Colorado HD 40 Democrats

Are we the cause of global warming?

2008-02-12T10:49:00.000-07:00

Even if we are not the cause of global warming, does it matter?

We are still dumping poisons into the air we breathe and the water we drink. I wonder why cancer is on the rise.

We are dependent on the Middle East for our fuel. I wonder why we are at war.

We are depleting the finite resources. I wonder when we will find renewable alternatives.

The planets temperature is rising and the attitude that we are not responsible is plain foolish. Even if we are not the cause, we are not helping the situation.
I think it is equivalent to saying it is OK to beat a man with a bat because he is dying of cancer anyways.

Since when did political ideology replace common sense and stewardship?

As we move into the age of preventive medicine we need to move into the age of preventative ecology.

What do you expect though from a country that was founded on the idea of manifest destiny and the christian ideal that the earth was created for us to exploit?
I for one believe the Earth is alive, and we are just manifestations of its living energy.

As always, good luck America!

My country used to be....

If the Surge has worked...

2008-02-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

If the Surge has been a success as so many of the GOP leaders have proclaimed, then why have we not seen a reduction in troop levels?
The Patriots could claim that their game plan was a success right up until the point that the clock read 0:00, but in the end, they still lost.
It seems all too obvious that the Surge has only been successful enough to say things are staying at the status quo. If they were better than that we would be seeing a reduction.
The only time real success will be proclaimed by the White House is when the Oil Profit Sharing proposals have been accepted. We are just using the Surge to keep the level of violence down until we have their approval to steal their oil.
I am so proud of our troops (I have family members in Iraq) but equally as disgusted in our leadership that is essentially using a band-aid to cover up a tumor. We need to start helping Iraq rebuild its infrastructure instead of being the reason they need to rebuild.
I don't want to hear about the Surge working unless there are actual results we can measure the success by, like troops coming home or actual leaders being elected that stay in office for more than a month.
The current approach reminds me of other approaches the Bush Administration and GOP have in other aspects of life.
1: Maintain the status quo seems like their approach to healthcare as well. The Free Market approach does not work, quit claiming it does.
2: Just keep it good enough till we are out of office. Sounds like their approach to the economy, just lower the interest rates and keep us afloat till we can blame it on someone else.
And of course the old stand by's lie, deny and cover-up. Always effective.
I must warn you, according to Bush, if you have read this, the terrorists have won and socialism has now reached a threat level of super-red.
Good luck America.
My country used to be...

The HD40 Caucus

2008-02-07T09:58:00.000-07:00

Looking back on Tuesday night’s events, the word that comes to mind is Amazing.

The number of people that made the choice to be part of history in this pivotal year astounded me. Whether those that attended supported Hillary Clinton or Barrack Obama, all were in good spirits and I am happy to say they were all patient as we worked through record setting numbers (1109 voters) to proclaim our choices. I was proud to see that there was now bickering or harsh words directed at supporters of either candidate. In fact, in the conversations I heard supporters of one candidate had nothing but kind words of encouragement for supporters of the other.

My hope is that this level of excitement, participation and awareness was not just a flash in the pan. We will need this type of turnout in November to make history and avoid another 4 years of trickle down economics, pro-war propaganda and blatant disregard for social reform in this country. I plead with all those involved to let this be the beginning of a new era in House District 40. It was easy to get together with a large number of like-minded neighbors and choose between the "better of two goods." The hard part will be talking to neighbors who are until now uninvolved or still supporting GOP ideals (Greed - Oppression - Poverty) and convincing them to get involved. Not just involved in the presidential race but in the other federal and local races as well. And not just in 2008 but from here on out.

The only way to return the government to the control of the people is if overwhelming numbers stand up and refuse to let those who have control continue to maintain it. The easy part is voting, the more important and more difficult part is taking the time to know what is being done in your name.
Thank you to all who participated and a big thank you to John Fulton and Steve Stanley who did an amazing job conducting business in what may go down in history as the largest caucus in HD 40 history (though I hope attendance is double next time).

Join the Collins for Congress Kick-off Party

2008-01-24T11:52:00.000-07:00

Campaign kick-off

Mike wants to hear your input so he can represent you in Washington.

Come join us as we celebrate the entry of a candidate with the proper motivation:

Voting the voice of those he represents!

Mike has pledged to take your ideas to D.C., but,
he can’t do that unless you tell him how you feel.

R.S.V.P. and have a personalized family sign waiting for you at the door.

Call: 303-680-6087
email: mike@collinsforcolorado.com

WHEN:
Friday, February 1st at 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

WHERE:
4130 South Liverpool Way
Aurora, CO 80013

(you can us this link to Mapquest)
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?address=4130%20S%20Liverpool%20Way&city=Aurora&state=CO&zipcode=80013%2d7462&country=US&title=%3cb%20class%3d%22fn%20org%22%3e4130%20S%20Liverpool%20Way%3c%2fb%3e%3cbr%20%2f%3e%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22locality%22%3eAurora%3c%2fspan%3e%2c%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22region%22%3eCO%3c%2fspan%3e%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22postal%2dcode%22%3e80013%2d7462%3c%2fspan%3e%2c%20%20%3cspan%20style%3d%22display%3ainline%3bmargin%2dbottom%3a0px%3b%22%20class%3d%22country%2dname%22%3eUS%3c%2fspan%3e%3c%2fspan%3e&cid=lfmaplink2&name=&dtype=s

WHY:
To restore a government
Of the People
By the People
And
For the People

Here Come the E-Mail Attacks

2008-01-07T20:37:00.001-07:00

Rightwing BS Alert!!!! Got this one from a friend today:

The following is the 2007 winning entry from an annual contest at Texas A&M University calling for the most appropriate definition of a contemporary term. This year's term: Political Correctness.

"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end."

Googled it every way I can. No such contest in Aggieland and the originating web site (or the only one that has a reference to the quote) is ARC Air Discussion Forums, a site that appears to be something to do with aircraft manufacture or maintenance with a heavy suspected right bias. It's full of ad-hominem attacks but that's to be expected.

Let the games begin.

Planting a seed...

2007-12-13T16:00:00.000-07:00

Following my own suggestion to check out three vital, alternative websites a day (I am constantly amazed at the minds running the organicconsumers.org website to publish pointed reports)...

Please note the referenced article if you care about genetics, and the seed vault in the arctic that the Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation and others are developing to harbor a mandatory seed bank to be used against populations and to destroy us from the inside out. Maybe someone you know taking a long plane trip might read the longer article at http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_9049.cfm

I have suggested a Living Newspaper event, in which participants simply show up with a printout of a news article that means the most to them at the moment, and share it, by either reading excerpts or relating the gist for all the other attendees. When finished, we would all know what we are reading and care about - which is more than we may know after reading today's newspapers.

I would share three paragraphs from the end of the article above:

In the 1990's the UN's World Health Organization launched a campaign to vaccinate millions of women in Nicaragua, Mexico and the Philippines between the ages of 15 and 45, allegedly against Tentanus, a sickness arising from such things as stepping on a rusty nail. The vaccine was not given to men or boys, despite the fact they are presumably equally liable to step on rusty nails as women.

Because of that curious anomaly, Comite Pro Vida de Mexico, a Roman Catholic lay organization became suspicious and had vaccine samples tested. The tests revealed that the Tetanus vaccine being spread by the WHO only to women of child-bearing age contained human Chorionic Gonadotrophin or hCG, a natural hormone which when combined with a tetanus toxoid carrier stimulated antibodies rendering a woman incapable of maintaining a pregnancy. None of the women vaccinated were told.

It later came out that the Rockefeller Foundation along with the Rockefeller's Population Council, the World Bank (home to CGIAR), and the United States' National Institutes of Health had been involved in a 20-year-long project begun in 1972 to develop the concealed abortion vaccine with a tetanus carrier for WHO. In addition, the Government of Norway, the host to the Svalbard Doomsday Seed Vault, donated $41 million to develop the special abortive Tetanus vaccine. "

Note: It was reported as early as 1987 or before that the HIV vaccine was developed in a lab in the U.S., and spread in Africa and so on. So total death toll from HIV vs. total death toll on 9/11, Afghanistan and so forth?

