davidswanson's blog

I just read Danny Schechter's latest, "The Crime of Our Time," which ads to his latest film, "Plunder," and a series of related books.

It's useful to remember that Congress and the presidents bailed out with our money people who appear guilty of serious crimes, and is now debating whether to slightly regulate their ongoing crimes, but criminal prosecutions are still not flowing down like waters into Wall Street.

Schechter's book reads like a long blog entry blockquoting numerous other blogs.  It's not an indictment, but a wakeup call to prosecutors and to the rest of us.

Want to end killing by militaries or resisters or terrorists or robbers or angry spouses or disgruntled former employees and former home owners?

Want to use something other than killing people to solve our problems?

Then we have to join the civilized world, which has ceased to publicly teach that killing is good by doing it through government (except when aiding in our wars).

Support VAPD.  I just gave them $5.  Can you?

The Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee David Obey has stalled the war escalation funding until jobs and schools are funded. Please call and thank him, and ask him to just fund jobs and schools while blocking the war funding permanently. 202-225-3365

If Pelosi produces stand-alone bills, one for the war escalation, and one for useful non-murderous investments, this will mean that:
1. More than 40 Democrats refuse to vote for war even with lipstick applied;
2. Pretending these unrelated matters had to be combined in one bill was for purposes of lipstick;
3. The leadership of the Democratic Party is more closely alligned with Republican members of the House than Democrats when it comes to our biggest public program: war.

DEFAZIO URGES NEW POLICY IN AFGHANISTAN

WASHINGTON, DC—U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (OR-04) today in a speech on the House floor, urged President Obama to reconsider his policy in Afghanistan in light of the replacement of General McChrystal.

A copy of DeFazio’s comments on the House floor today are below:

“The President has been given a unique opportunity today with the firing of General McChrystal who was the principle author and advocate of the surge strategy in Afghanistan.

His theory was that it would be a clear, hold and transfer to the Afghan police who don’t exist, to the security forces who are in disarray and to the government which doesn’t exist in any meaningful way outside of the Capitol. There is unbelievable corruption rife throughout the Karzi government, the police, and security forces.

Tighe Barry from Code Pink has been arrested in the US in the past for nonviolent peace activism. Now he's tried to go to Canada from Detroit for lunch and he's being held in Windsor Jail for ... what? Tell the US State Dept to get him out: 1-888-407-4747.

It's a step.
A baby step.

Kucinich Amendment Protects Democracy from the Stain of Big Oil

Washington D.C. (June 24, 2010) – The House of Representatives today unanimously passed an amendment by Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) to HR 5175, the Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Elections (DISCLOSE) Act. The amendment will prevent companies that receive federal leases that allow them to drill in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) from spending unlimited amounts of money to influence campaigns and elections.

“If the tragedy unfolding in the Gulf of Mexico has taught us anything, it is that oil companies put profits above the delicate and complex ecological systems on which we all depend. Prevention of future such disasters begins with curbing their excessive political influence.

America Can't Solve Crises Because It's a Company-Owned Town
Top Democrat: Fire McChrystal
Another World Is Possible, Another Detroit Is Happening
Viewpoint with James Zogby (Raed Jarrar Video)
Cause and effect in the War on Terror
How Is McChrystal Doing at Fulfilling His Plan?
Meanwhile in THIS secret back room the administration is giving away the Internet to its corporate sponsors
CCR Demands Return of Property and Evidence Seized by Israel from Flotilla
Write to the Forgotten Prisoners in Guantánamo
The Horrifying Scumbag Playbook

This is what happens when you let an escalation happen before funding it. The congress critters claim the funding is for "troops on the ground" as if defunding them would mean they had to go without dinner. That the escalation has gone ahead unfunded might be grounds for impeachment, but it is not an excuse to insist on funding it. If Congress doesn't fund it, the troops must be brought back home.

By David Swanson

The video embeded at the bottom of this article and posted on the frontpage of http://congressmanwithguts.com may be the best corporate television interview ever. Not the funniest or most entertaining, but the most willing to directly and clearly expose the most forbidden topics and insist on the most needed changes in perspective.

The CongressmanWithGuts website is Congressman Alan Grayson's public and participatory demonstration of a simple fact that should be made known to a few hundred congress members who have not grasped it: If you do what the public wants and reach out to the public, you can raise your own funds and not depend on the Party Leadership to fund your campaigns. This, of course, is what allows you to do what the public, and not the Party Leadership, wants.

The National Education Association Peace and Justice Caucus has joined 110 other organizations and congressional candidates in opposing any more funding of foreign wars.  While the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee has stalled further war escalation funding until Congress funds teachers, teachers themselves do not want the war escalation funded at all, and certainly not with school funding used as pretty packaging on the same piece of legislation.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer spoke Tuesday morning in a large private room (the Columbus Room) at Union Station in Washington, D.C. and took questions. He had no answers for the questions I put to him.

Hoyer's topic was fiscal responsibility, and he said that his proposals -- which were all pure vagueness -- would be appropriate to enact "as soon as the economy is fully recovered." Don't hold your breath.

