On the Obama Healthcare Ad.

And so not satisfied with slapping around black folk and about facing on FISA, the Obama campaign has dropped all pretense of 'progressive" and gone straight Washington. In case you have not seen it there is an Obama ad that features a two headed arrow. On the left side is the so called "left extreme" of the healthcare debate. In it is says that this "Wrong" proposal is government single payer universal healthcare. It is "wrong" because well it is government single payer universal healthcare and because the government has to pay for it, then the taxpayer foots the bill. You know the taxpayer that would be paying taxes to be covered by said system.

On the right sided of the arrow we have the status quo: Health insurance that covers only people who are working at places that have benefits, who don't have pre-existing conditions. Somehow the Obama people, and presumably Obama himself thinks that the former is as bad as the latter.

Let me make this really clear for the hard of understanding: It is equally wrong to cover everybody's health care as it is to deny coverage to people who can't afford to pay or that an insurance company doesn't deem "worth" covering. Still too hard? Let me give you an example:

You get cancer. Your insurance company refuses to pay for the needed treatment. You can't afford it. You die. Alternative single payer healthcare (you know, the one the Senator has) would have covered you and you'd be alive. Simple. Get it?

Obama's ad claims that the middle ground will make health insurance companies cover more people. So in essence the Obama camp is saying, like the Republicans have been saying: Some of you mofo's are gonna have to die.

Really, that's what it comes down to. The left base of the Democratic party is so wedded to the Democratic party that they don't even mind being insulted. If John McCain so much as farts I get an e-mail from Move on and other assorted "left" organizations. Same thing happens if Sarah Palin so much as opens her mouth. But when this little piece of crap was broadcast not a single message hit my mailbox.

The more things change the more they stay the same.

Technorati Tags: 2008 US Elections

From The Wilderness

My man, Deskrat usually carries the Wilderness material but I haven't seen him online in a minute so I'm going to post this link up.

What Really Happened Today:

In FTW's fourth and last Economic Alert (http://www.fromthewilderness.com/free/ww3/061406_abyss_awaits.shtml) -- just 11 days before our offices were burglarized on June 25, 2006 -- I specifically warned that this day (metaphorically speaking) would come. What prompted that alert was an unprecedented move by President George W. Bush to give the National Director of Intelligence, John Negroponte, the authority to exempt "certain" Wall Street firms and banking giants from reporting their financial records to the Securities and Exchange Commission. It was this move which permitted everything that has happened over the last month. That move allowed smaller banks and investors to continue buying pigs (without lipstick) in a poke while average Americans were led to believe that everything was OK. If you don't believe me, go read the Economic Alert for yourself. It's all right there -- everything...

Just a few days ago China ordered its banks to stop lending to U.S. banks.

Just For Today: I Am A Republican

Check the Roll Call. While the Democrats stayed glued to the corporate dick, the Republicans had the backbone to say no to the bailout. And by a huge margin.

Suddenly Ron Paul Doesn't Sound So Crazy

Recall my post from January 6:

Last night during the Republican debate, Ron Paul was mocked. It was as John Edwards later put it, the attack of the "status quo." Make no mistake about it the powers that be MUST make sure that Ron Paul and what he says is ridiculed. The reason this must happen is because if the voting public at large took what he said seriously there would be a HUGE change in voting patterns...

Note how no one even addressed the issue of the rise in oil prices when looked at by Dollar, Euro and gold. I bet that 90% of the audience and the viewing public had NO CLUE that in terms of gold oil prices haven't gone anywhere. It's not that one has to go back to the gold standard but Paul's statement is directly related to the "credit crisis" because much of what has been fueling the credit economy has been made up, unregulated, backed by absolutely nothing fake money. SIV's as they are called. Everyone in finance knows what Paul is talking about. But the average American has NO CLUE.

Can you HEAR him now?

What The Wall Street People Think About You

From Alternet:

Many Wall Street types greeted the protesters with contempt. "Just look at these people," sneered one broker as the march neared the Stock Exchange. Another group held a "Get a Job" sign in an office window, and one man dropped a few dollar bills out of his. They fluttered down short of the marchers, landing in a construction site.

No Bailout!

Mugabe Calls for End to Sanctions. So Do We

BBC:

"Once again, I appeal to the world's collective conscience to apply pressure for the immediate removal of these sanctions by Britain, the United States and their allies, which have brought untold suffering to our people,"

While we have our disagreements with Mugabe, Garvey's Ghost is 100% behind this call. Furthermore the recent power sharing agreement signed by all parties effectively nullifies the basis of such sanctions (which GG agrees are wholly illegal as well). Since the parties have made an agreement (even though I still say it is time for Mugabe to step down), then it is not the place of the US, Britain or anyone else to dictate anything (as if it was acceptable before).

