Election Erections

About This Map

This is a No-FAQ Zone, still heavily under construction.

Our Founders and the Unbalance of Power

-- Al Gore, 6/25/04

"When we Americans first began, our biggest danger was clearly in view: we knew from the bitter experience with King George III that the most serious threat to democracy is usually the accumulation of too much power in the hands of an Executive, whether he be a King or a president. Our ingrained American distrust of concentrated power has very little to do with the character or persona of the individual who wields that power. It is the power itself that must be constrained, checked, dispersed and carefully balanced, in order to ensure the survival of freedom. "

"In addition, our founders taught us that public fear is the most dangerous enemy of democracy because under the right circumstances it can trigger the temptation of those who govern themselves to surrender that power to someone who promises strength and offers safety, security and freedom from fear.

It is an extraordinary blessing to live in a nation so carefully designed to protect individual liberty and safeguard self-governance and free communication. But if George Washington could see the current state of his generation's handiwork and assess the quality of our generation's stewardship at the beginning of this twenty-first century, what do you suppose he would think about the proposition that our current president claims the unilateral right to arrest and imprison American citizens indefinitely without giving them the right to see a lawyer or inform their families of their whereabouts, and without the necessity of even charging them with any crime. All that is necessary, according to our new president is that he - the president - label any citizen an "unlawful enemy combatant," and that will be sufficient to justify taking away that citizen's liberty - even for the rest of his life, if the president so chooses. And there is no appeal...

"...I think it is safe to say that our founders would be genuinely concerned about these recent developments in American democracy and that they would feel that we are now facing a clear and present danger that has the potential to threaten the future of the American experiment.

"Shouldn't we be equally concerned? And shouldn't we ask ourselves how we have come to this point? ..." --Al Gore, Truthout 6/25/04; read more on cite

The Case Against Civility

--Randall Kennedy

"...The 1960s inculcated an irreverence that questioned such tenets of our political culture as the belief that poverty is primarily the fault of lazy, improvident, stupid, or otherwise undeserving individuals. Unfortunately, under the influence of the virtuecrats, those ideas are again being elevated to the status of Laws of Nature."

"The virtuecrats' portrayal of the 1960s mirrors their approach to contemporary society. They have fits over "coarse language," but homeless families and involuntary unemployment only get a shrug. They focus more indignation on the raunchy lyrics of gangsta rap than the horrific indifference that makes possible the miserable conditions that those lyrics often vividly portray. As Benjamin DeMott perceptively noted in a bracing polemic in the Nation in December 1996, "Seduced by Civility," the virtuecrats have helped to confuse the distinction between central and peripheral political evils..."--Randall Kennedy, The American Prospect; read more on cite

10 Steps to Restore Democracy in America

--Thom Hartmann

"1. Human rights are for humans.

Corporations are not persons. We must update the 14th Amendment to insert "natural" before the word "persons" so corporations can no longer claim the "right to lie," the "right to hide their crimes," the "right to buy politicians and influence elections," and "the right to force themselves on communities that don't want them." Corporate charter laws should be amended on a state-by-state basis to reinstate the spirit of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act by again outlawing the ownership of one corporation by another, to limit the term of a corporation, to insert Corporate Code-like language requiring a corporation to place the needs of its community above its desire for profits, and, as Teddy Roosevelt so strongly urged us, to ban corporations from political activity of any sort...." --Thom Hartmann; read more on cite

1997 Speech of Vaclav Havel

--Vaclav Havel

"...The question of identity of a nation, a state or a society is raised fairly often. Many an opponent of European integration uses it to make his or her case, and spreads fear for its loss. To my mind, most of those who do this subconsciously perceive identity as something given by fate, or determined by our genes, almost as a matter of blood that we cannot influence in any way. This concept of identity is very wrong. Identity is first and foremost a deed, a piece of work, an accomplishment. It does not stand apart from responsibility, on the contrary: identity is an expression of responsibility..." -- President Vaclav Havel, Address to Parliament 1997/12/09; read more on cite

RAVE ACT should have us raving

-- Billy Gould

"...The great axe of political power is now in the hands of some highly irresponsible people; frightening policies and laws are getting enacted on a daily basis, and the only weapons we have to defend ourselves are our knowledge of the facts, our right to free speech and our right to vote. And I suppose this is what’s motivated to focus on a particularly odious law (among many) that has been passed through congress recently, called the RAVE ACT....For example: did you know that in North Carolina, a man running a methlab has been charged with “manufacturing chemical weapons”? Or that the Justice Department is currently conducting seminars on how to “stretch new wiretapping provisions (provided by the Patriot Act) to extend them beyond terror cases” (David Caruso, AP)..." -- Billy Gould, Kool Arrow Records on Punk Voter read more on cite

Democracy's Long Range Challenges

DEMOS

"...A central challenge for any democracy is to extend the power of representative government into the economic realm. In recent decades, however, this has become increasingly difficult in the United States and elsewhere. Large corporations are more mobile than ever in an era of globalization and less easily regulated by national governments. The tools of regulation have also lost their effectiveness due to political attacks on government, a failure to reinvent and re-imagine these tools, and declining public support for activist government. Falling rates of unionization have removed another important counterweight to corporate power.

