Tuesday, June 29, 2010
ELENA KAGAN'S JUDICIAL HERO
Elena Kagan: Aharon Barak my judicial hero
Statement made by Obama's Supreme Court candidate in favor of retired Israeli justice draws criticism from Republicans, conservatives. Judge Barak 'may be worst judge on planet,' says critic
Ynet
Published: 06.25.10, 12:33 / Israel News
The New York Times reported Friday morning that Republican and conservative elements have been trying to hurt the chances of US President Barack's Obama's candidate for the Supreme Court, using a statement she made four years ago in favor of retired Israeli Supreme Court President Aharon Barak.
According to the report, in 2006, during her term as dean of Harvard Law School, Elena Kagan introduced Judge Barak during an award ceremony as “my judicial hero.” She added, “He is the judge or justice in my lifetime whom, I think, best represents and has best advanced the values of democracy and human rights, of the rule of law and of justice.
”Kagan’s supporters, however, noted that Judge Barak has also drawn praise from American conservatives, including Justice Antonin Scalia of the Supreme Court, who introduced Judge Barak at an award ceremony in 2007. The Jewish Daily Forward reported that Justice Scalia described Judge Barak as a “judicial pioneer” and said he has “profound respect for the man.”
Even some of Judge Barak’s critics rejected the claims. “Can’t Judge Bork and the rest of Kagan’s opponents find something else — and less bizarre — to attack her with?” asked the Orthodox Union’s Institute of Public Affairs.
The White House explained that Kagan was simply welcoming back a former student; Judge Barak studied at Harvard in the 1960s. But Kagan’s opponents have rolled out Judge Barak — “the other Barack,” as some call him in reference to President Obama — as Exhibit A in the case against her.
Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Thursday called Kagan’s introduction “very troubling” and suggested it “might provide real insight into her approach to the law.”
On Wednesday, Judge Robert Bork, whose own Supreme Court nomination in 1987 resulted in a Senate vote against confirmation, said Judge Barak “may be the worst judge on the planet, the most activist,” and argued that Kagan’s admiration for him is “disqualifying in and of itself.”
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Where Did All The Commies Go?
Since a few years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, after the warm-glow of what we all thought was the death of the Communist beast had worn off, I wondered ... "what happened to all the Communists in Europe, in American, all around the world?" As time progressed and I learned more and more about the so-called "environmental movement" and payed closer attention to the labor unions and leftist politics in our country, the more likely it seemed to me that the new home of Communism, although it really wasn't "new", just my awareness, was the extreme environmental movement and the labor movement.
No, not that all those who want to save a baby seal or breath clean air, after all, don't we all? ... but the really crazy ones, the ones who advocate a return to 13th century living as the only way to save the baby seals and the air we breath. And, not all those who still see a value in "organizing" for the betterment of the "working man" but rather a large majority of their leadership. All it takes is a cursory search for what they say and way they advocate. It's not hidden. It's not a secret. It's not that they advocate for the destruction of the Capitalist system and the American Republic under our Constitution under the cover of darkness or in secret meetings in basements. The openly say what they believe and those statements are all over the Internet for those who care.
The biggest problem we face as those who sorta enjoy living in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" is that we've been sitting on our fat butts for the last 100 years thinking that despite the bumper stickers and what our grandfathers and in some cases fathers told us, "Freedom isn't Free". If you care, take a few minutes when you have them and read the little bit of info here and visit the links. From there, you can continue to read and see what is happening in our country today.
Maybe with a little extra digging, you may find a few rather disturbing connections ... any highlights are mine ...
U.S. Communists plan 29th convention, call to action
Print Email to a Friend
by: JOHN RUMMEL
january 25 2010
The Communist Party USA is making plans for its 29th National Convention to be held the weekend of May 21-23 at its national headquarters in New York City.
The convention takes place at what has the potential to be a turning point in the history of our nation. Whether or not that turning point is reached, and the hopes of the 2008 elections are fulfilled, will depend on the building of a broad progressive labor-led democratic movement able to defeat Republican obstructionism and the far-right forces of reaction.
Thus this cannot be an ordinary convention. The four months between now and the convention will see a flurry of activity by the party involving both discussion and action whose goal is to help build such a movement.
