Have You Had Enough - Part 2

The lovely and talented Howie Klein of Down With Tyranny is the ringmaster for this particular circus, and it's fun for all ages. Check out the cool video that a supporter of Coleen Rowley made. Let me give you Howie in his own words:

The whole story of how Rickie Lee Jones and the 2 guys from The Squirrel Nut Zippers (Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher) came to record the song is here at Down With Tyranny.

We're doing our best to get it on the radio so people start to get familiar with it and we've offered it for free download at MySpace.com/haveyouhadenough/ (and in 2 weeks it will be available for free on all the big digital services). The goal, though is a little more involved. We've made 30 second radio spots out of the song. For targeted districts, with particularly terrible incumbents and particularly excellent challengers (like Jerry McNerney taking on Dick Pombo in CA-11 and Vic Wulsin taking on Mean Jean Schmidt on OH-02) we've replaced the line "it's time to throw the rascals out" with "it's time to throw Pombo out" and "it's time to throw Mean Jean out."

The districts we're targeting can all be called "dollar a holla" media markets. A very little bit of money can go a relatively long way. Our hope is to get our ads up on the radio during October. We're trying to raise $250,000, not just for these two districts but for as many of the Blue America candidates as we can help. The list is here: http://www.actblue.com/page/blueamerica/ And that is also a place where, if you think it's worthwhile, you can chip in some money too. Even $10, if enough people chip in, will be incredibly helpful.

It's been a real grassroots project from Day One and now supporters of candidates are doing remixes and making video clips and spreading it virally. This week a supporter of Coleen Rowley sent me a little video he made, which is up on YouTube. It's cute: http://homepage.mac.com/mmcintee/hadenough/iMovieTheater115.html/

I'm sure you know Bush and his rubber stamp Congress aren't going away of their own accord. We can expect terror alerts and God knows what else from them to sway a voting public that has become increasingly disgusted with them. It makes people feel good to take part in ousting them and freeing themselves.

Nancy Johnson and Dick Cheney - Separated At Birth?

Check it out here...

I smell Pulitzer!

Have You Had Enough? Check Out My Favorite New Song

My friend Star A. Decise over at Enigmatic Paradox has turned me on to a fabulous new song that will be in heavy rotation on my iPod.

It's by a collective of activist musicians that includes my all-time favorite Rickie Lee Jones, of whom I am a sick fan. It's called "Have You Had Enough" and it's a swingin' ditty.

I urge all of you to hot-foot it over Star's way and dig this great tune.

Go here!

We're So Close!

We're almost to our $500 goal!

Right now, DivaJood is the frontrunner, but it's still anyone's game. Don't forget, you can get friends and family to donate to your name! Greg's autographed book is still up for grabs.

Here's the link...

No donation is too small!

Katherine Harris - The Gift That Keeps On Giving!

Oh, I do luv me some Katherine Harris.

Along with Tom DeLay, she merrily brushes aside the idea of the separation of church and state like so much Spanish moss.

I think I'll just let Katherine speak for herself, as she gives an interview to the Florida Baptist Witness. No other commentary can do her justice.

Green Acres, We Are There...

My long-time readers know that I've spent a fair amount of time on the question "Why?" I'm pretty clear on 'what', but the rationale for the seemingly senseless behavior of people who, as I state in my preamble, are like 'chickens voting for Colonel Sanders', has puzzled me to no end.

I can understand completely why the Bush Crime Family and the NeoCons do what they do. No puzzle there. They are the beneficiaries of this corruption. But the average working joe whose job has been outsourced, whose paycheck buys less and less every year, whose kids are cannon fodder - why would they vote for these thugs who treat them like so much Charmin? Stockholm Syndrome?

But, finally, the puzzle piece has fallen into place. I've just started reading George Lakoff, the Berkeley linguistics professor and social scientist who writes extensively about framing. He says that people tend to see the country as a one of two family metaphors, the 'strict father' (conservative) and the 'nurturant parent' (progressive - or, the hell with it - I'll say it - liberal). Of course, you may already know about Lakoff, but he's new to me.

He claims that these frames are so deeply ingrained within our personalities that if a fact conflicts with it, it simply slides off. So it really doesn't matter if Bush lies. He's the 'strict father', taking care and protecting us, and the pesky facts have no effect on these people.

It is the only explanation that makes sense to me.

But Lakoff does more than explain; he offers ways to counter this. I for one used to think that, if only the facts were out there, people would wake up and rise up against these murderers. But it doesn't work that way.

It's not just the Bush Crime Family, but conservatism itself, that is the real enemy. If you wonder why Republicans are suddenly coming out against George Bush, don't be fooled. It's because, since he can't be re-elected, he's the perfect fall guy. If they can blame every disaster that they've inflicted on us on the Kowboy Koward of Krawford, then when he's out, they'll get a 'better' conservative in. Bad Bush! Naughty Bush! Not that Bush has been anything but a brain-damaged puppet since before Day One. But you and I know it's the bigger picture - the multinational corporations, the military/ industrial complex, that is supported by this anti-democratic conservative regime. Believe me, everything is going just swimmingly for these people. No mistakes there!

Conservatism is about domination. About unquestioned authority. About punishment. About dog-eat-dog. About self-interest being the highest good. According to conservative philosophy, caring for those who can't care for themselves is immoral. Rewarding the weak by giving them something they haven't earned is not just foolish. It is immoral. Morality is represented by those with the discipline to get ahead - therefore, the good people are rewarded for their discipline and hard work by wealth. So, the wealthy deserve to be wealthy and the poor deserve to be poor.

I'll be getting into more of this, so stay tuned!

James and I On Randi Rhodes Today

Today on the Randi Rhodes Show, Randi had been subjected to the 'no fly' list on a recent plane trip, and asked for people to send in their stories to her message board.

I sent my story about my 8-year-old son, the international terrorist, which I posted here about a year ago. Then I went to work.

When I came back there were some messages that indicated that it might have been read on the air.

I downloaded the podcast, slapped it into my trusty Digital Performer 5, and scanned through till I found it.

It was! So I sliced and diced it, and popped it up on my server.

Hear it here.

Update: I wrote Mike Malloy last night, and he read it on the air today (Thursday). I didn't know about it until I got home from work and there were 2 new visitors to Hooterville who came over via Air America! Hi, friends!

Might as well put up the audio for that, too...

Hear it here.

Another New Video From Neil - 'Families'

Neil has another video from Living With War - this time it's the moving anthem "Families" that speaks to the true cost of this administration's callous decisions - our soldiers who are losing their lives in a useless war.

QuickTime

Windows Media

Warrantless Spying Smackdown!

Get ready for the blowback.

Rudely intruding (if only momentarily) on the oh-so-important JonBenét Ramsey story, U.S. district Judge Anna Diggs Taylor handed down a decision today that is already letting loose the rabid, frothing, mange-ridden junkyard dogs of right-wing demagoguery.

Her offense?

She has ruled that the warrantless surveillance of American citizens, in defiance of rules of the FISA court, is unconstitutional, and has ordered the program to be halted immediately.

David Corn of The Nation writes:

In her decision, she accused the administration of dishonestly arguing that the lawsuit filed by the ACLU and others (including journalists, researchers and lawyers) against the NSA wiretapping should be dismissed because it would expose state secrets:

It is undisputed that Defendants have publicly admitted to the following: (1) the TSP [Terrorist Surveillance Program] exists; (2) it operates without warrants; (3) it targets communications where one party to the communication is outside the United States, and the government has a reasonable basis to conclude that one party to the communication is a member of al Qaeda, affiliated with al Qaeda, or a member of an organization affiliated with al Qaeda, or working in support of al Qaeda. As the Government has on many occasions confirmed the veracity of these allegations, the state secrets privilege does not apply to this information.


She added:

Defendants assert that they cannot defend this case without the exposure of state secrets. This court disagrees. The Bush Administration has repeatedly told the general public that there is a valid basis in law for the TSP. Further, Defendants have contended that the President has the authority under the AUMF [legislation authorizing Bush to use military force against Iraq] and the Constitution to authorize the continued use of the TSP. Defendants [the Bush administration] have supported these arguments without revealing or relying on any classified information. Indeed, the court has reviewed the classified information and is of the opinion that this information is not necessary to any viable defense to the TSP....Consequently, the court finds Defendants' argument that they cannot defend this case without the use of classified information to be disingenuous and without merit.

Once more, with feeling: "(t)he court finds Defendants' argument that they cannot defend this case without the use of classified information to be disingenuous and without merit."

Of course, nothing is more maddening to that pill-poppin', doctor-shoppin' gasbag Limbaugh, the Oxy Moron and his ilk, than daring to question any fascisitic tactic that the Kowboy Koward of Krawford decides to use on his bitterest enemies, the American people. That just roasts their weenies. So fasten your seatbelts, friends, and get ready for the eruption of Mount Rush. Look out for flying furniture when the Coultergeist lets loose. Try to avoid being assaulted by howls of "Activist judges! " and "Out-of-control judiciary!" and "Here come the terrorists!" Row, row, row your swift-boats gently down the screams! You'll need more than one falafel to scrub off the spew.

Naturally, it's being appealed by the Administration, and Attorney Generalissimo Alberto "No Pain, No Gain" Gonzales boldly asserts that the government will continue to use the program.

The ACLU, who filed the suit, have all the information about it, including the decision itself, on their website. Read all about it here.

At least one judge has the courage to tell it like it is. I just hope that she doesn't have to pay too high a price, and that others will support her.

Her name is Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, and you can send her a message of support, either by phone or e-mail - Mike Malloy has the contact info here.

"The Office of the Chief Executive has itself been created, with its powers, by the Constitution. There are no hereditary Kings in America and no power not created by the Constitution."
-- Judge Anna Diggs Taylor
U.S. District Court

Now, that's music to my ears!

Brand New Neil Young Video - 'After The Garden'

Neil Young has made a new video for the first song on "Living With War"- 'After the Garden'. It is a powerful indictment of Bush's eco-policy and makes a bold statement. More videos coming soon!

I'll put links to all the versions and you can take your pick.

Windows Media:
220
450
700
QuickTime:
220
450
700

1246 Days

...since we invaded Iraq.

It took 1245 days to defeat Adolph Hitler.

I'm just sayin'.

Assclowns of the Week - Via Jurassicpork

Jurassicpork at Welcome To Pottersville has a great weekly feature entitled "Assclowns of the Week". A comprehensive overview of the f***ups, foibles and flummery of the past seven days, it's worth visiting for the pictures alone (pic #6 in particular is noteworthy). But you don't want to miss out on the acerbic, insightful commentary, either.

Go there.

Betty Bowers, 'America's Best Christian' Asks -

Who's the winner of the "Crazed Dictator Look-Alike Contest"?
For the answer, and more Hollywood in-depth analysis, click here!

Mrs. Betty Bowers, via her highly-placed friends in the Eff Bee Eye, also lets us into the secret of spotting a terrorist.

Hooterville For Habitat! Win Greg's Book!

Well, at long last, I've set up my Habitat For Humanity donation site, and my contest to auction off the personally-autographed copy of "Armed Madhouse" that Greg Palast dedicated 'to Hooterville'.

I've never done much fundraising before, so I have no idea whther this will go over or not, but I'd really like to be part of contributing to Katrina relief. A year has gone by, and the region is still devastated. The Bush administration is too busy spending our tax dollars to kill men, womnen and children all over the world to pay attention to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Out of sight, out of mind - not that it was any great concern to begin with.

So, here's the deal. If you'd like to participate, sign up on the Hooterville For Habitat page, join the team, and make a donation. Use whatever name you choose, so long as I can identify the high donor! Of course, if you aren't in a position to donate a lot, donate whatever you can. No amount is too small!

We can't let our own Gulf region be forgotten about. Let's show love to our own.

P.S. - I am going to give this book away, no matter what, so if the highest donation is $10, then that's the winning ticket!
P.P.S. You can also get other people to donate to your personal page and have it count toward your amount!

OPTC on Winograd Watchdog!

Today, I attended a meeting of the Progressive Democrats of Los Angeles, along with Helen Wheels and DivaJood. I have done volunteer work for the Dem Party and some candidates before, but I've never actually gotten involved on this particular level. It was informative, inspiring and very educational.

Helen and Jood and I had a fabulous time. After our blistering liberal activism, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch in the heart of Beverly Hills.

Marcy Winograd has posted my "Preaching To The Choir" letter on her new blog, "Winograd Watchdog - Democracy's Best Friend"! I love that name. And that cute little dog on the banner is hers, too.

Shameless Band Self-Promotion, Part III

Once again, folks, it's that time! The time that I beg all my friends in the area to come see our band 'Some Like It Hot', and our friends who are not in the area to go click on our website, and through to the club we're playing at, so that many hits are registered, and the owner is pleased.

Anyhow, we will be playing at Cozy's Blues Club in Sherman Oaks on Friday, August 18 (in 2 weeks!) from 9:30 PM till 12:30 or 1:00 AM. We would love, love, love to see you if you are in the area and can make it out!
Click here for more info (and click through to the club from the front page!)

Thanks!

Smirk Of The Day

Okay - this is the second time I've gotten this e-mailed to me, so I might as well share -

Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. July 7, 2006

Bush losing support among core supporters

President Bush appears to be losing support among a key group of voters who had hitherto stood firmly with the president even as his poll numbers among other groups fell dramatically.

A new Gallup poll shows that, for the first time, Bush's approval rating has fallen below 50% among total fucking morons, and now stands at 44%. This represents a dramatic drop compared to a poll taken just last December, when 62% of total fucking morons expressed support for the president and his policies.

The current poll, conducted by phone with 1,409 total fucking morons between May 4 and May 8, reveals that only 44% of those polled believe the president is doing a good job, while 27% believe he is doing a poor job and 29% don't understand the question.

The December poll, conducted by phone with 1,530 total fucking morons, showed 62% approved of the president, 7% disapproved and 31% didn't understand the question.

Faltering approval ratings for the president among a group once thought to be a reliable source of loyal support gives Republicans one more reason to be nervous about the upcoming mid-term elections. "If we can't depend on the support of total fucking morons," says Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA), "then we've got a big problem. They're a key factor in our electoral strategy, and an important part of today's Republican coalition."

"We've taken the total fucking moron vote for granted," says Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL), "and now we're paying for it. We've let the Democrats control the debate lately, and they've dragged discourse back into the realm of complex, nuanced issues. So your average total fucking moron turns on his TV and sees his Republican Congressman arguing about Constitutional law or the complexities of state formation in the Middle East, and he tunes out. He wants to hear comforting, pandering, flattering bromides and he doesn't want to hear a logical argument more complex than what you'd find on a bumper sticker."

For Feeney, the poll is a dire warning that Republicans can ignore only at their peril. "This should send a signal that we have to regain control of the debate if we want the support of our key constituencies in the coming election and beyond. We need to bring public discourse back into the realm of stupidity and vacuity. We should be talking about homosexual illegal immigrants burning flags. We should be talking about the power of pride. These are the issues that resonate with total fucking morons."

But some total fucking morons say it's too late. Bill Snarpel of Enid, Oklahoma, is a total fucking moron who voted for Bush in both 2000 and 2004. But he says he won't be voting for Bush in 2008.

"I don't like it that he was going to sell our ports to the Arabs. If the Arabs own the ports then that means they'll let all the Arabs in and then we'll all be riding camels and wearing towels on our heads. I don't want my children singing the Star Spangled Banner in Muslim." Total fucking moron Kurt Meyer of Turlock, California also says his once solid support for Bush has collapsed. "He invaded Iraq and all those soldiers died, and for what? We destroyed all their WMDs, but now their new president is making fun of us and saying he's going to build nuclear bombs and that we can't stop him. Well, nuclear bombs are even worse than WMDs, so what did we accomplish?"

Laura McDonald, a total fucking moron from Chandler, Arizona, says she is disappointed that the president hasn't been a more forceful advocate of Christian values. "This country was founded on Christian values," she says, "but you'd never know it looking around and seeing all the Mexicans running around. I thought Bush was going to bring Jesus back into the government. Instead, Christians are being persecuted worse than ever before in history, because all these Mexicans come here and tell Christians that we have to respect their religious beliefs. So now it's illegal for children to pray in school. Soon it will be illegal for them to speak English."

Not all total fucking morons have turned their backs on the president. Jeb Larkin of Topeka, Kansas, says he still fully supports Bush. "He is doing a great job. He is a great president. He is a great decider. I have a puppy. His tail sticks straight up and you can see his butthole."

And not all Republican lawmakers are concerned about the poll. Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN), for one, does not find it a cause for anxiety. While he agrees that his party should not take total fucking morons for granted, they "really don't have anywhere else to go. They're never going to be able to understand someone like Al Gore or John Kerry or anybody intelligent and articulate who wants to talk about substantive issues. Just try having a conversation with one of them about global warming. They'll say, 'Oh, but Rush says volcanoes consume more ozone than humans do.' I mean, they're morons! Total fucking morons!"

"They've got nowhere else to go," Alexander reaffirms with a smile, "and they always vote."

OPTC Blog Up

I've started a blog just for "Operation Preaching To The Choir" because I feel that this is an important enough issue that it deserves its own space.

This blog will be a place to talk about reaching out to those liberals and moderates who are, for whatever reasons, staying out of the political process and inviting them to be a part of taking back our country. Without them, we may not be able to do it.

