Posts in the category Immigration
Life's most persistent and urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'
Current mood: inspired
Category: Life
Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(WAR = EVIL)
THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE......
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
NO I LIED....these next two are my favorite ones...... I so would go to jail if I had too!!!!
An individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A man can't ride your back unless it's bent.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Current mood: inspired
Category: Life
Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies - or else? The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or else we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
He who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it. He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
(WAR = EVIL)
THIS IS MY FAVORITE ONE......
An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality... I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
NO I LIED....these next two are my favorite ones...... I so would go to jail if I had too!!!!
An individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A man can't ride your back unless it's bent.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
A man who won't die for something is not fit to live.
Through out our history we have had many great Presidents who had little experience as a legislator on the federal level. That's why I'm kind of surprised with the Obama critics who claim he has too little experience to be President. The irony deepens too as Obama has quite a legislative record and has shown an ability to bring people together. In Illinois as a state representative he was instrumental in getting a law passed that initially no one wanted. The idea was that the police video tape all of their interviews with suspects. Cops hated it, so did Republicans who viewed it as capitulating to criminals and Democrats feared they'd be viewed as well, capitulating to criminals. But Obama was able to convince all parties that it was a good idea. That it actually helped the police make iron tight cases against defendants. They had the proof that statements were not made with any forced coercion. His ability to reach people goes beyond politics. One only has to watch the now famous speech on race in Philadelphia to see that he has the ability to consider many different points of view and communicate complex issues in ways that are easily understood. I have many Republican friends that began considering voting for Obama after hearing that speech.
Other critics claim they don't know what all this change and hope business is about. I suggest a listen to any of his stump speeches to find out but in a nutshell, he wants to change Washington. He wants to move towards less corporate influence. He also wants to change political discourse and he has proven he can. He understands that we are currently divided and we need to come together to solve the problems we face. He also gets that it's a bottom up process not top down. In other words if elected, he expects we the people to actually get engaged and help bring about the changes we need to. He is asking us to lift ourselves and our country up. As voter turn out and excitement surrounding his campaign illustrate, he can motivate people. Right now this country needs motivation.
All this being said, obviously there are other facets of being President than motivational skills and the ability to communicate effectively. He has exhibited better judgement in the past on foreign policy issues than John Mc Cain. He was against invading Iraq when it was unpopular to do so. He understands that the mission in Iraq has been accomplished and it's time to begin withdrawing our troops. He wants to focus on routing the resurgent al Qaeda forces. Even if that means stepping on the toes of our ally Pakistan. The list of military commanders who support him are long; both in the tooth and in numbers. John Mc Cain however has flipped. He was adamantly opposed to torture. But eventually abandoned his own principles to support President Bush's use, or "redefinition" of it. He can't keep straight Sunni or Shia sects or who is killing our soldiers. He overstates Iran's influence in Iraq and goes on photo ops that include dozens of soldiers, several helicopters and sporting a flak jacket on the streets of Baghdad and tells us things are just great there. He, sadly, has become nothing more than a cheer leader for Bush's failed policies in Iraq. Last week he was praising safety gains in Iraq cities as 3 more suicide bombing occurred. Critics from within his own party question his ability to keep it together. He's actually struck fellow Senators before. His temper is legendary. John Mc Cain doesn't seem to grasp what he used to tout only 8 years ago. He simply isn't the same "maverick" or "straight talker."
A President must also understand their oath of office. It's to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States of America. Many Constitutional scholars and US. historians (http://hnn.us/articles/48916.html) agree the current President has seriously breached the limits of the executive laid out in that radical document, that blueprint for democracy. Wiretapping illegally, ignoring provisions of treaties like the Geneva Conventions, signing statements, propaganda etc. (Liberal congressman Dennis Kucinich outlined 35 separate reasons as he entered articles of impeachment into the Congressional record this week) And it's safe to say, based on his own statements that a Mc Cain Presidency will most likely continue the abuses of this administration. Barack Obama however was a professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago (they have an amazing web site called "The Founder's Constitution" that includes letters and speeches of our founding fathers, check it out) and has vowed upon entering office, reviewing executive orders and signing statements of the Bush Administration as well as law to scale back those powers to the way our founders intended.
Most Americans are dissatisfied with the direction the Republican's have taken us, some are just as disappointed at a do-little Democratically controlled congress. The country wants to change course. John Mc Cain does not offer any change of course however. He wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. He has no intention of looking at NAFTA and has changed his mind on illegal immigration which leads me to believe he won't do anything about it. In other words he offers little in the way of any real change or hope. If he assumes the powers Bush assumed of the presidency, at best, we will be stuck in neutral while our standard of living declines. At worst we will be further down a path that most Americans would prefer to turn away from. Barack Obama at least gives us a hope for the kind of change we need. A return to the Constitution as more than law or limits on government, which should be limited of course, but a way of life for all Americans. Obama gets it. Say what you want about motives, his lack of experience, or his idealism, he gets it. We and only we the people are going to the right the ship. He can provide us an opportunity and offer encouragement like few can.
The America of the future needs to return to it's status as the "city on the hill." It is not enough to be feared or clever, we need to be respected as well. We should be leading the world in industry, in education and freedom. If we need to enact tariffs, pass laws, raise taxes or better yet spend the revenue wiser, then so be it. The current path of de-regulaiton of industry and putting corporate interests and share holders interests ahead of actual people as a matter of political policy is shown to be a failure. Political discourse must be embraced and divisive drivel masquerading as such needs to cease. Our military needs to heal and re-commit. Our veterans need care, our cities need bailing out after natural disasters. The focus of government must change and Barack Obama is the best candidate to facilitate that. John Mc Cain won't come close.
Other critics claim they don't know what all this change and hope business is about. I suggest a listen to any of his stump speeches to find out but in a nutshell, he wants to change Washington. He wants to move towards less corporate influence. He also wants to change political discourse and he has proven he can. He understands that we are currently divided and we need to come together to solve the problems we face. He also gets that it's a bottom up process not top down. In other words if elected, he expects we the people to actually get engaged and help bring about the changes we need to. He is asking us to lift ourselves and our country up. As voter turn out and excitement surrounding his campaign illustrate, he can motivate people. Right now this country needs motivation.
All this being said, obviously there are other facets of being President than motivational skills and the ability to communicate effectively. He has exhibited better judgement in the past on foreign policy issues than John Mc Cain. He was against invading Iraq when it was unpopular to do so. He understands that the mission in Iraq has been accomplished and it's time to begin withdrawing our troops. He wants to focus on routing the resurgent al Qaeda forces. Even if that means stepping on the toes of our ally Pakistan. The list of military commanders who support him are long; both in the tooth and in numbers. John Mc Cain however has flipped. He was adamantly opposed to torture. But eventually abandoned his own principles to support President Bush's use, or "redefinition" of it. He can't keep straight Sunni or Shia sects or who is killing our soldiers. He overstates Iran's influence in Iraq and goes on photo ops that include dozens of soldiers, several helicopters and sporting a flak jacket on the streets of Baghdad and tells us things are just great there. He, sadly, has become nothing more than a cheer leader for Bush's failed policies in Iraq. Last week he was praising safety gains in Iraq cities as 3 more suicide bombing occurred. Critics from within his own party question his ability to keep it together. He's actually struck fellow Senators before. His temper is legendary. John Mc Cain doesn't seem to grasp what he used to tout only 8 years ago. He simply isn't the same "maverick" or "straight talker."
