ledge of liberty

GeorgeBush.com: Hours of Fun!

Am I crazy or does this photo look like a room full of cardboard cutouts?

One can have quite a time looking over Bush's campaign website. Whether it’s the "Marlboro Man" photos, the Hitler ads or the "Hispanics for Bush" page -- hours can be sucked away in "shock and awe".

A new Bush campaign ad reveals an important issue -- Kerry hates pregnant women! But it’s another ad that really got me thinking; will McCain be offered the Vice Presidential ticket? I know Cheney refuted the rumor, but this ad seems to support the recent chatter. Not that McCain really has a chance -- lets face it, it’s all about who has the better hair.

Ye Ole Terror Threats of Yore

Remember the good ole days when terrorist threats didn’t make the news till after any imminent threat had passed? We could just go on with our days productively, then sleep soundly knowing those on the receiving end of our tax dollars were doing their jobs -- keeping the homeland secure, keeping the people safe. And hey, if the threat was real; you best believe, you would be the last person to know about it. A calm country is a stable country.

Inciting fear has always been a powerful political tool, and why wouldn’t it be? People love to feel like they’re being protected. And while it’s good to know that measures are being taken to plan for, even preempt attacks, protection is not just physical -- it’s psychological. It’s the job of our leaders to protect us from not only the physical, but the psychological threat. But the increasing political trend is destabilization and fear; exemplified here in a letter to the editor, on Marc Perkel Rantz…

The Bush administration is moving to steal the election again by postponing the election in case of an attack around election day. If this passes and Bush is behind in the polls - there will be an attack to delay the election.

A president who is crooked enough to go to war with Iraq based on lies is crooked enough to fake a terrorist attack to usurp the election process. Bush has already stolen one election when he got the Supreme Court to halt the vote count and appoint him president. This time the people should choose our own president.

Keeping us safe from terrorism is a test of the presidency and if Bush can't figure out how to keep America safe then he doesn't deserve to be president. The Constitution is clear on the subject and it doesn't provide an exception to move the election if Bush decides to create a fake attack. We need to resist tempering with the election process and prevent Bush from stealing the election again. Bush can not be trusted with any process to delay the election for any reason. And we sure don't need to give Bush a reason to blow up buildings if he's behind in the polls.

These may seem like words of lunacy, but it represents the ideology of a growing constituency, completely fed up wth this administration and it’s fear tactics. And lets face it, with headlines like “Officials discuss how to delay Election Day” [CNN, 07/11/04], who can blame them for being paranoid.

This administration is depressing in every way. Between the endless job losses, the economy, the war, and the ever-increasing terror rhetoric -- isn’t it ironic, the new GOP slogan should be, “It’s a time for optimism”? Well Mr. President, it isn’t a time for optimism, it’s time for you and the powers that be to get back to protecting America. You see Mr. President – when you continually pass on these terrorist threats, in your own words, “the terrorists have won”. You are proliferating a system of fear – when you raise the level of threat or report some vague terrorist chatter, Mr. President, you might as well hand the terrorists a megaphone and a scaffold, sell tickets and have a powwow.

Dick Gephardt said, “this President is a miserable failure” and I have to agree, but perhaps it would be equally true to say, “this President is just plain miserable”.

John Edwards: More Than Just a Pretty Face

He’s smart, self-made, and successful. He’s a champion of the under-dog, he’s a Senator with ideals, and hey -- he’s sexy! He’s your new Vice President, he's John Edwards!

Okay, so he’s not technically Vice President, but I’ll bet you a Thanksgiving turkey -- come November, Cheney will be handing over those sought after lavatory keys.

Why so confident? Well, lucky for you, I've made a list...

