The Obama Icon Is As Liberal As J. Edgar Hoover

J. Edgar Hoover. Don’t know about him, kids? He’s the guy who ruled the FBI for a generation, and used his government power to spy against Americans just because he didn’t like their political ideas. It was J. Edgar Hoover who sent spies out against Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

How is that related to Barack Obama? Well, Barack Obama voted for the FISA Amendments Act. In fact, Barack Obama liked the FISA Amendments Act so much that he actually voted against the Democratic filibuster of the bill.

Barack Obama joined with the likes of Joseph Lieberman, Sam Brownback, and James Inhofe to cut off the debate and push the FISA Amendments Act through the Senate.

And what does the FISA Amendments Act do? Why, it brings back the kind of spy powers that J. Edgar Hoover used against Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That’s what Barack Obama voted in favor of.

Of course, there’s a difference with the FISA Amendments Act. It doesn’t just authorize telephone wiretaps. It authorizes physical searches of Americans’ homes. It authorizes the government to read through your emails, and watch where you go and what you do when you’re on the Internet.

The FISA Amendments Act puts the Attorney General of the United States – the head of the Department of Justice, which includes the FBI – the power to conduct any kind of spy program he wants. All the Attorney General has to do is to declare, without any proof, that some unnamed person somewhere might get hurt in some way if the spying doesn’t take place.

But what if the spying against Americans is in violation of the law? Well, under the FISA Amendments Act, it’s the Attorney General who is given the sole power to declare that all the spying that he has done is legal. He doesn’t have to prove it. He just has to declare that it’s so, without any evidence, and then that issue is over.

No court, not the FISA court, and not any other court, is given the power to stop the spying.

Yes, Barack Obama actually voted in favor of this terrible law.

Barack Obama has been an icon to American liberals this year. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he was alive, was something different. Dr. King was a leader.

Barack Obama has been nothing but show. He has betrayed those of us who believe in the Constitution.

The icon Barack Obama has proven to be just about as liberal as J. Edgar Hoover.

Join Progressives Against Obama – to let Barack Obama know that we’re paying attention, and we don’t intend to accept his betrayal in silence.

Highlights of Rebuttal to Obama on FISA

Just a few highlights of a thorough, entertaining rebuttal to Barack Obama’s latest justification of supporting the FISA Amendments Act.

Ooh, just one more: “What has happened as a result of that Inspectors General report that the Barack Obama campaign says so proudly will serve as a model for investigating George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program? Two newspaper articles about the report were written. Then, 29 blog articles were written about what was revealed in those newspaper articles.”

clipped from irregulartimes.com The FISA Amendments Act is itself a law that supersedes the authority of the FISA court. It strips power from the FISA court, making them impotent to stop spy programs initiated by the Attorney General. You know what has happened as a result of that Inspectors General report that the Barack Obama campaign says so proudly will serve as a model for investigating George W. Bush’s warrantless wiretapping program? Two newspaper articles about the report were written. Then, 29 blog articles were written about what was revealed in those newspaper articles. Scrambled eggs with arsenic, mercury and broken glass is better than scrambled eggs with arsenic, mercury, broken glass, anthrax spores and plutonium on the side. That doesn’t mean that you should eat the scrambled eggs with arsenic, mercury and broken glass. Saying that one thing is better than another ought not to convince anyone that the better thing is any good at all.

John McCain Ethics In Question On Burma Lobbyist Ties

What kind of crazy judgment must John McCain to pick as one one of his top advisors a many who has served as a lobbyist for the military junta of Myanmar? McCain has shown some truly terrible judgment, surrounding himself with corporate lobbyists with their hands in their the dirtiest deals of the day.

clipped from irregulartimes.com Newsweek broke the news this week (see, that’s why they call it Newsweek) that John McCain’s official Convention Chair, Doug Goodyear, is also a lobbyist. He’s not just any lobbyist, either; he’s CEO of DCI, a lobbying corporation that has promoted the interests of the autocratic military regime in Myanmar (nee Burma). In exchange for loads of cash, Goodyear used DCI to instigate a public relations campaign denying the abuses of the Myanmar junta and arguing for special favors for the brutes. (Source: Newsweek, May 18 2008 issue)

John McCain’s Preacher Damns America!

This is not another dittohead Jeremiah Wright story. This is a story about the crazy preacher John McCain chooses to hang around with. Maybe you haven’t heard of him because your cable TV news channels play Bill O’Reilly, Glenn Beck and that kind of nonsense instead of real news.

His name is John Hagee. John McCain sought the endorsement of Christian televangelist John Hagee, and put John Hagee on the John McCain for President web site, and is on lots of videos hugging John Hagee on stage.

Guess what John Hagee did? He damned America.

“America is under the curse of God, even now,” Hagee said.

When will the American news establishment start demanding that John McCain apologize, and denounce John Hagee for damning America?

Yeah, don’t hold your breath.