You're invited to drop by!

Operation Preaching To The Choir

Operation "Preaching To The Choir"

This is something I've been thinking about for a while. I'd like to know what you think.

I have always been a Democrat, but I have not always been involved in politics. I, like many people I know, didn't think I needed to be. Since 2000, but especially since 2004, I have become, perhaps not an activist, but definitely aware and active politically.

Until 1994 and Newt Gingrich's so-called 'Republican Revolution', although I disagreed in principle with Republicans, I did not feel attacked by them. When Reagan took office and they started gutting arts programs, that bothered me, as a member of a family involved in arts education, but politics was still on the periphery for me, something that other people were involved in. I figured people would get sick of Reaganomics and do something about it, and I went my own way, with my own life. I was a musician, not a politician. Let the people who 'did politics' take care of it. I stood on the sidelines and occasionally watched as others debated the issues of the day.


When Bush I took office, I didn't care for him but I was not afraid of him (shows what I knew!). The Gulf War was, by the war standards I remembered of Vietnam as a child, watching on television at dinnertime, over almost as soon as it had begun. It was hard to take it seriously as a war. Then Bill Clinton was elected, and I rejoiced. It seemed that we had a President that cared about the things I cared about, and had the political will and wiles to implement them, unlike Jimmy Carter, whom I loved but felt was too good a man to be an effective President. Then came 1994 and Newt Gingrich's 'Contract On America'.

That shook me up a bit. Were the American people really going to buy that crap? The blatant disrespect, hostility and opposition that Newt's Republicans exhibited towards the President took me aback. I could not recall any Congress with one party so openly antagonistic towards their political counterparts. The glee with which the Republicans attacked the Democrats was shocking to me. A line was crossed then, when we ceased to be the 'loyal opposition' and became the enemy. Instead of two parties who had different ideas about how to achieve the same goals as Americans, we Democrats were depicted as evil, immoral, unpatriotic, enemies to be vanquished, conquered, silenced, and if possible, eliminated altogether from the political process.

The hounding of Bill Clinton shocked me, too. Watching him being hunted down by the 'vast right-wing conspiracy', as then-First Lady Hillary Clinton so aptly put it (and was roundly ridiculed for doing so) was disturbing, mostly because of the fact that the rest of America just sat back and watched it. That was when I first got a twinge of fear. That was when I said to myself, maybe I ought to start paying attention here. A personal attack by what seemed to me rather extra-legal means, perpetrated by a small group of radical right-wingers, who were guilty of far worse in their own personal lives than what they were accusing the President of, was being allowed to derail our country. Not an attack on Clinton's policies, but his personal life, brought with obvious personal hostility, regardless of the cost to our country in not only dollars but Presidential effectiveness, and by extension American security - to jeopardize our standing in the world because of a personal loathing. Nevertheless Bill Clinton managed to stay in office, and he left the country in better shape than when he took office - no mean feat.

When the Residential Selection of 2000 occurred - when the most completely unsuccessful, incompetent, unfit-for-public-office candidate was handed the Presidency by clearly unconstitutional means - I began to be really afraid. The rules were changing. The processes by which Americans chose their leaders was no longer something you could count on. However, I thought to myself, "How bad can it be? This bumbling idiot, this smirking frat-boy who failed at everything he set his hand to, even when rescued from each disaster by his powerful family - what harm can he do? He'll do his term, the public will see at once what an idiot he is and he'll be out on his ear in '04." I had no idea what was ahead of us.

As he and his handlers (the real perpetrators) rampaged through this country like (dare i say) a mad elephant, I grew more and more concerned. There seemed no way to stop the carnage, both literal and figurative. I started paying close attention, learning as much about what was going on as I could. Leaving politics to the politicians started seeming less like a good idea and more like putting my head in the sand. The more I learned, the more worried I got.

But it was the Debacle of 2004 that galvanized me into doing more than worrying.

When I woke up on November 3rd, my head was spinning. I felt as if reality had been pulled out from underneath me. I began a political blog as a way to deal with the depression and frustration which had settled on me, and started reading, writing and talking politics. It became clear to me that sitting back and hoping for other people to fix things was not going to work.

But what to do?

I felt so helpless, so hopeless, so small. How can one person make any difference? Especially a person who is not rich, influential, high-profile in any way? I am not in a position to run for office. I am not a particularly persuasive speaker. My writing audience is not a large one. I can't even change the opinions of family members - how can I expect to change the minds of millions of Americans or counteract the giant propaganda machine?

