Tea Party 4-1-1. Or: Wait, do we have to take this sh*t seriously now?!

So, the long march toward November continues, and it's getting closer and closer to voting time. Today, some links on the Tea Party for those of us who are still a little baffled about how a bunch of whiners and/or flag-waving crazies sponsored by corporate Republican interests have become an actual political movement in this country:

CNN.com's "What is the Tea Party?"

Leo Hindry, Jr. of the Huffington Post explains Tea Party Politics & Economics.

And here's NPR's take on how the Tea Party of today and its namesake.

Missed Connections

There was quite a media stir yesterday about a report released by SAMHSA (the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a federal agency) that found illegal drug use had increased by 60% in 2009.

About 21.8 million Americans, or 8.7 percent of the population age 12 and older, reported using illegal drugs in 2009. That's the highest level since the survey began in 2002. The previous high was just over 20 million in 2006. ... Marijuana use rose by 8 percent and remained the most commonly used drug. ... Other results show a 37 percent increase in ecstasy use and a 60 percent jump in the number of methamphetamine users.

The reports focused in on the marijuana numbers, and all the coverage I heard discussed only one reason for the increase:

"I think all of the attention and the focus of calling marijuana medicine has sent the absolute wrong message to our young people," Kerlikowske [director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy] said in an interview.

Today, another report is circulating the newsrooms. This one, from the Census Bureau reveals (duh) that poverty rose in 2009:

The poverty rate rose to 14.3 percent during 2009 from 13.2 percent the previous year as household income stayed flat and the number of people without health insurance reached its highest level since such data has been collected, the government announced Thursday.

For working age people between 18 and 64, 2009 saw the highest poverty rate -- 12.9 percent -- since 1965.

The overall rate is the highest since 1994. Some poverty watchers had expected the poverty rate to jump as high as 15 percent.

"Today's news is sobering, showing that 2009 was a year with increased poverty and rising numbers of uninsured Americans," said Rebecca Blank, the Commerce Department's undersecretary for economic affairs.

Now, neither of these reports is surprising to me. What IS surprising, or rather, disappointing, is that no one in the mainstream media seems to be drawing ANY connecting lines between these two dots. Does it not seem like maybe, just perhaps, an increased rate of poverty contributed to an increase in illegal drug use (I'm not even going to get into drug policy and the messed-up definitions of "illegal" vs. legal drugs)? Does a possible connection between poverty and despair and millions of uninsured folks and increased self-medication not seem worth investigating or at least pointing out?

It is deeply disappointing that an increase in marijuana use is blamed on the democratic process taking place in the form of discussions of legalization, rather than on the widespread unemployment, hopelessness, and despair of so many in this country.

There was particular concern about marijuana use by young people, and the only young person I heard interviewed was asked about whether he thought the drug is safe, not what leads him or his friends to use it.

This is a classic example of media shaping and spinning two very important issues as completely separate problems to be dealt with by their own agencies, rather than encouraging analysis and thoughtful reflection on society as a whole. At least Obama has approved Elizabeth Warren to play a role in setting up the new Consumer Protection Agency, so someone will be looking out for the poor and middle class!

Stand for justice, stand up to hatred

The talk about the hateful, anti-Muslim, and not-at-all Christian in the sense that Jesus Christ was Christian plan to burn Korans on 9/11/10 has been incensing me all week. I didn't even feel up to writing or talking about it until I read a post on the ACLU's "Blog of Rights" today that included these words of wisdom:

"The Dove World's religiously intolerant book-burning stunt should remind us that constitutional principles protecting their right to protest also protect everyone's right to protest — including the Gainesville community's right to protest Dove World's intolerance.

But defending the right of everyone to advance their point of view by whatever nonviolent methods they choose does not mean we should refrain from condemning the objectives of the protest. Bigotry should be condemned for what it is."

The media has been focusing on the either-or again, trying to convince us that we have a black-and-white choice when responding to this type of situation: we can either embrace free speech OR condemn hate speech. The ACLU has it right: we can do both. But let's not focus on the free speech acts of the bigots, interviewing this pastor, putting his name a profile on every major news source and turning him into a racist celebrity over night. Let's focus on the free speech acts of the champions of love and equality, like the local activist who just emailed me telling of hisdecision to donate three new Korans to the Raleigh mosque and encouraging me to do the same.

Fear has long been a tactic of anti-equality, anti-democratic people and groups. Race and religion are the easiest targets of that fear. Our media and our communities have got to stand up to it, but not just in a reactionary way that calls more attention to the haters than the lovers. We have to stand up not just TO injustice when it happens, but FOR justice all the time. That's when the true intent of the Constitution, that all are created equal AND have freedom of religion AND have freedom of speech, will come out.

ANOTHER Oil Rig Explosion in the Gulf.

As is apparent from the dates on these posts, I've been slacking a little lately (not on following the news, I promise you, but on blogging about it).

But this is enough to pull me back in.

That's right, folks, as of 10 minutes ago there are reports of another oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico. Another. Oil. Rig. Explosion.

WFAB.com out of Louisiana is reporting that dozens are injured and rescue helicopters are responding.

I thought that the BP spill disaster would be the catalyst for a whole new era of American energy policy, or at least would change the conversation. From where I'm standing, it has not. How many more dirty-energy related tragedies are we going to have to see, experience, pay for, and debate before we get real?

(I saw this cartoon on Campus Progress awhile back and have been thinking on it since.)

WTF Friday: Colorado Edition

Sometimes there's nothing better to say about a news story than "WTF?!" This is one of those times.

This past week, after Colorado racist Republican Tom Tancredo jumped into the CO governor's race (running under the American Constitution Party), Republican candidate Dan Maes reacted by unearthing - gasp - a truly WTF-inspiring smear campaign against Democratic Candidate and current Denver mayor John Hickenlooper.

Maes says that Hickenlooper's support of B-Cycle, a pilot program that provides about 400 bicycles for Denver residents to use for free to travel the city is evidence that he is "converting Denver into a United Nations community," whatever that means. He insists: "This is all very well-disguised, but it will be exposed...This is bigger than it looks on the surface, and it could threaten our personal freedoms."

The Huffington Post says it best: "So, in other words, Dan Maes is deeply, unquenchably crazy."

(going on in Maes' head right now)

Sidenote: Tancredo's entry into the race (which will likely split the conservative vote) combined with Mae's emerging craziness is making things look pretty darn good for Hickenlooper.

Damn Straight! (No Pun Intended)

One of the tough things about being in a targeted (discriminated-against) group is that when law after law takes away your rights or ignores you completely, you get used to disappointment. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the Proposition 8 court decision being handed down today. After the nervous months leading up to the Prop 8 vote in California in 2008, then the months of disappointment when it passed and took away the right of same-sex couples to marry, and then the long, five-month trial and deliberation period when Prop 8 was being challenged, I didn't know what to expect.

I was honestly surprised to hear today that the federal judge hearing the case declared Prop 8 unconstitutional, saying that it violated both the equal protection and due process rights clauses. Combined with the ruling from a Massachusetts judge in July that said that the federal DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act = defines marriage as one penis + one vagina) is unconstitutional, it looks like queer folks' rights are actually on an upswing right now.

No doubt the Prop 8 case will go all the way to the Supreme Court soon, and will have a lengthy deliberation there as well, but the facts and reason have been clearly laid out in this case. (The pro-equality lawyers successfully argued that there is no "rational basis" for preventing same sex couples to marry; see the whole decision here.) We can only hope that love triumphs over hate once again and freedom and equality get a little bit closer to actually being the law of the land.

Ugh, Target. So disappointing.

Today at my Education Coordinator job, I needed to shop for school supplies for about 50 people. After checking in our warehouse for donated and reusable folders, pencils, etc. I realized I'd have to buy new notebooks and additional pocket folders. I will not take money, even my workplace's money, to Walmart, so I settled on Target. I've been avoiding Target lately too, since Inga Muscio opened my eyes to the connections between shopping at big-box stores, including Target, and supporting modern-day slavery.

But, hey, it wasn't Walmart. And I did find some really affordable items that will now ensure that my students have the school supplies they need. I picked up a couple of items out of my own budget while there, too.

Then, I come home to this little gem of information in my email inbox, courtesy of MoveOn.org:

"Target, the retail giant, just became one of the very first companies to take advantage of the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision allowing unlimited corporate cash in elections.
Target has spent over $150,000 in the Minnesota Governor's race backing state Rep. Tom Emmer, a far-right Republican who supports Arizona's draconian immigration law, wants to abolish the minimum wage and even gave money to a fringe group that condoned the execution of gay people. "

Really, Target? Gross. I immediately signed the petition being sent to Target CEO Gregg Steinhafl telling him that I won't shop at Target again until they stop trying to control US Politics by buying elections. Then I just felt icky and sad for spending money there this very day.

While I knew that it was only a matter of time before companies started using their Supreme Court-given "right" to donate unlimited sums of money to political campaigns, but I thought better of Target. I suppose it's only a matter of time before more corporations show their stripes.

News Roundup Thursday 7/22

Hello all, lately it just seems like there's TOO MUCH news to follow. Or maybe that's just me. Just in case you feel this way too, I'm going to try out a new format for some of my posting. Every day or two, look for a News Roundup (better name forthcoming) that will tell you the 3 or 4 things you should know from the daily news.

1. Shirley Sherrod and race today: Shirley Sherrod was fired from her Dept. of Agriculture job earlier this week after a video of her speaking at an NAACP conference was released. The segment that everyone initially focused on has Sherrod saying that many many years ago she helped a white farmer less than she could have because he was acting "superior" to her. She got fired, the NAACP and the White House, among others, condemned her actions, and then...OMG, someone watched the whole tape. Her speech goes on to say that she learned from her relationship with the white farmer. They apparently worked out their differences (he went on record yesterday vouching for Sherrod's excellent work to support his farm) and she wrapped her story by saying "That's when it was revealed to me that the job is about poor, versus those who have. And not so much about white -- it is about white and black, but it's not -- you know, it opened my eyes." The NAACP, the White House, and others then apologized/backpedaled, and as of today Sherrod has been offered a new Dept. of Ag. job but reportedly "is not sure" about taking it. In the meantime, the whole issue is spurring lots of talk about race and the issues around even mentioning race in the political arena.

2. Financial Reform = Law. Yesterday President Obama signed the Financial Reform bill into law. The bill, which of course is weaker than most Progressives would have liked, is still a huge and historic step toward re-regulating Wall Street. Among other things, it:

• established a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to get your back against abusive mortgage and credit card practices.
• created a new council of regulators that will require banks to prepare for and prevent financial crises better in the future.
• limits Wall Street "betting" on hedge funds.
• forces derivatives trading (one of the main factors in the 08-09 meltdown) to be more open and regulated.

3. AZ Anti-Immigrant Law Challenged. Today, an Arizona judge will hear two cases against SB 1070, the recently-passed law that requires the police to racially profile people in Arizona in an effort to catch "illegal" "immigrants." The big one being heard today is U.S. v. Arizona, being brought by the U.S. Justice Department, which calls the law unconstitutional on the grounds that only the Federal government has power over naturalization of citizens. This is going to be one to watch for sure.