New technology including use of video and teleconferences will make it easier to have a very inclusive convention discussion. Not just the written word but the spoken word will be part of our pre-convention discussion, making it easier for all members and friends to participate.
The kickoff took place with a splash last Thursday, January 21, with a nationwide live streaming web presentation by the party's national chair, Sam Webb, of our main convention discussion document, "No easy road to the future - but we'll get there," followed by a lively question and answer session. The web broadcast is available at cpusa.org.
The main discussion document is a call to build a far-reaching, labor-led coalition for jobs, peace and equality, to win progressive reforms from health care to immigrant rights.
In particular it is a call to action on the economic crisis. Our pre-convention period is occurring during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and the party feels its documents and discussions must be turned into action.
Working to build the national the Jobs 4 America Now (see below) campaign being organized by labor, civil rights and democratic organizations is seen as a priority.
The document is also a call to expand the Communist Party and Young Communist League, organizations committed to building the widest possible unity for democratic and socialist change.
The next Communist Party USA live web presentation will be in February. It will feature the party's vice-chair, Jarvis Tyner, on African American equality. In March, Scott Marshal, the party's Labor Commission chair, will lead a discussion on the fight for jobs. The web events are open to all who wish to participate. Membership in the Communist Party is not a requirement.
Other discussions and documents are being prepared, such as a recent submission by our commission on religion. Discussions are also being organized throughout the country. For more information, contact cpusa@cpusa.org
In addition to workshops and plenary sessions on a range of topics, the May convention will review the party's work and policy and elect new leadership.
The convention will be an exciting affair with an evening cultural celebration and rally, greetings from elected officials, labor and other mass leaders and a multimedia celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party.
Over 200 delegates and guests from Alaska to Maine and from Texas to North Dakota are expected.
Discussion documents are available on the party's web site. A printed booklet with Spanish translation will be ready by February.
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/
The following is from the "call to action" page on the web-site, www.jobs4americanow.org. Link follows:
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/
Participating organizations
About us
A list of national organizations participating in this coalition are listed below. To get in contact with us, emailinfo@jobs4americanow.org.
Participating national organizations
5MillionGreenJobs.org
AFL-CIO
African American Ministers In Action
AFSCME
American Rights at Work
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Americans United for Change
Blue Green Alliance
Campaign for America’s Future
Center for Community Change
Center for Law and Social Policy
Change to Win
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Demos
Direct Care Alliance
Economic Justice Coalition
Economic Policy Institute
Every Child Matters Education Fund
Food Research and Action Center
Half in Ten Campaign
Hispanic Federation
Inequality and the Common Good Program of the Institute for Policy Studies
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Interfaith Worker Justice
Japanese American Citizens League
Jobs with Justice
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Legal Momentum
NAACP
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for State Community Services Programs
National Association of Social Workers
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of La Raza
National Council on Aging
National Employment Law Project
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Priorities Project
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
A New Way Forward
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
ProgressNOW
Project Community, Inc.
SCLC
SEIU
Student Association for Voter Empowerment
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United for a Fair Economy
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Neighborhood Centers of America
United States Student Association
USAction
Wider Opportunities for Women
WiLL-Women Legislators’ Lobby
Women’s Action for New Directions
The Workforce Alliance
Working America
YouthBuild USA
Organizations current as of May 12, 2010
From the The Communist Party USA web-site: http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/8248/
The Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in Congress on March 5th. The struggle to pass it will be huge and all hands on deck will be required to pass it.
PoliticalAffairs.net and the People's Weekly World are in the campaign to win passage of the bill. Check back for regular updates on the struggle as well as for analysis of the bill, the right-wing media's bias against it, and the corporate interests that have collected huge piles of cash to try to defeat it.
We will update this resource list in the days and weeks to come, as the battle to win democracy in the workplace develops.
Please share these resources with your friends.
the following is from the same www.jobs4americanow.org ... golly, weren't these the same demands of many members of the Progressive Caucus in congress? You know that it was ...
JAN Press Conference to Demand Restoration of Unemployment Benefits, Pass Tax Extenders Bill
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 10, 2010
Contact: Germonique R. Ulmer, 202.339.9331; gulmer@communitychange.org
Jobs for America Now Brings Unemployed Workers to Capitol Hill to Demand Restoration of Critical Unemployment Benefits, Pass Tax Extenders Bill
Who: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alan Charney, campaign manager, Jobs for America Now Campaign, and unemployed workers.
What: Press conference on the future of our nation’s job security and vital unemployment benefits
When: TODAY!! Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. EST
Where: U.S. Capitol Room S-115
Washington – One week after the House failed to include and extend critical unemployment benefits in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, the Senate has an opportunity to fix the bill and finish the job by passing it. For the millions of unemployed Americans unable to find the jobs they so desperately need, unemployment benefits are critical to their survival and that of their families’.
Key senators in the debate will be joined by unemployed workers who will share their personal stories of how they will be impacted if the Senate does not take a final vote on this important legislation. Of particular concern is the restoration of the COBRA subsidy that was stripped out in the House version and that would allow unemployed Americans to maintain private insurance. Without this important benefit, millions of unemployed workers, through no fault of their own, would have no insurance and have no choice but to depend on public care.
This bill includes other key benefits to our economic recovery including FMAP that would provide higher Medicaid reimbursements to states, providing much needed fiscal relief and preserving jobs, TANF ECF and summer jobs. Congress must listen to the voices of the American people, pass this bill and keep unemployment benefits in place for the long haul. The tax extenders bill is just a beginning, Congress must also move forward with robust jobs legislation to directly create jobs in communities and get us on a road to economic recovery.
##
The Jobs for America Now coalition is a nationwide campaign of more than 60 groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org.
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/jan-press-conference-to-demand-restoration-of-unemployment-benefits-pass-tax-extenders-bill/
Here is a bit more info on the jobs4americanow group.Oddly enough, there appears to be a connection to George Soros. Imagine that...
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/jobs-for-america-now-new-soros-front
From the CPUSA.org webiste ...
Obama State of the Union: He got the ball rolling
January 29 2010
In some ways last night's State of the Union address by President Obama was a virtuoso performance. There were stirring moments, memorable turns of phrase, humor, a defense of activist government, and proposals that will be welcomed, and surely help, millions of people in need.
With the scent of Massachusetts still in the air, the president reasserted his reform agenda and took the fight to the party of obstruction. In polite, nuanced but forceful terms, he chastised the Republican Party.
In powerful oratory, he challenged some of the main ideological talking points of right-wing extremism, reminded everyone that he inherited record deficits and an unprecedented economic mess, and defended the stimulus bill and other recovery measures, including, and unfortunately the unconditional bank bailouts.
One of the high points of the evening was when the president called out the right-wing (and maybe worse) dominated Supreme Court whose members were sitting directly in front of him for their recent decision saying it's OK for corporations to throw money into the election process.
One of the low points was his defense of the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and his threatening tone toward Iran and other "adversaries."
Overall, I'd say that if the leaders of the "Party of No" came into the legislative chamber last night with wind in their sails, they left with their sails trimmed and a dour look on their faces. The evening for them turned out to be a "bummer."
They had hoped to hear President Obama repeat what President Clinton said in his State of the Union address in 1994: "The era of big government is over." But the president disappointed them.
While the broad people's coalition that elected him will not, I'm sure, be entirely happy with the president's speech, all signs are that his fighting tone ("I will not quit"), his focus on the economy, his defense of democratic rights (civil, labor, women, immigrant, gay and lesbian), his insistence on financial reform, and his policy initiatives outlined in the speech, including a health care bill, will reenergize this coalition, which, as of late, has been understandably dismayed by the pace and depth of change.
But this new energy will quickly dissipate if the White House and congressional Democrats go back to ignoring the rumbling from below and bending over backwards to satisfy Republicans and conservatives in their own party.
Working people expect them to draw a line in the sand, show more partisanship, push the legislative process, and tenaciously fight for the American people. If the Republicans obstruct and filibuster so be it. At least everybody will know who is blocking legislative measures that would ease the economic crisis when they go to the polls this fall.
But as good as many parts of Obama's speech were, it didn't fully rise in substantive terms to the challenges of our times and this era. The president could have knocked the ball out of the ballpark, but he settled for less. He had a chance to make the case for deep-going political, economic and social reform, including radical reform, but he came up short of that.