I communicated with my City Councilperson some months ago as to what the regulations are for Aurora homeowners to expand on home agribusiness to share their produce beyond their backyards (I was thinking of animal products at the time), and she forwarded my email to someone else at the City, who never got back to me. Finally when I brought it up again, I was invited to call the, I don't know, city attorney's office, or someone whose invitation I did not think friendly, but rather a dare IMO. I didn't bother.

Yes, Dennis Kucinich has indicated he is interested in challenging agribusiness with anti-trust laws, to break their monopolies. Now, the monopolies never broke the Rockefeller Foundation, but if this was done, the doer would clearly need cover by people...how many hands do I see?

The Campaign Plan for CD-6...................

2007-11-19T00:32:00.000-07:00

..........or how we will build the machine that will capture CD-6.

First off, they call them "campaigns" because they involve military type planning, they are strategic in nature and use resources where they can find them. It is partisanship in Ranger lingo, when you are outnumbered and outgunned make friends where you can find them. We will call these specialists "resistance fighters" and they will go into areas where we are weak and they will undoubtedly make us stronger.

I plan to use un-used resources in CD's-1, 2 and 7 to build the army, I also plan to use resources in Park and Elbert for a flanking maneuver. If I can get 10% volunteer involvement out of Elbert and Park Counties who share the same area code as Denver, I can not only win the battle, but win the war. The resources I need from nearby communities are walkers and I plan to recruit heavily from CD's 1,2 and 7 with coordinated ride sharing, bussing and old fashioned initiative. Park and Elbert Counties will be recruited as communication specialists, they will wear the phone key pads out, with the price of fuel, that's all they can afford to do, but they must fight or we lose. If we can't recruit 300 from Park and Elbert Counties, I'll eat John Fitz-Gerald's hat. The divisions are already laid out by House Districts, I'll use the chairs to identify those precincts that need infiltration and attack accordingly. This is a battle and war that we can win and win decisively. Stay tuned for more details. Rangers lead the way, ask Mike Miles.

Thanks, New Contributors

2007-11-18T17:38:00.000-07:00

I'm setting one of these up for Mike Collins: www.ilikemike4CD6.blogspot.com

It's brand-new so don't expect a lot from it just yet. I wanted to get the name reserved so we would have it when things get interesting.

Thanks again, new contributors!

I met Mike Collins Yesterday

2007-11-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hello. My name is I Like Mike. I'm a Champion Irish Terrier.

Mike (the human one) stuck me as a true scrapper who will take a bite out of any whiny Republican contender.

Grrr!

Invitation to Participate

2007-11-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Campaign of Mike Collins for Congress
303-680-6087

Monday night 7pm, the home of Mike Collins- 4130 S. Liverpool Way, Aurora 80013. Near Quincy and S. Malta Street, Malta is two blocks east of Himalaya on Quincy and adjacent to the Tall Grass development. All are welcome, to include friends of friends, in particular those that want to have an active role in this campaign.

Google Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&time=&date=&ttype=&q=4130+S.+Liverpool+Way+Aurora,+CO&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=28.196369,59.238281&ie=UTF8&ll=39.641719,-104.742515&spn=0.006675,0.014462&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1

How to Talk to a Republican #10 - National Security

2007-11-17T21:08:00.000-07:00

My dad used to say Republicans start wars so Democrats can get us out of them. And I used to laugh at my father's wisdom.

The myth that Democrats are somehow soft on national security arose during the Congressional endgame of the Vietnam War. Johnson knew the war was lost during the last half of his presidency and Nixon knew it was lost going in. Still they escalated until finally the Democratic Congress of the age defunded the war. Then two years after the combat role officially ended, Saigon fell and the Republicans have been blaming Democrats for the defeat ever since. If we'd stayed a little while longer, the historical revisionists among them say, we could have won.

Fast-forward to 2007. Our all-volunteer army has been fighting two wars since 2002 and it is broken. Neither war is being won because resources we could have used to win the just war in Afghanistan were diverted to Iraq and now the Right is rattling sabers in Iran's direction. If I'm right in my reason for the Iraq war, not to remove Saddam nor to lock up Iraq's oil but to establish a more powerful strategic presence to defend oilmen in the Persian Gulf, we are in Iraq precisely to counterbalance Iran but I digress.

As a result of his two expeditionary wars, Bush has broken the Army. The soldiers broken in the war are receiving bureaucratic run-arounds to receive treatment in facilities crawling with roaches and contaminated with rat feces. If the damage is psychological, commanders are simply discharging the soldiers rather than treating them. While GOPers in their SUVs sport yellow "Support our Troops" ribbons, they perpetuate the troops' sacrifice through their excessive use of resources...

I could go on but if you want support of the troops, I can't think of a worse record than the Republicans' From endless war failed war planning to invading "on the cheap" to overextension of the National Guard to recruiting standards to the body armor crisis to armored HUMVEEs to substandard Veterans' hospitals to deployments lasting one day too short for the Guard troops to receive benefits, the Republicans have failed our soldiers at every turn. The only possible response to a GOPer who says "we're the party of national security" is a good belly laugh.

Unfortunately, the joke's on our troops.

Cross-posted from Colorado Progressive.

New Posters

2007-11-17T13:25:00.000-07:00

We're up to five people posting on HD 40 Dems, one of which is our candidate for Colorado's 6th Congressional District, Mike Collins. After the Tancredo years, Mike will be a refreshing change in Washington. Authors always wanted! See the panel at the right for instructions.

A Few More Modern Newspapers...

2007-11-16T22:28:00.000-07:00

Center for American Progress
and its companion site Science Progress.
Huffington Post is another good site for news and commentary.
Then there's The Progressive.
And if you want commentary with an international flavor, there's Watching America.
Enjoy the sites. There's a lot of good info on all of them you won't get from CNN.

Your new newspapers

2007-11-16T16:54:00.000-07:00

Recently invited to blog at this site, my only intent is to share with you the news of the day – unread, unheard, unlearned by many voters on an ongoing basis.

Setting out to learn the cause of the endless Congressional barrier to scheduling hearings on articles of impeachment, I began to research online. It did not take long to find background on the holdup plus abundantly available data on much on the machismo breakdown of the U.S. government. The links provided at web political home pages, site-to-site, are an education on the Gulleverian tie-up of, well, us. Can and do we Colorado residents discuss this all intelligently being well-informed, and because we want to come together and save the government?

If we were all to actually attempt to learn what we need to know to discuss why Congress doesn’t function sensibly, we might find the answers by clicking and reading these links, if only one article per day, at such as: www.afterdowningstreet.com (the granddaddy); also, uncensored news, analysis and commentary at http://www.onlinejournal.com, www.thenation.com, www.antiwar.com (Discussion of War Party), www.counterpunch.com political newsletter, www.democrats.com, (Aggressive Progressives), www.aipac.org. AIPAC is not the same as the nation of Israel. Ask Jimmy Carter. I would ask you to look at the AIPAC home page, or its new subcomponent, American Friends of Likud (AFL – isn’t that sweet?), http://www.thelikud.org/, if only at the banners across the top, which present in a proprietary fashion, the U.S. Flag or a simile of it…almost looks like a U.S. patriotic site, rather than a website representing foreign interests, doesn’t it?

