Howie Klien's vision of a Blue America

This is a very good post and is worth a full read. Klien's vision seems to be the same as mine as it includes getting rid of Joe Lieberman.

And, of course, the most important and high profile way to send a message to Democrats who ask for our campaign contributions and our votes and then act like Republicans is to defeat Bush's favorite Democrat, Joe Lieberman, August 8th and replace him with a real and honest Democrat, Ned Lamont. In fact I leave you with another quote from Sirota's book to think about:

Never to be outshone by fellow senators in stiffing average Americans, Senator Joe Lieberman (D) joined in the fun. The Connecticut lawmaker, who has taken $267,000 from the banking industry in his career, sent out a press release trumpeting himself as a great defender of the middle class, pointing to his vote against final passage of the bankruptcy legislation. Yet Lieberman's press release conveniently omitted the face that just hours before his "no" vote, he cast a key "yes" vote that undermined courageous lawmakers who were blocking the bill. This procedural vote (called "cloture"), which Lieberman supported, was widely acknowledged to be the vote that actually passed the bill.

OK-- that made me think of a contest. Lieberman has liked this tactic of deception-- making sure to support his Republican allies where it really counts and then claiming to vote with Democrats when it doesn't. The 10 best essays or paragraphs with examples of Lieberman's duplicity along these lines will get a rare and valuable CD that can't be purchased in any stores and has music on it by a variety of ultra cool artists like The Ramones, Green Day, Body Count, Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, Enya, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Depeche Mode, Wilco, Neil Young, Lou Reed and John Cale, Talking Heads, Armageddon Dildos and more (including some songs that are otherwise unavailable). Send your answers to downwithtyranny@aol.com

The truth comes out today

Please go and watch this film. You can find out where this movie is playing in your area by clicking here.

UPDATE: Just came back from viewing the movie in Bethel and all I can say is "Wake up people" (please). Oh, it hurts to think about what Al Gore winning the presidency in 2000 (although, having Joe Lieberman as our VP would of sucked).

Bookmark this site, www.climatecrisis.net. Visit it often.
BTW: Al Gore has my vote in 2008.

UPDATE: 06.04.06 The results are in and the movie is a HUGE HIT!

In its second weekend, the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" went into wider release and broke into the top 10 with $1.33 million, even though it was playing in just 77 theaters.

Released by Paramount Classics, the film averaged an impressive $17,292 a theater, compared to $12,410 in 3,070 cinemas for "The Break-Up."

Timetogojoe.com gets a makeover

I don't think Joe's going to be happy with this.

Go and check it out.

Rell and Perez bring shame to our state

This is just ridiculous.

Mayor Perez’s over-the-top antics is making my blood boil and I don’t know how much more I can take.

While I'm still writing my piece on the history of violence in Hartford, I just had to comment on the latest actions of Mayor Perez and Gov. Rell which in my opinion, is simply disgraceful.

These two political heavyweights have been acting like two spoiled brats in front of the cameras for the last few days with their "made for the media" fight over the violence in Hartford. Neither of these politicians gave a damn about what's happening in the Capital City (when's the last time you heard of either of these politicians visiting the North-End section of Hartford) or else they would of worked together to find a solution to the problem a very long time ago as drug-related violence in the North-End section of Hartford is nothing new.

Are these two politicians the best Connecticut have to offer in terms of leadership? If the answer is "yes" then we're all screwed.

Saying he wanted to end the public sniping and to focus on solving violence in the city, Mayor Eddie A. Perez picked up his cellphone at 8:12 a.m. Thursday and dialed the office of Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

Two hours later, Perez walked through the front doors of city hall and into the day's humid air. An aide asked if he wanted to take off his jacket. Casually slinging the coat over his shoulder, with television cameras and reporters in tow, Perez started to walk to Rell's office at the Capitol.

"I'm going over to visit my neighbor at the Capitol," he said. "Hopefully she can see me sometime today."

But there was a problem: Perez's morning call had not been returned. The governor was not in, and Perez had no appointment.

An aide to Perez said the governor's published schedule indicated she was not busy Thursday morning. When no one from Rell's office returned the mayor's call, Perez went to see if she was available.

Yeah, right. He just happened to have the entire media behind him on his walk to and from Rell's office (notice the smile of Eddie's face). COME ON, give me a break...does this DLC Democrat have any shame?

"I'm the one that gets the phone call when a kid gets shot," Perez said as he walked to the Capitol. "I'm the one who has to go to the hospital and mourn with the victims' families. I'm the one who has to go to the funerals and to the local schools to bring grief counselors to those children. I'm the one who has to deal with this 24/7."

[...]

Perez's walk followed Wednesday's high-profile clash of public letters and press statements between the mayor and Rell, with each accusing the other of not cooperating in the fight to stop gun violence on the city's streets, where 16 people were shot in a five-day span that ended Sunday. One, a 15-year-old boy, died.