A President must also understand their oath of office. It's to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States of America. Many Constitutional scholars and US. historians (http://hnn.us/articles/48916.html) agree the current President has seriously breached the limits of the executive laid out in that radical document, that blueprint for democracy. Wiretapping illegally, ignoring provisions of treaties like the Geneva Conventions, signing statements, propaganda etc. (Liberal congressman Dennis Kucinich outlined 35 separate reasons as he entered articles of impeachment into the Congressional record this week) And it's safe to say, based on his own statements that a Mc Cain Presidency will most likely continue the abuses of this administration. Barack Obama however was a professor of Constitutional Law at the University of Chicago (they have an amazing web site called "The Founder's Constitution" that includes letters and speeches of our founding fathers, check it out) and has vowed upon entering office, reviewing executive orders and signing statements of the Bush Administration as well as law to scale back those powers to the way our founders intended.
Most Americans are dissatisfied with the direction the Republican's have taken us, some are just as disappointed at a do-little Democratically controlled congress. The country wants to change course. John Mc Cain does not offer any change of course however. He wants to make the Bush tax cuts permanent. He has no intention of looking at NAFTA and has changed his mind on illegal immigration which leads me to believe he won't do anything about it. In other words he offers little in the way of any real change or hope. If he assumes the powers Bush assumed of the presidency, at best, we will be stuck in neutral while our standard of living declines. At worst we will be further down a path that most Americans would prefer to turn away from. Barack Obama at least gives us a hope for the kind of change we need. A return to the Constitution as more than law or limits on government, which should be limited of course, but a way of life for all Americans. Obama gets it. Say what you want about motives, his lack of experience, or his idealism, he gets it. We and only we the people are going to the right the ship. He can provide us an opportunity and offer encouragement like few can.
The America of the future needs to return to it's status as the "city on the hill." It is not enough to be feared or clever, we need to be respected as well. We should be leading the world in industry, in education and freedom. If we need to enact tariffs, pass laws, raise taxes or better yet spend the revenue wiser, then so be it. The current path of de-regulaiton of industry and putting corporate interests and share holders interests ahead of actual people as a matter of political policy is shown to be a failure. Political discourse must be embraced and divisive drivel masquerading as such needs to cease. Our military needs to heal and re-commit. Our veterans need care, our cities need bailing out after natural disasters. The focus of government must change and Barack Obama is the best candidate to facilitate that. John Mc Cain won't come close.
Today, President Bush signed in to law new immigration and labor protections for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
This has been significant to Colorado observers ever since Senate candidate Bob Schaffer inexplicably praised the abusive policies in the CNMI, resulting in an avalanche of criticism and scrutiny over his ties to the territory and convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Here's what Rep. George Miller, a sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement today:
This has been significant to Colorado observers ever since Senate candidate Bob Schaffer inexplicably praised the abusive policies in the CNMI, resulting in an avalanche of criticism and scrutiny over his ties to the territory and convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Here's what Rep. George Miller, a sponsor of the legislation, said in a statement today:
Miller Statement on Signing of Northern Mariana Islands Immigration Reform into Law
WASHINGTON, DC - 5/8/08 - U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee who has sought reform of the laws governing the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) for more than 15 years, issued the following statement today on the President's signing into law a bill that will finally bring the CNMI under the federal immigration system governing the rest of the country.
"The problems with the old way of doing business in the Northern Marianas were legion -- for many years, this system and its exploiters did great harm to guestworkers and their families, and the islands' society and economy have been stifled as well. Those who profited from this exploitation depended on the notorious and corrupt lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his many supporters in Congress who blocked reform for over a decade.
"The Abramoff scandal was the poster child for Republican corruption in Washington and was a significant reason for Republicans losing control of the House in the 2006 election, and the Northern Mariana Islands and its sweatshop owners were among Abramoff's most lucrative clients.
"Although it was clear to nearly everyone that the CNMI's system was broken and unfair, it took a Democratic Congress to end this sordid chapter in American history. This new law responds to recommendations from the Bush Administration, the Clinton administration, the INS, the Commission on Immigration Reform, human rights activists, and many others. This law will usher in a new, safer and more just era for the Northern Mariana Islands, and for the men and women who live and work there."
BACKGROUND
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific, was granted a special waiver from federal immigration laws in 1986 when it entered into a covenant with the U.S. Government to govern its population and run its own economy. When the islands became a center for the garment industry in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the loose immigration laws in the CNMI were exploited to bring in thousands of unregulated garment workers under false pretexts and no accountability. Concerns were raised that the loose immigration laws also allowing for narcotics trafficking and other illegal activity. Extensive investigations and reporting has occurred regarding the exploitation of workers and other problems in the CNMI, including:
"Beneath the American Flag: Labor and Human Rights Abuses in the CNMI" -- Report from George Miller and the Democratic Staff of the House Resources Committee (March 26, 1998 Report) (pdf file)
"Economic Miracle or Economic Mirage? The Human Cost of Development in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands" -- Report from George Miller and the Democratic Staff of the House Resources Committee (April 24, 1997 Report) (pdf file)
There have been many efforts to reform the Mariana Islands' immigration and labor policies in the last decade, none of which were brought to the floor of the House under Republican leadership. A partial listing of those earlier bills is available online.
See also:
New media campaign urges voters to tell Bob Schaffer to clean up politics and repent for past wrongs related to Mariana Islands junket
When Dick Wadhams attacks
Ideological roots of the Schaffer/Abramoff scandal
"Colorado Right to Life" blasts Schaffer for ignoring forced abortions in Marianas
Hey! Look over there!
Down the rabbit hole with Bob Schaffer
TPM updates Schaffer/Abramoff
Brief summary: Schaffer/Abramoff so far
Schaffer / Abramoff strategies meshed
Bob Schaffer hides from Abramoff/Marianas questions
Damaging Schaffer/Abramoff disclosures continue
Schaffer/Marianas scandal explodes
Marianas questions dog Bob Schaffer
So sorry, Rep. Bruce, but unless you want to pick those Rocky Ford melons and Palisade peaches...
Foreign fieldworker bill clears Senate committee
Don't forget that this bill is just one piece of the solution to a problem that began when Colorado Democrats decided the best way to counter GOP anti-immigrant posturing ahead of the '06 election was to join them. Result? Migrant ag workers fled Colorado, and farmers across the state are experiencing desperate labor shortages. It's harming the economy.
Which you would think Republicans would care about. Some do, like Rep. Marsha Looper, this bill's co-sponsor. Others, like Bruce, will gladly squander the chance to do right by our farmers so they can make puerile asses of themselves.
And sadly, there always seem to be more Bruce Republicans (that is, Schultheises, Lundbergs, Listons, Lamberts, etc. etc.) in the legislature than there are Loopers...
Foreign fieldworker bill clears Senate committee
Colorado farmers who are trying to get more workers onto their fields are one step closer to a new state program to help them.
A measure that would create a pilot program designed to match migrant workers with the Colorado farms and orchards that need workers cleared a Senate committee on Thursday.
That measure, HB1325, cleared the Colorado House earlier this week amid some controversy, but not because of the bill itself.
Rep. Douglas Bruce, R-Colorado Springs, was the only lawmaker to speak out against it, but was cut off from speaking after he called migrant workers "illiterate peasants."
Regardless of his objections, and those from opponents who testified against it in the Senate Agriculture, Natural Resources and Energy Committee on Thursday, that panel approved it on a 5-0 vote.
