THE VANCOUVER WASHINGTON POLICE DEPARTMENT

Check out this invaluable link:

FLEX YOUR RIGHTS at flexyourrights.org

Use them, or get them taken away.

Peace-

REGARDING "THE POST AMERICAN WORLD" BY FAREED ZAKARIA

I have just completed his book, in which he discusses the up and coming nations, the "rise of the rest" as he calls it.

I found it to be an extremely easy read, Zakaria doesn't make you feel as though you need a degree in economics or poli sci to understand it.

I highly recommend it, every American should read it, it is that important. Americans need to realize that, as a nation, the United States shift in hegemony has to be addressed. Peace, Searchers!

image credit

PUSHING FOR EQUAL RIGHTS IN AMERICA (HINT-THE GUY IN THE PICTURE ISN'T DOWN WITH THAT)

I dedicated the latter part of last week, that is Thursday and Friday, to chasing down elected officials in Arkansas to try to establish who specifically legislates the Office of Child Support Enforcement. I believe I have it narrowed down to two individuals, Representative Greg Reep of Warren, AR and Senator Percy Malone (pictured) of Arkadelphia, AR. (When I write "Thursday and Friday," it implies I took a mere two days to research information. That is a simplification; I have been pursuing this information for months...)



I interrupted Rep. Reep's golf game, and we agreed to talk later. When I spoke with Reep, he came across as a thinker, he listened to my statements regarding the current crises facing families and asked that I supply him with information so he could research the issues.


When I reached Arkansas State Senator Percy Malone it was quite another story. With a voice and twang that would do Jim Nabors proud, (shout out to Sylacauga, Alabama) Mr. Malone rebuffed my statements with such eloquent remarks as, "When it comes to child support I don't much care about the adults," and "I don't have anything to do with what happens across the country," and then the ubiquitous pseudo-intellectual statement: "All I care about is the kids" which is nothing more than a bullshit statement, especially when it comes from the mouth of a politician, as it is meant to appeal to some heartstrings in voters, because who in their right mind would be against children? *collective gasp*

"What Arkansas State Senator Percy Malone fails to
realize is that children and adults are intricately intertwined and
interdependent. There is not a father on this planet that does not
want to interact with his children, neither is there a mother that doesn't crave the same."

For Mr. Malone to not be able to put the two together is quite remarkable, but as another Arkansas Senator,Mark Pryor, famously said: "You don't have to pass an I.Q. test to be in the Senate." Clearly.

Mr. Malone's failure to grasp the fact that policy in Arkansas can cause severe harm to a 6 year old child half a continent away speaks whole volumes about his lack of knowledge as it pertains to modern times. Mr. Malone, pick up a newspaper or plug in that clam-shell thingy, I think it's called a lap-top or sumthin...


When I suggested that the state discontinue the policy of making non-custodial parents reimburse the state when the custodial parent applies for certain types of aid, (and the state forces and coerces the custodial parent to sign away their rights to child support, without qualified legal council) his immediate, knee-jerk statement was "Oh they'll never change that," which reveals Senator Malone's deep fear of change in the status quo. This is exactly the type of person that should not be in office.


One of the problems with guys like Percy Malone, (and he's not alone, Mrs. Searcher's father has the same unenviable trait,) is they exist in a bubble due to their elected position. Most have seen prosperity for all of their lives, couple that with living in Arkansas, throw in a heaping dose of conservatism, with a lack of intellectual curiosity, and out pops people like Percy Malone. And Mrs. Searcher's pappy.


Another problem with guys like Percy Malone is they prominently display their religion on their state websites. In this case, Malone's website lists "Baptist" as his church affiliation, but when given the opportunity to discuss real issues such as policy that is resulting in the destruction of families, Mr. Malone makes statements that denigrate an entire group of people which directly contradicts the teachings of the central figure of the Baptist denomination, Jesus Christ.


I emailed Mr. Malone after our conversation, the body of which you can read at the end of this post. I intend to call Mr. Malone's office tomorrow, 06.04, to obtain a statement. I will publish the results of the call.