Here's the deal, politicians are using the deaths of people in Hartford for their own political gain and it's disgusting. As a person who was raised in the Bloomfield/North-End section of Hartford, it breaks my heart to read how some kid was shot and/or killed and it burns me up when these fake politicians jump in front of a camera and work their political spin.

As I promised, I'll dig deeper into this issue later but for now, neither of these shameless politicians have my respect (and don't think African-Americans in Hartford are fooled by this political freak show).

Lamont campaign site new features

I'm a huge fan of the new features at Ned Lamont's campaign website. First came the blog, and now they've added a new resource section loaded with video and pdf files.

Now don't get me wrong, you can't beat the original but it's nice to see that the campaign is stepping up their game online.

The picture tells the story

The incredible shrinking President.

The problem in Hartford

I just posted a message on Connecticut Local Politics regarding the hissy fit between Gov. Rell and Mayor Perez and the state of affairs in Hartford.

Under most circumstances, I try to leave race out of a majority of my posts but since I was raised in the North-End section of Hartford, I feel compelled to speak out on this issue. I'm going to give this some real hard thought and try my best to explain the real situation facing Hartford from an African-American perspective.

Hopefully, you'll learn something.

Worst President ever

Okay, tell me something I don't know already...

A Quinnipiac Poll released today gives President Bush one more reason to be concerned about his approval numbers: Lots of voters not only think he's doing a lousy job, but they rate him as the worst president since World War II.

[...]

Bush was cited as the worst of the 11 post-war presidents by 34 percent of those surveyed between May 23 to 30, far outdistancing runner-up Richard Nixon, at 17 percent--and Clinton, at 16 percent.

The poll offered what has become routine public criticism of Bush's presidency -- a 35 percent approval rating and only 38 percent saying they are very or somewhat satisfied with the way things are going in this country.

"Bush's job approval numbers remain in the cellar," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute in Hamden, "but he might finally have hit bottom."

Oh, I disagree...Bush approval numbers can go lower. Remember, it's hurricane season.

Lamont puts Lieberman in his place

You see Joe, maybe you've forgotten but this is Connecticut and those Karl Rove ads you ran over the MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND won't work against someone like Ned Lamont.

This past weekend, as we reflected on the sacrifices made by American service members and their families during wars past and present, Senator Lieberman launched a full-run of television attack ads against Ned Lamont. Just like President Bush did to John Kerry in 2004, the ads are so devoid of context they would make Karl Rove blush. And while their content is highly suspect, the money paying for them is undeniable. This election cycle, Senator Lieberman is the U.S. Senate’s top recipient of campaign contributions from the defense industry, second largest recipient of pharmaceutical manufacturer donations, and has collected over $1 million from political action committees. From now until the end of the campaign, every time you see a Joe Lieberman advertisement, flier, bumper sticker or button, you know who’s paying for it.

Our campaign will never match Senator Lieberman’s special interest money, and we don’t want to. This campaign is a struggle for the heart and soul of our party, and we have relied on a growing army of grassroots Democrats who share the common goals of bringing our troops home from Iraq, healthcare for all Americans, and energy independence. That’s why over 8,000 individuals have contributed and signed up to volunteer in three short months. But we need your help again. It’s not about the amount you can give, it’s about adding your voice to the thousands more who share our vision of progress.

What makes Senator Lieberman’s desperate ads even more outrageous is a passage that can be found in the pages of his own book, “In Praise of Public Life”:

At that point, Weicker stopped ignoring me. He hit back with a barrage of attack commercials … One of those ads was technically accurate but didn’t mention that the tax votes cited were cast seventeen years earlier, in 1971.

Which is exactly what Senator Lieberman did, presenting votes cast by Ned over a decade ago without context. For example, Lieberman’s ad claimed Ned voted against cleaning asbestos out of a local public school. But what the ad didn’t say was that it was part of a larger $45 million appropriation of which less than 5% was slated for asbestos removal. Those bills are all-or-nothing, and Ned thought a good amount of the spending in the bill was unnecessary, so he voted the whole thing down. It’s the same kind of attack President Bush launched when he screamed over and over that John Kerry voted against the now infamous $87 billion to provide troops with body armor. That vote too was part of a much larger spending bill that resulted in billions of wasted dollars. Senator Lieberman has always been too close for comfort with President Bush on issues like Iraq, Social Security, and the current energy policy, but who knew they have been trading advice on campaign tactics during their time together. We need your help to fight back.

What does Joe Lieberman do during Memorial Day? He launches a full scale swift boat attack on his opponent.

Is that the type of person you want representing you in Washington?

Senator Lieberman, after viewing you commercial and personally witnessing how you treated Ned in Waterbury, I can say without question that you have no class.