"One of the issues that keeps coming to the top of the list of some of the greatest needs in agriculture today is the situation over being able to find adequate labor," Agriculture Commissioner John Stulp said of the bill introduced by Senate President Pro Tem Abel Tapia, D-Pueblo, and Rep. Marsha Looper, R-Calhan. "No part of the state seems to be immune from experiencing a labor shortage."
Don't forget that this bill is just one piece of the solution to a problem that began when Colorado Democrats decided the best way to counter GOP anti-immigrant posturing ahead of the '06 election was to join them. Result? Migrant ag workers fled Colorado, and farmers across the state are experiencing desperate labor shortages. It's harming the economy.
Which you would think Republicans would care about. Some do, like Rep. Marsha Looper, this bill's co-sponsor. Others, like Bruce, will gladly squander the chance to do right by our farmers so they can make puerile asses of themselves.
And sadly, there always seem to be more Bruce Republicans (that is, Schultheises, Lundbergs, Listons, Lamberts, etc. etc.) in the legislature than there are Loopers...
In case you were wondering what the heck happened to the steady stream of disclosures about Bob Schaffer and his participation with jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff in suppressing reform of labor rights abuses in the Commonwealth of the Mariana Islands, the scoopmongers at Colorado Pols would like you to know:
And that's worth knowing, because
Well, we all saw the result. A news story today in the Post that seems completely ignorant of all the reporting done in the last week, to the preposterous extent that Wadhams is able to claim that "he knew of no Abramoff-connected campaign donations to Schaffer" and be left completely unchallenged. It's beyond bad reporting, it's a complete whitewash. You could only excuse it if you can prove this fill-in reporter doesn't read his own newspaper.
Now, of course, all of you have been paying very close attention to the flood of disastrous scrutiny for Schaffer following his praise for immigration policy in the Northern Marianas. Which means you know that when Dick Wadhams says he "knew of no Abramoff-connected campaign donations to Schaffer," it's not an oversight or a misstatement or an oversimplification, it's a straight-up in-your-face "we'll say whatever we want and your rookie ass will print it verbatim" lie.
For God's sake, Riley, come back from vacation.
Brief summary: Schaffer/Abramoff so far
Schaffer / Abramoff strategies meshed
Bob Schaffer hides from Abramoff/Marianas questions
Damaging Schaffer/Abramoff disclosures continue
Schaffer/Marianas scandal explodes
Marianas questions dog Bob Schaffer
A few of you may know that Michael Riley, the author of last week's hard-hitting series of articles detailing Colorado Senate candidate Bob Schaffer's relationship to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and labor policies in the Northern Marianas, left on a two-week vacation to South Asia over the weekend. Most of you probably didn't know that, but Riley had planned the trip for months before this story broke.
And that's worth knowing, because
Schaffer manager Dick Wadhams, however, was keenly aware of Riley's absence, and used the time when the reporter doing his homework was away to attack Riley's story with reporters who haven't. Result?
Well, we all saw the result. A news story today in the Post that seems completely ignorant of all the reporting done in the last week, to the preposterous extent that Wadhams is able to claim that "he knew of no Abramoff-connected campaign donations to Schaffer" and be left completely unchallenged. It's beyond bad reporting, it's a complete whitewash. You could only excuse it if you can prove this fill-in reporter doesn't read his own newspaper.
Now, of course, all of you have been paying very close attention to the flood of disastrous scrutiny for Schaffer following his praise for immigration policy in the Northern Marianas. Which means you know that when Dick Wadhams says he "knew of no Abramoff-connected campaign donations to Schaffer," it's not an oversight or a misstatement or an oversimplification, it's a straight-up in-your-face "we'll say whatever we want and your rookie ass will print it verbatim" lie.
For God's sake, Riley, come back from vacation.
See also:
TPM updates Schaffer/AbramoffBrief summary: Schaffer/Abramoff so far
Schaffer / Abramoff strategies meshed
Bob Schaffer hides from Abramoff/Marianas questions
Damaging Schaffer/Abramoff disclosures continue
Schaffer/Marianas scandal explodes
Marianas questions dog Bob Schaffer
Wendy Doromal is a human rights activist who lived on the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands between 1984 and 1995. She worked for the Department of the Interior in 1998 investigating labor abuses in the territory. Recently, Doromal received the Spirit of Service Award from the Corporation for National and Community Service, presented by Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Ms. Doromal has a thing or two to say about Bob Schaffer's important role in the legislative cover-up of the situation there.
Bob Schaffer - Foot Soldier for Abramoff Team
Continuing to detail the inner workings of the strategy to suppress rights in the CNMI through Abramoff cronies like Tom DeLay, John Doolittle, and others prominently including Schaffer, Doromal turns to the logistics of schaffer's claim that he "inspected" 20 garment factories on Saipan in four days:
And Schaffer's denial of the practice of coerced abortions in Chinese-owned Saipan garment factories? Read More »
Ms. Doromal has a thing or two to say about Bob Schaffer's important role in the legislative cover-up of the situation there.
Bob Schaffer - Foot Soldier for Abramoff Team
Schaffer, a true foot soldier for the A-Team, followed the lobbyist's play book as outlined in the "secret memo." [Link added] Schaffer and his wife visited the CNMI on one of the Abramoff junkets a month before the September 16, 1999 hearing. The timing was important as the memo noted:
"With the cancellation of the Young trip, it would be wise for the CNMI to host a group of Resources Committee members at some time prior to the hearings. Otherwise Miller will be the member of that committee most recently in the CNMI and this will place us at a distinct disadvantage."
Schaffer received campaign contributions from Fitial and Jerry Tan and in return he was a major public supporter of Fitial's bid for governor in 2001. He even took out a full page ad in the Saipan Tribune, the newspaper owned by Tan, boasting to be "Ben and Rita's friend." Read this post to learn about more political friends of Fitial.)
In return, Schaffer provided "bail out" money for the CNMI according to this October 5, 2001 Saipan Tribune story:
"Fitial said he learned from his friends in the US Congress that the CNMI will be receiving a substantial amount of financial assistance from certain departments in the federal government.
"I talked to my friend Cong. Bob Schaffer over the phone and he told me that this assistance will be coming very, very soon," said Fitial.
CNMI’s share of the bailout money is projected to be in the millions, he added."
Continuing to detail the inner workings of the strategy to suppress rights in the CNMI through Abramoff cronies like Tom DeLay, John Doolittle, and others prominently including Schaffer, Doromal turns to the logistics of schaffer's claim that he "inspected" 20 garment factories on Saipan in four days:
What garment factories did Schaffer tour?
Schaffer claimed to have visited 20 factories on his trip to Saipan according this Denver Post article:
"Bob Schaffer, accompanied by his wife, said he visited more than 20 textile factories during the trip to investigate claims of labor violations and found problems in only one. He also described the protectorate's guest-worker rules as a "model" for the U.S. immigration system."
Twenty factories? Really? It would be logistically impossible to visit 20 garment factories considering that he was on the island for four days, and went para-sailing, attended meetings including those with Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association and the Western Pacific Economic Council, and visited historical sites according to the Denver Post article.
And Schaffer's denial of the practice of coerced abortions in Chinese-owned Saipan garment factories? Read More »
Yesterday, the Denver Post blew open the story of Colorado Senate candidate Bob Schaffer's ties to disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff and efforts to thwart labor rights and immigration reforms in the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory.
Today, the Post continues, looking deeper into relationships we talked about here earlier in the week:
Schaffer twice endorsed Abramoff ally
The oddly close relationship between Schaffer and Governor Fitial was one of the first things I noted when I began looking into Schaffer's history in the Northern Marianas, right after Schaffer praised the territory's immigration policies as a "model" for the rest of the nation. What the Post has found reinforces the unique nature of that relationship--Fitial's only federal campaign donations in the 2004 election cycle went to Schaffer, President Bush, and the RNCC.
And Fitial was the lead--at times against all other opinion in the territory--advocate for Jack Abramoff's multimillion-dollar contract to lobby for the territory...
Colorado Pols notes today that Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams is doing his boss no favors by essentially cussing out any reporter who comes calling about the story. The Guvs remind us of the last time Wadhams tried to "defend" his embattled client this way--George Allen's "Macaca" crisis.
Everybody remember how that turned out?
UPDATE (Bobby): Dick Wadhams is funny. From one of the AP stories last night:
I guess Wadhams thinks if he chants "Boulder liberal" three times and clicks his heels this Schaffer/Abramoff story will go away. (smile)
Today, the Post continues, looking deeper into relationships we talked about here earlier in the week:
Schaffer twice endorsed Abramoff ally
At two key moments in the political life of Benigno Fitial -- governor of the Northern Mariana Islands and a powerful former ally of now-jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff -- then-Congressman Bob Schaffer was among several Republican U.S lawmakers who stepped in to lend their support, according to a copy of advertisements posted on a national blog and another obtained by The Denver Post.
The first was in 1999, when Fitial, who supported the islands' garment industry, was preparing an underdog run for House speaker of the Commonwealth Legislature. The second came two years later, when Fitial was running for governor of the islands.
The two instances, in which Schaffer endorsed Fitial in ads in island newspapers, show that Schaffer has had close and enduring ties with key politicians on the American protectorate, extending relationships he developed while on a fact-finding mission there in August 1999. They also show that Schaffer was part of a concerted and public campaign by Republicans on the House Committee on Natural Resources to boost Fitial's public career when he became key to extending a multimillion-dollar lobbying contract for Abramoff from the island's government.
Schaffer's ties to the Northern Mariana Islands and Abramoff have been the subject of new scrutiny as he campaigns for Colorado's open U.S. Senate seat.
Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams declined Thursday to discuss his candidate's role in island politics. "The Denver Post continues its character assassination of Bob Schaffer," he said.
The oddly close relationship between Schaffer and Governor Fitial was one of the first things I noted when I began looking into Schaffer's history in the Northern Marianas, right after Schaffer praised the territory's immigration policies as a "model" for the rest of the nation. What the Post has found reinforces the unique nature of that relationship--Fitial's only federal campaign donations in the 2004 election cycle went to Schaffer, President Bush, and the RNCC.
And Fitial was the lead--at times against all other opinion in the territory--advocate for Jack Abramoff's multimillion-dollar contract to lobby for the territory...
Colorado Pols notes today that Schaffer campaign manager Dick Wadhams is doing his boss no favors by essentially cussing out any reporter who comes calling about the story. The Guvs remind us of the last time Wadhams tried to "defend" his embattled client this way--George Allen's "Macaca" crisis.
Everybody remember how that turned out?
UPDATE (Bobby): Dick Wadhams is funny. From one of the AP stories last night:
"We do look forward to when Boulder liberal Udall has Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to Colorado for Boulder liberal Udall to defend Sen. Reid's involvement with Abramoff," he said.
I guess Wadhams thinks if he chants "Boulder liberal" three times and clicks his heels this Schaffer/Abramoff story will go away. (smile)
UPDATE: Coincidentally, the Senate TODAY passed legislation to bring CNMI under federal labor laws. This legislation is in response to the horrific human rights abuses that have persisted for decades under the current guest worker system in CNMI -- that very same system that Schaffer believes should be a model for the rest of the country. I've included a statement by Rep. George Miller, Chair of the House Education and Labor Committee, in the extended entry.
Two days ago, questions surfaced about the relationship between Senate candidate Bob Schaffer and Jack Abramoff's storied efforts to stall human rights and immigration reforms in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory.
Today, the Denver Post's homework is complete, and it's utterly devastating:
You have to read all of this--reporter Michael Riley goes on to detail the horrific labor conditions widely reported in the Northern Marianas, Schaffer's ridiculous Abramoff-arranged vacation that never even attempted to veer from its Potemkin script, and (best of all) Dick Wadhams completely slobbering himself trying to defend the indefensible.
And there's more--we've been going through contribution records looking for ties between Schaffer and other CNMI corporate interests. I previously mentioned donations to Schaffer's Senate campaign from the pro-business governor of the territory, and here's another bit:
Two $1000 contributions to Schaffer on 3/31/1997 from Jerry Tan, brother of sweatshop owner of scandalous record Willie Tan, who hired Abramoff to lobby to preserve the "Made in the USA" status quo in CNMI. The entire Tan family, through Tan Holdings and affiliated businesses, were key figures in the CNMI/Abramoff scandal. They were assessed the largest fine ever levied by the US Dept of Labor, approximately $9,000,000, and after that they hired Jack Abramoff to protect their "interests."
Here's a .PDF of donors from Saipan's ZIP code (remember, US territory) to Schaffer.
Coming up: Greenberg Traurig, anyone?
UPDATE: Help us stay on this story: Make a quick donation of any size to ProgressNowAction, a 501(c)4 organization. Read More »
Two days ago, questions surfaced about the relationship between Senate candidate Bob Schaffer and Jack Abramoff's storied efforts to stall human rights and immigration reforms in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, a US territory.
Today, the Denver Post's homework is complete, and it's utterly devastating:
Just before boarding a plane to the Mariana Islands in 1999, then-Congressman Bob Schaffer announced he was embarking on a fact-finding mission to get to the bottom of repeated allegations of labor abuse in the American protectorate.
"I plan to walk right into those factories and living quarters to see for myself what conditions exist," Schaffer said in a news release in August of that year.
What he didn't say was that the trip was partly arranged by the firm of now-jailed lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who represented textile factory owners fighting congressional efforts to reform labor and immigration laws on the islands and who was being handsomely paid to keep the islands' cherished exemptions.
Schaffer and his wife stayed for free at a palm-studded beach resort and, besides factories, also toured historical sites and met with clients of Preston-
Gates, Abramoff's firm, according to a copy of the trip's agenda archived in Schaffer's congressional papers.
He left believing that allegations of widespread abuse were largely unfounded -- blaming them on Big Labor's efforts to shut down a booming textile industry allowed to use the "Made in USA" label but dependent on tens of thousands of imported workers.
In a recent interview with The Denver Post, the Republican candidate for Colorado's open Senate seat described the protectorate's guest-worker program as a "model" lawmakers could use as they overhaul the U.S. immigration system...
You have to read all of this--reporter Michael Riley goes on to detail the horrific labor conditions widely reported in the Northern Marianas, Schaffer's ridiculous Abramoff-arranged vacation that never even attempted to veer from its Potemkin script, and (best of all) Dick Wadhams completely slobbering himself trying to defend the indefensible.
And there's more--we've been going through contribution records looking for ties between Schaffer and other CNMI corporate interests. I previously mentioned donations to Schaffer's Senate campaign from the pro-business governor of the territory, and here's another bit:
Two $1000 contributions to Schaffer on 3/31/1997 from Jerry Tan, brother of sweatshop owner of scandalous record Willie Tan, who hired Abramoff to lobby to preserve the "Made in the USA" status quo in CNMI. The entire Tan family, through Tan Holdings and affiliated businesses, were key figures in the CNMI/Abramoff scandal. They were assessed the largest fine ever levied by the US Dept of Labor, approximately $9,000,000, and after that they hired Jack Abramoff to protect their "interests."