Searching words like Wahabi, Bush cousin, Arab-American Institute, Zogby, Likud Party, then adding impeachment, or names of Senators and Congresspersons and adding a foreign interest, such as Irgun, Rahm Emanuel, Feinstein, Pelosi, Steny Hoyer, John Conyers, Lieberman, Clinton, endless Republican congresspersons as well as other Democrats, all functioning as Lilliputians to an American ship of state called “Gulliver.” No, Irgun/Likud/AIPAC does not equate to the Nation of Israel. But, does Arab-American Institute and Wahabi/Bush cousin equate to the Arab on the street, or Bin Laden Bets to the Muslim, or does the USA equate to rogue militant machismo power roaming the world, at the behest of stringpullers? The answers are individual to newsreaders. Please consider searching elected officials under www.wikipedia.org, just stringing an elected person’s name with Wikipedia should bring you the site. Click www.Opensecrets.org at the end of each such bio, especially in the 2005-06 donor section. Addressing the endless war:

It is widely acknowledged that the reps and senators are ticked at AIPAC, and their hostility seems to be growing these days. With upwards of 60% of their campaign contributions coming directly or indirectly from the Israel Lobby, the Democratic congressmen are not free to respond to their antiwar base (emphasis added). This opens them to an antiwar electoral challenge on the Left or Right from forces not subservient to AIPAC. And that could cost them their next election, a little thing, which has them very worked up. Capuano's cry of "AIPAC" was no simple outburst of candor but a cri de coeur for his career. http://www.topix.com/forum/il/hadarom/TMEGP0D7URLF6T1LB

It will take more than hundreds of thousands of citizen oncologists to surgically operate, cauterize and treat the U.S. Government for the rot finagled inside this government by interested foreign outsiders. Where does it begin and where does it end? Too busy with your plans for the future to click? What plans, again? Are you recognized among the “brothers and sisters,” or know them? In the spirit of American government, the executive offices upstairs are empty now. Though there may be committees meeting on the middle floors, no one is home at the top, though some workers may still clock in daily. Those who believe that when a federal candidate says they will do this and that, and imply the power is in place to do that, they are mistaken, and misleading you. In the chain of command there are no American executives that the public would recognize at work upstairs. Okay, okay, there might be some really sick puppies playing around – what a cleanup job!

It is said that the most effective Congresspersons are the freshmen and sophomores. They make an effort until they recognize the ghost ship of state in a sea of fog owned and sailed under a foreign flag. If we are too busy to board the ship and replace the flag, what is it that is so important that we are so busy about?

Espionage. Perhaps, search, “espionage trial 2004 U.S.”

If you are not reading the new newspapers, how well can you participate in the discussion: http://www.democracyrising.us/ Democracy Rising seeks to Bring the Troops Home, End the Occupation by Empowering Activists across the Nation and is a national effort based in Washington, DC, http://www.votersforpeace.us/about.html activating voters, www.ivaw.org, national Iraq war vets male and female working to bring Iraq military home now, http://www.gsfp.org/ Goldstar Families for Peace, http://www.veteransforpeace.org/ Denver’s Vets for Peace who did make it into the local Veterans parade this month, at first denied a place. How did Denver’s group manage it? Know who is who among them?

Writers: The truest/purest Gore Vidal wrote the following Oct. 27, 2002, and is now following the Kucinich campaign: a 'Bush junta' used the terrorist attacks as a pretext to enact a pre-existing agenda to invade Afghanistan and crack down on civil liberties at home. He gets it right first because of a strict standard for telling the truth of much of what he knows. John Nichols, David Swanson, Richard C. Cook, John V. Walsh. Know them as their names will become, like the radio commentators of the greatest generation.

How much more would each of you be able to contribute to clean up if, say, any one of the following websites would be clicked almost every day, and any one article read by you? Meet those in the ranks, pretty much known as the “brothers and sisters,” “Peace and Justice,” the marchers, the sit-inners, the sit-downers, those who are on trial in Denver next month for sitting down at 15th and Stout in the Columbus Day Parade because they learned that the iconography of some guy from Malta, who has nothing to do with Italians, and everything to do with genocide, pretty much links with the concept that genocide always attaches to imperialism, the Vets for Peace who did march in the Veterans Parade in Denver after all, the people who sit at John Conyers office by the hour, momenting the words, whom the Congressional switchboard operators call “those people;” the phone responders when the “call” message is sent out; those who wear orange. Do you see yourself here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rose. Learn that most of the above persons and those that help Kucinich and Conyers and Wexler to feel helped, Feinstein to back down, and who seem to finally be reaching Pelosi, would not identify themselves as Democrats.

Those who inveterately cross these website thresholds are the Activists; the ones causing change, not, it appears, your congressperson, senator, president, or Party workers. Elected officials hope readers and knowers and learners and investigators provide them “coverage,” courage, and strength and they know, really, it will come from those with a willingness to educate yourselves so you understand where the attacks that undermine U.S. strength and independence are coming from by becoming cognizant of these sites and others: http://www.innworldreport.net/ articles plus links to guest writers and partners, http://www.bradblog.com/ - voter fraud, http://cannonfire.blogspot.com/ (Is Lou Dobbs fronting for Michael Bloomberg?), http://www.legitgov.org/ is this legit or what? http://www.commondreams.org independent investigative journalism; accountability of corporations at http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=11314 - http://www.dailykos.com/ - State of the Nation, http://journals.democraticunderground.com/davidswanson/256, the ACLU is finally joining in, http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/index.jsp - covering the newspaper industry, http://www.accuracy.org/newsrelease.php?articleId=1591 …the Institute for Public Accuracy makes frequent communication possible between independent policy analysts and working journalists, http://www.juancole.com/, http://anonymousliberal.com/ - blog by a lawyer, http://www.vheadline.com/main.asp - Democracy in Venezuela. Someone want to check this out? http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/categories/20070329 In the tradition of Drew Pearson's and Jack Anderson's famous "Washington Merry-Go-Round" syndicated column and I.F. Stone, this online publication tackles the "politically incorrect" and "politically embarrassing" stories and holds government officials accountable for their actions, http://angryarab.blogspot.com/ - politics, war, mid-east, culture and art – and some interesting illustrative political cartoons; The Smirking Chimp - and what is planned for the 5th Fleet:http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article18687.htm, They’ve got muck; we’ve got rakes, http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002494.php; Lieberman says No to investigating Blackwater at www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2007/10/5747, www.thinkprogress.org, research and analysis.

How to Talk to a Republican #9: Estate Taxes

2007-11-13T21:21:00.000-07:00

Warren Buffett, no relation to Jimmy, is a billionaire. He has made billions by buying and trading stocks. When Buffett speaks about money, I listen.

The Right calls it the Death Tax, claiming it's somehow unfair to leave the heirs and assigns of one who has lived the American Dream(tm) with a reduced sum of money. This argumentation is incorrect on many levels but here's what Buffett had to say:

"Without the estate tax, you in effect will have an aristocracy of wealth, which means you pass down the ability to command the resources of the nation based on heredity rather than merit," Buffett told the New York Times in 2001. "[Repeal would be like] choosing the 2020 Olympic team by picking the eldest sons of the gold-medal winners in the 2000 Olympics."

Let me get one thing straight: I fully support the ability of the first generation entrepreneur to get as rich as he or she can figure. And I fully support the obligation of the second generation to earn it again. And the third generation, well, famous third-generation babies include George W. Bush and Paris Hilton. Should they be rich? As Buffett said, it's an aristocracy of wealth.

I call it self-perpetuating wealth, assets that pay beyond the point where they can be spent. Second-generationers may ward and grow the family business some but they normally end up putting their wealth in second-generation assets, stocks excluding IPOs. These do not benefit the broader economy as none of the money from the sale goes back to the company issuing the shares. They may employ a few stockbrokers, an illegal maid or two but on the whole, their wealth becomes parasitic. And by the third generation, well, Bush and Hilton.

119 of the nation's richest people are signing on to prevent repeal of the estate tax. The estate tax is the greatest protector against generational wealth and the greatest re-distributor of wealth possible. In Europe, a large part of their higher living standard and greater emphasis on mid-size companies can be attributed to the estate tax, called the opportunity tax by some there. And hey, if Buffett says it's good money sense, it probably is.