"Demos is exploring new ways to ensure responsible corporate behavior in the changed conditions of the 21st century. .." DEMOS; read more on cite

"Voting Doesn't Work" - NOT!

--Geoff

"...It doesn't have to be this way! If I've learned one thing from identifying with punk culture it's that things don't have to be the way they've always been and actions don't have to mean what they've always meant. We don't have to live in a world of strictly defined and limited options. Voting can be a tactic just like a black block or a banner drop. We can contextualize a vote however we want to. We know that voting doesn't work, and we can tell people why and why, even knowing this, we're still voting. Participation doesn't have to equal universal approval! ... Since it seems that we have to contextual our actions whatever they may be, we might as well vote tactically and use direct action, our words, independent media and other resources to make it very clear that voting for a candidate doesn't mean that one supports these policies and that social change can and must start in places other than our system of government...." --Geoff; read more on cite

David Brock founds "Media Matters"

--by David Brock

"Welcome to Media Matters for America, a new Web-based, not-for-profit progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Because a healthy democracy depends on public access to accurate and reliable information, Media Matters for America is dedicated to alerting news outlets and consumers to conservative misinformation -- wherever we find it, in every news cycle -- and to spurring progressive activism based on standards and accountability in media.

"In the mid-1990s, as a conservative media insider, I saw firsthand (and participated in) the damage done to our democracy when conservative misinformation masquerades as journalism. In my book Blinded by the Right: The Conscience of an Ex-Conservative (2002), I revealed how this misinformation -- deliberately bought and paid for by covert political forces -- enveloped the media, poisoned public discourse, and nearly toppled a president. ..." --David Brock, Media Matters; read more on cite

"Until When?" Green Party asks...

"Democrats ask the Greens to delay party building – but for how long?" --Matt Gonzalez; Mesh Magazine; read more on cite

Instant-Mix Imperial Democracy

--Arundhati Roy

"Way back in 1988, on the 3rd of July, the U.S.S. Vincennes, a missile cruiser stationed in the Persian Gulf, accidentally shot down an Iranian airliner and killed 290 civilian passengers. George Bush the First, who was at the time on his presidential campaign, was asked to comment on the incident. He said quite subtly, "I will never apologize for the United States. I don't care what the facts are."

I don't care what the facts are. What a perfect maxim for the New American Empire. Perhaps a slight variation on the theme would be more apposite: The facts can be whatever we want them to be. ..." --Aruhdhati Roy Speech, Center for Economic and Social Rights; read more on cite

Beyond Democratic Rights and Electoral Reform Campaigns

by Vivek Ramkumar, Challenges facing Non Party Political Movements

"In India, people's movements and grass roots campaigns have traditionally participated in the political process by articulating the needs of the poor and socially marginalized and by advocating for changes in governance and policy making processes that will address these needs. These movements have generally insisted on integrity and ethical behavior in their own campaign - and have demanded improvements in the behavior of political parties and of politicians. At this time, however, the movements are confronting new political forces - including the impacts of economic globalization--where decisions on issues of public interest are increasingly being taken at corporate board rooms of supra national corporations and away from national governments--and the rise of the religious right in India as a powerful political movement. In confronting these new issues, many people's movements now find themselves tempted to move away from issue-based campaigns in order to take on more active roles in politics - even to the point of becoming political parties themselves.

"This paper will examine this dilemma facing people's movements in India regarding their future role in the political framework of the country by chronicling the experiences of one such people's movement, the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) ..." -- Vivek Ramkumar, freedominfo.org; read more on cite

Generating Wisdom Through Democratic Process

--Tom Atlee, Co-Intelligence Institute

"A critical systemic dimension of public participation is community intelligence (see Essay 3 and Appendix A, above). As it deepens and broadens, intelligence becomes wisdom.

"For my purposes here, I'm defining wisdom as the capacity to transcend limited perspectives towards greater and deeper understandings and broader, longer-term beneficial outcomes. Wisdom can also be knowledge, statements or solutions that arise from such understandings and envisioned outcomes Democratic wisdom emerges from creative interaction among diverse parties and perspectives, in co-creative service to the common good. To some extent it emerges naturally, as the compelling presence of diversity stretches people's perspectives to be more inclusive.

"History is filled with democratic follies and catastrophes -- and with wisdom that has little impact on the lives of ordinary people and the fate of civilizations. We need to midwife a coming together of democracy and wisdom.

"We need a democracy capable of generating wisdom grounded in the lives and perspectives of ordinary people and fully usable by them, which can simultaneously provide guidance on technical, obscure public issues that could make or break our survival as a species.

"To that end, we need to clarify what kinds and levels of wisdom are available to and through democratic processes. So, just as we have various spectra of public participation (see Essay 3, above), I believe it would be helpful to come up with a spectrum of collective wisdom-generating dynamics.