1. The Charisma...

"His charisma will excite voters across the nation, especially in the South," says Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport. [Democrat & Chronicle]

2. The Working Class Appeal...

Edwards grew up around the textile mills in the Southeast. He describes his family as close-knit and hard-working - the kind of family that had to sit around the kitchen table to figure out what to sacrifice to send their son to college. Edwards played high school football, worked some summers in the mills and studied textiles at North Carolina State University, figuring on returning to the mills as his family's first college graduate. Instead, he went on to law school at the University of North Carolina, where he met his future bride. [The Des Moines Register]

3. The American Dream...

“[Edwards] is a fresh face with an attractive bio that is the American dream,” says Peter Feaver, a political scientist at Duke University in Durham, N.C. "He is extremely wealthy, but he started very poor and he presents that in a compelling way. [Christian Science Monitor]

4. The Political Record...

In Congress, Senator Edwards quickly emerged as a champion for the issues that make a difference to American families: quality health care, better schools, protecting civil liberties, preserving the environment, saving Social Security and Medicare, and reforming the ways campaigns are financed. [Biography]

5. The Sexiness!

Let’s face it; people have seen what a bunch of stodgy old men can do to a country. John Edwards is fresh and new like a dewdrop or a blossoming flower. Okay, perhaps I'm joking, but John Kerry’s daughter Alex agrees, "I have the biggest crush on John Edwards." [Political Wire]

The U.S. Patriot Act: Security Vs. Liberty

In the wake of September 11th, there’s an overwhelming percentage of the population willing to sacrifice civil liberties for security purposes without question. Is this the collective consciousness of a nation wounded by a vicious terror attack or a nation affected by the ever-flowing terror rhetoric? Either way, the lines between freedom and protection are becoming increasingly blurred.

In the advent of the U.S. “Patriot Act”, a resolution that obliterates an American’s Constitutional rights, people have begun to question the government’s role in security, usually quoting Benjamin Franklin, “they that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” A poetic sentiment unfortunately lost on the less analytical among us.

Does security equal liberty? In the 1940’s the Nazi’s used a slogan, 'arbeit macht Frei' or in English, ‘work makes free’. Words that, chillingly, can still be read on the iron gates of Auschwitz prison. It’s when government is given this sort of clandestine right, without the checks and balances of a democratic society; government becomes a haven for those who abuse power.

These checks and balances are the fundamentals of our just and democratic society. Hundreds of thousands of true patriots have put their lives on the line - have died, and are dying still, to protect these democratic ideals. So when our elected officials, the puppets of our design, disregard these principals, behave surreptitiously and introduce law which threatens democracy, it’s our patriotic duty, our American right to cut the strings and ensure liberty’s success.

Kerry-Edwards: A New Team for a New America

Dear Peter,

In just a few minutes, I will announce that Senator John Edwards will join me as my running-mate on the Democratic ticket as a candidate for vice president of the United States. Teresa and I could not be more excited that John and Elizabeth Edwards will be our partners in our journey to make America stronger at home and respected in the world.

You are the heart and soul of our campaign. You've shattered records and expectations every step of the way. Every time someone said you couldn't do it, you proved them wrong. Because of your incredible grassroots energy and commitment, I wanted to make the first official announcement of my decision to you -- more than one million online supporters at johnkerry.com.

I want you to know why I'm excited about running for president with John Edwards by my side. John understands and defends the values of America. He has shown courage and conviction as a champion for middle class Americans and those struggling to reach the middle class. In the Senate, he worked to reform our intelligence, to combat bioterrorism, and keep our military strong. John reaches across party lines and speaks to the heart of America -- hope and optimism. Throughout his own campaign for President, John spoke about the great divide in this country -- the "Two Americas" -- that exist between those who are doing well today and those that are struggling to make it from day to day. And I am so proud that we're going to build one America together. When play poker, be attentive in order not to become victims of shooting angles.

In the next 120 days and in the administration that follows, John Edwards and I will be fighting for the America we love. We'll be fighting to give the middle class a voice by providing good paying jobs and affordable health care. We'll be fighting to make America energy independent. We'll be fighting to build a strong military and lead strong alliances, so young Americans are never put in harm's way because we insisted on going it alone.

I can't tell you how proud I am to have John Edwards on my team, or how eager I am for the day this fall when he stands up for our vision and goes toe-to-toe with Dick Cheney.

This is the most important election of our lifetime, and a defining moment in our history. With you by our side every day of this campaign, John and I will lead the most spirited presidential campaign America has ever seen and fight to lead our nation in a new and better direction.

Thank you,

John Kerry

Operation Northwoods

In 1962, the Joint Chiefs of Staff proposed initiating fake terrorist attacks on America and foreign U.S. military bases. Why? To gain global support and justify a war with Cuba. President John F. Kennedy condemned the plans and subsequently launched investigations into its extreme right-wing elements. These investigations were never completed, as they were dropped after J.F.K. was assassinated.

Operation Northwoods can be downloaded HERE.

Points of interest…

"We could blow up a US ship in Guantanamo Bay and blame Cuba." Pg. 8

"It is possible to create an incident which will demonstrate convincingly that a Cuban aircraft has attacked and shot down a chartered civil airliner enroute from the United States to Jamaica, Guatemala, Panama or Venezuela. The destination would be chosen only to cause the flight plan route to cross Cuba. The passengers could be a group of college students off on a holiday or any grouping of persons with a common interest to support chartering a non-scheduled flight.” Pg. 10

"The terror campaign could be pointed at Cuban refugees seeking haven in the United States. We could sink a boatload of Cubans enroute to Florida (real or simulated). We could foster attempts on lives of Cuban refugees in the United States even to the extent of wounding in instances to be widely publicized." Pg. 9

“(5) Blow up ammunition inside the [Guantanamo] base; start fires. (6) Burn aircraft on air base (sabotage). (7) Lob mortar shells from outside of base onto base. Some damage to installations." Pg. 8

“The suggested courses of action appended to Enclosure A are based on the premise that US military intervention will result from a period of heightened US-Cuban tensions which place the United States in the position of suffering justifiable grievances. World opinion, and the United Nations forum should be favorably affected by developing the international image of the Cuban government as rash and irresponsible, and as an alarming and unpredictable threat to the peace of the Western Hemisphere." Pg. 2

“This paper NOT be forwarded to commanders of unified or specified commands. c. This paper NOT be forwarded to US officers assigned to NATO activities. d. This paper NOT be forwarded to the Chairman, US Delegation, United Nations Military Staff Committee." Pg. 3

The House of Ghouls

In the middle of the night, what’s to fear? Is it something in the basement, under the bed, in the closet? No. There’s something far more chilling. You see, as you sleep, the House of Representatives is meeting up, passing laws, and subverting democracy.

“Never before has the House of Representatives operated in such secrecy:

At 2:54 a.m. on a Friday in March, the House cut veterans benefits by three votes.

At 2:39 a.m. on a Friday in April, the House slashed education and health care by five votes.

At 1:56 a.m. on a Friday in May, the House passed the Leave No Millionaire Behind tax-cut bill by a handful of votes.

At 2:33 a.m. on a Friday in June, the House passed the Medicare privatization and prescription drug bill by one vote.

At 12:57 a.m. on a Friday in July, the House eviscerated Head Start by one vote.”
- Congressman Sherrod Brown, “Under The Cover Of Darkness”

Other bills passed during these witching hours include the Patriot Act and the recent Medicare privatization bill. You see the House is meeting up in the middle of the night to avoid the people, the press, to avoid the ever-present eye of C-SPAN. Congressman Sherrod Brown tells a story of twilight coercion, bribery, and intimidation at the highest levels, detailing…

“Many of the two dozen Republicans who voted against the bill had fled the floor. One Republican hid in the Democratic cloakroom.

By 4:30[AM], the browbeating had moved into the Republican cloakroom, out of sight of C-SPAN cameras and the insomniac public. Republican leaders woke President George W. Bush, and a White House aide passed a cell phone from one recalcitrant member to another in the cloakroom.

At 5:55[AM], two hours and 55 minutes after the roll call had begun, twice as long as any previous vote in the history of the U.S. House of Representatives, two obscure western Republicans emerged from the cloakroom. They walked, ashen and cowed, down the aisle to the front of the chamber, scrawled their names and district numbers on green cards to change their votes and surrendered the cards to the clerk.

The speaker gaveled the vote closed; Medicare privatization had passed.”

Read “Under The Cover Of Darkness” HERE

Enron Tapes and Transcripts

Click HERE for all tapes and transcripts.

10 Facts About Attorney General John Ashcroft

1. He’s a lousy singer.
2. He hands out lyrics to his song, Let the Eagle Soar, and forces his poor staff to sing it every morning.
3. He holds daily bible study meetings at the White House.
4. He believes calico cats are signs of the devil.
5. He ordered the bare breast of the “Spirit of Justice” statue be draped with sheets.
6. He disapproves of dancing.
7. He’s been anointed with holy oil "in the manner of King David”, each time he’s accepted a political office.
8. He claims, "the Bible calls (homosexuality) a sin, and that's what defines sin for me."
9. He refers to his campaign victories as "resurrections” and to his defeats as "crucifixions."
10. Did I mention he’s a lousy singer?

We at the Bush Administration Don’t Break The Law - We Fix It!

"Under the Rome Treaty, the International Criminal Court (ICC) will come into being with the ratification of 60 governments, and will have jurisdiction over the most heinous abuses that result from international conflict, such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.”

President Clinton said these words on December 31st, 2000, only 3 weeks before leaving his office. It was on this day, he signed in agreement with the 1998 Rome Treaty on the International Criminal Court, approved by the United Nations in a vote of 120 to 7. The International Criminal Court promised to employ a judicial system where the international community would try the most serious crimes of war, including torture and genocide.

So, it’s under this article of the Geneva Conventions; the international community would be investigating the Abu Ghraib torture scandal, right? Not under the Bush administration. You see it’s just another case of G.W. editing law to suit his agenda, as he officially “unsigned” this article of the Geneva Conventions back in May 2002. Yes, that’s right, he “unsigned” the very article of the Geneva Conventions that currently would be launching the independent and international investigations of systemic torture, designed and ordered by the Bush Administrations Chain of Command. This decision was made public, in a press statement released by Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, John R. Bolton… h-1b visa application, perm green card through.

“ This is to inform you, in connection with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court adopted on July 17, 1998, that the United States does not intend to become a party to the treaty. Accordingly, the United States has no legal obligations arising from its signature on December 31, 2000. The United States requests that its intention not to become a party, as expressed in this letter, be reflected in the depositary's status lists relating to this treaty.”

Is the Bush administration above the law? Did they break the law when they hijacked an election, stole from the treasury, waged war under false pretense, ordered torture, lied to congress, and lied to Americans? What about back in 2002, with the U.S. mass grave execution of 3,000 surrendered Afghanis who were packed into plastic barrels, shot at for “air holes”, loaded into freight trucks, driven across the desert for a week, pulled out of the blood, feces, and rotting flesh filled barrels, dumped into a hole, and any left breathing, awake or comatose, were executed on the spot - were there any laws broken then? The President certainly had knowledge of this, as he made mention to the Convoy of Death in his January 28, 2003, state of the union address, saying… assessment

“More than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in many countries, and many others have met a different fate... let's put it this way, they are no longer a problem for the United States and our friends and allies.”

The Bush administration doesn’t break the Law - they fix it. Whether it’s a preemptive attack on the Geneva Conventions or the Constitution, they’ve planned ahead, and they’ll continue to endeavor to placate the world and the American people with their contempt for democracy, while they practice oligarchy.

Saint Reagan, Apotheosis of a Bigot

It was my latest social disgrace, attending a party and laughing at the news of Ronald Reagan’s passing…

Now before you all send me hate mail, I certainly don’t think it’s funny to laugh at the death of a former anything, especially not a President. But, what is worth a chuckle is watching a punk rocker revere Reagan’s name in such a mournful tone, “haven’t you heard? Reagan died today…”

It was impossible to restrain, and then it happened -- I laughed. Yes I laughed, not because I’m heartless, not because I dislike Nancy Reagan, not because I don’t like his movies, and certainly not because the poor man died at a respectable 93 years old. It was the hypocrisy of the moment, this punk chick, who admittedly I didn’t know, relaying this information as if Sid Vicious himself had just keeled over on the kitchen floor. It was right there, in that moment of inappropriate hysteria, I realized the rewriting of Reagan’s legacy had already begun.