Here's a .PDF of donors from Saipan's ZIP code (remember, US territory) to Schaffer.
Coming up: Greenberg Traurig, anyone?
UPDATE: Help us stay on this story: Make a quick donation of any size to ProgressNowAction, a 501(c)4 organization. Read More »
This weekend, the Denver Post reported on Colorado Board of Education member Bob Schaffer discussing his views on immigration. At first glance, he seems quite reasonable on the subject, in contrast to his many Republican immigrant-hating peers. Schaffer expressed support for a "guest-worker" program of some description, and acknowledged the impossibility of simply deporting millions of people from the United States. So far so good.
Then Schaffer makes a truly breathtaking and unexpected statement:
The story of labor abuses and congressional corruption in the Northern Marianas is a matter of record--as Colorado Pols notes, lobbying on behalf of Marianas business interests to suppress American labor law in the territory was a key part of the Jack Abramoff scandal that resulted in the downfall of GOP kingpin Tom DeLay.
Here's what we know about Schaffer's involvement in the CNMI scandal:
In August of 1999, the Denver Post reported then-Rep. Schaffer took a trip to Saipan (capital of the Northern Marianas Territory) to "investigate" reports of labor abuses there. Although Schaffer promised to invesigate the situation objectively, even his initial release noted that local leaders had "rejected" the allegations as "false rumors."
Although Schaffer went to Saipan to investigate labor violations (which would presumably have involved talking to laborers), Schaffer's own records from the CSU library indicate that all travel arrangements for Schaffer to and from Saipan we made by Preston-Gates, Jack Abramoff's corporate lobbying firm. Agenda records for Schaffer's trip show that Schaffer met with representatives of the Marianas Chamber of Commerce, the Saipan Banker's Association, and the Saipan Garment Manufacturers' Association--Abramoff clients, none of whom would be likely to come clean on labor abuses.
I've found no record of statements Schaffer made on his return from Saipan, but now that he claims their experience with immigrant labor as a "model" for the rest of America, one can assume he approved of what he saw.
Colorado Pols linked this afternoon to a long interview conducted by Democracy Now's! Amy Goodman on labor conditions in the Northern Marianas. Years of investigation by ABC and human rights organizations unveiled a horrifying picture of sweatshop working conditions, unlivable wages, extreme controls over the lives of immigrant workers--up to and including forced abortions performed on employees who violated company rules against becoming pregnant.
The interview goes on to discuss how Abramoff and Tom DeLay aggressively and successfully worked against passage of greater protections for workers in the Northern Marianas.
Obvious questions emerge for Schaffer:
1. Did Schaffer meet with any of the parties complaining of abuses in the CNMI, or did he only have meetings with these Abramoff clients?
2. Did Schaffer see any evidence of human rights or labor abuses in the CNMI?
3. How much money has Schaffer taken from CNMI business interests? A number of such campaign donations have already been identified, including $2,000 from the governor of the territory Benigno Fitial.
4. Where does Schaffer stand on the bill currently working through Congress "federalizing" labor and immigration policy in CNMI? Schaffer donor Fitial and others linked to Abramoff oppose it, for reasons that seem obvious with all the facts in view.
5. (above all) How can Schaffer reconcile widespread reports of rights abuses in CNMI with his praise for their labor arrangement? And what does this say about Schaffer's judgment?
Schaffer's own words forced these questions, and now you deserve answers. The media can't settle for the usual "Silent Bob" on this one--
Then Schaffer makes a truly breathtaking and unexpected statement:
He pointed to the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. protectorate that imports tens of thousands of foreign textile workers, as a successful model for a guest-worker program that could be adapted nationally.
"The concept of prequalifying foreign workers in their home country under private- sector management is a system that works very well in one place in America," he said of the islands' program. "I think members of Congress ought to be looking at that model and be considering it as a possible basis for a nationwide program."
The story of labor abuses and congressional corruption in the Northern Marianas is a matter of record--as Colorado Pols notes, lobbying on behalf of Marianas business interests to suppress American labor law in the territory was a key part of the Jack Abramoff scandal that resulted in the downfall of GOP kingpin Tom DeLay.
Here's what we know about Schaffer's involvement in the CNMI scandal:
In August of 1999, the Denver Post reported then-Rep. Schaffer took a trip to Saipan (capital of the Northern Marianas Territory) to "investigate" reports of labor abuses there. Although Schaffer promised to invesigate the situation objectively, even his initial release noted that local leaders had "rejected" the allegations as "false rumors."
Although Schaffer went to Saipan to investigate labor violations (which would presumably have involved talking to laborers), Schaffer's own records from the CSU library indicate that all travel arrangements for Schaffer to and from Saipan we made by Preston-Gates, Jack Abramoff's corporate lobbying firm. Agenda records for Schaffer's trip show that Schaffer met with representatives of the Marianas Chamber of Commerce, the Saipan Banker's Association, and the Saipan Garment Manufacturers' Association--Abramoff clients, none of whom would be likely to come clean on labor abuses.
I've found no record of statements Schaffer made on his return from Saipan, but now that he claims their experience with immigrant labor as a "model" for the rest of America, one can assume he approved of what he saw.
Colorado Pols linked this afternoon to a long interview conducted by Democracy Now's! Amy Goodman on labor conditions in the Northern Marianas. Years of investigation by ABC and human rights organizations unveiled a horrifying picture of sweatshop working conditions, unlivable wages, extreme controls over the lives of immigrant workers--up to and including forced abortions performed on employees who violated company rules against becoming pregnant.
The interview goes on to discuss how Abramoff and Tom DeLay aggressively and successfully worked against passage of greater protections for workers in the Northern Marianas.
Obvious questions emerge for Schaffer:
1. Did Schaffer meet with any of the parties complaining of abuses in the CNMI, or did he only have meetings with these Abramoff clients?
2. Did Schaffer see any evidence of human rights or labor abuses in the CNMI?
3. How much money has Schaffer taken from CNMI business interests? A number of such campaign donations have already been identified, including $2,000 from the governor of the territory Benigno Fitial.
4. Where does Schaffer stand on the bill currently working through Congress "federalizing" labor and immigration policy in CNMI? Schaffer donor Fitial and others linked to Abramoff oppose it, for reasons that seem obvious with all the facts in view.
5. (above all) How can Schaffer reconcile widespread reports of rights abuses in CNMI with his praise for their labor arrangement? And what does this say about Schaffer's judgment?
Schaffer's own words forced these questions, and now you deserve answers. The media can't settle for the usual "Silent Bob" on this one--
Hey! Is anybody going to the 60th Annual Conference on World Affairs?
The Sixtieth Annual
Conference on World Affairs
University of Colorado at Boulder
April 7– 11, 2008
The Conference on World Affairs was founded in 1948, originally as a forum on international affairs. CWA expanded rapidly to encompass the arts, media, science, diplomacy, technology, environment, spirituality, politics, business, medicine, human rights, and so on. Roger Ebert, who holds a record of thirty-seven consecutive years of participation in the CWA, refers to the event as “the Conference on Everything Conceivable.”
Each April, 110 participants representing a wide range of backgrounds gather in Boulder—a beautiful college town at the foot of the Rocky Mountains—for what The New York Times calls “a week-long extravaganza of discussion and debate” on over 200 non-academic, interdisciplinary panels, plenaries and performances.
Conference participants discuss issues on an impromptu basis—a refreshing alternative to the specialized gatherings of academia and the business world. Molly Ivins, a frequent participant over 25 years, wrote that CWA offers “whole new ways of looking at old questions and information that can transform the way you look at things.”