If you want a true honest Democrat as your senator, then I have only two words for you...Ned Lamont

The tipping point

Okay, it's official...we're screwed.

Think things are still going well in Iraq Joe?

As a soon-to-be father, this is just heartbreaking. My prayers go out to Nabiha Nisaif Jassim's family.

U.S. forces killed two Iraqi women — one of them about to give birth — when the troops shot at a car that failed to stop at an observation post in a city north of Baghdad, Iraqi officials and relatives said Wednesday.

Nabiha Nisaif Jassim, 35, was being raced to the maternity hospital in Samarra by her brother when the shooting occurred Tuesday.

Jassim, the mother of two children, and her 57-year-old cousin, Saliha Mohammed Hassan, were killed by the U.S. forces, according to police Capt. Laith Mohammed and witnesses.

The U.S. military said coalition troops fired at a car after it entered a clearly marked prohibited area near an observation post but failed to stop despite repeated visual and auditory warnings.

"Shots were fired to disable the vehicle," the military said in a statement e-mailed to The Associated Press. "Coalition forces later received reports from Iraqi police that two women had died from gunshot wounds ... and one of the females may have been pregnant."

Jassim's brother, who was wounded by broken glass, said he did not see any warnings as he sped his sister to the hospital. Her husband was waiting for her there.

"I was driving my car at full speed because I did not see any sign or warning from the Americans. It was not until they shot the two bullets that killed my sister and cousin that I stopped," he said. "God take revenge on the Americans and those who brought them here. They have no regard for our lives."

He said doctors tried but failed to save the baby after his sister was brought to the hospital.

The shooting deaths occurred in the wake of an investigation into allegations that U.S. Marines killed unarmed civilians in the western city of Haditha.

John Aravosis is the man!

I love AMERICAblog!

I really think there's a danger of Lieberman bolting the Democratic party AFTER he's elected. It's just my gut, but I think Bush has already spoken to him about taking Rumsfeld's job at Defense. And Lieberman told him to wait until after the primary, or the election. Lieberman loses the primary or the general election, he takes the job. But what's even more troublesome is what happens if Lieberman wins the election, then takes the job anyway?

There has to be a reason Lieberman has been sucking up so badly to Bush over the war. To say, today, that the war is going well and still was a good idea, you'd have to be either insane or angling for something. And I don't think Lieberman is insane.

He should be forced to state categorically that he will never bolt the Democratic party and he will never accept a job offer from George Bush, or people shouldn't even give his candidacy the time of day.

Bingo! Lieberman should be forced to state whether or not he'll bolt from the party, it's that simple. Why should people vote for a person who but's himself above the will of the party? I would go one step further and demand that those Democrats who support Lieberman, promise to support the winner of the primary and/or support Lamont is Lieberman runs as an indy. Those Democrats who would support Joe even if he loses the primary should be kicked out of office pronto (and believe me, we're keeping a list).

Check out the latest article in the New York Times on Lamont and his crusade to rid Connecticut of President Bush's favorite Democrat. John gives the story a thumbs-up and I couldn't agree more.

Four of Connecticut greatests...

are librarians.

The four librarians at the heart of a legal battle over whether the FBI can simply demand access to patron records had to remain silent and invisible throughout the congressional debate leading to March's renewal of the controversial USA Patriot Act.

[...]

"Being allowed to speak now is like being allowed to call the fire department after the building has burned to the ground," said George Christian, executive director of Library Connection in Windsor, a nonprofit cooperative of libraries in the Hartford area that share computerized catalogs and records.

"I'm very relieved I can speak now. ... I can talk about the dangers I perceive to libraries," Christian said. "As far as going before Congress, it's too little too late and I deeply regret that."

Christian and three Library Connection colleagues - board president Barbara Bailey, board secretary Janet Nocek and board vice president Peter Chase - challenged the FBI national security letter they received last summer to produce records of patron Internet use. The American Civil Liberties Union, whose headquarters was the site of Tuesday's press conference, championed their cause and contested the non-disclosure provisions of the security letter that prohibit recipients from telling anyone they have received one. The case was filed using a "John Doe" pseudonym.

U.S. District Judge Janet C. Hall ruled in September that the librarians' First Amendment rights were violated by the gag order, particularly in the midst of national debate over the scope of the USA Patriot Act.

U.S. Attorney Kevin O'Connor appealed to the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals, which last week dismissed the appeal as moot in light of amendments Congress made to permit national security letter recipients to consult a lawyer and mount a legal challenge to the demands of a particular letter. Unlike search and arrest warrants, the FBI can issue national security letters without having a judge first review and approve them.

Although the 2nd Circuit dismissed the case on procedural grounds, without reaching the merits of the First Amendment claims, Judge Richard J. Cardamone wrote separately to note such claims are significant. He also chided government lawyers for attempting to have the case vacated, which, he wrote, "is not surprising, but right in line with the pervasive climate of secrecy...The government attempts to purge from the public record the fact that it had tried and failed to silence the Connecticut plaintiffs."

[...]

Bailey, who is also director of the Welles-Turner Memorial Library in Glastonbury, had just begun her one-year stint as president of Library Connection's board when Christian called to ask her how they should react.

"I was told it was going to be a fairly easy job," Bailey quipped Tuesday. "Little did I know what was in store for me. I had never heard of an NSL."

"It all reminded me of George Orwell's `1984.' You knew it was fiction. You knew it was preposterous," Bailey said. "But you know, I've been living it."

Seems like George Orwell was only off by about 20 years.

Last Throes Day

I think we may well have some kind of presence there over a period of time. But I think the level of activity that we see today, from a military standpoint, I think will clearly decline. I think they're in the last throes, if you will, of the insurgency.
Dick Cheney, May 30, 2005.

Thanks for the memories...Dick.

Gutter politics

Joe Lieberman has no shame and it seems like he and Sean Smith were banking on the "low information theory" when they made this silly commercial (which ironically, is not on Joe's website)

Before you watch this stupid clip, read this quote from Lieberman's pathetic book "In Praise of Public Life" (available for $0.01 at Amazon.com and most online stores) where he condemns misleading attacks (p.88).

At that point, Weicker stopped ignoring me. He hit back with a barrage of attack commercials, portraying me the same way Larry DeNardis had back in 1980 - as a big-taxing big spender. One of those ads was technically accurate but didn't mention that the tax votes cited were cast seventeen years earlier, in 1971.

Now, keep that in mind when you watch this clip (hat tip to Spazeboy!)
Pretty disgusting huh. Hopefully the media will call Joe out on this commercial.

Wait till I report on what happened in Waterbury when Joe had a chance to meet Ned Lamont. Believe me, you'll lose all respect for the President Bush's favorite Democrat and his campaign team.

UPDATE: Joememtum shows that two can play at this silly game:

While we’re on the subject of voting records lets take a look at some of Joe’s highlights:

• Voted YES on limiting death penalty appeals. (Apr 1996)
• Voted NO on spending international development funds on drug control. (Jul 1996)
• Voted YES on prohibiting same-sex marriage. (Sep 1996)
• Voted NO on Balanced-budget constitutional amendment. (Mar 1997)
• Voted YES on school vouchers in DC. (Sep 1997)
• Voted YES on authorizing use of military force against Iraq. (Oct 2002)
• Voted YES on loosening restrictions on cell phone wiretapping. (Oct 2001)
• Voted NO on raising the minimum wage to $7.25 rather than $6.25. (Mar 2005)
• Voted YES on implementing CAFTA for Central America free-trade. (Jul 2005)

(source: issues2000.org)

From this we can fairly conclude that Joe: wants you dead, supports the international drug trade, is a homophobe who doesn’t want a balanced budget, has given up on public schools, is a republican, doesn’t value your privacy, thinks workers shouldn’t be given a living wage and, thinks textile factories in America should go out of business.

Why do I have a feeling that I can add to this list?

Memorial Day highlights: Danbury

This is a cross posting from Hat City Blog. I'll post highlights from the parade in Waterbury at a later time as I'm still working on the video footage

What a beautiful day for a parade. I was on the scene today at the Memorial Day parade on Main Street and lets just say that it was something to remember. I must of lost ten pounds from all the running up and down Main Street taking photos but I think you'll agree after viewing my pictures and video (compared to what The Danbury News-Times had to offer) that all my running around the city was well worth it.

Video highlights and photographs
Here are some video highlights from today's parade.
(Warning: this file is HUGE so if the video play choppy, press pause and give your computer a couple of minutes to download a portion of the file. If you're not using a high speed connection, don't even waste your time).

Here are a sample of my photos from today's parade.
(click on any sample image to enlarge)
You can view all of my photos from today by clicking here. If anyone was in the parade and wants a copy of my photos, email me the picture filename (located on the top of the page next to the page buttons) and I'll send you a hi-res image.

Memorial Day madness

Oh my, was a hot weekend.

Sorry for the lack of posts but I've been traveling across the state covering the various Memorial Day parades. Couldn't believe Joe Lieberman was at the Memorial Day parade in Waterbury Sunday (can anyone tell me the last time ANYONE saw Joe at a Memorial Day parade).

Heard Joe did another smear ad on Lamont. For an 18-year senator, it seems like he's campaigning like a scared man and it seems like the mainstream media is catching on to the fact that Joe has a very good chance in losing the primary.

It's beautiful outside so don't think I'm going to post much today but believe me, I have a lot of stuff to share with everyone.

Now, turn off your computer and go outside, I'm firing up the grill!