The-Goddess

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T16:50:00.002-04:00

I hope everyone is enjoying the day with their families and friends, but more than that I hope we're all taking a minute to remember our loved ones we've lost, especially our fallen soldiers. I may be against war, but I do appreciate the sacrifice our young men and women in uniform make for the rest of us. We owe them much better than they're getting - better benefits, better equipment, and we should never send them into harm's way unnecessarily. I hope we do better for them in the future.

Attention Liberals: There�s No Reasoning with a Reptile

2009-05-22T00:14:00.002-04:00

No, I'm not talking about actual snakes and lizards, and I'm not saying our opponents on the Right are snakes or lizards anymore than all of us are. I'm talking about the development of the human brain. I'm about to over-simplify some complex concepts, so bear with me, because I think understanding this model is vital to creating a more functional society. Most complex animals have a central nervous system that handles all the automatic functions of the body � the beating of the heart, breathing, anything your body does without having to think about it. Above this system developed a brain called the Reptilian Complex (R-Complex,) so named because it's the part of our brain we have in common with snakes and lizards. This part of the brain holds our survival instincts. It governs the "fight or flight" or "approach-avoidance" reactions. Its only emotion is rage. Its only function is survival. When threatened, it tends to bite.

In humans, we have two more brain structures on top of the R.-Complex � the Limbic system and the Neo-Cortex. The Limbic Brain is the first thing to differentiate us from lower life forms like reptiles. It contains instinct (feeding, fighting, fleeing, fu*king) and emotion. It is social � mammals with this structure raise their young, unlike reptiles, who lay eggs and abandon their young, and will tend to live in groups to increase their chances of survival. If this area of the brain is stimulated by an electrical charge, it produces emotion. The man who first described the Triune Brain model, Paul D. MacLean, said that everything in the limbic system is either "agreeable" or "disagreeable." It isn't capable of higher functions like logical reasoning, it simply feels and reacts. This part of the brain forms part of the individual identity and has some capacity for memory.

The newest part of the human brain is the Neo-Cortex. This is the part of the brain that has nuance - logic, creativity, language and speech, spatial reasoning, sensory perception, conscious thought. These are the functions that allow us to create art, culture, literature and it's the part we try to train with formal education. Unfortunately, we only occasionally have professional direction in learning to work with the Reptilian and Limbic brain, the training of which usually falls to parents with no knowledge of this level of operation. Our society pays dearly for this mistake, and we all deal with the logical results of frustration, anger, and lack of empathy produced in children by parents with perfectly good intentions. Brain development should be taught to kids in Junior High before they have a chance to reproduce, but that's not the subject of this article. At this point we need to keep in mind that when active, the R-Complex can override all higher brain functions. In other words, a normal human will revert to Reptilian response when threatened or enraged.

Now, let's look at the psychology involved in the development of ethical reasoning. Different cultures have different standards of what is good and what is bad, but humans tend to go through a certain process in learning to apply their ethics and cultural mores to their own behavior. Lawrence Kohlberg defined 6 stages of Moral and Ethical development, which I'm going to divide into 3 levels for the purpose of this discussion. Let's look at a little chart:

Now, if you look at that chart, there are three basic levels of Moral and Ethical Development. The Level 1 (Stage I) corresponds to the Approach/Avoidance, Fight-or-Flight instinctual response of the R-Complex. We see this level in small children and occasionally, college students.

Level 2 (Stage II) functions according to an external source of rules � the bible, the law, cultural or social expectations of family, friends, or neighbors, without question. This corresponds to the Limbic System's ability to be social in order to survive. Everything at this level is either agreeable or disagreeable. In other words, everything at this level is good or bad, black or white, familiar or foreign. This level is best described as Fundamentalism when taken to an extreme, and groups that function here can demand conformity to the ascribed code to the extent that they will enforce the code with violence � prison, hate crimes, war.

