The election season is in full hysterical mode. The dems are beating on progressives who are fleeing to Jill Stein and Rocky Anderson, the repubs are beating on the dems with all the corporate money and psycho-linguistic technology they can muster and behind the scenes somewhere we have a bunch of faceless (poor things, they don't have faces) IT folks who are gearing up to do whatever they are supposed to do with the vote-counting technology to tabulate votes on November 6th.

Michael Connell will not be available to help with the information technology tasks in this election cycle. His private plane crashed and he was killed before he was available to testify about the 2004 Ohio vote-counting, "man in the middle" controversy.

There is lots to worry about in this election cycle even with the tragedy of Michael Connell's death in 2008. But let's get real, this election is in the can. Yes, we should all work on getting out the votes for progressive candidates, for local initiatives that might produce change, but the change is not coming by defeating Romney, the change is not coming in this election cycle. Our best progressive shot happens with the mid term election of 2014.

Thanks to Z Camp, Pizza T, Prezident O, and everyone else involved in the making of this video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyEUlz7UCQ8

More videos on the way for your occupy pleasure...

Olympia Occupy Solidarity!

Howdy. First post.

Photography is one of my hobbies. Well, not the artsy kind... I'm more into taking snapshots of interesting subject material, and anyone who's lived here for a while knows there's lots of funky stuff around Oly to photograph, to say the least.

My idea for this blog is to post a maximum of three photos per post in a series, showcasing Olympia's local graffiti, wall-art, murals, mosaics, paste-ups, stickers, and... unique artistic activism.

All photos posted are from my Flickr account and were taken by me. All rights reserved and all that noise. All photos will be posted in the default 'medium' size, and a link to access other sizes will be provided as well.

On to the first series of three... click the post title to view the whole post.


Series I - Photo I - Obama is a Cracker [Link]



Lyndon LaRouche supporters stirring the pot with the president's head on a parrot's body and some incendiary rhetoric, MLK Day, 2010.

Downtown Olympia, WA

The move to award the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize to President Barack Hussein Obama, provides us a beautiful view of the human cosmos. Something more spectacular than satellites crashing into the surface of the moon, or even glorious nebulae viewed through the lenses of Hubble.

The bitter resentment, the grim condemnation, and the pleasant relief, each reveals a region of this universe. From the left we have voices who condemn and admonish. From the right we have accusations of absurdity and unreason. From the nationalists we hear the shrieks of the oppressed and mistreated, pleading with the world to, even for a moment, cast their eyes upon them. These views of the human cosmos betray the vantage point of their origination. "It is not that we are so small, but that we are so brief!" This is the cry of every human soul, significant and insignificant.

I am sure, some though have seen, what the message is. Through the dense, dense fog of time, this man may represent the last hope for all of humanity. Not in his person, but in the meaning and importance of his life. This is not a prize given to a man, but to an idea. This is not an idea born of this man, but of all who have supported and enabled a world in which this man is the President of the United States of America. The nation which enslaved, and slaughtered and nuked and napalmed a world in the name of its own self interest and destiny and security. That the wise people of this nation overcame that history, and elevated this man and his family to the highest office in the land. That is the event recognized by the awarding of this prize.

Author John Pilger speaks at Socialism 2009

more information

See the ACTION ALERT at the end of this comment, for a simple, immediate action each of us can take to demand the most meaningful health care reform possible: a quick link to a letter to our congressional representatives demanding a YES vote on Rep. Weiner’s single-payer amendment.

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In response to Pres. Obama’s health care proposals, as a nurse and as a citizen, I stand with my colleagues in the California Nurses Association. In a press release last night, the CNA had this to say:

“ ... The nation's largest union and professional association of registered nurses tonight welcomed the renewed call by President Obama for comprehensive healthcare reform.

“But sadly, the President's prescription for reform still falls short of the full reform that is needed to solve our ever escalating healthcare crisis," said Deborah Burger, RN, co-President of the 86,000-member California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee.

" … President Obama said tonight, 'We are the only advanced democracy on Earth – the only wealthy nation – that allows such hardships for millions of its people.' That's true. The reason is that all those other countries have a national healthcare system, such as our Medicare program, and don't barter human lives for profit. Ultimately that is the most effective way to actually guarantee healthcare for all Americans, control costs, and improve quality. That would be the change we could all believe in."