Lest there be any confusion, let me be clear: I intend to see reform come to child support enforcement. I believe the statutes as they are written violate the 14th amendment to the Constitution of the United States, as well as Articles 1,2, 3,6,7,21.2, and 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Email to Percy Malone:

Mr. Malone- May 29, 2009

Thank you for your time Friday discussing crucially important child support issues. I regret that you were unable to articulate with any eloquence the rationale behind the reckless policies of the Office Child Support Enforcement. I do appreciate your stated concern regarding "the children" and your adamant declaration that you "don't much care about the adults." This is abundantly clear as you continue to support policies that contribute to the despair and destruction of families. Armed with your regrettable comments as well as the memory of our short phone conversation it comes as no surprise that you cannot comprehend a connection between adults and children. Apparently in the world of Percy Malone, children somehow appear without the help of adults, and when the benevolent Mr. Malone waves his magic wand all children are self-sufficient, because in Mr. Percy's world, children and adults have no connection. Brilliant.

As for your statement, "I don't have anything to do with what happens across the country," this gives me a glimpse into your lack of vision, lack of intellectual curiosity, as well as your provincial mindset. Your inability to connect dots in the simplest of pictures is remarkable.

I realize you got off on the wrong foot with me but I am confident we can move forward amicably while you still hold office. I look forward to frequent future conversations with you as the OCSE policies as currently written must be reviewed in the context of the age we live in today as opposed to maintaining the status quo. The review of these policies must only result in one thing: a sea change in the Office of Child Support Enforcement.

Sincerely,



Peace, Searchers


image credit: Arkansas State Assembly website.

NEW RULES BILL MAHER 5.29.09 GREED

This is the latest New Rules segment from Bill Maher's HBO show "Real Time with Bill Maher."

I'll try to post his "New Rules" segment from now on, in this clip he mentions the electrocution of American Soldiers due to shoddy electrical work, (I blogged about this) he mentions the dumping of patients on the streets on L.A. because of no insurance.

He relates the growing for-profit prison industry, the fact that we have more people in prison than China for God's sake, he talks about the food industry. Searchers, it is time to wake up and see where we have been heading for the past 30 years, since Reagan was elected and our nation embraced greed like a drunk with a five dollar whore. Enjoy, watch it and then watch it again, then watch it again, then subscribe to HBO if you don't have it already. It is time for systemic change in the United States...Peace

WATCH WHITE MALE APOPLEXY IN REAL TIME!! MORE STUPIDITY FROM THE GREAT WHITE RIGHT

I've been paying attention to the continuing circus that is our Supreme Court judicial nominee process. It has been four days since President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, and the right has come out against her nomination, which is no surprise, as any President that nominates an individual to the high court is going to face opposition to their pick regardless of party affiliation. Dems will oppose Repub picks and vice-versa.

What I am watching is the way the right is opposing her nomination. For the past four days, and right now it is 6:09 am Pacific, all I have heard about is race issues (not judicial decision issues) from the Great White Right.

Before I begin indulge me as I interject a thought:
I considered ignoring this subject altogether unless something really outrageous (actually the behavior from the right IS outrageous, but it's so commonplace that it just seems normal) transpired, then of course I'd be all over it. The subject of race in the United States has become so predictable that it is just tiresome, especially when it comes from pampered, privilged white folk, or white folk that are broke as hell, and not interested in expanding their horizons by picking up a book, newspaper, or watching a t.v. show other than American Idol or some such drivel... *sigh* So here we go...

Sonia Sotomayor is an extraordinarily accomplished individual that happens to be a woman of Latin decent. She sees the world through her eyes, eyes that I'm confident have seen some shit while growing up in a South Bronx project by a single mother. Her dad died when she was nine. She has experiences that no white person could ever understand, and I daresay she has had experiences no one could relate to, unless they were walking in her shoes.

I believe this is a good thing. We now have, on the right, characters such as Newt Gingrich, Karl Rove, Glen Beck, showing their extraordinary fear and trepidation, (okay let's call it what it is: they are fucking tripping) because their vision of the Supreme Court DOES NOT include a Puerto Rican woman.