Level 3 (Stage III) is the level where you start to apply logic to problems, to ask questions and make comparisons. You don't necessarily agree with the people around you and you reach your own conclusions. This level corresponds, albeit imperfectly, to the Neo-Cortex.

The problem is, in our culture at least, most people get to Level 2 around the age of 8 years old and stay there. The majority of people never seriously explore a religion or belief system beyond the one they are born into. Most people follow their local customs and laws, or conform to their primary peer group. The higher functions, like abstract thought and critical thinking, are usually possible at around age 16, but development of those skills is often dependent upon one's environment or educational opportunities.

What you believe doesn't determine where you fall in the continuum. It's how and why you believe what you believe that matters. You can be a Fundamentalist atheist as well as Christian or Muslim. You can be a very religious person with an open mind who loves new ideas and other cultures. The important difference between Level 2 and Level 3 is the level of certainty. Level 2 tends to think that their way is the only way or the best way, without question, and they can be threatened to the point of violence by anything that differs from the familiar for them. It takes absolute certainty that you are right to discriminate against, let alone attack, someone for an arbitrary reason or accident of birth.

Level 3 understands that logically, no one can really know who is right or wrong in matters or religion, society or culture. It's all relative and at Level 3 there is room for doubt. Notice that the Religious Right in America, a fundamentalist movement, despises the "moral relativity" of the Liberal Left, calls the Left "elitist" and associates Liberal tolerance with higher education. It's not just a difference in belief or ideology � it's a differing level of moral and ethical development. No amount of reason will persuade a person functioning at Level 2, which is all emotion. When Level 2's sense of absolute certainty is challenged, it is perceived as a threat to their survival, and they regress to the point where the Reptilian Brain overrides the higher brain functions and the only emotion at that level is rage. No amount of logic can cut through that.

America at its inception was a Level 3 society specifically designed to be the most liberal and equal country on earth, created by the advanced reasoning skills of the minds of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, John Adams and Ben Franklin, among others. The structure of the new government had to be compromised to get the cooperation from reactionary economic forces that relied on the legal practice of slavery, and the original design was altered to allow them to begin. Ultimately, Jefferson and the others had faith in future generations that we would move our government toward their reason-based ideal, and we've managed to move somewhat in that direction, though we experience conservative backlash at regular intervals. We're fighting a conservative backlash now that began with Ronald Reagan and went to it's most outrageous extreme during the Bush Administration. Now we're faced with the aftermath of a government that funneled billions of dollars to private interests at the expense of the taxpayers, and all but destroyed the civil liberties guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. As much as our new President Obama is an improvement, he may still be too conservative to prosecute war crimes committed by his predecessors.

We need to move Left in this country. We need single payer health insurance, but its proponents are not even allowed a seat at the table. We have evidence of war crimes but it looks as if this administration won't pursue legal redress even though failing to do so violates national and international law. Billions of dollars are still being funneled to private interests with no benefit to the taxpayer. People are still denying the right to marry to an entire segment of the population based on the incorrect assumption that marriage has anything to do with monotheist religion. Women's bodies are still subject to control by the state. It's time for us to live up to the Jeffersonian ideal.

Now, the problem we face is this: How do you pull a majority of the population into a higher level of moral and ethical development? Reason won't work with someone stuck at Level 2. They don't have critical thinking skills and they aren't open concepts or cultures in conflict with the one they're born into. Now that the Republican party is facing its own loss of power and prestige, a threat to its survival, they have completely regressed to Level 1 functioning. Reptiles lack empathy, logic, and are based in rage and fear. It's no coincidence that I just described Dick Cheney's recent media blitz, telling us all we're going to die if we don't torture people in violation of international law even though torture doesn't work.

There is also the additional problem that the leaders of the Right have financial interests in keeping the status quo, and they understand these levels of functioning. They are extremely adept at manipulating people with good intentions but poor educations. The only solution I see to moving us Leftward is education, but we know our schools aren't up to the task right now and we can't wait several generations for change. The only way to reach most people is through the popular media. Short of strapping everyone down and making them watch Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann, I don't know how we reach them. I only know that it has to be done.

Any ideas? I'd love to hear them.

13 People Responsible for Torture

2009-05-19T05:54:00.003-04:00

Via Salon.com

1. Dick Cheney, vice president (2001-2009)
2. David Addington, counsel to the vice president (2001-2005), chief of staff to the vice president (2005-2009)
3. Alberto Gonzales, White House counsel (2001-2005), and attorney general (2005-2008)
4. James Mitchell, consultant
5. George Tenet, director of Central Intelligence (1997-2004)
6. Condoleezza Rice, national security advisor (2001-2005), secretary of state (2005-2008)
7. John Yoo, deputy assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)
8. Jay Bybee, assistant attorney general, Office of Legal Counsel (2001-2003)
9. William "Jim" Haynes, Defense Department general counsel (2001-2008)
10. Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense (2001-2006)
11. John Rizzo, CIA deputy general counsel (2002-2004), acting general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency (2001-2002, 2004-present)
12. Steven Bradbury, principal deputy assistant attorney general, OLC (2004), acting assistant attorney general, OLC (2005-2009)
13. George W. Bush, president (2001-2009)

How old were we when we learned about the Geneva Conventions? 10 or 11? Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I know no one gets out of high school, let alone college or law school, without knowing that The United States does not torture under any circumstance. Every one of those people KNEW that what they were doing violated U.S. and international law and they did it any way.

It is not only unacceptable for the Obama administration to let these crimes go unpunished it is illegal. We've had enough law breaking by our leaders. It's time for prosecution for war crimes. It's not optional - it's required by law. Period.

And I don't give a rat's ass what Nancy Pelosi knew when. She didn't torture anybody. They did. Let's get back on topic, News Media!

Obama Wins Election

2008-11-05T01:46:00.001-05:00

NYTimes.com

THANK.GODDESS!

President Obama. Erudite. Intellectual. Inclusive.

And he's all ours. I'm so proud to be an American tonight.

*But not so proud to be a Kentuckian, where our uneducated and superstitious majority chose to put our state at the ass end of history. Way to go, all you bible thumpers.

True Blood ~ The Kiss Scene

2008-09-20T22:36:00.000-04:00

YouTube

OK, if you aren't watching TRUE BLOOD on HBO.... well, you should be.

It's entirely possible that they could fuck it all up, but as of right now, this is the best vampire anything, ever, and believe me, I know my vampires.

This Is How You Stick It To Lying Republican Hacks

2008-09-11T23:53:00.000-04:00

YouTube

Fucking. Brilliant.

Praise Goddess I finally lived long enough to see a Democrat call a Republican out for lying!

Women Against Sarah Palin

2008-09-10T00:38:00.000-04:00

Go, Sisters, go! Women Against Sarah Palin is a new blog by women who are appalled at John McCain's selection of the lying, vindictive Sarah Palin to be his running mate. She's a Women's Rights nightmare - anti-choice, anti-sex education, pro-theocracy, pro-drilling, anti-environment, anti-polar bears, a dyed in the wool Right Wing Nut.

We MUST be sure that Barack Obama wins this election, or this odious woman might be our president, given John McCain's obvious age and infirmity.

STARHAWK asks for Emergency Calls!

