Si, Se Puede! (Cesar Chavez Holiday)

One of the first things I participated in when I arrived to Tallahassee was a rally with UFW and the AFL-CIO. It was quite an experience. Thousands of migrants work in Florida. A holiday to recognize that effort and to highlight the 'real cost' of our food is definitely something I can get behind.


Cesar Chavez Day is currently an observed holiday in eight states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Michigan, New Mexico, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin. With legislation is in the works to make it a federal holiday. Visit the United Farm Workers website
to sign a petition urging legislators to commemorate Chavez and the struggles of the migrant workers with a federal holiday.

Here is a good article on Chavez.

Also, there is another effort in the legislature to get the homes and places of work of Chavez declared historical sites. Apparently, it is being fought by Republicans.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Lawmakers renew push for federal Cesar Chavez holiday
The Associated Press
Article Launched: 03/31/2008

WASHINGTON—Congressional Democrats are renewing their call for a federal holiday honoring the late farmworkers' rights activist Cesar Chavez.

Chavez was born March 31, 1927, and in 2000 California became the first state to create an official state holiday in his honor. Other states including Texas and Arizona also observe the day.

In Washington, D.C., members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and others have pushed for a federal holiday since Chavez's death in 1993.

Legislation by Hispanic Caucus Chairman Joe Baca of California has about three dozen co-sponsors and Baca plans to call for its passage at a news conference Tuesday.

He's getting support from Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama who issued a statement backing the holiday.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A few more links:

Visit Democracy Now! for excerpts from Chavez's speeches and an interview with Delores Huerta, co-founder of UFW.
California Celebrates Cesar Chavez Day
Obama Calls for Nat'l Holiday

I actually have something positive to say about Sen. Nelson!

OK, I am not used to this. But, here I go.

Nelson actually proposed legislation that would rid us of the Electoral College and allow us to have truly democratic 'popular voting'. Really!

And, apparently, he doesn't propose stuff to often. But, I would have to say this is the best election reform legislation I have seen. He is actually insisting on true reform instead of bills with fancy language that confuses voters (;a novel idea).
“As I have engaged in this quest, for me it’s fairly simple, it’s a case of fundamental rights versus party rules,” Nelson told Florida lawmakers

Of course, all of this revolves around our delegate situation. Included in the bill is something he and Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) proposed in 2007: breaking the primaries up into regions and have them on a rotation. This idea didn't go too far, of course. But, coupled with a call for popular voting...it might make it.


I would like to encourage everyone to contact Sen. Nelson and THANK him for introducing common sense legislation regarding our voting system and ENCOURAGE him not to give in. Actually, you should all send this information to everyone you know and tell them to call their representatives and encourage them to support it.

"A number of Senate aides, both Democrat and Republican, tell FOX News it’s a near impossibility that Nelson’s new bill would be considered in the midst of a heated presidential election, despite one senior Senate Democratic leadership aide who said, “Election reform and efforts to increase voter participation are important issues that need to be addressed.”

“This country cannot afford to wait another 93 years before we fix the flaws we still see in our election system, because the blessings of liberty cannot wait. I believe the time for reform is now,” Nelson said, referencing to the fight Susan B. Anthony waged for women’s suffrage in the 19th Century."

Who knows when someone will introduce this again. Even now, it is not the main motivation behind the bill. There is going to be an uphill battle and we need to win it. (Now, all we need true campaign finance reform and re-districting and we would ahve a truly functioning democracy!)

The coverage of this hasn't been too positive; mostly focusing on the delegate situation.
CBS News
The Raw Story
CNN
The New York Observer

-----------
This totally has nothing to do voting. But, some guy thinks Nelson should be picked as the Democratic VP. LOL Had to share.

(See, couldn't give the man one good post.)

How much is a tree worth....?

How about a rainforest?



Million Acres of Guyanese Rainforest To Be Saved In Groundbreaking Deal

"The agreement, to be announced tomorrow in New York, will secure the future of one million acres of pristine rainforest in Guyana, the first move of its kind, and will open the way for financial markets to play a key role in safeguarding the fate of the world’s forests.

The initiative follows Guyana’s extraordinary offer, revealed in The Independent in November, to place its entire standing forest under the protection of a British-led international body in return for development aid.

Hylton Murray-Philipson, director of the London-based financiers Canopy Capital, who sealed the deal with the Iwokrama rainforest, said: “How can it be that Google’s services are worth billions but those from all the world’s rainforests amount to nothing?” The past year has been a pivotal one for the fast- disappearing tropical forests that form a cooling band around the equator because the world has recognised deforestation as the second leading cause of CO2 emissions. Leaders at the UN climate summit in Bali in December agreed to include efforts to halt the destruction of forests in a new global deal to save the world from runaway climate change."

Historic Speech Beats Divisive Politics

from Liberal Oasis:

"Here are the positive/negative ratings for the presidential candidates:

Sen. Barack Obama -- 49/32 (positive rating down 2 pts from two weeks ago)
Sen. John McCain -- 45/25 (down 2 pts)
Sen. Hillary Clinton -- 37/48 (down 8 points)"

Tax Hike in the Air for Smokers!!

A great article in the Orlando paper today about raising the taxes on cigarettes here in Florida. I think this is a great idea, and something that the state should do. The Young Democrats of Florida are fully behind any effort to raise the taxes on cigarettes.

The cost of smoking is high on the tax payer, and helping to raise the cost allows the state to move towards breaking even, and will allow the state to allocate funds to serve other areas of need.

For the full article click on the title bar, but for the start just read below:

TALLAHASSEE - For nearly two decades, while almost every state has raised its tax on cigarettes, Florida's has remained the same: 34 cents a pack.

Now there's a renewed effort, spearheaded by South Florida Democrats and health-care advocates, to boost Florida's cigarette tax by $1 a pack, to $1.34. The national average for state cigarette taxes is $1.12.

Supporters have retooled their pitch in a tight budget year, arguing the tax increase would not only reduce teen smoking but also generate an estimated $1 billion annually to offset some looming cuts in state health-care expenditures.

The Pelosi 411

YDA State Leaders,



We wanted to be sure all of you saw Speaker Pelosi’s long running e-newsletter for students and young Americans below called the “Pelosi 411”. Speaker Pelosi has been sending the 411 out to young Americans for over four years and we wanted to be sure all of you received it and thought you may want to make it available to all of the YDA members in your state.



You can direct your fellow YDA members to go to the following site to sign up for the newsletter that goes out every two weeks to once a month:

Sign Up to Receive the Pelosi 411 E-Mail Update

The “Pelosi 411” newsletter lets young Americans know what is going on in Washington on the issues that young people care about. We thought this newsletter would especially of interest to you in a year when so many young people are paying attention to politics and with this newsletter you can show them what Democrats are doing in Washington to help young people.