In October of 2006 as many of you remember, the campaign of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Beauprez launched a final desperate round of attack ads against their Democratic opponent. Behind by double digits in virtually every poll and facing the prospect of an embarrassing defeat, information "leaked" to them from a federal crime database (allegedly) revealing scandalous details about crimes committed by illegal immigrants was their last hope to save the election.
The "BeauprezGate" story has come a long way since we originally called for the FBI to investigate what has since been determined to be a federal crime of unauthorized use of these records for political purposes. One federal employee is on trial, and others are unindicted but implicated to varying degrees over the receipt of the records, as well as accessing them "on behalf of" Beauprez's opponent (more on that in a moment).
On Friday, it was disclosed for the first time that the content of the Beauprez campaign ads in question was knowingly false--a violation of Colorado law all by itself:
This is important for several reasons beyond the obvious "and it wasn't even true?" outrage: first, it helps explain why the current staff in the Denver DA's office might have looked into the information in this ad--not for the Ritter campaign, but since their own office was being accused of negligence in the same stroke. And the fact that we're only learning now about how the core facts of the ad are bogus proves that any information obtained by the current Denver DA's office was accessed for professional--not electioneering--reasons.
On the other hand, none of this serves to vindicate the accused "leaker" of the information to the Beauprez campaign. The ICE agent accused of providing this privacy-protected information at the very least should have known something was wrong with the campaign ad developed from it and said so. The fact that he didn't helps prove his interest in the case was in no way professional, and very much motivated by simple electioneering.
Which is exactly what we told you in October of 2006.
Epilogue: you might have seen on TV this weekend that legal defense fundraisers are being held for the accused leaker, Cory Voorhis. These have less to do with defending Voorhis personally than they do with stoking anti-immigrant sentiment generally, and one can only hope ICE agent Voorhis doesn't really feel the same way about immigrants as most of the people dropping sawbucks in his tip jar. And now we know they're "defending" a pack of lies.
That's right, friends, this immigrant who copped a plea from the Denver DA didn't, as it turned out, go on to sexually assault a child. It was a lie. And does anybody involved in the "free Cory Voorhis" movement find that simple fact, you know, a little troubling? Will the real problem here turn out that many people would prefer to believe a lie? That they prefer the lie to the truth because it reinforces their own bigotry?
The "BeauprezGate" story has come a long way since we originally called for the FBI to investigate what has since been determined to be a federal crime of unauthorized use of these records for political purposes. One federal employee is on trial, and others are unindicted but implicated to varying degrees over the receipt of the records, as well as accessing them "on behalf of" Beauprez's opponent (more on that in a moment).
On Friday, it was disclosed for the first time that the content of the Beauprez campaign ads in question was knowingly false--a violation of Colorado law all by itself:
The ad was widely aired during Colorado's 2006 gubernatorial campaign, accusing now-Gov. Bill Ritter of letting an illegal immigrant heroin dealer plea bargain down to a minor crime and then go on to be arrested for sexual assault on a child.
In federal court testimony on Thursday, a Republican Party contract researcher said the ad was not backed up by public records, but the Bob Beauprez campaign ran it anyway.
"The ad was incorrect" in that the sexual assault charge was dropped, said Bill Winkler, who researched the plea bargain case for the state Republican Party. The campaign ran the ad against the advice of its own counsel, he said...
The ad was prepared and sent to stations ready to run but awaiting confirmation the information was correct, Winkler said. Then, Winkler, the party and the campaign received public record information from California that did not support the ad, Winkler said.
The Oct. 6 fax shows the names did not match - Walter Ramon, not Ramo, was listed as the alias of Eugene Estrada, not Carlos Estrada Medina. In addition, the sexual assault charges against Estrada had been dropped.
Winkler said that on Oct. 10 he heard the ad was running anyway...
This is important for several reasons beyond the obvious "and it wasn't even true?" outrage: first, it helps explain why the current staff in the Denver DA's office might have looked into the information in this ad--not for the Ritter campaign, but since their own office was being accused of negligence in the same stroke. And the fact that we're only learning now about how the core facts of the ad are bogus proves that any information obtained by the current Denver DA's office was accessed for professional--not electioneering--reasons.
On the other hand, none of this serves to vindicate the accused "leaker" of the information to the Beauprez campaign. The ICE agent accused of providing this privacy-protected information at the very least should have known something was wrong with the campaign ad developed from it and said so. The fact that he didn't helps prove his interest in the case was in no way professional, and very much motivated by simple electioneering.
Which is exactly what we told you in October of 2006.
Epilogue: you might have seen on TV this weekend that legal defense fundraisers are being held for the accused leaker, Cory Voorhis. These have less to do with defending Voorhis personally than they do with stoking anti-immigrant sentiment generally, and one can only hope ICE agent Voorhis doesn't really feel the same way about immigrants as most of the people dropping sawbucks in his tip jar. And now we know they're "defending" a pack of lies.
That's right, friends, this immigrant who copped a plea from the Denver DA didn't, as it turned out, go on to sexually assault a child. It was a lie. And does anybody involved in the "free Cory Voorhis" movement find that simple fact, you know, a little troubling? Will the real problem here turn out that many people would prefer to believe a lie? That they prefer the lie to the truth because it reinforces their own bigotry?
I posted a brief note here stating that Udall was supporting impeachment which linked to a page on our website
that just said "April Fool".
It was censored and deleted. This is not the first time the PNA staff has deleted postings which made comments about Udall that they did not like.
Is PNA's staff losing it's sense of humor or is only their version of progressive speech allowable on this website?
Is this organization really progressive if they censor opposing views?
What do you think?
that just said "April Fool".
It was censored and deleted. This is not the first time the PNA staff has deleted postings which made comments about Udall that they did not like.
Is PNA's staff losing it's sense of humor or is only their version of progressive speech allowable on this website?
Is this organization really progressive if they censor opposing views?
What do you think?
I am a consultant in development economics, so I travel internationally a lot. Currently I am in West Africa. This exposure gives me a special perspective on our elections.
To the world, America is not just another country - it is an Idea. That Idea embodies all the words that we throw around in our political discourse - opportunity, justice, democracy, inclusion, tolerance. So this election is about the Idea of America. (Don't get me wrong. I have met no one so naïve as to think the reality always measures up to the ideal. People understand all about bigotry, abuse of power, kleptocracy, corruption and injustice. But these facts on the ground do not overcome the Idea.)
One of the many tragedies of the Bush-Cheney years is that this Idea of America is on the verge of being extinguished in the eyes of the world. America is increasingly seen as guided by self-righteous self-interest. Big, dangerous, disrespectful, selfish, threatening and bullying. Bush and Cheney have turned America into just another country.
So the issue here is not Hillary Clinton's question of which candidate crosses the threshold to be Commander-in-Chief. The issue is which candidate crosses the threshold to shift America from the pursuit of self-righteous self-interest back to the Idea of America. Which candidate most recognizes that our national self-interest is best furthered by embracing the Idea that America represents, that leadership means having a willing following, not one cajoled into obedient ranks by threats and bribery; one that recognizes our mutual global interdependence, not beggar-my-neigbor and go it alone.
The world is following our election very closely. People may not understand our political process very well, with primaries and caucuses and all that. But they understand that democracy is in action. We are in a process that is being watched by cab drivers, waitresses, street vendors and panhandlers from Abuja to Yerevan and from Nassau to Addis Ababa.
If we show the world that Americans can use democracy to restore the Idea of America, all God's children will be dancing in the streets.
