Impeachment by the People ~ by wonderful Howard Zinn
Courage is in short supply in Washington, D.C. The realities of the Iraq War cry out for the overthrow of a government that is criminally responsible for death, mutilation, torture, humiliation, chaos. But all we hear in the nation’s capital, which is the source of those catastrophes, is a whimper from the Democratic Party, muttering and nattering about “unity” and “bipartisanship,” in a situation that calls for bold action to immediately reverse the present course.
These are the Democrats who were brought to power in November by an electorate fed up with the war, furious at the Bush Administration, and counting on the new majority in Congress to represent the voters. But if sanity is to be restored in our national policies, it can only come about by a great popular upheaval, pushing both Republicans and Democrats into compliance with the national will.
The Declaration of Independence, revered as a document but ignored as a guide to action, needs to be read from pulpits and podiums, on street corners and community radio stations throughout the nation. Its words, forgotten for over two centuries, need to become a call to action for the first time since it was read aloud to crowds in the early excited days of the American Revolution: “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it and institute new government.”
Read Impeachment by the People by Howard Zinn ~ The Progressive ~ January 31, 2007
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Molly Ivins, 1944-2007
Syndicated political columnist Molly Ivins died of breast cancer Wednesday evening at her home in Austin. Molly’s enduring message is, “Raise more hell.”
Syndicated political columnist Molly Ivins died of breast cancer Wednesday evening at her home in Austin. She was 62 years old, and had much, much more to give this world. She remained cheerful despite Texas politics. She emphasized the more hilarious aspects of both state and national government, and consequently never had to write fiction. She said, “Good thing we’ve still got politics — finest form of free entertainment ever invented.”
and
Statement from The Texas Observer …
Molly was a hero. She was a mentor. She was a liberal. She was a patriot. She was a friend. And she always will be. With Molly’s death we have lost someone we hold dear. What she has left behind we will hold dearer still.
Read Molly Ivins, 1944-2007 Texas Observer ~ January 31, 2007
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Texas Grandmother Sweeps Streets of Washington as Punishment for Protest
“They like to use this as a system of shame,” she said, crouching down to pick up a cigarette butt lodged in a crack in the sidewalk. “But I’m not ashamed to be an American.”
Read Texas Grandmother Sweeps Streets of Washington as Punishment for Protest – Woman arrested last year for crossing police line. by Gerry Smith ~ Austin Statesman (Texas) ~ January 31, 2007
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My Turn: One Son’s Choice: Love or Country?
Cameron is moving to Canada. As soon as he graduates from school, he says, he is packing his bags and leaving.
Why is my son compelled to leave the only country he has ever known? Cameron is leaving because he is gay and because he wants what heterosexual American citizens take for granted.
Read My Turn: One Son’s Choice: Love or Country? by Nadine Chaffee ~ Newsweek ~ February 5, 2007 issue