Hoyer, as is the custom, bragged about cutting and trying to cut particular weapons systems. So I asked him how he could have neglected to mention two closely related points (as is the custom):

1-He's been increasing the overall military budget.
2-He's been funding the escalation of war completely off the books.

He replied that all such issues should be "on the table." But he did not explain his failure to put them there or suggest how he would act on them.

None of the assembled Washington Press Corpse followed up.

By James E. Jennings, Conscience International/US Academics for Peace

Monday's 6-3 Supreme Court decision in the case of Holder v. Humanitarian Law Project found that humanitarian groups can be judged guilty of aiding and abetting terrorism merely by holding peaceful dialogue and engaging in political discussions with proscribed organizations. Those convicted may be sentenced to up 15 years in prison.

On its face, this is an infringement of the constitutional right of free speech. It means that people engaged in such contacts can be jailed for meeting with, providing humanitarian aid to, or discussing political goals and activities with groups that are on the terror list. The decision also affects Americans' rights of freedom of travel, association, conscience, and religion when dealing with banned, or so-called "terrorist" organizations. Today's ruling disallows such contacts, even if the intent is peaceful. Blessed are the peacemakers, but not in America!

By David Swanson

Over the past half century we've made tremendous progress while sliding backwards quite destructively. The progress has come in our domestic relations. We do unbelievably better (not perfectly by any means, but radically better than 50 years ago) at treating people decently even if they aren't white, male, Protestant, educated, handsome, or even heterosexual (there's still particularly room for improvement on that last one). This progress has drastically improved the lives of millions.

By David Swanson

There are lots of ways to change Congress that falsely appear easy, that would alter the rules and patterns of behavior if only Congress were already fixed and willing to make the changes, or if we owned the television networks, or if people could suddenly hear what they're paid good money never to hear. But I've got a way to change Congress that is actually easy.

Congress lacks leadership. There is a progressive caucus, but it has never fought for anything. It doesn't fund its members' campaigns. It doesn't withhold votes needed for passing bills. It just does rhetoric. There are committees, but they don't subpoena, they don't send the police to pick up witnesses, they don't fine witnesses who refuse to answer questions. Congress thinks oversight was an oversight. If asked to put future generations into debt to fund wars, Congress asks "Would you like a side of drones with that?" Congress doesn't want power.

By David Swanson

Way back in January, the ocean was still ocean, oil still oil, and combining the two had not yet occurred to us.  The Conch Republic, the Florida Keys, was -- in retrospect -- a secure and pristine paradise.

The danger was of sunburn, not of crude oil on your skin or toxic chemicals in the air you breathed.

While I was there with my family, we enjoyed the sand, sun, and sea.  But we wanted to see more pelicans.  We wanted to see lots of pelicans.

So we went to the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center.

For Five Dollar Friday I just gave $5 to Veterans for Peace. I hope you'll do the same. This is the most principled and strategic party-independent peace group we've got. I hope you'll also consider joining. I'm not and would never be a veteran, but I am a member of Vets for Peace. Check them out: http://veteransforpeace.org

The tide is turning against war. 
We've permanently shut down the Army Experience Center!
We've kept student information from recruiters in Maryland!
The war escalation supplemental funding has stalled!
The attack on Kandahar has been stalled!
The majority of the public is on our side!
Even our puppet president doesn't want the war!

By Daniel Bass, Political Director, Segal for Congress

I want to let you know about an exciting event in DC for Rhode Island Congressional candidate David Segal the evening of Thursday, June 17th at the Big Hunt at 1345 Connecticut Avenue (Dupont Circle) from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. Segal is a close friend who has been a progressive champion in Rhode Island as a State Representative and Providence City Councilman, and he’s running for the seat being vacated by Congressman Patrick Kennedy.

By David Swanson

Remarks at the Rutherford Institute, June 16, 2010 - videos posted at bottom

I want to save most of the time we have for your questions, so I'll be brief and I'll start with a couple of questions for you.  And then I want you to think of questions for me, because otherwise I'll just go on and on about what I want to talk about.

Who can tell me who said this and where they said it?
"I -- like any head of state -- reserve the right to act unilaterally if necessary to defend my nation." -- President Barack Obama, asserting the illegal and unconstitutional power to make war, in a Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway.

What about this one -- who and where?

Ho Hum. Yet another problem we're handling brilliantly with the very top experts, so you riff raff can calm down.

It's perfectly safe to breathe the chemicals.

The national guard is busy elsewhere but we'll let the Navy run the crowd control, I mean cleanup.

BP will pay everybody, unless they refuse to. But no prosecutions while we're looking forward.

Except for in the deepest water for 6 months, it's drill baby drill.

Oil is going to kill us all. Anybody have any ideas?

Canadian RCMP Conducting Criminal Investigation of U.S. and Syrian Officials for Maher Arar's Rendition to Torture

Clumsy US disinfo on Saudi Arabia?

Washington abandons Gaza tunnel-blocking system?

Maher Arar Needs Your Help

Death by Schumer

Murders at Guantánamo: The Cover-Up Continues

Human Experimentation at the Heart of Bush Administration's Torture Program

Barney Frank's Panel Recommends $1 Trillion in Defense Cuts. Think It'll Happen?

