wOOt !

Jo Fish !

There is great excitement worldwide now that Barack has won. Bush has ‘the most hated’ tag, right after Bird Flu.

meh, sounds good to me.

lol bushflu

Under the NeoCons, policy has moved so far right that DK is prolly considered “center- right” /s

Is there such a thing as a citizens lobby?

If there isn’t, perhaps it is time to start on.

-G

It lasts 8 years and the medicine costs $1 Trillion per dose

fyi: a great flickr slideshow following barack & family night of the election.

Would remaining at war/occupation in Afghanistan and Pakistan be centrist progressive in your opinion, Joe?

and if you don’t get the dose you’ll die of brain rotting doublespeak.

not in mine.

I would dare to suggest that he jumpstart the economy and start the move towards Universal Health Care simultaneously. If done correctly, both will help the middle class.

… and have the uncontrollable urge to shoot friends in the face …

Close GITMO

Oh no! I have an idea for some new inmates….

I am all for cleaning the Bush stink out of the justice department. As long as we’re talking about justice let’s start drawing up the charges for the profiteering and theft by Cheney’s companies and other friendlies, the false evidence compilers who led the charge into Iraq and the CEO’s who ruined the economy while investors and America were handed their bill.

ES- I think that extrication from the Afghanistan mess will actually be a harder sell than Iraq. I don’t know that we’ll see the backside of that war until we’re well and gone from Mess O’Potamia. It’s really more of a center-right position, I guess but I don’t think Obama is going to be inclined to accelerate our departure from that dirty little war.

I think he may be able to get more involvement of the NATO allies, and perhaps even bring Talib/Pakistani forces into a neutral scenario to talk and perhaps break from AQ. It’s a hard road, and I think President Obama will take the correct first steps. There’s enough to take care of here at home first…

While we’re overturning the torture memos, let’s go ahead and rejoin the International Criminal Court.

… and calling ransacking the nations’ blood and treasure ‘bipartisanship.’

Are there any unused salt mines? I’m thinking two single occupancy cells about a mile below ground. No guards, just a camera. You could deliver meals by robot.

right, that’d mean giving up ‘war time powers’ and a repudiation of of the so called ‘war on terror.’

How about a town-hall meeting in lieu of one of those “press conferences”. He could open it with a “Fireside Chat” sort of statement…then, by letting members of the public ask questions, he could cut through the gotcha BS…at least part of the time.

But if we are going to make a list…we could probably just use the one that gave some 200+ acts that were impeachable that Bush and his cronies were involved with.

One thing I’d hope he’d do is get someone investigating whether many of the more egregious acts undertaken during the Bush Administration were “impeachable”. This individual could act as a Special Prosecutor, yet be given access to the documents of the former Executive Branch by the President.

Bring some of the lower level figures before a select set of committees of Congress, who could then recommend impeachment~ banning the individuals from benefitting from government office or contracts/loans or contacts (lobbying) in the future. The extent of punishment would be directly related to their cooperation with the committee in disclosing activities of “higher ups”.

By removing many of the more malevolent and corrupt individuals from receiving government benefits (including Class III broadcast licenses-necessary to be an on-air “personality” rather than an interviewee) it would strip them of much of their capacity to make future harm.

there is nothing that obama has proposed (so far as i’ve seen) that is remotely progressive except the tech policy that lessig worked on.

that said, i think it is a very good thing to have a moderate and sane republican (even if he calls himself a D) after 8 years of batshit crazy.

an energy policy that makes sense. if you dont know what that is read nobel guy al gore in the NYTIMES– op ed today.

and put the country back to work with an economic stimulus plan…a big one with public works.

and healthcare for all

and do his tax the wealthy plan and untax the middle class.

We need to overhaul all government agencies to where they work for the people and not the corporations/

The Obama Administration needs to get Congress to pass a Big GLBT Bill that:

1. Makes law the gender-identity-inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act (iENDA)

2. Repeals Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell so our country can join our allies in the 21st century in the way we treat non-heterosexuals in military service

3. Repeals the Defense of Marriage Act, so that we stop trying to defend marriage from people who want to marry the one they love

4. Enacts the Mathew Shepard Hate Crime Act

5. Gets HHS cracking on the AIDS exclusion for visitors on tourism or business (this was repealed this year, but the Bushies are dragging their feet on the regulation)

6. Includes non-heterosexual relationships in immigration law

7. Includes anti-bullying training requirement with Federal education money, and funds it at all levels: K-college

How about dataguy’s Internet Inaugural?

notes on the economic stimulus plan and how to argue for it…here.
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsme…..nd_the_ma/

i want all bills posted on the internet for a minimum of 7 days for public comment before congress votes on them. i want all executive orders and signing statements also posted for a period of public comment prior to execution. i want transcripts, audio (streaming for dial up and mp3 podcast for download) and video posted for all congressional committees by the end of the day they were held.

none of that is socialist. *g*

Tax the think tanks. /s

Aw, c’mon. You know thinking is already taxing for them…

Aloha, Jo Fish! And Ya’ll! ;-)

I think Obama’s biggest task will be addressing the economy. Also I don’t see why Republicans can put reactionaries like Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, and Alito on the Supreme Court and we only put “moderates” on. Why not good solid liberals? This seems like the ratchet effect that selise talked about. Republicans veer to the right and triangulating Democrats veer right with them, just not as fast.

none of that is socialist. *g*

Ha!

Tomorrow will mark the day when the president is told what he can expect from the new executive. I wounder if Bush will ask for enough tine to pack up and leave Texas for a foreign country before the warrants are issued? I don’t think President elect Obama will tell Bush what he has in mind. It is not every day the leader of the free world will be seeking justice for the over 4000 dead military personnel and hundreds of dead thousands of Iraqi civilians or those that have been tortured against the former leader without a revolution. One thing is for sure, We need to have the support of the rest of the world in order to stop these wars and move the country in a new direction. Holding those people accountable for their actions would be a great start. I just don’t know if Obama has the stones.

URL:
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* gordonsoderberg’s diary :: ::
*

The mass media is trying to push the idea that there is too much work to do with bailing out the financial markets. Now, the Auto industry too much on his plate to address the needs of average working class Americans. You know, the ones that actually elected the president. Or hold the previous administration accountable for their obvious crimes.

Will Obama have what it takes to tell the press that by bring the war to a close, aggressively addressing the crimes that have been committed and by rebuilding America from the ground up, with solar, geothermal and alternative fuels, we are creating a peaceful, just culture with a sustainable economy that our veterans can find work in?

And when the auto industry figures out that making vehicles that waste fuel will not keep them in business, they will start making mass transit systems that work and personal vehicles that make sense. Or they won’t and free the markets will prevail.

Obama made another promise I hope he lives up to. That is, rebuilding the gulf coast post Hurricane Katrina. Getting the people back into their communities three years after a storm should be his top priority. The stock brokers and bankers can wait. The Auto industry can wait, the homeowners can wait in their homes. The people in the lower ninth ward have been waiting for over three years to have a home to move back to. Many are dying to go home, Literally!

If America is worth defending, then, it is worth rebuilding. If we respect the service our military provides us all, they deserve to have homes and jobs to come back to. If democracy is worth spreading, then isn’t our economy worth being grown sustainably?

I’ve got an idea. Put the veterans returning from the wars to work rebuilding homes on the Gulf Coast. Let them learn how to install geothermal heating and cooling units, Solar power systems, and build homes that can withstand hurricane force winds. Build them with material that won’t rot if they get flooded again, or get eaten by termites, Then you will begin to see America shine with a sustainable glow.

Mod note: Edited to remove duplicate text

Add to list:

* Close all the other black sites

* Repeal the recent FISA bill. Sadly, telecomm immunity can’t be undone, but the people’s right to redress through civil action has to be reinstated.

* Repeal the more noxious provisions of the PATRIOT Acts.

* Repeal the Military Commissions Act, and replace it with a declaration that all remaining prisoners will be tried in Federal court or released.

Ian left him quite a todo list in the previous article, too.

Why not Medicare for all with an employer matching contribution as we do with Social Security? I’ll bet 3% + 3% with 1/2% each for spouses and children would be ample for the NON-PROFIT basic health care for all employees. The system is in place and it will be even better when the President Elect’s plan for computerizing records is implemented. I’d love to see Doctor’s access to contribute their experiences with effective treatments from their practices as well as their practical experiences with drugs. Interesting times ahead.

Participatory democracy. What a novel idea.

De privatize intel workers and paid militia. (and a lot of other stuff)

Of course you aren’t. If you were a socialist you’d have insisted on Ogg Vorbis podcasts.

Hey, Cujo! Mention to Jo that you’d like to contribute some posts to M&C…! ;-)

Terrific list, Jo Fish! ;-)

not bad for a moderate republican.

This is kind of a repeat from what I said in a comment on Ian’s economic post immediately priot, so apologies. But WE have to keep pressure up on media and press.

Most of the corporate press is still horrible. They did act somewhat better during last half of campaign, but only because the McCain campaign ran of the cliff and jumped into a bottomless pit of assinine. They had to react to McCain somewhat responsibly because if they had done what the GOP wanted, to propagandize for the GOP, the media would have discredited themselves completely and immediately because the McCain campaign fed them such patent and obvious garbage.

Rahm Emanuel explained the difference between short run and long run fiscial considerations to Bob Schieffer very clearly and concisely today on CBS. Schieffer just sneered and accused Emanuel of dodging the question becuase Emanuel did not respond like Pavlov’s dog to Schieffer’s ignorant and neo-Hooverite, economically suicidal, rich-man first always and only, views.

The press and their corporate masters have already started their midterm election campaign work.

We cannot relax. We have to ramp up the push back to a higher level than it was during the election.

There needs to be a thorough review of all decisions to use contractors, civil servants, or military personnel in the DoD’s operations, IMHO. Intel and private security contractors are a very small part of that. I wrote a comment on that subject for Ian’s article. There are plenty of jobs the military themselves could be doing, or at least doing alongside GSs and contractors.

As Dr. RJ Hillhouse says over half our Intel is conducted by private contractors, at least according to the black budget…

Exactly! We must make heads spin. ;-)

Now that you mention it. ;)

Hey Jo, I notice that M & C isn’t updating much lately, due to the circumstances of the current chief writer. Would you like guest posts as a way to keep it fresh in the interim? I’m assuming any such posts would be related to Middle East policy or the like.

didn’t Obama’s team announce today that they are preparing now to overturn over 200 shrub admnistrative and exec orders basically on opening day? That sounded auspicious, at least

The military did do all the jobs prior to Darth and his Halliburton cronies came into the picture… They’ve since phased out a lot of the MOS’s that used to handle the beans and bullets along with the (re)construction units…

Give women in combat the credit and benefits they deserve

Lioness highlights one awful truth, these women are not getting the credit they deserve for the risks they take on behalf of their fellow soldiers.

The practice of attaching women on a temporary basis to all male units [in Iraq] is a convenient loophole that enables commanders on the ground to reduce violence without violating policy. But because it does not create a paper trail, it can limit a female soldier’s ability to be officially recognized as a combatant, which prevents them from advancing up the ranks and assuming meaningful leadership roles within the military hierarchy. This in turn inhibits their ability to shape national policy. Proof of having served in combat is also important for determining benefits available to veterans. Without documentation, it is harder for women to get the help they need for combat-related trauma.

diary link

Drive-by.

Expect small package within next week (depends on when I can get to the post office). I think it came out right this time!

There’s an article by Time bureau chief James Carney:

Looking Past Defeat: How Can McCain Recover?

http://www.time.com/time/polit…..13,00.html

It acknowledges that McCain ran a negative campaign but asserts that it is time for McCain to get back to his old bipartisan mavericky self. He sort of misses that the sleaze we saw in the campaign is the real McCain. The one Carney is trying to resurrect is the fake.

Sorry if this is a repeat but the best “to do” list I’ve seen so far is the ACLU’s Transition Plan: Actions for Restoring America.

for folks who haven’t seen “The ratchet effect“, here is the link and a small sample:

The electoral ratchet permits movement only in the rightward direction. The Republican role is fairly clear; the Republicans apply the torque that rotates the thing rightward.

The Democrats’ role is a little less obvious. The Democrats are the pawl. They don’t resist the rightward movement — they let it happen — but whenever the rightward force slackens momentarily, for whatever reason, the Democrats click into place and keep the machine from rotating back to the left.

Here’s how it works. In every election year, the Democrats come and tell us that the country has moved to the right, and so the Democratic Party has to move right too in the name of realism and electability. Gotta keep these right-wing madmen out of the White House, no matter what it takes.

(Actually, they don’t say they’re going to move to the right; they say they’re going to move to the center. But of course it amounts to the same thing, if you’re supposed to be left of center. It’s the same direction of movement.)

btw, this was written in 2005 at the latest (possible before).

iirc, southerndragon recommended we find the ratchet’s release dohicky (is there a name for that part of the ratchet)?

Hey Cujo, absolutely! Drop me an email… we’ll chat about it!!!

lol. good one. i’m surprised though that tw3k didn’t beat you to that one.

There was a WaPo article to that effect. I didn’t see a list of what those orders would be.

I’d add one more to the list… (at least one more)

• Do away with the use of DoD contractors with weapons. It was always a bad idea to have American Mercenaries. Bad all around.

Women definitely get screwed by the Army(all too literally too), but, even men in combat units are also being denied benefits by VA… Virtually every application is automatically denied… It is a problem that needs to be redressed in it’s entirety… Not just for the wimmens…!

That’s a part of one of my bullet points above, but of all the (mis)uses of contractors, this one is by far the worst. It ought to be the highest priority.

Excellent link… all very good, and necessary items. Love it!

woo hoo! if it’s what i think it is, i’ll have to pull out some bread recipes and be thinking about which one to make. *g*

thanks!

Sadly, telecomm immunity can’t be undone,

Why Not?

I may not be recalling correctly, but nothing was ever passed that said that the wiretapping was *legal*, or *made* it legal – merely that there could be no prosecution.

ex post facto considerations don’t apply, if that is indeed the case.

Merely a procedural block being removed.

a pawl
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_(device)

linchpin holds the wheel on.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linchpin

Was there an actual law at one time, outlawing war profiteering? If so, does anyone know when it was rescinded?

which looks very good.

No rehabilitation for you, John McCain!

I will send in comments to argue against any such rehabilitation for McCain to whatever media diva prattles about it. I never thought very highly of McCain, but was relieved when he became the presumptive nominee because I thought he was the most reasonable, aside from overly hawkish views. Boy, was I misinformed. McCain is an lazy, egotiscal, unethical, conceited fraud, and a baldfaced liar, and a demagogue. And irresponsible (Palin). And he reveals no perspective or intelligence in his hawkish views -it just an empy posture, or perhaps an expression of some kind of personality disorder. There appears to be less substance or thought to his hawkishness than in Cheney/Bush. Continued Cheney/Bush will lead to defeat and failure, and sooner or later, disaster. McCain will go straight to disaster.

A guy like Powell could rehabilitate himself. McCain, never.

A GOP and media that tolerates a rehabilitated McCain is a GOP that has to be vigorously opposed (or more accurately, crushed).

A GOP that could tolerate a Hagel or a Powell, would at least not be an imminent danger to the country. But that such a GOP is very unlikely in the near future.

It’d help immensely in retaining our SOF cell dudes too… All those Green Berets, Rangers, Seals, etc, wouldn’t be lured away by those high dollar contracts offered by Blackwater etal…

lol! good one :)

If you hadn’t mentioned the ACLU’s action plan, I was going to. My problem with their program is they take too long to lay it out. Their “First Day” program is laid out quickly, but their First 100 Days 10-point plan needs better packaging. The ten points need to each have a 5 words or less headline, a one sentence elaboration, and then the details later on.

Bob in HI

It was never rescinded, it just hasn’t been enforced during this Maladministration…

No, but what it said was that any past illegal activity by telecommunications companies, was, in effect legal as long as the government said it was. Effectively, they’re immunized.

I don’t know the answer to that, but apparently there’s no such law in force now. Pat Leahy introduced a bill last year on the subject. It never got out of committee.

I agree Bob, but ya gotta remember that report was written by lawyers. [g] I’ve read about 2/3’s of it and will finish it for sure.

Thanks!

thanks, but i don’t think that’s it. i was thinking of the release switch type thingy on my socket wrench – that changes the direction of the ratchet mechanism.

see – that’s just my problem! no wonder i can’t figure out what do about this rightward movement *g*

I heard he already has a team going through them/to see what they are/what to change.

If you have any doubts about it, the Committee responsible for the oversight is chaired by who else? Hojo… Which was what the Truman Committee morphed into…

I kind of like basin wrenches: flip the head over on the handle and it works in the other direction.

How about fixing the economy and adopting a sensible energy policy?

Oh, and that NSA illegal spying on Americans who are not terrorists without warrants thing….

I think we owe the rest of the world a very sincere apology.
And a leadership role in a true multinational effort to clean up the mess we’ve made, would be nice.

1.Repudiate all signing statements that permit deviation from statutory law based on claims of inherent Article II power.
2.Reaffirm the president’s obligation to abide by acts of Congress as well as the federal courts’ exclusive role as interpreter of the law. 28

http://www.aclu.org/transition/
p.28

The ACLU To-Do list is very impressive. They already have given it to the Obama transition team.

However, the ACLU is focused only on the legal/civil rights issues (not that those aren’t really really important!) and they didn’t deal with global warming, the environment, jobs, the MIC, and a host of other stuff.

But it would be such a great start for reclaiming our place as a nation of laws rather than a petty dictatorship/banana republic.

that said, i think it is a very good thing to have a moderate and sane republican (even if he calls himself a D)

Totally unfair and uncalled for.

I kind of feel sorry for the Obama transition team. I think everyone in the world has given them a huge to-do list like this. They must have a compilation the size of the New English Dictionary (that’s the huge book that has it’s own stand in the library because no one can even lift the thing!)

I understand there are over 600 people working on this stuff that have been working for 3-4 months already. We need to give him a little time and I think, stop second-guessing all his decisions before he has even made them.

Afghanistan has strategic value if oil is the game…it will never ever be secured for those purposes and we have plenty of puppet gov experience to know a war against a population is draining in manpower and resources as well as political capital.
The only way the US should be involved if there is universal internatuional support. This is a foriegn policy issue. Bushco and neocans want an empire with 270 military bases to control the PLANET. Then the Oligarchy can have the freedom to develop these third world counties. They spent a hell of a lot proving it a failed policy.
Fucking locust is what we are. We need to stop fighting religious wars and take care of business. The Kissenger policy is toast. Why Rahn is running the WH leaves a lot of inuendo.

Bushco and neocans want an empire with 270 military bases to control the PLANET

There will be one less on July 1, 2009. The Ecuador government said they will not renew the lease on our base there. Ha!

I would want something incredibly difficult. I want an apology to the world under The Truth and Reconciliation Committee.
If we are to move forward we can not pretend that our occupation of the nation of Iraq was anything other than what it was. Violent, brutal, heartless and unprovoked.
We can’t pretend we never tortured.
That said, I wouldn’t want to be assigned THAT speech, let alone that foreign policy.

I have no other reason than to feel confident Obama will surround himself with just as good a team to govern as he had to help him campaign.

Whereas the past 8 years have been the age of “Ignorance with Arrogance”, we are now entering a time of “Intelligence with Confidence”. I believe the skinny kid from Illinois will turn these huge problems into larger opportunities.

..and with that little FireDoggies, I leave you to your most excellent blogging, g’nite.

Cool. One passage says: “nature has the right to exist, persist, maintain and regenerate its vital cycles, structure, functions and its processes in evolution.” Sweet. Correa seems like a true American…there is a lot to protect on this contintnent. Thanks for the tip.

You bet. And reparation for the damages to be able to look them in the eye and do normal commerce and tourism, Maybe get their national treasure back that we watched being looted. GRRRR!

I would love to feel the faith. But Fisa, the bankruptcy bill and Larry Summers loom large.
I’m more comfortable with ” Trust but verify” myself.
So I signed up with progressivemajority.com as a donor and an active volunteer. It’s a new day.
Better faster smarter.

I personally think the FISA was a political move. Voting against would just have given ammunition to McSlime. And it would not have changed the outcome at all. Same with the bankruptcy bill.

On the Larry Summers thing – yes he made a speech where he said something rather horrid. But if you read his actual record on women and fairness and everything he has a very good record. Anyway, that speech of his, as is usual in the media, was misconstrued. He was asking a question in that his actual belief is that women LEARN differently than men do in math and science. And that is true. One method isn’t better or worse, just different. And the reason that women don’t do well in math and science is because they are not taught properly, according to the different learning style.

Actions speak louder than words – and his actions speak volumes about how he really feels about women – and yes, in math and science.

That being said – he is being considered for Treasury – a post that has everything to do with finances and nothing whatever to do with women’s rights other than very tangentially. He has a brilliant mind, since he has held that job before, he knows where all the bodies are buried and all the skeletons in the closets – he knows how to get stuff done and who to talk to to make that happen. We need someone who will hit the ground running on day one, not someone who has to find out who is actually working there and fiddling around memorizing the personnel directory.

But you are right to get involved in something. And advocate for your positions. We all need to do that.

One other point. Obama is a Democrat. Probably not a progressive. Although progressives are ‘in’ the Democratic party for the most part – the two terms are not synonymous. As you well know. *g* Thanks for being an active volunteer!

Wouldn’t it be absolutely totally cool if the whole world would adopt that? That nature has a right to exist?

I can dream!

Oops, make that progressivemajority.org. Rock the Movement!!!
I’m actually going to a county commissioners meeting tomorrow. How DO they spend our tax dollars and who are our local people.
It would seem boring but our county health department is being forced to make cuts on an across the board county departments budget cuts.
I’m absolutely sure there’s better cuts countywide than the Women Infants Children programs, the water testing programs and the health nurse that counsels new mothers. Many new mothers are teenagers these days with no support.
And yet, the county sees fit to extend our ferry service against popular vote, at an enormous cost over run. Hell, our forced extra ferry runs could relieve the Health Department of the need to cut costs.
But we have new and powerful neighbors.

Well, Larry Summers also sits at the World Bank and stated in a memo that undeveloped nations could absorb more toxic waste dumping. Even though they’re not the benefactors of the “civilized” lifestyle all those toxins produce.
And then there’s being avid deregulation before he was against it.
I guess I just think that there’s better faster stronger minds than Larry Summers and all the CEO’s on the advisory list.
Which brings us back to vigilance, yes?

you think obama is more progressive than ike? there used to be lots of old fashioned liberal and/or semi-progressive republicans – and wish we had more of. lincoln chaffee is a contemporary example.

it doesn’t have to be a slur – unless all you know is the current batch of batshit insane republicans.

larry summers was instrumental in the financial system deregulation that brought us a shawdow banking system, unregulated otc derivatives and set the stage for our current problems. i’m not keen on asking the people who screwed up to fix their messes – unless there is good reason to think they’ve has a serious change.

selise @ 97,
Yes, his hands are dirty and it’s time to wipe the slate clean.
The story is that now he has seen the errors of his ways. Not good enough.
There are better faster stronger minds and it’s time to fire the old guard.
Let’s not forget the horrible programs of ”free trade’, welfare-to-work programs that ultimately make victims of single mothers, but more so of their children. The Clintons were heartless on poor mothers and children. Does the phrase Latch Key come to mind. Mothers traveling for hours to work at minimum wage jobs with no supervision of their children while they worked. We abandoned them under Clinton to have Prosperity.
We are better than this as a country. But sadly lacking behind the majority of industrialized nations.

I suspect Barack may not be so easy to pigeonhole as you have done. Nobody knows what kind of president he is, including you, or what kind of president he will turn out to be, as the zeitgeist unfolds and manifests through the interplay of his presidency and the country.

my characterization was primarily about his policy proposals and actions so far. he has not been and is not now acting as a progressive.

i agree with you that i do not know what kind of president he will be – indeed he could turn out to be quite progressive (i hope!), but so far there is very little evidence (possibly none?) to indicate that will be the case. but as you say, anything is possible and imo, it is our job to help.