Yesterday felt like a gut punch.

First, hearing the empty promises and baseless rhetoric of our unelected leader. Second, the failure of Oregon to support Measure 28.

As native Oregonian and United States citizen, I am appalled at the ignorance and irresponsible actions that are taking place in our presence. We live in the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world, and yet we cannot scrape together the money to effectively and equitably educate our children. The Bush administration has billions of dollars to finance a wartime foreign policy, but yet our homeless population is growing to epic proportions. Our pResident is lobbying for billions in tax cuts for the rich, while millions of Americans go unemployed and are often without basic health care.

Where are our priorities?

I don't like taxes, but if people will go homeless or hungry based on how I vote....there is no choice. Some say that Oregon needs to tighten it's belt, but what it really needs is a more effective method of taxation that helps out the lower and middle class....the groups that spend most of their money supporting the system. Measure 28 would have helped people within those two groups, but now it only serves as a reminder of the great weight they will bear as a result of its defeat....the chains of poverty, fear, hunger and homelessness.

On the national level, we are being led by an administration seeking an agenda that caters to the powerful and wealthy. Most of them want war/war profits - and ignore the voices of the people who oppose their views. They and their corporate compatriots rob and steal from honest taxpayers - and often leave state governments holding the bag. It's no wonder we are reeling.

So how do we beat this? How do we fight back?

Get in the streets whenever you can and let your voice be heard.
Call, write or email your state senators, congressmen and locally elected officials.
Spend your money locally - and avoid supporting corporate chains.

And finally....vote your conscience - not your wallet.

Get ready to hear the wind blow...Bush is gearing up to deliver the State of the Union this evening.

Word has it, the themes will be "peace and prosperity", as well as a rally call to Americans for some "great causes".

More like, "Be a good little consumer and get in line. Don't ask questions. You'll be happy with your New World Order....just leave to driving to us."

This is amusing. Bush staffers covered up "Made in China" stamps on boxes with "Made in the U.S.A." for a recent presidential address on the economy.

John Snow, the former CEO of rail conglomerate CSX was presented by Bush for confirmation as Secretary of the Treasury today. In the process, an arrest for DUI was unearthed - along with some child-support issues with an ex-wife. What is it with these old, grouchy-looking white CEOs that Bush keeps digging up for his Cabinet? The White House is looking more and more like corporate HQ every day.

The Bush administration is now saying that they'll keep the Iraqi oil "in trust" for the Iraqi people after Saddam is overthrown.

Right.

Let's talk about the meaning of "in trust". In this case, it probably means we'll set aside some cash for the locals from the oil profits we reap, and we'll establish a "democratic" puppet government that is sympathetic to U.S. interests. Of course, we'll have to leave troops to defend (and possibly expand) the regime - and our claim.

Not a very trustworthy, I would say.

In other news...

Joined the ACLU today - for all the usual reasons.

Wow. That's about all that can be said about January 18th.

Considering the attendance at previous protests, I would have been happy had 10k shown to voice their opinion. As it turned out, organizers are saying that 25,000 marched against the war, making it the largest anti-war protest in Portland history.

Amen.

Here are some photos I took at protest.

In other news....

If you needed any more proof that this "war on terrorism" benefits the Bush family, look no further than Engineered Support Systems. Currently, one of the fastest gaining stocks on the market, ESS is major military contractor (over $20 million in orders in January 2003 alone) that supplies logistics and support equipment. They also happen to have William H.T. Bush on their board of directors.

That's right....the uncle to our pResident is helping run (and profiting from) a company that is directly benefitting from his familys' foreign policy scheme. Conflict of interest anyone? Read Maggie Burns article for all the damning information.

This brings me back to the Carlyle Group, a investment firm with strong ties to aerospace and defense. Currently run by the likes of James Baker III (Chief of Staff for 1st Bush - Secretary of the Treasury under Reagan) and Frank Carlucci (Secretary of Defense under Reagan). These former warmongers will be some of the first to profit when we go to war. Keep your eyes on this company.

And while you're at it, keep tabs on Halliburton (former home to Veep Dick Cheney) as well. When the U.S. needs equipment and materials to build oil pipelines in Iraq, you can be sure they will get the call from George.

Listening to the radio yesterday, I heard a rebroadcast of Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous antiwar speech "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence". As I listened, I was stunned that I had never heard this speech before.

His words resonated down through the years - seeking peace and social reform on an unprecedented level. After calling for an end to aggression in Vietnam, he blasted the United States for its Imperialist stance in other countries - naming Peru, Cambodia, Guatemala and Venezuela. He called for America to become a "person-oriented" society, rather than a "thing-oriented" consumer culture. And finally, he called for a "revolution of values" - in hopes that core priority changes would bring about a long-needed social revolution.

This speech occurred in the years between MLK's seminal civil rights work and his death.....a period of almost three years that is largely ignored in history. Why? Because he had crossed the line - and began to promote social revolution. Despite the many detractors that branded him as unamerican or communist, he continued to hammer away at the root of the problem - until his life was cut short.

Now, I better understand why he was assassinated.
He had become too dangerous.

In other, more pressing news....

Go Hugo! Venezuelan National Guard troops seize a Coca-Cola plant to ease the food shortages caused by the U.S.-sponsored general strikes. Remember? The oil and food suppliers (in the pocket of the United States) are trying to force the people into overthrowing their democratically elected leader. When the people seize back the means of production, things tend to change. It will be interesting if we don't start seeing U.S. combat troops in Venezuela. Since the country is the second largest oil importer to the United States....it makes you wonder.