It’s been three days now since Reagan’s death, and so goes the spin machine at maximum RPM, unfurling a legacy of lies as the concrete history of a dead President. A President who chose to exercise his Presidential powers with the fervor of a bigot. Okay, there I said it. This man tried to pass off ketchup as vegetables in low-income neighborhood school lunch programs. This man gave tax credits to segregated schools. This man had 1.9 percent African-American, and 8 percent female judicial appointees. This man closed down the V.A. hospitals and mental institutions and coined them as “homeless by choice”. He intentionally ignored the Aids epidemic, deeming it as “gay cancer” and let 60,000 people die by 1987 without assistance nor mention.

Do we remember “voodoo economics”? Yes, years have passed, but let history not forget the hypocrisy of the anti-union stance; being a SAG union member himself, when he fired the air traffic controllers asking for better wages and retirement benefits. There’s Iran-Contra, the incursion of Grenada, the assassinations, Beirut, El Salvador, the document shredding, the outrageous government spending, Star Wars, and certainly Reagan’s "constructive engagement" with apartheid in South Africa.

Of course, I offer my condolences to the Reagan family who just lost a dear relative. The love affair between Nancy and Ronald alone was beautiful and exemplary for any marriage. I don’t think two people could love each other more. But, I haven’t forgotten the fear of a child threatened by nuclear war, I haven’t forgotten the throngs of homeless amputee veterans, I haven’t forgotten the 60,000 souls lost to Aids those silent years...

I haven’t forgotten the Reagan years.

FBI Abducts NY Artist and Seizes Art

Steve Kurtz, Associate Professor of Art, was in the midst of tragedy on May 11th, when he called 911 to report his wife had died in her sleep due to heart complications. When help arrived, the course of the investigation quickly shifted when police mistook art supplies for bio-terrorism weapons. CounterPunch Wire reports, “Thus began an Orwellian stream of events in which FBI agents abducted Kurtz without charges, sealed off his entire block, and confiscated his computers, manuscripts, art supplies... and even his wife's body.”

Kurtz, a performance artist and member of CAE, the Critical Art Ensemble, a progressive group of artists, “has been producing performances and theory that merge political realities with technology and theater since 1987.” Kurtz was held without charges or rights to legal representation under the guise of the U.S. Patriot Act, and even after the Commissioner of New York States Public Health tested samples from the Kurtz home and announced there was no public safety threat, the FBI refused to release any impounded materials, which included works of art for an upcoming exhibition at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.

On June 15, Steve Kurtz, an American artist; will be indicted by the FBI before a Grand Jury on unknown charges. Several other members of the performance art collective have since been subpoenaed by the FBI, including Adele Henderson, Chair of the Art Department at UB; Andrew Johnson, Professor of Art at UB; Paul Vanouse, Professor of Art at UB; Beatriz da Costa, Professor of Art at UCI; Steven Barnes, FSU; and Dorian Burr.

For more information, visit the CAE Online.

Privatization: Merit or Mafia?

It’s the Government’s answer to everything these days, it’s called privatization, and from the oil fields to the killing fields, privatization could mean money laundering for corporate and political giants.

With the U.S. occupation of Iraq in full swing, there are 100’s of billions of dollars of contracts being doled out. So in an effort of reconstruction and democratization, it can be assumed that these contracts and jobs will aggregate employment and financial integrity for the liberated citizens of Iraq, right?

“Privatization: A very broad term – but most simply, privatization is the transfer of assets or service delivery from the government to the private sector. Privatization runs a very broad range, sometimes leaving very little government involvement, and other times creating partnerships between government and private service providers where government is still the dominant player.” - privatization.org

So lets apply this definition to post war Iraq. The U.S. government will transfer assets, in this case, the Iraq oil fields, from the government to the private sector, i.e. Corporations such as Halliburton, to create a partnership, of various involvements, between the government and said service provider. By definition, privatization is unequivocally a partnership between government and corporate interests, so surely this partnership is regulated to eliminate inevitable corruption?

"Deregulation: Removal or relaxation of regulations or controls governing a business or service operation such as utility." - ugi.com

Due to deregulation, these government/corporate partnerships, solely control price and legally work together to control an asset, which in turn, the partnership withholds and squeezes distribution, to best regulate and effectively control its price. In the case of Iraq, this meant forming a partnership between the U.S. government and companies such as Halliburton, the invasion of an unarmed country, the seizure of it’s treasury, and the distribution of it’s wealth to the corporations which are held in principal interest by the Highest ranks of our own U.S. Government.

