From madamedefarge at Democracy Cell Project:

Karen has told us many times and in many ways to speak out, to do something -- anything -- to help make visible the reality that this administration has committed war crimes and crimes against humanity.  It's easy to read her words and say, "Yes, she's right.  I'll do something...soon..."

Guess what?  Time is running out.

That's the bad news.  The good news -- if there can be good news about this subject -- is that people are starting to realize that time is short and are doing something about it...people like Ray McGovern.

Bill Goold, Executive Director of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, shared the following insight with me in February of this year.  It highlights perfectly why we need to stay focused on the Democratic brand when voting.

RE: Overview of how Congressional Progressive Caucus Members would be empowered if party control of the U.S. House of Representatives changes as a result of the November 2006 elections

* At least 10 Congressional Progressive Caucus Members would become Committee Chairmen or Chairwomen

* An additional 35 Congressional Progressive Caucus Members would become Subcommittee Chairmen or Chairwomen.

See the list of Committee and Subcommittee chairs on the flipside...

Today, the Congressional Progressive Caucus led by Rep. Lynn Woolsey and Rep. Barbara Lee are giving an alternative SOTU.  Karendc is there and her liveblogging notes will be posted on this thread at the DCP.


Later on today brave people from the World Can't Wait and other organizations are marking this annual day of President Bush's lies with meetings, protests, and music. Karen will be there as well.

Crossposted at the Democracy Cell Project

The organizers of the protest during the SOTU speech on January 31st need our help NOW.  

Cross-posted at the Democracy Cell Project.


Permit Battle Continues...

In today's Washington Post, the battle against the continuing enclosure of public space and minds continues.

For the record, we have a permit for January 31.  And the U.S Park Police have been, if not apologetic, at least concerned about the blowback from denying the original site offered.

Karendc is liveblogging the delivery of the indictments described in this diary. More information on the indictments is available here.

Pictures and continuing updates are being posted at the DCP blog.

I'll post updates on the flipside as they become available.

From Karendc:

The question is out there -- is an event such as today"s delivery of indictments from a self-defined tribunal (www.bushcommission.org) worth covering? Worth even knowing about? Worth doing at all?

It's a gorgeous warm afternoon in front of the White House. Everything is in place and I will be reporting here, live.

Karendc is liveblogging at a packed town hall meeting in Virginia.  Representatives Murtha and Moran are speaking.

It's also available on CSPAN2 according to one of the DCP bloggers.  

Karen collected some great quotes from the audience prior to the session starting.

This was posted by Christy at the DCP and I just had to share it with you.  It's a hoot.  ENJOY!

Crossposted at the Democracy Cell Project

How it came about that I THANKED a republican today....

Here is how it went down. Big lunch at my house. Dead mans lunch even since we wound up with 13 participants. Of those 13... 7 are LIFELONG republicans. Never ever been registered or even considered registering as a dem.

But, as was pointed out often, they have VOTED for dems, as with most of us it just depends on the candidate.

I must say I was honestly SHOCKED to hear these life long repells, along with the other mod repells or dems start bashing bush.

Cross-posted at Democracy Cell Project where Karen Bradley will be live-blogging at noon in DC with local protest groups gathering at the Cannon Office Building to send Congress off on the holiday break.  They'll be expressing how they feel about the Congressional support of the Bush agenda in general and in particular, their outrage at the audacity of the Bush administration in instructing the NSA to spy on us. Catch the pictures and her posts at the DCP... I'll add the link here when she's live.

I wanted to share this essay that Dick Bell wrote.  I think he speaks for many of us.  Then think about what street action you can take.

The Constitution in Tatters

The last flimsy fig leaf of respect for the Constitution was ripped away with today's reports that President Bush authorized the National Security Agency in 2002 to eavesdrop on US citizens and foreign nationals in the US.

The Johnstown, PA Tribune-Democrat published the following op-ed from Teresa Heinz Kerry yesterday. She weighed in on behalf of Rep. Murtha.

Teresa is interested in feedback. See below for how to contact her.

Cross posted at the Democracy Cell Project which also has a thoughtful memorial and 5 Minute Action Item on the home page.

[Editor's note: On this Veterans Day, we honor all veterans who have served throughout history and our soldiers who are currently serving in Iraq & Afghanistan with this essay from DCP blogger Hawkeye.]

In Christmas of 1914 a strange thing happened -- something called the Christmas Truce of 1914.

My Belgian grandfather fought in WW1 and he was a part of this Christmas Truce, when enemy soldiers from Germany, France, England and Belgium spontaneously decided not to fight and kill.

Instead, for an entire week, they put down their weapons, climbed out of their trenches and met - on common ground - to share food and cigars and games of soccer. They exchanged photos of sons and daughters and wives, of a life beyond the battlefield where they could easily be neighbors, sharing a meal or watching a quiet sunset.

Incredibly, for an entire week, they befriended those whom their governments had demanded they kill.