I laughed as I wrote that last sentence because it's just so damn funny!
So the aforementioned clowns are screaming about a statement Sotomayor made a few years ago. Here it is, courtesy of Media Matters:

"I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life,"

You decide. The right is screaming "Racism," that she is a "reverse racist!" I guess that means she is being a racist while driving in reverse or some shit like that. A sidebar Great White Right: There is no such thing as "reverse racism" you idiots. Either you are a racist or you're not. "Reverse racism" is a completely idiotic term that makes virtually no sense, much like the very life most of the Great White Right lead.

Okay, so Judge Sotomayor believe she has had experiences as a Latina that could help understand discrimination cases better than a white male. Big surprise. Of course she does! Growing up as a poor kid in the projects, you know damn good and well she has experienced racism against her on all sorts of levels. Racism that a white male has never experienced. There is such a thing as white privilege, white people en masse don't see it cause, well, it is white privilege, after all. So let's forge ahead and see what some of these privileged white folk have to say about this accomplished, articulate woman:

Glen Beck, from his radio show, thanks Media Matters:

Glen Beck cannot conceal his racism at all, when he condescendingly calls her a "Hispanic chick-lady."

Next-Newt Gingrich former speaker of the House, racist, Georgia:

"White man racist nominee would be forced to withdraw. Latina woman racist should also withdraw." The biggest problem Gingrich has is the fact that she is not white, or a Michael Steele type of Black man...

And the Big Boss Limbaugh: Racist Supreme and leader of the Republican Party, Olbermann breaks it down-

Thanks to Media Matters, MSNBC and Olbermann. If you didn't watch the clip, Limbaugh compared her to David Duke, from the Ku Klux Klan. (As a man from Arkansas that walked by smoldering crosses on black people's lawns in the town of Pocahontas on my way to work at Ramon's Grocery store, I can say this woman is no David Duke.)
The right wing has attacked Sotomayor for her heritage, for the food she eats, and some have even demanded she change the way her name is pronounced, make it more "anglicized." Batshit crazy, racist as hell, and it has to stop.

I'm not going to bother to post what Rove had to say, Search it out.
I realize that Obama has seriously offended the sensibilities of these pampered, privileged white folk, but they had better get used to it, 'cause these times they are a changin' and there aint no stopping it. And why would I want to live in a monochromatic world that's ruled by nut jobs with bad hair (or no hair) anyway? The biggest threat these people face, is a sea change in the status quo, and that terrifies their cowardly asses. Let's have Bob Dylan take us out, cause the times they really are changing...
Peace-

HOUSE REPUBLICANS UNVEIL NEW BUDGET, NO IT'S NOT AN APRIL FOOL'S JOKE

Unfortunately it's real. Some of the points:

Cutting taxes for the rich.
Cutting corporate taxes.
Manipulating medicare with a program that sounds suspiciously like Reagan's "block grants."

More of the same from the party that has failed utterly. More of the rehash from the Reagan era, policies that have given the United States the current economic, social, health, and welfare crisis we are currently in.

More of the same from the party that has brought the United States to the brink of being a Failed State, one that is neither capable nor willing to provide for its citizens.

More of the same from the party that starts wars that cannot possibly be won.

More of the same from the party that wants to round up brown people and keep blacks and the poor in economic shackles, while ensuring CEO's and the already-wealthy remain that way.

More of the same from the party that wants to take away food for children, healthcare for children, food and medical benefits and education for the needy in the United States.

More of the same.

Isn't it time to shut the right wing down for good?
Vote against the past and look toward the future.

Onward!

GINGRICH'S RE-RISE, PALIN'S SLIDE

Palin won't be at the Senate-House dinner in July. The dinner is sponsored by the Republicans, and I've read it is the biggest GOP fundraiser of the year. It is a big deal. Gingrich will be speaking instead. Sounds petty, gossipy, and shallow. Delving deeper, however, certain things come to mind.



