Stephanie Miller, The Stand Up Comic of Progressive Talk Radio

Read the interview with Stephanie Miller on BuzzFlash.

"Generally human nature is that you don't want to be angry all the time, or depressed. In a way, that's on our side. That's the only power we have -- the power to mock them, which means you're taking the power back. You're not letting them make you afraid and depressed. A lot of people say it's the only way you can deal with what's happened to this country over the last however-many-years that Bush has been in, because it is depressing, and it is horrible."
--Stephanie Miller, Jones Radio Network, 9 am - 12 pm ET

Why Ignore Industrial Hemp?

With all the talk about reducing carbon emissions in this country, we are ignoring a sensible alternative to ethanol, an alternative that has already proven problematic because it takes a large amount of corn to produce, thereby removing corn from the food supply. An obvious answer to the problem of creating a cheap, easy-to-grow, renewable resource is the cultivation of industrial hemp. Before you all start making jokes about stoners and bongs and other references to industrial hemp's notorious cousin cannabis sativa or marijuana, let me explain that industrial hemp has a very low percentage of THC (typically less than 1%) - the active ingredient that creates a "high" from ingesting or smoking marijuana, so that a stoner would literally have to smoke a bale of industrial hemp in about 20 seconds and then all the smoker would get for her/his trouble is a headache.

The DEA remains in the dark ages about this ideal crop that not only could solve our energy problems, but also is so versatile, the fiber produced from this amazing plant can serve as a source of paper, clothing, and even cooking oil. Industrial Hemp is grown legally in Canada and many countries in Europe. It grows pesticide and herbicide-free and grows in virtually any part of the country. In fact, the government encouraged the cultivation of industrial hemp during WWI & WWII in order to make rope and other supplies for the troops. This is why the legacy of ditch weed still grows in many parts of rural America. If you'd like to learn more about this phenomenal crop, please visit the web site, Vote Hemp, and contact your Congress people about passing legislation that would allow farmers to grow industrial hemp - we are going to need all the help we can find to end our addiction to foreign sources of oil. This a great way to add to the solution!

Read about the government's insane battle to destroy industrial hemp crops being cultivated on the Sovereign Lakota Nation: S.D. family seeks the right to grow hemp

Here's a link to an excellent column by Jamison Colburn, Why The War on Drugs Should Not Include a War on Hemp.

Another Reason I Will Not Be Supporting Hillary Clinton

Hillary Clinton - the common wisdom says that you either love her or you hate her. I neither love her nor do I hate her. Yet I must agree with the late great Molly Ivins that I will not be supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign for president. Aside from all of the great reasons that Molly gives in her wonderful column, I have a new reason why Hillary has lost any chance of earning my support. Hillary Clinton has declined to attend "Prez on the Rez" an historic presidential forum that will be held on August 23, 2007 at the Morongo Band of Mission Indians Resort, Casino and Spa in California. The forum is not only an historic event - the first time that presidential candidates will meet with and address issues that matter most to Natives in this country, but it is also a fantastic opportunity to showcase so many of Senator Clinton's own concerns - health care, education, civil rights, etc... What reason did Mrs. Clinton give for not participating in this event? She won't be in California on that day - come on, that is as lame an excuse as I've ever heard. We all know that Hillary can be wherever she wants or needs to be whenever she wants or needs to be there.


This last week I moderated a panel at a conference that has been held annually for the last 20 years - the conference is called the Sovereignty Symposium and the title of the panel I moderated was "Native Peoples and the Media." The purpose of the panel was to present various ways in which Native people are using media to challenge stereotypes, promote tribal sovereignty, and increase their voices in the political arena. The first speaker was Chad Burris, a Chickasaw Indian, who has produced both a short film and a feature-length film that have both been screened at Sundance. Chad showed his short film "Goodnight Irene" (a low-key, moving film - if you ever have an opportunity to see it, do - you won't be sorry) that focuses on three generations of Seminole Indians waiting for medical care in an Indian Health Service hospital in Oklahoma. The film poignantly portrays a loss of culture while also emphasizing the sorry state of health care that is the reality for most Native people in this country. I whispered to Kalyn Free who was also on the panel that I wish Hillary Clinton could see this film and incorporate some of the needs highlighted in this film into her own health care plan.

Kalyn Free was the next presenter and she spoke about her organization INDN's List, the very same group that is hosting the "Prez on the Rez" event. She mentioned that Hillary Clinton has recently declined an invitation to attend and at the mention of Mrs. Clinton's name there were booes heard around the room. Unless Senator Clinton changes her mind and decides to participate in "Prez on the Rez," I predict that she will alienate most Native voters, and as proven in Montana, South Dakota, and New Mexico, Native voters can swing elections. As they organize more and more with the help of INDN's List, their political clout will only increase and they will be voting for someone. At this point, I doubt very seriously that those votes will be cast for Hillary Clinton.

Beware the September Song

Although my disappointment with the Democrats rests heavy on my shoulders this week, I have already spotted another worry on the horizon - I am very wary of the September chorus that sings about a bi-partisan solution concerning the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The song goes something like this - after General Petraeus makes what is now clearly expected by nearly everyone to be a report of little progress in the ongoing disaster (read "surge") that has already become our country's occupation of Iraq, we will magically join hands and the congress and the president will come together to finally pull an exit plan for Iraq out of their collective arses - yeah, right, if you believe that, you either have been living in the White House or under a rock for the last six years. Here's an e-mail I sent to Steph a few days ago:

Hey there Steph & Crew,
You all know how much I love Chris, yet I feel compelled to offer up a thought or two about Mr. Lavoie and his highly troubling anticipation of the future of this country's occupation of Iraq. Pardon me if I sound cynical (it may have something to to do with the last six years...), but Chris, Chris, Chris, what makes you think that Bush and company will be ready to leave Iraq by September? I firmly believe that we must KEEP the PRESSURE ON and let our Senators and Representatives know that we are taking note of the vote that they cast last week and all future votes that each one of them casts regarding Iraq funding and the continued occupation. As Stephanie said yesterday, "Waiting until September just gives the Repubs and Neo-cons time to 'manage expectations,'" in other words, more time to come up with their next big lie. Give me a break, if you honestly believe that in September we're all going to come together and magically vote for a real exit plan to truly bring the troops home - YOU GOTTA KNOW THAT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN! Not without relentless pressure from all 75% of us who know that this war is wrong. I'm just afraid that if we all adopt Chris's attitude, we're gonna wake up on September 1st or 30th or any day inbetween, and there will still be 100,000 + American troops in Iraq, and they will still be dying, and our money will still be going to pad Halliburton's coffers. President Bush will come up with yet another phrase with which he will coax us along until December, then it will be spring, and we will still be there, and then summer will roll around, and before you know it, we will be heading into the election, and nobody will pay any attention to what's going on in Iraq (or Afghanistan), save for the various campaign phrases in which each candidate sums up his/her hopefully more nuanced foreign policy in some catchy slogan. Grow up, Christopher, and realize that the Bush administration cannot be trusted. Can't you smell a KarlRovian con game when it's the same damn trick over and over again? Wake up!!!
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye

For up-to-the-minute facts that you can use when you are composing your e-mails or planning your phone rants to your Congress people, see U.S. War Watch.

