Thursday, January 22, 2009

And So We Begin…Committed To Change And Solution; Resolved To Obtain Justice!



And So We Begin…Committed To Change And Solution; Resolved To Obtain Justice!

 

 

Obama’s First Steps, Torture Remains On The Table In Holder Confirmation, White Phosphorus  War Crimes In Gaza, Impeachment And Prosecution Remain On The Table. Caroline Out…Cuomo In?

 

"The action I am taking is no more than a radical measure to hasten the explosion of truth and justice. I have but one passion: to enlighten those who have been kept in the dark, in the name of humanity which has suffered so much and is entitled to happiness. My fiery protest is simply the cry of my very soul. Let them dare, then, to bring me before a court of law and let the enquiry take place in broad daylight!"

- Emile Zola, J'accuse! (1898) –

 

 

And so we begin
Center for Research on Globalization - Montreal,Quebec,Canada
But after speculation in some quarters that we would not even have a Presidential election in 2008, that the
 Bush-Cheney cabal would find a way to ...
See all stories on this topic

 

“…We also need an investigation into the war crimes of the Bush regime.  A special prosecutor is a must. And we must also remember that Bush was not the first, just the worst.  …I think that while Obama will do some good things, we will not get the “change you can believe in” unless we punish the criminals, restore and rehabilitate the victims, and tell the people who committed unethical but not criminal deeds, or for whom the statute of limitations has run, that the game is over and they should take their marbles and go home. Anything less will only serve, to borrow a phrase from this summer’s campaign, “to put lipstick on a pig…”

 

“…In a permitted protest in front of the FBI building, people waved placards that said “Arrest Bush.” And as Bush’s chopper flew over the National Mall, people sang

 

NAH! NAH! NAH! NAH! NAH! NAH! NAH! NAH! HEY! HEY! HEY! GOOD-BYE!

 

During that flyover, I recalled the words of Gerald Ford when he addressed the people after taking the oath with far less ceremony but just as much urgency as today: “My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over.  Our Constitution works ; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men…”

 

And so we begin…

 

Olbermann: Bush guilty of torture | Obama should not be afraid to prosecute

 

Lexis, Nexus, Solar Plexus: Bush Used Domestic Spy Program On ...
By DCR 
The 35 Articles of 
Impeachment and the Case for Prosecuting George W. Bush. Buy or download the .pdf ... Impeach George W Bush. Sign the petition to impeach Dub-ya ... Impeach Cheney.Impeach Cheney Punish the War Criminals ...
Lexis, Nexus, Solar Plexus - http://lexisnexussolarplexus.blogspot.com/

 

Pelosi’s Post-Partisanship War Crimes Tribunal

Nancy P.D.A. Pelosi, 60th Speaker of the House and second in the line of presidential succession behind Vice President Joe Biden, made it clear in an exclusive interview with Stoos Views today that heads will roll now that the new administration has taken over Washington.

 

She told Stoos Views that, while she is eager to prosecute former President George Bush and former Vice President Dick Cheney for “war crimes,” THE INVESTIGATIONS WILL BE   non-partisan.

 

“Since I am the Speaker of the House, I have the power to order an investigation with a view toward exploring whether or not the former President and Vice President may have, somehow, some way, directly, or indirectly, possibly, done something for which they can be prosecuted. “

 

Resisting the Iraq War: A Short History of Anti-War Organizing in ...
In the summer of 2007, a group called Americans Against Escalation in Iraq–a coalition made up of groups including 
MoveOn.org that largely acted as a front group for the Democratic Party–launched an effort aimed at targeting specific ...
Barack Obama - Sharpy News - http://sharpynews.com/politics/barack-obama/

 

Hey Hey, Goodbye — Populist Party Blog
The Arrogance of the 
Bush Administration, the unyielding support of the Republican... Body Count Nation President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, National... Don’t Let the Door hit you in the Butt ...
Populist Party Blog - http://blog.populistamerica.com/

 

Brad Woodhouse: GOP See Economic Crisis as Ripe Cause for the Very ...
By 
webmaster@huffingtonpost.com 
In December, after having discussions with the Obama transition team and Congressional leaders, Americans United for Change, along with AFSCME, SEIU, 
MoveOn.org Political Action, USAction and ACORN - pulled a broad cross section of more ...
The Full Feed from HuffingtonPost.com - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/raw_feed_index.rdf

 


Hey there! robkall is using Twitter.  | http://twitter.com/robkall

 

