Custom Search

Thoughts on Voting

"The people who cast the votes don't decide an election; the people who COUNT the votes do." -- Joseph Stalin

Friday, March 19, 2010

Arizona Proposing National ID Card


The Arizona State Senate is considering two bills that will turn
your driver's license into a national ID card and share your
personal information with the US Department of Homeland Security.

SB1070 and HB2632 are ostensibly anti-illegal immigration bills.
As such, there are good things in there, such as elimination of
sanctuary cities.

However, these bills have a sneak provision in them that turns

the Arizona Driver's License into a national ID. Section 2.


11-1051, subsections F.1-3. specifically require that the state
obtain prior clearance from the US Department of Homeland
Security before you can obtain or renew your Driver's License.
Additionally, it requires data exchange of your domicile
information.

This also creates a backdoor gun purchase registration
capability.

There are other problems with the bill, such as indemnification
of law enforcement officers and law enforcement agencies, for
example, if they detain you (which the bill allows) for not being
able to identify you as a citizen through the Department of
Homeland Security during a legitimate stop. In theory, you could
be wrongly and indefinitely detained, denied access to the courts
and an attorney, and there is zero accountability for law
enforcement.

IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED

It is important that you IMMEDIATELY CONTACT your OWN state rep
and state senators TODAY to voice your opposition to this bill
(Senate Bill 1070 and House Bill 2632) as it is currently
written.

Let them know you oppose this bill if it makes our driver's
licenses national ID cards and allows law enforcement to detain
us without consequence.

Click here for the contact info for your state senator and here
for the info for your state reps.

Thank you for your continued vigilance on behalf of liberty.

Senator Pearce is saying that the bill does not contain national
ID. It very clearly does, by the language of the bill:


F. Except as provided in federal law, officials or agencies of
this state and counties, cities, towns and other political
subdivisions of this state may not be prohibited or in any way be
restricted from sending, receiving or maintaining information
relating to the immigration status of any individual or
exchanging that information with any other federal, state or
local governmental entity for the following official purposes:

1. Determining eligibility for any public benefit, service or
license provided by any federal, state, local or other political
subdivision of this state.

2. Verifying any claim of residence or domicile if determination
of residence or domicile is required under the laws of this state
or a judicial order issued pursuant to a civil or criminal
proceeding in this state.

3. Confirming the identity of any person who is detained.

I. A law enforcement officer is indemnified by the law
enforcement officer's agency against reasonable costs and
expenses, including attorney fees, incurred by the officer in
connection with any action, suit or proceeding brought pursuant
to this section to which the officer may be a party by reason of
the officer being or having been a member of the law enforcement
agency, except in relation to matters in which the officer is
adjudged to have acted in bad faith.

Also, WHICH US Department does the INS (really now ICE) belong
to? US Department of Homeland Security! WHICH US Department owns
the REAL ID database? You guessed it. US Department of Homeland
Security!

More info about national IDs from one of the nation's leading
experts can be found herehere, and here.

Info. from Ron Paul can be found here.




Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Monday, March 15, 2010

McCain and Lieberman Promote Fascist Detention Bill



Kiss some more of your liberties good-bye if the two most determined fascists in our government get their way. Joe Lieberman and John McCain whose fantasies about war and killing are becoming more blatant the older they get, have a new one up their sleeves.

Why is the national security community treating the "Enemy Belligerent, Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010," introduced by Sens. John McCain and Joseph Lieberman on Thursday as a standard proposal, as a simple response to the administration's choices in the aftermath of the Christmas Day bombing attempt? A close reading of the bill suggests it would allow the U.S. military to detain U.S. citizens without trial indefinitely in the U.S. based on suspected activity. Read the bill here, and then read the summarized points after the jump.

According to the summary, the bill sets out a comprehensive policy for the detention, interrogation and trial of suspected enemy belligerents who are believed to have engaged in hostilities against the United States by requiring these individuals to be held in military custody, interrogated for their intelligence value and not provided with a Miranda warning.

(There is no distinction between U.S. persons--visa holders or citizens--and non-U.S. persons.)

It would require these "belligerents" to be coded as "high-value detainee[s]" to be held in military custody and interrogated for their intelligence value by a High-Value Detainee Interrogation Team established by the president. (The H.I.G., of course, was established to bring a sophisticated interrogation capacity to the federal justice system.)

Read Complete Story
source: Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic




Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Crystal Bowersox Will be the Next American Idol

When American Idol started this season, I saw Crystal Bowersox who not only is a great singer in the Janis Joplin mold, but she has the same soul as Janis whom I met in San Francisco, and even gave a ride to one day when she was hitchhiking with her car in the shop. This girl is amazing and will be a huge star. Enjoy:





Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Grayson Pushes for Public Option Act

Progressive firebrand Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) isn't giving up on offering Americans a public option.