Technorati Tags: Africa, Pan-Africanism, Zimbabwe

New McCain Advert

And so the McCain camp puts out a new ad. It's pretty good in its overt message: Obama isn't experienced. His advisers include a former head of Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac collapsed and your tax dollars went to rescue it. On it's face its a straight forward message that makes sense.

But then we get to the racial overtones.

Obama: black.
Freddie Mac Chair: Black
Taxpayer: Old white lady.

That message is really clear. And the set up is clear. So the advert does double duty and in my opinion does both duties pretty well. I'm sure someone will YouTube it.

Oh it's like THAT now?

via alternet

Uppity What?

So I'm reading the Angry Indian and discover that Republican Rep. Lynn Westmoreland said of the Obamas:

Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity,

Uppity? Really?

And there are people who think that using the term "uppity" in reference to black people is not "racist." Before we even go there, let us consider that this fellow is from the great state of Georgia. He was born in 1950 meaning this man was at the age of "understanding" when black folk were still being hung up on trees and before voting rights acts were passed, among other things. In other words he is a damn liar to claim that:

"I’ve never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense. It is important to note that the dictionary definition of ‘uppity’ is ‘affecting an air of inflated self-esteem -- snobbish.’ That’s what we meant by uppity when we used it in the mill village where I grew up."

That is absolute bullshit. I bet he never heard of a Dixiecrat either. What he's saying is he never listened to the radio. Never was around any people who had a dislike for people like Dr. King. Really? Now mind you if he was say 20 I would be willing to believe he had never heard the term in a racially derogatory manner since the phrase (properly: Uppity nigger) is not in common use in most parts of the US today. But someone 50 years old from the South claiming to have no knowledge of the typical souther use of the word in reference to black people? Total BS.

Garvey's Ghost Endorses Cynthia McKinney For President

It is official. As of today, the Ghost is officially endorsing the candidacy of Cynthia McKinney.

This decision was not made lightly. Originally I had intended to stay neutral in this race for a few reasons. First I have never voted. This is by choice and I have explained by reasoning here and here so I wont bother repeating the reasoning here but those who's head exploded when they read " I have never voted" ought to take a read.

Since I don't vote then what do I do? As with my non-profit, I put my money where my mouth is. As I've explained many times over the state of Israel is not a state of the Union yet receieves billions in dollars of aid. That's your money. They can't vote yet they get looked after. For those of us who clearly understand this system, we understand that money is power. That is in general those who can afford to influence policy will have their needs and wants looked after.

The second piece of the pie is access to media. Of course access to media is heavily influenced by money but even more than that, with the corporate ownership of the airwaves, companies can legally disappear people from the public. And so it comes down to alternative media to get the word out. But even then the vast majority of people are tied to the big corporate outlets and they have powerful gatekeepers. I understand all this and so I choose to spend my efforts to be an influencer. That said, let me get back to my endorsement of Cynthia McKinney.

This endorsement is about policy. Period. This election is historic in that it is the first time in US history that a black person is on the presidential ticket of one of the major parties and at the top of said ticket. It would be easy to fall in line and just be excited a black man is "on the verge" but I cannot. So lets get to the issues:

1) The Iraq War: Obama has said much about being against the war from the beginning. However he has been voting to fund it. Furthermore, day in and day out his position in regards to ending the war gets closer and closer to that of McCain (Or McCain is getting closer to Obama). Neither one advocates an immediate end to the illegal war.

2) War in Georgia: In line with the war in Iraq both Obama and McCain have made ridiculous statements in regard to the situation in Georgia. Statements that fly in the face of facts. How can one on the one hand claim to be against the war in Iraq, which is a sovereign nation that was invaded by the US, but also say that it is wrong for Russia to go into Georgia even though the Russians are :

a) neighbors

b) provoked by military action by Georgia?

No; Obama and McSame are on the same page and that's not change and it's not what I believe in.

3) Israel: I cannot support the Zionist. Period. I will not support anyone who supports the Zionist. Joe Biden has plainly stated that he is a Zionist. McCain is equally in the pocket of our 51st state. End of story.

4) FISA: Obama claimed that he would be opposed to the renewal of FISA. In the end he did a complete about face on that issue. The retroactive immunity for telecoms who broke the law is a clear abandonment of the job of any Senator to uphold the constitution. If Obama cannot be trusted to uphold the constitution then what's the point of voting him into office. Same for McSame.