Blue Grit - A Great Read for Dismayed Dems

If you are half as discouraged as I am by the recent betrayal by the Congressional Democrats on the Iraq funding bill and if even Keith Olbermann's terrific rant did little to buoy your spirits, I'd like to recommend a wonderful book that is full of hope and courage and direction for these sorry times we are existing in. The book is Laura Flander's Blue Grit True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians. The book is dedicated to June Jordan and when I read the openng quote I thought, yes, this speaks to me at this particular moment:

And because revolution always takes place on the basis of great hope and rising expectations, I am not too worried about the future. One way or another a whole lotta change is gonna come. Through happiness realized or through and beyond the pain of betrayal, we will become the beneficiaries of our faith.

And even without revolution, we will prevail because we have proven to the world, and to ourselves that we are not "fringe elements" or "special interest groups"or so-called "minorities." Without us there is no legitimate majority: we are the mainstream. We have become the "people."

And let our elected leadeship beware the awesome possible wrath of a mighty, multifoliate, and faithful people whose deepest hopes have been rekindled and whose needs have not been met.

--June Jordan, "On the Night of November 3, 1992," Affirmative Acts: Political Essays

Another good quote from Blue Grit:

"If liberal funders spent half the time studying the sucesses of the Left that they spend obsessing over the Coors foundation, they'd be better informed, not to mention cheerier."
Laura Flanders, Blue Grit, p. 101

Keep the faith, folks, keep the faith...

A Life of Living Magically

[Photo: Chester Higgins Jr., NYTimes]
On May 23, 2007, I left Tulsa, OK on a Southwest Airlines flight to Islip, New York with a stop in Kansas City and a plane change in Chicago. In Tulsa I began reading The Year of Magical Thinking and I finished it that night in my friend George's apartment in Patchogue on Long Island. At age 48, I am one of the few people my age who can honestly say I've never lost a person highly significant to me, with the possible exception of my mother's older sister who died six years ago, two days before she would have turned 82 years old - she was buried on her birthday. I have, of course, lost all four of my grandparents, all before I graduated from high school, and when I was in fifth grade my best friend's mother committed suicide. This made an impact on me mostly because I was in the house when she shut the garage door and turned on the car. I remember the groggy head I had when the fireman came upstairs to rouse my friend and me from our carbon-monoxide-tainted slumber. After leaving my best friend's house that morning, I remember my dad and I walking across the field where a man kept ponies that we used to try to ride, he was trying to get some fresh air inside me, I just remember a special walk with my dad.

Reading Didion, who has always been one of my favorite writers, had my mind reflecting on a time in my life when I was living in New York City, working at People Magazine in the Time-Life Building. I spent a lot of time with a college friend who also lived and worked in the City, she worked at the Whitney Museum around the time that the Whitney was mounting the Edward Hopper Exhibit (early 80s). We used to do what I imagine young, underpaid, educated people do when they find themselves living in the greatest city in the world - we had fun in cheap and frivolous ways. We knew just about every restaurant that allowed us to bring our own bottle of wine and we walked from Chinatown to the upper east side where my friend lived in a Catholic girl's rooming house (a cheap, safe alternative that pleased my friend's Catholic family). We dined on hors d'oeuvres at gallery openings and sold review copy books (collected from the hallways at People magazine) in Greenwich Village. It wouldn't be until many years later that I would discover that this vibrant, fun-loving friend of mine from college was dead. We had lost touch with each other, I hadn't spoken to her for probably ten years. I don't think I would have known, but a mutual friend of ours "googled" her name and an obituary came up. In an instant life changes....

As I already admitted, death has touched me only tangentially. Both of my parents are still living and I have not lost a close friend or a member of my immediate family, still the death of my college friend caught me off guard, she was 45 years old, an art history major in college who decided after several years out of school to go into medicine, tackling medical school in her late twenties and graduating at age 31, serving her residency in Iowa before settling in Boston where she practiced and taught at Harvard.

While I was on Long Island, after spending a day in the City and thinking back on the brief time of my life when I used to live in Manhattan and my college friend with whom I used to hang out, I thought about going and seeing her parents who also live on Long Island, West Babylon to be exact. We used to go out to her folks' place on the weekends and stuff ourselves with wonderful homemade Italian food - both of my friend's parents are first-generation Italians. When I learned about her death, a full year after the fact, I bought a card and thought about sending a check to my friend's memorial fund, but never got around to sending it. So while I was in the neighborhood I thought I would go by and see her parents, and I did. I learned that my friend died of leukemia, in spite of being an internal medicine physician herself and getting the best possible care in Boston. I saw the pain in her parents eyes and felt the loss that must come only when parents lose a child. Together we told stories of my friend, their daughter, and we looked at old photos of her smiling a beautiful smile, my friend was a gorgeous woman - dark Italian good looks with a jaw line and cheek bones to die for. In an instance a life ends and many lives are changed forever.

I cannot imagine losing my parents who are both 75 years old and in good health, thank goodness, but I know someday it will happen, and I don't imagine that I'll know how to react, how I'll feel. That is one of the points that Didion makes in her memoir.

At the end of the amazing performance that is the one-woman show at the Booth Theater on Broadway, Vanessa Redgrave reads the following words directly from the book on which the play is based, "Grief turns out to be a place none of us know until we reach it. We anticipate (we know) that someone close to us could die.... We might expect if the death is sudden to feel shock. We do not expect this shock to be obliterative, dislocating to both body and mind." To the contrary, I do anticipate losing both my mind and my heart when my parents die, but I'm also fairly sure I will go on, I will continue, but it's true that I have no idea how I will manage this. Even after reading this incredible book and seeing the equally amazing play, I simply have no idea.

See Momma in Madison!

Momma in Madison, Wisconsin...