Required Reading, Required Thinking

To my faithful (and few, and treasured) readers, I apologize for the long gap in posts this week. I have two good reasons. 1: I have been at my parents' house in the mountains since last Friday, and I am consciously taking a break from my normal non-stop internet-bound life. 2: I am deeply absorbed in reading a book that I hope all of you will seriously consider reading, Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil: My Life and Times in a Racist, Imperialist Society by Inga Muscio (who also penned another book that has changed my life and worldview, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence). It is hereby placed on the Cara Politica Required Reading list, with an asterisk especially for my dear White readers.



I am only on page 16 of the hefty little book, and it has already made me think more about things that really matter than anything I've read this year. I am in the process of grieving (more) for the deeply hurtful racist history of the United States and re-learning the cultural storylines that make up my White identity. I am feeling inspired to push harder and do things differently. I haven't gotten to process it all yet, but you'll hear from me when I do. In the meantime, I'll say it again, please read this book! Thank you so much to Rachel V. for reminding me to read it now.

It's out of print (crime against humanity), so I ordered my copy from Biblio.com, an Asheville-based bookseller and great alternative to Amazon and other far-away shippers for new and used books. Holler at me if you want to discuss further and/or borrow my copy when I'm done!

The Big Everything

I predict that the central question of U.S. politics for the next few decades is going to be "how much control do private corporations have over our government?" Corporate interests have either publicly or covertly been at the heart of the most recent and ongoing debates our country faces: health care, climate change, financial regulation and reform, raising the cap on oil spill liabilities for companies like BP.

You've probably heard already (but no sweat if you haven't heard) about the JanuarySupreme Court decision that allows corporations to spend unlimited amounts of money in political elections. This so-called "corporate personhood" set back the movement toward people-centered, people-owned government. Point, corporations.

Counter-point, people. Recently, the House of Representatives Financial Services Committee passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act out of committee and it's headed to the House and Senate floors soon for a vote.

In a nutshell, this bill could be the big everything of financial reform for the Obama presidency. Here are the highlights:

Consumer Protections with Authority and Independence: Creates a new independent watchdog, housed at the Federal Reserve, with the authority to ensure American consumers get the clear, accurate information they need to shop for mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products, and protect them from hidden fees, abusive terms, and deceptive practices.

Ends Too Big to Fail Bailouts: Ends the possibility that taxpayers will be asked to write a check to bail out financial firms that threaten the economy by: creating a safe way to liquidate failed financial firms; imposing tough new capital and leverage requirements that make it undesirable to get too big; updating the Fed’s authority to allow system-wide support but no longer prop up individual firms; and establishing rigorous standards and supervision to protect the economy and American consumers, investors and businesses.

Advance Warning System: Creates a council to identify and address systemic risks posed by large, complex companies, products, and activities before they threaten the stability of the economy.

Transparency & Accountability for Exotic Instruments: Eliminates loopholes that allow risky and abusive practices to go on unnoticed and unregulated -- including loopholes for over-the- counter derivatives, asset-backed securities, hedge funds, mortgage brokers and payday lenders.

Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance: Provides shareholders with a say on pay and corporate affairs with a non-binding vote on executive compensation and golden parachutes.

Protects Investors:Provides tough new rules for transparency and accountability for credit rating agencies to protect investors and businesses.

Enforces Regulations on the Books: Strengthens oversight and empowers regulators to aggressively pursue financial fraud, conflicts of interest and manipulation of the system that benefits special interests at the expense of American families and businesses.

California also scored points for the people with the recently defeated Propositions 16 and 17. 16, sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric, was an effort to make it very difficult for local governments to create municipal utilities, or community wide clean electricity districts called Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs). Prop 17 would have allowed insurance companies to offer a discount to new customers who have been covered continuously for long time. Opponents argued that what it would really do would be allow insurance companies to hike up rates for new customers who hadn't been insured continuously, i.e. a lot of working poor people. Voters rejected both.

As for me, I'm on the side of the people, and I'll fight for legislation and politicians that are, too. The Dodd-Frank bill has the potential to protect American freedom and democracy in a huge way if it's successful in reining in the power of financial corporations. Stay tuned here for updates!

NC Primaries: Results

Elaine Marshall swept the NC Democratic runoff yesterday, taking almost 60% of the vote. I can't say that I'm surprised, mostly because I know several Marshall supporters and no real Cunningham supporters (just people who say either candidate could be okay).

I CAN say that this makes me feel good about politics in North Carolina. Cal Cunningham was endorsed early on by the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, meaning that Elaine had to raise a lot more money and support from the grassroots level, which she and her campaign did. I also think that this "non-establishment-ness" of Marshall will help her in challenging Richard Burr in November, as will the hearty endorsements of both of her former Dem opponents, Cunningham and Ken Lewis.

On to the general election!

NC Primaries: Runoff edition

Action Alert, North Carolinians!

The NC Senate Democratic runoff election is going on NOW - the last day to vote at a one-stop location is Saturday. You can find your one-stop early voting site here. Else, you'll have to vote next Tuesday, June 22nd.

This one's easy, just one race, two candidates: Elaine Marshall and Cal Cunningham.

As usual, I voted absentee, by mail. See below for the Cara Politica endorsement, then get to the polls!

Rachel Maddow Talks Some Sense

Wow. Just, wow.

I always appreciate Rachel Maddow's analysis of issues, but this just blew me away. Here's Rachel giving her version of what she wishes Obama's Oval Office address on the BP oil spill. Her version actually includes a plan and takes some strong progressive stances on regulation and clean up efforts.

Maddow for president in 2012! Or 2016!

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Yes, I know that at the end of the clip she says she will "never run for anything," but, methinks thou dost protest too much!

Maddow for president in 2012! Or 2016!

I Love a Good Infographic

This one comes courtesy of Talking Points Memo intern Erik Hinton. It's so wonderfully visually informative, but so disgusting. Can't...look...away...

April 23: 200 barrels per day.

April 24: 1000 barrels per day.

April 28: 5000 barrels per day.

May 27: 12,000-19,000 barrels per day.

June 10: 20,000-40,000 barrels per day.

June 15: 35,000-60,000 barrels per day.

'Bout Damn Time

After 8 weeks of oil gushing from the BP well into the Gulf of Mexico, the talk is finally turning to long-term solutions to our country's energy and oil addiction in addition to solutions for the current crisis in the Gulf.

Notice how I said in addition to? Well, some people are conveniently missing that concept when they hear Obama and others talk of clean energy initiatives, saying that our sole focus right now needs to be on spill cleanup and Gulf rehab. We Americans have got to get past this kind of either-or thinking. We don't need to choose between short and long-term solutions, and in fact, if we do choose to only focus on short-term fixes, we're going to be paying for it 100 times over very soon in the form of climate change.

The funny thing is that many of the people who are pushing for cleanup only focus right now are saying that in talking about long-term energy solutions, Obama is politicizing this oil spill for his and his party's gain. In reality, it's those who say that we have to choose, either-or, short or long-term, who are politicizing the debate by making it an issue with two sides. It's simply not helpful to think of our situation as a choice between jobs and environment, between now or the future, between recovery and planning. We have to do it all.

It's time for the U.S. and its leaders to learn to hold more than one priority at a time. The issues that our nation faces right now are too complex to demand that everyone take sides in a fight where we're either all going to win, or we're all going to lose.

Simply Unbelievble

Arizona lawmakers have really gone too far now. As if their racial profiling law of last month was not bad enough, some lawmakers are now saying that they plan to introduce a bill that would deny birth certificates to babies born to illegal immigrants in the state. This is in direct opposition the Constitution's definition of citizenship, i.e. anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen by birth. Children of immigrants, "legal" or not, suffer enough already. Millions of U.S. citizen children of immigrants do not receive the social services they are entitled to, and many live in poverty. This law would also add hospitals to the list of places where immigrants without papers can no longer feel safe. It would mean that when a woman goes into labor, she would have to choose whether to go to the hospital to receive care in delivering her baby, knowing that if she doesn't produce papers, her child will not be a citizen. Will they then deport the woman and the baby after the birth?

Several Democrats from Arizona have already come out in opposition to the law. The way I see things playing out, the coming storm over this bill will be a tipping point in the national discourse about immigration. Either all this talk of "anchor babies" (the derogatory term for a child born to illegal immigrants) will make everyone realize how unfair and destructive this line of lawmaking is, or it will get anti-immigration forces and their allies newly energized to continue pushing their hateful agenda. I hope it's the former, but in a country where we can even talk about laws like these, I'm losing my hope that we can humanely resolve our immigration issues.

WTF Friday: Oil Disaster Edition

WTF is with the linguistic manipulation of this petroleum-based environmental disaster? I'm refusing to use the term "spill." I also got really upset last night when a TV host called the situation a "natural disaster." There's nothing natural about millions of gallons of black, sticky fossil fuel gushing out of a human-made well. See below:

This whole situation is one big WTF, as in WTF was BP thinking with their gross (purposeful?) underestimations of the rate of oil coming out of the well, WTF is wrong with the US regulatory system, and WhyTF isn't there 100 times more public outcry for clean energy after all of this?

I nearly cried at work today looking at these nauseating photos of seabirds covered in oil, struggling to fly, and dead dolphins washed up on beaches. Imagine if we also had photos of every family who's now worried about paying their mortgage or having enough to eat this month because their income is Gulf-based.

And as always, my big question to you: what should we be doing from home, aside from boycotting BP and being legitimately angry? You can donate to the Audubon Society to help rehabilitate some of those poor birds here, and please share potential solutions for long-term Gulf economic and environmental recovery.

Stepping In It

So, here's the latest from Florida politics. And it is messy! If you're not following along in the news, fear not. I'll make this simple. There are 4 main characters here.

It all starts with the Senate primaries.

Charlie Crist (the orange one) Florida's Governor, decided to run for Senate.

He found out he was trailing hopelessly in the polls to this man, Marco Rubio (the "Real Republican" one - you can tell by the flag).

If Crist lost to Rubio in the primaries, he would be knocked out of the election, so in a dicey move Crist switched parties and became an Independent to ensure that he would get to run in the fall.

We've also got Kendrick Meek (the Democratic one) running for FL Senate. According to my FL politico relatives Adam and Gina, he is the favorite of the cool progressives and "has been quietly crossing the state talking to anyone and everyone" but is not very well known.

Stop! Scandal time!

Enter Jim Greer (the white, philandering one), the ex-chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, hand-picked for the position by Crist (the orange one). He was arrested this week for grand theft, fraud, and money laundering. He had already stepped down as chairman amid reports of his using a party credit card for personal expenses such as travel. Not only was this guy hand-picked by Crist, but Crist stood by him even when colleagues begged him to look into Greer's spending. Uh oh.

So now, it appears that Crist (who was narrowly ahead in the polls last week) stands to lose big from his ongoing support of the philandering one, and the big question is, what will all this GOP drama do to "Real Republican" Rubio? And what about the Democratic one? Surely he stands to gain from all the muckraking. The St. Petersburg Times reports:

"Strikingly, there is little indication at this early stage that Democratic candidates in Florida are positioned to take advantage. Given the level of scandal, one would think half a candidate could run against the Florida GOP today and win. Average together recent polls, however, and leading Democrats like gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink and U.S. Senate candidate Kendrick Meek are still trailing."

This is going to be an interesting race, folks. Feel free to cut out the characters for a guide over the coming months, and another big thanks to the Tebrugges for their contributions. Stop back in -we'll keep you updated here!

Required Reading

Please check out this great post today from Mike Lux on OpenLeft, one of my favorite progressive blogs. Based on the idea that progressives value community and compassion, it offers a unique perspective on the ever-more-radical conservative movement in this country and is hereby official Cara Politica required reading.

Mike Lux has the best analysis of what it means to be a "progressive" of anyone I know or have read about. Luckily for me, Mike falls into the "people I know" category. I worked during Summer 2008 at Progressive Strategies, the D.C.-based political consulting firm that Mike founded. I already identified strongly as a progressive when I started interning there, but my time at Progressive Strategies gave me a more concrete understanding of how to put my values into action, how to find out what is going on in the progressive movement (including how and which blogs to read), and how to talk about politics.

Among Mike's many achievements is a book called The Progressive Revolution: How the Best in America Came to Be that outlines progressive principles and tracks the movement through history and into the present day. I'd highly recommend this book to anyone even mildly interested in politics or community change. Bonus: I performed some of the research that is included in the book!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad News?

Friends, we are living in scary times. I admittedly don't keep up with foreign news and politics like I should, but this week, there are problems too big and scary to ignore:

Tensions between North and South Korea are heating up as investigations continue into the sinking of a South Korean ship in March. South Korea says that North Korea is responsible, and is trying to round up allies for taking action against the North. This isn't getting much play in the news now, but any time a nuclear power is agitated, I get worried.

Meanwhile, what IS getting tons of coverage from all angles is the latest in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In a nutshell: Israel has Gaza under blockade, meaning goods can't make it in. Earlier this week, a group of international pro-Palestine organizations and individuals boarded a ship along with some humanitarian aid to challenge the blockade. Israel fired on the ship, several activists died, and now there are verbal missiles being launched in all directions. Pro-Israel opinion holds that the "Gaza Freedom Flotilla" aka the aid ship was deliberately planned to provoke Israel. Pro-Palestine writers say that even if that WAS the main idea, Israel still shouldn't fire on an aid ship and Gaza is suffering. For more, see this, the best article I've read that's short and clear.

And of course, the US has tons of problems stateside. Literally on our own shores, the BP oil spill is almost too revolting to talk about. Reports today say that oil and tar are now reaching Dauphin Island, Alabama, where I played as a kid when visiting relatives. Meanwhile, the Feds are launching a criminal investigation of BP. Hopefully this will shed light on the failures of such a lobbyist-driven, anti-regulation industry.

This past weekend, I got the opportunity to attend a workshop on courageous leadership and diversity. The facilitators brought up the idea that we are living in one of the most crucial times in human history, one of the times that human actions will have the largest ramifications, good or bad. Thus, it's vital that we produce the courageous leadership that will tip the scales toward the good, meaning good for all of humanity. I believe this, but it's daunting to think about. When faced with such big problems, where do we start? I know that moving past the fear is key, and so is talking about this stuff. What next?

WTF Thursday

Since I don't anticipate being able to blog tomorrow (regularly scheduled WTF Friday), I'm officially declaring this WTF Thursday.

John McCain (you remember him, right? the let's-work-together, I-love-the-military, Mr. Bipartisanship of 2008?) is saying that he will "without a doubt" support a filibuster blocking the entire defense budget to stop the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. What is this man's problem?

He is also apparently asking the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines to oppose the bill, even though Obama and the Defense Secretary support it.

This is Right-Wing Hatred and Obstructionism at its worst. Honestly, holding up the bill that funds protective gear for our men and women in combat, security at our airports, and oh yeah, those borders that the right is up in arms about, just in order to keep LGBT folks in the closet a little longer.

Gross.

Thanks to the Courage Campaign for this breaking story.

Don't Ask Don't Tell Repeal Vote Possible

Big news on the Don't Ask Don't Tell front: Congress could vote to repeal it TODAY! NPR reported this morning that there should be no trouble in the House, the Senate will be tougher, but sponsors are confident that the repeal will pass.

In a compromise with military leaders, the bill says that the military can take as long as it wants to implement the repeal, but even so, a vote today rather than in December (when some want to push this off till) is big news.

If you've got an extra 30 seconds today (come on, who doesn't?) call your Senators. You can reach anyone in Congress by calling the capital switchboard at (202)224-3121 and asking for them by name.

More updates later if and when the vote happens.

Primaries 2010: Progressives Win Big Edition

There's so much talk flying around about last night's primaries that I would be remiss if I didn't add my $0.02.

The main theme of the headlines is "Establishment loses big," "Dem and GOP Incumbents Go Down." This is true, but I agree with what Cenk Uygur (commentator on The Young Turks, a spectacular progressive internet talk show) says: the establishment lost, but Progressives won. Who cares about losses by "Establishment" Democratic candidates who are so far from progressive, it's hard to even claim them as Dems? Their losses are a win for the party. It seems to me that Democrats are working to use their voice as a party and are willing to fire candidates who aren't representing the party's values and goals, and from where I'm standing, that's a very good sign.

On to the results roundup:

Pretend-Democrat Arlen Specter is out in Pennsylvania, replaced by Joe Sestak. Anti-Progressive "Democrat" Blanche Lincoln faces a runoff in Arkansas, and the AFL-CIO, for one, says the runoff will not be a problem for challenger Bill Halter. Back to Pennsylvania, where Democrats will hold on to the late Representative John Murtha's seat, won by Mark Critz in a special election last night.

Not quite the "Republican Sweep" that the GOP had talked up, eh? Well, a sweep maybe, but not in the direction they had hoped.

And finally, in a follow-up to the NC primaries and now runoff, third-place candidate Ken Lewis is endorsing Elaine Marshall. This is great for the Marshall campaign, as Lewis brings a nice chunk of votes from the Triangle area. The main focus of the Marshall campaign should now, I think, be getting out the vote on June 22 so that we can defeat Burr soundly.

And by the way, my favorite place to track polling, primary results, and general elections-specific news is the Swing State Project. Check out their post about yesterday's primaries for more detailed results and analysis, but if you're not into that sort of thing, no worries. You can always check back here for more quick and dirty distilled politics.

Misery & Co.

Apparently we live in a world in which the Huffington Post has its very own Real Misery Index. It measures Americans' relative economic woe at any given point in time using unemployment numbers, housing prices, inflation rates for essentials, credit card lateness stats, and some other stuff.

The latest from the Index shows that economic misery is still increasing, mostly due to unemployment and UNDERemployment (people being forced by job scarcity to work fewer hours than they need to or at a lower salary level than they are qualified for). However, the stock market is steadily climbing its way up, leading most media sources to report a slow-but-sure end to the recession. What these numbers suggest, however, is the end of the recession for some in certain sectors while others stay miserable, poor, and jobless. HuffPo calls this effect a "two-tier economy" which is decidedly NOT a good thing.

This handy graphic illustrates the situation. The red line is the Dow Jones Industrial Average, climbing, climbing up. A good thing, if you're an investor or a CEO. The blue line is the Real Misery Index, also climbing, climbing (except last December, when we got a bit of a break). A bad thing, if you're most of America. (The Real Misery Index is better, ie less miserable, when lower.)



As the NC legislature comes back into session, I can only hope that they (and lawmakers around the country) do not abandon job-creation and stabilization efforts just because some measures of economic well-being are up. A job seeker myself, I can speak to the lack of well-paying jobs in the metro area of the Triangle. I can only imagine what rural NC is like for un- and underemployed folks right now. We've got to keep the pressure on for reform and support for everyone, not just the top tier.

Boycott Arizona Businesses: the promised list

As promised, here is a list of AZ-based businesses that you can boycott in protest of AB1070, the immigration law. I love that the Grand Canyon is listed as its own business. I hate that I have patronized at least 3 of these in the past month.

I think that to have even more of an impact, I am going to let the businesses I boycott know that I'm boycotting, and why. When I don't go to Petsmart for my next bag of puppy food, I won't just be taking about $15 out of their profits (which is easy to miss), I'll be sending them a letter and/or email that tells why and promises to return my business once the company speaks out publicly against the law. Hopefully this will be harder to overlook, especially if more people than me do it.


Thanks to Denver-based Padres Unidos, Jovenes Unidos for the list!

2011 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Location: Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ

Apollo Group (University of Phoenix). Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona Diamondbacks, Location: Phoenix, Arizona

Best Western International, Inc., Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Cold Stone Creamery. Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

CSK Auto (Checker Auto Parts, Schucks Auto Supply, Kragen Auto Parts, Murray's Discount Auto Stores), Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Dial Corporation, Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

Discount Tire Company (America's Tire Company). Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

Go Daddy. Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

Grand Canyon

Mesa Air Group (Mesa Airlines, Go!, Freedom Airlines). Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

P. F. Chang's China Bistro. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

PetSmart. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Sky Mall, Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

Taser International, Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona

U-Haul. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona

US Airways. Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona

Miscellany

I haven't been able to put my thoughts on any one subject into readable form for almost a week, so I thought I would give a quick list of topics that have been on my mind and radar screen this week. What's been on yours?

• Boycotting Arizona. I like the overwhelming nationwide response to the AZ immigration law. Apparently hotels and other tourist industries are worried, and several major US cities are calling on their citizens to collectively join the boycott. Forthcoming: a list of AZ-based businesses for those of us who don't have any fancy Grand Canyon vacations to cancel.

• Drugs in pop music. The newest Ke$ha song/headache "Your Love is My Drug" is filled with not-original substance abuse references as analogies for an obsessive relationship. Again, this is not new, but this song catches my ear every time I hear it, and every time I get a little bit upset. I've always struggled with how and where to draw the line between free speech and destructive culture. I'm upset by this song in particular because I work at a rehab community of recovering substance abusers, and I think what it must be like when they inevitably hear the line "keep it up like a lovesick crackhead."
  

• NC Primaries. Turnout was terrible as usual, but Elaine Marshall was the front runner, if not the official "winner" of the Senate race. She will now face off against Cal Cunningham in a runoff in June. In not-so-great news, progressive, young judge Leto Copely was soundly defeated by not one, but two uber-Conservative judges.
  

• Job searching in a down economy. As you probably know, I am currently completing a fellowship-type position that ends June 30. Thus, I have started my job search with the goal of being unemployed for as little time as possible. What a great way to really feel the recession. There are some jobs out there, if you're a certified child care worker or a certified nurse assistant. I'm not a certified anything, but I do have a bachelor's in public policy. Also, most waitstaff/kitchen/driver/general labor positions ask for at least two years experience! This is going to be a tough one. Stay tuned for updates and insights into the world of jobseeking 2010, and if you have any leads for me, let me know.
  

Legalizing Racism

In case you're not already outraged by the heinous bill passed in Arizona earlier this week, here's a recap:

AZ state legislature passed a bill that makes it a state crime to be an "illegal immigrant" in Arizona and gives the police the power and responsibility to question anyone who looks "reasonably suspicious" and ask to see their documentation papers. Translation : brown people might be illegal, so it's okay to pull them over and demand proof that they're not. But don't worry, it's not just because someone's brown that they might be "illegal," as California Republican Representative Brian Bilbray explains: "They will look at the kind of dress you wear, there is a different type of attire, there is a different type of -- right down to the shoes, right down to the clothes." Whew, am I relieved! It won't just be racial, but class-based and culture-based profiling too!

Cartoon from Campus Progress

Two not-white friends of mine have experienced racial profiling by the police IN THE PAST WEEK here in NC. It disgusts and terrifies me that as a white person, I will never be pulled over or stopped on the street just because of my color, but my partner might, because she's (gasp!) brown. This is a slippery-slope bill that, if signed into law, will legalize racial and class-based profiling, violate the civil rights of millions, and breed race- and color-based hatred.

President Obama finally weighed in on the bill today, taking a stance against it. While ironically attending a naturalization ceremony for several "illegal" US SOLDIERS, Obama said that the law would "threaten to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans." Yup.

In an email I got from Traction (an awesome progressive young folks' group in Durham) today, a friend writes:

Tal vez pensamos, "O, eso a mi no me afecta." Tal vez no nos damos cuenta que SI nos afecta, porque cuando le niegan los derechos humanos a un pequen~o grupo de gente solo poorque lucen diferentes, es solo el principio. Si no actuamos, despues nos tocara a nosotros.

[Maybe we think, "Oh, that doesn't affect me." Maybe we don't realize that it DOES affect us, because when human rights are denied to a small group of people just because they look different, that's only the beginning. If we don't act now, it will be our turn next.]

These words really rang true to me, and prompted me to action. If we allow police to demand papers from brown people with "illegal immigrant shoes" today, what will we allow tomorrow? Requiring a proof-of-straightness test before adopting a child? "Suspicious" and "Non-suspicious" lines at the airport?

At this point, the AZ bill has been passed by the state legislature and is on the desk of the governor, who can either sign it, veto it, or let it pass into law unsigned. I emailed her today to urge her to veto this racist, rights-denying bill. It's not too late to add your voice to the opposition here: http://presente.org/ref/ad/31/campaigns/arizona

UPDATE 4:40 PM: Arizona Governor Jan Brewer says she will sign the bill into law. Guess we can look forward to hearing from the ACLU soon.

WTF Friday

Pennsylvania state Representative Babette Josephs accused her primary challenger, Gregg Kravitz of faking bisexuality to gain votes. She said “I outed him as a straight person.”

Who knew that being queer was a political plus these days?

Primaries 2010: Early Voting and Senate Endorsement

I had the pleasure this past weekend of voting in my hometown, I mean physically IN town, for the very first time. I've had to vote absentee since I turned 18 and went to college, so actually getting to walk into a polling place and use the touch screens to vote in the Democratic primaries was exciting. Getting the sticker for once was great, too.

I was really happy at the number of people who were voting early in my small hometown. It was the first Saturday of NC One-Stop Voting, and while there was no waiting, there were about 7 people voting when I was, and 4 more were coming in as I left. The woman signing people in said there had been a steady flow all day. Not bad for a county of 37,000.

The candidate I was most excited to vote for, by far, was Elaine Marshall for U.S. Senate. She's currently running in the Democratic primary to replace Richard Burr, who FireDogLake calls "the most endangered sitting Senate Republican" and who is, in my opinion, a terrible representative of NC's interests. He is pro-big business, anti-health reform, anti-choice, anti-immigrant...the list goes on.

As the current NC Secretary of State and former state senator, Elaine Marshall has a reputation for being fair, energetic, and down-to-earth. She has continued to run a strong campaign even after the national Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee chose to endorse another candidate, Cal Cunningham, and after losing her husband late last year. She is committed to advocating for the just treatment of all Americans, and is strongly pro-woman and pro-civil rights, leading her to land an endorsement from one of my favorite bloggers and activists, Pam Spaulding at Pam's House Blend. It's exciting to see a North Carolina "purple state" candidate declare her opposition to the Defense of Marriage act and support of the Employee Non-Discrimination Act on her website. Further proof that we're moving in a good direction for civil rights for everyone.

I am adding my name to the long list of people who support Elaine Marshall. Please check out her website and get to know her. And most importantly, please vote! In NC, look here for a One-Stop Voting site, where you can register and vote all at once. Early voting continues through Saturday, May 1st and the primary is on May 4th!

Census 2010. Do it now!

Mmmmkay, folks. Who hasn't mailed their census back? Really? C'mon.

I have to confess, I LOVE the Census. I think it's an amazing undertaking, and the idea of getting even just a little bit of info on everyone in this entire country has always been intriguing to me. I remember during Census 2000, I still lived at home with my parents and I hounded them constantly about how important the Census was. I watched with glee when they finally filled it out - even a section just about ME! I counted!

Now, obviously, like all American endeavors, the Census is not perfect. This year's race section is particularly confusing and offensive. What to do if you are a Latin@ who identifies as neither "Black" nor "White" but just Latin@? The use of the word "Negro" and "American Indian" are certainly not welcome by most people. I'm glad to see so many Asian nationalities listed and honored for their unique cultures, but then what do people of an African nationality do? "African" as a generalized term is not even offered.

Even so, the Census is important, and they're trying to improve. This year, for the first time, folks like me living with an "unmarried partner" (read: gaymos in stable relationships co-habitatin') were acknowledged. It felt really good to watch my partner check those boxes for us. (Me! I counted!) I can't wait to see the numbers on how many of us there are making happy homes together. That's our Census envelope in the photo above. We sealed it with a sticker from CREDO Mobile and the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force that asks the Census Bureau to start allowing people to identify as LGBTQ/Ally and demands that we "Queer the Census!"

As you've hopefully already heard, the Census is an important tool in our democracy because it:
#1 Determines Federal funding amounts for your area for transportation, housing, and the rest of what the government does.
#2 Determines how many representatives your state gets in Congress.
#3 Gives an accurate picture of what the US looks like. For example, are "minorities" really in the minority? Perhaps not...

It's #3 that scares the crap out of right wing tea partiers like Glenn Beck (see Colbert explain below), and they're calling for "real patriots" to refuse to fill out the Census. But, here's the catch - see #2, above. Tea partiers not getting counted in the Census = tea partiers not being counted for congressional redistricting. Fine! But for this to work, the rest of us have to participate.

You have three more days to get counted! Mail in that form by Friday or a Census Taker might come a-knockin. And I'm sure you'll agree, we have other things we could spend those tax dollars on.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
United States Census 2010
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News

Denied

And squash goes my dream of Justice Clinton. The White House is now saying that Obama "thinks Secretary Clinton is doing an excellent job as Secretary of State and wants her to remain in that position." That's what she said.

So no robes yet. Maybe when Ginsburg (unfortunately) retires?

Anyway, thanks for the 15 minutes of excitement.

I love predictions, especially when they involve my favorite Clinton

What time is it? Time for another Supreme Court nomination / confirmation smackdown!

During the 2008 presidential election, one of the many many issues at stake that didn't get enough attention was the Supreme Court. It was common knowledge that the new president would get to nominate at least 1, and maybe as many as 3, lifetime justices. Justice Sonia Sotomayor's presence on the Court is Reason Number 759 that I'm glad Obama won.

Now that Justice John Paul Stevens has officially announced his retirement, the speculating has begun on Obama's next nomination.

Not to brag overly much, but after Obama clinched the Dem nomination for president and before he chose Biden as a running mate, a co-worker and I totally predicted that Hillary would not be the VP choice, but would be an Obama Supreme. I then proceeded to think about how only Hill could make those robes look sexy. Now the Senate has finally caught up. Senator Orrin Hatch said today that he heard Hillary Clinton's name circulating as a possible nominee.

Look at this hot young Yale Law student!

Whether or not it turns out to be true, this was a great quote from the article:

'Hatch wouldn't say whether he'd support Clinton. But he did say "I like Hillary Rodham Clinton" and said he thinks she's done a good job for Democrats. Leahy, a Vermont Democrat, retorted: "I think she's done a good job for the country, not just for Democrats."'

That's right, Leahy.

Mourning Miners and Mountains

Cross-posted at The Art of the Zen Blog. Thanks, Vicki!

The news this week of the deadliest coal mining accident in two decades, which left 25 (maybe 31) dead in Raleigh County West Virginia, has upset me more than any other news story in a long time. In fact, I started writing this post on Tuesday, but haven't been able to finish it until now because I was so angry and outraged that I had to take a break to re-center.

Disasters like this one, that stem directly from human enterprises gone awry, provoke in me a kind of sickness and anger that’s totally different from what I feel in a natural disaster. This tragedy was preventable, and I mean that on at least two distinct levels. The accident itself was preventable, and should never have happened, because inspectors had cited this mine hundreds of times for safety violations and recommended that changes be made. Time will tell whether and what price Massey Energy pays for their corporate greed-fueled negligence.

But, bigger than that isolated incident, the whole situation, in which Appalachian workers are underground stripping out coal year after year risking their lives in a landmine of flammable gas, is preventable as well. Coal power and coal companies are destructive to the Appalachian environment, removing mountaintops and destroying entire ecosystems with one blast of dynamite that rips open a mountain for the coal inside. Appalachian Voices, a Boone, NC organization calls mountaintop removal mining "one of the greatest environmental and human rights catastrophes in American history."

What's wrong with this picture?

It's pretty obvious why blowing a mountain sky-high is an environmental catastrophe (in the northwest corner of Raleigh County WV, there is a 50 square mile area where all but ONE mountain have been destroyed). As a mountain-raised woman, the Appalachian mountains are at the center of my family's history and of my own spiritual source, and the attacks on this sacred space make me nauseous. But the human rights side of this issue cannot be ignored. The coal industry is inherently destructive to the communities where they work, keeping workers poor, isolated, and powerless. They leave residents no other choice than to be tied to the coal company for their livelihood, and when they've stripped one area of coal, they move on, often displacing entire mountain communities for the sake of what lies beneath. Appalachian coal mining communities are some of the most desperately poor in our nation, but the coal companies that run them have some of the largest lobbying staffs on Capitol Hill (here's just one). It’s disgusting.

What’s even more disgusting is that we’re all part of the system as well. If you get your energy from Duke Energy or Progress Energy (like most of NC), you’re using Appalachian coal from Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky, and directly using the products of dangerous mines and mountaintop removal mining. For a wake-up call on how you, yes YOU are feeding this system, enter your zip code here and see your connection.

Right now, I'm at a loss for what exactly to do to challenge the deeply disturbing system of environmental and community destruction that's ravaging my homeland. It's a grim situation, made all the more real by the folks who lost their lives this week.

According to the Action page at ilovemountains.org, the EPA has just passed some water quality standards that will challenge some mountaintop removal practices. There's a climate bill that just maybe might make its imperfect way through Congress this year. We've got to voice our outrage at unjust practices and urge Congress, the EPA, and other agencies to take action. Closer to home, for a few bucks a month, you can vote with your dollars and purchase NC GreenPower blocks and buy energy that doesn't come from coal sources. And, as Kilowatt Ours producer Jeff Barrie shows, talking to others about the horrors of our energy situation is always a good starting point.

Below are some other good starting points. Let me know what you're thinking about all of this, and what you think should be done to move forward as a region and a nation on these issues.

coalriverwind.org

kilowattours.org

appvoices.org

ilovemountains.org

ncgreenpower.org