Through privatization, the government can legally behave much in the same manner as the mob. Yes it’s legal, but is it ethical? Is it acceptable to rape a land and it’s people for financial gain? To leave the “democratized” Iraqi people, in a state of emotional and economic despair, while the rich get richer? With Saddam Hussein out of power, Iraq has real potential for democracy, but democracy will not be apparent until the people of Iraq are made free to make decisions regarding their treasury and sovereignty, and it’s only then when freedom will endeavor to prevail.

The Pet Goat, a Story by George W. Bush

Countless anomalies in the official story of 9-11, have led people to question it’s validity. One can go through the days timeline with a fine tooth comb, investigate the suspicious collapse of WTC 7, examine the plane-less scene of the Pentagon crash site, but I have a more simplistic question to ask, who wrote “The Pet Goat”?

While the events of September 11th were unfolding, our President and Commander in Chief was sitting in a Floridian elementary school listening to 2nd graders read a story called "The Pet Goat". He issued no commands for 45 minutes after the initial crash. With knowledge of 4 hijackings, instead of issuing orders or giving NORAD the go ahead to shoot down the hijacked planes, he sat in a 2nd grade class room, for a photo-op, while the students read a book entitled, “The Pet Goat".

What was so engaging about this book to cause the leader of the free world to ignore the largest attack on American soil, for 45 minutes? And after countless searches, and one dead end after another, I can't find out a thing, no information about this book; nothing on the internet, nothing on amazon.com, nothing regarding it’s author or orgin. It’s as if the book never existed, which is certainly odd considering it’s association with the President.

Well, the book, I can’t locate, but what I do have is video footage of G.W. on September 11th, during his visit to the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota, Florida. Watch the video, and note the President as he is informed of United Airlines Flight 175, the 2nd plane to attack the WTC. Watch as he receives the information and chooses to ignore it.

Watch the video HERE

[06/29/04] UPDATE: THE MYSTERY OF THE PET GOAT REVEALED

Hey, why not read along with the class…

“The Pet Goat” by ?

“A girl got a pet goat. She liked to go running with her pet goat. She played with her goat in her house. She played with her goat in her yard. But the goat did some things that made the girl's dad mad. The goat ate things. He ate cans and he ate canes. He ate pans and he ate panes. He even ate capes and caps. One day her dad said, "that goat must go. He ate too many things." The girl said, "dad if you let the goat stay with us, I will see that he stops eating all those things." Her dad said he will try it. So the goat stayed and the girl made him stop eating cans and capes and caps and capes. But one day a car robber came to the girls house. He saw a big red car near the house and said, "I will steal that car." He ran to the car and started to open the door. The girl and the goat were playing in the back yard. They did not see the car robber.

More to come."

Haven’t you Heard? Torture’s the New Black!

Like it or not, in the eyes of the world, Torture is what you’re wearing. Yes that’s right, straight off the prison runways, the latest fashions in sandbags, electrodes, rape, and murder can now be seen on the backs of each and every American, civilian and military persons alike.

Thank you Bush, thank you Cheney, thank you Rumsfeld, and thank you, the designers of Torture, for providing such ready-to-wear fashions in shame. Thank you, the contractors of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay, the sweatshops, for personally making Torture couture en vogue for each and every American. Black or white, left or right, Democrat or Republican, we all get to wear this shame. And we’ll pay for Torture, for years to come.

The War on Error

“Error: a moral offense; violation of duty; a sin or transgression; iniquity; fault.”

Well, there's something to sum up the Bush administration in one word, "error". From day one of G.W’s term, the disinformation machine has been chattering away at maximum decibel, making truth out of lies and hero’s out of villains, and it’s time we make this machine halt!

Thanks to the Liberals, and the War on Error, the Bush administration is finally being asked to account for their mistakes, but this is not enough. It’s time for truth versus lies, empathy versus apathy, and in the War on Error; it’s time for Bush to concede and liberty succeed.