If you, like me, were stuck wherever you live and weren't able to get to Madison, Wisconsin on Saturday night to see Steph at the Barrymore Theater, never fear - they took a few videos and they are available at the MIC 92.1 web site. Check them out! It's not the same as being there, but it is the next best thing. Here are a few still shots from Momma's May 2006 appearance in Madison:

In Praise of Unsung Heros

REBEKAH BAKER - Unsung Hero

This morning I am sitting at home waiting for a repair person to come over and hopefully fix my refrigerator freezer which quit working a couple months ago. As I sit here it occurs to me that there are many people who make my life more bearable, and not all of them have their names in lights or have a nationally syndicated radio show with their name blazened across a web site.

One of those folks I'd like to dedicate this post to today is Rebekah Baker, Associate Producer of the Stephanie Miller Show, who labors tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure that callers can get through and talk to Steph, makes sure that there are always interesting and entertaining people calling in on the celebrity hotline, and makes reservations and other travel arrangements for Steph whenever she is on the road as she is today (for those fans of the SMS who are able to get to Madison, Wisconsin, Steph will be appearing at the Barrymore Theater at 8:00 tonight - check her out!)

Rebekah Baker is one big reason why the Stephanie Miller Show has taken off like it has - her efficient, yet friendly, manner on the phone is often remarked on by callers, and her ability to juggle many tasks simultaneously is a true testament to her organizational skills. Rebekah not only is the associate producer for the SMS, but she also produces two other radio shows: Handel on the Law and a The Tech Guys, so she is lucky to get a single day off every week. Rebekah also designed and maintains Stephanie's MySpace page - another fabulous resource for all things Steph. Check it out!

This is just a reminder that there are many people in our world who make it all happen each and every day and whose presence goes unnoticed precisely because they are so good at doing a seamless job. Here's to Rebekah Baker and her doggie "I" who I'm sure would like to spend more time with her mom, but appreciates her as much as the rest of us Steph fans do. Yeah Rebekah - you go grrrl!!!

Falwell Meets Tinky Winky - the Gay(?) Teletubbie

For those of you who were listening to the SMS this morning, you may have heard that I called in during hour one and mentioned a political cartoon that I enjoyed after the demise of Reverend Three-Chins. Here it is - I just wanted to share it with you all:

Oklahoma's Governor Makes an Excellent Call

Note: Rarely do I just post an entire editorial as I'm doing today, but this one is special - it was published today in The Oklahoman a daily newspaper published in Oklahoma City, OK. A few years ago, The Oklahoman was named the worst daily newspaper in the country by the Columbia Journalism Review. This editorial is significant because it praises the appointment of Jim Roth to the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, an appointment that makes Mr. Roth the only openly gay person currently serving in statewide elective office in the U.S. Although the following piece makes no mention of Mr. Roth's sexual orientation, I think it is a triumphant op-ed from The Oklahoman, and I wanted to share this moment of pride that is rare, to say the least, here in very red Oklahoma.

Wed., May 16, 2007

Good call: Roth great choice for vacancy

The Oklahoma Editorial

Cliche it may be, but we have to say it anyway: Oklahoma County's loss is Oklahoma's gain with the selection of Jim Roth to succeed Denise Bode on the state Corporation Commission.

Bode is leaving to run a foundation. She had nearly four years to go on a six-year term, but Roth — appointed by Gov. Brad Henry to replace Bode — must stand for the office next year if he wants to keep it.

Roth has been an outstanding public servant as District 1 county commissioner. He handily won a second term last year, wowing voters with his professional approach — in stark contrast to the norm on county commissions across the state.

Roth is just 38. His departure creates the need for a special election to fill the rest of his county commission term. Roth was the only Democrat on the three-member commission and will be the only Democrat on the three-member Corporation Commission.

Voters can't blame him for forcing a special election — the opportunity was too good to pass up. Henry, a champion of bipartisanship who doesn't always practice it, praised Roth for his fairness, integrity and bipartisanship.

The corporation commission is in good hands as Roth joins Jeff Cloud and Bob Anthony. Oklahoma County District 1 also is in good hands because Roth's chief deputy will be interim commissioner and is quite capable of taking care of constituents.

So both commissions are in good shape because of these changes, but it will be difficult to find a permanent replacement for Roth who can fill his shoes. A return to a traditional style of governance on the county commission is unacceptable. With one of the other three commissioners mired in legal problems, we have reason for concern about the direction the commission will go unless the right man or woman seeks the job.

Greetings to Mothers of All Creatures

"I am my dogs' mom."
Stephanie Miller, April 25, 2006

This first thing that impressed me about Stephanie Miller when I visited her web site (before I believe I had ever heard a minute of her fabulous show) was that the site was populated with photos of Steph and her doggies. So on this Mother's Day I would like to extend a heartfelt greeting and a huge thank you to all of those moms out there whose kids have four legs and loads of body hair.


Stella on her bed - What a good girl!

First and foremost, I would like to dedicate this post to my sister, Lynnie, who is dealing with the end of her longtime companion Stella's life - Stella and Lynn have been together for over 17 years - quite a long life for a chow-mix.


Dylan Thomas & Tulsey Lewis Hadley

I'd also like to say a few words about my own two "boyz," Tulsey and Dylan. Tulsey is my heart and my best friend - he is the sweetest boy in the whole world - he'll be six years old tomorrow, and I'll bring him a special bone that he'll enjoy and closely guard from his baby brother Dylan. Whereas Tulsey is pure sweetness, Dylan is at least half devil. He's a mischievous little scallywag who just today managed to knock over a planter that I had just filled with potting soil and a few basil plants and broke it all over the steps to the backyard and when we came back from our walk this afternoon Dillie-doo-doo decided to take a dip in the water bowl in the kitchen and splashed water all over the floor. I love him to pieces though and although many people have suggested that it might be wise to farm Dillie out to a ranch or some other home where there is more room to run, I just can't bring myself to break up our family. That is how I know that I am also my doggies' mom. They sleep with me at night and hang out with me while I am on the computer, in short they are, if not my whole life, a very big part of it, and I am so very glad.

I'd like to also wish Happy Mother's Day to Moose and Goose - proud moms of Roxie, Vicky - proud mom of Richard and Elizabeth, Lou (and Jesse and Joe) - proud family of Tugger, Rebekah - proud mom of I, and of course to Stephanie Miller - proud mom of Puff and Max and a puppy as yet unknown, but soon to join the family ;) Thanks for all the love!!!

"50 Ways to Leave Iraq" - Just Get the Hell Out!

Here are a few suggestions for exiting Iraq - all of them are a good-sight better that what's being considered by the current administration which is essentially worse than nothing (escalating the violence by increasing the number of troops in Iraq) or, at best, taking a "wait and see" approach: Here' wishing that Congress would just get behind any one of of these plans and ram it through this stubborn, deceitful, authoritarian, greedy, power-hungry, immature, anti-intellectual administration until they get the message that the gig is up - it's over, it's way past time to go home.

1. John Edwards Plan - Just keep sending Bush the same bill over and over until Bush comes to his senses or enough Republicans see the error of their ways and join the Democrats and override Bush's veto.

2. How to Exit Iraq by Christopher Preble (January 17, 2005), in which Mr. Preble, director of foreign policy studies at the Cato Institute, and director of the task force that prepared Exiting Iraq: Why the U.S. Must End the Military Occupation and Renew the War against Al Qaeda (2004), calls for a relatively swift end to the U.S. military occupation of Iraq. Preble states that it is in America's interest to quickly end the military occupation -- a stance that was, at the time, dramatically at variance with the conventional wisdom, which presumed that the United States must remain in Iraq "as long as necessary." As long as necessary has proven too long. The authors of Exiting Iraq anticipated that the trend of rising opposition to the U.S. occupation would not be reversed by the nominal handover of sovereignty in June, 2004. They recognized that the presence of U.S. forces undermines the legitimacy of the Iraqi government. They also noted that widespread opposition to the U.S. occupation within the Iraqi populace undermined U.S. credibility on a host of other issues.

3. Richard Clarke's article, USA Today, November 28, 2005
"The Senate voted overwhelmingly that Iraqi forces should assume the lead in the war in 2006 so that the U.S. could begin a phased withdrawal." We are now almost half-way through 2007 and the Iraqis show no more sign of being ready to defend their own country, and given the level of the civil war, insurgency, and violence, perhaps are even less prepared to defend their homeland today than they were a few months ago.

4. Congressman John Murtha has a plan.

5. George McGovern has a plan.

6. Senator Russ Feingold has a plan.

7. Representative Dennis Kucinich has a plan.

8. Senator Joe Biden has a plan.

9. General Wesley Clark has a plan.

10. Senator Barack Obama has a plan.

I could go on and on, there are literally over "50 ways to leave Iraq," not one of them is seriously being considered by the current administration. Why the Hell NOT? is my question. Why the hell not? Indeed.

GOP Debacle, er, Debate

Steph,
Boy, was I impressed last night with the GOP field especially Tancredo, Brownback and Huckabee who all three raised their hands indicating that they don't believe in Evolution - what insight! That is, if you are courting the votes of toothless, evangelical, fundamentalist, four-times divorced, trailer-park inhabiting Neanderthals who stop for cigarettes on their way to church every Sunday and save their best outfits ("Kill 'em all - Let God sort 'em out" t-shirts and sweat pants - all XXXL size) for their daily trip to Wal-Mart. What a bunch of losers!!!
Cheers,
Faye

Lucinda Williams Rocks Tulsa (with a little help from her friends)

Lucinda Williams rocked out in Tulsa's classic Cain's Ballroom on May Day 2007. Her show was opened by Anne McCue, a relatively unknown artist from Sidney, Australia who played only a handful of tunes, but did come back out and join Lucinda and the band for a rousing rendition of "You Took My Joy (and I Want it Back)." Lucinda introduced this song by proclaiming to an audience that was predisposed to love her, "Don't let anyone take away your joy, not even the president..." In fact, it was Lucinda's fantastic rapport with an audience that came to hear her unique meld of blues/country/rock 'n roll music and superb songwriting that made the night feel special. Lucinda opened her show with a set of country songs played as an homage to the ghosts of Cain's Ballroom, including a Ralph Stanley inspired hoe-down.


As Lucinda chatted with the crowd of about 2000 adoring fans, she mentioned that she had a few friends in the audience and proceeded to call a couple of them up on stage. So Tulsa was treated to two old-time true American blues tunes with legendary blues guitarist D.C. Minner (hailing from Rentiesville, OK), who joined Lucinda and company onstage along with D.C.'s wife Selby who was positively channeling the late great Janis Joplin and who strapped on a bass guitar for one of the tunes. The crowd responded warmly to the mini-reunion of sorts that was witnessed and much appreciated by all, then it was back to the business of rocking out the Cain's...

A task that Ms. Williams and her able band took quite seriously. After going through her country set, Lucinda launched into some rock 'n roll favorites, including a wonderful version of the song "Overtime" written by Williams, but made famous by Willie Nelson. I believe that the band even covered an old Jethro Tull tune. Williams and her band concluded with the aforementioned "You Took My Joy." For the encore (and yes, Lucinda and the boyz did another set for an encore), Lucinda opened her final set with a crowd-requested version of "Metal Firecracker" followed by a new song about a honey bee (wink wink) and she closed out the show with a cover of the Bobbie Gentry classic "Ode to Billy Joe."

All in all, it was a fabulous evening with loads of great, and most importantly, fun music. Tulsa loves Lucinda and Lucinda dubbed the Tulsa crowd the "best audience of the tour," so the feeling must be mutual. You're welcome anytime here in Green Country, Lucinda, don't stay away long.

Here's a review of the show in the Tulsa World.

Let Dan Abrams Know That You Love Steph!!!

Stephanie Miller, Jim "Voice Deity" Ward, and Chris "Cute as a Button" Lavoie were in the MSNBC house this morning and what a wake up call it was! Things started off a tad shaky as Momma and her lovable mooks got their sea, er TV, legs, but by hour two Momma had figured out the phone-in machine and the Voice Deity was in full swing and Executive Producer "Boy Toy" Lavoie only missed one discernible cue. They were the best thing I've seen on the boob tube (no reference meant to Momma's purple sweater - and I do mean sweater - more on that in a moment).

Let's just sit back a minute and allow some of our own wonderful progressive, liberal voices to bask in the limelight that they veritably snatched out from under Imus and other true ToxJocks (credit Roxie for coining that apt and able term) this morning. Mr. Abrams should give himself a raise for having the foresight and vision to put this wonderful crew on the air. What a breath of fresh air, what an amazing sea-change, what insight, what a show - I could go on and I think I will... As I mentioned it took these quick studies no longer than the first several minutes of the first hour to work out their kinks. Stephanie is a TV pro, and Jim Ward a star of stage and screen, but the one who stole my heart was little Chris Lavoie - all blinky and dewey-eyed in his virgin TV appearance (not counting the rib-eating contest that Chris participated in during a radio stunt in Phoenix.) The gang of three and lovely Rebekah Baker back in LA on phones and drums set the cable news world on fire. If you missed it, shame on you. But never fear, if you didn't see the show this morning, you have another chance to catch Momma and the mooks tomorrow - same time, same channel (6:00 - 9:00am EST on MSNBC). Do yourself a favor - don't miss it! And if you enjoy the show half as much as I did - let Dan Abrams know. E-mail him at feedback@msnbc.com or viewerservices@msnbc.com and give our grrrl and her team a plug.