"I offer below a draft of such a spectrum. It attempts to clarify the dynamics through which wisdom can come about in various democratic processes, conversations and institutions. ..." Tom Atlee, Co-Intelligence Institute read more on cite

NAFTA Takes the Cake

There’s nothing to celebrate about the 10th anniversary of NAFTA - By Jean-Yves Lefort

"The proponents of NAFTA and increased free trade seem a bit cranky these days. After 10 years of the NAFTA regime, there are just too many economists, trade experts, and researchers recognizing the negative impact of this deal for their taste.

"NAFTA proponents are left to rely on trade numbers to make their case. They reason that if we trade a lot, then everything is okay. The problem is that 10 years ago they were promising jobs, a better standard of living, economic growth, and protection for our social programs and the public interest. By all of these standards, NAFTA has been a failure.

"A recent issue of the right-of-centre magazine The Economist concluded that NAFTA is good but conceded that “NAFTA champions” oversold their case, and that it was “never plausible,” for example, that NAFTA would be a net creator of jobs. Is it possible that Canadians were simply lied to about jobs so they would support a corporate-style trade agreement? ..." --Jean-Yves Lefort, at Council of Canadians; read more on cite

How to Host a Kick Ass Brunch

--by The Leage of Pissed Off Voters

[cartographer's note: this page disappeared early on in the League's campaign, perhaps for political reasons (shows the shallow non-vision of political 'reasoners', and the old link now has a redirect to Microsoft.com). Contact the Leage of Pissed Off Voters and ask them why. I have loaded the google cache link in the citation below. The full text of the original document can be reached through the "continue readin" link. --QR/RRE]

"...The League of Pissed Off Voters was formed to create spirited environments for our generation to learn the nitty-gritty of politics and invent fresh ways to play the game on OUR terms. Our intention is to help transform thousands of young adults nationwide, who have never messed with politics before, into savvy political players who can shake some shit up in this country. ... With that in mind, we have a long term vision of folks getting together to learn and teach each other in the environments we hang in anyway, then taking the next steps together -- REMEMBER, IT'S JUST BRUNCH!!! - The League of Pissed-Off Voters; read more on cite

Government 101

Project Vote Smart

"Are you fearful that you might one day be "that guy" on The Tonight Show who becomes perplexed by the question, "How many U.S. Senators are there?" Do you think of mudslinging as something you and your little brother used to do in the backyard on rainy afternoons? Is your knowledge of American Government, well, a bit rusty? If you answered "yes" to any of the questions above, Project Vote Smart's Government 101 is designed especially for you. This tutorial is informative, practical and easy, and is intended to help refresh your knowledge of American politics by providing useful information about Congress, political parties, campaign finance, the Constitution, elections, state government and much more. ..." Project Vote Smart; read more on cite

Granny D: Waking Up the Vote

----Granny D Haddock

"...We live the free, creative, just and sustainable life we would hope will spread to others. Our events and our words and our campaigns must be expressions of this better world. Our politics must be grounded in the joyful present moment, not dragged from a fearful future. Even our most progressive candidates project fear of the future when they should operate from the joy of the present. That is who we are. We are about life, in all its flowering forms, and we are about love. We celebrate this. We are fearless of the future, for if we make too much space in our hearts for fear, we lose the joy that is the energy we need to move our people forward..." --Granny D Haddock, Truthout; read more on cite

How Redistricting Protected Incumbents in 2001-2002

--Center for Voting and Democracy, Project Fair Vote

"Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2002 were dramatically less competitive than elections after the last round of redistricting in 1991-1992. By forcing most incumbents to run in districts that have new voters or perhaps against another incumbent, redistricting typically results in the two elections immediately following redistricting (such as 1992 and 1994) being the most competitive elections of a given decade.

But by many measures, the 2002 U.S. House elections were the least competitive elections since 1988, which makes it quite possible that House elections toward the end of the decade will likely be far less competitive than any in history..." --Center for Voting and Democracy, Project Fair Vote, read more on cite

Why Don't We Vote?

--Leila Rouhi, Grand Prize Winner. "Why Don't We Vote?" 2000 Essay Contest

"...The current electoral system in the United States is not one that fosters voter participation, but instead often discourages voting altogether. This is evidenced through the lackluster voter turnout in the United States, which is amongst the lowest of any democratic nation. While it is convenient to blame this lack of democratic participation on a lazy and apathetic public, the root of the problem lies elsewhere. The current system of winner-take-all elections, strategic gerrymandering, incumbency advantage and governmental unresponsiveness to constituent desires is enough to deter even the most politically conscience person from voting. For many young voters, the realization that their vote is likely to have little impact on the outcome of elections, not surprisingly, prevents them from becoming involved in the electoral process altogether..." -- Leila Rouhi, Grand Prize Winner. "Why Don't We Vote?" 2000 Essay Contest read more on cite

Treaty Busting by the United States

--2003 Project Censored

"The United States is a signatory to nine multilateral treaties that it has either blatantly violated or gradually subverted. The Bush Administration is now outright rejecting a number of those treaties, and in doing so places global security in jeopardy as other nations feel entitled to do the same. The rejected treaties include: The Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the Treaty Banning Antipersonnel Mines, the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), a protocol to create a compliance regime for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (ABM). The U.S. is also not complying with the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), the Chemical Weapons Commission (CWC), the BWC, and the UN framework Convention on Climate Change.

