthe opportunity to participate in the frog pond and will see you on the flip side. I probably won;t be able to respond to a lot of questions, sorry..too much to do but solid leads would be awesome.

We’re starting to see the set-up. Each cycle the Repubs pick a divisive issue and play it to the hilt-they played on the strong defense image and said only Repubs can protect us, they used the gay mariage issue shamelessly because they knew America was divided on the issue.

So what’s next? Well, since 9/11 there has been a wholesale revamp of the nation’s immigration process and increasingly, immigrants are painted with the touch of the terrorists brush. For legal immigrants or green card holders the changes have made the words expensive and bureaucracy interchangeable. Almost inevitably, things are getting stranger and stranger. Let’s take my family as just one example (and I’m hearing of many more)

My French mother, yes French, has been in this country for let’s see..over 50 years. The renewal of her green card has been routine. Until this year. She is now in her late ’80s and her renewal is caught in a buraeucratic maze. As near as I can tell, a contractor somewhere has ‘lost’ her renewal form even after it was sent by certified mail. The fee has gone up 300%.

My Filipino girlfriend lost her green card 3 years ago. It took over a year, two trips to the the nearest INS Center (takes all day) and $300 to get a replacement card. During the process she was treated as a borderline criminal….and there’s more…
My oldest son lives in Spain where my first grandchild was very recently born (thank you). He is a legal resident in Spain and by being my son is legally registered in France. So, he went to register his daughter Sofia to establish her legal being.

In Spain, it was a 3 page form, free of charge and the lady helped him fill it out. For France it was a similar experience and yes, free.

For the US, it cost 125 euros (about $150) and involves much more paperwork. Plus they have to prove his wife lived in the US for 3 consecutive years after the age of 14. This means they may haveto get high school transcripts or who knows what.

Add to this backdrop the recent highlighting of ongoing issues with immigration, both legal and illegal, and you get the makings of the bogey issue. Immigrants are being painted as worthless, only worth admitting because they take service and agriculture jobs ‘we’ don’t want. They are also being portrayed as a security threat. And, they don’t vote.

Dems will be portrayed as soft on immigration, lazy on borders and so forth. Only Repubs can protect us and only Repubs really care about the American (read white) people.

That’s how it is shaping up, what should the Dems do? Rush to defend legal immigration and call for barriers to illegal immigration? Try to out conservative the Repubs by declaring immigration as a threat to national security? Or defend immigration as a cornerstone of how this country was built? I don’t know. It is a thorny issue and in some states illegal immigration is close to out of control and a problem. Here’s one idea:

Throw a spotlight on how immigrants have strengthened our country. The inventions, life improvements, entrepeneurs, generals, athletes, etc who have come from the ranks of immigrants. Do a history and start spotlighting them on the DNC web site. Something like 100 faces that have changed America. What would you do?

This was played as straight news…Today Gen. Richard Myers said (paraphrase) anti-war protestors are undermining troop morale in Iraq.

Hello??

This canard is being trotted out yet again. What undermines troop morale is war, (duh) but especially one even many of the troops question the need for. Did the outcome of the American Revolution depend on public opinion in England? (or French support). Many Northerners were sympathetic to the South in our civil war. Did that undermine troop morale?

We who protest this BS war based on a pack of lies and constantly changing rationale are supporting the troops. We want them home alive. We’re also the ones who send donations, phone cards, flak jackets and more to our friends and relatives. We support the troops. We want them home and the insanity stopped.

Myers line made me think of others, mostly from the Vietnam era. Let’s take a trip::
We are not about to send American boys nine or ten thousand miles away from home to do what Asian boys ought to be doing for themselves.

Lyndon Johnson, Oct. 1964

It’s silly talking about how many years we will have to spend in the jungles of Vietnam when we could pave the whole country and put parking stripes on it and still be home for Christmas.

Ronald Reagan, interview, Fresno Bee, October 10, 1965.

I see light at the end of the tunnel.

Walt W. Rostow, National Security Adviser, Dec. 1967

It became necessary to destroy the town to save it.

Unidentified U.S. Army major, on decision to bomb Bentre, Vietnam, February 7, 1968.

Numbers have dehumanized us. Over breakfast coffee we read of 40,000 American dead in Vietnam. Instead of vomiting, we reach for the toast. Our morning rush through crowded streets is not to cry murder but to hit that trough before somebody else gobbles our share.

Dalton Trumbo, Introduction, Johnny Got His Gun, 1970.

We believe that peace is at hand.

Henry Kissinger, Oct. 1972

Vietnam presumably taught us that the United States could not serve as the world’s policeman; it should also have taught us the dangers of trying to be the world’s midwife to democracy when the birth is scheduled to take place under conditions of guerrilla war.

Jeane Kirkpatrick, 1979

I can envision a small cottage somewhere, with a lot of writing paper, and a dog, and a fireplace and maybe enough money to give myself some Irish coffee now and then and entertain my two friends.

Richard Van de Geer, letter to friend before he was killed, May 15, 1975, officially last American to die in Vietnam War, Time, April 15, 1985.

One reason the Kennedy and Johnson administrations failed to take an orderly, rational approach to the basic questions underlying Vietnam was the staggering variety and complexity of other issues we faced. Simply put, we faced a blizzard of problems, there were only twenty-four hours in a day, and we often did not have time to think straight.

Robert S. McNamara, In Retrospect, 1995

“Within the soul of each Vietnam veteran there is probably something that says “Bad war, good soldier.” Only now are Americans beginning to separate the war from the warrior.”

 Max Cleland

“Vietnam was the first war ever fought without any censorship. Without censorship, things can get terribly confused in the public mind.”

Gen William C. Westmoreland

and the best quote by a general:

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.

Dwight Eisenhower

This war is different. The American public is beginning to get a sense of the truth. There will always be a third who believe the kool aid they drink is truth serum but many Americans are uncomfortable and they are responding to the simple truths. This war was unecessary, the rationale is constantly changing, andreturning troops are telling the truth about how miserable and stupid their tours were. It’s the reason people are responding to a mother’s request. What noble cause? And we ask again, what noble cause?