Anyone can go to the website below to sign up to receive the Pelosi 411 newsletter.

Johnny Mac is a great man!

The Jackson County Democratic
Executive Committee
Invites YOU To Join Us In An

APPRECIATION EVENT FOR OUR SHERIFF
JOHN P. (JOHNNY MAC) MCDANIEL

Candidate For Florida House Of State Representatives - District 5
For 27 Years Of Service To Jackson County
And The Surrounding Area

Thursday, March 27, 2008 5:30 - 7:00

Citizen State Bank Lodge On Caverns Road
4577 Lodge Drive
Caverns Road
Marianna, Florida 32446
(Physical address of Citizens’’ Park

FREE FOOD - FUN - BRING THE FAMILY

Music Provided By: The Original Artists

What a Night!

It was quite a night... We had well over 100 people swing through to appreciate and be appreciated. The only flaw with our night was the bad lighting in the bar, so that the photographs didn't show up well. I didn't really take any photos, and the ones I took didn't come out that well.

But it was a great event. The Florida Young Democrats and the Leon County Young Democrats co-hosted the annual Legislative Aides Appreciation Party. I can't wait till next years!

See You Tonight: Legislative Aides Appreciation Party at Paradigm

The Florida Young Democrats (www.floridayd.com) and the Leon County Young Democrats (http://lcyd.blogspot.com/) in an effort to thank the Legislative Aides for their hard work, cordially invite you to their third annual Democratic Legislative Staff Appreciation Reception. We hope you can make it out tonight, Wednesday, March 19, 2008, between 7:00PM to 11:00PM at Paradigm Lounge (115 West College Avenue).

Video Link

Here is a link to hear Obama's speech. It is just over a half hour long.

Obama on Race in America

Obama gave a speech today. He hit a lot of good points. I have linked to the whole text in the title bar. I worry about Obama. He might be to smart. People didn't like Kerry cause he was too smart, they preferred the President. This speech hit a lot of issues that need to be discussed to move America forward.

It is long and I recommend that you read the whole speech at the link.

I am the son of a black man from Kenya and a white woman from Kansas. I was raised with the help of a white grandfather who survived a Depression to serve in Patton’s Army during World War II and a white grandmother who worked on a bomber assembly line at Fort Leavenworth while he was overseas. I’ve gone to some of the best schools in America and lived in one of the world’s poorest nations. I am married to a black American who carries within her the blood of slaves and slaveowners – an inheritance we pass on to our two precious daughters. I have brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, uncles and cousins, of every race and every hue, scattered across three continents, and for as long as I live, I will never forget that in no other country on Earth is my story even possible.

It’s a story that hasn’t made me the most conventional candidate. But it is a story that has seared into my genetic makeup the idea that this nation is more than the sum of its parts – that out of many, we are truly one.

Throughout the first year of this campaign, against all predictions to the contrary, we saw how hungry the American people were for this message of unity. Despite the temptation to view my candidacy through a purely racial lens, we won commanding victories in states with some of the whitest populations in the country. In South Carolina, where the Confederate Flag still flies, we built a powerful coalition of African Americans and white Americans.

This is not to say that race has not been an issue in the campaign. At various stages in the campaign, some commentators have deemed me either “too black” or “not black enough.” We saw racial tensions bubble to the surface during the week before the South Carolina primary. The press has scoured every exit poll for the latest evidence of racial polarization, not just in terms of white and black, but black and brown as well.

And yet, it has only been in the last couple of weeks that the discussion of race in this campaign has taken a particularly divisive turn.

On one end of the spectrum, we’ve heard the implication that my candidacy is somehow an exercise in affirmative action; that it’s based solely on the desire of wide-eyed liberals to purchase racial reconciliation on the cheap. On the other end, we’ve heard my former pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, use incendiary language to express views that have the potential not only to widen the racial divide, but views that denigrate both the greatness and the goodness of our nation; that rightly offend white and black alike.

I have already condemned, in unequivocal terms, the statements of Reverend Wright that have caused such controversy. For some, nagging questions remain. Did I know him to be an occasionally fierce critic of American domestic and foreign policy? Of course. Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes. Did I strongly disagree with many of his political views? Absolutely – just as I’m sure many of you have heard remarks from your pastors, priests, or rabbis with which you strongly disagreed.

But the remarks that have caused this recent firestorm weren’t simply controversial. They weren’t simply a religious leader’s effort to speak out against perceived injustice. Instead, they expressed a profoundly distorted view of this country – a view that sees white racism as endemic, and that elevates what is wrong with America above all that we know is right with America; a view that sees the conflicts in the Middle East as rooted primarily in the actions of stalwart allies like Israel, instead of emanating from the perverse and hateful ideologies of radical Islam.

As such, Reverend Wright’s comments were not only wrong but divisive, divisive at a time when we need unity; racially charged at a time when we need to come together to solve a set of monumental problems – two wars, a terrorist threat, a falling economy, a chronic health care crisis and potentially devastating climate change; problems that are neither black or white or Latino or Asian, but rather problems that confront us all.

Given my background, my politics, and my professed values and ideals, there will no doubt be those for whom my statements of condemnation are not enough. Why associate myself with Reverend Wright in the first place, they may ask? Why not join another church? And I confess that if all that I knew of Reverend Wright were the snippets of those sermons that have run in an endless loop on the television and You Tube, or if Trinity United Church of Christ conformed to the caricatures being peddled by some commentators, there is no doubt that I would react in much the same way

But the truth is, that isn’t all that I know of the man. The man I met more than twenty years ago is a man who helped introduce me to my Christian faith, a man who spoke to me about our obligations to love one another; to care for the sick and lift up the poor. He is a man who served his country as a U.S. Marine; who has studied and lectured at some of the finest universities and seminaries in the country, and who for over thirty years led a church that serves the community by doing God’s work here on Earth – by housing the homeless, ministering to the needy, providing day care services and scholarships and prison ministries, and reaching out to those suffering from HIV/AIDS.
....

I can no more disown him than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother – a woman who helped raise me, a woman who sacrificed again and again for me, a woman who loves me as much as she loves anything in this world, but a woman who once confessed her fear of black men who passed by her on the street, and who on more than one occasion has uttered racial or ethnic stereotypes that made me cringe.

These people are a part of me. And they are a part of America, this country that I love.

Some will see this as an attempt to justify or excuse comments that are simply inexcusable. I can assure you it is not. I suppose the politically safe thing would be to move on from this episode and just hope that it fades into the woodwork. We can dismiss Reverend Wright as a crank or a demagogue, just as some have dismissed Geraldine Ferraro, in the aftermath of her recent statements, as harboring some deep-seated racial bias.