2008-09-02T19:26:00.002-04:00

Hey friends, again, thanks for all the calls you�ve been making about our bus, progress is being made, slowly. But I just got word that a young man who was scouting for us yesterday was riding his bike when a police officer tackled him and knocked him off his bike. The stepped on his chest, and he spent the night coughing up blood. When he was seen this morning by a jail medical officer, he was told �that was normal�. Please call and demand that he get medical treatment. He�s also reported being harrassed by the jail guards for his perceived sexual orientation�he�s a soft, sweet spiritual youth who came to our magical activism day camp�apparently they think he is gay. By the way he was charged with �assault on an officer�. His name is Elliot Hughes�ask that he receive medical treatment and that the harrassment stop. What�s most important is that they know he is not alone and has support. Thanks, Starhawk

Complaint Number for the jail: 651-266-8989 This post has been sent to you from Starhawk@lists.riseup.net. This is an announce-only listserve that allows Starhawk to post her writings occasionally to those who wish to receive them.

To subscribe to this list, send an email to Starhawk-subscribe@lists.riseup.net.

St. Paul in Chaos

2008-09-01T23:41:00.001-04:00

From THE UPTAKE a blog centered in St. Paul, MN http://www.theuptake.org/

Here's what you won't see on most mainstream news today: St. Paul exploded with riots today as thousands of protesters bumped against police in full riot gear. Police shot rubber bullets, maced and set off tear gas as protesters charged against them, some violent (vandalizing, breaking windows, throwing breaks), and some peaceful, singing and dancing. Two of our journalists were arrested, and then released. Chuck Olsen caught downwind of pepper spray. I can't even describe it all, so I'd like you to watch. I'll include a few choice videos here (all from our live cellphone cams), but please visit our Qik stream, Twitter feed and, of course, our front page.

Corrine Hears Explosions: As Corrine McDermid reports, explosions go off in front of her.

UpTake Team Surrounded by Police: Corrine McDermid and Oliver Dykstra film a segment with their hands on their heads by police request.

McCain Refuses to Meet With Iraq Veterans Against the War: A veterans' activist group attempts to present Senator McCain with a list of demands, and is denied.

Keep watching as we stream LIVE throughout the next four days. Throughout the day, we'll have a live blog running on the front page - please join us in conversation!

**********************************************************

Jason Barnett and the rest of the staff at The Uptake have been right on top of this story, which is being ignored by the mainstream media. When they do mention it, they report it as if the "anarchists" (hippie kids and Witches, mostly) creating violence. Actually, peaceful protestors are being maced by fascist cops in riot gear after yesterday's illegal raids on private homes and public meeting places.

GOP breaks out the Jackboots for Peace Protesters at the RNC

2008-08-30T20:45:00.003-04:00

The Republican convention hasn't even started yet and they've had at least 5 raids against students and protesters in MN/St Paul. A groups at the Convergence Space, including a 5 year old child, were made to lie on the floor face down and were handcuffed. The were only release if they agreed to be photographed.

In another raid, a Democracy Now journalist was held at gunpoint based on an incorrect warrant. The warrants were written so that simple things like nails, spray paint and iPods could be used as proof of criminal intent.

Just a bit ago, an Earth Justice bus, which is used for permaculture demonstrations, was confiscated and the passengers left on the side of the highway. Welcome to Bush's America, where hippie kids are treated like terrorists and Gestapo tactics are SOP.

Seriously, we need to get that son of a bitch out of our White House and restore some sanity to our law enforcement.

Police investigate possible plot to kill Obama

2008-08-25T19:54:00.000-04:00

Police investigate possible plot to kill Obama : The Rocky Mountain News

Police, ATF, Secret Service and FBI are all on the job since 2 men were apprehended separately in possession of at least two guns, one of which is a "sniper rifle," and a quantity of methamphetamine. One of them apparently made statements to the effect that they were there to make an attempt on Barack Obama. Lovely.

One of the men jumped out of a 6th story hotel window, landing on a canopy and breaking his ankle, but they got him. This is just my opinion, but my guess is that they'll find out that guy has military training. Yokels don't just dive out of windows on the 6th floor because cops knock on the door. Again, this is a guess on my part, but with Meth in the car, I'd be looking at Neo-Nazis and White Power groups.

Please, Goddess, let the Secret Service, et al, bring their A Game to Denver. We need everybody safe.