Now back to an honest critique of the show, lest my radical militant bias become too obvious. So here are a few words about the purple sweater with the emphasis on "sweater." A round of "Oh dears" were hear across the nation this morning when Steph lifted her arms in an enthusiastic move, we noticed that she was not only wearing the much-requested form-fitting purple sweater, but she had also chosen to forego the pads under her arms, so we found out that Momma is a real-life human who sweats and talks and jokes (and probably farts, too, but my point here is not to be indelicate.) Rather it is just to point out that not a single one of us is perfect, but some of us are certainly loads of fun, and I have to say that not only is Stephanie Miller loads of fun but she is also a barrel of laughs. I e-mailed Steph and suggested that she may want to select a less form-fitting top for tomorrow, but otherwise don't change a thing. The SMS ROCKS - check it out!

Stephanie Miller - TRAILBLAZER

Dear Stephanie,
As the late great Janis Joplin once said "I don't mean to heavy up on you or anything," BUT this comment that I read tonight expresses almost exactly how I and many many others across the country are feeling about your much-anticipated appearance on MSNBC Monday. I know that you are known for your self-deprecating humor which easily dismisses your wonderful radio show as "Senator-fart joke-senator-fart joke and more fart jokes..." But I really believe that you are so much more than a forum for talking heads interrupted by juvenile jokes and fart sounds (as well as the occasional beaver reference). I just want to say that you are a BIG part of the change that we all have been so hungry for in this country for at least the last six years. And I just want to say and HUGE "You Go Girrrrl!!!" to you and everyone who believes, as I do, that we must be the change we want to see in this world, Go, Stephie, Go.
Cheers,
Faye

"I have to say that a remarkably intimate, yet expansive, community of thought seems to be forming across television, film, and the Internet. There's a rather quiet, yet intense, movement of thought and expression building. It focuses not so much on any particular ideology ("right" or "left"), but on a common, critical-mass thirst to dispel the deception, irrationality, and utter hubris that has been corroding our proud country for what seems like an eternity.

An undeniable intellectual and social confluence is rapidly gaining momentum and solidarity. This solidarity is amazingly organic, not hierarchical -- its only guide is the sixth sense of skepticism, outrage, and, yes, reason. It transcends party. It is oceanic, atmospheric. An intellectual, moral, societal, and psychological gestalt as ancient as humanity itself, kept underfoot by a long winter, but indelibly germinating once again with the thaw.

It is literally everywhere now. The voices of blindness and rage cannot shake me anymore. I haven't felt such hope in a very long time."
DCLaw1, Comment to Glenn Greenwald's Post, Salon.com, April 27, 2007

"This is the sea change America needs so profoundly, and there are many signs that it is emerging and growing in strength. The 2006 election -- a truly crushing defeat for the President's political movement -- was but a glimpse of it, and the amount of wrongdoing and sleaze that has been revealed in just three months of real Congressional oversight is but a small sampling of what is to come."
Glenn Greenwald, Salon.com, April 28, 2007

Check out Bill Moyer's interview with Jon Stewart.

Stephanie and the Boyz Do MSNBC

Yes, the rumor has become a reality - Stephanie Miller (along with Chris Lavoie and Jim Ward) will be on MSNBC next week (6:00 - 9:00am EST). Steph and the boyz will be taking their splendidly-wrapped, glossy, sweet-smelling show to New Jersey to try-out for the now available slot left by the departure of Don Imus. Wish them loads of luck. Tune in Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to watch Momma and the mooks on TV. Best wishes, SMS crew.

Read Steve Young on Steph's MSNBC appearance (The Huffington Post).

Report from FedBar 2007

"We cannot be what we cannot see."
Kalyn Free, April 19, 2007, Albuquerque, NM

These inspirational words were spoken by Kalyn Free, founder of INDN's List and Native political visionary, who this morning spoke to a group of well-over 500 Native attorneys, judges and tribal members who were all attending the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The common thread among all the conference attendees is a strong belief in the power and necessary continuation and strengthening of Tribal Sovereignty. Ms. Free's words were spoken in the context of her talk about the organization that she formed a little over two years ago as a response to her unsuccessful campaign for Congress. Kalyn believes that Native boys and girls need more role models with whom to aspire. Among the talks about shrinking land bases, an unfriendly if not outright hostile judicial system, and a growing epidemic of meth abuse and consequent crimes, Kalyn's words were a breath of fresh air. Her words described a reason for hope - something that has been in very small supply lately. Her words provided a basis for keeping the faith, fighting the good fight, working hard to achieve what is only possible at the moment. I looked around the room during Kalyn's talk and saw hundreds of role models, mentors, warriors, and fighters - all gathered to share ideas and discuss issues that impact Native people and by extension all of America and the world everyday. The collective mood in the great room where all the presentations took place was hopeful and determined (at least until Jim Cason made an appearance ;( ).

More later...

Update from Tulsa, having just driven in from Albuquerque a short while ago, I thought about what else I wanted to say on the drive back, inbetween listening to CDs of older episodes of the SMS and singing along with Janis (Joplin) and Melissa (Etheridge) at the top of my admittedly off-key and not very sonorous voice. I figured I could take this post either one of two ways - I could point to the senseless shooting at Virginia Tech and make some not too original remarks about copy cat killers (Columbine anniversary and all) and other kinds of role models that we, the people, the media, the bloggers hold up over and over again from Dick Cheney or Alberto Gonzalez endorsing torture to the mental illness that overtook the killer Cho last week on the Hokie campus, OR I could say a word or two about the sets of trading cards that we (TU Native American Law Center) sold at the Federal Bar Association Indian Law Conference. The set contains 40 cards, each representing either a faculty member or graduate of either the TU Native Law Certificate Program or the LL.M. in Native Law (also from TU). I've decided after poking around the blogosphere just a little bit tonight that I'll say a few words about the latter rather than rehash observations about gun violence or mental illness or a culture that glorifies war, murder, and outright ambush in seeking to achieve its ends.

"We cannot be what we cannot see," has a double edge on it for me tonight. We must be the change that we want to see in the world. That is much easier to say than to do. Today, as I was driving through eastern New Mexico, the Texas panhandle, and into the heart of Oklahoma, I was only flipped off once that I noticed and that wasn't until I got well into the state where I live (Oklahoma), the driver not only flipped me off quite vigorously, but he also drove up on my back bumper until I was forced to change lanes and motion to another driver that I thought that the pick-up truck (of course, that is the vehicle this joker was driving - at least a 3/4 ton - not to be too stereotypical, for purposes of this story, the truck was white) was out of control, the driver of the other truck (this other truck was red) nodded and shrugged as if to say "I completely agree with you, but what can I do?" I just kept making the universal sign for BACK-OFF (one that does not involve a single middle finger) into my rearview mirror. When it became clear that white truck was not interested in passing me (he'd already done that earlier and managed somehow to get behind me again) and was only interested in terrorizing me, I pulled off at the next exit and he pulled off behind me. Rather than turning as my signal indicated that I was about to do, I went straight ahead and got right back on the interstate. This move must have flumoxed him as when I looked up into my rearview mirror to merge back into traffic white truck was no longer on my rear end. Thank god. I almost became a traffic fatality today on Interstate 44 west of El Reno, Oklahoma, all because I have two stickers in my rear window - one says: "Pro-America / Anti-Bush" and the other says, "War" with a red circle and line through it. Two fairly mild pronouncements as far as I'm concerned.

I promised a few words about the sets of trading cards that NALC sold at the conference in Albuquerque, so here they are. The cards represent the best and the brightest students, many of whom were in attendance at FedBar this year. They represent the hopes and futures of many Nations and Peoples, they are stars in their own right, they each deserve much more than a trading card to acknowledge all that they have achieved. But with these trading cards we mark their achievements and their presence in this world, the smaller world of Native lawyers, but also the larger world of people who make a difference with their lives. To them, and not to Cho and all the other people who decide to dedicate their lives to misery and tragedy, I say "viva la lucha" ("long live the fight") to make this world more inhabitable and to not running each other off the highway just because we disagree with each others' basic political views.


This coming Friday, Darth Cheney comes to town to lunch with James Inhofe of the "gay-free family tree." I'll be there, selling baloney sandwiches to those who realize the public frauds for who they are, vamos a ver, los cuates, vamos a ver...

Extra Crispy Bucket of Lies

"I will admit it, [there was], we screwed up and we're trying to fix it..."
Substitute Spokesliar, Dana Perino

"We are trying to understand to the best of our ability, the universe of the e-mails that were potentially lost, and we are taking steps to make sure that we use the forensics that are available to retrieve any of those that were lost."
More BS from White House Spokesliar, Dana Perino

If there's anything that this administration can lie about, you can be sure that they will. Never in the history of this country has there been a group so predisposed to lying. They have consistently told lies rather than the truth, even when it seemed that the truth would have been the simpler path. They lied about the elections that put them in office, they lied about the 9/11 cover-up, they lied to get the country to back an invasion of Iraq, they lied about the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame, they lied about the death of Pat Tillman, they lied about the Hurricane Katrina debacle, they are lying about the firing of eight US Prosecutors and they are compounding this lie, by further lying about the e-mails that might shed some light on the scandal. It's about time the American people call Bush, Cheney & Co. to task for their incessant love of falsehoods over the truth. And by that, I mean it's time to seriously consider impeachment. It's long overdue and god knows we've certainly got enough evidence to demonstrate "high crimes and misdemeanors." I do not think that this country can nor should it have to suffer through two more years of this horrible incompetence and mismanagement, never mind the outright criminal activity that has cost us billions of dollars in Iraq and thousands upon thousands of American and Iraqi lives. It seems it all gets back to Iraq - one way or the other. This e-mail/prosecutor scandal is just another symptom of the disease that has infected the Bush/Cheney administration. The disease is one of continual lies, deceit, paranoia and distrust that have been the hallmark of this administration - all engaged in to perpetuate the power and authority that the Neo-Cons that run this show have so cravenly sought for years. It's long past time to throw these bums out!

I'll be tuning in on April 25 on PBS to watch Bill Moyers ("Buying the War") document what many of us have known for quite awhile - the long list of lies that got us into Iraq and continue to keep us there.

Check out Moyers' Blog for follow-up on last night's show.

Dan Froomkin (Washington Post) E-Mail Saga Gets Fishier

Kurt Vonnegut Passes On...

Amidst the hoopla of the Imus comment and his subsequent firing (I'll leave it up to the readers of this blog to fashion their own opinions about that, there is certainly a plethora of commentary out there in the 'sphere to read, if one is so inclined), we lost another human. I'll admit that I have read only a few of Mr. Vonnegut's books (Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, and Galapagos, are the only ones that come readily to mind), but I have always been aware of his stand on social and political topics and his courage to write and speak-out about these important issues. Mr. Vonnegut had a fondness for librarians (see piece below) and, as a librarian, I would just like to return the compliment as an honor to him and his life that ended this week. Read on...

Here are a few "Guess the Quotes" that Steph read on the air this morning (and, shockingly, Sir Jim actually guessed one of them correctly - it must be Friday the 13th):

"I tell you, we are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you different."

"True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country."

"We could have saved the Earth but we were too damned cheap."

"Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter could be said to remedy anything."
All of the above are quotes attributed to Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

August 6, 2004
I Love You, Madame Librarian
By Kurt Vonnegut
-I, like probably most of you, have seen Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Its title is a parody of the title of Ray Bradbury’s great science fiction novel, Fahrenheit 451. This temperature 451° Fahrenheit, is the combustion point, incidentally, of paper, of which books are composed. The hero of Bradbury’s novel is a municipal worker whose job is burning books.
-And on the subject of burning books: I want to congratulate librarians, not famous for their physical strength or their powerful political connections or their great wealth, who, all over this country, have staunchly resisted anti-democratic bullies who have tried to remove certain books from their shelves, and have refused to reveal to thought police the names of persons who have checked out those titles.
-So the America I loved still exists, if not in the White House or the Supreme Court or the Senate or the House of Representatives or the media. The America I love still exists at the front desks of our public libraries.
-And still on the subject of books: Our daily sources of news, papers and TV, are now so craven, so unvigilant on behalf of the American people, so uninformative, that only in books can we find out what is really going on. I will cite an example: House of Bush, House of Saud by Craig Unger, published near the start of this humiliating, shameful blood-soaked year.
-In case you haven’t noticed, and as a result of a shamelessly rigged election in Florida, in which thousands of African Americans were arbitrarily disenfranchised, we now present ourselves to the rest of the world as proud, grinning, jut-jawed, pitiless war lovers, with appallingly powerful weaponry and unopposed.
-In case you haven’t noticed, we are now almost as feared and hated all over the world as the Nazis were. With good reason.
-In case you haven’t noticed, our unelected leaders have dehumanized millions and millions of human beings simply because of their religion and race. We wound and kill ’em and torture ’em and imprison ’em all we want.
-Piece of cake.
-In case you haven’t noticed, we also dehumanize our own soldiers, not because of their religion or race, but because of their low social class.
-Send ’em anywhere. Make ’em do anything.
-Piece of cake.
-The O’Reilly Factor.
-So I am a man without a country, except for the librarians and the Chicago-based magazine you are reading, In These Times.
-Before we attacked Iraq, the majestic New York Times guaranteed that there were weapons of mass destruction there.
-Albert Einstein and Mark Twain gave up on the human race at the end of their lives, even though Twain hadn’t even seen World War I. War is now a form of TV entertainment. And what made WWI so particularly entertaining were two American inventions, barbed wire and the machine gun. Shrapnel was invented by an Englishman of the same name. Don’t you wish you could have something named after you?
-Like my distinct betters Einstein and Twain, I now am tempted to give up on people too. And, as some of you may know, this is not the first time I have surrendered to a pitiless war machine. -My last words? “Life is no way to treat an animal, not even a mouse.”
-Napalm came from Harvard. Veritas!
-Our president is a Christian? So was Adolf Hitler.
-What can be said to our young people, now that psychopathic personalities, which is to say persons without consciences, without a sense of pity or shame, have taken all the money in the treasuries of our government and corporations and made it all their own?