His speech didn't have the programmatic depth that is objectively necessary at this moment. It took us an important step closer to solving the awful economic mess and relieving the human toll that comes with it, but only a step.
Politics is an art as well as a science. And part of that art includes knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Last night President Obama didn't retreat, but he didn't advance the people's agenda to the degree that was possible and necessary. He roused the nation, but he didn't hit the high note.
We would probably have to go back to Franklin Roosevelt to find a president who has the trust of our nation's multi-racial, multi-national, male-female, young and old working class as President Obama does.
But the people's trust has to be constantly renewed - and on the basis of practical performance, on the basis of systematically fighting for the crying needs of the American people. This president can be a transformative leader (he has that potential in my view), but only if he embraces and fights for a transformative agenda.
That agenda in a full-blown sense has yet to be articulated by him. If President Obama and the Democrats want to hail the private sector as the engine of growth, I wouldn't quibble too much as long as they recognize that the private sector at this moment (big or small business) isn't generating jobs and probably won't for a long time. In these circumstances, only direct and indirect government intervention in the form of a massive public works jobs program, infrastructure repair and renewal, aid for state and local governments, and special measures for the hardest hit communities, and especially communities of racial minorities and immigrants, stands a chance of lowering unemployment in any kind of meaningful way.
In other words, the economy still has to be re-inflated and restructured along democratic, sustainable, nonmilitary, and worker-friendly lines, but the likelihood of the private sector doing that is zero. To a degree, the president is moving in this direction, but the pace and nature of the economic reforms that he prescribes is far too limited for the scope and depth of this crisis.
One of the serious missteps that he made last night was his call for a freeze on domestic discretionary spending, beginning in 2011. Hopefully the freeze is only a political calculation to ward off the Republican wolves who accuse him of being a "spend and tax" liberal. But in any case, it comes with a price insofar as it entrenches in the public mind that deficit spending is inherently bad and that our budgetary woes are caused by "handouts" to the poor and vulnerable, especially people of color and immigrants - not to mention aid to developing countries.
This is an unmitigated falsehood that ruptures our sense of social solidarity, of connectedness to every other human being. The truth of the matter is that the current budget deficit, as the president said, began during the Bush years as a result of two wars of aggression, mammoth tax breaks to the top income tier, and a bulging military budget.
Fiscal discipline and balanced budgeting are not an article of faith that has to be adhered to no matter what the circumstances. If that were the case, the U.S. and world economy could easily have tumbled into a full-blown depression last year. Capitalism isn't a self-correcting system. Market failure and crisis are as much a reality as sustained economic growth. Vicious and reinforcing contractions of the economy can easily leave an economy stagnating at a far from optimum level or in complete ruin unless they are counteracted by aggressive government action and spending measures. The stimulus and anti-crisis measures of the Obama administration acted as a tourniquet; it stopped the hemorrhaging.
But it didn't heal the wound.
If the president looks to the Depression years he will see more than one Roosevelt. There was the Roosevelt of 1934-1936 and the Roosevelt of 1937. The 1934-1936 Roosevelt had hit a wall as far as his reform efforts were concerned and he was faced with a moment of decision as to how to proceed - should he stay the course, retreat, or enlarge his vision. He chose the latter and thus the New Deal.
Or Obama could look to the 1937 incarnation of Roosevelt who, when seeing a surge of economic activity, decided to cut back on spending and balance the budget, which, as it turned out, was exactly the wrong medicine for an economy in its early stages of recovery.
From President Obama's speech it seems like he hasn't definitively decided which Roosevelt he will emulate, although I believe he leans toward the 1934-1936 Roosevelt. Which is what we need. Admittedly a bold anti-right, anti-corporate course of action won't be easy. The opponents are many and powerful. Resist they will.
Thus to level and tilt the playing field in a progressive/radical direction, the president has to be joined, prodded, and where necessary differed with by the labor-led coalition that elected him. So far it hasn't carried its share of the load; it is not even strong and united enough to enact even the program that the president outlined last night - let alone win more fundamental reforms. Too many of us have been content to watch, offer opinions, criticize, express our frustrations, and feel disappointed in the president.
But aren't we part of the problem too, indeed a big part? An era of reform - and especially radical reforms - combines popular, sustained, and united action from below with new political openings from above. Both are necessary.