Remembering the 1990's and the "Republican Revolution" headed by Gingrich; his "Contract with America" and the gutting of social programs, again, the gutting of education, again, and the democrats in Arkansas, (Arkansas continues to be a reference point for me, as I spent very formative years there, and the politicians were making stupid remarks like, "these (black) women having 4 or 5 kids and sponging off of everyone is gonna stop!" As if cutting education, jobs, food for children is somehow going to force all poor and needy into the middle class, not to mention the obvious and accepted scapegoating of one gender of an entire race of people by politicians. How delightfully New Southish) jumping on the Republican bandwagon (huh?) further strengthening the foundation that had first been laid during the Reagan years for the financial, education, healthcare and social crises we are facing now.


The big boys on the right are sick of fucking around with Obama and his supporters, as well as Democrats in Congress and state Governors, both Democrat and moderate Republican. Furthermore, they are not going to allow Palin to head the party, because she so abysmal when she is called to task in public. Remember the interviews during the campaign. They know as well as most others that she is way out of her league.

But here is the real issue: Gingrich, Limbaugh,Hannity, John Boehner,Eric Cantor, etc. are becoming more virulent because they see their style of democracy, Krony Kapitalism, slipping away.


They will form a coalition that is going to shove weak individuals like Palin (it does not help her situation that she is a woman and not a part of the old 80's and '90 Republican nightmare that helped to bring us the current economic situation) out of the way, and they are going to run a vicious mid-term election campaign to unseat Democrats and pave a way to the White House in 2012. It will further display the hypocrisy of the "Party of Family Values." There will be a direct correlation between Obama's approval numbers and the Republican success.


I am not surprised Newt Gingrich is becoming a force again in Republican politics; however, if Americans allow him to be involved to any extreme, Americans will again have to take adose of penicillin to cure the infection. He made a statement in the 90's after he resigned from his position as Speaker of the House as well as his Representative seat, saying something to the effect of, "I didn't realize how out of touch I was with the people." He is still out of touch.


A bit of information regarding Newt Gingrich: He is involved with the American Enterprise Institute (AIE) as a senior fellow.

AIE is a conservative think tank that seeks "to defend the principles and improve the institutions of American freedom and democratic capitalism — limited government, private enterprise, individual liberty and responsibility, vigilant and effective defense and foreign policies, political accountability, and open debate".

Sounds great, and as American as apple pie. Execept the Republicans do not support political accountability and open debate, nor do they support individual liberty or democratic capitalism. Some of the people involved with the American Enterprise Institute:


Paul Wolfowitz-Major architect of the Iraq war, fired from the World Bank for fixing a promotion for his girlfriend, former Ambassador to Indonesia, supporting that regime that resulted in the deaths, political persecutions, and massive human rights abuses under Suharto, the Indonesian leader.

John Yoo-I blogged about Yoo recently,some of the finer points of the man-he disagrees with the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution, which safeguards against unreasonable search and seizure, he believes in spying on U.S. citizens without warrants and at will, there is evidence of his involvement in war crimes, and he is to be indicted by a Spanish court for crimes against humanity.


Antonin Scalia-Right wing Supreme Court justice, enjoys keeping the media out of his speaking events, targets gays.


Dick Cheney, for Christ's sake. Do I really need a commentary on this individual?


These are the people that Newt Gingrich rubs shoulders with. With the exception of Yoo, rich white men that have open disdain for the poor and the middle class, and do not want to educate the aforementioned classes.


If Palin does succeed in obtaining high federal ofice, she will be run by these people and be little more than a figurehead but I cannot imagine, with the egos in play, they would allow her to be in the spotlight.


We must move the United States away from the right-wing christian party; the Republicans and moderate Democrats, and start thinking as a nation of people rather than individual profit machines.


Onward.


By the way, I use Wikipedia as a reference throughout this article, thanks Wiki! Although I never use Wiki or any encyclopedia as a reference for papers, I do believe that encyclopedias both online and in print are an extremely valuable resource and a great place to start research...peace searchers
Image credit-UPDATE: I took the image down because it didn't fit the post correctly. If you would like, click on the link.