Progressives More Coherent Than Democrats

The analysis in this article astounds me, and gives me some hope. Its essential message is this: In terms of how they cosponsor bills in the Senate, separating Senators into Democrats and non-Democrats doesn’t make much sense. Separating Senators into progressives and non-progressives, as defined by the Progressive Patriots legislative scorecard, does.

The hope I get from this article is that, although the Democratic Party disappoints us, there exists a progressive bloc within the Democratic Party in the Senate that really is working hard to create positive change in the U.S. government.

Let’s look beyond the label of political party to the issues that really matter to us.

clipped from www.zimbio.com A 21.6% explanation isn’t awful when trying to predict the thoroughly chaotic behavior of people in groups, but we can do better. I’ve looked at ratings of Senators on an progressive political index at Progressive Patriots, and the correlation between Senators’ progressive action score and Senators’ level of bill activity is higher (+0.69). Just by itself, Senators’ progressivism accounts for 48.0% of the variation in bill activity. The bottom line is that if you’re wanting to understand why some members of the U.S. Senate are more active in bill sponsorship and promotion than other members, ditch party as an explanation. A much better explanation of that variation is the progressivism that a Senator maintains in his or her legislative conduct.

Ron Paul Rakes In Big Bank Money

Ron Paul is a fair weather libertarian who won’t use the power of Congress to help ordinary working Americans, but does a whole lot to protect the interests of the wealthy and powerful, like financial corporations. That’s why Ron Paul gets more campaign donations from big banks than any other member of the House of Representatives. 

The big financial institutions know that Ron Paul is on their side, not our side. Ron Paul works in Congress to keep on the big government bailouts of banks while letting the rest of us fend for ourselves.

The following news comes from Progressive Patriots.

clipped from progressivepatriots.com Why is it, then, that of all the hundreds of members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Ron Paul ranks among the highest in terms of campaign donations from large banks? Ron Paul is third highest out over over 400 members of the House, taking in huge amounts of money funneled to him by banks through their employees. The Democrats in Ron Paul’s district aren’t even bothering to run a candidate against the man whose “Revolution” led down a dark alley filled with millions of dollars for Ron Paul to play around with. That’s very slick for Ron Paul, but not so slick for the people of the 14th congressional district.

Democrats Ought To Debate Obama’s Ideas About Small Town Extremism

There’s an opportunity for Pennsylvania, coming with the latest whipped-up controversy throwing sparks between the presidential campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Barack Obama has said that he thinks that people who link up with xenophobic, hate-ideologies in small towns in Pennsylvania do so because they have been provoked by economic hardship, and are seeking to place the blame for their position on a convenient target.

Is there anything wrong with saying that? Some people within the Democratic Party in Pennsyvlania don’t even want to discuss this issue intelligently. They just want issues of rural poverty in Pennsylvania swept under the rug. I think that’s a shame.

I have found a place to debate Barack Obama’s insight about rural poverty in Pennsylvania, and its connection to economic anxiety. I suggest you take a look, and join the discussion.

Moosehead Lake Timber Company Given Fossil Fools Award

In the Eastern Hemisphere and in the Western Hemisphere alike, hundreds of activities are taking place to mark Fossil Fools Day, an activist April first day of civil disobedience against the engines of the dirty oil economy.

Getting more local, in the area of Moosehead Lake in Maine, the Native Forest Network held an awards ceremony outside the offices of the Plum Creek timber company, giving the company a special award in recognition of its plans to “develop” 20,000 acres of woodland. “Develop”, in the language of timber companies, means that they’ll cut down all the trees.

Does this place the Plum Creek timber company in the category of Fossil Fools? Oh, you betcha. They’re taking away forests that continue to sequester carbon from the atmosphere well into the trees’ old age.

“We’re delighted by Plum Creek’s efforts to turn Maine into Florida,” said one protester at the tongue-in-cheek ceremony “We’re committed to fostering a hospitable, year-round outdoor golf climate in every corner of the globe, and Plum Creek’s Moosehead development plan will help to do just that.”

Thanks to the Native Forest Network, and to everybody else around the world who is taking action to draw attention to the antiquated industrial forces that are refusing to adapt to the present crisis of climate change. You’re thinking globally, and acting locally.

Right on!

A More Inclusive Antiwar Protest In New Jersey

Over the last two days, I’ve been frustrated as I’ve been trying to help local groups get some attention for their demonstrations commemorating the suffering that’s come with five years of war and military occupation in Iraq. In Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the Brandywine Peace Community is incoherently mixing a message about the crucifixion of Jesus with a protest against war profiteering by Lockheed Martin. In Seattle, Washington, the local chapter of World Can’t Wait is promising to shut media centers down, and then complaining about censorship of dissenting views.

Today, I’m happy to report having found a more productive, coherent, and inclusive antiwar protest. In southern New Jersey, there is a true coalition of antiwar groups holding a protest on ideological common ground, with no extra baggage brought along for the ride.