"The ABM Treaty alone is a crucial factor in national security; letting Bush get away with facilitating its demise will destroy the balance of powers carefully crafted in our Constitution. ..." --Project Censored, 2003 selection; read more on cite

NORML: Campaign 2004 Presidential Candidate Report Card

"NORML presents an analysis of the presidential candidates' positions on marijuana policy. Here we indicate their support for decriminalizing marijuana penalties, legalizing medical marijuana and industrial hemp, and repealing the HEA provision that prevents convicted marijuana offenders from receiving student financial aid. ..." --NORML - National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws; read more on cite

Un-Shopping: Introduction

--Co-Op America

"How much stuff is enough? That's a personal decision each of us has to make, but our ultimate decision impacts our friends, neighbors - basically everyone on our planet and the earth itself. This section gives you new ways to look at consumption and explore alternatives. As you gradually incorporate these concepts into your life they will soon become second nature.

"Many of us have realized that overconsumption is a major problem in the United States. It can be overwhelming when one thinks of all the ramifications of all the products that this country produces and consumes. Instead of trying to solve the entire problem at once, start simple. Look at our list of 10 Things You Should Never Buy Again and try to implement those changes in your life. Then look at our UnShopping List and ask yourself those questions before every purchase. ..." Co-Op America; read more on cite

C.01- End of Oil and Democracy?

"...In the end, the choice of these two alternatives—Grab the Oil or Energy Reconfiguration—is much bigger than oil alone. It is a choice about the fundamental ethos and, in fact, the very nature of the country. Most immediately, it is about democracy versus empire. In economic terms, it is about prosperity or poverty. In engineering terms, it is a matter of efficiency over waste. In moral terms this is the choice of sufficiency or gluttony. From the standpoint of the environment, it is a preference for stewardship over continued predation. In the ways the US deals with other countries it is the choice of co-operation versus dominance. And in spiritual terms, it is the choice of hope, freedom and purpose over fear, dependency and despair. In this sense, this is truly the decision that will define the future of America and perhaps the world. ..." --Robert Freeman, Common Dreams; read more on cite

Earth Democracy; Vandana Shiva Interview

--Sara Van Gelder

"...The notion [of Earth Democracy] comes from a very ancient category in Indian thought. Just like Chief Seattle talked about being in the web of life, in India we talk about vasudhaiva kutumbkam, which means the earth family. Indian cosmology has never separated the human from the non-human—we are a continuum. When the issue of the patenting of life emerged, for example, there were two levels of response from those opposing this practice in India. The one level was resistance: “This is immoral. Life is not an invention. Life cannot be a monopoly. You cannot sell us the seeds you stole from us, and you cannot charge us royalties for the product of nature’s intelligence and centuries of human innovation.” The second level was the reclaiming of democracy: people claimed the right to look after their biodiversity and use it sustainably. ..." --Sara Van Gelder, YES Magazine; read more on cite

Peering Through the Bushes

--Bush Greenwatch

"More than 30 years ago, prize-winning journalist Ed Flattau began writing the country's first nationally syndicated column on the environment, and for the past four years he has occupied a ringside seat at George W. Bush's assault against nature...Flattau's [new book] ...dissects the administration's assault on the environment and exposes the many fallacies on which the President bases environmental policy....

"...Flattau reviews Bush's deplorable record on the environment as governor of Texas, when that state was 49th in spending to acquire new parklands. ...

"As governor, Mr. Bush allowed oil, gas, and chemical companies to avoid mandatory emission reductions, calling instead for voluntary reductions. Surprise: fewer than 10 percent of those companies heeded his call. ...

"Under the banners of "balance" and "sound science," Flattau documents how the President and his cohorts have worked to undo almost every aspect of the nation's environmental progress of the past 40 years.

"Wherever possible, the administration cloaks its attack on the environment in soothing words like "healthy forests initiative" and "clear skies initiative," while delivering the opposite. Flattau describes how the administration scorns UN and other international treaties designed to protect the environment, leaving many countries to conclude that the U.S. has virtually become a rogue nation. ..." --Bush Greenwatch; read more on cite

Defending NEPA from Assault

--Natural Resources Defense Council

"...The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) is a landmark environmental statute that has protected America's natural heritage on land and sea. For over 30 years, NEPA has provided an essential tool in helping federal managers do their jobs. When done right, it promotes sound and accepted decisions. Specifically, NEPA requires federal agencies to study and disclose the environmental effects of their actions and to include the public in their decisionmaking.

"Opportunities exist to achieve NEPA's goals more effectively and efficiently. Yet the Bush administration and some in Congress are now acting to circumvent, rather than improve, NEPA.