Impeachment update

2007-11-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

Do you have any idea how desperate the corporate media is to suppress coverage of the growing impeachment movement? One of the most riveting events to occur in Congress in recent history occurred last week, and not one of the major so-called news channels wanted you to know it had happened. An incredible live event, and they didn't even cover it. But they will, finally, if only more of us speak out now. Cheney Impeachment Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/hres333.php Facebook Version: http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum709 On Nov. 6, 2007, Dennis Kucinich brought a privileged resolution calling for the impeachment of Vice President Cheney, based on just a couple of Cheney's constitutional high crimes. And for two hours the House of Representatives was tied up in knots trying to figure out how to try to shut him up. In their contempt for the people, the Republicans committed the colossal tactical blunder of trying to mock the momentous occasion. When the Democratic so-called leadership tried to table the Kucinich resolution, as we expected them to do, the Republican big shots suddenly directed their underlings to change their votes, to start voting AGAINST the motion to table, thereby forcing the very vote Kucinich sought. The entire House of Representatives was thrown into a turmoil. It was high drama as the motion to table suddenly was being rejected numerically, with Republican help. The scheduled 15 minute vote extended into two hours, with nobody in a leadership position knowing how to deal with the crisis of one man standing up and speaking the truth. And did you hear about this incredible drama on your cable TV. No you did not. Now the defeatists out there, and we know they are out there, will try to tell you that because the impeachment resolution was ultimately sent to the Judiciary Committee that nothing more will happen. That's like saying because the indictment was given to a judge and a prosecutor, that will be the end of it. But whatever the vain intent of certain so-called Congressional leaders, the Judiciary Committee is exactly where we want the resolution, for that is where the actual impeachment articles must emerge from. Look at what's actually happening, and not what the right wing spinners are trying to tell you is happening. Progressive talk personalities are calling for action all over the dial. They are giving out toll free congressional phone numbers and calling on their listeners to now put real pressure on the Judiciary Committee. This is happening only because your voices forced the issue in the first place, by calling those shows and talking about impeachment and the necessity for it. Look at what's actually happening. Members of the House are being forced to justify why they have not yet acted to defend and protect the Constitution. And their lame and pathetic excuses are exposing just how poorly represented the people of the United States are. More people are realizing that their voices do count, and that Congress has no answer to defend their failure to do their sacred constitutional duty. It is only because of the impeachment movement that attention is being focused on Cheney's insane fixation on bombing Iran and starting the last World War of them all. It is only your voices that can stop the secret march to Armageddon, as they make up new lies to sucker the American people into yet another, and even more monumental, military debacle. Yes, the heat is on the Judiciary Committee alright. Their first bleating reaction was to talk about how busy they were putting together a contempt citation for Mier and Bolton. This is something that should have happened instantly 6 months ago when the subpoenas were first defied, at the direction of the Cheney White House, itself an impeachable offense. Well, we'll just see if they even do that in the next two weeks. Yes, the heat is on the Judiciary Committee, as more and more people all over the country raise their voices, some for the perhaps the first time. Join those voices now. Use the either of the action pages below to send your personal message to the Judiciary Committee, Nancy Pelosi and your own member of the House as well. Tell them we will not shut up. Tell them we will not go away. Tell them they work for us and not the other way around. Cheney Impeachment Action Page: http://www.usalone.com/hres333.php Facebook Version: http://apps.facebook.com/fb_voices/action.php?qnum=pnum709 What is actually happening is they have stupidly and arrogantly given the people hope. And hope is the most powerful enemy the corrupters of our democracy have. The only thing they have going for them is fear, and its two evil twins, defeatism and inaction. The rule only by fear . . . flooding our TVs with propaganda and smug indifference to the will of the people, masquerading as the news. Tell them you are not afraid. Tell them you will no longer be ruled by fear. Speak out now to force the hand of the Judiciary Committee, and necessary truth of how our country has been systematically betrayed by imperial subversives in the White House for the last 7 years will be heard and confronted, at last. Please take action NOW, so we can win all victories that are supposed to be ours, and forward this alert as widely as possible. If you would like to get alerts like these, you can do so at http://www.usalone.com/in.htm Or if you want to cease receiving our messages, just use the function at http://www.usalone.com/out.htm

How to Talk to a Republican #8: Infant Mortality

2007-11-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Maybe they don't care because it's not their constituents dying. In an earlier post at my other site, I mentioned our high placement (not a good thing, GOPers) in maternal mortality. Turns out that trend extends to infants as well, where we place among the worst in the civilized world, ranking above only Latvia:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071111/ap_on_he_me/saving_the_smallest_us_picture

Most telling in the article is this small paragraph:

"Doctors and analysts blame broad disparities in access to health care among racial and income groups in the United States."

Why do those disparities exist? Market-based health care. Here's another telling quote:

"The same report noted the United States had more neonatologists and newborn intensive care beds per person than Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom — but still had a higher rate of infant mortality than any of those nations."

Seems access is limited. Since the Market is determining who and who doesn't need pre- and neonatal care, I'm assuming that those who get the care are fairing well. Our socialized competitors, on the other hand, are out-doing us, apparently with fewer resources (translating, perhaps, into lower cost?). And not to beat a dead horse, where does this fall in the Right to Life argument? Does the baby's value end once the birthing process begins?

I guess, in comparing infant mortality in the United States against all other modernized countries, the Right can, with great pride, say, "thank God for Latvia."

Cross post from "Colorado Progressive".

Editor's Note: Link to story is busted, sorry, will do better next time, I promise....

How to Talk to a Republican #7: Patriotism

2007-11-10T15:26:00.000-07:00

Riding home from grocery shopping today I got behind the stereotypical SUV with the red, white, and blue AND the yellow ribbons on it displaying their patriotism. So I'm thinking to myself, here I am in a European car sans ribbons getting 45 MPG following an American car full of Lee Greenwood patriotism getting maybe 12 MPG. Which of us is the more patriotic?

I never supported the war in Iraq. All the argumentation at the beginning had too many holes in it, there were too many dots that didn't connect, too many loose ends in the Administration's justification (bait taken hook, line, and sinker by some Democrats campaigning for President today, by the way). Being a blogger in a remote corner of America, I can also state I firmly believe the war was for oil, more specifically, for strengthening a strategic presence in the area to counterbalance Iran's growing influence. The evil Emperor Cheney foresaw the day when that strategic presence would be necessary to feed our hunger for energy and when we finally piss Venezuela off so much that they refuse to sell to us. He has also foreseen peak oil, the point at which half the world's reserves are gone, leaving oil more difficult and more costly to lift out of the ground leading to a death spiral of higher prices and lower supply, the end of the American energy-based economy.

It is, Conservative wisdom would say, then in the national interest to wield considerable influence in the area and, if your only source of wisdom is the Conservative, this is a true statement. One difference between the Conservative point of view and the Liberal is that Liberals tend to view problems from multiple points of view. I would like to believe that Progressives combine the best of both approaches, pragmatic decision making (the Right) combined with a wider, less conventional approach to problem solving (the Left). So how would this Progressive attack the problem?

We actually held more influence in the Middle East through soft power before the invasion of Iraq than afterward. The supply of oil flowing from the region is diminished through Iraq's lowered potential. So given the situation as it is today, I'd assume we will have to be in Iraq for some time to make up for the loss of our soft power in the region; however, if we ever hope to regain the soft power we once held, we cannot be there in combat roles. We can train the Iraqis, we can build infrastructure and we can defend ourselves but the mercenaries and the combat troops need to come home now (realistically, as soon as possible). We need to replace the hawks currently there, not with doves but with beavers, people who can do the jobs we need done without fighting.

At home, we need to implement conservation efforts. The one effective way of doing this has already been pioneered for us in Europe. Gas guzzling cars are allowed; however, you pay tax by the horsepower, not the vehicle's value as one example. I'd suggest progressive taxation on energy use in general and that it's levied per head. I have one person living in a house, my energy tax rate should climb faster than the same house with five people living in it. Domestic supplies of energy need to be exploited as well and I don't mean corn-based ethanol. We'd literally be better off to burn the corn in a power plant or to heat homes than to distill it into alcohol to run our cars, besides, we're burning food. These are suggestions without which resource competition, read wars, will become a way of life as there is less oil to exploit and it's more expensive to pump from the ground.

So who is the greater patriot, the driver of the Made-in-America SUV with the bumper stickers supporting the war and the troops or the German sedan without a sticker to be found? I vote for the sedan but of course, I bought it. Point is, without conservation, there will be much more blood spilled for oil in the future as an inevitable consequence of our current energy decisions and decreasing, more expensive oil.

Hat tip to Jenn in SLC for finding the misprint. You won't find it again....

What the Democrats Need to Concentrate On

2007-11-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

In my real job, we refer to graphs like this as Pareto charts. Pareto is an Italian mathematician most famous for the Pareto principle, most commonly called the 80/20 rule. It states 80% of all effects come from 20% of causes.

The chart illustrates both the rule and what Democrats should be doing. The leftomost two bars, Iraq and the Economy, represent what 74% of what everyone thinks is most important. Add in the health care bar and you go over 100% because each bar represents two factors: Most important plus next-most important.