Everyone make sure to get in the streets and speak out tomorrow! The only way that our leaders will listen, is if the people who pay taxes and elect officials rise up and and say "NO!" to the American Imperialist aggression in Iraq and abroad. Use this opportunity to reject the classist policies that are being handed down from the White House! Recognize and expose the lies that have been sold to the American public from an unelected administration.

The time is NOW.

Great article in the UK Guardian today. Calls the Bush Administrations economic policy what it is - class warfare. Even Mario Cuomo is getting in on the party as well...

Bush's approval ratings are starting to slip as the economy limps along...

Kids are just as likely to be taking anti-depressant meds as adults....to the profit of drug companies and unscrupulous doctors everywhere. Even though no thorough testing has been done on young people and psychotropic drug use, the 'legal' drug pushers continue lobbying for their products.

I weep for the future.

Bush Administration comes out and says it.

Iraq oil will most likely be tapped to help "pay" for occupation expenses if a war happens.

Also...

If you're interested in watching a United States backed foreign coup take place, one need only tune into the ongoing strife in Venezuela.

Here's the lo-down.

The western media has largely missed this story, choosing to focus on the general strike that is taking place - and how the people are suffering under the government of Hugo Chavez.

What U.S. citizens are largely ignorant of is the fact that oil and financial interests (backed by the U.S.) are essentially trying to overthrow a legally elected Labor-friendly candidate. Banks are staging shut-downs and oil companies are capping wells, throwing the country into economic turmoil - in hopes that the military will revolt and overthrow Chavez. In 2002, Chavez was briefly put out of office, but regained power - only to have the pro-business opposition pose a economic shutdown - in its continuing effort to depose Chavez.

The message is simple. The rich and powerful are bent on regaining political power in Venezuela - at the expense of the land and it's peoples. And they are virtually assured to come out ahead one way or the other. If Chavez does not bow to pressure, oil prices will start to climb soon - resulting in a staged and ultimately false oil shortage - whose cost will be passed on to U.S. consumers. Since oil producers control the flow, they will continue to stem production until the government collapses in violent revolt, or a Chavez-led military seizes control of the oil/business facilities from their owners.

Did someone say economic recovery? About a week ago, our fearless leader said that the economy was STRONG and getting STRONGER. Ahem....Mr. Bush.....there are a few retailers who would like to have a word with you.

Also, those jobless folks you claimed to have helped with your recent unemployment extension? You know, the one million Americans who have already exhausted their Federal benefits and are not included in your plan? They are waiting at your door and on your streets - wondering where they will get their next meal. Perhaps you wouldn't mind kicking down the personal financial windfalls that you, your family and your administration will be receiving as result of excluding taxation on corporate stock dividends?

For the first time in U.S.history, it has been ruled that a U.S. citizen can be held without representation if he is deemed an "unlawful combatant". Are rooms being readied for those who oppose war and the Bu$h administration? I guess that depends on how much of a "threat" you are.

This is amusing. Anyone remember those anti-drug ads that accused recreational users with supporting terrorists? The Detroit Project, a nonprofit group seeking to end oil dependence, is turning the idea on its ear, by producing a pair of commercials that link SUV's and oil money with terrorism. Word has it, some television stations are refusing to air the commercials.

In the interest of bolstering the economy, the Bush Administration is lobbying to eliminate taxes on stock dividends. Hmmmm....who is this going to help most? The rich, of course.

The tax cut, which will remove over $300 billion from federal coffers over the next 10 years would increase corporate profits by eliminating the dividend tax, but do little to promote enough investing to help turn things around.

Democratic Senator (Nevada) Harry Reid is calling the tax cut what it is - class war.

More Bush administration maneuvering for the Drug Industry. Bush proposes major changes in Medicare , rather than just adding a prescription drug benefit.

Also in the weird world of legal drug profiteering, corporate pushers are pouring money into the "creation" of a "female sexual dysfunction disease" that they can develop a mass of questionable vanity products.

Back after the seasonal hubbub. Hope everyone had a great break.

Other than the usual walking malfeasance perpetrated by the Bush administration, nobody officially went to war during the break.

Of interest (and virtually unnoticed), was the Bush administrations' elimination of a Labor Department group tasked with tracking mass layoffs from U.S. companies. The service was an accurate and current measuring stick of the economy that often contradicted the Bush Administrations' ascertains that the economy is strong.

Tensions continue to rise in the Middle-East. Last Sunday, U.S. forces bombed a Pakistani border town after a man, dressed as a border guard shot an American soldier. The soldier was not killed - and the administration said it was only pursuing the assailant when it dropped the bombs on Pakistani soil. As a result of the incursion, thousands of Pakistanis are protesting U.S. military presence - and subsequent plans to attack Iraq. Considering that Pakistan is a major staging area for the "war on terrorism" in Afghanistan, this does not bode well for maintaining good relations with the locals.

Whoo.....what a surprise.

If anyone believes that our military presence in the Middle East is going to do anything but harm, they've been lied to. We are in the Gulf to promote our own economic and political interests at the expense of the people and the land. Our continued sponsorship of Israel and military buildup will do nothing but breed hatred toward Americans - and will continue to prompt outbursts of terrorism, both at home and abroad. The Bush administration seems to think that terrorism is something that can be rooted out and extinguished. The truth is that terrorism is perpetual - and often the result of illegal invasion or occupation.

The more "terrorists" you kill, the more you create.

In other news...

Amphetamines, anyone? The U.S. government admits that American fighter pilots who accidentally killed four Canadians during a bombing run were on speed. Next question....since speed is known to impair judgement, do we really want these folks dropping bombs?

Also...

Get ready for the next major anti-war protest on January 18th. For those in Portland, it's being staged in the South Park blocks at 12:30pm.