--Kurt Vonnegut is a legendary author, WWII veteran, humanist, artist, smoker and In These Times senior editor. His classic works include Slaughterhouse-Five, Breakfast of Champions, Cat's Cradle, among many others. His most recent book, A Man Without a Country, collects many of the articles written for this magazine.

Vonnegut Made Life More Bearable (Rothschild's article for The Progressive)

His Popular Novels Blended Social Criticism, Dark Humor (Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times)

Kalyn Free - A Real Life Hero

Kalyn Free first caught my attention many years ago at the Sovereignty Symposium (an annual meeting of tribal leaders, attorneys and others interested in the promotion and support of Tribal Sovereignty). Kalyn spoke with such passion on the topic of protecting women and children from the ravages of domestic violence and I was so impressed with her talk that I went up and introduced myself and handed her one of my newly-printed business cards, mostly I was just interested in shaking this amazing advocate's hand.

Since that initial brief meeting I have been following Kalyn Free's rise in the political arena. In 2004 Kalyn ran a very exciting, although ultimately unsuccessful campaign for Congress, but from that race Kalyn saw a need for more organized support and training of Native candidates who want to run for political office. From that remarkable vision, INDN's List was born.

The Indigenous Democratic Network, INDN's List, is the only grassroots political organization devoted to recruiting and electing Native American candidates and mobilizing the Indian Vote throughout America on behalf of those candidates. Kalyn has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to recruit, train, support, promote and elect Progressive Native candidates to local, state-wide, and national offices. Owing to Kalyn's inspirational dedication, INDN's List has grown rapidly since it was launched in February 2005. In the 2006 election, 20 of INDN's List 26 candidates won their races.

But that is only the beginning....This year INDN's List will sponsor two extraordinary events: 1) the Second Campaign Boot Camp which will train future Native leaders and their staff to run successful campaigns, and 2) "Prez on the Rez" a truly historic event that will bring together all of the 2008 presidential candidates in a forum with tribal leaders to discuss issues that impact Indian Country. Both of these events will be hosted at the Resort of the Morongo Band of Mission Indians in Cabazon California, August 20 - 25, 2007 with the "Prez on the Rez" forum taking place on August 23rd. Please check out INDN's List web site and also visit the site created for "Prez on the Rez." Please consider making a donation to support this important work.

Kalyn Free is an enrolled member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

Surge without End

Yesterday, two stories struck me as illustrative of the fiasco that we are continuing to engage in and perpetuate in Iraq. One was the report that we are sending over 13,000 more National Guard troops to Iraq without proper training or rest or even proper equipment. The second story that caught my attention were the remarks made by an increasingly delusional and mad Dick (Darth) Cheney in which he tried once again to link Sadam to Al-Qaeda. It was interesting to me that these remarks were made on the same day that the Pentagon released yet another report that shed even more doubt on this dubious connection and in fact stated clearly that no such ties ever existed. On a side note, the right-wing newspaper, the New York Sun also launched a campaign to encourage Mr. Cheney to get into the race for the White House. While I think that this is an excellent idea, it is not because I think Cheney would do any better with the title of President rather than just remaining in his shadowy, behind-the-scenes, pulling-the-strings presidential role, but rather it may be one of the few ways to demonstrate to Cheney how irrelevant and out-of-touch he has become. I think it would be genius for the Republican Party to stake their political future on a man who repeatedly garners around 17 - 18% approval ratings in the polls. It just might once and for all hold the Neo-Cons up as the complete power-hungry, authoritarian, greedy ideologues that they are.

Back to the Surge-without-end: this war is so clearly a complete and utter failure wrapped in a delusion of potential victory, that no number of U.S. lives heading over to Iraq can save the horrendous mess we've created there. What upsets me more than anything else is the way that Bush (National Guard AWOLer) and Cheney (five deferments, count 'em five) send our brave men and women over to Iraq and Afghanistan not unlike disposing of used Kleenexs. Requiring them to go back time and time again, until they die or are so badly injured that they physically can't go on another tour. Where are the Bush twins? As much as I hate to see a draft reinstated, I am in favor of any tactic that would bring this senseless war to an end. The folks who are going over and fighting in Iraq are for the most part undereducated, people of color, or from rural communities with few job propects. I'd like to see how fast Congress would engineer an exit from Iraq if Senators' and Representatives' sons & daughters were faced with the prospect of a tour of duty in Iraq. The following story speaks volumes about the price we are paying in human lives by continuing this illegal and immoral war: Injured in Iraq, a Soldier Is Shattered at Home.

These are just a few thoughts that have been bouncing around in my head over the last few days, and I thought I'd share them with whoever reads this blog. Feel free to comment on this post or any others on this blog.
Later, MFaye

Other related articles:
Bush's War Mantra Criticized (MiamiHerald.com)

Rest in Peace Poo Bear

Dear Momma,
I'm so very sorry to hear about the passing of your beloved doggie, Poo Bear. I know how much you love her, and I'm sure that the fact that she survived as long as she did with the horrible disease that is cancer is a testament to the love and care you gave her. My heart goes out to you today. Take good care.
Love,
Faye

Steph requests that donations be made to Gentle Giants Rescue in honor of Poo Bear.