ARKANSAS ICE STORM---CHANGE IN ATITUDE AT THE JONESBORO SUN, "PAPER OF RECORD"

Got hung up on by the Sun. Twice.

ISRAEL IS NOT MAKING THIS EASY FOR ME AND I'M GLAD

According to a report on MSNBC, Israel hit a UN school today with artillery fire killing at least 30 people many of them children. According to the report, hundreds of people were holed up in the school as a shelter from the artillery and air strikes. Read the story here.

As I posted earlier, I have been an ardent supporter of Israel, and its right to exist. I understand the conflict Israel has with Hamas, and vice-versa. But as I sever my ties more and more with the right wing, I am seeing reality (as best as I can from 8000 miles away) on the ground in Gaza. It is a virtual prison camp of 1.5 million people. It would be like walling off the greater metropolitan area of Memphis, Tennessee, or Portland, OR with no one being allowed in or out, period. Then cut the gas off. Then cut the water off. Then reduce food supply. What would result is all out war against the people doing the oppressing. Much like what we might see in the United States if we continue down the same route.

Israel has a problem with Hamas. The US has a problem with Hamas. The people that do not have a problem with Hamas is the million or so Gazans, who when allowed to choose their own ruling party, chose Hamas. I remember the election. I remember the outcry by this Administration about the Gazans' choice. BUT IT WAS THEIR CHOICE. They elected Hamas to represent them. ELECTED. It was free and fair.

This reminds me of a quote from then Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, (which indicated then and continues to define the supreme arrogance of the US government) regarding the Chilean people:

"The US will not accept a Marxist government just because of the
irresponsibility of the Chilean people."

I read that and thought, "You arrogant fuck." There were approximately 5,000 people killed in the US Government, and this really infuriates me, US Corporation backed coup to overthrow President Allende in '73, and perhaps 30,000 killed in 1974 after the installation of the monster Augusto Pinochet. But that's okay, 'cause we makin' money now! What a nightmare.

In other words, if the people elect a government and the lone Superpower doesn't like it, war will ensue. The problem is, and this has also helped me open my eyes to US imperialism, is our policy of "Nation Building." The United States only wants a government elected by the people if they elect the government selected for them by the United States. Otherwise, they are deemed irresponsible, negligent, backwards, or worse and are in danger of destruction. Observe the current conflict with Ecuador, Venezuela, as well as other nations throwing off the capitalistic yoke.

No one should be subject to a Master, not Arabs, not Jews, not Africans, no one. I say stand up people, don't let these bastards grind you down, fight and take what is yours.

I voted for this administration, and I have been a staunch supporter of US policy through the years. No More. There has to accountability, there has to be change, and after January 20, 2009, there ought to be some high level Bush Administration arrests and trials, including Bush and that worthless Cheney, for a number of things, not the least of which is crimes against humanity. But there probably won't be. This, however, is inspirational to me in the sense that I can break the law, even heinously, and have an excuse. Everyone does it, even the President!

Peace-

BTW here is more reading regarding Chile and Latin America's 9/11 (yes, they had one too.)
Wikipedia
Renegade Eye Blog
The Shock Doctrine

And any history book worth a damn.

Onward!

ISRAEL INVADES GAZA

The conflict in Israel/Gaza is major news but a post on The Field Negro, "The Lost Boys", caught my attention. I am in no way an isolationist, and my views regarding Israel have changed somewhat. At any rate, we have got to focus on the United States and reverse the trend of Right Wing policies that have lead to greater poverty, despair, homelessness, hopelessness, and death not only in the U.S., but across the globe. Here is a portion:

"It's funny, at a time when most of you are outraged at
Israeli aggression in the Middle East, which has unfortunately caused innocent
civilians to lose their lives. Right here in your own country young boys who
look like you are losing their lives to the streets, and some of you don't seem
to give a damn. You are passionate about human rights in the "Holy Land" but not
about the right of our children to live past 21 here at home. Thanks to the
policies of the right; social programs, local police and juvenile crime
prevention programs, and other key local government programs geared to help keep
kids off the mean streets, have been cut. So while the frat boy was keeping us
safe from Al-Qaeda, he forgot to protect our children from each other, and from
the killing fields of urban A-merry-ca."