But race is an issue that I believe this nation cannot afford to ignore right now. ...

Understanding this reality requires a reminder of how we arrived at this point. As William Faulkner once wrote, “The past isn’t dead and buried. In fact, it isn’t even past.” We do not need to recite here the history of racial injustice in this country. But we do need to remind ourselves that so many of the disparities that exist in the African-American community today can be directly traced to inequalities passed on from an earlier generation that suffered under the brutal legacy of slavery and Jim Crow.

Segregated schools were, and are, inferior schools; we still haven’t fixed them, fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education, and the inferior education they provided, then and now, helps explain the pervasive achievement gap between today’s black and white students.
...

But for all those who scratched and clawed their way to get a piece of the American Dream, there were many who didn’t make it – those who were ultimately defeated, in one way or another, by discrimination. That legacy of defeat was passed on to future generations – those young men and increasingly young women who we see standing on street corners or languishing in our prisons, without hope or prospects for the future. Even for those blacks who did make it, questions of race, and racism, continue to define their worldview in fundamental ways. For the men and women of Reverend Wright’s generation, the memories of humiliation and doubt and fear have not gone away; nor has the anger and the bitterness of those years. That anger may not get expressed in public, in front of white co-workers or white friends. But it does find voice in the barbershop or around the kitchen table. At times, that anger is exploited by politicia ns, to gin up votes along racial lines, or to make up for a politician’s own failings.

...

And occasionally it finds voice in the church on Sunday morning, in the pulpit and in the pews. The fact that so many people are surprised to hear that anger in some of Reverend Wright’s sermons simply reminds us of the old truism that the most segregated hour in American life occurs on Sunday morning. That anger is not always productive; indeed, all too often it distracts attention from solving real problems; it keeps us from squarely facing our own complicity in our condition, and prevents the African-American community from forging the alliances it needs to bring about real change. But the anger is real; it is powerful; and to simply wish it away, to condemn it without understanding its roots, only serves to widen the chasm of misunderstanding that exists between the races.

In fact, a similar anger exists within segments of the white community. Most working- and middle-class white Americans don’t feel that they have been particularly privileged by their race. Their experience is the immigrant experience – as far as they’re concerned, no one’s handed them anything, they’ve built it from scratch. They’ve worked hard all their lives, many times only to see their jobs shipped overseas or their pension dumped after a lifetime of labor. They are anxious about their futures, and feel their dreams slipping away; in an era of stagnant wages and global competition, opportunity comes to be seen as a zero sum game, in which your dreams come at my expense. So when they are told to bus their children to a school across town; when they hear that an African American is getting an advantage in landing a good job or a spot in a good college because of an injustice that they themselves never committ ed; when they’re told that their fears about crime in urban neighborhoods are somehow prejudiced, resentment builds over time.

Like the anger within the black community, these resentments aren’t always expressed in polite company. But they have helped shape the political landscape for at least a generation. Anger over welfare and affirmative action helped forge the Reagan Coalition. Politicians routinely exploited fears of crime for their own electoral ends. Talk show hosts and conservative commentators built entire careers unmasking bogus claims of racism while dismissing legitimate discussions of racial injustice and inequality as mere political correctness or reverse racism.

Just as black anger often proved counterproductive, so have these white resentments distracted attention from the real culprits of the middle class squeeze – a corporate culture rife with inside dealing, questionable accounting practices, and short-term greed; a Washington dominated by lobbyists and special interests; economic policies that favor the few over the many. And yet, to wish away the resentments of white Americans, to label them as misguided or even racist, without recognizing they are grounded in legitimate concerns – this too widens the racial divide, and blocks the path to understanding.

This is where we are right now. It’s a racial stalemate we’ve been stuck in for years. Contrary to the claims of some of my critics, black and white, I have never been so naïve as to believe that we can get beyond our racial divisions in a single election cycle, or with a single candidacy – particularly a candidacy as imperfect as my own.

But I have asserted a firm conviction – a conviction rooted in my faith in God and my faith in the American people – that working together we can move beyond some of our old racial wounds, and that in fact we have no choice is we are to continue on the path of a more perfect union.

For the African-American community, that path means embracing the burdens of our past without becoming victims of our past. It means continuing to insist on a full measure of justice in every aspect of American life. But it also means binding our particular grievances – for better health care, and better schools, and better jobs - to the larger aspirations of all Americans -- the white woman struggling to break the glass ceiling, the white man whose been laid off, the immigrant trying to feed his family. And it means taking full responsibility for own lives – by demanding more from our fathers, and spending more time with our children, and reading to them, and teaching them that while they may face challenges and discrimination in their own lives, they must never succumb to despair or cynicism; they must always believe that they can write their own destiny.
...

In the white community, the path to a more perfect union means acknowledging that what ails the African-American community does not just exist in the minds of black people; that the legacy of discrimination - and current incidents of discrimination, while less overt than in the past - are real and must be addressed. Not just with words, but with deeds – by investing in our schools and our communities; by enforcing our civil rights laws and ensuring fairness in our criminal justice system; by providing this generation with ladders of opportunity that were unavailable for previous generations. It requires all Americans to realize that your dreams do not have to come at the expense of my dreams; that investing in the health, welfare, and education of black and brown and white children will ultimately help all of America prosper.

In the end, then, what is called for is nothing more, and nothing less, than what all the world’s great religions demand – that we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. Let us be our brother’s keeper, Scripture tells us. Let us be our sister’s keeper. Let us find that common stake we all have in one another, and let our politics reflect that spirit as well.

For we have a choice in this country. We can accept a politics that breeds division, and conflict, and cynicism. We can tackle race only as spectacle – as we did in the OJ trial – or in the wake of tragedy, as we did in the aftermath of Katrina - or as fodder for the nightly news. We can play Reverend Wright’s sermons on every channel, every day and talk about them from now until the election, and make the only question in this campaign whether or not the American people think that I somehow believe or sympathize with his most offensive words. We can pounce on some gaffe by a Hillary supporter as evidence that she’s playing the race card, or we can speculate on whether white men will all flock to John McCain in the general election regardless of his policies.

We can do that.

But if we do, I can tell you that in the next election, we’ll be talking about some other distraction. And then another one. And then another one. And nothing will change.

That is one option. Or, at this moment, in this election, we can come together and say, “Not this time.” This time we want to talk about the crumbling schools that are stealing the future of black children and white children and Asian children and Hispanic children and Native American children. This time we want to reject the cynicism that tells us that these kids can’t learn; that those kids who don’t look like us are somebody else’s problem. The children of America are not those kids, they are our kids, and we will not let them fall behind in a 21st century economy. Not this time.

