Politics

“Amendment I – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Eddie Codel, a photographer/reporter for Indymedia.com, was arrested falsely along with protestors during the Republican National Convention. Read his account of the 40 hours he spend in jail in New York.

The election comes down to this. If you believe this country is heading in the right direction, you should support George Bush. But if you believe America needs to move in a new direction, join with us. John and I offer a better plan that will make us stronger at home and more respected in the world. And we need your help to do that.
For three days in New York, instead of talking about jobs and the economy, we heard anger and insults from the Republicans. And I’ll tell you why. It’s because they can’t talk about the real issues facing Americans. They can’t talk about their record because it’s a record of failure.
We all saw the anger and distortion of the Republican Convention. For the past week, they attacked my patriotism and my fitness to serve as commander in chief. Well, here’s my answer. I’m not going to have my commitment to defend this country questioned by those who refused to serve when they could have and by those who have misled the nation into Iraq.
The vice president even called me unfit for office last night. I guess I’ll leave it up to the voters whether five deferments makes someone more qualified to defend this nation than two tours of duty.
Let me tell you what I think makes someone unfit for duty. Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead this nation. Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting 45 million Americans go without health care makes you unfit to lead this nation. Letting the Saudi royal family control our energy costs makes you unfit to lead this nation. Handing out billions of government contracts to Halliburton while you’re still on their payroll makes you unfit. That’s the record of George Bush and Dick Cheney. And it’s not going to change. I believe it’s time to move America in a new direction; I believe it’s time to set a new course for America.
And we have a specific plan to do just that. So tomorrow morning, John and Elizabeth and Teresa and I are hitting the road across America’s heartland. From here, we’ll go out and talk with Americans in towns across Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Michigan. And because a stronger America begins at home, we’ll talk about our plan to create jobs, cut taxes for the middle class, lower health care costs, and make America safer and more secure.

In photo essay “Humiliated, Angry, Ashamed, Brown.” Photo student Ian Spiers get hassled repeatedly by the Seattle PD and federal agents about taking pictures in a public place. Never mind that all the other photographers all around him were left alone. They were all white.
I’m so glad my tax dollars are being spent on lamebrain police actions like this. Makes me so proud to be an American.

Apparently more than 800 protestors were arrested in New York yesterday while protesting the Repugnican National Convention. That’s more protestors than actually attended the Democratic Convention. The United For Peace march on Sunday estimates were somewhere in the neighborhood of 500,000 protestors.
Check out these great photos on a yahoo slide show of the “Pink Slip Protest” emphasizing that Bush’s economic policies have resulted in the first net job loss during a Presidency since the Great Depression. Thousands of demonstrators formed a symbolic unemployment line nearly three miles long which stretched from Wall Street to the MSG barricades. Their pink signs read “This next pink slip could be yours.”

In Arnie’s speech at the Right-wing Nutjob Convention, he invoked Richard Nixon.

I finally arrived here in 1968. I had empty pockets, but I was full of dreams. The presidential campaign was in full swing. I remember watching the Nixon and Humphrey presidential race on TV. A friend who spoke German and English, translated for me. I heard Humphrey saying things that sounded like socialism which is what I had just left. But then I heard Nixon speak. He was talking about free enterprise, getting government off your back, lowering taxes, and strengthening the military. Listening to Nixon speak sounded more like a breath of fresh air.
I said to my friend, “What party is he?” My friend said, “He’s a Republican.” I said, “Then I am a Republican!” And I’ve been a Republican ever since!

Um, Arnie? You do realized that Nixon was a criminal, right? That he was a loathsome and horrible person who went against everything American stands for, right? That his criminal behavior was committed in the course of actively trying to subvert the political process and undermine the American Government, right? That no one thinks good things about him…
Oh, nevermind.

The areas where the terrorists are most likely to strike… they’re all covered by our Homeland Security, right? Um, no, their not. Not at all. Because we’re spending so much money in Iraq, major hot spots here are not funded or protected adequately. Mother Jones analyzes the data:

Bikes Against Bush creator Josh Kinberg was arrested on Saturday afternoon after demonstrating the bike for MSNBC (he was being interviewed by Ron Reagan) and the NYPD:
Torrent of video from DV Guide
After seeing that demonstration by Apex Bail Bonds experts and being assured the chalk was easily removed from the sidewalk with water, officers consulted with their superiors, placed Josh under arrest, and confiscated his bike & equipment. He was charged with vandalism and released on Sunday morning. The Bike is set up to spray a chalk message on the sidewalk as the person rides along. The Messages are sent via computer from an input on the Bikes Against Bush website.
There were hundreds of thousands of protestors on the streets of New York yesterday, prior to the opening of the Republican National Convention. Thousands more are expected during the course of the week.

Look at where dumb old George is in the polls, according to the latest Economist polling. 39% Approval rating. Wow, that Swift Boat shit isn’t doing too well for you, W. Maybe you should drop that crap and run on your record. Oh, wait. You don’t have one.