Last night the president got the ball rolling, but he didn't roll it far enough or always in the right direction. So now it's our turn to get a lot more players involved, roll the ball further and roll in the direction of economic security, equality, democracy and peace.
http://cpusa.org/obama-state-of-the-union-he-got-the-ball-rolling
Regarding Illegal Immigration from www.politicalaffairsonline.org "Marxist Thought Online". They are working for the "Obama plan" ...
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/9405/
Marxist plans for what your children are taught ... Don’t Burn the Books: Ban the Courses that Use Them http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/9376/1/392/
No, not that all those who want to save a baby seal or breath clean air, after all, don't we all? ... but the really crazy ones, the ones who advocate a return to 13th century living as the only way to save the baby seals and the air we breath. And, not all those who still see a value in "organizing" for the betterment of the "working man" but rather a large majority of their leadership. All it takes is a cursory search for what they say and way they advocate. It's not hidden. It's not a secret. It's not that they advocate for the destruction of the Capitalist system and the American Republic under our Constitution under the cover of darkness or in secret meetings in basements. The openly say what they believe and those statements are all over the Internet for those who care.
The biggest problem we face as those who sorta enjoy living in the "land of the free and the home of the brave" is that we've been sitting on our fat butts for the last 100 years thinking that despite the bumper stickers and what our grandfathers and in some cases fathers told us, "Freedom isn't Free". If you care, take a few minutes when you have them and read the little bit of info here and visit the links. From there, you can continue to read and see what is happening in our country today.
Maybe with a little extra digging, you may find a few rather disturbing connections ... any highlights are mine ...
U.S. Communists plan 29th convention, call to action
Print Email to a Friend
by: JOHN RUMMEL
january 25 2010
The Communist Party USA is making plans for its 29th National Convention to be held the weekend of May 21-23 at its national headquarters in New York City.
The convention takes place at what has the potential to be a turning point in the history of our nation. Whether or not that turning point is reached, and the hopes of the 2008 elections are fulfilled, will depend on the building of a broad progressive labor-led democratic movement able to defeat Republican obstructionism and the far-right forces of reaction.
Thus this cannot be an ordinary convention. The four months between now and the convention will see a flurry of activity by the party involving both discussion and action whose goal is to help build such a movement.
New technology including use of video and teleconferences will make it easier to have a very inclusive convention discussion. Not just the written word but the spoken word will be part of our pre-convention discussion, making it easier for all members and friends to participate.
The kickoff took place with a splash last Thursday, January 21, with a nationwide live streaming web presentation by the party's national chair, Sam Webb, of our main convention discussion document, "No easy road to the future - but we'll get there," followed by a lively question and answer session. The web broadcast is available at cpusa.org.
The main discussion document is a call to build a far-reaching, labor-led coalition for jobs, peace and equality, to win progressive reforms from health care to immigrant rights.
In particular it is a call to action on the economic crisis. Our pre-convention period is occurring during the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression and the party feels its documents and discussions must be turned into action.
Working to build the national the Jobs 4 America Now (see below) campaign being organized by labor, civil rights and democratic organizations is seen as a priority.
The document is also a call to expand the Communist Party and Young Communist League, organizations committed to building the widest possible unity for democratic and socialist change.
The next Communist Party USA live web presentation will be in February. It will feature the party's vice-chair, Jarvis Tyner, on African American equality. In March, Scott Marshal, the party's Labor Commission chair, will lead a discussion on the fight for jobs. The web events are open to all who wish to participate. Membership in the Communist Party is not a requirement.
Other discussions and documents are being prepared, such as a recent submission by our commission on religion. Discussions are also being organized throughout the country. For more information, contact cpusa@cpusa.org
In addition to workshops and plenary sessions on a range of topics, the May convention will review the party's work and policy and elect new leadership.
The convention will be an exciting affair with an evening cultural celebration and rally, greetings from elected officials, labor and other mass leaders and a multimedia celebration of the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party.
Over 200 delegates and guests from Alaska to Maine and from Texas to North Dakota are expected.
Discussion documents are available on the party's web site. A printed booklet with Spanish translation will be ready by February.
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/
The following is from the "call to action" page on the web-site, www.jobs4americanow.org. Link follows:
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/
Participating organizations
About us
A list of national organizations participating in this coalition are listed below. To get in contact with us, emailinfo@jobs4americanow.org.