Genocide Convictions at The Hague

Rolling Stone: Dept. of Interior Employees Say It's The Third Bush Term. Drill, Baby, Drill!

Ed Schultz: 'If it Wasn't for Labor, Barack Obama Would Not be the President of the United States'

Back To AfghaniNam For A Moment

Have You Ever Bought A TV Ad For A Progressive Challenger? $4 Is All It Takes!

NYT, Republican Opposition Rag

Panic Time in Afghanistan

The U.S. wins the right to abduct innocent people with impunity

International Red Cross Denounces Israeli Blockade of Gaza As Violation of International Law

NRA Shows Who’s Boss
 
PLUS: Your president thinks you're an idiot and that: "we're going to be able to leave the Gulf Coast in better shape than it was before."

By David Swanson

According to USA Today here is "A snapshot of the goings-on in the average male brain as it matures:"

Fetal stage. Brain development starts eight weeks after conception.

Boyhood. High testosterone from 1 to 12 months; lower testosterone from 1 to 11 years. Major interest in winning, movement, chasing objects, exploratory play.

Puberty. A 20-fold increase in testosterone. Major interest in turf, social interaction, girls' bodies, male hierarchy.

Single male. Visual circuits change to spot fertile women. Focus on career, money.

Fatherhood. Circuits for sex drive suppress, auditory circuits enhance to hear baby cries. Focus on protecting mother/baby.

Midlife. Continued focus on sex, turf and attractive women. Testosterone slowly decreases.

I know it's not Friday anymore, but I'm running late and don't want to miss a $5 Friday.  This week I've supported the Secular Student Alliance.

Had enough of Americans coming out of school believing humans lived with dinosaurs, environmentalism fails to properly value the afterlife, wars against people who believe the wrong nonsense are justified, and Bible-thumping morons make the best legislators?

Do something about it:

And here's a new review:

"Prophecy itself, despite the theatrical legacy, is as explosive as this week’s headlines—literally. This is because, besides Iraq, the play has the temerity to give voice to a pro-Palestinian stance—and we know what happens to people who take such positions: They’re reviled and drummed out of the press corps, as veteran reporter Helen Thomas was, after a crotchety answer to an on-the-spot question, which no one needed a Ph.D. to realize wasn't going to work. But, besides Helen’s senior moment, being sympathetic to Palestinians also gets booed at the Academy Awards; in 1978, Vanessa Redgrave had her career marked by the affiliation, and, unless they do them themselves, playwrights don't get their plays involving the subject produced in America—Malpede’s fate."

By David Swanson

Last June, Congressman Tom Perriello wanted to vote against war funding, because -- much as he loves wars -- he opposed the IMF bailout attached to it. So, the White House and the Democratic Party gave him a choice. He could vote No and be cut out of the family, "dead to us." Or he could vote Yes and nice things would happen. Perriello voted yes, and the Party bought radio ads to promote him. Van Jones, then a White House employee, came down to Charlottesville to do a press event with Perriello announcing nothing at all. Steny Hoyer, then and now Majority Leader in the House, came down to do a press event with Perriello to announce nothing at all.

Karzai, non-puppet puppet governor of a corner of Afghanistan, is fed up with the United States and turning to Pakistan or the Taliban, or something.  Will Congress vote another $33.5 billion for a war whose puppet admits it can't be won, just as our ambassador and National Security Advisor and other experts admit?  While DailyKos would never dare oppose such funding, here's a blog that makes the case against it.  And if Congress needs somewhere to spend the $33 billion, just ask.

By David Swanson

The U.S. military budget, and the add-on war budget, and the total of the two have all been headed upwards for years and have been headed upwards for the past year and a half. Yes, I know, all you hear about is the one airplane that the so-called Secretary of Defense doesn't want but that Congress insists on giving him anyway. But he and the President have twice asked for a larger overall budget and twice been given it. And almost none of it has anything to do with defense.

After about a year, probably more, my congressman wrote me back today in response to a letter I'd forgotten sending him. Here's what he wrote back:

______________blah______blah blah.

That's the gist of it. Here's the long version:

June 10, 2010

Dear Mr. Swanson,

Thank you for contacting me with regard to initiating an inquiry into the policies of the Bush-Cheney Administration and any possible criminal infractions. I appreciate hearing from you and value your input in developing sound policies that benefit the citizens of Virginia's 5th district and our nation.

By David Swanson

During the past five years since I moved back to Charlottesville, Virginia, I had yet to observe the slightest violent incident, prior to the recent spree of horrific mass murders. There was crime, but I hadn't ever seen it. I had only heard about it in the local media. First there was a young woman picked up hitch hiking and murdered. That was many months ago now. Then there was a man from Charlottesville attacked out of the blue up in the mountains, not actually in Charlottesville. Most recently, a University of Virginia student was alleged to have killed his girlfriend; this made national news, apparently because they were both Lacrosse players.

That was the situation before the blood started flowing. Charlottesville was the kind of town where murder was so rare that any occurrence of it was publicly discussed and mourned in detail. Everyone felt for the victims, whether they knew them or not. All of that has changed.

The livestream is supposed to start now here.

Live blog: