Thursday, September 11, 2008
9/11+7
Seven years ago this very moment as I write our world, our politics, our lives changed. Yes, it all was set into motion way before the first plane was hijacked and slammed into the World Trade Center. But that initial impact not only brought down a building, but marks the beginning of the dismantlement of our Constitution, of the Geneva Conventions, of democracy, of sovereign rights and the respect for human rights --all in the name of fear.
As we remember those who died on 9/11 let us also remember the words of President Franlin Delano Roosevelt: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (3/3/33) and work to reclaim the liberal democratic state that the USA once was, and to restore our moral standing vis a vis the rest of the world. So that those who died on 9/11 and in the 7 years since should not have died in vain.
It is also interesting to note that on Sept. 11, 1786 at Annapolis under the Articles of Confederation a confernce was called to look at enhancing commerce, the members of this conference recommended changes to the Articles of Confederation which started the ball rolling towards the Constitutional Convention that gave us the Constitution.
The first step would be to take the time and re-read The Declaration of Independence, the Us Constitution and the UDHR.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/udhr.html
see http://ccrjustice.org/
As we remember those who died on 9/11 let us also remember the words of President Franlin Delano Roosevelt: "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" (3/3/33) and work to reclaim the liberal democratic state that the USA once was, and to restore our moral standing vis a vis the rest of the world. So that those who died on 9/11 and in the 7 years since should not have died in vain.
It is also interesting to note that on Sept. 11, 1786 at Annapolis under the Articles of Confederation a confernce was called to look at enhancing commerce, the members of this conference recommended changes to the Articles of Confederation which started the ball rolling towards the Constitutional Convention that gave us the Constitution.
The first step would be to take the time and re-read The Declaration of Independence, the Us Constitution and the UDHR.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html
http://www.hrweb.org/legal/udhr.html
see http://ccrjustice.org/
Labels: 9/11, Constitution, democracy, fear, UDHR
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Another Pit Bull for VP
Choosing the well spoken and personable Gov. Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate, McCain has firmed up his Evangelical base, not that they were going anywhere but to the Republican camp, but just in case...
IF McCain thought that Palin would garner him the Clinton women who are disappointed that Hillary did not even get the VP spot on the Democrats' ticket, he is showing his ignorance--not all women think alike, nor are they feminists.
While Palin speaks a good game--she's a small town girl who did well and she's a hockey mom--if we look at her speech last night to see what policies she may bring to the table that would support working families, I see only one: she will be an advocate for families with special needs children. She was silent on wages, health care, education, the economy, housing.
She is pro-drilling and the Alaskan pipeline--as if oil recovered in 5 years will help lower the price at the pump or this winter from the home heating oil. Though she did mention other sources of energy:
" But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.
Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more nuclear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources."
While she claims she is not part of the establishment in Washington, as the Republican candidate for VP she is--the Republicans have held the White House for the past 7 + years, and until 2006 held the majority in Congress for much much longer...
Here is her entire speech: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-rnc-conventio_n_123703.html
Now, if McCain really wanted change, he could have picked Christine Todd Whitman--a woman with a lot of experience including standing up to this administration on environmental issues--then perhaps he might have also had a shot at the women who had supported Hillary Clinton.
But McCain did get it right: Palin's role in this campaign is to be a pit bull with lipstick (her definition of a hockey mom).
IF McCain thought that Palin would garner him the Clinton women who are disappointed that Hillary did not even get the VP spot on the Democrats' ticket, he is showing his ignorance--not all women think alike, nor are they feminists.
While Palin speaks a good game--she's a small town girl who did well and she's a hockey mom--if we look at her speech last night to see what policies she may bring to the table that would support working families, I see only one: she will be an advocate for families with special needs children. She was silent on wages, health care, education, the economy, housing.
She is pro-drilling and the Alaskan pipeline--as if oil recovered in 5 years will help lower the price at the pump or this winter from the home heating oil. Though she did mention other sources of energy:
" But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all.
Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more nuclear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources."
While she claims she is not part of the establishment in Washington, as the Republican candidate for VP she is--the Republicans have held the White House for the past 7 + years, and until 2006 held the majority in Congress for much much longer...
Here is her entire speech: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/03/sarah-palin-rnc-conventio_n_123703.html
Now, if McCain really wanted change, he could have picked Christine Todd Whitman--a woman with a lot of experience including standing up to this administration on environmental issues--then perhaps he might have also had a shot at the women who had supported Hillary Clinton.
But McCain did get it right: Palin's role in this campaign is to be a pit bull with lipstick (her definition of a hockey mom).
Labels: Clinton, McCain, Palin