The Pagan section is started at Alltop.com

2008-08-19T23:56:00.000-04:00

Pagan

Guy Kawasaki took some links I gathered and started a page for Pagans at his new Alltop.com website. It's under construction, but at least we're represented there now!

http://pagan.alltop.com/

The last time

2008-08-13T22:39:00.000-04:00

Mom went to sleep for the last time today, 8/13/08, at about 3:30. It was a gentle end to a very long illness. My dad was there by her side as always.

Services will probably be this weekend so I won't be around much until next week. I want to thank all my friends and readers who have provided prayers and support these past months.

Love,

Morgaine

Pagan Links for AllTop.com

2008-08-07T03:49:00.001-04:00

Hey, Everyone!

There's a new web resource called AllTop.com that wants to provide the top links in a lot of different areas. I've been talking to them about adding a Pagan section. I'm going to list the links I've got so far (in no particular order.) If you've got links to add, please send them to me at:

morgaine@the-goddess.org

THE LIST SO FAR:

Pagan Blogs

Radical Goddess Thealogy : http://godmotherascending..blogspot.com/

The Wild Hunt : http://www.wildhunt.org/blog.html

The Spiral Crone: http://spiralcrone.matrifocus.net/

Goddessing : http://www.goddessmystic.com/

The-Goddess : http://the-goddess.org/blog/index.html

Medusa Coils : http://medusacoils.blogspot.com/

How Men and Women Relate p://howmenrelatetowomen.blogspot.com/

The Gods Are Bored : http://godsrbored.blogspot.com/

Wren's Nest : http://www.witchvox.com/xwrensnest.html

Peacock Dreams : http://yezida.livejournal.com/

Driving Audhumla : http://vsf.blogs.com/driving_audhumla/

Starhawk's column at the Washington Post : http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/starhawk/archives.html

Broomstick Chronicles : http://besom.blogspot.com/

Letter from HardScrabble Creek : http://www.chasclifton.com/blogger.html

Blog o' Gnosis : http://gnosiscafe.com/gcblog/

Cypress Nemeton : http://www.cypressnemeton.org/

Ocean's Ways (Celtic Paganism) : http://branruadh.blogspot.com/

Pandora's Bazaar : http://pandorasbazaar.blogspot.com/

2 Witches Blog : http://2witchesblog.wordpress.com/

A Flower for the Lady : http://goddessblessings.blogspot.com/

Sites of Pagan Elders :

Patricia Monaghan http://www.altogether.com/patricia/

Isaac Bonewits : http://neopagan.net/blog/

Starhawk : http://starhawk.org/

Z Budapest : http://www.zbudapest.com/

Max Dashu : http://www.suppressedhistories.net/

Oberon Zell : http://www.oberonzell.com/

Selena Fox : http://www.mhtc.net/~selena/

Laurie Cabot : http://www.lauriecabot.com/

Pagan News:

The Witches' Voice : http://www.witchvox.com/

Circle Magazine : http://www.circlesanctuary..org/circle/

Directory of Pagan Podcasting Sites:

http://www.witchvox.com/lx/lx_podcasts.html

Pagan Blog Directories:

Hearth & Home Witchery : http://hearthnhomewitchery.tripod.com/paganblogs.html

Witchvox Directory : http://www.witchvox.com/lx/lx_blogs.html

Heathen Blogs Directory Project (HBDP) : http://heathenblog.wordpress.com/hbdp/ * Heathen and Asatru only

Pagan Theologies Wiki http://pagantheologies.pbwiki.com/Pagan-blogs

2 Witches Blog roll : http://purplemoongarden.wordpress.com/pagan-blogroll/

Pagan Blogger Directory : http://www.betweentheticks.blogspot.com/2008/04/pagan-bloggers-network_08.html

Pagan Schools:

Dianic University On Line : http://wicca.zbudapest.com/

Cherry Hill Seminary : http://www.cherryhillseminary.org/

Grey School of Wizardry : http://www.greyschool.com/

Temple of Diana : http://www.templeofdiana.org/

Covens and Groups:

Susan B. Anthony Coven No. 1 : http://zbudapest.com/susan-b-anthony-coven-number-1.html Open to women born women only

Loyal Arthurian Warband : http://www.warband.org/news.html Protest group.