To the world, America is not just another country - it is an Idea. That Idea embodies all the words that we throw around in our political discourse - opportunity, justice, democracy, inclusion, tolerance. So this election is about the Idea of America. (Don't get me wrong. I have met no one so naïve as to think the reality always measures up to the ideal. People understand all about bigotry, abuse of power, kleptocracy, corruption and injustice. But these facts on the ground do not overcome the Idea.)
One of the many tragedies of the Bush-Cheney years is that this Idea of America is on the verge of being extinguished in the eyes of the world. America is increasingly seen as guided by self-righteous self-interest. Big, dangerous, disrespectful, selfish, threatening and bullying. Bush and Cheney have turned America into just another country.
So the issue here is not Hillary Clinton's question of which candidate crosses the threshold to be Commander-in-Chief. The issue is which candidate crosses the threshold to shift America from the pursuit of self-righteous self-interest back to the Idea of America. Which candidate most recognizes that our national self-interest is best furthered by embracing the Idea that America represents, that leadership means having a willing following, not one cajoled into obedient ranks by threats and bribery; one that recognizes our mutual global interdependence, not beggar-my-neigbor and go it alone.
The world is following our election very closely. People may not understand our political process very well, with primaries and caucuses and all that. But they understand that democracy is in action. We are in a process that is being watched by cab drivers, waitresses, street vendors and panhandlers from Abuja to Yerevan and from Nassau to Addis Ababa.
If we show the world that Americans can use democracy to restore the Idea of America, all God's children will be dancing in the streets.
Fellow Democrats, I am very, very concerned. I think that, if we don't properly handle our nomination process over the next month, we could lose ALL of the support and good will gained with voters since 2006.
The issue that could undo us involves the Super Delegates to the national convention, and the Cognitive Dissonance they may create.
Before I go further, let me tell you about my background. I was an elected county party secretary from 2000 - 2002. I was a member of both county and state central and executive committees. I also ran for the state senate.
Now, let me tell you all a secret.
To read the rest of the blog entry, click here:
http://liberalnn.blogspot.com/
The issue that could undo us involves the Super Delegates to the national convention, and the Cognitive Dissonance they may create.
Before I go further, let me tell you about my background. I was an elected county party secretary from 2000 - 2002. I was a member of both county and state central and executive committees. I also ran for the state senate.
Now, let me tell you all a secret.
To read the rest of the blog entry, click here:
http://liberalnn.blogspot.com/
Step up, don't be shy!
We just had the gold-medal award-winning record-breaking GOP-freaking fantastically amazing caucus turn-out of all time (so far).
There are swarms of new bees buzzing! NOW, how do we keep them active and making honey for the election in the fall?
Let's all think of some ideas, and don't worry about whether someone else will think they are the best ideas ever. Just...share them. The thing about ideas is that often they generate MORE ideas. And one that might not totally work where I live (rural and red) could be perfect for Pueblo or awesome for Alamosa.
I'll start. We are going to harvest the emails and PO addresses our county collected at the caucuses, and use those to start a 'known active' mailing list. It was pretty expensive to mail a postcard to every Dem household in our county, but mailing a few hundred postcards before other events? Doable.
An idea I want to promote down here is to start up some committees new people can join. Bake sale contributers? Someone to work a MONTHLY voter registration table? (Maybe combine those two ideas? Register people AND sell them cookies?)
I once read something about how to be happy: you need something to do, something to care about and something to hope for.
The way I see it, we Dems have the power to help a LOT of people get happy!
So first...ideas!
Your turn!
We just had the gold-medal award-winning record-breaking GOP-freaking fantastically amazing caucus turn-out of all time (so far).
There are swarms of new bees buzzing! NOW, how do we keep them active and making honey for the election in the fall?
Let's all think of some ideas, and don't worry about whether someone else will think they are the best ideas ever. Just...share them. The thing about ideas is that often they generate MORE ideas. And one that might not totally work where I live (rural and red) could be perfect for Pueblo or awesome for Alamosa.
I'll start. We are going to harvest the emails and PO addresses our county collected at the caucuses, and use those to start a 'known active' mailing list. It was pretty expensive to mail a postcard to every Dem household in our county, but mailing a few hundred postcards before other events? Doable.
An idea I want to promote down here is to start up some committees new people can join. Bake sale contributers? Someone to work a MONTHLY voter registration table? (Maybe combine those two ideas? Register people AND sell them cookies?)
I once read something about how to be happy: you need something to do, something to care about and something to hope for.
The way I see it, we Dems have the power to help a LOT of people get happy!
So first...ideas!
Your turn!
I was interviewed live on Jason Bradford's The Reality Report on KZXY public radio in Northern California Monday, and this show is archived on the web, so if you're interested, I hope you'll check it out at:
http://globalpublicmedia.com/hooked_on_growth_on_the_reality_report
We spend the hour discussing the documentary I'm producing, Hooked on Growth: Our Misguided Quest for Prosperity.
You might also want to check out my filmmaker's blog at the documentary web site.
Dave
<b>If President Bush has his way, some of the most spectacular areas in Utah will be irreversibly degraded by oil rigs and off-road vehicles (ORVs).
Eleven million acres in Utah's red rock canyon country are at immediate risk, and we have until Feb. 8 to speak out. This precious land is filled with breathtaking vistas, ancient cultural artifacts and dinosaur fossils, and a wide range of wildlife. Unless the public speaks out now, President Bush's land management team will forge ahead aggressively, with little thought to the permanent impact on a fragile, irreplaceable ecosystem.
As the New York Times editorialized , "some of the trails would crisscross about 2.5 million acres of breathtakingly beautiful country that the Clinton administration thought worthy of permanent wilderness protection." This is the beginning, folks. By the time January 20, 2009 rolls around, there will have been so many signing statements, desecrations of law, and such such massive theft as to never be untangled.
First, sign the petition here to stop this:
http://action.wilderness.org/campaign/utah_redrock
Next, go to: http://www.impeachco.com/
... to learn how you can support the articles of impeachment to be introduced on Monday, January 28th.</b>
For the last year and a half I've taken the somewhat unpopular view that the 2006 special session of the Colorado General Assembly to take "emergency action" on the issue of illegal immigration was a worthless exercise, neither effectively addressing the problem of uncontrolled immigration nor "shrewdly" attracting votes for majority Democrats. I've said it before, and I'll say it again--we outsmarted ourselves big-time with this, and the consequences will be far more lasting than the momentary tactical advantage the session gave Democrats in the 2006 elections.
Indeed, it's my view that far more Colorado Hispanic voters were alienated by the special session than nativists were converted to being Democrats, and even if some token few were I don't really care to have haters in my party anyway.
And now we learn that none of it had any basis in reality, at all: as was reported in the Grand Junction Sentinel quietly over the weekend, the numbers are in, and there was never a problem with illegals getting state services.
Hard line on state services has price
In addition to absolutely destroying the tired immigrant-bashing canard that illegals are busting our social welfare budgets (anybody want to claim that after reading this? Anybody?), one can only hope that this little reality burn will help our own Democratic leadership understand the long-term consequences of the short-term grandstand. Think about the repugnant fearmongering you ceded the high ground to, Democrats. Think about the huge segment of your own base you nearly alienated accommodating Dave Schultheis' racist bullshit. Especially now that the numbers are in and it undisputably was bullshit.
Don't let this happen again.
Indeed, it's my view that far more Colorado Hispanic voters were alienated by the special session than nativists were converted to being Democrats, and even if some token few were I don't really care to have haters in my party anyway.