"...President Bush has set up a NEPA task force headed by the Council on Environmental Quality. Its mission is to "help federal agencies update their practices and procedures and better integrate NEPA into federal agency decision making" (67 Fed. Reg. 45511 (July 9, 2002)). The NEPA Task Force issued its report and recommendations on September 24. While the administration talks about enhancing NEPA, many of its actions are meant to circumvent the process. From logging on national forests to offshore oil drilling to highway projects, the administration seeks to shield from NEPA's requirements federal activities with serious environmental consequences. ..." --NRDC/NEPA Backgrounder, 9/24/03; read more on cite

Audubon Society Opposes HR3320

--Audubon News, Washington, DC, Thursday, June 24, 2004

"Gregory S. Butcher, Ph.D., director of Bird Conservation for the National Audubon Society, today gave testimony opposing H.R. 3320, the American Aquaculture and Fishery Resources Protection Act, to the U.S. House of Representatives. HR 3320 transfers management of migratory bird species from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS). His complete testimony follows:

“Audubon is opposed to H.R. 3320. This legislation proposes to strip away 85 years of migratory bird conservation progress under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by giving control over the take of migratory birds to an agency –APHIS – that has no mandate to conserve populations of migratory birds. In addition, the legislation proposes to exempt the Department of Agriculture from the provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for any desired migratory bird management activities. The effect of this bill on migratory birds is clear: If it flies, it dies. ..." Audubon News; read more on cite

National Park Service Retirees Spurned

--Campaign To Protect Americas Lands

"1/22/04:...The White House has declined to meet with representatives of 183 concerned National Park Service (NPS) retirees who today sent President George Bush a letter expressing grave concerns that "actions are being taken in the Department of the Interior and the National Park Service that are short-changing, ignoring or violating the long-standing legislation and policies comprising the mission of the National Park Service. ... The letter signers are members of the Coalition of Concerned National Park Services Retirees. The signers of the letter represent over 6000 years of NPS experience and include one former director, two former deputy directors, eight former regional directors and 62 former park superintendents. .." --Campaign to Protect America's Lands read more on cite

Communities and Drought

--U.S.DOE; Smart Communities Network

"Many communities are finding that providing adequate water supplies for growing populations can be a real challenge. The challenge is increased when communities face drought in addition to increasing water demands. As cities, counties, states and regions across the country deal with water shortages, they have come up with a number of different approaches to the issue. While some communities have taken a policy approach, limiting development based on proof of available water supplies, other communities have turned to creative conservation and efficiency incentives as a means of extending current supplies. Recognizing that water scarcity is likely to recur, some communities have put an emphasis on planning for drought before it happens, in order to mitigate its effects.

"This page offers a portal to current news items and events relevant to how communities deal with drought..." -- US Dept. of Energy; Smart Communities Network; read more on cite

Dirty Air, Dirty Power

--Clean Air Task Force, June 2004

"Dirty Air, Dirty Power documents, for the first time, how many heart attacks and lung cancer deaths are caused each year by coal-fired power plants. Nationally, power plant pollution cuts short nearly 24,000 lives, including 2,800 from lung cancer, and causes 38,200 heart attacks each year.

"The study also finds that each of those people whose lives were cut short because of power plant pollution lost an average of 14 years, dying earlier than they would have otherwise. Dirty Air, Dirty Power is based on an analysis by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s own air quality consultants using standard EPA methodology. ..." --Clean Air Task Force, June 2004, read more on cite

Nuclear Waste - LWVNV says NIMBY

--The League of Women Voters of Nevada

"...The League of Women Voters of Nevada opposes Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham's recommendation of Yucca Mountain as the site for a repository for the permanent disposal of the nation's irradiated fuel and high-level nuclear waste.... the Secretary said that compelling national interests require the Department of Energy to complete the siting process and move forward with the development of a repository. We disagree with the Secretary's conclusions.

"The mission of the League of Women Voters of Nevada, as a nonpartisan political organization, is to encourage the informed and active participation of citizens in government, and to empower citizens to shape better communities. We work to build public participation in the democratic process. The people of Nevada have not been afforded the opportunity to participate in, or been given the chance to influence decision making regarding the Yucca Mountain program. Public acceptance is a major factor in many such programs in other countries, but the fact that over 80% of Nevadans oppose this project has been ignored..." --The League of Women Voters, 2002 read more on cite

Bush's Drilling - RMI's Alternative

--Rocky Mountain Institute via The Aspen Times

"President Bush's national energy policy gives a green light to drilling rigs in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and 52,000-pound "thumper trucks" rumbling outside of Arches National Park in search of oil.
The folks at the Rocky Mountain Institute in Snowmass figured Americans might like to know that alternatives exist...." --The Aspen Times, read more on cite

Strategic Campaigning and Systemic Analysis

--SmartMeme, "Building a Mass Ecology Movement with the Power to Transform the Culture"

"...Campaigns are the building blocks of social change. The campaign is context for building a movement - the stepping stones that lead people through the process of radicalization. We need to combine the best lessons of strategic campaigning - ones that win real concessions out of corporations and the government - with a systemic analysis. Reform vs. revolution is a simplistic dichotomy which all too often hides the privilege of "radicals" who have the luxury of refusing concessions when it's not their community or ecosystem that is on the chopping block. A better way to conceptualize the struggle is how can we win real concessions from the institutions we're targeting without legitimizing them?"