Fahrenheit 911 Trailer

Click HERE to watch the Fahrenheit 911 Trailer, in theaters nationwide June 25, 2004.

Employee Free Choice Act

Passing this Act will:

1. Allow employees to freely choose whether to form unions by signing cards authorizing union representation.
2. Provide mediation and arbitration for first contract disputes.
3. Establish stronger penalties for violation of employee rights when workers seek to form a union and during first contract negotiations.

Support the Employee Free Choice Act and call your U.S. senators at 202-224-3121 and U.S. representative at 202-225-3121, and push them to co-sponsor the EFCA. Get involved and ensure workers have a fair chance to win a free voice on the job.

For more details on the Employee Free Choice Act, download the pdf.

Enron Caught On Tape

And here it is, the uncensored transcript of the Enron tape, the Justice Department tried to withhold from the American people.

"Burn, baby, burn," the traders celebrate as the devastating forest fire cut off the major energy transmission line to California.

"He just fucks California," says one Enron employee. "He steals money from California to the tune of about a million."

"Will you rephrase that?" asks a second employee.

"OK, he, um, he arbitrages the California market to the tune of a million bucks or two a day," replies the first.

"If you took down the steamer, how long would it take to get it back up?" an Enron worker is heard saying.

"Oh, it's not something you want to just be turning on and off every hour. Let's put it that way," another says.

"Well, why don't you just go ahead and shut her down."

"They're fucking taking all the money back from you guys?" complains an Enron employee on the tapes.

"All the money you guys stole from those poor grandmothers in California?"

"Yeah, grandma Millie, man"

"Yeah, now she wants her fucking money back for all the power you've charged right up, jammed right up her asshole for fucking $250 a megawatt hour."

"Government Affairs has to prove how valuable it is to Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling," says one trader.

"Ok."

"Do you know when you started over-scheduling load and making buckets of money on that?

"It'd be great. I'd love to see Ken Lay Secretary of Energy," says one Enron worker.

"When this election comes Bush will fucking whack this shit, man. He won't play this price-cap bullshit."

America Incorporated

We at The Bush Administration TM, a subsidiary of Halliburton Corporation, maximize our war profiting power by exploiting the fear of people who desire freedom and those who die in it's name.

So, when "the war on terror" has become a 100 billion dollar per year business, it's time to ask the tough questions, like what companies are profiting from this war, who owns these companies, and by what law are these companies governed?

The first one to come to mind is Halliburton. This is a Corporation, owned and operated by the highest ranks of our government, including President Bush and Vice President Cheney. In the wake of war, the Bush administration has rendered Iraq, a lawless society where war profiteers and mercenaries are not governed by any domestic, military or international law. Therefore, these Iraq based government contractors, which include those who issued torture orders to Abu Ghraib prison interrogators, cannot and will not be held accountable for abuse, murder or any other misconduct. It's neither legal nor illegal for a mercenary, who by the way out earns a U.S. soldier by 20 fold, to abuse, torture, and kill innocent Iraqi citizens.

Where is the accountability in our government when its highest ranks have lost all objectivity and pragmatically refute national and international criticism as partisan politics? Where is democracy when a government defined by it's accountability to the people, continually exemplifies distain for it's civilian and military population by cutting civil liberties, veteran and military pay and benefits? And most importantly, where is the political allegiance when the republic is governed by corporate rule?

corporations have been enthroned

"I see in the future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to think for the safety of my country. Corporations have been enthroned. An era of corruption in high places will follow and the money power of this country will endeavor to prolong it’s reign by working on the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the republic will be destroyed."

- from the diary of Abraham Lincoln

the emperor has no clothes

And what I notice, more with each day, is we've entered this strange period in our history. a time where education equals elitism, passion equals lunacy, freedom equals subjugation, peace equals tyranny, and outrage equals fatuity. An age where to observe the deterioration of civil liberty, the destruction of the environment, the state of the union, the state of the world, any issue of critical and mass importance, political intimidation, disease, murder, and torture all come to mind, really to cast any shadow of intellectual regard, relevant and exceptional, obviously means you're insane.

Welcome to the unenlightenment.