Author: BrianR

Criticize Congress go to jail?

All the presidential campaigns better look into this ASAP.
Update: Read Was I duped by Astroturf?.

Congress to Send Critics to Jail, Says Richard Viguerie

MANASSAS, Va., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following is a statement by Richard A. Viguerie, Chairman of GrassrootsFreedom.com,
regarding legislation currently being considered by Congress to regulate grassroots communications:

“In what sounds like a comedy sketch from Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, but isn’t, the U. S. Senate would impose criminal penalties, even jail time, on grassroots causes and citizens who criticize Congress.

“Section 220 of S. 1, the lobbying reform bill currently before the Senate, would require grassroots causes, even bloggers, who communicate to 500 or more members of the public on policy matters, to register and report quarterly to Congress the same as the big K Street lobbyists. Section 220 would amend existing lobbying reporting law by creating the most expansive intrusion on First Amendment rights ever. For the first time in history, critics of Congress will need to register and report with Congress itself.

via Slashdot from prnnewswire

How exactly will the Feds determine how many people my blog communicates with? Blogtapping? Its technically feasible.

Read more at grassrootsfreedom.com.

Context

Richard A. Viguerie of American Target Advertising, a direct marketing advertising company, pioneered political/ideological direct mail in the 1960s and 1970s. That marriage of direct mail and politics enabled grassroots Americans to participate in the political process to a greater degree than ever before and built the conservative movement that elected President Reagan in 1980. Viguerie’s effort was so important that John F. Kennedy Jr.’s magazine, GEORGE, included it on its list of the defining political moments of the 20th century. In December 1999, Lee Edwards in a WASHINGTON TIMES column listed Richard Viguerie as one of 13 “Conservatives of the Century.” He is now pioneering the use of the Internet on behalf of conservative free-market politicians and organizations.

The WASHINGTON POST called him the “conservatives’ Voice of America.” He has been credited with forming dozens of conservative organizations and with helping them grow stronger through political action, think tanks, publications, and representation in the U.S. House and Senate, state legislatures and other levels of government.

via PBS – NOW with Bill Moyers

Snow in NC days after 70 degrees

What is going on? Last weekend here in Chapel Hill it was 70 degrees. Now we have a light, but sticky, covering of snow on the ground. Is this extreme weather related to Global Warming? Is this the effect of a El Niño on Global Warming?

One respected climate scientist who has gone out on a limb about the global warming-El Niño connection is Kevin Trenberth, a climatologist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado. He thinks that El Niño may function as a kind of pressure release valve on the tropics. In an era of global warming, Trenberth says, ocean currents and weather systems might not be able to bleed off all the heat pumped into the tropical seas. Periodically, it has to get rid of the excess that builds up, he suggests, and that safety valve is El Niño.

via pbs.org

What Conferences do you want to go to?

If you could goto any conference real or yet to be done what would it be? Unconference or traditional conference. Please leave your ideas in the comments or contact me with my contact form. More details later. Thank you.

BTW… I’m going to the NC Science Blogging Conference this Saturday. Hope you can make it. More info on the wiki.

Sat, Jan 20, 2007
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
UNC-CH
Murphey Hall 116
Chapel Hill, NC

Iraq civilians: 34,452 dead, 36,000 hurt

For a minute try really hard to visualize thirty five thousand people. Hard isn’t it? Next time you’re at a big sporting event try thinking about the life of every person in the space. Imagine how special and different each person is. How happy and full of life each person is. Try talking to a complete stranger. Feel how they live and breath? That’s a lot of humanity isn’t it? Now imagine all those people in the room dead. Completly gone… Its amazing how we can become desensitized to so much loss when its thousands of miles away.

More than 34,000 civilians were killed in violence in Iraq during 2006, a UN human rights official has said.

The envoy to Iraq, Gianni Magazzeni, said 34,452 civilians were killed and more than 36,000 hurt during the year.

The figure is nearly three times higher than calculations previously made on the basis of Iraqi interior ministry statistics for 2006.

via BBC

End our dependancy on Oil

A good reason not to have permanent military bases in Iraq, besides the prevention of more needless death, is to help mitigate the United States dependency on oil. The Bush administration, and many other politicians on both sides of the aisle, want the US to stay in Iraq to secure Middle East oil all for themselves.

The desperation of the coming escalation of criminal lunacy is based not on some fantasy but on a real and coming competition between the U.S. and basically everyone else for these energy stores, even as most honest experts agree that world production of oil has now peaked and will begin an inexorable and irreversible decline. The reason for attempting to implant permanent U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf area and install compliant governments (the real reason for the war from the very beginning) has everything to do with securing control over the region.