...

I would not be running for President if I didn’t believe with all my heart that this is what the vast majority of Americans want for this country. This union may never be perfect, but generation after generation has shown that it can always be perfected. And today, whenever I find myself feeling doubtful or cynical about this possibility, what gives me the most hope is the next generation – the young people whose attitudes and beliefs and openness to change have already made history in this election.

There is one story in particularly that I’d like to leave you with today – a story I told when I had the great honor of speaking on Dr. King’s birthday at his home church, Ebenezer Baptist, in Atlanta.

There is a young, twenty-three year old white woman named Ashley Baia who organized for our campaign in Florence, South Carolina. She had been working to organize a mostly African-American community since the beginning of this campaign, and one day she was at a roundtable discussion where everyone went around telling their story and why they were there.

And Ashley said that when she was nine years old, her mother got cancer. And because she had to miss days of work, she was let go and lost her health care. They had to file for bankruptcy, and that’s when Ashley decided that she had to do something to help her mom.

She knew that food was one of their most expensive costs, and so Ashley convinced her mother that what she really liked and really wanted to eat more than anything else was mustard and relish sandwiches. Because that was the cheapest way to eat.

She did this for a year until her mom got better, and she told everyone at the roundtable that the reason she joined our campaign was so that she could help the millions of other children in the country who want and need to help their parents too.

Now Ashley might have made a different choice. Perhaps somebody told her along the way that the source of her mother’s problems were blacks who were on welfare and too lazy to work, or Hispanics who were coming into the country illegally. But she didn’t. She sought out allies in her fight against injustice.

Anyway, Ashley finishes her story and then goes around the room and asks everyone else why they’re supporting the campaign. They all have different stories and reasons. Many bring up a specific issue. And finally they come to this elderly black man who’s been sitting there quietly the entire time. And Ashley asks him why he’s there. And he does not bring up a specific issue. He does not say health care or the economy. He does not say education or the war. He does not say that he was there because of Barack Obama. He simply says to everyone in the room, “I am here because of Ashley.”

“I’m here because of Ashley.” By itself, that single moment of recognition between that young white girl and that old black man is not enough. It is not enough to give health care to the sick, or jobs to the jobless, or education to our children.

But it is where we start. It is where our union grows stronger. And as so many generations have come to realize over the course of the two-hundred and twenty one years since a band of patriots signed that document in Philadelphia, that is where the perfection begins.

Loranne Ausley featured in Tallahassee Magazine!

Rep. Ausley is approaching the end of her last term, and their is a great write up about her and her son and family. Rep. Ausley has done a lot for our state, and she will be missed in Tallahassee.



We all look forward to whatever direction she heads in next. I know that she will continue to serve the public in some capacity. You can read the article linked in the title bar.

"Iron Will" is five! That time of year again, let's walk for Will!

That time of year again, let's show our support for Rep. Ausley, the March of Dimes and for "Iron" Will!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE

WALK WITH WILL KICK-OFF PARTY
Featuring “FRANK DOUGLAS AND THE FRIED TURKEYS and SPECIAL GUEST DRUMMER”
Tuesday, March 27th
5:30-7:30 pm
Paradise Bar & Grille
Sign up to walk, contribute to the teams or just come pick up our 2008 shirt


MARCH OF DIMES WALKAMERICA: WALK WITH WILL
Saturday, April 12th
9:30 am
Cascades Park, Downtown Tallahassee




You can support our Walk With Will team in several ways.

1) Sign up to Walk With Will on Saturday, April 12th at Cascades Park. Walkers who donate or raise $25 will get the 2008 version of the Walk With Will t-shirt thanks to generous support from Embarq, Capital City Bank, Rogers Gunter Vaughn Insurance, and other sponsors. Contact Alfredo Cruz at alfredo.cruz@myfloridahouse.gov to let us know how many walkers and what t-shirt sizes you need.

2) Join walkers and other supporters at our Walk with Will Kick-off party on Thursday, March 27th at Paradise Bar & Grille featuring “Frank Douglas and the Fried Turkeys” and their special guest drummer “Iron Will”!

3)Write a check for any amount to support our team. Contributions should be made out to March of Dimes and mailed to 826 Washington Street, Tallahassee, FL 32303. You may also contribute directly online by going to http://www.marchforbabies.org/510057

Possible new FYD Logo

This is a new logo put together by Gil Creque heavily modeled on the Young Democrats of Georgia Logo, modeled on the YDA logo.

We could then take this logo and make other logos like these: LINK. (link to different versions of YDG's logos.)

By working off the same design we help build regional unity and help us move foward. It is a sharp looking logo and will allow us to update our website and to make some letterhead/stationary.

Let me know your thoughts.

MItch Ceasar's Huffington Post

Mitch Ceasar is one of the most powerful party leaders in Florida, and has worked hard to earn his leader status. As chair of the Democratic Executive Committee in one of the strongest and largest Democratic Counties in the nation (Broward County, Florida) he has to organize and control Democrats of every stripe and get them to unite and work together behind Democrats of every stripe. I have included the full text from his post at the Huffington Post so that you, dear reader, can get a better insight into the mind of Mitch.



Confessions of a Super Delegate

Everybody wants to feel wanted. This is a premise universally affirmed by psychiatrists, voodoo practioners, and Dr. Phil for many generations. As I compose this missive, it is obvious that I (and my peers) are minor characters in the ultimate reality show entitled "The Democratic Nomination." TNT may "Know Drama," but they have nothing on my Democratic Party.

As a child I always wanted to be Superman, never knowing I was to become Super Delegate, but without a cape, and alas no special powers. I am the Broward County Democratic Chair, and a DNC member. I grew up in Brooklyn; which explains why my Chairmanship is in South Florida. For decades I have been continually active for the Democratic Party, its ideals and its candidates. I know I am no different than my other DNC counterparts around the country. But, now I have reason to rejoice, as I am an uncommitted Super Delegate which is a breed of political prey that is becoming part of a diminishing species. It seems the longer I remain uncommitted, the more rare and sought after I become.

Having said that (for the benefit of the pundits who may be making more of us than we are), I enjoy the attention lavished on me by candidates, family and friends network, and neighborhood busybodies. I especially enjoy the comments advising me that I "can whisper" in their ear my innermost political leanings; with total safety and confidentiality. I am sure this is how the development of the atomic bomb secrets began to unravel.

Everyone from the media to the free world want to know the criteria to be utilized by Super Delegates in deciding whom to support for our Presidential nomination. Should it be who has the most delegates, who has the most votes, who won Red states, who won big states? Perhaps we should simplify this process. A more appropriate criteria in determining a nominee (as the above questions are too tough) should be which of our two candidates can beat Ann Coulter in arm wrestling, or which candidate can get two successive sentences completed without being interrupted by Chris Mathews. It would seem that these accomplishments are equally important.

Democrats are the Party of Adult Deficit Disorder (A.D.D.). We like to talk very publicly about everything. Later we realize that may not have been the best strategy. Democrats are proud to be the excessively verbal family. The Republicans talk little (except about terror), and hate disorder, so their decisions are made by a few "rich uncles" in a side room at the club.

The press has portrayed this phase of the campaign (because of its unpredictable closeness) as akin to Monty Hall's, Let's Make A Deal." The contestants are the Super Delegates waiting in line to trade their vote for an Ambassadorship to Paraguay, or an Under Secretary of Sanitation (behind door number 3). I don't think so! Unfortunately, on some days I feel as if I am a participant on "Biggest Loser" as opposed to "Survivor."

We live in a nation of immediate gratification. However, this primary season seems to be denying us that which we crave - an early nominee to battle a third term Bush Presidency. In fact, our current President indicated the McCain is a true conservative. Thank God, now I can sleep well at night. Of course, if I hear Senator McCain say "my friends" more often than the current 142 times per speech, I will jump out the window. My luck the fall would be cushioned by staffers from Clinton and Obama campaigns each claiming they could "take the hit" more easily than their counterpart.

Conclusion
As I said, I am from Florida, Land of the Recount and the currently uncounted even as a DNC member. In fact many have speculated at my ability to sit at the political "table" and make deals, since I may not even get into the building. I thought I had seen and witnessed everything. I did not anticipate Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity attacking their presumptive nominee. I guess it is always about ratings. Nor did I believe it was possible for many of the original Republican candidates to express disbelief about Darwinism. I do cheer Huckabee's abolition of the Internal Revenue Service. This is just one of the many reasons I pray for him. .. to be the Republican Vice Presidential nominee.

On a serious note, Democrats are very lucky this year. Clinton and Obama are the best vetted candidates in a generation.

John Kerry lost because he was anointed after Iowa and New Hampshire, beating the expectation game. He was expected to win Iowa, then it was thought he would lose Iowa, then he won Iowa (it was like an old Jackie Mason comedy routine). However, our two Senators here been tested on debate, fundraising, unpredictability response, strategy, field operation, and the chase for celebrity endorsements. Most importantly, they have been tested by the most formidable political force - each other! Whoever is the Democratic Nominee will be the sharpest, most prepared in many years. This is why the race is close, and my decision which may or may not prove relevant is so difficult. It is a burden I am ambivalent in carrying. It has not been easy. In fact, the longer I stay uncommitted, the more I am sure I will need to be "committed".

It reminds me of the old Simon and Garfunkel song "Mrs. Robinson". I must paraphrase the lyric to indicate how lucky this nation is with either Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. Laugh about it, shout about it when you got to choose, any way you look at it you can't lose. I really just want to win in November.

Join Us

You are cordially invited to the
Third Annual
Democratic Legislative
Staff Appreciation Reception

Wednesday, March 19, 2008
7:00PM to 11:00PM
at
Paradigm Lounge
115 West College Avenue
Tallahassee, Florida

Hosted by:
Florida Young Democrats
and
Leon County Young Democrats

Obama Has More Experience Than Most Presidential Candidates

From a 2008 article I stumbled on....
'Which of the Presidential candidates has the most experience as an elected official? According to a new study by the researchers at Planning/Communications, it’s not who the campaign rhetoric suggests."

"Topping the principal Democratic contenders is Senator Barack Obama with 11 years in elected office versus just seven for Senator Hillary Clinton and six for former Senator John Edwards — according to their own official biographies. The facts show that not only does Senator Barach have more experience as an elected official than the other major Democratic contenders, he tops half of the leading Republican hopefuls as well. Obama is the only candidate of either party to have his experience questioned by his opponents."

Food Crisis vs. Climate Change

"Food security and the rapid rise in food prices make up the "elephant in the room" that politicians must face up to quickly, according to the government's new chief scientific adviser.

In his first major speech since taking over, Professor John Beddington said the global rush to grow biofuels was compounding the problem, and cutting down rainforest to produce biofuel crops was "profoundly stupid"." --from The Guardian

Christian Science Monitor
International Monetary Fund

Foreign Affairs:

Summary: Thanks to high oil prices and hefty subsidies, corn-based ethanol is now all the rage in the United States. But it takes so much supply to keep ethanol production going that the price of corn -- and those of other food staples -- is shooting up around the world. To stop this trend, and prevent even more people from going hungry, Washington must conserve more and diversify ethanol's production inputs.

Affects on Beef Production

"The total costs to the consumer in subsidizing ethanol and corn production is estimated at $8.4 billion/yr, because producing the required corn feedstock increases corn prices. One estimate is that ethanol production adds more than $1 billion to the cost of beef production.

Clearly ethanol from corn is neither sustainable nor economical, and a lot of effort has been devoted to finding alternative feedstock." --Institute of Science in Society
Illinois Times


To be fair, some companies are converting beef tallow into biodiesel. But, apparently it isn't easy or cheap.


For those wanting more info on exactly what biofuel is.

What would the candidates do with Columbian 'Situation'?

from www.GregPalast.com:

Amateur Hour in Blue

"We can trust Correa to keep the peace South of the Border. But can we trust our Presidents-to-be?

The current man in the Oval Office, George Bush, simply can’t help himself: an outlaw invasion by a right-wing death-squad promoter is just fine with him.

But guess who couldn’t wait to parrot the Bush line? Hillary Clinton, still explaining that her vote to invade Iraq was not a vote to invade Iraq, issued a statement nearly identical to Bush’s, blessing the invasion of Ecuador as Colombia’s “right to defend itself.” And she added, “Hugo Chávez must stop these provoking actions.” Huh?

I assumed that Obama wouldn’t jump on this landmine – especially after he was blasted as a foreign policy amateur for suggesting he would invade across Pakistan’s border to hunt terrorists.

It’s embarrassing that Barack repeated Hillary’s line nearly verbatim, announcing, “the Colombian government has every right to defend itself.”

(I’m sure Hillary’s position wasn’t influenced by the loan of a campaign jet to her by Frank Giustra. Giustra has given over a hundred million dollars to Bill Clinton projects. Last year, Bill introduced Giustra to Colombia’s Uribe. On the spot, Giustra cut a lucrative deal with Uribe for Colombian oil.)