"... We are all too often complicit in our own marginalization by forgetting that although our numbers may be small that doesn't mean our support is small... To engage this support it is essential that we not allow ourselves to self-define ourselves as a fringe. It means we need to fight in the cultural arena and constantly be working to frame the debate. We're not wackos it's the the neoliberal policy writers and corporate executives who think the world can continue on with unlimited economic growth in a finite biological system who are crazy..." --SmartMeme, "Building a Mass Ecology Movement with the Power to Transform the Culture"; read more on cite

Greenhouse Gas Mitigation Case Studies

--US Environmental Protection Agency

"U.S. historians regard the states as "laboratories of democracy." In much the same way, states and localities can be regarded as laboratories of greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. States, localities, and private sector groups have implemented many innovative technologies, programs, and policies, and have demonstrated the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a variety of methods to reduce GHGs.

"Each case study features a description of the project and, where available, quantitative results in terms of GHG reductions, energy savings, and costs. It also identifies the main actors involved in managing and implementing the project, and provides contacts for obtaining additional information.

"The case studies listed below illustrate the wealth of experience states, localities, and private sector groups are accumulating as they implement policies that reduce GHGs, and represent a cross-section of the broad range of approaches that can be used..." EPA; read more on cite

US EPA Technical Assistance Grants

--US Environmental Protection Agency;

"A Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) provides money for activities that help your community participate in decision making at eligible Superfund sites. ... Congress made public involvement in decision making an important part of the Superfund process when the program was established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980. Congress wanted to ensure that the people whose lives were affected by abandoned hazardous wastes would have a say in actions to clean them up. ... Since the first TAG was awarded in 1988, more than $20 million has been awarded directly to community groups..." --US Environmental Protection Agency; read more on cite

Fuel Supplies and Security

--Rocky Mountain Institute;

"In the United States, cars and light trucks ... use 37 percent of the nation's oil ... Increasing the average efficiency of today's passenger cars by just 27 percent (5.3 mpg) would eliminate the need for American oil imports from the Persian Gulf—saving not only the cost of the imports but also a big chunk of the $40 billion spent annually on military readiness in the Gulf. ... The need to drill in ANWR would become obsolete.

...Hypercar vehicles would be capable of increasing fuel efficiency by much more than 27 percent. ... Assuming only half of all vehicles in America were Hypervehicles by 2020, and taking into account a projected 50-percent increase in vehicle miles traveled by then, overall fuel consumption would still be 25 percent less than today's level. " --Rocky Mountain Institute; read more on cite

Sunspots & Activist Strategy

--by Carol Moore

"In the mid-1980s, writing in two small radical publications, I predicted the dissolution of the Soviet Union and freedom for eastern Europe for the exact month that it did in fact happen. I did not predict it specifically for November of 1989. I predicted it for the height of the next eleven year sunspot cycle. The height occurred in November of 1989. And, as this article argues, this was no coincidence. For the sunspots give off solar flares that increase negative ionization on earth--and negative ionizations increases human exciteablity and activity.

"Considering that we are now at the end of in the greatest height of another sunspot cycle, a time of maximum human excitability, of mass demonstrations, riots, revolutions and wars, it is wise to look at the evidence that these cycles have influenced all of human history -- and to learn the implications of these cycles for activist organizing--and for the governments which tend to be the targets of riot, rebellion and revolution. ..." --Carol Moore; read more on cite

Faith-Based Parks?

--PEER: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility

"National Park Service employees from across the country who are concerned that Bush political appointees are taking our national parks in a new, dangerous direction have contacted PEER to ask for our assistance.

"In a series of recent decisions, the National Park Service has approved the display of religious symbols and Bible verses, as well as the sale of creationist books giving a biblical explanation for the Grand Canyon and other natural wonders.

"These moves all emanate from top Park Service political appointees over the objections of park superintendents, agency lawyers and scientists. A number of fundamentalist Christian and socially conservative groups are claiming credit for these actions and touting their new direct and personal access to Bush Administration officials. ..." ----PEER: Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility; read more on cite

Don't Fear New Paper

--Co-Op America Newsroom;

"Auto industry executives strongly opposed seat belts and air bags when calls for regulations requiring same were first heard. Decades later, the auto industry has learned how to profitably integrate seat belts and air bags into their products. Some (many) even trumpet their superior safety standards in one area or another as a means to gain consumer favor and market share.

"The recycled paper industry is going through a similar adolescence. There was a time, not long ago, when consumer product recycling was but a topic of conversation among progressive thinkers. No municipalities, states, or federal legislation mandated target levels of trash to be recycled. No infrastructure existed for collecting, transporting, storing, sorting, and processing recyclable post-consumer content (no demand, no industry). There were no internationally recognized green recycling logos to affix on all manner of packaged goods.

"Just a few decades later, millions of Americans regularly buy paper products with post-consumer recycled (PCR) content. The public's commitment, plus affordable and high-quality PCR magazine paper, should encourage the magazine industry to participate by switching their publications to PCR papers. This switch would benefit the environment, without affecting the publication's bottom line, opening the opportunity for publishers to gain market share by tapping into consumer goodwill in a time of increasing consumer environmental awareness.

"In tight economic times, I can understand publishers' fears about trying something new. I agree that true ecological sustainability must include economic viability in addition to environmental and social responsibility.