Read the rest of Stan Goff’s new article Petraeus! Is Baghdad Burning? on the Truthdig site.

Edwards and Permanent Military bases in Iraq

A few months ago I was invited by Sen. John Edwards to attend a dinner with several local bloggers. It was a exciting and wonderful evening of good food and excellent conversation. I was nervous and wondered how I ended up there. I suppose its because of my blog post Mr. Edwards, help teach others to blog. Knowing Ruby Sinreich, my wife, hasn’t hurt either.

It has become one of my serious goals to reintroduce the American political Left back to the Democratic Party. I have been inspired by many wonderful local politicians in Orange County, North Carolina. Orange County is the home of Chapel Hill and Carrboro – long standing homes to very Liberal Democrats. They have not forgotten the real citizen activist base of their party. Many of them actively work to create a supportive community for a diverse group of people. Despite the moderate corporate influences of Bill Clinton and other NC Dem conservatives.

I want to recount one part of this evening that has been replaying in my head over and over. At one point during dinner we were asked what we would do about Iraq. The obvious answer was for the US military to leave, but what more?

I offered, “No permanent US military bases in Iraq.”

Before I said this the room was full of conversation. Immediately after my statement the room went completely silent. Not one word. Before that I had spoken with several people, including Sen. and Mrs. Edwards, with lots of back and forth. It was like I hadn’t said anything at all. I promptly forgot and chalked it up to our differences in opinion.

Fast forward to the Edwards appearance on the TV show Hardball with Chris Matthews. It was filmed on the campus of UNC at Memorial Hall. Ruby and I watched it on TV anxious to see what John Edwards would say. Would he announce his candidacy for President on this show here in Chapel Hill?

About halfway through the show Chris Matthews asked Sen. Edwards, “Are you in favor of permanent US military bases in Iraq?”

“Absolutely not.” said Sen. Edwards

I was shocked. Is that really his answer? I had assumed up until that point that Sen. Edwards was in favor of permanent military bases in Iraq. I had based this assumption on the LACK of response from my statement during dinner. Why didn’t Senator or Mrs. Edwards respond? Were they for permanent military bases and unwilling to admit it to us bloggers? Had the Edwards not made up their mind and reserved their pseudo-public opinion until later? Had John Edwards been pressured into stating an opinion against permanent military bases because of the recent mid-term election results? (The mid-term elections had given the Dems control of the House and Senate, sending a strong anti-war message. Many believe the Dems will not win the Presidency without a serious anti-war plank.) Ultimately was this a smart political move or the real opinion of a political leader?

Later I read in an article in The Nation magazine about John Edwards. It said,

[Edwards] wants to begin bringing the troops home quickly and he is steadfastly opposed to the construction of permanent bases.

Again this was a shock. Sen. Edwards voted for the war in Iraq and the money to pay for it while in the US Senate. He has since admitted his mistake. I have amazing respect for a leader who can admit his or her mistakes. I think its one of the most important qualities of a leader. Especially the President of the United States.

My question for Sen. Edwards is, “How did you come to the believe that permanent military bases in Iraq are unnecessary?”

Beyond Iraq: King is right!

America is so lucky to have had a human like Dr. Martin Luther King born among us. His work reaches way into the future and teaches us still. I’m confident many many future generations will benefit from his work.

When I listen to his speech Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence I want to cry. Not because of the horrors that he speaks against but because of the beauty of his soul. Dr. King was RIGHT! WAR IS WRONG!

Please read a transcript or listen to his Beyond Vietnam speech. It could so easily be said today and be called Beyond Iraq.
Text
MP3

Tomorrow during our time to honor this man think about how we may find peace in the world. He gave his energy and life so that we may find it.

Impeach G.W. Bush

They other day I voted to impeach George W. Bush. Sadly we don’t have a US gov sponsored direct election sans electoral college to impeach presidents. I did the next best thing: VoteToImpeach.org.

I used to wonder how signing petitions made a difference. Then I signed one in VA to get Ralph Nader on the ballot. He was actually added to the official VA ballot! Virginia is a really conservative state so I was shocked. Sadly VA must have better election laws than North Carolina ’cause its harder than hell for a third party to get on a official state ballot in NC.

The point is your action, no matter how small you may think it is, matters! Go vote! Then hold the people you empower to their word!

You can also read some proposed Articles of Impeachment of G.W. Bush.