The congressman on Tuesday introduced the four-page H.R. 4789 "Public Option Act," also called the "Medicare You Can Buy Into Act," would allow all legal American residents under 65 to enroll in Medicare by paying a fee. He made a passionate call for a vote on the floor of the House.

"The government spent billions of dollars creating a Medicare network of providers that is only open to one-eighth of the population," Grayson said. "That’s like saying, ‘Only people 65 and over can use federal highways.’ It is a waste of a very valuable resource and it is not fair. This idea is simple, it makes sense, and it deserves an up-or-down vote."

The inclusion of a public option in the larger Democratic health care legislation has been a topic of immense debate. The Senate dropped the proposal in December and the final package is unlikely to include it. A Medicare buy-in option was also briefly considered but didn't survive.

READ COMPLETE STORY






Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Saturday, March 6, 2010

An Old Friend -- Laughing Sal

As a little boy growing up just one mile from San Francisco's Playland-at-the Beach, this gem creeped out children of all ages. I thought she was hilarious. She was on display at the entrance to the Fun House. She is now on display at The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, another old haunt. Enjoy.




Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Thursday, March 4, 2010

An Editorial: Time to Rise Up




I remember it well.  The day was hot -- really hot.  I left my flat in San Francisco and headed out to join the protest march that was going to be held in Berkeley at People's Park.  Why?  You had to have been there.  The day before I had driven my VW bus to Berkeley to sit in coffee shops, listen to Bob Dylan and enter into some of the most amazing conversations one could imagine.

I walked down Telegraph Avenue and stopped at a shop that had a really nice shirt with American Indian flavor.  I went in, bought it, stepped outside wearing my nice new shirt and a blond girl ran past with terror in her eyes.  Right on her heels was an Alameda County Deputy Sheriff who whacked her on the forehead with a nightstick.  I ran out and knelt over her.  I can still see the shiny black boots out of the corner of my eye.  I looked up and said, "She's hurt, man...leave her alone."  Then everything went white.

That was yesterday and now here I was again, headed down Oak Street in my little blue VW bus with the blue and white curtains.  Before I could go more than two blocks, the bus was filled with peace sign flashing lovers of freedom with the same goal in mind.  To protest the outrageous actions of those in power against well meaning students.  UC students had the gall to take a puddle filled empty lot and turn it into a park with trees, swings and slides, pathways, benches and even sod that was laid down in a party atmosphere.

The problem was that UC owned the lot.  Governor Ronald Ray-Gun, ordered the National Guard to build a six-foot Cyclone fence around the park and to stand guard over it with fully loaded guns.  He said what should be his most famous quote but is lost in all the bullshit about him being a great leader.  

"If it takes a bloodbath, let's get it over with.  No appeasement"

This cowboy was not talking about the Viet Cong, he was talking about American students at a leading university.  He teargassed Berkeley, rounded up busloads of people and transported them to an abandoned detention center.  Bloodshed did follow at Kent State and at Jackson State.  Why do I bring this up?  Because now college students are beginning to rise up.  You guys have to understand that they will always threaten force and it can be frightening.  For instance, this is what we experienced that day:






The very existence of today's students is threatened by the loss of direction the current administration is experiencing.  If they cared they would have taken the bailout funds they gave to IGA and given them to colleges across the United States.  They don't care.  The only way to get their attention is to demonstrate over and over again.  Avoid violence at all costs.  It makes them look stupid.

I supported Obama very strongly and I can honestly say I am disappointed.  Afghanistan is a huge mistake.  We're still in Iraq.  His efforts to stem the foreclosure rate are a sad joke.  If he cared at all he could pass an Executive Order stating that all homeowners who owe more than the property is worth are now 50/50 partners with the bank at the current value on a fixed low-interest loan.

And healthcare?  He is either the worst negotiator in history or he had no intention of passing true healthcare reform in this country.  The ideal for America is a Single Payer plan.  It is the least expensive and covers everyone.  He disregarded this out of hand.  Why?  He should have pushed for it strongly, then if he had to bend over for the Republicans, he could have backed into the public option.  He gave away the CHANGE we all believed in.  Why?  Did he sell out to the healthcare industry?  Is he so deeply bought and sold that his hands are tied.  Either way, it sucks.  This is not the change I fought so hard to get.

I encourage the young people of America to organize like you have never organized before, because most of you haven't.  You have a great advantage -- technology.  We formed "telephone trees" to keep one another informed.  You have technology that's way beyond.  USE IT...and Never give up.  Good luck.


Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Standing Room Only at Job Fair for Felons

It's time we started retraining those who are incarcerated and stop making it a financial bonanza for private contractors to house prisoners.





Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved






Tuesday, March 2, 2010

The Truth About Facebook

Do you have a Facebook?
Do you use it regularly?
Do you think what happens in Facebook stays in Facebook?
Think again...watch this:






Copyright @ 1998-2010
All Rights Reserved







Click to Report Broken Links or Non-Working Videos

Powered By Blogger