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Saturday, February 28, 2009

Truth Commission ?

Senator Leahy wants a 'Truth Commission' to investigate the Bush administration.
I am all for the investigation, prosecution and punishment to full extent of the law but what Mr. Leahy proposes suggests immunity for some who come forward to testify. Neither Congress nor the Senate has a reputation for getting results with these pseudo commissions and I can't stomach the idea of immunity for any member of the Bush crime family.

What we need is an independent investigation done with full disclosure of ALL the nasty stuff that surfaces. None of that 'cover it up' bullshit because it's a secret or under the guise of national security.
Senator Leahy also has a petition he wants you to sign but no, I won't provide a link because I want a petition that will stop them from making deals and using immunity or refusing full disclosure in the name of national security.

Nancy Pelosi was on Rachael Maddow(that sounds funny), well not on her but on her show for an interview and one issue discussed was Leahy's proposed commission and immunity which had Pelosi concerned as well. I can't say that I have agreed with Pelosi on anything but this interview with Maddow was good and changed my view of Pelosi a little.

I have done nothing but curse the democrats for not stopping Bush invading Iraq, continually funding the occupation, the warrantless wiretaps, allowing no-bid contracts to Halliburton and KBR, violations of the Constitution and exploiting civil rights to name but a few. Sometimes I curse the democrats but forget that the main problem has been the republican playbook written by Gingrich which employs obstruction as a tool.
Things haven't changed much as demonstrated by the republican hypocrites that opposed Obama's stimulus package with a vote but have their hand out the next day. An economic problem that started with Reagan and 'trickled down' w/Bush41 but eventually turned into a giant boil that popped under Bush43.

*** UPDATE ***
@ AfterDowningStreet.org they have a petition...
"GROUPS REQUEST SPECIAL PROSECUTOR FOR BUSH, CHENEY, et alia"
This petition is for individuals and groups but requires a login.
Please check it out as this is the only one that I have found that addresses the Leahy Truth Commission as a "whitewash" and that's the truth.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Is this an 'Open Letter'?

I have been trying to write a letter to Obama for a week. It has been difficult.
In the first place I don't write many letters and secondly I struggle to get the words right (Yeah, painfully obvious if you have read my stuff on this blog).
So today I think I'm finished and start looking for somewhere to route an email. At change.gov it tells you to go to whitehouse.gov but there is a limit of 500* characters and I have more than that.
*** update-changed to 5000***
Any suggestions?

Well here it is for your comment. It looks like I will have to mail it.
*******************************

Hello Mr. President,

This is my first letter to a President and today I write you with congratulations on your victory and some concerns in regards to some of the problems we face today. Some problems have overlapping issues and in my mind solutions that overlap as well.
I hope you can handle the pressure.
That being said, what made you give the Ok to send drones into Pakistan?
We are not at war with Pakistan! Very, very dangerous decision.

For the last eight years we have watched as the PNAC’s ‘War on Terror’ injected fear into the media and the minds of people as this nightmare unfolded. You are going to have to get your mind right and stop the madness. The ‘War on Terror’ feeds the military industrial complex as the ‘War on Drugs’ feeds the prison industrial complex and both are just wrong..
If you continue down this path then you are not the agent of ‘hope and change’ that we elected.
We elected you based on your words and your promises. We did not elect a republican nor did we elect a neocon. I can appreciate your efforts to embrace the opposition but that IS what you are facing, opposition. You have to work with the GOP but must not give in to foolish demands.

It is difficult to understand where all the bad decisions come from. It’s as if there are no good sources for advice. You should consider consulting outside sources in an effort to diversify the information you receive. IE - watch Bill Moyer’s Journal and Jon Stewart’s Daily Show.
Advice on economics seek Paul Krugman and Kevin Phillips..
Advice on waste and corruption call David Cay Johnston and Ralph Nader..
Inside the political arena you could have a mini parliament with Dennis Kucinich, Russ Feingold and Bernie Sanders. These three guys actually do represent progressive ideals.

Lately the approach taken in Washington has me concerned
Throwing money at failing corporations seems absurd. These ‘bailouts’ seem fundamentally wrong. Now everyone has their hand out.
Some of these companies are using the money to buy other companies, some are throwing parties and some are paying to have their company name on a stadium. This reflects the absolute extremes in arrogance and narcissism. When a business is run badly, it fails and at that point those in charge get penalized not a bonus. It doesn’t matter if it’s a car company or a bank, it just seems wrong for the government to initiate a ‘bailout’ at the taxpayers expense. Thereby supporting the ‘privatize profits, socialize losses’ scenario and that is just wrong.

Here are some points about these bailouts.
>Mr. Paulson and his ilk (Goldman Sachs) are part of the reason banks are failing, so who’s bright idea was it to just give them money when they have so aptly demonstrated how to loose it?
>Instead of giving them more money we should have been buying stock in these companies so we actually own something or payoff the failing mortgages and hold them in an RTC.
>They obviously can’t be trusted and some say they are too big to allow to fail, so bust ‘em up and regulate ‘em. The key is going to be checks and balances.
You can’t throw money around for bailouts, stimulus packages and wars then tell the people that are taxed for these foolish enterprises they can’t have universal health care.

Here are some ideas on policy, law and jobs that have an overlap element.

>You said you want to improve the infrastructure , roads, bridges, power grids, etc.
There needs to be some kind of master plan for the rebuilding process that includes coordination of light rail from the big cities flowing out to the suburbs and at the same time moving improved utilities underground to avoid problems from weather extremes.
With that in mind the auto companies should have had some guidelines to increase r&d for electric cars and retooling for light rail production. A concerted effort that would mean jobs.

>This is a big one and frankly I don’t care who approves, I just want it done.
Stop the idiotic moral imperative known as the “War on Drugs’. This is probably one of the single biggest threats to civil liberties. As a black man and someone with a background as a community organizer you can’t ignore what these draconian laws are doing to intercity youth. Look at what it’s doing to the US/Mexican border.
You can’t ignore the public outcry. You shouldn’t be ignoring the science.
Marijuana is not as harmful as nicotine or alcohol. It is just ignorance that supports a law that locks up people, stealing their life and liberty, over smoking pot. This is prohibition and frankly the government has no right to tell adults what they can do in the privacy of their own home.
The medical benefits alone negates any argument.
Unfortunately the stupidity that supports the prohibition of marijuana also includes hemp. Again we find ignorance in the drivers seat. Hemp production or the lack thereof is a huge resource that has been marginalized for too long. Here again is the overlap, hemp production would result in more jobs in manufacturing and maybe even some exports and you can tax the weed.

>Put a solar panel or whatever the newest photovoltaic available on every government building, mall, stadium etc.. Give businesses and home owners tax breaks for purchase and installation.
File under more jobs..
Remove all tax breaks from the pariahs, like Big Oil. Review all the alternative energy patents they have been sitting on and give them 6 months to use it or loose it.

One of the last things I want to cover is your campaign promise to appoint someone to review every piece of legislation Bush put his pen to. I applaud this action and look forward to results. The Patriot Act was another fear tool employed by BushCo and the fact that it was approved not once but twice is very disturbing. This is a huge violation of civil liberties and in my mind makes any of the representatives responsible enablers. The Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and the Department of Homeland Security are fundamentally wrong and should be removed ASAP.
When asked about investigating the crimes of the Bush Administration, you suggested that you wanted to focus on the future. That’s fine but you can’t ignore the rule of law or the past. Delegate, appoint someone and handle it! I know you have a lot on your plate but we are talking about war crimes. It would be a good idea to show the rest of the world that you intend to bring some accountability and restore the integrity this nation once had.

Well that’s my two cents. Thanks for your time and I wish you luck,
jim blah blah, NC

**UPDATE**
I sent my letter through a series of tubes... @youtube..

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