The following groups are joining to sponsor the peace demonstration: South Jersey Movement for Justice and Peace, South Jersey Progressive Democrats of America, Greater Camden Unity Coalition, South Jersey Healthcare Coalition, Delaware Valley Veterans for Peace, the Camden County Green Party, and the South Jersey Peace and Justice Coalition.

Their protest will begin at 4:00 this afternoon, at the Walter Rand Transportation Center at Broadway Road and Martin Luther King Boulevard in Camden.

Favorite Blacked Out Stories In Seattle?!?

Groan. I really want to be writing positive stories about the antiwar protests that are taking place across America. In fact, I am searching for information about these protests, trying to get information about the demonstrations from the activist organizations themselves. Unfortunately, I keep coming across protests that don’t make sense.

Yesterday, I wrote, disappointed, about the Brandywine Peace Community’s wacky mix of an antiwar protest with a commemoration of the crucifixion of Jesus. Today, I looked into antiwar protests to take place in Seattle tomorrow, only to find that the protesters there are wandering off topic too.

The Seattle protests of five years of war in Iraq have morphed into a strangely unreflective attack on the mainstream media coverage of the war. Here’s the notice the Seattle chapter of the group World Can’t Wait posted over at United for Peace and Justice:

Non-Violent Mass Resistance to Shut Down the Media Centers who continue to be complicit with the Bush Regime!
No Business As Usual! Wear Orange! Bring Orange Signs of your favorite blacked-out stories and issues the media refuses to report! The media has played a major role in making the opposition to the Bush regime invisible! It’s time they were held accountable to the people! WHERE’S OUR FREE PRESS? The mainstream media has become another extension of the Bush Program by trying to block out dissent and critical thinking. Bring the media the stories that are vital to this democracy, vital to bringing the truth to light about the criminal activities of the Bush Regime! Ask the media why it does not report the truth and no longer informs the people! NO MORE BUSINESS AS USUAL!

Look – it’s quite clear that the one thing that the World Can’t Wait’s protests in Seattle will not do tomorrow is shut down any media centers. Why pretend that it’s going to happen?

For that matter, if World Can’t Wait wants to protect the free press, and if they are tired of seeing dissent blocked out, then why are they trying to shut down media centers? Goodness me, can’t the people at Seattle’s World Can’t Wait see that they are engaged in the very kind of agenda that they complain they’re the target of?

The way that a free press works is that it publishes the information it wants to publish, not the information that activist organizations tell it to publish. World Can’t Wait can’t go around trying to tell the free press what kind of message it has to publish. To do so is absolutely contrary to promise of a free press. World Can’t Wait has declared that it wants to shut media centers down – to block their messages because these unspecified media centers dissent from the World Can’t Wait agenda.

Is there some kind of nutritional deficiency in Seattle that leaves people there unable to perceive irony?

Freedom of the press, Seattle activists, doesn’t guarantee that citizen groups will get favorable coverage of their activity. It’s your job as a citizen group to try to convince media organizations to provide you with favorable coverage. You have no constitutional right to get attention in the news. The people, and yes, even the corporations, who broadcast news media have the constitutional right to cover the stories that they want to cover, and to not cover the stories that they don’t want to cover.

Like Seattle World Can’t Wait, I don’t like the military occupation of Iraq, and I don’t approve of the coverage provided on the issue by the mainstream corporate media. However, I regard it as my mission to create media to get out the information that I believe has been neglected by corporate information stories. I don’t aim to shut down other sources of information. Instead, I try to build up my own little media outlets, like this blog.

There are a large number of local and national progressive alternative, non-corporate information outlets. If an activist group wants media attention for its protests, it ought to get in touch with those information sources, and help those sources provide positive coverage. It’s the responsibility of activist groups to do so. I don’t see that kind of activist outreach taking place, however.

Shutting down corporate media, even if groups like Seattle World Can’t Wait could accomplish such a task, wouldn’t accomplish anything, if there weren’t a strong, activist-supported alternative media ready to fill in the gap. Alternative media of all sorts is just waiting to be used by activists. I invite serious, clear minded activists to get in touch with me to provide coverage for their events, but I find that activist groups usually don’t even try to get the attention of alternative media.

Critical thinking requires clear thinking: How can protesters bring their favorite blacked out stories, if the stories have truly been blacked out?

Here’s one more tip for groups like the Brandywine Peace Community and Seattle World Can’t Wait: Stay on topic.

If you want to have a protest against the occupation of Iraq, don’t make your protest about the crucifixion of Jesus. The two issues are not related. If you want to have a protest against the occupation of Iraq, don’t make it a goal of your protest to shut down local media. The two issues are not the same. Wander off topic, and you can’t blame anybody else when you don’t get attention for your original issue.

I really don’t want to be writing articles like this right now, but it is clear to me that many progressive activist groups need to get a loud wake up call, to clear the fog of distraction from their heads, and to get back to what matters.