This is a monster post, and my hat is off to Riverdaughter (RD) for courage, perceptiveness, intelligence -- and strategic thinking -- in posting it.* Quoting in relevant part:
There seem to be two major camps regarding this tragedy: Sarah Palin is a monster and the Tea Partiers must be blamed. Or, Sarah Palin is the scapegoat and her picture had nothing to do with this tragic incident.
I was about to use the headline "Heroes," but I changed my mind. Politics Daily:
Speaking at a Sunday press conference in Tucson, Dupnik said that the suspect, Jared Lee Loughner, was attempting to change magazines after his initial volley of shots when "a woman went up and grabbed the magazine and tore it away from him while he was trying to put another magazine in."
Loughner then succeeded in loading another magazine but that "fortunately the spring and the magazine failed" and two other civilians were able to get the weapon away from him and subdue him until the police came, Dupnik said.
An Open Letter to Andrew Cuomo from Howie Hawkins via email:
December 30, 2010
Dear Governor Cuomo,
Congratulations on your election.
During our recent Gubernatorial contest, we emphasized different approaches as to how best restore the state's fiscal health and to reduce the onerous impact of local property taxes. But as you prepare to start your administration, it is critical that the long term needs of our state take priority over the political rhetoric that dominates election campaigns.
Six lenders who have combined to file nearly 30,000 foreclosure actions in New Jersey this year face the possible suspension of their operations next month under a court order announced Monday by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner.
2010 is nearly over, and the fight for the presidency in 2012 is beginning to take shape. Corporate Democrat Barry Obama has not merely disappointed the public, nor has he merely failed to accomplish progressive goals. He has, in fact, deliberately and stubbornly refused to even try to accomplish progressive goals, opting instead to continue and expand on the fascist, totalitarian policies of his predecessor and ideological brothers, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Read below the fold...
The Empty Plates Protest last Sunday (inspired by Julia Williams, The Widdershins' first L 2012 candidate) was quite an experience. We had five people total, three of whom LibbyLiberal brought along from her Green Party group, and one who decided to join with us on the spur of the moment. (Thanks, "John!") Libby handed out about 60 of her flyers, and gave more to the Greens to paper on cars in Union Square. I and others held up my poster as an attention-getter (it worked!), and there was also a Green Party banner which the protesters brought with them. Read below the fold...
Libby and I (and a few others, I hope) will be meeting at Starbuck's at 14th and 4th Avenue, Union Square, at 2 pm. We will be protesting in front of Barnes & Noble, Union Square, until 3:30 or 4:00 pm. Come join us!
We will be handing out her flyers, and holding up these posters. Anyone is welcome to download and use them. File format is Adobe Acrobat PDF; paper size is 11 x 14. Read below the fold...
In an open letter to the leaders of the Philadelphia labor movement, the young and energetic organizer for UFCW Local 152 Hugh Giordano has challenged the city's unions to have the courage to support the Green Party. Giordano ran an exceptionally strong campaign as a Green for state legislature this year, raising almost $30,000 from unions and individuals and capturing over 18 percent of the vote in a three way race. Read below the fold...
Froomkin today tags the encouraging news that deficit-whiner and Catfood Commission architect Peterson's continuing attempts to convince us that we need to gut “entitlements” and slash taxes under the rubric of a deficit crisis backfired. Lambert promised me a sticky-post if I posted on one of the highlights (my first ever! Yaay!) of the rebellion, on single payer, so here goes: Read below the fold...
Reading about the economic outrages that threaten the lives of millions of Americans, and finally, the icing on the looters' cake, the inability to extend unemployment benefits, my love pilot said "what will it take"? "Why are we as a nation accepting this outcome?" I had no answer, but was struck by the difference between this crisis and the Vietnam war era. I saw then, millions of people in the streets. Read below the fold...
As unemployment benefits are scheduled to lapse this week, food banks, already stressed, are trying to get donations stepped up, in an attempt to meet what they foresee as a tremendous increase in need. Many are already in a crisis mode (I know that here in MI, they frequently run out of food early in the month). There are some campaigns, with matching donations happening today, that will match your dollar (Gleaners here in MI), and even match your donation 1 and 1/2 times (Forgotten Harvest here in MI). A good resource for foodbanks is at Feeding America: http://feedingamerica.org/#
and the article (be warned, Huffpo) on the foodbank crisis: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/29...Read below the fold...
Here in New York, Cuomo’s election for Democratic Governor was a veritable cakewalk. All Cuomo did was sit back and let racist Paladino repel voters one sound bite at a time.
David Koch, massive funder of the Tea Party movement, even donated $50,000 for Dem Cuomo’s campaign. CUOMO’S campaign!! I mean, clearly Republican Paladino was gonna lose. So why don’t the sociopathic fat cats grease the palms of the other war/money party candidates? Those contributions sure go far. Look at Obama’s choices. Cuomo even baldly invited Tea Partiers to vote for him due to his similar austerity platform to Paladino but without the verbal nastiness of his opponent. Read below the fold...