Terrorism and Immigration, the two pet projects of the Right, are to the far right of the chart. As a process engineer, I'd say leave them alone and concentrate on the leftmost issues. But neither of these are traditional Republican issues, in fact, they've avoided and fought against them for so long they can't comprehend that these are what real Americans care about.

Most of us are disgusted with the current crop of Democrats. I suspect if they were to spend the last year of the 110th Congress working on these three issues, calling vote after vote and forcing the Right to sustain veto after veto, November 2008 would be a blowout on a scale we've never seen, effectively eliminating the Republican party. Will they? I have my doubts. Instead of leading, Pelosi and Reid will continue to politick, to the detriment of the Party and the Republic.

Cross-posted from "Colorado Progressive"

How to Talk to a Republican #6: Sex Ed Redux

2007-11-07T19:52:00.000-07:00

Interesting how many Conservative ideas have proven themselves just plain wrong when exposed to reality. Abstinence-only education, for example, has now proven itself to be about as effective as an aspirin between the knees at keeping unwanted pregnancies from happening. Here's a link to an article in The Guardian describing a study that proves if you want your baby girl pregnant, you vastly increase your chances of success by teaching her only to abstain:

"At present there does not exist any strong evidence that any abstinence program delays the initiation of sex, hastens the return to abstinence or reduces the number of sexual partners'' among teenagers, the study concluded.

Important: No abstinence-only program had any effect on how often, when or with how many. The study did not mention the rate of pregnancy among abstinence-only teens as opposed to those who got a comprehensive sex education; however,

(comprehensive sex education programs) improved teens' knowledge about the risks and consequences of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases and gave them greater "confidence in their ability to say 'no' to unwanted sex.''

Turns out the way to stop teen pregnancies - about 40 per 1000 teen girls - is comprehensive sex education. It does all the things abstinence-only programs purport to do, but measurably. Unlike a silver ring, a promise and technical virginity, comprehensive sex education works. If the Republican is really concerned about the welfare of teenage girls and not just in promoting another failed ideology, they'll have to admit that abstinence-only sex education does not survive contact with reality and, if the issue is the health and well-being of young people, comprehensive sex ed is the way to go.

How to Talk to a Republican #5 - Right to Life

2007-11-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

My first question to any Republican who starts to talk about right to life is, at what point does the right end? After all, most support wars, any war where they can wave the flag, watch the footage on CNN with cold beer in hand and sing "Proud to be an American" (with their hands over their hearts) at the next football game. Wars kill people, so how does supporting war indicate a right to life?

And what about capital punishment? "Give 'em a fair trial before you hang the guilty bastards," right? After all, as Guantanamo and Jose Padilla prove, we're all about fair trials in this country but still, doesn't the accused have a right to life as well? Considering soldiers and death row inmates generally have to be death row inmates, I'll assume the right to life ends somewhere around eighteen.

But some states, generally those of a redder hue, are now passing laws that minors can be tried as an adult. This blurs the line a bit, back to when, fourteen? Sixteen? I'm assuming at some point, probably about the time a Baptist feels they need to be baptized, there is no more right to life in the Right's eyes because you can now give the newly minted teenager the death penalty for killing an abusive parent.

Let's take it back a little farther. Mother is now giving birth to the child and mother is poor. She, listening to the Right, is bearing the baby but what help can she expect. None, damned tramp went out and got herself knocked up. We'll veto health care for the child, we'll prevent, particularly if she is undocumented, the mother from getting prenatal health care, we'll take away welfare because we all know she should be out there working. No health care, no aid, what life have we given the child a right to? None, it can be argued. Bush vetoed SCHIP because it would interfere with insurance company profits: Nothing indicates belief like action - Republicans (Bush and those who failed to overturn the veto) value shareholder value over childrens' health.

So tracking it back, apparently right to life ends at conception, the very moment the Right insists life begins. There's no aid for the mother, no guaranteed health care for her, the unborn or the child. She's on her own. We insist she can't abort it, that would be wrong, but to sell goods to feed the poor, as Jesus injoined, even in the form of taxation and redistribution, we oppose.

Call it what you want, but it isn't right to life.

Ethanol, Rome and Roses

2007-11-05T20:57:00.001-07:00

The push to get ethanol from corn reminds me of a story I once read. I'm a rose aficionado, so I read about them in various publications. There was a story of a time when Rome nearly starved. It seems rose attar (the scent), rose petals and roses themselves became so wildly popular that farmers around Rome stopped growing wheat, turning their entire agricultural production to producing rose products for Caesars and rich Romans.

We're burning food in our vehicles and watching food prices go through the roof. If imperfectly, history does repeat itself. As the Dutch tulip market becomes a metaphor for bubble economics, Rome's roses becomes one for giving up food for a luxury, in our case, E85 at $1.80 per gallon.

Cross-Posted from A Colorado Progressive....

How to Talk to a Republican #4: Free Speech

2007-11-05T17:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Cliff Schecter for his kind words concerning the title of this series. Cliff wrote me back and told me he'd cribbed his title from Ann Coulter's book. There's no way she could prove plagiarism so I'm free to use the title.

Ahh, free speech. Lee Greenwood patriots everywhere hold the Flag as holy, perhaps just a bit more than the Cross. Burning it to them is an anathema, a desecration, an insult to all they hold holy. When "Proud to be an American" becomes the national anthem, perhaps flag burning will be illegal. I have a feeling a lot of other "offensive" acts will be outlawed then as well.

Freedom of speech means simply Government can pass no law abridging it. Free speech is also freedom of expression, and burning a flag is a form of expression. You may not like some speech, you may even find some offensive but Government can't abridge it as long as the First Amendment is in effect. You like the Second and the Fourth, you have to live with the First, now! Personally, there's something I find much more offensive, desecrating the Constitution.

Flag burning bans, free speech zones, banned books all offend me much more than a gasoline-soaked rag going up in flames. Attempts by the Government to intimidate reporters, to keep people out of events because of the message on their T-shirts, keeping passengers from flying because there's something Arabic on their chest, these disturb me. Again, it may not be speech you find to be of value but it is protected speech.

Another military veteran once told a protester who asked him how he felt about flag burning, For you to burn a flag would be extremely offensive to me and I would die for your right to do so.

ANY abridgement of free speech is a lessening of our Republic.

How to Talk to a Republican #3 - Sex Education

2007-11-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

First, Cliff, if you're reading this, I didn't crib your title and I hope, since I haven't read your column, I'm not plagiarizing your material. For those of you who don't read Huffington Post regularly, Cliff Schecter wrote a post there of the same name. Any resemblance of the material I'm writing to Cliff's is purely coincidental, accidental and I hope, complementary.

Sex Education is a difficult topic for Republicans, particularly the Republicans you and I are likely to talk with. The ones at the top get adequate sex education, have access to contraception and, if the old aspirin between the knees trick fails, clean, safe abortions. Now abortion, or at least attempts at it, have been around since God invented unintended pregnancy. Contraception, too, was a long sought-after goal until the 1960's, when the Pill became the first-ever form of cheap, reliable birth control. That should have relegated abortion to a rare procedure, generally used to save a mother's life as it did in Europe.

It didn't here. See, Republicans, particularly religious right Republicans, have no interest whatsoever in stopping abortions. They're not particularly interested in a right to life, either, more on that later. What they're interested in is controlling sexual behavior, in short, limiting it to religiously and legally sanctioned unions - marriage. They really believe that teaching their daughters and sons (to a lesser degree) abstinence as the only form of contraception to be practiced by young, unmarried persons will somehow work. Never mind that it hasn't worked throughout human history and that God made sex a lot of fun to tempt the faithful, they think that by preaching an aspirin between a girl's knees works, it will.

So ban abortion, that'll work, right? If it were that simple. In a recently published study in The Lancet, abortion rates were found to be lowest in countries with legal abortions. Furthermore, the abortions performed there were safe, unlike the more frequent and more dangerous abortions performed in countries where abortion is legal. So, if you want to decrease the number of abortions, legalize it, right?

Not so simple. The US and Canada had 21 abortions per thousand pregnancies in 2003. In western Europe, where the procedure is also legal, the number was about half that. The Netherlands is the country with the lowest abortion rate at 4 per one thousand, about one-fifth of ours. Why?