Very interesting insight. Let us reverse the trend of destruction to our middle class and poor.
Peace-

MORE INCARCERATION? MORE FAMILIES DESTROYED?

I'm following a story in Oregon. -UPDATE- I can't get the link to work, the story is from Oregonlive.com- Basically, Oregonians are going to the polls to decide a number of things, not the least of which will be the question of whether to "tighten up" sentences for non-violent offenders. (I love these ambivalent terms like "tighten up." It's allowed to sound innocuous when the reality of it is terrible and destructive. Kind of like "mandatory minimums." The shit doesn't work.) Non-Violent offenders. Drug addicts and the like. So, I'm hoping Oregon will get it right. From what I've seen in my few years of paying attention they probably won't.

People don't get it. Drug addiction is social problem, not a criminal one. Putting addicts in prison and destroying families further does nothing except feed the hideous beast that is the Prison Industrial Complex. For sure these cops and prosecutors don't get it, and they have very little incentive for helping in a positive way. Their jobs depend largely on addicts and convictions of addicts. Treatment would put a massive dent in revenue. That is the truth.

We have a nation of self-righteous sanctimonious christians, cops, judges and lawbreakers; I mean lawmakers, that have no sympathy or empathy for their fellow man. This is the result of a society built on capital and greed.

So, I push and focus my education on change in the United States. I'll follow that story and let ya know what's up, Searchers.

It is time for a systemic change in America. Peace-
Mike

SMALL TOWNS/SMALL MINDS

I was reading a post in a blog called Field Negro (field-negro.blogspot.com. I still don't know how to insert links in words yet...) today and the post relates an article written by Catherine McNicol Stock, an op-ed in the Philadelphia Inquirer I thought was interesting.

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080914_Intolerance_thrives_in_Palin_s_Pacific_Northwest.html

"Despite her efforts to portray herself as an average, small-town, "folksy" American, Sarah Palin's political views - ardently pro-gun, pro-censorship, antichoice and antigay - make John McCain's conservative credentials pale in comparison. What few observers have said, however, is these beliefs are not just extreme - they are radical, and even bear a comparison with some of the most notorious "rural radicals" of our time.


It has been years since groups such as the Montana Militia, the Posse Comitatus and the Sagebrush Rebels, and individuals such as Terry Nichols and Ted Kaczynski have made us wonder why so many "angry white men" populated our rural regions. Many of us have forgotten the threat once posed by domestic terrorists and instead have turned our attention to foreign terrorists. But we should never forget that in the late 20th century, ultra-Christian, antistatist and white-supremacist groups flourished in the states of the Pacific Northwest - called by many the "Great White Northwest" - the very region that Sarah Palin and her family call home.

Demographics most basically define this geographic region. In the six states that make up the Pacific Northwest - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska - only six counties are more than 5 percent African American. Not by coincidence, each of these counties is also near an important military installation with many African American men and women. Even so, barely more than 3,000 blacks lived in all of Idaho in 2000.

Although home to tens of thousands of native peoples, Alaska is not much different in terms of diversity from the other states of the region. African Americans live in areas near important military installations in Anchorage and Fairbanks and almost nowhere else. Wasilla, where Sarah Palin was mayor, makes the census' list of the top 10 Alaskan communities with the largest number of African Americans because they make up a full 1 percent of the population. Rough calculations suggest that 65 blacks lived in the town.

But the region also must be defined by its history of intolerance, resentment, antistatism and violence. Appearing in the region in the 1980s and 1990s were some of the most notorious "hate radicals" of our time: militia groups, survivalists, Identity Christians, secessionists, white supremacists and others.
Some simply hated the federal government, like Randy Weaver of Ruby Ridge, Idaho, a survivalist whose wife and child died when their compound was fired upon by FBI agents attempting to arrest him on gun charges. "Whether we live or whether we die," Weaver said, "we will not obey this lawless government."