Stephanie Miller weds Keith Olbermann in weekend ceremony

Keith and Stephanie Tie the Knot

Have all you Steph-heads been wondering what Momma was doing on Friday when she didn't show up for work? (We must say that we love Elayne Boosler - the SMS Substitute Teacher.) Well, wait no more for an explanation as to what Ms. Miller (now Mrs. Olbermann) was up to. That's right - Momma and the fabulous Mr. Keith Olbermann were wed in a small private ceremony in Momma's back yard. Max (Steph's 120 pound puppy) was the Best Man, Jim Ward and Chris Lavoie were loverly as Bride's Maids and Stephie's favorite WeHo Gay Stalker served as the Flower Girl - it was a beautiful and memorable wedding. The squirrels pelted the wedding-goers with avocados as was expected, the groom fell into the pool, no doubt trying to douse the heat after his oh-so-hot kiss with his new bride, and the raccoons decorated the new couple's get-away car with newly-laid sod from Mrs. Olbermann's yard and discarded boxes of wine - the new couple will maintain their bi-coastal lifestyle, until Mrs. Olbermann can line up another doomed late night talk show in NYC. Congrats to the loverly newlyweds!

Operation Imposing Law = OIL

There's a oft-ignored line in the Iraqi Accountability Act of 2007 that refers to an Iraq "Hydro-carbon Law." There follows no explanation of exactly what this law means or does. It would be more accurate to call this important provision the "Iraqi Oil Privatization Law" - it is, in a nutshell, the real reason that we went to war against Iraq and the reason why we are still there after over four years of gruesome deaths, unbelievable destruction, and huge costs.
Here is the text from the aforementioned legislation:

From H.R.1591
U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Health, and Iraq Accountability Act, 2007 (Public Print)
BENCHMARKS FOR CERTAIN RECONSTRUCTION ASSISTANCE FOR IRAQ SEC. 1710.
(a) BENCHMARKS- Notwithstanding any other provision of law, fifty percent of the funds appropriated by this Act for assistance for Iraq under the headings `Economic Support Fund' and `International Narcotics and Law Enforcement' shall be withheld from obligation until the President certifies to the Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that the Government of Iraq has--
(1) enacted a broadly accepted hydro-carbon law that equitably shares oil revenues among all Iraqis;
(2) adopted legislation necessary for the conduct of provincial and local elections, taken steps to implement such legislation, and set a schedule to conduct provincial and local elections;
(3) reformed current laws governing the de-Baathification process to allow for more equitable treatment of individuals affected by such laws;
(4) amended the Constitution of Iraq consistent with the principles contained in Article 137 of such constitution; and
(5) allocated and begun expenditure of $10,000,000,000 in Iraqi revenues for reconstruction projects, including delivery of essential services, on an equitable basis.
(b) EXEMPTIONS- The requirement to withhold funds from obligation pursuant to subsection
(a) shall not apply with respect to funds made available under the heading `Economic Support Fund' that are administered by the United States Agency for International Development for continued support for the Community Action Program, assistance for civilian victims of the military operations, and the Community Stabilization Program in Iraq , or for programs and activities to promote democracy, governance, human rights, and rule of law.
(c) REPORT- At the time the President certifies to the Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committees on Appropriations and Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives that the Government of Iraq has met the benchmarks described in subsection
(a), the President shall submit to such Committees a report that contains a detailed description of the specific actions that the Government of Iraq has taken to meet each of the benchmarks referenced in the certification.

Here's an e-mail that I sent not to Stephanie Miller, but rather to Jim "Voice Guy" Ward AKA the SMS's conspiracy theorist. You'll understand why as soon as you read the following message:

Jim,
I'm not sure how interested you are in this topic - the privatization of Iraqi Oil - but the article I sent you yesterday sent me to researching the House Bill referenced therein (Iraqi Accountability Act 2007). I found the following article (Behan, Alternet.org) that is referenced in the article that I sent you yesterday (CommonDreams.org), along with text from the actual legislation (HR 1591) that mentions the "Hydro-carbon Law," but interestingly enough nowhere in HR 1591 is the nature of the "hydro-carbon law" spelled out or even defined. So then I did some research on the Iraq Hydro-carbon Law (see NYTimes article below) and I had an eureka moment "Ah HA, it IS ALL about the OIL!" Now it makes perfect sense to me why Dick Cheney is so eager for the US to maintain its presence in Iraq against all evidence that we are doing more harm than good there. Maybe this has been clear to everybody else all along, but I don't think so. Evidence is that Congress doesn't seem to be questioning the provision of the "Hydro-carbon Law" benchmark in the HR 1591. It appears to me to be a critical piece of the puzzle that is Iraq and the Bush administration's entire plan/approach to the Middle East. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that in the end Oil Boys will reward Oil Boys, but I can't believe how obvious, yet seemingly ignored, it is, considering the legislation that is before Congress. I think that this is the lynch pin that could, and likely should, bring down the entire Bush administration, which we've all suspected was corrupt to its very core, but doesn't this illustrate it perfectly? Here's the High Crime (i.e., impeachable offense) committed by Bush and Cheney in a nutshell: A unnecessary and illegal war of aggression waged against a sovereign nation (Iraq) that has arguably had the impact of creating a more dangerous situation in terms of international terrorism, and that the invading country (US) in the process of pursuing this war has squandered many lives and much treasure and continues despite all evidence that the presence of the occupying country (US) is seriously damaging the occupied country (Iraq) to the detriment of Iraq's infrastructure, political stability and the very safety of its citizens. And all of these highly suspect, immoral and ultimately illegal actions were taken to benefit BIG OIL (not coincidently, Bush and Cheney's biggest supporters) NOT to fight a trumped up "war on terror." Call me a paranoid cynic, but the evidence is right there in front of all of us - we ignore it at our own peril.

Greenwald on How Neo-Cons have Reshaped Our Reality

Good Morning Steph,
I realize that you are taking a well-deserved day off today, and I hope that you enjoy your time away from work, but I just wanted to be sure that you saw this piece by one of my favorite bloggers, Glenn Greenwald, who basically says what you've been saying all along - that Goldwater and his Republican Party would not recognize today's Neo-Cons who are running this country into the ground. He does a good job of laying out the argument point-by-point and demonstrating how far a field the current-day Republicans have gone from their once-upon-a-time platform of limited government and fiscal conservatism. In fact, the goal of the current Neo-Con cabal who are running this country is to grow government, specifically the executive branch, to an extreme degree so that it becomes an all-powerful control of virtually every aspect of our lives - Not exactly what Barry and Bill (your Dad) had in mind, eh?
Cheers - your radical militant librarian,
Faye

"The Bush presidency and the political movement that supports it is not driven by any of the abstract political principles traditionally associated with 'liberalism' or 'conservatism.' Whatever else one wants to say about the Bush presidency, it has nothing to do with limiting the size, scope and reach of the federal government. The exact opposite is true."

Gleen Greenwald, Salon.com, March 29, 2007

Neoconservative Radicalism has Reshaped our Political Spectrum