Participating national organizations
5MillionGreenJobs.org
AFL-CIO
African American Ministers In Action
AFSCME
American Rights at Work
Americans for Democratic Action, Inc.
Americans United for Change
Blue Green Alliance
Campaign for America’s Future
Center for Community Change
Center for Law and Social Policy
Change to Win
Coalition on Human Needs
Community Action Partnership
Demos
Direct Care Alliance
Economic Justice Coalition
Economic Policy Institute
Every Child Matters Education Fund
Food Research and Action Center
Half in Ten Campaign
Hispanic Federation
Inequality and the Common Good Program of the Institute for Policy Studies
Insight Center for Community Economic Development
Interfaith Worker Justice
Japanese American Citizens League
Jobs with Justice
Leadership Conference on Civil Rights
Legal Momentum
NAACP
National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd
National Association for State Community Services Programs
National Association of Social Workers
National Community Reinvestment Coalition
National Council of Jewish Women
National Council of La Raza
National Council on Aging
National Employment Law Project
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Action Fund
National Partnership for Women and Families
National Priorities Project
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby
A New Way Forward
Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute
ProgressNOW
Project Community, Inc.
SCLC
SEIU
Student Association for Voter Empowerment
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations
United Church of Christ, Justice and Witness Ministries
United for a Fair Economy
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
United Neighborhood Centers of America
United States Student Association
USAction
Wider Opportunities for Women
WiLL-Women Legislators’ Lobby
Women’s Action for New Directions
The Workforce Alliance
Working America
YouthBuild USA
Organizations current as of May 12, 2010
From the The Communist Party USA web-site: http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/8248/
The Employee Free Choice Act was introduced in Congress on March 5th. The struggle to pass it will be huge and all hands on deck will be required to pass it.
PoliticalAffairs.net and the People's Weekly World are in the campaign to win passage of the bill. Check back for regular updates on the struggle as well as for analysis of the bill, the right-wing media's bias against it, and the corporate interests that have collected huge piles of cash to try to defeat it.
We will update this resource list in the days and weeks to come, as the battle to win democracy in the workplace develops.
Please share these resources with your friends.
the following is from the same www.jobs4americanow.org ... golly, weren't these the same demands of many members of the Progressive Caucus in congress? You know that it was ...
JAN Press Conference to Demand Restoration of Unemployment Benefits, Pass Tax Extenders Bill
For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 10, 2010
Contact: Germonique R. Ulmer, 202.339.9331; gulmer@communitychange.org
Jobs for America Now Brings Unemployed Workers to Capitol Hill to Demand Restoration of Critical Unemployment Benefits, Pass Tax Extenders Bill
Who: Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr. (D-PA), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Alan Charney, campaign manager, Jobs for America Now Campaign, and unemployed workers.
What: Press conference on the future of our nation’s job security and vital unemployment benefits
When: TODAY!! Thursday, June 10, 2010 at 2:30 p.m. EST
Where: U.S. Capitol Room S-115
Washington – One week after the House failed to include and extend critical unemployment benefits in the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act of 2010, the Senate has an opportunity to fix the bill and finish the job by passing it. For the millions of unemployed Americans unable to find the jobs they so desperately need, unemployment benefits are critical to their survival and that of their families’.
Key senators in the debate will be joined by unemployed workers who will share their personal stories of how they will be impacted if the Senate does not take a final vote on this important legislation. Of particular concern is the restoration of the COBRA subsidy that was stripped out in the House version and that would allow unemployed Americans to maintain private insurance. Without this important benefit, millions of unemployed workers, through no fault of their own, would have no insurance and have no choice but to depend on public care.
This bill includes other key benefits to our economic recovery including FMAP that would provide higher Medicaid reimbursements to states, providing much needed fiscal relief and preserving jobs, TANF ECF and summer jobs. Congress must listen to the voices of the American people, pass this bill and keep unemployment benefits in place for the long haul. The tax extenders bill is just a beginning, Congress must also move forward with robust jobs legislation to directly create jobs in communities and get us on a road to economic recovery.