Other groups, like the Aryan Nation, with headquarters in Hayden Lake, Idaho, actively planned to rid the United States of African Americans, Jews, and other "non-Aryan" peoples. A few carried out their plans, murdering Jewish radio host Alan Berg in Denver, the Goldmark family in Seattle, an African American state trooper in Arkansas, Fish and Wildlife officials and FBI agents in Wyoming, North Dakota and Montana, and more than 160 federal employees and their children in Oklahoma City.

There is no evidence that Palin was ever affiliated with white-supremacist groups during her years in Idaho or at home in Alaska. On the other hand, the beliefs of ultraconservative, evangelical churches like her family's come dangerously close to those of the Christian Identity movement of those years. Likewise, Palin's husband was a member of a political party whose members favored secession for Alaska, suggesting an affiliation with radical antistatism.

Perhaps somewhere on the record, Palin has publicly condemned the radical politics of her region. But it is hard to know where she stands on issues of race, equality and diversity. Thus it is high time to review the cultural ideals and models of the radical rurals from the Great White Northwest and find out for sure where Gov. Palin stands."

I've lived in the Northwest for just a short period of time, but it is remarkably similar to the south in its perceptions of race. I've seen the same symbols of hate and segregation here as I did there. I've seen the same disdain for the poor as well as Blacks and Latinos. I've seen the same government policies that force the poor, generally minorities, to relocate because of gentrification-which is nothing more than mini episodes of forced relocation keeping a sort of perpetual diaspora. I sometimes feel like I never left the South.
I've seen the same institutional racism in Portland Oregon as I did in Paragould Arkansas.
Sarah Palin is so similar to the people that I attended church with, worked with went to school with.

I will agree with the writer, and add there is a long way to go for equality in the United States. This hate and stupidity surely is not confined to any region. Again, we have a long way to go.

I had actually intended to write about the quote "this lawless government" but felt I should elaborate the way you read above.

Allow me to be frank. I abhor the white supremacist movement in all its forms.

But the statement "this lawless government" must be studied. (See the Noam Chomsky, Dee Brown and Jon Lee Anderson titles under "what i'm reading"). Learning what I have learned regarding the truth of the U.S. government, and not subscribing to the "America love it leave it" crowd any longer, has shown me the glaring discrepancies the United States has in its words and its deeds...and the glaring discrepancies between the elite of the country and everyone else.

I call for unity among peoples... Peace and much love...

FOREIGN POLICY

Listening to the interview w/Palin on ABC, several things occured to me:

1. I have more foreign policy experience that Sarah Palin.
2. I can tell anyone that asks precisely what the Bush Doctrine is.
3. I can tell you what the Truman Doctrine is.
4. I have been to more countries than Sarah Palin.


A. France
B. Italy
C. Switzerland
D. Holland
F. Mexico


5. I have lived in more states than Sarah Palin, giving me a more concise viewpoint on many different cultures within the United States:


A. Illinois
B. Arkansas
C. Missouri
D. Kansas
E. Tennessee
F. North Carolina
G. Oregon
F. Washington

I have visited more states than Sarah Palin:

A. California
B. Kentucky
C. Iowa
D. Wyoming
E. Utah
F. Idaho
G. Montana
H. Michigan
I. Wisconsin(actually my relatives owned land in Wisconsin. I spent many, many weekends there outside of Avoca/Muscoda-pronounced Muscoday-so although never a resident, quite a few of my formative years were in Wisconsin. Hell, I rode my first motorcycle, shot my first pistol,shot my first rifle, milked my first cow, slaughtered my first rabbit, harvested my first puffball-in Wisconsin. The cheese and curd is amazing! "America's Dairyland")
J. South Carolina
K. Georgia
L. Alabama
M. Louisiana
N. Texas
O. Arizona
P. Minnesota
Q. Indiana
R. Florida
S. Mississippi
T. Oklahoma
U. Colorado

I think that's all...it is time for a systemic change in the United States...what did Thomas Jefferson say?

Clearly I have more experience, depth, compassion, and decency than Sarah Palin.

Batten down the hatches...O yeah-what about taking care of the Karl Rove problem?