1. They have universal, fact based sex education in schools.
2. They have a universal acceptance of the fact that sex is fun, a normal human activity and can be practiced simply for the enjoyment of it.
3. They have universal, free access to contraception.

Bet your preacher didn't tell you that one.

So bottom line, there are two ways to stop abortion. One is easy and ineffective - outlaw it. The other is more complex and effective - go the Dutch route. Liberal thinking may be convoluted at times but this engineer sees a direct correlation between the actions and the results. So if your goal is to reduce abortions, go Dutch.

We'll talk about "right to life" tomorrow.

Democrats Cave on Torture

2007-11-02T16:38:00.001-06:00

Can I please have a third party? One with some whatever dangling parts are required to stand up to a 24% President? It's no wonder young people are turning to radical alternatives like Ron Paul. In my youth they did too in Ross Perot.

I ask this question of our leadership: Do we condone torture? Even more fundamental, do we condone those who condone it? I realize Mukasey didn't say he endorsed waterboarding, he only refused to answer the question. Seems pretty suspicious to me, refusing to say that simulating drowning a person (a mock execution, by the way) is illegal.

But it doesn't matter. Our party caved in to a President with a 24% approval rating. I am willing to bet our DINO Ken Salazar doesn't join a filibuster, if one is even mounted. Our new party slogan: We're not as evil as the other guys?

(Obscenity removed)

How to Talk to a Republican #2: The Economy

2007-11-01T18:03:00.000-06:00

One of the biggest truths of the Bush regime is that the economy is going well. Before the flame wars begin, let me qualify that. My stock investments are soaring, primarily because I have the majority of them invested overseas. The shrinking dollar is benefitting me so from that point of view, the Bush economy is doing just fine for me.

If you're a CEO or someone in the top 1% of income earners in the country, you're doing well, too. Your income is up - in fact, that top 1% of income earners now earn 21% of the income earned in this country. When the last Democrat was in office, that number was in single digits. Worse, the top 0.1% of income earners now earn 7% of all income earned in the country. That means the ultra-rich are getting ultra-richer and have been since Reagan invented "supply-side economics", otherwise known as trickle-down. Here's how that works. The ultra-rich shield a lot of their income in tax shelters known as corporations. Because they "own" these legal entities, they can deduct a large portion of their income. For example, if they own a rental property in Aspen and they go to Aspen and do anything at all with the property, the travel and part of the trip become tax deductible. Now at the beginning of Reagan's term, the highest marginal tax rate was 70%. Seems like a lot but remember those deductions! The few who reached the marginal tax rate level were making so much the pittance they were paying in taxes was quite insignificant.

But they didn't tell you that part when they sold you this bill of goods. You only heard that the poor rich were getting milked to pay for $400 toilet seats and so forth. Now what has happened since then is a simple miracle, compound interest. That money they're no longer paying in taxes is compounding. So now you have the hyper-rich, self-perpetuating fortunes that lead to aberations like Paris Hilton and George W. Bush.

But the rich invest, create jobs, you say. The entrepreneurial first generation does. Sometimes, if well-trained, the second generation does. But by now, most of the money is in stocks. Creates jobs, you say. Correct, but only if every penny is invested in an Initial Public Offering, or IPO or other investments such as real estate. The only jobs created by this is for stock brokers and real-estate agents. No one is making anything with this money, no company gets any benefit out of it, only the buyers and sellers see anything from it. Few jobs are created in proportion to the first-generation entrepreneurs, subsequent generations only get richer.

Now to your paycheck. Feeling wealthy? I'm not. Real incomes have dropped by about 3% since our Dear Leader took office. Meanwhile, oil has gone from $25 to about $100 per barrel, largely to do with erosion of the value of our currency. Housing prices, the Great American ATM, are seeing their biggest drop since George's daddy was in the White House in 1991. Food is more expensive because, in our thirst for 8MPG SUVs, we're burning it. China owns our currency now. The last time we had a budget surplus, peace, high wages and good health care was under a Democrat. I don't think a blow job negates all that good. Meanwhile Mr. Values Bubble-Boy continues to rule over one of the greatest economic train wrecks in our history. Every day conditions become a little more like 1929.

So tell me again how the Republican parti is the party of the economy?

How to Talk to a Republican #1

2007-10-31T20:52:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been so long between postings. Between a new job and life in general, not much time to devote. I want to change that.

Leading up to the next general election, we're once again faced with a dilemma. Democrats represent Americans' values by a large percentage but we seem to lose the values debate. We tend to be excited by ideals, by big-picture concepts. Unfortunately, a large number of the electorate isn't turned on by anything any more intellectual than the color commentary for Wrestlemania. Our challenge is to ensure that Joe Sixpack, Republican and Lee Greenwood patriot, learns what he needs to know in order to vote his own best interest.

If you've followed the news, you'll realize that a vast majority of the Republicans' positions have been proven wrong, not ideologically but by experiences in other countries. This series is designed to help express that incorrectness, to show what doesn't work and explain it in easy language and simple numbers.

Health care is a great one. We can talk about the need for single-payer health care, the Republicans talk about rationing. Now where's the truth, Joe? How much do you pay for health insurance, not just how much you pay but how much your company pays as well. We in the US pay the most for health care of any other country in the world. And what do you get for your money? Are we the best? We're 23rd in the world, behind even Cuba. In terms of life expectancy, Costa Rica at 39th beats us - we're 40th. And in the US, you'll wait longer to see an oncologist after having been diagnosed with cancer than you'll wait for elective surgery in Canada.

I used this on a Drudge-reading GOPer a few days ago and you could almost hear gears grinding in his head. Drudge didn't tell me this, the thought goes, he tells me we're number one....

Talk to them simply. Some may even understand.

Blog On

2007-08-06T23:47:00.000-06:00

It has been daunting trying to get on to blog. But worth it. Please consider contacting Steve Stanley, the Blogmaster, stan20881@msn.com, to have him give you access to the blog.

How long will we fight to make those who make no sacrifice rich(er)?

2007-08-03T12:49:00.000-06:00

The sentiment of the nation seems to have moved towards bringing our troops home and ending this illegal and immoral war in Iraq.

The problem seems to be, as we move in this direction those who support the war (despite their reasons) are being backed into a corner. The are digging in and using every trick they have to keep us fighting for reasons that are still unclear.

While I believe it is obvious we are there for three reasons:

1. to make Papa Bush proud

2. to steal the oil

3. to make those who invest in war and death richer

I also believe that we are finally understanding the lessons we should have learned after Vietnam. Those who stand to profit from war should have no place deciding whether we do or do not enter into wars.

As we are moving towards ending this farce, the battle will get tougher, not easier.

Please continue to keep up the fight, PEACE is always worth the struggle.

I hope this picture speaks the truth better that my words ever could.

Thanks to Stacey Farley....

2007-05-06T19:48:00.000-06:00

Who Benefits from Whose Program

2007-04-22T12:54:00.000-06:00

A strong nod to John Showalter, Chair of HD41 for the thoughts behind this post. We'd gone out and cleaned up parks and bike trails, trails I intend to use shortly. Passers-by stopped and thanked us for what we were doing and as it turned from sunny and warm to overcast and cool, we went back to the headquarters to, as Democrats do, kibitz about the action. Which led to a discussion of larger programs and which party's programs benefit the most Americans.

Large Democratic programs tend to benefit all Americans. Think Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare, Pell grants, our programs tend to benefit the majority of the population. Of course, I'm sure there are a few dedicated Republicans out there who return their Social Security checks uncashed or who don't take advantage of the benefit programs offered them. The vast majority, I'm sure, cash the checks, apply for student aid, use Medicare. Lacking the intellectual honesty or firmness of conviction to turn them down, they use programs Democrats have developed for them while complaining all the while.

On the other hand, Republican programs tend to benefit Republicans. Tax cuts primarily benefit the wealthy, traditionally a Republican voting bloc. "No Child Left Behind" has benefited private educators and the bloc of Republican voters who, despite all evidence to the contrary, are convinced that public schools are failing. Republican environmental policy only benefits business. While it could be argued that benefiting business benefits us all, I don't think mercury poisoning is a good sacrifice nor do I think polluted rivers and air have great social and financial benefits to the greater public. Of course, the Republican-led wars on drugs and on terrorism benefit no one except those who profit from wars, Republican voters. In fact, I looked up IRAs, 401k plans, all tax-advantaged plans anyone can take advantage of, all passed by Democratic Congresses.