Likewise, this morning on Democracy Now!, Dr. Quentin Young, the national coordinator for Physicians for a National Health Program, had this response to the President’s proposals: 

"He gets an A-plus for diagnosis. He gets a D-minus for treatment. As he said himself, this public option, which is the line in the sand, is a false dichotomy. Perhaps five percent of the potential users would be in it. That leaves 95 percent out. It has already been emphasized, the problem with the American health system is crystal clear: it’s the private insurance companies. And if the Obama proposal is as I heard it, actually enhances the insurance presence, all these 45 million uninsured will be held up, with the government and other kinds of subsidies, to go into the private insurance market and all that that implies, with denial of care, pre-existing disease exclusions. We know the terrible pitfall we’re in now. And the answer continues to be clear-cut, like Medicare is: single payer for all.

"And the good news is that there’s going to be a chance for the Congress to express itself in the House. Speaker Pelosi has assured Anthony Weiner, … a Democrat from Brooklyn, that his motion to substitute single payer for the administration’s bill will come to a vote. And this … is precisely the time to let our Congress people know we don’t want them to be bought and sold by the insurance lobby, we want them to vote for single payer, so we can join the rest of the world of democratic industrial countries and have healthcare for all the people and end this nightmare of denial and bankruptcy and suffering."

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ACTION ALERT:

http://www.pnhp.org/amendment/

Urge your rep to vote 'Yes' for single payer!

This fall presents a historic opportunity for members of Congress to go on the record in support of single-payer legislation.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) is introducing a substitute amendment to the House leadership’s bill, H.R. 3200, that would delete the language of that bill and substitute the provisions of H.R. 676, the single-payer, Medicare-for-All bill sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has promised a full floor vote on Weiner’s amendment in the weeks or months ahead.

The Weiner amendment, unlike the House leadership’s bill, assures universal, comprehensive, and high-quality coverage, free choice of doctor and hospital, and no co-pays or deductibles through a publicly financed system similar to Medicare. Because of the massive savings on private insurance overhead and paperwork, the Weiner amendment would entail no increase in U.S. health spending, in contrast to the House bill’s $1 trillion price tag over 10 years.

Write your representative today in support of the Weiner amendment. If you can, arrange a meeting with your congressperson; you can find tips on how to do so here and talking points here. Finally, please write to Rep. Weiner so he knows that he has our support in his fight for real health reform.

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Bring your church, civic, school group or family. Or just bring your friends. Spend one summer morning restoring habitats and helping baby trees grow strong. These activities are part of Eco-Impact Day, a Volunteer Center sponsored activity taking place at three sites in Thurston County from 8:30 a.m. to noon with a picnic celebrating our work from noon to 2 p.m. We can accomodate up to 250 volunteers and some venues are family-friendly. This is a great way to raise another generation of volunteers or build team spirit for your group. For more information or to volunteer, please call Blake at 360-741-2610 or send him an e-mail at blake@volunteer.ws.

Olympia Film Society and KAOS Radio 89.3 fm is hosting a FREE Live Screening of Presidential Inaugural-Start your morning watching the Inaugural and head into the future with others in our community! Concessions will be open selling hot coffee made with Batdorf and Bronson beans plus fresh, local donuts! Don't wait until it's history, come watch it live when it happens on the big screen!

@Capitol Theater
206 5th Ave SE - downtown Olympia
Info: 360-754-3635 or www.olympiafilmsociety.org

Anyone out there with ideas about transportation? Now's your chance to tell our President-Elect what you think. In one year, the legislation that decides how the federal government funds and supports transportation will end.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, AASHTO (ash-toe), has created a website, IToldThePresident.org where you can see what your fellow citizens are saying and submit a comment or even a video!

Antonia Juhasz sits down to talk with The Real News about oil politics and the potential for changes with an Obama Executive Administration.

Part One: "Antonia Juhasz: Clinton-era deregulation helped big oil get bigger"

Part Two: "Antonia Juhasz on the breakup of Standard Oil and its revival as Big Oil in the United States Pt 2/2"

TRNN: Will Obama Reign in Big Oil?

Antonia Juhasz