##
The Jobs for America Now coalition is a nationwide campaign of more than 60 groups organizing to put America back to work. For a complete list of participating organizations visit www.jobs4americanow.org.
http://www.jobs4americanow.org/jan-press-conference-to-demand-restoration-of-unemployment-benefits-pass-tax-extenders-bill/
Here is a bit more info on the jobs4americanow group.Oddly enough, there appears to be a connection to George Soros. Imagine that...
http://sweetness-light.com/archive/jobs-for-america-now-new-soros-front
From the CPUSA.org webiste ...
Obama State of the Union: He got the ball rolling
January 29 2010
In some ways last night's State of the Union address by President Obama was a virtuoso performance. There were stirring moments, memorable turns of phrase, humor, a defense of activist government, and proposals that will be welcomed, and surely help, millions of people in need.
With the scent of Massachusetts still in the air, the president reasserted his reform agenda and took the fight to the party of obstruction. In polite, nuanced but forceful terms, he chastised the Republican Party.
In powerful oratory, he challenged some of the main ideological talking points of right-wing extremism, reminded everyone that he inherited record deficits and an unprecedented economic mess, and defended the stimulus bill and other recovery measures, including, and unfortunately the unconditional bank bailouts.
One of the high points of the evening was when the president called out the right-wing (and maybe worse) dominated Supreme Court whose members were sitting directly in front of him for their recent decision saying it's OK for corporations to throw money into the election process.
One of the low points was his defense of the escalation of troops in Afghanistan and his threatening tone toward Iran and other "adversaries."
Overall, I'd say that if the leaders of the "Party of No" came into the legislative chamber last night with wind in their sails, they left with their sails trimmed and a dour look on their faces. The evening for them turned out to be a "bummer."
They had hoped to hear President Obama repeat what President Clinton said in his State of the Union address in 1994: "The era of big government is over." But the president disappointed them.
While the broad people's coalition that elected him will not, I'm sure, be entirely happy with the president's speech, all signs are that his fighting tone ("I will not quit"), his focus on the economy, his defense of democratic rights (civil, labor, women, immigrant, gay and lesbian), his insistence on financial reform, and his policy initiatives outlined in the speech, including a health care bill, will reenergize this coalition, which, as of late, has been understandably dismayed by the pace and depth of change.
But this new energy will quickly dissipate if the White House and congressional Democrats go back to ignoring the rumbling from below and bending over backwards to satisfy Republicans and conservatives in their own party.
Working people expect them to draw a line in the sand, show more partisanship, push the legislative process, and tenaciously fight for the American people. If the Republicans obstruct and filibuster so be it. At least everybody will know who is blocking legislative measures that would ease the economic crisis when they go to the polls this fall.
But as good as many parts of Obama's speech were, it didn't fully rise in substantive terms to the challenges of our times and this era. The president could have knocked the ball out of the ballpark, but he settled for less. He had a chance to make the case for deep-going political, economic and social reform, including radical reform, but he came up short of that.
His speech didn't have the programmatic depth that is objectively necessary at this moment. It took us an important step closer to solving the awful economic mess and relieving the human toll that comes with it, but only a step.
Politics is an art as well as a science. And part of that art includes knowing when to advance and when to retreat. Last night President Obama didn't retreat, but he didn't advance the people's agenda to the degree that was possible and necessary. He roused the nation, but he didn't hit the high note.
We would probably have to go back to Franklin Roosevelt to find a president who has the trust of our nation's multi-racial, multi-national, male-female, young and old working class as President Obama does.
But the people's trust has to be constantly renewed - and on the basis of practical performance, on the basis of systematically fighting for the crying needs of the American people. This president can be a transformative leader (he has that potential in my view), but only if he embraces and fights for a transformative agenda.
That agenda in a full-blown sense has yet to be articulated by him. If President Obama and the Democrats want to hail the private sector as the engine of growth, I wouldn't quibble too much as long as they recognize that the private sector at this moment (big or small business) isn't generating jobs and probably won't for a long time. In these circumstances, only direct and indirect government intervention in the form of a massive public works jobs program, infrastructure repair and renewal, aid for state and local governments, and special measures for the hardest hit communities, and especially communities of racial minorities and immigrants, stands a chance of lowering unemployment in any kind of meaningful way.