Pagan Education and Defense Groups

Lady Liberty League : http://www.circlesanctuary.org/liberty/ Support for Pagan's Freedom of Religion rights.

Alliance Defense Fund - Defending Our First Liberty http://www.faithandfreedomsunday.com/actions/currentactions/default.aspx?cid=4585

The Burning Times http://www.amasterpiece..com/BurningTimes/

The Pagan Pride Project Website http://www.paganpride.org/

Witches' League for Public Awareness http://www.celticcrow.com/

Pagan Education Network http://www.bloomington.in.us/~pen/

Officers of Avalon - for Pagan First Responders http://www.officersofavalon.com/

DIRECTORY OF PUBLIC EARTH RELIGION RIGHTS CONTACTS http://members.aol.com/lcorncalen/directory.htm

FIRE : Pagans Fighting Religious Discrimination! http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/5883/

Alternative Religions Educational Network http://aren.org/

buzzing undies make shopper faint

2008-08-05T23:37:00.001-04:00

buzzing undies make shopper faint
Originally uploaded by jan geirnaert in malaysia

Why in the hell would you wear somehting like this to the supermarket?! What did she think was going to happen?

The Truth About Kos (DailyKos)

2008-08-05T11:23:00.000-04:00

The Truth About Kos (DailyKos): The Indictment of Markos C.A. Moulitsas Zuniga by Justice and History (Updated with Additional Information and Counts)

I don't know if this is true or not, but I think it warrants mention. It is certainly consistent with my view that Kos is not a Liberal, and is extremely sexist. There's a story on the web currently about blogger Lee Stranahan being banned from the Daily Kos site for discussing a scandal involving John Edwards. If the Edwards story is true, it's tragic, but I'm not concerned with anyone's personal sex life unless they make a living advocating against gay rights or trumpeting family values to manipulate voters. It might indicate reliablity, but it's not a reflection on an individual's fitness for office.

It's important to distinguish between Markos and his community. The DK community is full of passionate people committed to Progressive causes. In spite of a few extremists who spew vitriol when someone doesn't march in lock-step with the current agenda, it's a place where good writers make good commentary. Having assembled the community and taking it to the levels that it has reached is an accomplishment, to be sure, though I think that had more to do with his connection to Joe Trippi and the Howard Dean campaign than anything else. I just don't like the idea that the guy who benefits from the work of those good people is touted as a Liberal spokesman when he takes positions that are not beneficial to Progressive causes and he periodically bans a bunch of women who object to his anti-women positions.

First, there was the dust-up when he promoted an anti-choice candidate over a true Progressive in a PA election. Then there was the infamous "pie fight" when women who frequent the site objected to blatantly sexist advertising on the site. That was when he said he didn't want to hear from the "women's studies set." He later apologized, but I didn't buy it - it takes a certain level of hate to come up with a phrase like that, and I saw no sign that the underlying misogyny had changed. Recently, Hillary Clinton supporters were savaged by extremists there and ultimately Kos banned some of them. The Lee Stranahan (Lee is a man, btw) is just the most recent example of the suppression of free speech by DK.

