Tuesday, February 21, 2006

News from the real world

Mike just called to say, "Kat, it's not up at your site. I've already posted it at my site and Ma's site." (That would be Trina's Kitchen.) Chill, don't freak out, it's going up here. I just wanted to grab something to eat first. (I didn't want to munch in everyone's ears while we were working on this.) Mike asked me what I was going to call it and told me what everyone else had called it.
I think I'll call it "News from the real world."

In the United Kingdom today, over 200 people gathered at St Nicholas and Writhington Church, in Radstock, Somerset for the funeral of Corporal Gordon Pritchard who died in Basra on January 31, 2005 becoming the 100th British soldier to die in Iraq. 101 British troops have died in Iraq, official count. Gordon Pritchard, who was 31 years-old, is survived by his wife Julie-Ann and his children Stacey, Harrison and Summer.

Alexander Panetta, of the Associated Press, is reporting that Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay maintains that "latest intelligence" indicates that the four memebers of Christian Peacemaker Teams are still alive. The four members, kidnapped in November, were last seen in a January 29th videotape. The four members are:

James Loney, 41, of Toronto;
Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, a former Montreal resident;
Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Va.,
Norman Kember, 74, of London


Sunday's upsurge in violence continued on Monday. Reuters is reporting that bombings in Mosul and Baghdad today killed "at least 19 people." The Associated Press reports that in Karbala one American soldier was killed in a bombing and that in Mosul, a bomber killed himself in a "restaurant packed with policemen eating breakfast, killing at least five people and wounding 21, including 10 policemen". The Department of Defense has identified Capt. Anthony R. Garcia of Fort Worth, Texas as one of the 34 US military fatalities this month. Garcia died of from gunshot wounds after a February 17th shooting that took place on a military base in Tikrit. Garcia is survived by his wife Doris and his children Kelly and Garrick.

Brian Zimmerman, of Gannet News, is reporting that questions still surround the shooting death of Army Reservist David Douglas who died two weeks after returning to the United States from a one-year stint in Iraq. Commenting on the violent deaths of many returning veterans, National Guardsman Alfonso Williams told Zimmerman:

You have a whole lot of built-up anger from being over there. . . . You can't explain (what it's like) to anybody. And to them, what they may think is screaming and hollering to you is a normal tone.

In 2005, the military reports that 136 active duty personnel committed suicide. No figures are kept for those who are inactive. The current number for US military fatalities in Iraq stands at 2276.

As Jane Mayer reported in The New Yorker, early warnings were ignored by the administration about the environment created for abuse of prisoners in Guantanamo. Noting that "Human rights are under threat," Amnesty International is calling for the closing of Guantanamo. Tuesday, Amnesty International will host a live online discussion:

Live chat with Moazzam Begg, ex Guantánamo detainee, on 21 February, 6-7pm GMT

Moazzam Begg, British citizen, was held for "nearly three years," as noted on Democracy Now!. Amnesty International's call echoes the call of the UN investigation team as well as the prime ministers of Germany, France, England and Malaysia. U.S. Charm Minister Karen Hughes, speaking to Al Jazeera, rejected calls to close Gitmo and reportedly maintained that not only are the people imprisoned in Guantanamo wanting to kill Americans but that some released "have gone back to fighting and killing Americans." If the report is accurate, it is surprising that such an assertion would be made by the Minister of Charm and not Bully Boy himself.

In this country, the Associated Press is reporting that Republican governors George Pataki (New York) and Robert Ehrlich (Maryland) have joined the chorus of voices objecting by administration plans to turn over control of "six major U.S. ports" to Dubai Ports World.
Senators Robert Menendez (New Jersey) and Hillary Clinton (New York) are also objecting to the proposed plan. Speaking out against the plan involving the Arab company, Mendendez stated today, "We wouldn't turn over our customs service or our border patrol to a foreign government. We shouldn't turn over the ports of the United States, either."

Feminist Wire Daily is reporting that CWIG (Center for Women in Government and Civil Society) has conducted a study on "the percentage of women in policy-making positions - such as state legislators, elected officials, high court judges, department heads, and top governor's advisors" for the years 1998 to 2005 and found that the rate of growth for women in those positions increased by only 1.6% -- "from 23.1 percent to 24.7 percent." FWD notes:

Slow progress for women in state government has national implications, says Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women in Politics at Rutgers. State and local office serve as a "pipeline" to draw women into national politics. Not to mention, adds Walsh, state legislatures themselves are "making a tremendous amount of policy" –- in 2005, 48 state legislatures considered over 500 anti-choice bills.

On the national level, NOW notes, that although "almost nine million more women voted than men" only fourteen women serve in the United States Senate and only sixty-seven in the House, while of the fifty governors in the United States, only eight are women.

As noted on Sunday's KPFA Evening News, Saturday Feb. 25th, a Counter-Recruiting workshop will be held, open to the public, from 2 to 5pm at the Veterans' Memorial Building, Room 219, 401 Van Ness Ave. March 1st is the National Law Student Day Against the Death Penalty (SDADP).

In other news, Philadelphia Indymedia is reporting that Governor Ed Rendell vetoed the Pennsylvania's Voter ID bill. Rendell, who spanked Casey Junior in the 2002 election race, stated, "I see no reason to enact laws that will result in voter confusion and disenfranchise legitimately registered voters." Member of Protect the Vote had successfully fought against the proposed legislation and were on hand for the veto ceremony.

In other civil liberties news, following what BuzzFlash has called "Just Your Average Week of the Bush Administration Betraying America," the ACLU features a snapshot of governmental spying/snooping in the form of Betty Ball who states:

It is true that I have become more motivated to work for justice and social change knowing that the government is abusing its powers like this. But I am worried about how far the government will go to squelch First Amendment rights and silence dissent. Will we all be rounded up and incarcerated? Already so many people have been frightened away from participating in our events, and have asked to have their names removed from our mailing lists, for fear of the consequences of associating with us. I hesitate to call people to discuss plans for rallies or protests because I don’t want them ending up in an FBI file labeled as a "domestic terrorist."

Meanwhile, author and activist Diane Wilson remains in a Victoria County jail in Texas. Wilson was arrested for unfurling a banner that read "Corporate Greed Kills--From Bhopal to Baghdad" at a Dick Cheney attended fundraiser in Houston on December 5, 2005. Wilson's banners are apparently too much for the delicate sensibilities of the foes of democracy. She is currently serving a 150 day sentence for a 2002 action where she climbed a Dow Jones tower and unfurled a banner which read "Justice For Bhopal." CODEPINK is calling for Wilson's release.

In other take action news, MediaChannel.org is asking you to Take Action: Demand Coverage of Able Danger (more info on the Able Danger program can be found at Able Danger Media Monitoring).

Finally, Monday's Democracy Now! featured:

"Readings From Howard Zinn's 'Voices of a People's History of the UnitedStates:'"
Today we spend the hour with readings from a Voices of a People's History of the United States edited by historian Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. It is the companion volume to Zinn's legendary People's History of the United States ­ which has sold over a million copies.We will hear dramatic readings of speeches, letters, poems, songs, petitions, and manifestos. These are the voices of people throughout U.S.history who struggled against slavery, racism, and war, against oppression and exploitation, and who articulated a vision for a better world. Performances include Danny Glover as Frederick Douglass, Marisa Tomei as Cindy Sheehan, Floyd Red Crow Westerman as Tecumseh and Chief Joseph, Sandra Oh as Emma Goldman and Yuri Kochiyama, and Viggo Mortensen as Bartolomeo de Las Casas and Mark Twain.

This entry was compiled by:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Dona, Jess, Ty, Ava and Jim;
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude;
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man;
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review;
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills);
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix;
Mike of Mikey Likes It!;
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz;
and Wally of The Daily Jot.
























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Saturday, February 18, 2006

Laura Flanders broadcasts from Nevada; Ruth takes on The Pooper

Just posted this info at The Common Ills so let me crosspost and then I'll get into this entry:


On Feb 18 and 19th, RadioNation with Laura Flanders will broadcast from Nevada -- this month's stop on Laura's "America is Purple" tour. The broadcasts are live and open to the public.
Come on down! 4-7 PM local time.
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006.
RadioNation with Laura Flanders will broadcast live from:
Culinary Institute Union Hall
1630 South Commerce Street
Las Vegas Nevada 89102
www.culinaryunion226.org
SUNDAY, Feb 19, 2006
RadioNation with Laura Flanders will broadcast live from:
the offices of PLAN
(the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada)
821 Riverside Drive
Reno, Nevada 89503 www.planevada.org.

Not in Nevada? Well lose the frowns, we can still listen:

RadioNation with Laura Flanders
LIVE from Las Vegas and RenoThis Weekend, RadioNation comes to you live from the Culinary Hall in Las Vegas and the Progressive Leadership Alliance in Reno.
Saturdays & Sundays, 7-10pm ET on Air America Radio
Want to know how ["]red state["] Nevadans came to vote for new taxes? How they used a ballot initiative to raise the minimum wage? Find out how casino workers built one of the strongest unions in the country and how women could claim two Congressional seats for Democrats. With D Taylor, Secretary-Treasurer of the Culinary Workers Local 226, Assemblywoman Sheila Leslie and Kristina Wilfore of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center.
We've got good news from Nevada, this weekend!
And as always, a one-hour version of last weekends's show is available for podcast at The Nation's website: www.thenation.com
It's all on RadioNation with Laura Flanders this weekend on Air America Radio.