In other words, the economy still has to be re-inflated and restructured along democratic, sustainable, nonmilitary, and worker-friendly lines, but the likelihood of the private sector doing that is zero. To a degree, the president is moving in this direction, but the pace and nature of the economic reforms that he prescribes is far too limited for the scope and depth of this crisis.
One of the serious missteps that he made last night was his call for a freeze on domestic discretionary spending, beginning in 2011. Hopefully the freeze is only a political calculation to ward off the Republican wolves who accuse him of being a "spend and tax" liberal. But in any case, it comes with a price insofar as it entrenches in the public mind that deficit spending is inherently bad and that our budgetary woes are caused by "handouts" to the poor and vulnerable, especially people of color and immigrants - not to mention aid to developing countries.
This is an unmitigated falsehood that ruptures our sense of social solidarity, of connectedness to every other human being. The truth of the matter is that the current budget deficit, as the president said, began during the Bush years as a result of two wars of aggression, mammoth tax breaks to the top income tier, and a bulging military budget.
Fiscal discipline and balanced budgeting are not an article of faith that has to be adhered to no matter what the circumstances. If that were the case, the U.S. and world economy could easily have tumbled into a full-blown depression last year. Capitalism isn't a self-correcting system. Market failure and crisis are as much a reality as sustained economic growth. Vicious and reinforcing contractions of the economy can easily leave an economy stagnating at a far from optimum level or in complete ruin unless they are counteracted by aggressive government action and spending measures. The stimulus and anti-crisis measures of the Obama administration acted as a tourniquet; it stopped the hemorrhaging.
But it didn't heal the wound.
If the president looks to the Depression years he will see more than one Roosevelt. There was the Roosevelt of 1934-1936 and the Roosevelt of 1937. The 1934-1936 Roosevelt had hit a wall as far as his reform efforts were concerned and he was faced with a moment of decision as to how to proceed - should he stay the course, retreat, or enlarge his vision. He chose the latter and thus the New Deal.
Or Obama could look to the 1937 incarnation of Roosevelt who, when seeing a surge of economic activity, decided to cut back on spending and balance the budget, which, as it turned out, was exactly the wrong medicine for an economy in its early stages of recovery.
From President Obama's speech it seems like he hasn't definitively decided which Roosevelt he will emulate, although I believe he leans toward the 1934-1936 Roosevelt. Which is what we need. Admittedly a bold anti-right, anti-corporate course of action won't be easy. The opponents are many and powerful. Resist they will.
Thus to level and tilt the playing field in a progressive/radical direction, the president has to be joined, prodded, and where necessary differed with by the labor-led coalition that elected him. So far it hasn't carried its share of the load; it is not even strong and united enough to enact even the program that the president outlined last night - let alone win more fundamental reforms. Too many of us have been content to watch, offer opinions, criticize, express our frustrations, and feel disappointed in the president.
But aren't we part of the problem too, indeed a big part? An era of reform - and especially radical reforms - combines popular, sustained, and united action from below with new political openings from above. Both are necessary.
Last night the president got the ball rolling, but he didn't roll it far enough or always in the right direction. So now it's our turn to get a lot more players involved, roll the ball further and roll in the direction of economic security, equality, democracy and peace.
http://cpusa.org/obama-state-of-the-union-he-got-the-ball-rolling
Regarding Illegal Immigration from www.politicalaffairsonline.org "Marxist Thought Online". They are working for the "Obama plan" ...
http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/9405/
Marxist plans for what your children are taught ... Don’t Burn the Books: Ban the Courses that Use Them http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/view/9376/1/392/
Monday, June 21, 2010
ILLEGAL IS ILLEGAL!!!!
Don't let anyone fool you folks. These people know exactly what they are doing and what they are doing is destroying our country. When we the people loose all respect for the rule of law, when we accept their "New Speak" from Orwell's 1984 and allow them to redefine words, redefine what it means to be an American, they continue to win.
Fight back! Educate yourself! Teach your children! Run for office! VOTE!!!
REMEMBER IN NOVEMBER!!!
WAKE UP AMERICA!!! Our liberties, our freedoms and God given rights are under attack and have been for more than 100 years! Get involved, educate yourself, educate your children and grand children, VOTE and work for Constitutional Conservatives in your neighborhoods, towns, states and nations!
Saturday, June 12, 2010
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