The conclusion I have come to is that, however small the action I take, it is worth doing because to not take action is giving active support to those people and positions I wish to fight against. Not only is it worth doing, but imperative, or I will not be able to face myself in the mirror.

It would be great, of course, if we could be guaranteed that by following a certain course of action, we would achieve the desired results. It would be nice to know that if we called Senator X, signed Petition Y and marched at Protest Z, that our troops would come home, that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, et al. would resign en masse, that we'd get universal health care. The reality is, in spite of our best efforts, we may not be able to achieve these objectives. But it does not mean that we are morally exempt from making our best efforts. If we really believe the way we say we do, then we have no choice but to work for what's right, even if we don't see a sure and smooth path to success. That, to me, is what morality is. So, to say, "I'm not going to do anything because it won't change things, or my vote doesn't count, or the process is corrupt" or any other excuse, is beside the point. We don't do what's right because we'll get what we want. We do what's right because it's right.

We know in our hearts what's right. We know in our hearts that it's right to care for those who need care. It's right to stop killing. It's right to work for peace, for justice. Whether we get peace and justice doesn't matter. There is something for everyone to do, whether we see it making a difference or not.

So here is what I'm proposing.

I have come to understand that there is a large segment of the population that, because of their emotional need, will follow this administration wherever it goes; that there is nothing awful enough that would change the minds of these people, if they have chosen to believe in these self-appointed authoritarians. If George Bush says black is white (and he does!) then that's what they'll believe. Facts, logic and reality have no place in their worldview. As Richard Pryor once said, "Who are you going to believe - me or your lying eyes?"

But I also understand that this segment is not the majority, and I am not going to attempt to change the minds of these people. The ones I'm concerned with right now are the people like me - the ones who believe in peace, in social justice, in America as it was intended to be, but are not active because they don't understand that it is necessary. I want to 'preach to the choir'.

When I was discussing this with Maryscott O'Connor of My Left Wing, she said, "What you're talking about is evangelizing." And, you know what? - she's right. That's exactly what I'm talking about.

The word 'evangelize' comes from the Greek word ("eu-aggelos") for 'bringing good news' (εὐάγγελος). It is used mainly in the context of Christianity, but it also can means bringing other kinds of 'good news' to people. If we can bring this discussion into the open, with our friends, our family, our co-workers - not the ones who already have their minds made up that whatever George Bush wants to do is just dandy because he's 'keeping us safe', but the ones who are disaffected, who are disgusted with politics and politicians. The ones who think that, since their vote will be stolen anyway, there's no use in voting. The ones who think that things will get better by themselves - that someone else is going to take care of it. These people aren't going to hear the truth from the traditional media, which is all most working people have time to pay attention to these days. So we need to bring the news to them, one person at a time. I carry around whatever book I happen to be reading - John Dean, Greg Palast, Kevin Phillips. When someone asks me what I'm reading, it's an opportunity to start a discussion. Most of the time, I've gotten very positive responses. I've found it to be a way for people who feel like we do to connect, to relate, to realize that they're not alone in feeling this way and that there is a network of people out there working toward the same thing. I can give them suggestions on ways to get active that are within reach, like volunteering on a local level, with whatever they have to offer. Perhaps phone banking for one night for a local candidate whose positions they support, perhaps making a call to a Congressperson about an issue they feel strongly about. Perhaps standing on a corner for an hour on a Friday night with some local peace activists. It's simply about getting involved on some level. Nothing earth-shattering or life-changing; just simple action. Any action at all is preferable to inaction.

There's no doubt that evangelizing is the way the right-wing religious conservatives have been able to solidify their base and bring about political change. Why shouldn't we do the same? We don't have to change our lives - just carry our values around with us and share them if we find an opportunity. Not only that, but it is a way to combat that feeling of helplessness, of paralysis in the face of the daunting task in front of us.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! I hope you'll join me in "Operation Preaching To The Choir".
(many thanks to Amit at Anything Else for the code to expandable post summaries!)

Thought For The Day

Oh, the Shame, the Shame...Minimum Wage Held Hostage By Paris Hilton Tax Cut

Barney Frank smacks it out of the park on this one.

(need to take the video out, as it slows down the site badly!)

1-800-LEAVE NOW!

The always-right-the-f***-on Jurassic Pork at Welcome To Pottersville has some words of wisdom for Mrs. Battered America. When will enough be enough? How bad does it have to get before we pick up the phone and get out?