There is a difference between an individual's blog, like this one, and a community that claims some position of authority in the Liberal political movement. When someone comes to my blog, they are entering my house, and I expect civility or out you go. I don't speak for anyone but me. At a large community like DK, however, there's a higher standard. Even if the goal is blatant partisanship, people should be allowed their own opinions. Dissent is not the same as disruption. To silence what seems, so far, to be a valid story is the furthest thing from Progressive values. Liberals are supposed to embrace truth in media, not seek to suppress it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I don't participate in the site, and I have no direct knowledge of Kos except what I know from the web and his TV appearances. I know several women from other sites started in reaction to being banned from DK, and I hear about the conflicts second hand since I won't go to that site, nor will I link to it. I have friends who do participate there, and I respect their right to do so. I just think people need to be aware that just because someone claims to be a Liberal, it's not necessarily so. Judge what people do, not what they say. Things may not be as they seem.

Apollo Astronaut Edgar Mitchell Says Governments Covering Up E. T.s

2008-07-29T03:40:00.000-04:00

http://www.earthfiles.com/news.php?ID=1447&category=Science
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

At 112, artist still going strong

2008-07-20T22:53:00.000-04:00

CNN.com

Bless his heart, Frank Calloway is a 112 year old schizophrenic who has lived in institutions for most of his adult life. He draws beautiful folk art, full of color and energy that may turn out to be really valuable. The art world is beginning to pay attention.

Maybe there's hope for me yet. By this standard, I've got another 65 years to learn to paint.

How they'll try to bury Impeachment and fail

2008-07-18T21:51:00.001-04:00

The following is a message from David Swanson, who has been a tireless advocate of holding the Bush Junta accountable for their crimes. He's one of the good guys - a real warrior fighting the good fight.

http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/34899

**********************

In response to public demand for impeachment hearings and pressure from Congressman Dennis Kucinich, Congressman Robert Wexler, and others, as well as electoral challenges by pro-impeachment candidates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi finally caved and proposed to allow Kucinich to present impeachment in a Judiciary Committee hearing.

The hearing was then scheduled for a Friday (July 25) and scheduled to last a full two-hours (10 a.m. to noon). Then the topic was altered. Rather than being about impeachment, the hearing will be about impeachment and other supposed remedies to a lawless presidency, with the bulk of the time devoted to those other remedies. Most of those other remedies will involve, believe it or not, legislative proposals. Thus, the dererrence to future presidents who follow the Bush-Cheney tradition of violating all laws and checks on power will be the knowledge that during the administration following Bush-Cheney some bills were passed criminalizing what had always been criminal activity.

Rumor has it there are two panels being planned for the hearing, one consisting of Kucinich and four other members of Congress (Jane Harman, Walter Jones, Brad Miller, and Maurice Hinchey), and the other consisting of five non-Congress Members (Elizabeth Holtzman, Bruce Fein, Frederick Schwartz, John Dean, and Bob Barr). Each of these speakers will likely have 5 minutes for opening remarks. So, Kucinich's presentation of the impeachable offenses of 7.5 years will be limited to 5 minutes. The hope of those planning this afair will be to bury impeachment.

Here's why they'll fail. Holtzman and Fein -- and Kucinich -- are among the most persuasive advocates for impeachment alive. At least those three speakers, it is safe to assume, will be standing up for our Constitution. Another you can add to that list is commmittee member Robert Wexler. Others are committee members Shiela Jackson-Lee and Tammy Baldwin. It is safe to assume that these members will direct their questioning to the need for impeachment and the advocates of beginning it. Plus Hinchey favors impeachment too.

Other supporters of impeachment on the committee are Keith Ellison, Steve Cohen, Hank Johnson, and Maxine Waters, as well as Luis Gutierrez and Anthony Weiner. Zoe Lofgren is also likely to speak up for impeachment. And those in the room as audience will be overwhelmingly defenders of our Constitution. But you can help defend it without coming to Washington. Here's how:

Contact the members of the Judiciary Committee and insist that they be there on Friday the 25th and that they speak up for impeachment:
http://afterdowningstreet.org/judiciarycommittee

**********************

Supporting the Constitution is not a Radical position!

2008-07-14T00:51:00.000-04:00

cross-posted from My Barack Obama | Morgaine Swann's Blog!