And now we learn that none of it had any basis in reality, at all: as was reported in the Grand Junction Sentinel quietly over the weekend, the numbers are in, and there was never a problem with illegals getting state services.
Hard line on state services has price
A year and a half after Democratic lawmakers and Republican Gov. Bill Owens pushed through measures to cut off state services to illegal immigrants, the state has seen no savings, members of the Joint Budget Committee said.
Rep. Al White, R-Hayden, said multiple agencies have reported they have saved nothing or lost money implementing the legislation.
White said that when Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment Director James Martin told the Joint Budget Committee earlier this month, "We will not actually incur any savings," his testimony was emblematic of what every other witness has said over the past two months.
"The only impact has been the expense of implementation," White said.
When it was passed during the Legislature's 2006 special session, House Bill 1023 was sold as a way to cut off most state services to illegal immigrants.
The bill, lauded as "landmark legislation" by Owens' office, required Coloradans to prove their legal residency before they could receive non-federally mandated public services...
"The fact is that some people may not be applying for benefits because they know Colorado tracks it carefully," Buescher said. "But we also did not find anyone who was eliminated from the system because they were illegally receiving benefits."
Nonetheless, Buescher, who heads the Joint Budget Committee, said the legislation, penned by Speaker of the House Andrew Romanoff, D-Denver, and then-Senate President Joan Fitz-Gerald, D-Golden, has constituted more of a burden to the state than a blessing.
He said that burden has been seen most glaringly among senior citizens who have had trouble establishing their citizenship due to lost birth certificates and other identification documents.
In addition to absolutely destroying the tired immigrant-bashing canard that illegals are busting our social welfare budgets (anybody want to claim that after reading this? Anybody?), one can only hope that this little reality burn will help our own Democratic leadership understand the long-term consequences of the short-term grandstand. Think about the repugnant fearmongering you ceded the high ground to, Democrats. Think about the huge segment of your own base you nearly alienated accommodating Dave Schultheis' racist bullshit. Especially now that the numbers are in and it undisputably was bullshit.
Don't let this happen again.
In a nail-biter, any Dem is a sure loser. George W. Bush's administration will be overseeing the election. The GOP owns the media. They own the voting machines.
There are large groups of people in the United States who do not yet know of the many dozens of provable felonies of this administration. In November of '08, millions of these people are going to enter the voting booth thinking, "well, I'll vote for this party, or that party; they're both basically the same. I like Huckabee's smile, though, and Republicans have kept us safe from the grave terrorist threat we faced all these years."
But if those people understood that the "grave terrorist threat" in fact never existed, that it was created to be used against them by the GOP, it would change the tide dramatically in the Democrat's favor.
When pollsters ask the question, "if it can be shown that the president did not tell the truth, should he be impeached?," the numbers in favor of impeachment reach 53%, as opposed to 42% against. Those types of numbers would make the next election tamper-proof.
This is why it is critical to impeach, not just George W. Bush, but the GOP as a whole under the umbrella of George W. Bush. Instead of the Dem saying, "I support wire-tapping, but I'm weaker on the issue," and "I support water-boarding, but I'm wishy-washy about it," let the Dem take the American position on the issues (support Habeas, Geneva, "nothing to fear but fear itself") and make the GOP defend the anti-American position in the context of an ongoing daily airing of dirty (horrific) laundry -- the impeachment.
One can defy reality and suggest that impeachment is "bad" for the impeaching party, but history shows otherwise.
Negative advertising works.
Impeachment is free, sustained negative advertising.
And it would be JUST, and RIGHT, and Republic-restoring too! IMAGINE!
But, then again, maybe we could do the same thing we did in 2000, and 2004, and hope for a different result.
We'll just cruise into 2008, defending against outlandish Republican attacks as they come. We'll keep "fear of terrorism" as the center of the debate, even though the advantage is clearly Republican. And we'll tit-for-tat, and we'll complain about the skewed coverage of the MSM, and we'll battle against the superior money of the GOP --it will come -- and, on election night, we'll watch the 50/50 split be entrusted to those wonderful voting machines. And we'll expect a different outcome.
Because we're insane?
-----------------------------------------------------
Join us Saturday January 5, 2008 @ 7PM at the Mercury Cafe, for an interactive multi-media, audience-participation impeachment event.
And bring some wishy-washy Dems who need an injection of backbone, will you?
The incredible progressive experimental rock band "Orphaned Gears" will bring down the house after.
There are large groups of people in the United States who do not yet know of the many dozens of provable felonies of this administration. In November of '08, millions of these people are going to enter the voting booth thinking, "well, I'll vote for this party, or that party; they're both basically the same. I like Huckabee's smile, though, and Republicans have kept us safe from the grave terrorist threat we faced all these years."
But if those people understood that the "grave terrorist threat" in fact never existed, that it was created to be used against them by the GOP, it would change the tide dramatically in the Democrat's favor.
When pollsters ask the question, "if it can be shown that the president did not tell the truth, should he be impeached?," the numbers in favor of impeachment reach 53%, as opposed to 42% against. Those types of numbers would make the next election tamper-proof.
This is why it is critical to impeach, not just George W. Bush, but the GOP as a whole under the umbrella of George W. Bush. Instead of the Dem saying, "I support wire-tapping, but I'm weaker on the issue," and "I support water-boarding, but I'm wishy-washy about it," let the Dem take the American position on the issues (support Habeas, Geneva, "nothing to fear but fear itself") and make the GOP defend the anti-American position in the context of an ongoing daily airing of dirty (horrific) laundry -- the impeachment.
One can defy reality and suggest that impeachment is "bad" for the impeaching party, but history shows otherwise.
Negative advertising works.
Impeachment is free, sustained negative advertising.
And it would be JUST, and RIGHT, and Republic-restoring too! IMAGINE!
But, then again, maybe we could do the same thing we did in 2000, and 2004, and hope for a different result.
We'll just cruise into 2008, defending against outlandish Republican attacks as they come. We'll keep "fear of terrorism" as the center of the debate, even though the advantage is clearly Republican. And we'll tit-for-tat, and we'll complain about the skewed coverage of the MSM, and we'll battle against the superior money of the GOP --it will come -- and, on election night, we'll watch the 50/50 split be entrusted to those wonderful voting machines. And we'll expect a different outcome.
Because we're insane?
-----------------------------------------------------
Join us Saturday January 5, 2008 @ 7PM at the Mercury Cafe, for an interactive multi-media, audience-participation impeachment event.
And bring some wishy-washy Dems who need an injection of backbone, will you?
The incredible progressive experimental rock band "Orphaned Gears" will bring down the house after.
Posts By Month
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If you have any kind of insite on my case Please CONTACT ME!!!!
Posted Jul 05, 2008 10:34pm
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Sincerest success
Posted Jul 05, 2008 2:54pm
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Schaffer wasn't the only one profiteering in Kurdistan
Posted Jul 03, 2008 6:31pm
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Fighting on two fronts- with the vote coming up July 8th
Posted Jul 03, 2008 1:53am
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Why not concealed hand guns at the airport?
Posted Jul 02, 2008 8:17am
Comments (1)
The reason we need new rules
Posted Jul 01, 2008 9:34am
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The Gundamentalists THINK They Won, but…
Posted Jun 30, 2008 12:56pm
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Stop sitting on your keyboard- Act NOW- to remind Obama
Posted Jun 30, 2008 9:49am
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Lovely little war
Posted Jun 30, 2008 9:47am
Comments (1)
Martin Luther King Jr
Posted Jun 29, 2008 5:31pm
Comments (1)
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