Some of us who worked as moderators on the Kerry-Edwards blog at johnkerry.com have stayed in touch with John and Teresa. Teresa sent this message to us yesterday and asked us to share with others in the blogosphere.

From Teresa:

A year ago today, many of us were hoping that we would begin to change the course that America was on by electing my husband President of the United States. While we fell short of that goal, I wanted to use this occasion to thank you again.

From Democracy Cell Project blogger Christy Cole:

To A Soldier, From A Citizen

To the soldiers of my nation, wherever you are, I send you greetings from the heart of your empire. A grateful nation awaits your homecoming.

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Cherokee. I am Creek. I am Choctaw. I am also German, Dutch, French, Scottish, Irish, English and Portuguese. I am a true daughter of America, and I have never known any other way of life.

I am from the rural ghettos of Louisiana. I am from the ghettos, but, I did not make them. Many of you are from such places, as well. Perhaps you call them 'el barrios', the 'hood, the projects, or trailer parks. Most of the soldiers who fight for this nation are from exactly these places. And we all know, you did not make them either.

Whatever place you come from, you have chosen a higher path.

<continued>

Want another visible, tangible way to continue protesting the war and the current administration's illegal and immoral tactics?  

Join the World Can't Wait vigils on Nov. 2nd.  

They've occupied ground in Lafayette Park opposite the White House and are spreading the word.  Pictures and more commentary about 'The World Can't Wait' are posted on the Democracy Cell Project blog.

Update [2005-10-17 14:14:51 by dwahzon]: The DCP posted this effort, in part, because we were asked to do so and we do agree with the goal.

KarenDC just called and said that she was going to go over to Lafayette Park and ask the leaders there your questions. She said that they were good questions and deserved answers.

Please add any other questions below. I'll let you know what she hears.

Here's an exquisite piece on Delay and his money dance done by KarenDC at Democracy Cell Project:


The way that money moves in Washington and throughout government is obviously a Baroque dance, full of delicate complex patterns, furtive asides, bowing and scraping, and intrigue rivaling that of the Louis' courts.

KarenDC and a bunch of the regulars at Democracy Cell Project are all marching in DC this weekend.  People are flying from IL, MI, CA and driving from MA, NY, NJ, VA, and other places.

They helped out with set up today... Check out what they did and who they talked to below the fold.

We'll be blogging live and posting their pictures at the DCP blog from now through Sunday.  Rumor has it that a documentary filmmaker has hooked up with them and that we'll get some video too but we'll see.  

 

Update [2005-9-9 22:9:59 by dwahzon]:HELP Katrina Victims with Bankruptcy Law Amendment NOW... edited the title

My friend, Ira, has been telling me about the bankruptcy law and the Conyers/Nadler/Lee Amendment that has been proposed for a few days now. Well, let's get on it!  

Don't know what the Bankruptcy law is or Conyers/Nadler/Lee amendment is about?

Here's a very straightforward explanation of the new bankruptcy law about to go into effect and the horrendous impact that it WILL have on the Katrina victims by Loren Steffy of the Houston Chronicle. (BTW, my friend, Ira, lives in Houston and his phone is his friend and weapon.)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/business/3345871

So my friend, Ira, has been keeping me posted on what he's doing and encouraging me (and others) on how to follow through on this.  

Bottom Line:  the Conyers/Nadler/Lee amendment is a step that will be TREMENDOUSLY helpful to the Katrina victims and won't cost the federal government anything but the opportunity to play ogre.

More info below the jump...

Hope they have some live TV reporting on the gathering in front of the White House right now...

karendc just phoned me with the following report:

"There is a gathering here of hurricane victims testifying to the TV cameras about their difficulty in getting out of New Orleans.

Probably about 200 people.

There's a lot of mainstream press here and a lot of people with signs that say shame...

Now they are walking across the street and standing directly in front of the White House and screaming, "Shame on Bush"."

I could hear the screams over the phone.  Sounds like lots of anguish there.  She's heading back to computer right now to upload her pictures and report in more detail...

Pictures and more details available soon at http://www.democracycellproject.net

Keep an eye open to see if MSM reports this anywhere...

Update [2005-9-8 15:46:2 by dwahzon]:UPDATED: There are pictures and brief report from Victoria Ellen and KarenDC who were onsite at the Moveon.org press conference with NOLA survivors in front of White House at this link...

http://www.democracycellproject.net/blog/archives/2005/09/_the_crowd_gath.html

Picking this up for drummer55 as requested below.

I went to the goldismoney link below and I'm blown away.  This sounds like something from WWII.  Taking people to camps that they cannot leave for any reason. ... You must read this story.  Includes lots of pictures.

drummer55:  yeah this is my second diary today so I'm asking somebody to read this Personal account with pictures of a fema camp in Oklahoma. Its absolutely crazy!!  

http://www.goldismoney.info/forums/showthread.php?t=23769

UPDATE: Someone at the goldismoney site has posted a comment pointing out that the original source of this report is here: http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/fema.html and that there is considerable followup comment on it... though I have not read through it all. Here's an excerpt: