Yes, truly transfixed as I watched Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal give the Republican response to President Obama’s Tuesday night speech of February 24, 2009—transfixed by one of the most god-awful spectacles in U.S. political history. Move over, Sarah Palin; in this still sexist society, move over for the male Sarah Palin. And a Sarah Palin of color too.

Am I the only one frustrated with Baron Hill? When are we going to mount an effective progressive challenge to him? Of course, he wasn't out of line with the rest of Congress in his vote on the Gaza resolution. Only the progressive shining hope, Dennis Kucinich, and a few others (Maxine Waters, Ron Pau,...) voted against the one-sided resolution that virtually encouraged Israel to escalate, which it did the very next day (I call that blood on Congress' hands).

Barack Obama, as we know, has been directly accused of “palling around” with “domestic terrorist” Bill Ayers because his first political meeting was in the home of Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn, another member of the Weather Underground of the late 1960s and 1970s, even though neither were present at that meeting, and for having a simply amicable yet businesslike relationship with Ayers because they were both on the same organizational board.

{EcoLink} OCT/NOVEMBER 2008 Activist Calendar

GrassrootsAction GreenEvents & related notices
(a service of the Eco Media Center of Monroe County & Center for Sustainable Living)
Submissions: Mylo Roze: greenthecity@yahoo.com, Subject Line: EcoLink, Ph: 335-2572

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Table of Contents:

~ Special Notices -
>EcoReport radio show airing weekly
>Fairview Chimney Swift Action Alert - call for matching funds
>CARR, HEC begin I-69 ad campaign

>OCTOBER<

Poor hapless John McCain! He thought he’s scored a coup when he chose Sarah Palin to be his running mate, but his putative Veep has shown herself to be more a liability than an asset. Although she initially shored up McCain’s wavering support among the evangelical Christians and the hard-core Right, whenever she’s articulated her positions on issues all the way from global warming to foreign policy, Sarah Palin has shown herself to be an out-and-out bimbo, in that classic sense of the word—pretty, very pretty, but absolutely vapid.

by Elisa Pokral
MCSWMD

It’s fall and it’s time once again for Fall Bulky item drop-off days. The event will be held at the Monroe County Fairgrounds Friday October 24th and Saturday October 25th from 8:00 am. to 4:00 pm. Event sponsors are the Monroe County Solid Waste Management District (District), Hoosier Disposal & Recycling Services, the Monroe County Fair Board, and the Monroe County Highway Department. This event is designed for Monroe County residents to bring their unusable furniture, appliances, etc., to the Monroe County Fairgrounds, Gate #3 off Airport Road. There will be NO CHARGE for BULKY items.

Democratic Hawk Rep. Berman gave two stunningly contradictory statements today, statements that I think it's not too much to call hypocritical. On one hand, he lauded the approval by the House of legislation supposedly aimed at bringing Iran's nuclear program to heel:

http://www.HCFA.house.gov/press_display.asp?id=558

This legislation (H.R. 7112) attempts to further restrict US dealings with Iran, even if those dealings are through third countries.

pk

"The Bush administration asked Congress on Saturday for the power to buy $700 billion in toxic assets clogging the financial system and threatening the economy as negotiations began on the largest bailout since the Great Depression."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080920/ap_on_bi_ge/financial_meltdown

In general, it makes me nuts when people speak derogatively about feelings. I think feelings are the best things we have, and most of the problems with them come from not expressing them, or from various forms of illusion that the mind creates because it is not allowed to actually express feelings straightforwardly and honestly. Anger - everyone fears anger. But anger is NOT a dangerous emotion unless it is denied, sublimated, subverted and turned into, say, irrational and potentially world-destroying wars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfNicO6sNA
My favorite moment in this you tube commentary by Nader (from a press conference arranged by Ron Paul) is where he shows off the Constitution that he carries in his pocket, as his alternative (to wearing a flag pin) way of expressing patriotism. It's a great way of making a point.