http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/category_rss/immigration For several years now the evidence of the Alberto Gonzales gang's manipulation of the Federal Civil Service within the Department of Justice has been well publicized. The fact that right-wing political ideologues were being approved for career professional positions based on social issue orthodoxy, rather than competence and qualifications, is yet another blight on the scandalous legacy of the current occupant of the White House. Today's report in the Washington Post reveals that this practice of burrowing right-wing political operatives into the Civil Service is also in-place in the scientific agencies. Perhaps this is the mis-administration's strategy for making permanent the Republican obsession for combating the truth of science with their twisted political and social priorities. The Center for Public Integrity is soon to release their "Broken Government" study. The fund-raising teaser release promises 120 specific cases. This kind of investigative effort to hold the Bushies accountable as the mis-administration fades into oblivion is crucial.  Revealing and acting on the depth and breadth of this conspiracy is vital to the success of any reforms and corrects to the offenses of the past eight years. The Obama-Biden Administration will be stretched and tested to uncover and flush-out these right-wing activists who have burrowed their way into the Civil Service like so many termites. The evidence of these infestations must be met with quick action. Executive appointees selected for positions above these people must be prepared to take every possible action within the laws and regulations of the Civil Service structure to either get them dismissed, or make it too hard for them to stay and accomplish their nefarious goals. Attention to the selection of the Administrator of the Office of Personnel Management will be a key to success in this area. Various Executive agency inspectors general must be supported in investigating these political opportunists. IF they are found to be substantially unqualified for the job description that they were hired to fill, then it should be clear grounds for dismissal as an unlawful appointment. The Obama-Biden appointees who are saddled with these burdens must enforce clear, precise and enforceable performance standards. When confronted with qualitative requirements to enforce and perform based upon laws and regulations that these infiltrators are likely to hold ambitions to undermine and avoid, could more easily force them to resign. Even in its demise the minions of the current mis-administration are appearing to be increasingly unwilling to follow the current occupant of the White House and the vice out of Washington. This certainly adds to the challenge and urgency of establishing the new administration's executive leadership. Too many months and too many acting, caretaker, leaders in the executive departments will make it all the harder to untangle the tentacles of the Bush parasites. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CQDn http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CQDn/commentary#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:53:14 MST http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CQDn Ralph T http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/22970b0cb82ab5861b_e6yymv1de.jpg Ralph T 2 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQDn/ OBAMA CITY, JAPAN :  Banners on parade and dancing in the streets with shouts in English "YES WE CAN" KENYA:  Dancing in the streets - 2 days of national holiday declared amid chants of "YES WE CAN" FRANCE:  People pour into the streets of Paris amid dancing and singing there are shouts "YES WE CAN" LONDON, SOUTH AFRICA....ALL OVER THE WORLD: The REVOLUTION has been legitimized, accepted and praised.               WE actually won the 2nd revolution for the United States of America. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/Jan/CQ88 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/Jan/CQ88/commentary#comments Wed, 05 Nov 2008 08:26:59 MST http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/Jan/CQ88 The Mad Woman http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/fcb34917d9fd3e3809_u806mvulr.jpg The Mad Woman 2 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ88/ The attacks by the McCain campaign, accusing Obama of being a Socialist, sound like a reversion back to something from the 1950s. That is the way the media portrays it, as an amusing and ridiculous jab being made by a desperate campaign that is on the ropes with nothing better to offer. Even Obama's dismissive response about sharing his toys as a child seems to regard it that way. But the attack is much more insidious and subtle than that. The fact that it is being rolled out in the last week of the campaign suggests to me that the Republicans think that this is the most powerful shot left in their arsenal, and could be the game-changer they rely on to win the election at the last minute. As McPalin describe it, the socialist accusation is a claim that Obama will take "your" hard earned money and give it to "them." Given the demographics of the group that is being targeted with this pitch - blue collar and middle class whites - it is not hard to see who "they" are. Just as George H.W Bush's Willie Horton ads were not about crime, and Ronald Reagan's railing on about welfare Cadillacs was not about welfare reform, this socialist line is not about economics or even ideology. Nor is it about painting Obama as outside the main stream. It is all about stoking the residual and ill- concealed racism that remains a powerful factor in America. It is designed to evoke stereotypes of lazy, shiftless, unemployed blacks in the south and Midwest, drunk Indians in the southwest, and illegal immigrants in big sombreros sleeping in the sun, all supported by the welfare funds taken from "your" hard earned dollars. The campaign is brilliantly indirect, but it is the nastiest attack yet on Obama. It is the McCain campaign playing the race card. Maybe it is right for us to treat the attack as a throwback to McCarthyism that merely reflects on the age of McCain. Maybe the attack is too subtle and the American people too dumb to respond as the Republicans intend. Maybe America is not as racist as they think. Maybe the fall of communism makes the whole thing irrelevant. But the Republicans would not be rolling it out as their dying gasp of the campaign if they believed that. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bullwinkle/CQ8r http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bullwinkle/CQ8r/commentary#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:29:37 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bullwinkle/CQ8r Doc Martin Doc Martin 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CQ8r/ I was just listening to former Virginia Governor Douglas Wilder on a radio show. He made a critical and brilliant observation about John McCain. His evaluation of the Sarah Palin selection rests on that decision as an indicator of how McSame would later decide on the people to fill the other leadership positions in a supposed McSame mis-administration. This is a powerful indictment of a candidate for president of the US when the nation so despirately needs a clear change of direction. The specter of Sarah Palin equivalent appointments throughout the US Executive Branch shows no chance of reforming, and certainly not reversing, the criminal excesses of the past seven years. There will be no resolution to the US Attorney firings, and little hope of removing the fraudulently hired radical right-wingers who have been peppered throughout the Department of Justice to undermine, rather than enforce, the law. This demonstrated decision-making pattern by John McCain is a screaming warning to America. No other fact shines so brightly than the selection of Sarah Palin to confirm that McSame is the incarnation of a third, and perhaps more devastating, term for the G.W. Bush policies. Considering everything you find important, think your retired relatives who will be hurt if McCain succeeds and leads America down the path of more for the wealthiest and less for the rest. Victory in the race for the White House is critical, but top to bottom electoral victories on the ballot is equally important for our communities and state. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CZB9 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CZB9/commentary#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 13:22:03 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/ralphtrenary/CZB9 Ralph T http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/22970b0cb82ab5861b_e6yymv1de.jpg Ralph T 0 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CZB9/ Neo-Nazi organizations like Aryan Nations, Hammerskins, and their fellow travelers like Jim Gilchrist's Minutemen are easily agitated and cheered on by hate spewing shock jocks of radio.  Those organizations their delusional notions of white suppression constitute a clear and present danger in this election. This first example was brought to my attention by Georgia10 writing at Dailykos.com: So the Daily Kos blogging contingent was all set to stay at a certain hotel in Denver. At the last minute --literally, the night before many of us flew out to Denver--we got word that we would be switching hotels. It turned out to be a dump, so yeah, an upgrade was in order. ... Waking up to swat teams is a surefire clue that you're not staying at a five star hotel, that's for sure, and if there was ever a sign to change hotels, a meth bust outside your hotel door is sure to be it... And today, we learn that the meth bust across the hall was just one part of a much larger and more disturbing story : DENVER (CBS4) ―  CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges. [...] GregMitch, Dailykos.com, digs deeper and writes : Following up an earlier TV report, NBC in Denver is now reporting, "Sources tell NBC the two men had tattoos and jewelry popular with white supremacists."  It also notes that an unidentified source tells NBC,  "There is no reason for someone [with a criminal record] to have rifles with scopes." My Web research has found a home address for one of the men, Tharin Gartrell, in Lakewood, Co.... Rory O'Connor, Alternet.org, writes about the continuing efforts by the hate jocks of radio to foment violence this year:  Rodriguez says she "would usually shrug this off as idiotic, but it has actually gained traction. This right-wing jerk, whose show is a constant stream of anti-immigrant, racist, and homophobic rhetoric, is leading the charge, even commenting the other day that we need 'bloodshed in the polling places.' Dave Neiwert, Orcinus blog, has written an in depth investigation into eliminationist rhetoric: This is the naked bigotry revealed by both Klein's and Borat's stunts, and it has a particular quality to it -- a theme running through it, as it were: eliminationism. White frat boys who long to enslave blacks, Texas ranchers who think hunting and shooting a Jew sounds like fun, and radio audiences who want to tattoo Muslims and lock them up in concentration camps -- they all reflect the strands of the hard-wired right-wing desire to eliminate, by violent means if necessary, anyone deemed the Other, or the Enemy. What does this mean except that there is homegrown violent organizations from the right have taken hold and have been vigorously supported by the so called shock jocks from the big boys like Micheal Savage to the pip squeaks like Arizona's "Jon Justice" which will lead to murder and assassination attempts against all who are their enemies. We can counter but a major part is to remove their broadcast cheerleaders.  Those cheerleaders for hatred and eliminationist violence should be able to speak but only on their soapbox at a street corner.  The public airwaves should not be a cesspool that will cheerlead on people who are mentally unstable, paranoid, and delusional enough to carry out murder against ethnic and racial groups.       http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/Cq7x http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/Cq7x/commentary#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 08:19:01 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/Cq7x Ken Ken 3 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cq7x/ Progressive Democrats of America with The Nation magazine are setting up headquarters at Central Presbyterian Church (1660 Sherman St.), where they have scheduled issues forums over 5 days of the Democratic National Convention. Free daily panels moderated by The Nation 's John Nichols at 11 AM, are followed by additional panels covering Health Care on Monday, August 25, followed the rest of the week with forums on Media and Election Reform, Economic Justice, Global Warming and Constitutional Law. Participants include Reps. John Conyers, Barbara Lee, Robert Wexler, Keith Ellison and Lynn Woolsey; Tom Hayden, Jim Hightower and authors David Sirota and Vincent Bugliosi; various writers and publisher of The Nation ; journalist and radio host Laura Flanders; Jeff Cohen, author and founder of FAIR; and many others. For schedule and more info, check Web site http://pdamerica.org , click on "Progressive Central" in green bar at page top. Watch for posting of PDF event flyer. Also, check link to HCAC page for Democratic Convention Actions around Health Care . http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/micheleswenson/CqPk http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/micheleswenson/CqPk/commentary#comments Sun, 10 Aug 2008 23:00:39 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/micheleswenson/CqPk Michele S Michele S 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqPk/ "The Democrats are trying very hard to show ... that they're not going to re-open these issues and that the Bush crimes will remain buried for all time," Turley told MSNBC's Keith Olbermann on Tuesday. "It would start a new administration on the same level that George Bush left it. And that's a very sad thing." "Turley was particularly concerned about a recent statement by law professor Cass Sunstein, an Obama adviser, that only "egregious" crimes by Bush officials should be prosecuted by an Obama administration." "There are very few obligations that a president has to do under the Constitution, but one of them is not to violate the laws that he is supposed to enforce," explained Turley. Turley further pointed to Speaker Nancy Pelosi's refusal to initiate impeachment proceedings against the president, saying, "I don't understand why some Democrats can't just simply accept a very straightforward proposition, that we'll prosecute any crimes committed by this administration, an Obama administration, a McCain administration. Because they're crimes. They're all egregious." From an article by RawStory.com John H Kennedy, 43 yr Democratic voter, Obama delegate to the Denver County Convention and organizer of the Impeach Colorado Coalition ImpeachCO.com Join our Impeachment Protests, see the Calendar on the website .. .. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennedyjohn/CqPg http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennedyjohn/CqPg/commentary#comments Thu, 24 Jul 2008 16:47:00 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennedyjohn/CqPg John H Kennedy http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/5e4c96e6db734362f3_l5hmv2v71.jpg John H Kennedy 0 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqPg/ Phil Graham former Senator and current Economic advisor to Presidential candidate John Mc Cain, believes we're a nation of whiners. If he were a liberal he'd be accused of hating America. I wouldn't go that far but it does appears Graham hates Americans enough to call them whiners and tell us any economic woes we are experiencing are merely figments of our whining imagination. Can you blame him? After all, a complaint against our economy is a direct attack on the failure of the economic philosophy Graham and his conservative buddies worked so hard to build. He was instrumental in de-regulating the home mortgage industry himself. If you lost your home because you were duped into signing a flexible rate mortgage by being told you could re-do it later, you can thank conservative economics and Phil Graham personally. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqy4 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqy4/commentary#comments Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:19:27 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqy4 BingVanGorden http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/25bd1354620e434bc8_ixsmv2dwg.jpg BingVanGorden 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqy4/ 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. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/jaquelinechristopher/Cqyg http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/jaquelinechristopher/Cqyg/commentary#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:31:41 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/jaquelinechristopher/Cqyg Seeker of truth and freedom! http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/5cb1b68022f95ff4c0_ng4mv24hl.jpg Seeker of truth and freedom! 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqyg/ 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. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqm9 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqm9/commentary#comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:50:11 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/bingvangorden/Cqm9 BingVanGorden http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/25bd1354620e434bc8_ixsmv2dwg.jpg BingVanGorden 0 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqm9/ 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: 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 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqsC http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqsC/commentary#comments Thu, 08 May 2008 13:50:33 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqsC Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 0 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqsC/ So sorry, Rep. Bruce, but unless you want to pick those Rocky Ford melons and Palisade peaches... 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... http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqYz http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqYz/commentary#comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 07:11:19 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/CqYz Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqYz/ 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 : 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/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 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlb http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlb/commentary#comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 21:17:04 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlb Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqlb/ 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 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? http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlr http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlr/commentary#comments Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:52:20 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqlr Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqlr/ 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 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) http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf7 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf7/commentary#comments Fri, 11 Apr 2008 08:06:42 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf7 Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 535 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqf7/ 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 : 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. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf8 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf8/commentary#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:49:06 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqf8 Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 515 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqf8/ Priceless. http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfk http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfk/commentary#comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 12:35:22 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfk Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 1 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqfk/ 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: 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-- http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfb http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfb/commentary#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 22:18:51 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfb Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 746 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqfb/ 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.”   http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/CqfK http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/CqfK/commentary#comments Tue, 08 Apr 2008 10:30:16 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/kennethdebacker/CqfK Ken Ken 0 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/CqfK/ 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: 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? http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfc http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfc/commentary#comments Sun, 06 Apr 2008 06:59:56 MDT http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/post/al/Cqfc Alan Franklin http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/profile_picture/1b6fb917dd91e10cc0_ge5omv53a.jpg Alan Franklin 14 http://www.progressnowaction.org/page/community/comment_rss/Cqfc/