UPDATE: Assad of Syria would be proud of big city mayors like Michael Hancock

by: Zappatero

Tue Nov 15, 2011 at 09:28:53 AM MST

Bashar Assad is the ruthless dictator of Syria who's following in his father's footsteps and jailing and killing protesters who are voicing theirs rights in the spirit of democracy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, "Democrat", just shut down the Occupy Wall Street encampment in New York with brute force and a media blackout.

Denver Mayor Michael Hancock (a "Democrat" he says), like Bloomberg and Bashar Assad of Syria, has ordered Denver Police to use violent force to shut down our own Occupiers and deny them their democratic rights. Bonus for Hancock: he and the police can blame the protesters and the $350K spent as an excuse to cut some other program or deny some other public service:

The cost of the Occupy Denver movement keeps growing. Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16, the city spent $365,000 paying for police, sheriff's officers, public works, environmental health and Denver Health to come out to the site of the protests. More recent numbers aren't available, but city officials hope to have a more updated tally by the end of this week.

Denver Police say because of the need to manage Occupy protestors, citizens living in other parts of the city may experience delays in service.

The President I voted for

by: Zappatero

Thu Sep 08, 2011 at 17:10:34 PM MST

The policy needs are beyond obvious. Though they've failed this basic test before, it would be politically brain-dead for Democrats, especially Colorado's Wimpy Senators Udall and Bennet, to not fully support the goals behind this speech. (I'm looking at you too, me!)

Republicans will bitch and moan about every fine point, but cannot refudiate the President's challenge that America's greatest leaders have never hesitated to invest in a future that would help their progeny at every turn. Republicans will not and cannot do what's right in today's environment. Democrats will hesitate to do what's right and might fritter away the opportunity while the economy continues to suffer. That is truly the most disconcerting part of this drama.

But I have been waiting for this President Obama for three years. I hope his team in DC sees the light and supports him in this critical plan for our economy. If they don't, then once again his eloquent words will be the narration to an empty dream. This is the dream that was expected by the millions who voted for him in November, 2008. They will never see it without unwavering support from those citizens and leaders who also said "Yes, we can" that election day.

That's the day I voted for President Barack Obama, the president we saw flashes of again last night.

A Win For Democracy

by: KathrynCWallace

Sun Sep 04, 2011 at 08:17:23 AM MST

Short history: In the 2010 election, there were two races that were extremely close, including the Clerk's race.  There was also a tax measure that was decided by one single vote.  All of this is exactly the sort of circumstance that cries for recounts and re-examination.  Indeed, the "public" believes that we WILL have recounts and examinations in such close cases, it is part of why anyone has any faith in our democratic process.  But in this case, not even the canvass board was willing to certify the election.  In short there was no validation of this election by any citizen review.  We had the word of the clerk alone that these results were accurate.  As Carroll says:

Too many clerks seem to believe that they should be both the first and last line of defense of election integrity. No one must look over their shoulder or second-guess procedures - or at least no one outside the official club. Hence the clerks' repeated attempts to keep voted ballots under wraps and their strained explanations for why voter identity could be breached if they do not.

Meanwhile, In Syria: Mass Resignations By Ba'ath Party Officials

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Thu Apr 28, 2011 at 06:50:35 AM MST

Over the last few days tanks have been deployed in Deraa and other cities inside Syria. The various security forces have opened fire with live ammunition on protesters with more than 400 reported dead. It is hard to know exactly what is going on in Syria as the Assad government had expelled all foreign journalists. However in the days of the internet reports and video are leaking out.

Today there is a major development. The Christian Science Monitor is reporting that 400 members of the Ba'ath Party have resigned the government and the party over the killing and oppression of the protesters. Here are excerpts from two of the mass resignation letters:

From the Deraa officials:

"In view of the negative stance taken by the leadership of the Arab Socialist Baath Party towards the events in Syria and in Deraa, and after the death of hundreds and the wounding of thousands at the hands of the various security forces, we submit our collective resignation."

From officials in Banias:

"Considering the breakdown of values and emblems that we were instilled with by the party and which were destroyed at the hand of the security forces ... we announce our withdrawal from the party without regret,"

Syrian Cabinet To Resign! Assad Attempts To Appease Protesters

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Tue Mar 29, 2011 at 06:32:03 AM MST

With an active war in which the US, NATO and other nations participating raging in Libya it is easy to get distracted from the other prodemocracy protests happening in the world. One place in particular that is of great interest but not very much reporting is Syria.