5) Church State Issues: I am strongly in support of separation of religion and the state. This is especially so for a multi-cultural society. the McCain-Palin ticket has on it a person who thinks creationism ought to be taught in public schools (and we don't have to ask which creationism). Nor does the Republican VP pick think that global warming is due to human activity.

On the democratic side we have seen a willingness in the Obama camp to continue with the so called "faith based" funding. I was opposed to that when Bush proposed it and I'm still against the government funding of religious based organizations. I don't care which party is doing it.

6) Reparations: We already know where the reparations argument goes with the Republicans. However; Obama decided to put down the idea when he could have easily said that if such a bill was passed with support of a majority of representatives he would sign it. Rather Obama playing to white voters wants to say that by doing x,y or z, that blacks will benefit. Reparations is not about some general "benefit." it is redress for a specific grievance by a specific group.

7) Healthcare: Neither party is willing to do universal, single payer health care for all citizens. Both parties are in the pockets of the Health "insurance" industry that makes a profit by denying health care (as was shown in Michael Moore's Sicko) McCain tried to pass off the current health care system as "choice." But tell that to people told they "can't" have a procedure done. Single payer man, not single point of healthcare.

You'll note that with the exception of Reparations, there are no "race specific" items on this list. There are no gender specific items on this list. Therefore the argument about we black radicals only being interested in black folk a the expense of others is pure nonsense.

So why McKinney? I followed her while she was a congresswoman from Georgia. She was the first to publicly question the administration over 9-11. She asked the important questions: who knew what? When?

In respect to the criminal activities of Bush, McKinney has actually proposed impeachment (HR 1106). That shows character and a committment to the constitution not seen by either candidate of the "major" parties.

And on the experience level I'll just note that McKinney was a 6 time congresswoman who was also on committees, even though the Democrats stiffed her (with nary a comment by the black caucus) of her seniority.

So we have to answer the obvious question: Why should you vote for her even though she won't "win"?

People, third parties don't just show up over night. Especially given the stranglehold of money and media. The stated goal for this run is 5% of the vote. This will qualify the Green Party as a 3rd "Major" party. People the two party system, in which both parties are bought off by the same interest parties is broken. The Democrats have been going right and the Republicans have become the party of White Christians. Both parties are responsible for setting the tone where police are given the OK to brutalize peaceful protesters and journalists. How could impeachment be "off the table" if the Democrats had to worry about a third party putting it on the table?

So this endorsement is all about policy and changing the future playing field.

Rudy Takes Cheap Shot at Obama

I can see the legitimacy of comparing being a community organizer to being a mayor or governor. But to act as if being a community organizer is nothing at all especially when it's done by someone with a law degree from a rather prestigious institution, when that person could have easily gone into one of many Chicago law firms and made huge bucks; that's cheap.

A Few Links

First Cuba Helps Africa overthrow the White Supremacists in Africa, but how many knew they've been helping the people of the Sudan?.

Twenty years ago, Bol and Wek were two of 600 children sent to Cuba for an education during the bloody decades of Sudan's north-south conflict.

Many of the children were already members of the southern rebel army when they walked across the south's swamps and vast plains and then crossed the border into Ethiopia. They were then flown or shipped halfway around the world to Cuba's Isla de la Juventud...

They were told their education -- a gift from Fidel Castro -- was to be crucial in the fight against northern marginalization.

And while people are distracted by a pregnant 17 year old, The 4th and 1st amendments to the constitution continue to be trampled upon without any comment from either candidate.

In the months leading up to the Republican National Convention, the FBI-led Minneapolis Joint Terrorist Task Force actively recruited people to infiltrate vegan groups and other leftist organizations and report back about their activities. On May 21, the Minneapolis City Pages ran a recruiting story called "Moles Wanted." Law enforcement sought to preempt lawful protest against the policies of the Bush administration during the convention.

Since Friday, local police and sheriffs, working with the FBI, conducted preemptive searches, seizures and arrests. Glenn Greenwald described the targeting of protestors by "teams of 25-30 officers in riot gear, with semi-automatic weapons drawn, entering homes of those suspected of planning protests, handcuffing and forcing them to lay on the floor, while law enforcement officers searched the homes, seizing computers, journals, and political pamphlets." Journalists were detained at gunpoint and lawyers representing detainees were handcuffed at the scene...

Preventive detention violates the Fourth Amendment, which requires that warrants be supported by probable cause. Protestors were charged with "conspiracy to commit riot," a rarely-used statute that is so vague, it is probably unconstitutional. Nestor said it "basically criminalizes political advocacy."

Technorati Tags: 2008 US Elections