Harry Reid told us at Progressive media summit mtg. today that Sen. Carl Levin will be funded to investigate torture

 

Radio host Joe Madison reports Sen Arlen Spector delayed Eric Holder's AG appt. for 1 week. To weaken holder's ability to prosecute Bushco? about 8 hours ago from web

 

OpEdNews » Obama's Inauguration: the Hopes of a Nation, the Needs ...
See the rest of this at 
worldcantwait.net. Cal Poly Pomona Sociology Professor. Co-editor/author (with Peter Phillips) of "Impeach the President: the Case Against Bush and Cheney." National Steering Committee Member of the World Can't ...OpEdNews - OpEdNews.Com Progressive,... - http://www.opednews.com/

 

True v. False vs Good v. Evil
By Stephane MOT 
The
 Bush-Cheney equation was "false". This is not a moral judgement, "right" vs "wrong". And this is certainly not a religious statement about who is "good" and who is "evil". This is a clear definition of what mankind is all about. ...
blogules - http://e-blogules.blogspot.com/

 

He’s My President Now
Lake County News Chronicle - Two Harbors,MN,USA
Vox Populi, Vox Dei. (The voice of the people is the voice of God). For those who believe truth of the Bible, we are reminded that governments rise and fall ...

 

Forget the White House Pay Freeze ... Here Is the Great Thing Obama Did Today
By Steve Benen, Washington Monthly
"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this administration."
Read more »

 

Obama Fulfills Promise: Starts Moving Quickly on Gitmo
By bmaz, Firedoglake
President Obama has ordered an abrupt halt in the Gitmo Show Trials. 
Read more »

 

 Sen. Harry Reid Defends Lobbyists: 'They Work for a Living'
By Faiz Shakir, Think Progress
Reid invited top lobbyists to join him for an inaugural brunch Monday where he pledged that he will still do plenty of business with them. 
Read more »

 

Senator Kennedy: A Real American Hero

 

N.Y. Senate Seat Speculations Have Kennedy Out, Cuomo In

Now that Caroline Kennedy has reportedly withdrawn her name from consideration, insiders indicated Wednesday night that Andrew Cuomo, New York's attorney general, is the likely front-runner for Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat. Read More

 

Caroline Kennedy Is Withdrawing Her Name From Consideration For Hillary Clinton's Vacant Senate Seat.

 

Kennedy cited "personal reasons," according to the New York Post.

 

The New York Times elaborates that she was concerned about her uncle, Ted Kennedy, who suffered a seizure on Tuesday:

 

On Wednesday she called the governor, David Paterson, who is making the selection of who should succeed Senator Hillary Clinton. Her concerns about Senator Edward M. Kennedy's deteriorating health (he was hospitalized after a seizure during the inaugural lunch on Tuesday ) prompted her decision to withdraw, this person said. Coping with the health issues of her uncle, with whom she enjoys an extraordinarily close bond, was her most important priority; a situation not conducive to starting a high profile public job.

 

First thoughts: Caroline's out
MSNBC - USA
Perhaps the one thing in Cuomo’s favor: If Paterson appoints him to serve in the Senate, the governor would eliminate a possible
 primary challenge from ...
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MIDEAST: Alarm Spreads Over Use of Lethal New Weapons

“…Amnesty International's chief researcher for Israel and the Palestinian Territories, Donatella Rovera, told IPS in Beit Lahiya that Israel's use of white phosphorus and other "area weapons" on civilian populations amounted to war crimes…” 

 

Israel Admits Troops May Have Used White Phosphorus Shells
By Tana Ganeva
After weeks of denials, the IDF admits forces may have acted in contravention of international law. 
Read more »

 

Israel Withdraws from Gaza
By Melissa McEwan, Shakesville
Israel has withdrawn from Gaza in conjunction with the commencement of Obama's presidency. 
Read more »

 

Right-Wingers Go Nuts Over Latest Obama Conspiracy Theory 
By Steve Benen, Washington Monthly
Before this becomes a standard conservative talking point -- I can only assume Fox News coverage is around the corner -- let's nip this in the bud. 
Read more »

 

It's Time to 'Git On With It'

 

Great men and women lead by example. Maybe it is too soon to identify Obama as “great,” but it’s not too early to say he is off to a great start. His bipartisan efforts and his grace among former foes are now facts. He nominated Clinton to a Cabinet post, attended a dinner the night before the inauguration for Sen. John McCain and has sought his counsel. He invited pastor Rick Warren, a man with views opposite his on abortion and gay rights, to speak at the inauguration.

 

Obama in his Tuesday speech appealed directly to all Americans to remember the innate moral code of this country to do the right thing. Those who want to find fault with him — his inaugural address, his continuous hatred hurled toward Bush, or early decisions which have included a mistake or two — are missing the point.

 

We need to move forward and fix problems, not create new ones, especially those borne of political backbiting. His election has created a momentum of positive energy. His inauguration was awe-inspiring, as was his election.

 

Think about it.

 

An African-American child raised in humble circumstances by a single mother and his grandparents has been elected president of the United States.

 

He is reaching out in all directions to create consensus, to heal wounds and to fix a government that is at best fumbling in its efforts to chart a new course for the country.

 

His approach is refreshing and new. It is different and has caused new terms to be coined to describe his manner and his actions. Columnist Thomas L. Friedman referred to him as a “closet radical,” implying that we need dynamic changes which stray far from what has been the norm.

 

Columnist Michael Gerson called him a “conservative revolutionary.”

 

Wrote Gerson in The Washington Post, “Like Lincoln or Martin Luther King Jr., Obama positioned himself as a conservative revolutionary ... attempting to re-create our country by reasserting the traditional moral principles that gave it birth.”

 

All of these attempts to categorize Obama tell us how difficult it is to comprehend a new president who is surprising us with views that seem contrary to the expectations many, including me, had of him as representing old-style Democratic liberalism.

 

There’s even strong evidence that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif., and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid , D-Nev., appear out of step with the new leader. Their early agendas fail to recognize his signal he is in charge, not them or their party politics…

The Closely Held Secrets Of Hideaways
Politico - Washington,DC,USA
Daniel Inouye allowed Politico to check out his Capitol hideaway the other day, House Speaker 
Nancy Pelosi popped her head through the open door to welcome ...
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Republicans delay Holder for a week |

By Alexander Bolton

 

Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans on Wednesday objected to a vote on the nomination of Eric Holder, delaying President Obama’s choice for attorney general by at least a week.

 

Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) said Republicans put a hold on the nomination, taking advantage of panel rules that give the minority party that right.

 

Leahy added that he was puzzled that Republicans did not recognize Obama’s political mandate after witnessing nearly 2 million people gather on the Mall to attend his inauguration Tuesday.

 

Judiciary Committee ranking Republican Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) informed Leahy of Republican objections. 

 

The committee had scheduled a vote on Holder Tuesday afternoon but Republicans said they wanted more time to question the nominee.

 

"It well could be there would be a request to delay the markup for a week so those questions could be asked," said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), a member of the Judiciary panel, said earlier in the day. "I would request an opportunity to ask the questions and get them answered."

 

Cornyn said he was concerned about Holder's definition of waterboarding as illegal torture at his confirmation hearing last week.

 

Cornyn also expressed concern that Holder's view of the issue could open intelligence officials to prosecution. Intelligence officials used what they called "enhanced interrogation" during the Bush administration to obtain information about national security threats.

 

"I'm not going to allow things to proceed, to the extent I have that right, as long as my legitimate questions aren't answered. I just want an opportunity to get answers. I think there may be an objection made on behalf of all of us who have additional questions.

 

Specter also told reporters Tuesday that he is not ready to vote on Holder.

 

Democrats had postponed the committee vote on Holder from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. to give lawmakers on the panel a chance to attend a prayer service at the National Cathedral Tuesday morning.

 

Cornyn said Holder has not yet answered all the questions Republicans have for him and said he did not think it possible for the nominee to provide enough information by this afternoon's markup.

 

Holder and Cornyn locked horns during last week's hearing when the Texas lawmaker asked whether it would be justifiable to use waterboarding to obtain information that could save thousands of Americans from a terrorist attack.

 

Holder refused to accept Cornyn's premise that waterboarding would be the most effective way to obtain timely information in the face of a catastrophic attack.

 

"I think there's enough discontent that something has to be worked out," said Sen. Orrin Hatch (Utah), the second-ranking Republican on Judiciary, who has said he will vote for Holder.

 

Burnt Orange Report::: The Petty Politics of John Cornyn
Remember his huge push last year for the Senate resolution condemning 
MoveOn.org for their General Betray Us ad? John Cornyn was returned to Washington as he told Texans that he was ready to deliver "the right kind of change. ...
Burnt Orange Report: - Front Page - http://www.burntorangereport.com/

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