I've been very disturbed by the way the corporate media is portraying people who were against the recent FISA vote. Supporting the Constitution is traditionally a Conservative value. Since the Reagan administration, our country has moved so far to the Right that the people who call themselves Conservative are really fascists and the people who are supposed to be Liberals are what we used to call Conservative. The Progressive movement, which is portrayed as radical and Far Left, seem to be the ones that are concerned with Constitutional Rights. Our political system is so changed that the hippies and the miitias are finding themselves on the same side more and more often.

The Constitution is the social contract that empowers our representatives to act for us. It doesn't give us our rights - those are innate, endowed upon us by Nature. Our founders declared our rights to be self-evident and unalienable. The Constitution enumerates some of those rights, reserving others not mentioned to the people, but it doesn't create them. That's why foreigners have to be treated as well as Americans - we aren't special in any way except that our government is supposed to respect our innate human rights.

People think only terrorists are being held without rights to habeas corpus. There US citizens being held both as potential terrorists and as illegal immigrants. The media doesn't talk about the detention camps filled by Homeland Security raids on immigrants. A lot of the people in those camps are citizens who aren't being given access to legal counsel. The government is reading our emails and listening to our phone calls. They're torturing prisoners who haven't been charged with any crime. The war in Iraq is illegal, because only Congress can declare war and they never did. Karl Rove outed a covert operative working in WMDs and he's still walking around free while 1 in every 10 Americans is in jail. . Our government is out of control.

I'm praying that we can count on Senator Obama, a Constitutional scholar, to do what he can to restore this country to the rule of law. The recent FISA vote was a mistake, and one I hope won't be repeated. In my perfect world, Senator Obama would start backing the articles of impeachment introduced by Rep. Kucinich, and he'd start pushing for prosecution of Karl Rove in the Plame case. I would hope that a President Obama and his newly minted Justice Department would start by investigating the illegal activities of the Bush administration. That's a big project, but I think it's a vital one. We can't just sweep these crimes under the rug as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid seem determined to do. If we're going to be a nation of laws again, and not some evil oligarchy that only benefits the elite class, then criminal prosecution of the crimes is essential.

Liminal Limbo...

2008-07-11T01:26:00.004-04:00

My favorite pic of Mommy and me.

So at the last minute Mom relented and agreed to dialysis and life support. Yesterday the dialysis had to be stopped, but it went ok today. Things are not looking good, though. I have the feeling the doctors are going through the motions, if you know what I mean.

08.08.08 = StrangeBedfellows

2008-07-11T01:22:00.000-04:00

Accountability Now PAC

kucinich.us - Petition to Impeach President George W Bush

2008-07-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

kucinich.us

Yes, another petition, but the bastards are still breaking the law so we can't stop now. Please sign the petition, sign it for your kids, your pets, make sure your mom and dad and your neighbors sign it, then harrass your co-workers, too. The buzz is that there's a "perfect storm" for impeachment brewing as Karl Rove makes official his Contempt of Congress. Get behind Dennis and PUSH!

GONZO

2008-07-09T23:30:00.000-04:00

a documentary by Alex Gibney

Narrated by Johnny Depp - both Depp and Dr. Thompson are native Kentuckians.

McCain=Bush

2008-07-08T19:42:00.000-04:00

Woman Arrested at McCain Event for "McCain=Bush" Sign | Video | AlterNet

Picture a campaign event for John McCain. The event was supposedly for the public, since he is running for public office. The 61 year-old Librarian was standing on city property, holding a sign that said "McCain=Bush." She was arrested and removed from the area because she refused to get rid of the sign.

This is America. We have a right to protest in public places. The police don't get to arrest us and drag us off for expressing an opinion - though they've been doing just that for the last 7.5 years. This is why Obama has to win. I want the rule of law back in this country, I want the authorities to operate within the bounds of the Constitution, I want people to feel free again. This incident clearly demonstrates that nothing would improve under McCain.