I may be wrong. There may be a Republican initiative out there designed to benefit all Americans without discriminating toward the Republican voters. Can't think of any at the moment which isn't that great a surprise but until I'm presented with such a plan, I think John's thesis holds: Republican programs benefit Republicans, Democratic programs benefit America.

Happy Earth Day

2007-04-21T22:36:00.000-06:00

Three Arapahoe County house districts cooperated with Democrats Work to clean up three parks in Aurora. Happy Earth Day, all! If you participated, thanks. If not, we'd like to have you out for the next Democrats Work function.

Earth Day and the cleanup brings a few things to mind I'd like to see happen for our Earth. Most of what was in my bag was those plastic grocery bags. The things never decay, they clog up water courses and animals' intestines, they drown or suffocate wildlife. Much as I hate the death of the trees, what's wrong with biodegradable paper? You can even compost paper bags, trapping carbon and fertilizing your garden without chemicals and the energy it takes to produce them. Should we approach our Democratic representatives and ask them to follow San Francisco and outlaw plastic grocery bags?

An issue mentioned afterward that could start to heal the rift between us and the Republicans (I try to type that with a straight face) is water. One idea I've been exploring could address the fact that 25% of our local water use is to grow Kentucky bluegrass. As a native Kentuckian, I appreciate the little view of home but I also realize we got 50+ inches of rain a year back there. We should be growing water-wise turf but for many, covenants require fescue or bluegrass, both wet-climate grasses although fescue is marginally better. I would like to approach our representatives to pass a law that covenants and HOAs could not outlaw prairie grasses such as buffalo grass and gramma, better adapted to our high, dry climate and requiring little to no irrigation.

Any more Earth Day ideas?

First blog

2007-03-17T04:22:00.000-06:00

I am just learning to blog. My hope is that I & others concerned with HD 40 Dems can
deal with ideas, slants & other stuff that we want to air but which don't quite belong
on our website. The website, as I see it, is our workbench for communicating our message.
Basically just the facts. This blog is a place to vent & explore ideas--the war in Iraq, campaign finance reform, the privatization of government whether to build toll roads, house prisoners, whatever.

Getting started hasn't been that easy for me. I found the technology of blogging daunting.
I think it's worth it. Hope you will also.

How Important Is 2008?

2007-03-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the U. S. Supreme Court upheld the Colorado Congressional districts drawn by a judge after the State Legislature was unable to redistrict before the 2002 elections. Had there been a clear Republican majority in 2002, it's doubtful that we would have sent as many Democratic representatives to the U. S. Congress or to the State House as we have. The Republicans again tried to gerrymander the state in 2003, the resulting map was thrown out in subsequent court trials leading up to the Supreme Court's decision, finally putting the matter to rest in 2007.

There are those who believe that 2008 will be a slam-dunk. I'd love to think so but in 2006 we didn't get Matt Bryant elected despite the national anti-Republican trend. We can't afford to lose any opportunity to equate Republicans at all levels with George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Ann Coulter, to equate their rule with lust for power and incompetence in its exercise, to point out that it was twelve years of Republican budgets that led to Walter Reed and the inability to respond to natural disasters. They wanted a Government that could be drowned in a bath tub. Instead, it drowned in New Orleans.

In three years we will be once again redrawing Colorado's political map. It is imperative that a Democratic majority do so. That is the importance of 2008, to build on our majority and to paint the State blue.

Walter Reed - Symbol of Republican Incompetence

2007-03-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

I've seen it posted on blogs that the crisis at Walter Reed and other VA facilities is Bill Clinton's fault. He, they say, cut the budget for the facilities and for the military in general. While a number of the cuts happened on Bill's watch, truth is found in basic civics: The Congress holds the purse strings.

The Congress during Clinton's administration was Republican-controlled. They wanted a "peace dividend" following the fall of the Wall and the failure of communism. The Congress, with their power of the purse, cut funding for the Military, putting many of us out and reducing the number of bases, hospitals and facilities to treat the wounded.

So, the Republicans set the situation up. Furthering the incompetence was the current Administration. Their rosy-eyed predictions of easy victory, of tanks rolling over roses proved untrue. We armed but didn't armor our troops and they began to be injured in large numbers. The Pentagon reports about 27,000 wounded but if you take their own killed to wounded ratio, the number becomes closer to 56,000. That's a bunch more than the military health system was prepared or funded to treat.

So the next time a GOPer talks about supporting the truth, smile sweetly and ask them why they defunded Walter Reed and other military hospitals during the Clinton administration and why Bush didn't fund them when the need was known.

Ideas....

2007-03-01T20:17:00.000-07:00

From John Fulton.... Last meeting generated a lot of ideas for activities to get us out there in front of the public. With a bit of literary license (sorry, John), here are some:

- Voter registration, both on campus (get 'em young....) and off. John checked out voter registration on campus - allowed but we can't show our sign. Kind of defeats the purpose.

- Earth Day: April 14--here's the link provided by Stacey Farley: http://www.stepitup2007.org ties in with Gore's message about the threat of global warming. Perhaps we could do something about each, but I suggest we go for April 22 (a Sunday) which follows by one day our monthly planning session Saturday, 4/21. This also is something we should discuss.

Two things John would like to see us do:

1. "Brand" ourselves as Arapahoe Democrats but also as HD 40 Democrats. We have a few dollars to invest in T-shirts. White Hanes Ts are really inexpensive. Matt has used decals & may still have some left. I feel strongly that we can & should do this. I think Arapahoe Dems would give us permission to use their logo.

2. The Arapahoe County Party is challenging us to put some money in the till. I have some ideas. Please think about this matter & bring your own ideas for discussion.

Elections: There are "off-year" elections this year. Pam Bennett is running for Aurora City Council @ large.There are two seats open @ large; top two vote-getters win. Aurora Ward VI in our patch will also be on the ballot in November(?). Our current in Ward VI, Councilperson Bob Broom, a Republican, is a pretty good Councilperson in my experience.

Bush Compares Himself to Washington

2007-02-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

Where can I hurl?

Today the Deciderator actually had the gall to compare himself to George Washington, a man who had to be practically shanghaied into running for President and who maintained that Executive powers should be governed by restraint:

"I feel right at home here. After all, this is the home of the first George W. I thank President Washington for welcoming us today. He doesn't look a day over 275 years old," Bush said to laughter. (AP)

Furthering Bush's madness in comparing himself to the first President:

"And as we work to advance the cause of freedom around the world, we remember that the father of our country believed that the freedoms we secured in our revolution were not meant for Americans alone."

That, as people, including American citizens, are languishing in jails from South Carolina to Guantanamo, denied basic American rights by edict of the man who would compare himself to Washington? As I remember, Washington treated British POWs well and released them at the end of the war in contrast to the British treatment of American POWs. There is no comparison between the heroics and wisdom of Washington and the incompetence and arrogance of the latter-day "George W."

But "W" leaves an opening for us. For the next eighteen months we should never pass up a chance to equate Republicans with Bush, to contrast the deeds of the latter-day "W" with the first. The GOPers are their own worst press right now and as Sun Tzu wrote: "Keep him under a strain and wear him down."

Cross-posted from "A Colorado Progressive."

Officers Elected-Campaign 2008 Begun

2007-02-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

As you can see from the right, those place holders for officer names are now filled. We have a full slate of officers, diverse in our persons and in our residence. As one of them, I look forward to working with the rest and with everyone else at our well-attended meeting today.

Lots of ideas and lots of work, that sums up our role for our two-year terms. Matt Bryant ran a hugely successful campaign in 2006, unfortunately entrenched attitudes and an incumbent led to his loss in the election. We do not face an incumbent this time around, we have a lot of Democratic momentum on a national level and we have a prospective candidate that should do well in some of our less-blue precincts. It's an exciting time for us.

Look for more in the next weeks - we need people! And as the newly-elected HD40 Secretary, I look forward to serving you and to getting our message out in any way I can.

An Invitation from John Fulton, Chairman

2007-02-15T17:44:00.000-07:00

Our plate will be full for our party/meeting @ 10 am, this Saturday 2/17 @ Arapahoe Democratic Party HQ, 15445 East Iliff Ave., Unit C (see map).