Then there’s Mr. War Hero. John McCain weighed in with his own idiocies, announcing that, “Hugo Chavez is establish[ing] a dictatorship,” presumably because, unlike George Bush, Chavez counts all the votes in Venezuelan elections.

But now our story gets tricky and icky.

The wise media critic Jeff Cohen told me to watch for the press naming McCain as a foreign policy expert and labeling the Democrats as amateurs. Sure enough, the New York Times, on the news pages Wednesday, called McCain, “a national security pro.”

McCain is the “pro” who said the war in Iraq would cost nearly nothing in lives or treasury dollars.

But, on the Colombian invasion of Ecuador, McCain said, “I hope that tensions will be relaxed, President Chavez will remove those troops from the borders - as well as the Ecuadorians - and relations continue to improve between the two.”

It’s not quite English, but it’s definitely not Bush. And weirdly, it’s definitely not Obama and Clinton cheerleading Colombia’s war on Ecuador.

Democrats, are you listening? The only thing worse than the media attacking Obama and Clinton as amateurs is the Democratic candidates’ frightening desire to prove them right."

You can view the whole article by clinking the title link.

Florida/Michigan: How would a recount affect the race?

Almost 294,000 voters (Source) are up for grabs in Florida and around 263,000 in Michigan if there is a re-vote.

That is not counting a surely increased voter turnout with actual candidate campaigning in the states and the increased interest in the race.

Florida:
Senator Bill Nelson wants a recount and have the DNC pay for it , but the DNC can't afford to help pay for the cost of the process. Right now, the cost is estimated at around 22 million dollars. Personally, the DNC and the FDP are trying to work out a solution and Nelson should keep his 'train wrecks' to himself.

Florida is trying to figure out how to hold a new primary and how to keep the cost down. More importantly, how to engage the largest number of Floridians. I say Nelson should put his millions where his mouth is to ensure broad-based democracy in a re-vote.

Hilary won 55% and Barack received 30% of the primary vote in January. Now, theoretically, if Obama could win all of the now unpledged voters, he would narrowly beat Clinton. This is not counting the heavy campaigning efforts, increased voter turnout or swing voters.

Florida will not be easy to predict if there is another primary. On the other hand if, for some reason, the FDP decides to go with a caucus I think Hilary would win.

Let's hope that we include the wider populace and not just party activists.

Michigan:
Well, Michigan has apparently had a plan all along (according to some)--to hold a caucus. But, there is still a lot of wrangling still to come.

I will not even try to predict what will happen here. Obama was not on the ballot originally. They seem to be Clinton leaning. But, with Obama's new lead and strong campaign....anything is possible.

To top it all off Clinton wants the delegates to be seated for both states. Obama seems to be opposed stating, " “I think that we have played by whatever rules the DNC has put forward . . . and we will continue to play by those rules,” he said. “And whatever the rules are, we think we’ll do well.”

Finally, a REAL fight between the two!

More Links:
Let's Do Nothing
The Zimbabwe Guardian - interesting at least.
Irish Inependent

Ford: Setting record straight on Barack Obama

This was sent to me by a Friend in Tennessee. Harold Ford Jr. is the Chair of the DLC (Democratic Leadership Council), which is allied with the Progressive Policy Institute where the immediate past LCYD President Beth Kennedy now works in DC.



Ford: Setting record straight on Barack Obama
Harold Ford, Jr., Guest columnist
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
The attack on Sen. Barack Obama by Robin Smith and Bills Hobbs of the Tennessee Republican Party was so rancid and over the line that Sen. Lamar Alexander, the state's leading Republican, repudiated it. The following day, the National Republican Committee and Sen. John McCain also rebuked the attack.

The attack leveled by the Tennessee Republican Party involved putting up on its Web site a picture of Obama on an official government trip to Somalia in traditional Somali dress and referred to it as "Muslim" clothing. They accompanied this slur with a statement that described Obama as a menace to Israel referring to him as Barack Hussein Obama.

Let's be clear about the intent of the Tennessee Republican Party's attack. They want to leave the false impression that Obama is Muslim and tie him to radical Islamic terrorists who seek to destroy America. They also seek to perpetrate a scurrilous lie that Obama is an enemy of Israel and can't be trusted with protecting the national security of the United States.

Tennessee Republican chairwoman Smith defended this reprehensible smear by saying, "We have a duty to inform the Republican base."

While Smith may have a duty to inform the Republican base, she also has an obligation to tell the truth and provide accurate information. In the interest of truth and fairness, it is important that we set the record straight.

Obama has been a Christian of deep faith all of his adult life. Never has he been a Muslim. He has said numerous times during the course of the presidential campaign that his religious faith is an anchor in his life and informs his public views.

Obama is a patriot, loves his country and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with McCain and others who seek to protect the country against terrorist attacks. Obama believes a new strategy is needed to maximize our fight against radical Islamic fundamentalists, like finishing the job against al-Qaida and the Taliban in Afghanistan and rooting out terrorists who are hiding out in Pakistan. After the tragedy of 9/11, no one should question the commitment of either political party when it comes to the seriousness of fighting terrorism.

Obama has been one of Israel's strongest allies during his time in the Senate. He is strongly committed to the stability and preservation of Israel and has used his membership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to advance this cause. In addition, he has fought against the scourge of Anti-Semitism throughout his public life, most recently rejecting and denouncing the hate-filled ideology of Minister Louis Farrakhan at the presidential debate in Austin last week.

Let's be clear what the upcoming presidential election should be about. Seven years into a new century - a time filled with hope and promise - the United States is facing major challenges that will determine our role in the world and the lives our children and grandchildren will lead. The country is yearning for leadership, not hate-filled attacks. The country wants a robust and substantive debate about the future, not a series of smears and lies.

Let this be an election worthy of the people our candidates seek to lead and the perilous and challenging times we are living in. Let this be an election where we reject the politics of the past and unify the country around a common agenda to move us forward.

The challenges we face are daunting, but well within our reach to solve. Tennesseans want and deserve an election where the big ideas are fully debated and there is clarity about the differences between the two major candidates running for the presidency. Who is best to lead us in the fight against terrorism and protecting the homeland? Who is best to lead us in producing the jobs of the 21st century? Who is best to lead us in reducing our dependence on foreign oil and building up an alternative fuels industry?

Who is best in helping hard-working Americans achieve their full potential and a piece of the American Dream? Who is best to lead us in restoring discipline to our federal budget, reducing our federal debt and reforming runaway entitlement costs?

Tennesseans will never hear this debate if the Tennessee Republican Party continues its smear campaign to avoid discussing these issues so critical to our future.

Smith and Hobbs blighted our wonderful state by seeking to divide our citizens with their attack on Obama a few days ago. It is time for all Tennesseans of good will, in both political parties, to reject the politics of hate and demand a politics worthy of their hopes and dreams.

Harold Ford Jr., a former U.S. Democratic representative from Memphis, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2006 and is vice chairman of Merrill Lynch.

Diebold Accidentally Leaks 2008 Election Results

I thought some of you might appreciate this....


Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

Hillary's Math Problem ~ It doesn't look good for her

Picture from Slate's Delegate Calculator

Scott Sokol sent this timely article to me yesterday from Newsweek Magazine. Hillary's Math Problem. It was written on Tuesday before the results of the primary were known, but it answers the question I was asked last week. Can Hillary win? The answer is probably not.

The democratic primary system isn't winner take all. It divides the delegates up based off of the percentage of the vote that each candidate receives, and right now it looks like Senator Clinton cannot win the pledged delegate count.

The article links to the Slate's Delegate Calculator and it looks like things are lining up for an Obama Presidency.

Congressional District Delegates Elected ~ Including 2 LCYD members!

Link in the title bar, and a little late, but I wanted to make sure that we posted it here. Delegates were elected this past weekend, and Corinne Rubin and Alan Brock were both elected as district level delegates, for Obama and Edwards respectively. Our congratulations go out to both of them, and we wish them luck in our state's efforts to have the delegation's votes returned.

On a side note regarding our state's delegate process has become another example of Charlie Crist the Waffler, Charlie Crist the Flip Flopper, and Charlie Crist the opportunist. Governor Crist has decided that he would support a re-do of the Democratic Primary in Florida. Howard Dean has said that this is "very helpful"... but from what his answer, is anything but...

As we all recall, it wasn't that long ago that, this past September, when the Governor vowed to veto any changes to the primary. This seems to be in his normal style of blowing with the political wind.

Obama Glosses Over Colombian Attack in Ecuador; Clinton Calls for Escalation Against Venezuela

Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Obama Glosses Over Colombian Attack in Ecuador; Clinton Calls for Escalation Against Venezuela
by Robert Naiman

The Clinton and Obama forces have asked us to consider who we want answering the phone at the White House at 3 AM. There is little need to speculate. We have a lot of evidence about how they will respond.

On Saturday, Colombia launched an attack on a FARC camp in Ecuador, with, Ecuador plausibly alleges, U.S. support. Colombia’s President Uribe — a close Bush ally — lied to Ecuador’s President Correa about the attack, claiming it was in “hot pursuit.” Ecuador’s soldiers, when they reached the scene and recovered the bodies of FARC members who had been killed, reported to Correa that they had been asleep when attacked. They were in their underwear. Correa called it a “massacre.” Both Ecuador and Venezuela have moved troops to their borders with Colombia, warned Colombia about violating their sovereignty, and cut diplomatic relations with Colombia.

Colombia’s attack was a flagrant violation of Ecuador’s sovereignty. “Hot pursuit” was Colombia’s only possible defense. There is no right in international law to engage in military attacks into another country with which you are not at war if it is not an immediate continuation of an engagement that began within your borders (unless your action is explicitly authorized by the UN Security Council.) If you say that international law doesn’t matter, you’re essentially saying that Colombia has special rights to violate international law because it’s a U.S. ally. That may sell well inside the Beltway, but it’s going to sell very poorly, in general, from the Rio Grande to Tierra del Fuego.

While no one should dispute that the tactics of the FARC have caused tremendous suffering — as have the tactics of the U.S.-backed Colombian government — it’s important to consider the likely motivations of the Colombian government for carrying out this operation. Raul Reyes, the top leader in the FARC who was killed, led negotiations that resulted in the FARC releasing six political hostages to Venezuela, including four a week ago. This is a pattern for the Bush-backed Colombian government — to meet the “threat” of successful diplomacy with military escalation. The Colombian government, with vigorous U.S. support, is taking actions whose probable consequence is to reduce the likelihood that FARC hostages will be released — including three American captives.

Indeed, Ecuador says it was in talks with rebels to release 12 hostages, including Ingrid Betancourt and three Americans, that the talks were in an advanced stage, and that the process was thwarted by the Colombian raid.

Now consider the statements of the Democratic presidential candidates. First, Obama:

Obama Statement on Recent Events near Colombia’s Borders - March 03, 2008

“The Colombian people have suffered for more than four decades at the hands of a brutal terrorist insurgency, and the Colombian government has every right to defend itself against the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). The recent targeted killing of a senior FARC leader must not be used as a pretense to ratchet up tensions or to threaten the stability of the region. The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have a responsibility to ensure that events not spiral out of control, and to peacefully address any disputes through active diplomacy with the help of international actors.”

Obama is absolutely right, of course, that nothing should used as a “pretense” to ratchet up tensions or threaten the stability of the region. But this glosses over the apparent fact that Colombia flagrantly, deliberately, and with premeditation violated Ecuador’s sovereignty. Ecuador is a U.S. ally. The U.S., as a member of the Organization of American States, has an obligation to defend Ecuador’s sovereignty. If you say that doesn’t matter, then what you’re saying is that a country like Ecuador can’t rely on the U.S. to behave in accordance with international law, and has to turn to countries like Venezuela to help defend its sovereignty (as it has.) In this assertion, you’d have a lot of agreement in Ecuador, including from its U.S.-educated president.

Obama says, “The presidents of Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela have a responsibility to ensure that events not spiral out of control, and to peacefully address any disputes through active diplomacy with the help of international actors.” That’s absolutely correct. He might also note that the U.S. — which is a protagonist through its role in Colombia — shares this obligation.

Now let’s consider Hillary’s statement:

Statement from Hillary Clinton - 3/3/2008

“Hugo Chavez’s order yesterday to send ten battalions to the Colombian border is unwarranted and dangerous. The Colombian state has every right to defend itself against drug trafficking terrorist organizations that have kidnapped innocent civilians, including American citizens. By praising and supporting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, Chavez is openly siding with terrorists that threaten Colombian democracy and the peace and security of the region. Rather than criticizing Colombia’s actions in combating terrorist groups in the border regions, Venezuela and Ecuador should work with their neighbor to ensure that their territories no longer serve as safe havens for terrorist groups. After reviewing this situation, I am hopeful that the government of Ecuador will determine that its interests lie in closer cooperation with Colombia on this issue. Hugo Chavez must call a halt to this provocative action. As president, I will work with our partners in the region and the OAS to support democracy, promote an end to conflict, and to press Chavez to change course.”

This is 100% wrong. Hillary acts as if the “event” is not the Colombian attack in Ecuador, but the Venezuelan response (Ecuador, the country whose sovereignty was violated, is an afterthought.) . According to Hillary, Colombia has “every right” to “defend itself” by violating Ecuador’s sovereignty — that’s the event — but if Venezuela sends troops to its side of the Venezuela-Colombia border — its own national territory — that’s “unwarranted and dangerous.” Hillary says that “after reviewing the situation,” she is hopeful that Ecuador will determine that its interests lie in “closer cooperation with Colombia” — the country that just flagrantly violated its sovereignty — than with Venezuela, its ally that is speaking up against the violation. She is hopeful that Ecuador will lick the hand that beats it. As president, she will work with our partners in the region and the OAS to press Venezuela to change course. Good luck with that. It’s the U.S. and Colombia that need pressure to change course — to forswear violations of international law and to choose real diplomacy.

Judging from Hillary’s statement, we should expect no meaningful change in U.S. policy towards Colombia, Ecuador, or Venezuela (which she falsely claims is a dictatorship) if she is elected president — unless it is a change to make it worse.

Robert Naiman is National Coordinator of Just Foreign Policy, a membership organization devoted to reforming U.S. foreign policy to reflect the values and serve the interests of the majority of Americans. Naiman edits the daily Just Foreign Policy news summary.

Kucinch Fends Off Democratic Challengers and Moves on to November

from the The Plain Dealer:

"Despite a well-financed, aggressive opposition campaign and the distractions of a failed presidential bid, U.S. Rep. Dennis Kucinich appears to have survived a strong primary challenge.

The 10th District Democratic congressman was facing his first threat of losing the seat he has held for 12 years. Kucinich spent thousands of dollars on television ads and agreed to debate his opponents - chief rival Cleveland Councilman Joe Cimperman and three other candidates.

The 61-year-old former Cleveland mayor said he was encouraged by the results. "I am also encouraged because I know of all the hard work you have all put in," he told supporters at the North Shore AFL-CIO Federation of Labor union hall."

Little-Known Candidate Fighting for Your Future

Published on Wednesday, March 5, 2008 by the Bangor Daily News (Maine)
Little-Known Candidate Fighting for Your Future
by Pat LaMarche

Today’s column is for men - not just any men - men my age.

Relax, I’m not going to ask you out.

I just wonder - if you wonder - what your chances would have been had the Vietnam War continued a few more years and you’d gotten drafted.

We know, using figures from the 1969 draft lottery, that half of you would have been selected for service. And half of that group would have actually served. The other half of those selected would get dismissed for some reason - like a felony conviction, an education deferment or a health issue.

But what if you’d been one of the unlucky ones that got sent to Vietnam? Your odds of dying would’ve been the highest of all the guys over there because, as a CNN report points out, soldiers who were drafted, “were statistically more likely to die in combat than soldiers who volunteered - principally because the overwhelming majority of draftees sent to Vietnam were a part of the U.S. Army ground forces that did much of the fighting.”

And how would you be doing if you had gone and come back and were still with us today?

Well, according to the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans approximately 400,000 homeless vets live on the streets of the U.S. at some point during the year and about half that number are homeless any given night. But those are veterans from all the wars. The coalition says that only 47 percent are from the Vietnam era. So the number of Vietnam vets on the street last night was only about 94,000 … only.

If the war had dragged on five more years to include men my age, maybe 20,000 of you would be reading newspapers from a dumpster instead of a newsstand.

And that’s if you had made it home. If the war had continued and things hadn’t gone so well … have you seen the Vietnam War Memorial? When you look at it, do you ever imagine - those of you who were too young to serve - do you ever imagine it with a few more panels? Have you ever closed your eyes and conjured your own name on that wall?

So what happened to the draft? Ever question why the Vietnam War ended around the same time that the government could no longer steal young men out of their homes and pack them off to boot camp? And if you’re around 50 years old, don’t you feel lucky that the draft ended in 1973?

It wasn’t luck.

It was Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel and his six month filibuster that saved your life.

Thinking about that Vietnam War Memorial with a couple of thousand more names on it, maybe even your name, walking past the stone steps downtown that could’ve been your pillow last night, makes you want to send the guy a thank-you note, doesn’t it?

And, if you’re wondering where to find Gravel nowadays, now that we’re in need of mettle like his again - after all, we’re once again fighting an unwinnable war that we were suckered into by faulty leadership after being fed government sanctioned lies - well, Gravel is running for president.

You don’t hear about him because the big shots that craft our elections would like you to believe that there are only two Democrats left - Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

And though you may not hear about him, he’s sure got a message.

See, the U.S. is responsible for 46 percent of the world’s military spending, and Gravel wants to cut that figure by 60 percent. He says that the preservation of the military industrial complex is the real reason for war - and he’s got the street cred to say it - he’s the guy who ended the draft.

All but forgotten by the press, discounted by his Democratic challengers who voted to finance that military industrial complex, Gravel’s got his work cut out for him.

But he’s undaunted; he’s faced long odds before - like when he saved your life - when he filibustered to keep you from dying face down in a rice paddy.

And now that man who saved your life back in the ’70s is in his 70s, fighting once again for your future.

Pat LaMarche of Yarmouth, Maine is the author of “Left Out In America: The State of Homelessness in the United States.”

Water Wars

Today, March 2, there is not one major Florida paper covering the water battle between Florida, Alabama and Georgia as their lead story. Every major Georgia paper had some mention of the water shortage on the front page. Yesterday, it was announced that talks between the three states have ceased and that the federal court will be taking it from here.

Georgia residents have had water restrictions imposed on them since last year. And, here is more on Georgia's woes.

South Florida has shown that through persistence and compromise that a solution can be reached. Tampa Bay Water has found solutions for regional water supplies in South Florida.

Another water battle is brewing between North and Central Florida over the St. John's River. There are still many unanswered questions and drama to unfold in this one.

These water battles are happening all over the world. Between communities, states, countries and corporations with no sign of relief.

Global Water Issues
America at War With Itself Over Water
Nestle sues Woolworths over water
Coca-cola and Water - An Unsustainable Relationship
Information by State
1991 Foreign Policy article, "Water Wars"

A new, provocative documentary about water shortages is being screened this year; FLOW: For the Love of Water

Wednesday's story from Democracy Now!, a daily independent radio and TV news program:

Maude Barlow is the head of the Council of Canadians, Canada’s largest public advocacy organization, and founder of the Blue Planet Project. Barlow is author of the new book Blue Covenant: The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water.

To read, listen to, or watch the whole story here.

Democracy Now! coverage of El Salvador water battle last year:


What can you do?

How much water do you use??
Keep up with the latest on water conservation and usage on the Water Crunch blog.
Stop drinking bottled water:
NRDC Report
5 Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water
Purchase your own water bottle.

Penn and Teller spot on bottled water: