Blog Title: Intrepid Liberal Journal

A forum for civil debate that promotes progressive alternatives to current challenges and a firm voice for the Patriotic Left.

Apologies To Readers

As you can see I haven't been active recently. Since the end of July I've had no high speed Internet access at home due to tech issues regarding my PC. All I have is dialup at home and can't maintain a connection long enough to blog effectively. My apologies to loyal readers and I ask for your patience until my tech issues are resolved.

Check Out Comedian & Political Activist Steve Hofstetter

I received an email from comedian and political activist Steve Hofstetter asking me to post his video below encouraging young people to remember 2004's heartbreak and vote this year. I've sampled another of Hofstetter's videos and he's damn funny. If you want a good laugh I suggest clicking here and listening to his video about the lies and politics of drug abuse.

The video below however is a sober reminder about the stakes of this election. Politicians disappoint and let us down. Our ultimate salvation resides with truth tellers such as Hofstetter who utilize their talents to promote awareness and combat apathy.

Truth and Consequences

As this presidential campaign unfolds there are three truths being neglected by Obama and McCain, the corporate media and the entire political class:

• America no longer has the leverage, infrastructure and intellectual heft to maintain a corporate empire through military and economic power.

• Unless there is accountability for the Bush Administration?s war crimes committed since 9/11 America is in grave danger.

• Our society has insufficient institutions to safeguard the livelihoods of wage earners in a 21st century global economy.
  

Senator Russ Feingold: The Indispensable Liberal

Thankfully, as we celebrate our independence this July 4th, we have Russ Feingold exhorting us to stand up for our civil liberties. Sadly, Feingold has had to shame his colleagues who mostly haven't read the so-called FISA compromise and could care less about its contents. Feingold's valiant efforts have helped to delay passage of this feculent legislation for the time being. It will require aggressive citizen action however to prevail over the well funded telecommunication companies.

Memo To Obama: Enough of the Battered Wife Syndrome

I have supported Obama's candidacy since John Edwards departed the race. I still believe it was the right thing to do given the flawed alternative Hillary Clinton represented. To nominate Clinton would have been tantamount to rewarding poor judgment (Iraq) and bad behavior (race baiting). So I did some phone banking, donated to Obama's campaign and will continue to support his candidacy against John McCain. To elect McCain would be a calamity.

However, Obama's campaign has in recent days demonstrated the same chronic pathology of the Democratic Party itself: battered wife syndrome. Yes, I know the rationale is that Obama had to move to the center for the general election campaign. I understand that is inevitable and to some degree necessary. And I am willing to cut Obama some slack. Power without principle is barren and principle without power is futile and I appreciate the delicate balance. I also appreciate that as the first black nominee of a major political party Obama is walking a tightrope.

However, Obama's retreat on FISA resembles Bill Clinton's despicable calculation about welfare reform in 1996: removing an issue from the table and playing not to lose regardless of the human consequences. I don't want the standard bearer of my party to play not to lose when it comes to my civil liberties.

It's also bad politics. Jon Tester prevailed in his 2006 Montana senate campaign against Conrad Burns while opposing the Partiot Act! And Montana isn't exactly known for their latte drinking limousine liberals. They're plenty of civil libertarian minded people in America who would applaud Obama if he stood up for principle and opposed this corporate fascist legislation. FISA is corporate welfare and get out of jail free cards for the telecommunication companies. But the Democrats are so damn scared of the big bad elephant that their standard bearer ducks and covers when it's time to stand up and be counted! Or is Obama's stance appeasement for Democrats such as Jay Rockefeller, their ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee and a shameless whore for telecommunications money? Either way it's inexcusable.

Today, Obama again demonstrated battered wife syndrome and fearfully distanced himself from Wesley Clark. Clark merely had the temerity to suggest that McCain's history as a POW, while meriting our respect doesn't qualify him to be commander and chief. Clark didn't question McCain's patriotism or his service to his country like Republicans did to war veteran John Kerry in 2004. Wesley Clark is arguably the most effective surrogate the Democratic party has on national security issues and Obama allowed the McCain campaign to take him out!

It seems when Democrats are in a tight race their battered wife syndrome surfaces because they don't want to lose on the margins. And when the political winds are at their back Democrats become cautious because they don't want to blow a lead. We've seen this from Democratic nominees before. The stakes for America and the world are too high for Dukakis, Gore and Kerry redux. And what if you do win as expected Senator? As president, will you duck and cover as soon as the conservatives have a bug up their butts or disavow fellow Democrats like Wesley Clark who dare to challenge Republicans about their weak national security credentials? You're better than that. Act like it.

Renegade Justice: An Interview With Former U.S. Attorney David Iglesias

David Iglesias is the prototype twenty first century Republican: charismatic, Hispanic, an evangelical Christian and a captain in the Navy Reserve who served for many years in the Navy?s Judge Advocate General Corps (?JAG?). In 1998, Iglesias campaigned to become Attorney General of New Mexico against the heavily favored Patricia Madrid. He nearly pulled off an upset and the Republican Party took notice. In 2000, Iglesias paid his party dues and worked for George W. Bush?s election.

As a reward, President Bush nominated Iglesias in 2001 to be the United States Attorney from the District of New Mexico. His sponsor was longtime Republican Senator Pete Domenici. The position of U.S. Attorney has served as a springboard for many political careers and Iglesias appeared to be on the fast track. Highly regarded by his peers, Iglesias served as chairman of a committee of U.S. Attorneys that advised former Attorney General John Ashcroft about border and Immigration issues. The Justice Department had also given his office high marks for performance.

However, as the first installment of the just released Department of Justice Inspector General report illustrates, professionalism took a back seat to political prerogatives when it came to personnel decisions. A pervasive culture of hyper-partisanship at the Justice Department ultimately cost David Iglesias and nine other U.S. Attorneys their jobs last year. It also resulted in a metastasizing scandal that forced Bush loyalist Alberto Gonazles to resign as Attorney General.

David Iglesias became persona non grata in the Republican Party when he resisted political pressure while carrying out the responsibilities of his office. One example was his cautious evidenced based approach while prosecuting voter fraud. Specifically, Republicans feared that the votes of minorities and the poor in New Mexico could adversely affect their candidates in what had become a polarized state. Al Gore defeated George Bush in New Mexico by a mere 366 votes in 2000. Hence, Republicans viewed prosecuting voter fraud as a means of suppressing Democratic turnout in elections that could be decided on the margins. Iglesias dutifully investigated voter fraud and found virtually nothing to prosecute, angering the White House.

Another example involved a public corruption investigation against powerful Democratic New Mexico state legislator Manny Aragon. In 2006, while Iglesias took a measured evidenced based approach to investigating Aragon; Republican Congresswoman Heather Wilson was in a tough re-election fight against New Mexico?s Democratic Attorney General, Patricia Madrid. The same candidate Iglesias lost to in 1998. Republicans hoped that an indictment filed against Aragon prior to Election Day would make Madrid appear professionally lax as New Mexico?s Attorney General. However, Iglesias didn?t believe the case was ready and didn?t want to undermine the investigation or chances of conviction by filing an indictment prematurely.

The events that followed are well known. Both Representative Wilson and Senator Domenici inappropriately telephoned Iglesias hoping to persuade him to indict Aragon. Iglesias didn?t budge and he was asked to resign on December 7, 2006. Six of his colleagues with similar experiences were also asked to resign on the same day and a political firestorm engulfed the Bush Administration, his Attorney General and the entire Republican Party. Domenici, his reputation and legacy forever tarnished opted not to seek re-election this year because of poor health. Congressman Wilson hoped to replace Domenici in the Senate but she lost the Republican primary on June 3rd.

Iglesias memorialized his experience with his new book, In Justice: Inside The Scandal That Rocked The Bush Administration (Wiley & Sons). Former Ambassador Joseph Wilson had the following praise for Iglesias?s book:

?In justice is a chilling tale of the subversion of the Constitution for political purposes. What was done to David Iglesias and his colleagues constitutes complete and utter disregard for the role of law that underpins our great republic. Americas will rightly be appalled and Republicans ashamed at this abuse of power.?

FISA and The Democrats

I am a loyal and committed Democrat. However, my first loyalty is to our Constitution. Unquestionably, the Democratic Party's capitulation to the Bush Administration with respect to the FISA protocol is a disgrace. My favorite Democrat, Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold issued the following statement about it on June 19th:

?The proposed FISA deal is not a compromise; it is a capitulation. The House and Senate should not be taking up this bill, which effectively guarantees immunity for telecom companies alleged to have participated in the President?s illegal program, and which fails to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans at home. Allowing courts to review the question of immunity is meaningless when the same legislation essentially requires the court to grant immunity. And under this bill, the government can still sweep up and keep the international communications of innocent Americans in the U.S. with no connection to suspected terrorists, with very few safeguards to protect against abuse of this power. Instead of cutting bad deals on both FISA and funding for the war in Iraq, Democrats should be standing up to the flawed and dangerous policies of this administration.?

This Video Says It All

Shari'a and The Muslim World: An Interview With Author Noah Feldman

Shari?a is a code of law based on the Koran. In the Muslim world, many want to replace corrupt autocratic regimes with the Shari?a and establish traditional Islamic states. Western countries regard the Shari?a as a threat. Islamic parties are winning elections on it. Militants have used the Shari?a to justify acts of terrorism. Meanwhile, secular minded people find their most severe provisions repugnant.

In his latest book, The Fall and Rise of the Islamic State (Princeton University Press), Noah Feldman tells the story behind the populist movement in the Muslim world to establish the Shari?a. Feldman addresses questions about why the Shari?a is popular in spite of its harsh code and whether the Islamic state can succeed.

He also explains how the classical Islamic constitution governed and was legitimized by law. Feldman argues that prior to the reforms of the modern era, the Shari?a operated under an effective system of checks and balances between scholars who interpreted the law and executive power.

Knowing the history of the Shari?a itself is important for context and Feldman?s book covers the promising beginnings of the traditional Islamic constitution and its downfall in the Ottoman Empire. Throughout the book, Feldman contends that if the Shari?a is combined with modernized institutions, successful Islamic states based on law and justice can be established.

Muhammad Qasim Zaman, author of The Ulama In Contemporary Islam, had the following praise for Feldman?s book:

?Scholarly and sophisticated yet highly accessible, this book makes an extremely important contribution to contemporary discussions of both Muslim politics and Islamic law. Feldman?s work provides a historical depth that has often been lacking in studies of law and constitutionalism in modern Muslim societies.?

?Feldman is shilling for a soft theocracy--for other people, naturally. This is, among other things, hypocritical. Don't Muslims, too, have the right to sin??

The Man Who Should've Been President Endorsed Our Next President

Yesterday, the person who should have been president endorsed the candidate who will hopefully be our next president. Al Gore was never a great speaker but no political figure in America today enjoys more gravitas and prestige.

Grieving For Tim Russert

Unless hermetically sealed in a dungeon you know that Tim Russert sadly died from a heart attack yesterday at the age of 58. Death is an egocentric experience for survivors. When loved ones or public figures pass on it's human nature to think about our own mortality and even grieve over people we've never met. And so I find myself grieving over the passing of Tim Russert. Yes Russert was integral to a corporate media I?ve come to despise but somehow I always cared about what he said while others were easy to tune out.

Tim Russert represented a new breed of journalist I?m not comfortable with: someone who crossed over from the world of politics. Legendary sports broadcaster Howard Cosell used to derisively refer to the "jockocracy" of former athletes who crossed over to sports journalism as "analysts" but added little value at the expense of professionalism. That's often been my feeling about people such as Tony Snow and George Stephanopolous who cashed in on their celebrity and exploited the corporatization of broadcast media.

On the surface, Russert seemed to personify this new breed. Watch video of New York Governor Mario Cuomo's iconic speech at the 1984 Democratic National Convention and you'll see his smiling adviser Tim Russert sitting in the front row. Russert was an insider?s insider having served as Chief of Staff to New York?s legendary cerebral Senator, Daniel Patrick Moynihan. How could such a man ever represent the people while covering the establishment?

And yet this new breed as represented by Tim Russert turned out to be a throwback to a bygone era. He relentlessly held the powerful accountable for their words and deeds. Russert first won my respect in 1992 when he grilled independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. At the time I didn?t watch Meet the Press regularly. I grew up watching ABC?s This Week With David Brinkley and regarded Russert as an unworthy upstart.

If you think back, at one point it seemed plausible that Ross Perot might prevail over a weak incumbent in George Herbert Walker Bush as well as a young embattled governor from a small state in Bill Clinton. Russert however skillfully exposed Perot as being out of his depth as well as illustrating a temperment not suitable for the presidency. Prior to that interview the media was consumed by Perot?s spell and Russert broke through in a way lifelong professionals hadn?t.

And so whenever Russert fell short I was instinctively more critical because I expected more from him. When someone establishes a threshold of excellence they have the burden of not falling below the standard they?ve set. And I always expected more from Tim Russert.

The shallow mediocrity of today?s media has become routine: horserace questions at the expense of substance, celebrity hype and regurgitation of the propaganda machine from the powerful in order to maintain access and preserve corporate interests. General Electric owns NBC so naturally their news division and Russert himself were not immune to those prerogatives and it frustrated me because I knew this smart guy with working class roots from Buffalo had to know better.

For example, Tim Russert consistently regurgitated the propaganda that Social Security was on the abyss, a position advocated by corporate interests represented in the media who wanted to privatize it. As Media Matters noted in December 2004:

?Media outlets and personalities, like NBC's Tim Russert, have generally repeated the Bush administration line that Social Security 'faces a crisis.' In fact, Social Security assets are not projected to be exhausted until 2042, at the earliest -- hardly the dire emergency the administration and the media portray. And even if no changes are made, tax income at that point would still cover 73 percent of costs, and the system could still pay out 68 percent by 2078.?

BILL MOYERS: What do you make of the fact that of the 414 Iraq stories broadcast on NBC, ABC and CBS nightly news, from September 2002 until February 2003, almost all the stories could be traced back to sources from the White House, the Pentagon, and the State Department?

TIM RUSSERT: It's important that you have a-- an oppos-- opposition party. That's our system of government.

BILL MOYERS: So, it's not news unless there's somebody-

TIM RUSSERT: No, no, no. I didn't say that. But it's important to have an opposition party, your opposit-- opposing views.

?How the hell does any reporter justify allowing a political party to interpret the truth? Political parties are not about truth. Political parties are self-serving entities dedicated to obtaining and maintaining power. Since the Democrats were spineless and didn?t provide an alternative dialogue, Pincus and Russert believe they should be excused from doing their jobs? Ridiculous. Yes, Republicans were feculent and irresponsible while Democrats were feckless and cowardly. All the more reason for the press to do their job and relentlessly pursue the truth.?

?I once told him I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation at prison camp.''

John McCain's Friend Phil Gramm

With the drama of the Obama/Clinton race finally over we can focus on the sharp contrasting platforms and personalities of Barack Obama and John McCain.

An old cliché is that we can judge people by the company they keep. McCain?s camp has vigorously tried to scare people about Obama?s associations. Well, if you?re a hard working wage earner consider John McCain?s friend Phil Gramm. In 1996, John McCain endorsed former Texas Senator Phil Gramm?s quest for the presidency. As a Senator, Gramm was the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and worked hard to promote the interests of banks and credit card companies at the expense of wage earners and small business entrepreneurs.

Gramm is currently one of five campaign co-chairs for John McCain. One can surmise that Gramm, who fancies himself an expert on economics, will have a major influence and perhaps a senior position in a McCain administration. Gramm was also an advocate of undermining the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) that mandated depository banks to contribute housing and small business loans in poorer communities to help people join the middle class. During the 1990s, the CRA under President Bill Clinton was actually enforced and helped raise the standard of living of people who needed it most.

Instead, John McCain's friend preferred to deregulate the financial services industry and promote predatory lending practices that enriched the wealthy at the expense of working people. Gramm is a classic practitioner of class warfare waged from the top. Furthermore, elitists have even scapegoated the CRA about the current mortgage housing crisis and look upon Phil Gramm as their ally on the inside. To learn more about the CRA and how it is being scapegoated, listen to my recent podcast interview with economist Jared Bernstein by clicking here.

Today, Phil Gramm is the vice chairman of a U.S. division of Zurich-based financial powerhouse UBS and as Newsweek reports:

?UBS has recently written off huge losses in subprime-mortgage-based securities, and last week liberal bloggers noted that Gramm was a registered UBS lobbyist on mortgage-securities issues until at least December 2007.

NEWSWEEK has learned that UBS is also currently the focus of congressional and Justice Department investigations into schemes that allegedly enabled wealthy Americans to evade income taxes by stashing their money in overseas havens, according to several law-enforcement and banking officials in both the United States and Europe, who all asked for anonymity when discussing ongoing investigations. In April, UBS withdrew Gramm's lobbying registration, but one of his former congressional aides, John Savercool, is still registered to lobby legislators for UBS on numerous issues, including a bill cosponsored by Sen. Barack Obama that would crack down on foreign tax havens. ?UBS is treating these investigations with the utmost seriousness and has committed substantial resources to cooperate,? a UBS spokesman told NEWSWEEK, adding that Gramm was deregistered as a lobbyist because he spends less than 20 percent of his time on such activity. Hazelbaker said the McCain campaign ?will not comment on the details ? of ongoing investigations and legal charges not yet proved in court.??

Help Save Children From Leukemia

Allow me to take a moment and divert from my standard political blog writing. I realize fellow activists who visit this site are currently consumed by the presidential election and the grand issues at stake this political season. However, we should not overlook other life and death issues that too easily escape our attention. Cancer is a silent killer responsible for the deaths of millions. We all know friends or family who have contracted this insidious disease. Specifically, Leukemia is among the cruelest and often targets the young.

The niece of a good friend of mine was diagnosed with Leukemia last year. The impact on her family has motivated my friend to help raise money for the Pediatric Leukemia Fund at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This fund supports the research of doctors so children such as my friend's niece have a better chance of surviving.

You can make a donation online with your credit card by clicking here.

Another option is to attend a New York City fundraising event starting at 6pm on June 25th at Eamonns Bar and Grill, located at 9 East 45 Street between Madison & Fifth Avenues. At this event, my friend will raffle off framed photographs from Antarctica and Africa.

The cost of one raffle ticket is $25, and there is no limit to the number of tickets you may purchase. All the money raised from the raffle will go to the charity. You may purchase as many tickets as you like. My friend will bring a list of people who have made online donations so she can give you your raffle tickets upon arrival (e.g., if you donate $100 online beforehand, you will be given 4 raffle tickets at Eamonn's).

Eamonn's is kindly allowing their space to be used with a regular cash bar, and the raffle will take place at 7:30pm. To win you must show up.

Lives are at stake, so please spread the word to as many people as you can.

Chronicling The Uprising: An Interview With David Sirota

The centrifugal force in American politics today is the establishment?s failure to deliver prosperity and security. In 2006, Americans voted for a change of direction in Iraq and economic policies at home. Instead, President Bush?s ?surge? in Iraq was enabled by a feckless congress as fuel prices soared, the cost of healthcare kept spiraling out of control and corporate CEOs continued to enjoy the benefits of a twenty-first century Gilded Age. Senseless privatization, predatory crony capitalism, political corruption, incompetence and corporate greed have combined to put the American Dream out of reach for people who work hard and play by the rules.

Indeed, a self-gelding plutocracy machine of ineptitude currently governs America. We?re not respected abroad and institutions designed to protect working people at home no longer function properly. Nobody on the Right or Left is satisfied with our immigration policy. Young people are not properly educated to compete in a global economy while too many senior citizens are forced to choose between paying for medication and buying food. Young men and women are dying to sustain two failed military occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Meanwhile, our over extended military has been forced to resort to a back-door draft as America fails to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Is it any wonder that Americans across the political spectrum are yearning for change? In his provocative new book, Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington, (The Crown Publishing Group), David Sirota investigates whether populist outrage can be harnessed into a unified and enduring political movement. Sirota?s spent a year traveling the country and his book chronicles uprisings across America?s ideological and cultural spectrum.

He closely observed progressive netroots bloggers, workers at union halls in Albany and Seattle as well as the Minutemen?s headquarters at the California-Mexico border. Sirota also obtained close up access to the epic struggle over tax policy with Montana?s Governor Brian Schweitzer, his Democratic allies in the legislature and their ultra conservative anti-tax government-hating adversaries. He later traveled to Washington D.C. to learn how newly elected anti-establishment Senators Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Jon Tester of Montana and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are reconciling their populist objectives within a culture that abhors change.

From the Workers Family Party in New York State to the Lou Dobbs program on CNN, and the protest industry struggling to end the Iraq War, David Sirota provides readers with his close up observations and analysis of an angry country fed up with the status quo. Thomas Frank, author of What?s the Matter With Kansas had the following praise for Sirota?s book:

?After so many decades of fake populism-of revolts by the wealthy, red-state fantasies, and stock-picking grandmas-could we finally be looking at the real thing? In this compelling book, rooted in history but as contemporary as this morning?s newspaper, David Sirota gives us reason to hope.?

Remember Pat Tillman?

As we finish digesting our Memorial Day barbeques and close out the holiday weekend, we should remember Pat Tillman. Tillman, an NFL football player opted to give up the glamor and wealth of professional sports and serve his country following 9/11.

Many of us on the left, including myself, never trusted the Bush Administration to prosecute the war against al quaida judiciously. However, the patriotic sacrifice offered by soldiers such as Tillman deserve reverence. They've made the ultimate sacrifice while the rest of us complain about gas prices on Memorial Day weekend and barely acknowledge that we're currently occupying two countries.

As for Pat Tillman, his high profile was exploited by the Bush Administration and the circumstances surrounding his death covered up. As we know by now, Tillman's death was officially caused by "friendly fire" in Afghanistan and did not result from engaging the enemy as the Pentagon originally reported. Below is a video clip of an interview that Tillman's, mother Mary, gave to Katie Couric of CBS News on May 4th. It was MayTillman who vigorously demanded the truth and forced the Pentagon to acknowledge their egregious errors. What disappoints me about this interview is that Couric doesn't ask Mary Tillman if she suspects her son was murdered because of his opposition to the Iraq war.

Tillman had signed up to fight al quaida in Afghanistan and was a poster boy for the war on terror. What if Tillman's opposition to the Iraq war had become public during the 2004 presidential campaign? There was much speculation last year that the Pentagon was really covering up an execution. Perhaps Tillman's mother, who also opposes the Iraq war, would have refuted that theory if Couric had asked. Nevertheless, the question should have been asked.

One wonders how many Pat Tillman's are there who signed up out of a sense of patriotic duty, made the ultimate sacrifice only for the U.S. government to dishonor their memories with falsehoods about their deaths. It seems the public has largely forgotten that our fellow citizens are risking their lives as we occupy two nations.

We're all consumed by rising gas prices and the struggles of our own lives. It shouldn't require a holiday called "Memorial Day" to remember that the men and women in uniform are flesh and blood people and not disposable units. Too many lives have been discarded at the whims of immoral and inept politicians as well as an apathetic public that has tuned out the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But hey, I hear the reality TV show Survivor is now accepting applicants as young as eighteen. And American Idol is always fun to watch.

Ted Kennedy: The Liberal Lion

The recent news about Senator Kennedy's seizure has me reflecting on the "liberal lion." The first political speech I can recall leaving an impression upon me was Senator Kennedy's concession speech to Jimmy Carter at the 1980 Democratic National Convention. I was eleven at the time and quite stirred by it. Many instead recall Senator Kennedy's inability to be gracious to President Carter on the podium and blame him for Ronald Reagan's victory. For me though, this speech by Kennedy stands the test of time. It was a defiant clarion call against the growing tide of callous predatory conservatism.

Unable to restore Camelot's throne, Kennedy resumed his Senate career and became an indispensable progressive advocate within the legislative branch. While the center of political gravity shifted to the right, Kennedy was a powerful counterweight. In 2002, unlike too many of his cowardly colleagues, Kennedy voiced dissent against President Bush's march towards war with Iraq.

Yes, I acknowledge Kennedy's personal failings. They've been well documented. The death of Mary Jo Kopechne at Chappaquiddick Island in 1969 when Kennedy left the scene of the accident and failed to immediately report it to authorities was despicable. Unquestionably, he got off far easier than the average person would have. If I were a member of Mary Jo Kopechne's family I likely could never forgive him. That said, this country is far better off for Kennedy's service in the Senate.

Below are four YouTube audio recordings of Kennedy's memorable speech divided in four parts. It's words still echo today.

Kudos To Joe Biden

I've always had mixed feelings about Delaware Senator Joe Biden. On domestic issues his support of the bankruptcy bill undermined both wage earners and small business entrepreneurs. However, his home state relies on the financial services industry for jobs so I understood.

In October 2002, Biden showed poor judgment in supporting the resolution to go to war against Iraq. Overall though he's been an articulate voice on foreign policy. I thought his presidential campaign was an honorable attempt at substance over show biz and deserved more attention from the media.

Today, Biden effectively responded to President Bush's disgraceful fear mongering before the Israeli Knesset. Bush was specifically targeting American Jewish voters on behalf of McCain. Jewish voters typically vote for Democrats about seventy percent of the time. Obama has a perceived weakness among that constituency. As an American Jew I was offended by Bush's pandering through fear mongering and appreciate Biden's forceful response.



Iran is a complex and layered society. To learn more about the Iranian people and their system of government, click here to listen to an interview I conducted with Mideast expert Barbara Slavin last year. Slavin's informative book, Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S., and the Twisted Path to Confrontation had just been published when the interview took place.

Amy Poehler Is So Right

Amy Poehler's latest impersonation of Hillary Clinton on Saturday Night Live brilliantly captures the Democratic Party's political zeitgeist. Indeed, Poehler's humorous pseudo Clinton illustrates the real subtext behind her message to the party's super delegates: my supporters are racist and I'm shamelessly unscrupulous enough to do whatever it takes to win. Clinton's recent channeling of her inner George Wallace in USA Today last week had me infuriated. She deserves forceful repudiation not merely because of her comments in USA Today but her sinister campaign of race baiting with dog whistles. Even better would be repudiation by the voters of West Virginia tomorrow but that's not going to happen.

Have You Called Mom Today?

The corporate media, blogs and our individual attention spans are understandably consumed by the celebrity hype of presidential politics these days. Mothers Day however offers an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our society and individual families.

Women have made remarkable gains the past forty years. Indeed when Billy Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in their famous 1973 tennis match, women were typically denied credit cards simply for being women. Today women are CEOs, television news anchors and Nancy Pelosi is the Speaker of the House.

As my readers know, I?m not fond of Hillary Clinton but a woman coming this close to the Democratic Party?s nomination for president is a cultural milestone. Shirley Chisholm, the first black woman to serve in the United States Congress ran for president in 1972 and observed that, ?I've always met more discrimination being a woman than being black.?

Our culture has certainly evolved since Chisholm ran for president. As economist Jared Bernstein pointed out to me during a podcast interview last month, women?s wages have increased dramatically in recent years while men with high school diplomas have watched their earning power disintegrate due to globalization. Yet this reality has only added to the struggles and stress of professional moms as well as working class ?waitress moms.? Too many moms must lift the household in today?s treadmill economy while their husbands struggle to earn a living wage as manufacturing jobs disappear.

Working is not simply a choice for women today or a legitimate pursuit of career ambition. It?s an absolute necessity. Most families can?t survive without two incomes and the precipitous decline of male incomes have made our treadmill economy steeper. Yet moms still absorb much of the household burdens and parenting responsibilities.

Frequently, it?s mom who carries the weight in today?s treadmill economy while their husbands struggle to earn a living wage. Meanwhile, mom has to simultaneously assuage the ego and pride of those dads who earn less after the plant closed or they were laid off. Also, too many fathers abandon their responsibilities and leave mom to raise their kids without any support.

In many households mom is the CEO within the home and sets the tone for the family as a whole. If mom isn?t happy nobody in the house is happy. Mom is often the one who wakes up the kids who would rather sleep and get them to school. Through it all it?s often up to mom to smile through the adversity, manage the conflicts and controversies between siblings, help the kids with their homework and be a wife to dad. Mom has to be a disciplinarian without losing her temper due to stress. That?s tough. And sometimes mom isn?t perfect and loses her temper when she?s expected to pick up after everyone as dad watches ESPN and kids behave like kids.

And let?s not forget the repercussions for moms from our foreign policy. While most sacrifice little in our military occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan we have moms widowed and struggling, or carrying on while dads are compelled to serve multiple tours of duty due to America?s back-door draft. There are also those moms raising their kids and supporting the family while simultaneously struggling to transition their traumatized husbands back into society.

We also have mom warriors serving abroad and risking their lives while the government callously does little to help their families at home. And those mom warriors also suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and are expected to seamlessly become mom again when they return home. While were at it, for damn sure we shouldn?t forget the moms in Iraq and Afghanistan living in misogynist cultures who have needlessly lost their children and husbands due to ?collateral damage? as the Pentagon likes to call it.

To their enormous credit, moms have great challenges partly because they?ve embraced them and succeeded in rising above them. And of course one person those moms can often call upon when they need a helping hand, advice or a shoulder to lean on are their own moms. Kids often know that in a pinch mom will call grandma in a time of need.

Twenty-five years ago, the most memorable moment of my Bar Mitzvah was when my mother, grandmother and great grandmother stood with me on the podium while Rabbi Katz presented the Torah. Rabbi Katz told the congregation, ?We are privileged to have four generations represented up here today. Three generations of mothers who made today possible.? I sensed it was a poignant moment at the time but it wasn?t until years later I realized how much it mattered to have three generations of mothers standing with me.

Bottom line, call your mom today.

Welcome To The Endgame

Below, is a video courtesy of MSNBC, of Obama's victory speech in North Carolina this evening. As of this writing, Indiana remains too close to call. Obama needs to win over sixty percent of the votes remaining in Lake County, Indiana which is a tall order. But not impossible. However, viscerally it feels like the endgame of the Obama/Clinton contest has finally arrived. As for Obama's speech this evening, I find it interesting how he channeled John Edwards with his references to valuing work over wealth. Indeed, there were numerous populist anecdotes. Overall the tone is of a candidate looking to unify the party for the general election.

Just A YouTube Post

I admit it. I have writers block. Even as I've been talking with people about the presidential campaign, phone banking for Obama and debating with friends/colleagues/acquaintances about policy, I just can't structure my thoughts in recent days. Suffice to say I am infuriated at the sensationalized coverage of Reverend Wright and how the media hype has dwarfed the more important issues pertaining to our foreign policy and economy.

Personally, I'm rather burned out by this campaign and it's only May. So much at stake. Our country is in trouble. The times could not be more serious. From my vantage point America is an empire in decline. Our education system is in decline. Our infrastructure is decaying. America's for profit health care system is making us sicker. Republican nominee John McCain is promoting a health plan that would reward employers for dropping their coverage. McCain's so called tax credit for people to buy insurance can't begin to keep up with the rising costs. Our military is overextended as we occupy not one but two nations with a back door draft. The world is poised to run out of fresh water because of global warming. And the campaign continues to become more vapid by the hour.

So, given the vapid discourse I thought I would post this humorous YouTube video entitled "The Empire Strikes Back" from an Obama supporter. It won't readdress the imbalance of the media coverage questioning Obama's "values." Nor will it raise the level of debate about the issues I referenced above. One could fairly argue that I'm just feeding the beast of superficiality by posting it. But for the time being it will make me feel better. And for now that's enough. I'll have more substantive essays and interview posts in the days ahead.

Lincoln's First Inaugural Speech In 1861

Yes, I realize there is a presidential campaign going on today that is supposedly a grand epic contest. However, I continue to be engrossed in reading the archives recently provided to subscribers of the New York Times. As noted in my previous post, the New York Times has made available to their subscribers online access to articles dating back to 1851. Below is an excerpt from their March 4th, 1861 edition reporting about Abraham Lincoln's upcoming inaugural speech.

February 13th, 1861

My apologies for not posting in several days. Tomorrow, I'm taking an exam important to my profession and have used my spare time for studying. During study breaks I've indulged myself with the New York Times online archives. Sadly, the corporatist sensibilities that regulate so much of the media today also heavily influences the New York Times.

Nevertheless, one benefit to maintaining a subscription is free online access to their historical archives. Previously, subscribers could only access those archives dating back to 1980. However, in recent days the New York Times have made available online archives dating back to 1851! Below is an excerpt from their February 13th, 1861 coverage of the U.S. Congress officially certifying Abraham Lincoln's election as President by the Electoral College:

"The scene in the House was very impressive. Thousands of people were present filling every available spot. As many more left, being quite unable to reach the galleries. The arrangements for keeping the peace at the Capitol, and avoiding obstruction of the passage from one House to the other were perfect.

When the Senate entered the Hall of the House of Representatives, Vice-President Breckinridge took a seat with the speaker, and assumed the Chair. Senators Seward, Douglas and Lane occupied the centre seats of the front front row of Senators. From the moment the Senators took their seat and throughout the proceedings, the audience looked on with almost breathless interest and silence, appreciating fully the grave solemnity of the occasion, and the decorum belonging thereto. There were no manifestations of applause, disapprobation or uneasiness in the audience, and when the Vice-President had announced the result, and that Lincoln and Hamlin were elected, the vast audience, satisfied that the interesting event was consummated in peace arose silently and withdrew in an orderly manner from the chamber. Vice-President Breckinridge bore himself in the proceedings with marked dignity and courtesy."

I'm A Member of Moveon.org & A Terrible Bowler

As many of you know by now, The Huffington Post reported yesterday that Senator Clinton slammed the activist organization Moveon.org at a fundraiser in February:

?Moveon.org endorsed [Sen. Barack Obama] -- which is like a gusher of money that never seems to slow down," Clinton said to a meeting of donors. "We have been less successful in caucuses because it brings out the activist base of the Democratic Party. MoveOn didn't even want us to go into Afghanistan. I mean, that's what we're dealing with. And you know they turn out in great numbers. And they are very driven by their view of our positions, and it's primarily national security and foreign policy that drives them. I don't agree with them. They know I don't agree with them. So they flood into these caucuses and dominate them and really intimidate people who actually show up to support me."

?He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.?

ABC News Is Insipid and Elitist

This post is a short and angry rant. ABC News debate moderators Charles Gibson and George Stephanopolous were a disgrace this evening. Remember when Obama/Clinton debated health care for fifteen minutes prior to their contests in Ohio and Texas? There wasn't a single question about health care this evening. Over forty minutes had to pass before Iraq and Afghanistan were even mentioned. And of course not a single question about the Bush Administration's latest disgrace on torture. Nor did most of the debate address specifics about our collapsing economy such as the housing crisis, credit crunch, globalization and free trade. Overall, this evening's debate was a display of insipid futility. Apparently, ABC News believes a vacuous tabloid oriented debate is what voters really want. I'm disgusted and have nothing else to say.