"If a magazine makes a switch to PCR papers and then goes out of business, it would benefit no one except the headline writers, and would discourage other publishers from adopting PCR papers.

"Fortunately, the fact is, PCR papers are virtually indistinguishable from their virgin paper counterparts in every way except one: they have a much smaller impact on the environment. Let's examine some facts. ..." --Co-Op America Newsroom;read more on cite

The Scientist :: Fighting for Integrity

--Eugene Russo; The Scientist.com

"US scientists need better ways to fight the influence of industry and politics on scientific inquiry, participants at a Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) meeting said on Monday (July 12).

"In the last year, we recognized that many science arenas are suffering from the same problems," CSPI Integrity in Science project director Merrill Goozner told The Scientist. CSPI held its first "science integrity" meeting in the summer of 2003.

"Whether they are studying global warming, environmental toxins, or workplace safety, scientists who find their research unjustifiably shunned or suppressed face similar challenges from corporate and special interests, said Goozner. Uniting scientists and raising awareness, Goozner asserted, will help educate the public about abuses, prevent cynicism about an industry-influenced scientific enterprise, and ensure lasting public support for research. ..." --Eugene Russo; The Scientist.com; read more on cite

A Prayer for America

Speech -- Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich

"...Let us pray that our nation will remember that the unfolding of the promise of democracy in our nation paralleled the striving for civil rights. That is why we must challenge the rationale of the Patriot Act. We must ask why should America put aside guarantees of constitutional justice?

"How can we justify in effect canceling the First Amendment and the right of free speech, the right to peaceably assemble?

"How can we justify in effect canceling the Fourth Amendment, probable cause, the prohibitions against unreasonable search and seizure?

"How can we justify in effect canceling the Fifth Amendment, nullifying due process, and allowing for indefinite incarceration without a trial?

"How can we justify in effect canceling the Sixth Amendment, the right to prompt and public trial?

"How can we justify in effect canceling the Eighth Amendment which protects against cruel and unusual punishment?

"We cannot justify widespread wiretaps and internet surveillance without judicial supervision, let alone with it.

"We cannot justify secret searches without a warrant.

"We cannot justify giving the Attorney General the ability to designate domestic terror groups.

"We cannot justify giving the FBI total access to any type of data which may exist in any system anywhere such as medical records and financial records.

"We cannot justify giving the CIA the ability to target people in this country for intelligence surveillance.

"We cannot justify a government which takes from the people our right to privacy and then assumes for its own operations a right to total secrecy. ..." -- Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich, Feb. 17 2002; read more on cite

The Misunderestimated Man

-- "How Bush chose stupidity" By Jacob Weisberg

"The question I am most frequently asked about Bushisms is, "Do you really think the president of the United States is dumb?" The short answer is yes. The long answer is yes and no.

"Quotations collected over the years in Slate may leave the impression that George W. Bush is a dimwit. Let's face it: A man who cannot talk about education without making a humiliating grammatical mistake ("The illiteracy level of our children are appalling"); who cannot keep straight the three branches of government ("It's the executive branch's job to interpret law"); who coins ridiculous words ("Hispanos," "arbolist," "subliminable," "resignate," "transformationed"); who habitually says the opposite of what he intends ("the death tax is good for people from all walks of life!") sounds like a grade-A imbecile.

"And if you don't care to pursue the matter any further, that view will suffice. George W. Bush has governed, for the most part, the way any airhead might, undermining the fiscal condition of the nation, squandering the goodwill of the world after Sept. 11, and allowing huge problems (global warming, entitlement spending, AIDS) to metastasize toward catastrophe through a combination of ideology, incomprehension, and indifference. If Bush isn't exactly the moron he sounds, his synaptic misfirings offer a plausible proxy for the idiocy of his presidency. ..." ---- By Jacob Weisberg, Slate; read more on cite

Dialogue and Deliberation

"Exploring the Mission and Role of Dialogue and Deliberation" with Tom Atlee and the NCDD

A Credo For Collective Intelligence And Wisdom

We believe, and we have seen this to be true,

that if diverse people are helped to show up and be fully heard,
they can generate greater intelligence and wisdom together
than they can individually.

We also know

that there are many ways people can be helped
to access and reflect on the information they need
to further enhance their collective intelligence and wisdom.

And we believe and we have seen

that those who understand and use the principles above
almost always find greater
meaning, aliveness and adventure in doing so.

We believe these principles

can, do and should bring intelligence and wisdom to

addressing conflict,
solving problems,
making decisions,
building community,
practicing democracy,
managing businesses and organizations,
and simply living life.

Finally, we believe that

how we use these principles

through the practice of dialogue and deliberation

in our lives together at all levels
will have a profound influence
not only on the quality of our lives
but ultimately on the survival
of civilization, humanity and life on earth.

We call on all leaders and professionals

to apply their skills to this vital mission.

We call on all people everywhere

- and that means all of us, in all our diversity -

to demand the application of dialogue and deliberation
in all aspects of our lives together

- in great institutions of politics, governance, commerce and law,
no less than in our own lives and communities.

We call on ourselves and everyone else

to practice dialogue and deliberation fully
to create a world that works for all
that it may flourish for a long, long time.

