You know what would be really amazing, but won't happen? Is if everyone got so fed up with the Republicans for just being the evil corporate cocksuckers they are, and also so fed up with the Dems for being the weak ass compromisers that they, that we get a viable third party going before the next election. That might shake things up enough that some reforms get going before said hypothetical third party gets bought by the corporations. But of course all this is is wishful thinking.

Rick Reuben wrote:

Hexpane wrote:congress has no balls
what are WE going to do about it?

Continue to accept the Presidential election results of 2000 and 2004.

Continue to accept outsourcing and unfair trade.

Continue to buy Chinese.

Continue to accept torture, wiretapping and rendition in the name of security.

Continue to rely on the mainstream media will keep a lid on criticism of all this.

I do my best not to buy chinese , I always oppose outsourcing vocally at whatever Corp I work at, I routinely vote against torture and I dont rely on Fox Noise for news

I'd protest the 2000/2004 election results but I don wanna get tased BRA!

Its kinda nice living in an area that doesnt blindly follow Fox Noise and vote for bush because he "makes me feel safe" (quote from former Bush Backing co worker) what sucks is a slight majority of the country is all it takes to render all our political beliefs meaningless.

Its a winner take all system, its never really been democracy. Although at least its not as bad as Mayamar lately

I was really moved to read that in my issue of Harper's yesterday. It's really in our hands to do this...

Rick Reuben wrote:

Hexpane wrote:congress has no balls
what are WE going to do about it?

Don't know. What will Congress do? The same.

Accept? You're sure being nice about this Bob!

Congress continues to vote to fund the reprehensible slaughter of innocent people around the world, therefore they are directly responsible in perpetrating the wars built from lies to enrich big oil and the MIC.

Continue to ignore fraud in the Presidential election results of 2000 and 2004, when in fact, they have the power to vote to open an investigation into the matter (without allowing it to become overshadowed and subsequently forgotten about by District Attorney firing scandals etc.) leading to a serious congressional hearing in which they could call, oh say, Greg Pallast in for a little chat and really get to the truth of the elections.

Continue to help the banks and the Fed shift the blame for the recession and the dollar crash that the mortgage bubble will cause instead of taking responsibility for not doing anything to prevent the massive economic collapse that is looming in our near, very near, future.

Continue to aid and abet in the perpetration of bullshit regarding the events of 9/11 instead of using the power they were granted by being elected to Congress, to open a serious investigation into the matter. At a minimum, they should have been much more vocal regarding all of the testimony that was conveniently disregarded after the hearings because of it's relevant content not meshing with their bullshit story.

Continue to do nothing about the stagnant standard of living for the bottom 67% instead of voting for a livable, not just minimal, wage or make health care a basic human right.

Continue to vote for the Patriot Act therefore giving their approval for the torture, wiretapping and rendition in the name of "Homeland Security." They also continue to do nothing, NOTHING about the huge number of innocent people still being held in prisons, with no access to council or even any charges for which they might defend themselves against.

Continue to invite lobbyists for the AIPAC to dictate the policy in the Middle East instead of voting to ban all lobbyists from stepping foot on the hill in the first place.

Continue to prostrate themselves before the U.S. mainstream media for the sole purpose of spoon-feeding the passive masses, hypnotized by the warm glow of their televisions and safe in their individual realities.

Rick Reuben wrote:What am I going to do? Keep hunting for the truth and making sure I tell a little every day, using the internet until it's taken away. Maybe someday, enough people will hear that there's an iceberg in this country's path. They thought the Titanic couldn't be sunk either.

And why are you going to do that, Bob?
Because in my humble opinion, you actually care about people being aware of what's going on around them... and what's getting ready to fuck'em where the sun don't shine, if they do nothing to protect themselves.

You make no monetary compensation (that I am aware of) for all of your time spent researching and writing about any of this. Instead, you put yourself out there to be subjected to ridicule and abuse. (on a scale that I have never seen before around here..people get downright evil!)

In my book, you're a pretty awesome human being, sir, for the simple fact that you understand what being human, is all about.

Unfortunately, it's the other Clinton who knows at least how to start picking this stuff apart, as far as dealing with this administration.

Flaneur wrote:Unfortunately, it's the other Clinton who knows at least how to start picking this stuff apart, as far as dealing with this administration.

Please don't get me started on the sleazy things that his administration was responsible for. He wasn't much better than what we got going on now!

It's worth noting that Blackwater apparently was never issued a proper license to be in Iraq in the first place. They applied, the license was contested, they re-applied, and then went on to act as if they had a license. This license was never provided. Now Iraq wants to 'revoke' it? Hmm.

Kucinich. Or, maybe even Ron Paul, even though having another rabid xian in power strikes me as a bad idea. Sorry, but to vote for any government official who hasn't actually come out as fully anti-war is simply irresponsible and immoral, to my view.

At least the BBC is covering this story.

Hexpane wrote:congress has no balls
what are WE going to do about it?

By Hexpane

This photo is like one of them optical illusions.

It's funny - then you think it might be real and it's not funny - but they could be just messing about pulling funny faces so it's funny again - but maybe it's real and it's not funny again etc etc



The subject of this thread is not fucking funny.

Rick Reuben wrote:For the "What Can We Do?" file- Harper's is calling for a general strike on November 6th, and now Daily Kos is running with it.

I haven't read the full article, but the part you posted is great. The general strike sound like a good idea too, it seems like the best opportunity so far, and the most organized (in that it's even been proposed), to show mass dissatisfaction for the administration and their complete lack of integrity. I hope it is pulled off by enough people, and pulled off well. At this point apathy and cynicism could do more harm than good to a proposal like that, so I'll remain optimistic.

I have another idea, not so much something specific to do, but rather a change in method: silent protests. Mass demonstrations seem to be largely ignored by the media, or only noted for their more "spectacular" elements. I think the media and the establishment has seen enough self expression and hippiness* in protests that it in no way phases them anymore, and may in fact work against the cause of a protest. The media just has more opportunities to point out the freakish leftists. But a huge, silent protest, without the antics that will allow the media to further paint the protest crowd as a bunch of smelly hippies*, might make an impact. Maybe if a lot of people dress more formally too, suits, or at least office wear--show the powers that be that those opposed to their policies can and do fit in with them. So we get a huge mass of people, silent except for their footsteps, marching in DC or New York or wherever, fairly grim in appearance thanks to all the formality and blacks and grays.

Anyway, anyone have any thoughts on the effectiveness of something like this? I think it could be a powerful and effective symbol, and I think the idea came from the Maclcolm X movie, when everyone is all marching to a jail to have them release someone (haven't seen it for a while and can't get anymore specific than that).

Rick Reuben wrote:
If someone were to suggest, for example, that we begin a general strike on Election Day, November 6, 2007, for the sole purpose of removing this regime from power, how readily and with what well-practiced assurance would you find yourself producing the words “It won’t do any good”? Plausible and even courageous in the mouth of a patient who knows he’s going to die, the sentiment fits equally well in the heart of a citizen-ry that believes it is already dead.

That's writing.[/quote]

I've been writing a book about this (general strike)