First off, my apologies to the community, I rushed to get that post up at The Common Ills and didn't notice until now that the mythical "red state" was in the info. There are no red states, no blue states. We live in a purple nation and that's the whole part of Laura Flanders' current tour across the country. I always say, "It is what it is." But if I'd ever go back and change anything in an entry I did, I would go back in and put quotation remarks around it. Coming from someone living in a supposed "blue" state, some community members may see that as a slap in the face. It wasn't. It was the result of my rushing. ("Go back in and change it, Kat!" Though I don't have the problems logging in that C.I. currently has, that thing is publishing right now and will take another twenty minutes to finish publishing. I don't have time to change it now. Possibly later.) It shouldn't have made it up and I take responsibility for not looking at what I was copying and pasting.

Now . . .

Ruth has an entry up at The Common Ills. They are called "Ruth's Public Radio Report" now days. No longer "Ruth's Morning Edition Report." So there shouldn't be a worry about when they post to begin with. But that was intended as a morning entry. Here's the back story because Ruth was including it but she and I decided it took away from the other points she was making.

She phoned C.I. last night about her entry because Kyle had sent an e-mailed copy of a post from The Pooper. Ruth felt she should respond since she covers Pacifica for the community. She spoke to C.I. and didn't realize this was "The Pooper." (C.I. dismissed The Pooper some months ago -- and noted the radio shows would be disappearing.) C.I. was listening to her ideas and then had to stop her because two people that C.I. knows (one that C.I. knew -- the woman is dead) are mentioned and C.I. told Ruth to write whatever, that it was her space, but not to mention The Pooper by name (no need to promote the right-leaning -- he is still just leaning, right?) and to make sure Dallas knew there would be no link to The Pooper's post.

Ruth needed someone to bounce off of and this morning, C.I. attempted to do that. But it wasn't working. (This is noted with both Ruth and C.I.'s permission.) C.I. was too bothered by The Pooper's nonsense so C.I. suggested me. I'm familiar with The Pooper. So Ruth bounced ideas off me and then we rolled up our sleeves while Ruth dictated and I attempted to type. ("Slow down!" I kept insisting.) Dallas helped us with links. When Ruth dictates to C.I., she usually edits as she goes along. I told Ruth not to edit while she went along and that I'd read it back to her after and she could do her editing then. Which meant taking more time but it also meant she wasn't stopping to consider and reconsider every paragraph.

Ruth did pull a few sentences and several paragraphs but what's up there is strong writing. The Pooper, as Ruth points out, lost both jobs at Pacifica so that may explain why he's posted such an attack on Pacifica. With Ruth being the voice of the community covering Pacifica, she really did need to respond to The Pooper's nonsense and Kyle had asked her to.

She was worried that posting anything might upset C.I. ("upset further") but that wasn't the case. C.I. wanted Ruth to weigh in with her take on it. C.I. just wasn't up to listening to The Pooper's nonsense in the discussion stages. I was happy to help out. The Pooper bores me as much as he does C.I. But the attacks in this post really bothered C.I. C.I.'s time was limited today (and all weekend) due to speaking to groups about the Bully Boy so it just wasn't worth it for the two of them for Ruth to bounce ideas off the C.I.

Ruth doesn't cover every slam, she can't because there are too many. She was worried that some of the slams, left uncommented on, might be read as her endorsement of them which is why she wanted a sounding board on this column. I was glad to help out Ruth and C.I. I hope you'll read it and I hope you get that this isn't a new attack on the roots and history of Pacifica
by The Pooper. He's reviving his old attacks, more publicly this time since he attempted to back off them in 1999 when people were speaking out loudly in support of community radio. He notes somewhere in his post that he wasn't sure he should post it. I'm glad he posted his attack. A lot of people got confused, when the board started to lose the battle, and The Pooper started acting as though he hadn't supported the board from the start. "I thought he had," you'd hear people saying. He had. He rewrote history as the (then) board started losing support for their attacks on Pacifica and people like Amy Goodman started winning. If you listen to Pacifica today, you're hearing the vision of the victors. If you're interested in hearing what Pacifica would have sounded like had The Pooper's side won, check out NPR.















