Yesterday, Amy Goodman, an award-winning journalist and host of Democracy Now!, along with two members of her staff were violently and illegally arrested while covering an RNC protest.  If you want to read about it and watch the video of Goodman's arrest go to the website, www.democracynow.org.  This is such a shame.  Most people were there for peaceful protests, although I did read that some people came with the express purpose of making trouble.  But still, it is obvious that the police didn't care to distinguish between the two and have no problem with violating people's constitutional rights. 

My thoughts go out the Goodman and the Democracy Now! staff who were harmed during their arrest.  Hopefully justice will be brought to the officers who did this, although I highly doubt it--even with video evidence.  

 Thoughts?

Senator John McCain recently said that he thought it would be a good idea to adopt the same military tactics used to quell violence in Iraq to combat urban crime here in the United States.  Speaking before the National Urban League, he had this to say:

"And some of those tactics, very frankly--you mention the war in Iraq--are somewhat like that we use in the military.  You go into neighborhoods, you clamp down, you provide a secure environment for the people that live there, and you make sure that the known criminals are kept under control.  And you provide them with a stable environment, and then they cooperate with law enforcement."

Dear Senator McCain:

 I would like to help clear up a massive misconception you seem to have.  You see, I've noticed--from the numerous times you've stated this publicly--that you believe that if the United States were to militarily leave Iraq anywhere from now until about the year 2108, that will mean the terrorists have won and the war in Iraq will have been a failure.  Well, I beg to differ and for the following reasons:

10.  All the cool kids are doing it

9.  Why not?  Have something better to do that day than vote for the most powerful person on the planet?

8.  It really is our civic duty (and come on, we only have to do it once every four years)

7.  Because we can, and billions of people all over the world can't

6.  It's a historic election--the first black president vs. the oldest white president

5.  You get one of those cool "I voted" stickers

4.  You can throw an Election Day keg party, and of course everyone who shows up will have to flash their "I voted" sticker before they enter the party

3. George W. Bush, 2004

2. George W. Bush, 2000

1.  Because 232 years ago, 55 men committed treason (a crime punsihable by death) by signing their names onto the Declaration of Independence, spurring on a Revolution in which thousands of courageous men lost their lives fighitng the most powerful empire on earth against the most insurmountable odds.  Many of these brave soldiers starved to death, froze to death, died of heat exhaustion and disease, endured the harshest of elements and the harshest of circumstances, went months without pay and were away from their families for years.  Their sacrifices led to our freedom--the freedom to govern ourselves, to choose how we want to live our lives and most importantly, the freedom to choose our leaders.  

Every four years on Election Day, the power goes back to the American people, and by choosing our president we inevitably choose the course of our country for at least the following four years.  Don't pretend like your vote doesn't count (because it does) and that it doesn't matter who the president is because "all politicians are alike" (because they aren't).  And don't ever forget the sacrifices made by that brave and selfless first generation of Americans to grant us the liberties we take for granted every day.  Every four years we get a chance to thank them for what they have given us.  Don't be a douchebag--get out and vote this November, and all the following Novembers as well. 

I just read a few articles about President Bush lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling to supposedly "ease the rising oil prices".  Don't know if you all are aware of this or not but lifting this ban would do nothing to ease gas prices any time soon--most likely it wouldn't do anything for another decade or so--nor would it help in the long run, either.  This is just another ploy to pad the pockets of oil executives by their best mate George W. Bush. 

More after the jump...

     Twelve months ago if you asked random people on the street who Barack Obama is, maybe about half of them could have given you a correct answer.  Then, Obama was a huge underdog in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, and no one would have expected that one year later he would be the presumptive nominee.  Then in January came the Iowa caucus, and it was the 57 percent of young Iowans who voted for Barack Obama that gave him victory, causing a huge upset.

     The voters had nine candidates to choose from, and one generation overwhelmingly chose Obama.  These young Americans are all members of the Millennial Generation (born roughly between 1978 and 1996), and it is no surprise that a candidate like Obama appeals so much to this progressive, optimistic and politically engaged cohort. 

For anyone who wants the US to leave Iraq a.s.a.p, our fearless leader has a much different plan in mind.  According to recent reports from The Independent of London and even from Iraqi lawmakers, the Bush administration has been pressuring the Iraqi government to sign an agreement which would allow the US to keep over 50 military bases (double what we have control of now), give American soldiers and contractors complete legal immunity while at the same time allowing American forces to carry out arrests of Iraqi citizens and conduct military campaigns without prior authorization or even consultation with the Iraqi government, and would give the US control of Iraqi airspace of up to 30,000 feet. 

The Bush administration has tried to push through the agreement by holding hostage $50 billion of Iraq's money.  The US is threatening to remove tens of billions of dollars of that money to settle outstanding court debts dating back to the 1980's unless Iraq signs the controversial and outrageous agreement.  Today, Iraqi lawmakers told the media they rejected the agreement, with one lawmaker stating, "Now we are being asked to sign for our own occupation.  That is why we have absolutely refused to sign all that we have seen so far."