First item of business will be the election of House District 40 Officers for the 2007-2009 term.

Those who have announced are:

John Fulton, Chair
Matt Bryant, Vice Chair
Steve Stanley, Secretary (Outreach)
Bruce Smith, Treasurer

Other nominees may come forward before or @ the meeting.

Eligible voters for this election are the Officers of House District 40 & the Officers of the Arapahoe County & Elbert County Democratic Parties.

Our first planning session in January resulted in linking a blog to our website http://www.hd40dems.com/ (courtesy Steve Stanley); setting up a similar connection to MySpace (Dan Zuk); & agreeing to meet one Saturday a month. The third Saturday seems to be the best Saturday.

After the elections, our plan is to discuss community activity; more aggressive attempts to staff each Precinct with active Precinct Leaders (PCPs); consider ways & means to raise funds; begin to look ahead to 2008 races, & generally keep taking it to the Republicans in Our Patch.

I think this is an important meeting for several reasons & hope to see you there.

Donuts, cookies, coffee, soft drinks, bottled water will be served.

Thank you,

john

For a map to the Arapahoe County Democrats Headquarters, click here.

The Nightmare of Amendment 41

2007-02-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

To roughly paraphrase Garrison Kiellor, the ballot initiative is a good thing - mostly. Last year we voted to approve Amendment 41, a vaguely-worded, broad measure to fight corruption in Government. Problem is it was so vaguely worded that children of lawmakers and civil servants are being denied scholarships because of it.

Well, we're stuck with it now. On another blog, I spoke out against it on other grounds: As the law was written, if my friend Matt Bryant had been elected to the State house, I couldn't have bought him a beer if that beer would have brought his annual gift total to over $50.00. If I'd have taken him to dinner, it would have to cost me less than $50.00. This extends to his family as well - had he brought his wife along, the tab couldn't have been more than $25.00 each.

Supporters argued the measure would fight corruption and it would have. The problem is that there was no problem, at least none worthy of a constitutional amendment to fight. The Blue Book specifically mentions the problem we're having, children of civil servants being unable to accept scholarships. C'est la vie, I suppose. Did no one read the book? Here's a kicker: A person with a political vendetta could demand an investigation of family members for their Christmas presents! Did you know you voted for that?

The ballot initiative is a powerful tool both for good and for ill. Our nation's founding fathers were opposed to it for the very reason illustrated by Amendment 41: Populism can lead to all sorts of bad law. Add to populism an uininformed electorate and you have a recipe for disaster. As politically active people, it is our responsibility to educate voters whenever possible to avoid disasters such as the very popular but completely wrong-headed Amendment 41.

They Don't Want To Talk About It

2007-02-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Senate Republicans including our own Wayne Allard voted to fillibuster debate on the Iraq war. It's gone so badly, they don't want it debated in the Senate. Their tactic of trying to suppress public debate on the issue has failed - we will continue to debate Bush's Folly and we will continue to support the troops by trying to bring them home.

So how does this relate to HD40? We are a Democratic organization and the good Senator has indicated he will live by his word and not seek re-election in 2008. We will need to support the Democratic candidate - hopefully a full-fledged Democrat this time around. One way we can do so is to remind people continually that the Republicans are too embarassed to talk about their Great Experiment of bringing Democracy to the Middle East and all but two of them are on the record as opposing the debate.

We overwhelmingly rejected the War in Iraq in the last election. Republicans have apparently taken the short view of supporting their elite constituency over our views. That rejection of their electorate will cost them. It's our job to exact that price.

A Win for Labor

2007-01-31T17:53:00.000-07:00

On a party line 4-3 vote, a measure to make it easier to organize labor unions in Colorado passed committee and is headed to the State Senate.

The son of a union steelworker and coal miner, I have first-hand experience in the good unions can bring and, to be fair, the bad. Unions got us decent wages and health care while they tricked my father and his companions into striking three weeks for a $1.50 per day increase over what the companies offered. On balance, collective bargaining is the only tool workers have against corporate tyranny. The bill negating the requirement for a second vote to organize eases the way for unions in Colorado.

Of course, the elitests on the Red side of the aisle opposed it.

Tancredo - Our Representative?

2007-01-30T16:48:00.000-07:00

Someone convince me that Tom Tancredo is representative of the part of HD40 that lies within the 6th Congressional District. Here's an interesting article concerning his support of some rather dubious, racist-tainted functions from The Nation.

Tom's bid for the Presidency polled at less than two percent in Iowa, yet somehow he believes that the voter-rejected GOPer ideology and his patented xenophobia will somehow make him mainstream enough to make him a viable candidate. Perhaps to those who sing Dixie and wrap themselves in the Confederate flag, perhaps to those who really believe Miami is a third-world country, Tancredo is viable. I know he doesn't represent us in Colorado's sixth. It's time we voted that way.

It Isn't New...

2007-01-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

"We...struggle with the old enemies of peace--business and financial monopoly, speculation, reckless banking,
class antagonism, sectionalism, war profiteering...Never before in all our history have these forces been so united."

A quote from yesterday's news? Well, no. The year was 1936. The writer was Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who said in full: "Never before in all our history have these forces been so united against one candidate as they stand today. They are unanimous in their hated for me--and I welcome their hatred."

After all, American politics has been nasty in the past. Before the New Deal, America was a nation with a vast gap between the rich and everyone else, and this gap was reflected in a sharp political divide. The Republican Party, in effect, represented the interests of the economic elite, and the Democratic Party, in an often confused way, represented the populist alternative.

In that divided political system, the Democrats probably came much closer to representing the interests of the typical American. But the G.O.P.’s advantage in money, and the superior organization that money bought, usually allowed it to dominate national politics. “I am not a member of any organized party,” Will Rogers said. “I am a Democrat.”

Then came the New Deal. I urge Mr. Obama--and everyone else who thinks that good will alone is enough to change the tone of our politics--to read the speeches of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the quintessential example of a president who tackled big problems that demanded solutions.

For the fact is that FDR faced fierce opposition as he created the institutions--Social Security, unemployment insurance, more progressive taxation and beyond--that helped alleviate inequality. And he didn’t shy away from confrontation.

It was only after F.D.R. had created a more equal society, and the old class warriors of the G.O.P. were replaced by “modern Republicans” who accepted the New Deal, that bipartisanship began to prevail.

Excerpted from a column by Paul Krugman emailed by Mike Collins & forwarded by me John Fulton

HD40/41 Meeting

2007-01-23T17:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, as George W. Bush was trying to find words to stop his long slide into obscurity, the Democrats of Colo's HD40/41 met to begin to expand our majority in both the State House and Senate. Our position sounds much nicer and we even got some help in organizing our next campaign. Even nicer, we got to meet one of our potential candidates for 2008. She has a secret I'll let her reveal should she like but it's sweeter still. Sweetest of all, we learned how we can win in HD40.

It makes sense if you think about it from a sales and marketing perspective. We'd like to win with 100% of the vote. Reality is that will never happen. There are precincts in which we'll win by doing nothing. There are precincts where we couldn't win if Tom Delay was running aginst us and in the middle is the battleground. Statistically, it's possible to determine where you'll win. It doesn't make sense to put a lot of campaign energy into these precincts but it does make a lot of sense to fundraise there. It makes no sense at all to put energy into precincts where you'll lose, much as we'd like to win them. The campaign energy must go into those high-middle ground precincts where we aren't guaranteed victory but we do have a chance at pursuading enough people to vote our way to win the precinct.

In business, you don't waste a whole lot of energy keeping customers you have or winning customers the competition firmly has. You use your resources in the middle where you can win. If we do that in HD40, the numbers are there and we can put another Democrat in the State House.

Welcome

2007-01-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Welcome, all, to the Colorado House District 40 Democrats blog. I'm Steve Stanley and I'll be moderating this blog, with some help, I hope. Our goal is to generate a lively debate about issues important to Democrats in our district and to find good ideas about how to reach voters in our district and how to pursuade them that voting Democratic is voting their self-interest.

I'll leave posting open for this blog to allow anyone to post comments to any posting. If you want to post an article, for now, send me a link or the text and I'll put it up.

Again, welcome. Let's have a lively discussion