The Baathist Party of the Assad family has ruled this Mediterranean nation since 1963 with Hafez Assad ruling from 1970 until his son Bashar took over after his death in 2000. Al Jazeera is reporting that today that the Cabinet is likely to resign and there will be some kinds of reform implemented.  

These reforms come in response the continued and growing protests in Syria. Like Egypt Syria had been under and emergency law that allowed the government to basically suppress dissent with impunity. There are closed courts, a ban on public gatherings, restrictions on the press and political parties other than the Baath Party.

This regime has long used these powers to keep a very tight lid on its control of the nation, but the so-called Arab Spring seems to have arrived there as well. Over the last month or so protesters have gone to the streets demanding change like they see in Tunisia and Egypt. Even when security forces have fired on the crowds with live ammunition, they not only kept coming out and protesting but have grown in size.

All this presents a very difficult position for Assad and his party. They can try to crack down on the protesters even more aggressively, after all the amount of confirmed news that comes out of Syria other than its state run media is small and they could stonewall. This, of course, risks going the route of Libya and to some extent Yemen, with the possibility of Generals and other members of the government defecting and perhaps an all out civil war.  

Haven't Heard About Revolution In China? There IS A Reason

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Mon Mar 07, 2011 at 07:38:24 AM MST

If you are wondering why you've not really heard much about the call for a "Jasmine Revolution" style protests in the Peoples Republic of China, well there is a reason for that. The Chinese authorities are not waiting around for the protests to grow and become something like Tiananmen Square or Tahrir Square in Egypt.

As I posted about before they have been taking strong steps to crack down on pro-democracy activists for a couple of weeks. They have been preventing text messages from being sent to an entire list and have blocked all websites with key words like Jasmine Revolution.

This combined with flooding the urban areas where the protests were proposed with security forces and actually placing pro-democracy advocate under house arrest and even
disappearing more than one attorney for these groups apparently is not enough for the Communist Government in China

Not All Revolutions Keep Their Gains, Just Look At Ukraine

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Thu Feb 10, 2011 at 07:37:42 AM MST

Still revolution is a very tricky thing. Even a successful one does not necessarily mean that things will really change in the long run. Take for example the Ukrainian Orange Revolution. Back in 2004 the run off election between Viktor Yushchenko and Viktor Yanukovych (the two Vic's) was seen as being deeply flawed and fraudulent. It was felt that Yanukovych had stolen the election.  

On The View From Egypt, Part Six, Or, Let's Review Where We Are

by: fake consultant

Mon Jan 31, 2011 at 17:12:15 PM MST

We know a few things, and we don't know a lot-and from what we can tell, the folks on the ground are also not sure what might happen. That said, we do know enough to begin to figure out the right questions to be asking.

As was true Friday, things are moving fast, so let's jump right in.

Let's clear the way for Democracy in Egpyt and clear the air on Torture

by: Zappatero

Sun Jan 30, 2011 at 11:00:29 AM MST

I told him he has a responsibility to give meaning to those words, to take concrete steps and actions that deliver on that promise.

We can support Mohammed el Baradai in stabilizing the country with the help of the Muslim Brotherhood. I am not afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood nor is it viewed as a credible threat to take over Egypt.

We can also clear the air on extraordinary rendition and torture, and quite possibly turn Osama bin Laden into a relic just like Mubarak by showing that we will be the United States that the world once believed in:

"If you want a serious interrogation, you send a prisoner to Jordan. If you want them to be tortured, you send them to Syria. If you want someone to disappear - never to see them again - you send them to Egypt."

Like another historic figure once said -

"The time is always right to do the right thing."

On The View From Egypt, Part Five, Or, The Emergency Is Here

by: fake consultant

Fri Jan 28, 2011 at 03:07:20 AM MST

And now...that day has arrived.

After protests that led to a change of government (sort of) in Tunisia, rioting is spreading across Egypt, quickly, the ISI (Egypt's internal security police) is out grabbing citizens and doing what they do (we'll talk more about that later), and the question of Presidential succession, which many people thought was headed in one direction, may now be headed off to a place that outside observers might not have previously considered.

Lucky for you, I have some reach inside Egypt, and we're going to get a peek inside the story that you might not have seen otherwise.  

Secrecy And Democracy, The Hard Balancing Act

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Mon Nov 29, 2010 at 07:39:35 AM MST

Secrecy is a tough thing in a democracy. Democracy requires a well informed electorate to function. There is a real need for a free people to have the facts when they are deciding on their elected representatives. Knowing what our government really means when it states it policy publicly is a critical factor.  

Three Cheers for Democracy

by: KathrynCWallace

Wed Aug 11, 2010 at 20:21:32 PM MST

The second most painful thing about democracy is that my causes don't always win. But, the most painful thing is when people allow the losses to drive them away from the process. Our world is not decided during any one election. I thought we would never recover from the travesty we saw in 2000. But now that is so long ago, you may not even know what I'm talking about. If your leadership is not exactly the one you want, the answer is not to be less involved.  The answer is to be MORE involved.  I know it's hard when you work tirelessly for a cause you believe in and still fail.  But the larger cause that you have worked for has not gone away.

"Face it, the system is rigged, and it's rigged against us"

by: MinistryOfTruth

Fri Jul 09, 2010 at 14:12:23 PM MST

Must Read Eric Alterman article about our kabuki democracy -- and what to do about it.

digbysblog.blogspot.com

     Face it, the system is rigged, and it's rigged against us. Sure, presidents can pretty easily pass tax cuts for the wealthy and powerful corporations. They can start whatever wars they wish and wiretap whomever they want without warrants. They can order the torture of terrorist suspects, lie about it and see that their intelligence services destroy the evidence. But what they cannot do, even with supermajorities in both houses of Congress behind them, is pass the kind of transformative progressive legislation that Barack Obama promised in his 2008 presidential campaign. Here's why.

thenation.com

    As for the "Here's why" and how to fix things part, one should go read the whole article at The Nation, and go below the fold for more.

Sen. Sanders tells the ugly truth "We're an Oligarchy and I think it's getting worse"

by: MinistryOfTruth

Sat May 22, 2010 at 13:27:52 PM MST

Sen. Sanders:    "Right now, what ends up happening, is Big Money interests, whether in fact it is in oil and energy, whether it's in prescription drugs . . ."

Dylan Ratigan:     "BP"

Sen. Sanders:    "Whether it is in banking, these guys have huge amounts of money, and the situation gets worse with the recent Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and anyone who stands up to the big money interests can expect a huge amount of 30 second ads against them. That's the reality. Are we a Democracy, or are we an Oligarchy where the very powerful special interests exert enormous influence over our Government?"

Ratigan:     "What's your answer to that question?"

Sen. Sanders:     "I think we're an Oligarchy and I think it's getting worse."

   Much more, plus video and transcript below the fold.

Talk Show Radio Star Excels At Showbusiness

by: Jack Van Ens

Fri May 07, 2010 at 11:12:08 AM MST

Rush flips on its head what Henry Luce, co-founder of Time Magazine, accomplished in print. Luce, a communicator rather than an entertainer, exposed readers to topics that expanded opinion, rather than narrowed it. He published in Time news-making opinions that challenged biases, rather than reinforcing them.

Moyers: 6 Banks Control Wealth = to 60% GNP. Is the U.S. at the Mercy of an Unstoppable Oligarchy?

by: MinistryOfTruth

Sat Apr 24, 2010 at 19:26:33 PM MST

   These are the 6 banks that control influence over an amount of wealth that is equivalent to 60% of America's GNP.

    GNP is the total value of all final goods and services  produced within a nation  in a particular year, plus income earned by its citizens  (including income of those located abroad), minus income of non-residents located in that country. Basically, GNP measures the value of goods and services that the country's citizens produced regardless of their location.

investorwords.com

    3/5ths of all American incomes, goods and services are under the influence of 6 Big Banking trusts.

    The question is, have the banks bigger than the Government that is supposed to represent the people and their best interests? Better yet, is the U.S. at the mercy of an unstoppable oligarchy?

   Quotes, links and more below the fold

Tea Party In The Military; A New Danger To Democracy

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Tue Apr 13, 2010 at 06:38:26 AM MST

The Overton Window On Political Violence Has Moved

by: Bill Egnor AKA Something The Dog Said

Wed Apr 07, 2010 at 06:32:21 AM MST

We have seen a disturbing trend in the last few months of violence based on political views. The man who flew his plane into the IRS, the assassination of Dr. Tiller for performing legal reproductive services, the killing of police officers for the supposed plan by the Obama administration to seize the guns of private citizens, the brick throwing at Democratic political offices and the cutting of gas lines at the family home of the brother of a U.S Representative whose address was posted on the internet by mistake.