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Monday, February 13, 2006

Cartoons, speak out and check out Wally on Cheney's fishing accident

"Oh Kat," wrote one person, "how could you forget ?"

I forget many things. However, I didn't forget to list as one of my favorite cartoon heroines since he is, after all, a "he." Possibly, you meant who were his partners for a bit? I didn't enjoy them either. I don't think they even behaved like individual characters.

On the topic of cartoons, Candice e-mailed me a link which, if you go there, lists a number of cartoon movies. Here's the one having to do with That Girl:

That Girl In Wonderland (1974) Another Saturday Superstar Movie featuring the voice of . An animated Ann Marie (Thomas's character from her "That Girl" sitcom) daydreams herself into popular fairy tales such as Wizard of Oz, Snow White, and Cinderella.

I remember that one but I also thought I remembered one with a circus? Maybe I'm just thinking of the episode of with the crime at the circus? If I'm remembering right, the crook (or one of them) stabs herself so that she won't look guilty. That and the one where Sally's stalker, creepy -- very creepy, were probably my two favorite episodes. I quit watching the show when left. It wasn't the same after that.

Rebecca () asked me if I'd note an interview with ? As a fan of Walker and , no problem.

"I am a Renegade, an Outlaw, a Pagan" - Author, Poet and Activist Alice Walker in Her Own Words
February is African-American History Month. To honor it, we bring you a conversation with the renowned author, poet and activist Alice Walker. She is perhaps best known for her book "The Color Purple" for which she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, becoming the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer for fiction. The novel was adapted into an Oscar-nominated feature length film and has been recently made into a Broadway musical. Alice Walker's latest novel is "Now is the Time to Open Your Heart."
Last month, 1,000 people gathered in the First Congregational Church in Oakland to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Media Alliance. We spend the hour playing Amy Goodman's onstage interview with Alice Walker. [includes rush transcript - partial]

I heard that today on the radio (twice in fact) and if you missed it, you should watch, listen or read it. Among other things, Walker shares a wonderful story about .

C.I. passed on an e-mail to me and the writer had just discovered 's "War Got Your Tongue?" and had a few questions. The most important was did I still stand by it? Yes, I do.

There's been more than enough silence on the topic and the silence continues. The troops will not be brought home until we can all speak with brave voices. The war will not end without us all speaking out and calling for an end to it. It's silly to think that you can say "Well in my private life, I am opposed to the war" and think that cuts it. Your private life? Why are you posting online, putting out a magazine or in any other way weighing in if you can't speak out on one of the most important issues addressing the nation?

This is still, for now, a democracy. You do have Freedom of Speech. If you don't want to use it, don't. But don't be surprised when you're called out on it. And offering up mealy mouthed statements of "Of course I'm opposed but I can't say that" helps no one.

In fact, not only do I stand by it, I think you can file something we all worked on yesterday under the same category -- "Cowardly Journalism Review (Parody)."

Does the fact that people are dying (on all sides) not matter to you? Is your corporate media failing you and you have no idea what's going on?

If it's the later, check out C.I.'s "And the war drags on . . ." and stop counting on corporate media to provide you with the news you need.

I'm a member of community. Obviously. (Check out the title of this site.) But one reason I am is because C.I.'s never shied away from that topic. When people were saying "pack it in, move on" following the 2004 elections, C.I. didn't drop the issue.

doesn't fade away at The Common Ills. Nor has C.I. ever made the idiotic statement, though someone did, that it didn't matter what the people thought, the decision belonged in the hands of the leaders. Not in a democracy it doesn't. A blogger really wrote that, a blogger on the "left," in the midst of 's original vigil. The same blogger also wrote that Cindy Sheehan didn't want the troops brought home. I may not be the most politically astute, but I do grasp basic facts. And that nonsense was one of the inspirations behind "That Wacky Web" which you can probably also file under the same "War Got Your Tongue?" heading.

"Silence equals death" is an old slogan. But I'd argue in today's climate, it's also shameful. Why? It's not hard to speak out against the war now. Thanks to Cindy Sheehan's vigil and the movement backing it up, most people are now saying "Bringing the troops home!" So I really have no use for people who won't speak out so that they can look "reasoned." Or maybe "mature."

So that's where I stand on the invasion/occupation. I've said it before, "Bring the troops home!" But it can't be said enough.

To answer another question popping up in e-mails, I am attempting to complete a new review.
and her new CD are what I'm working on right now. If I can't get something there within a week, I'll just note my thoughts here on it and move on to another album to review.

By the way, if and his hunting accident has you scratching your head, check out Wally's "THIS JUST IN! DICK CHENEY HAS A FISHING MISHAP!" at . That's it for tonight.
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