NCDDwiki; read this on cite

The National Ballot Integrity Project

2004 Ballot Integrity Outreach

"The integrity of our electoral process is under attack. Unreliable and insecure electronic voting and vote counting systems threaten the democratic process. It's nothing less than a full frontal assault on democracy -- happening right under our noses-- and we, the American people, will not take it lying down. It's time for a return to transparency - time to shine a bright light into the black boxes of America's electronic voting systems, and time to reclaim our democracy.
Uniting and Amplifying the Voting Integrity Movement

"The National Ballot Integrity Project Task Force was founded to unite and enhance the effectiveness of the already energized and motivated organizations, grassroots activists, concerned citizens and legislators who comprise the election integrity movement across the nation. ..." --The National Ballot Integrity Project; read more on cite

Six Steps To The Presidency

--Arianna Huffington

"Dear Sen. Kerry,

"Congratulations on becoming the de facto nominee. Now the White House is gunning for you and party hacks are deafening you with advice. Take a deep breath and tune them out. Here is a simple six-point plan for becoming the 44th president of the United States. ...After years of being pandered to and lied to, we are longing for a leader who will speak straight to us and challenge us to live up to those intangible qualities that make our nation great.

"You can be that leader, but only if you ignore all those who tell you that's not the way you win elections. Indeed, that's the only way you'll win this one..." --Arianna Huffington, Tom Paine/Common Sense, A Public Interest Journal; read more on cite

Polluting the Village

--Amanda Griscom, Grist Magazine

"The Bush administration has proposed yet another list of environmental sacrifices that it believes America should make for the War on Terror.

"Last year, President Bush pushed through legislation that exempts military training bases from cornerstone environmental protections mandated by the Endangered Species Act and Marine Mammal Protection Act, in the name of "military readiness." Despite howls of protest from the environmental community and government officials alike -- the unprecedented, sweeping wartime request was unaccompanied by any evidence that America's military strength is at odds with environmental protection -- the Department of Defense insisted on the rollbacks and got much of what it asked for..." --Amanda Griscom, Grist Magazine; read more on cite

Saying Good-Bye To Bush Jr?

--Anthony C. LoBaido

"...Then one day I saw two photographs in a magazine. One was of a strand of DNA. The other photo depicted forming galaxies in the distant universe as captured by the Hubble Telescope. Both photos look(ed) identical in the macro and the micro sense - this much was obvious to even the most casual observer. There is a master blue print after all.

And that blue print does not say the world is a business. Rather it says the world is a collection of very different peoples with unique hopes, goals, dreams and aspirations. It also says that God has an individual plan for all of us - a plan separate from the fate of nations and transnational corporations.

"It's time to put someone in the White House who knows how to read that blueprint correctly. And if such a man or woman does not exist or is currently unelectable in our neo-pagan dispensation, let us all seek the wisdom to read this blueprint on our own.

"Watching Rudy Guliani, a supporter of partial-birth abortion, or George Pataki, who stood next to the blood drenched (ex) dictator of Mainland China as he rang the opening bell on Wall Street, speak at the Republican National Convention should show us that the Bush Jr. crowd cannot possibly chart a new course for us.

"For as Barbara Bush told us years ago; "The answers won't come from the White House. They'll come from your house." --Anthony C. LoBaido, Jeff Rense' Site; read this on cite

Lip Service

Hyphen Magazine | Asian America Unabridged
--by Gena Klu; Fall 2004

"Asian Americans are generally known as swing voters, but President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry seem to be doing little to make the Asian American vote swing their way.

"Asian American voters are split among the parties, as 40 percent claim to be Republicans, 36 percent Democrats and 24 percent hold other affiliations. The 80-20 Initiative, a pan-Asian American organization, was created in hopes of garnering 80 percent of registered Asians to vote as a bloc for a chosen candidate based on what he would do for Asian Americans..." --Gena Klu, Hyphen Magazine, Fall 2004; read more on cite

Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party

Link: Rise of the Religious Right in the Republican Party.

"It's Moral Values, Stupid!"

Politicians once followed the slogan, "It's the economy, stupid!" Since the 2004 election we have been hearing that "moral values" have become more important to voters than their own economic self interest. But the term "moral" is twisted and misused.

The goal of the dominionist movement, as we demonstrate in this web site, is to impose its interpretation of the Bible on the rest of society. Twenty-five years ago it began targeting the Republican Party as the vehicle through which it could advance its agenda. The goal of political dominion is veiled in a cloak of "moral values." Let's look at some of those "moral values."

This movement values guns and the death penalty. It values the rich at the expense of the poor. It favors corporations at the expense of individuals. It seeks to eliminate virtually all regulations that protect the environment, worker safety, and public health. And in an effort to fulfill the dominionist belief in the manifest destiny of "Christian" nations, it values an aggressive foreign policy. It is possessed of absolute moral righteousness. It tolerates no dissent. And now it has extraordinary power in the U.S. government, with two branches solidly in its pocket and the third, the judiciary, just a couple of retirements away.

--Sara Diamond, Theocracy Watch; read more on cite