We Ride Bikes

Meanwhile, back in Texas...

Sports news from my home state:

The Good:

Houston is making a helluva push for the playoffs.

The Bad:

Golf great Byron Nelson passed away.

The Ugly:

T.O. Tries to kill himself.

More on Chavez (part II)

There is a possibility that this will be my last post on this developing story.

Sometimes Democrats really piss me off. In response to a speech made by President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, House Dems are standing up for President Bush.

"You don't come into my country; you don't come into my congressional district and you don't condemn my president," Rep. Charles Rangel, D-New York, scolded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, was blunt in her criticism of the Venezuelan leader. "He is an everyday thug," she said. Via CNN.

I understand that there's an election coming up and they think they have to get out in front of this so that they're on the 'right' side of the whole thing. I get it. I really do. But what I want is a Democrat who will have the moral courage to say, "Yes, President Bush is wrong and here's how and why we need to change it." The actions of this administration are reprehensible--and no one seems to be paying attention. President Hugo Chavez was democratically elected then ousted in a coup sanctioned and supported by this government. He knows first hand the anti-democratic actions of President Bush. Is he a common thug because he's willing to call President Bush to task about his actions? As far as I'm concerned you don't have to be a registered voter in the United States to know wrong is wrong.

From his speech:

They say they want to impose a democratic model. But that's their democratic model. It's the false democracy of elites, and, I would say, a very original democracy that's imposed by weapons and bombs and firing weapons.

What a strange democracy. Aristotle might not recognize it or others who are at the root of democracy.

What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?

House Democrats are speaking out in support of Bush because Chavez rightfully implicates them when he calls it a 'false democracy of elites.' They are, at best, complicit in perpetuating a system that strives to further distance the people from power.

For once, I want a Democrat (preferably, one that is a small 'd' democrat as well) to be honest, to advance the radical supposition that the system is flawed.

What type of democracy needs to be protected with illegal wiretaps? What type of democracy is shrouded in secrecy, and must torture human beings in the name of self-preservation? What type of democracy do you impose with marines and bombs?

I believe in democracy. All power to the people.

More on Chavez

Noam Chomsky's critique of US Foreign Policy, Hegemony and Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, jumped from Amazon.com's 160,722nd position to 7th, overnight.

Why?

Because what better publicity could you receive than a head of state extolling its virtues to the world at the UN General Assembly. Due to the speech given by President Hugo Chavez on Wednesday, the sales of Professor Chomsky's book have soared.

I haven't read this one, but as long as word is getting out, I'm happy.

From the Afterword of Hegemony and Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance:

Five months after he triumphantly declared victory in a carefully staged extravaganza on the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, Bush assured the American people that “The world is safer today because, in Iraq, our coalition ended a regime that cultivated ties to terror while it built weapons of mass destruction.” Similar messages have regularly been produced since, for example, by National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in January 2004. The president’s handlers and speech writers know that every word is false, but they also know that the most outlandish lies can become Truth, if repeated loudly and insistently enough. Those with some concern about the future may prefer a more sober evaluation. (emphasis added)

I'm guessing he's saying Bush is 'a devil,' not 'the Devil.'

Chavez tells UN Bush is 'devil' (BBC)

Mr Chavez, who brandished a copy of American leftist writer Noam Chomsky's Hegemony or Survival: America's Quest for Global Dominance, said Mr Bush promoted "a false democracy of the elite" and a "democracy of bombs".

Two new phrases that have entered my daily lexicon:  'a false democracy of the elite,' and 'a democracy of bombs.'

Now I don't advocate violence, and this is purely theoretical, but how would one oppose a democracy of bombs? 

Found this on the internet:

Go check this out...

A great blog post about Gov. Ann Richards.

Thanks to my mom for the link.

Summer in Portland is officially over

Talkin' to myself and feelin' old
Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin' around
Nothing to do but frown
Rainy Days and Mondays always get me down.

It's a sad day for Texas

Former Texas Governor Ann Richards, 73, dies

"Ginger Rogers did everything that Fred Astaire did. She just did it backwards and in high heels." - Former Governor of the Great State of Texas Ann Richards

Sen. Clinton

I'm torn on Hillary.

I downloaded an audiobook a while back called A Case for Hillary Clinton by Susan Estrich. In it, Ms. Estrich makes a convincing argument for why Sen. Clinton can and should be the next President of the United States. She also makes a pretty convincing argument that there are few if any women who are in a position to make the same push anytime soon. I guess what I'm saying is, if I want to see a woman President, Sen. Clinton is the one to do it. 

My problem is her politics. Democrats have to stop being Republican Lite. I have a hard enough time supporting the agenda of the Slightly Left, but Sen. Clinton continues to support the War in Iraq, and continues to disappoint me as the leader of the party that she is and should be. Will we ever have a time when politicians will have the moral courage to stand up for what is right before consulting a poll? Will we see a time when the leaders of the "people's" party will listen to the people?

In an article called Bird-Dogging Hillary Clinton, Nancy Kricorian, the coordinator for CODEPINK NYC, writes about their efforts to get Sen. Clinton to listen.

Then [Sen. Clinton] made a grand entrance down a side stairway, greeted with a standing ovation. She read through a very, very long list of politicians’ wives and other supporters. And when she said “support” for the 100th time, Missy stood up and shouted, “What about supporting our troops by bringing them home?” This was our cue.

Eva-Lee and I removed the sweaters covering our pink T-shirts, on which we had written pro-troop messages with black fabric markers (mine said “2,475 U.S. military deaths: How many more?”) Then we unfurled our pink satin TROOPS HOME NOW banners. As we started chanting “troops home now,” the cameras strayed from Hillary and toward us.

The Hillary campaign employees, secret service guys and hotel security who came to escort us out were resolutely polite, by now familiar with the recurrent and inevitable drill. One young campaign worker said, “If you’ll be quiet, you can stay.” I answered loudly, “Troops out now” and off we went. Missy ran forward, handing out photos of her nephew who had been killed in Iraq.

So the moral of the story is, can I support the lesser of two evils who happens to be a woman simply because she is a woman?

Via Feministing.

ListenHillary.org

CodePink4Peace.org

CodePink of Greater Dallas

CodePink of Portland

Inbox

Today I got an email from a fellow NLG member about an article in the Washington University Journal of Policy and Law called "Revolutionary Lawyering: Addressing the Root Causes of Poverty and Wealth" written by law professor William P. Quigley. In the email, Professor Quigley sent a snippet of the article to entice others to read the article. Here is the quote he sent, and it inspired me, so I am passing it along.

There are enough lawyers in this world defending the way things are.  Plenty of lawyers protect people and institutions engaged in injustice in our social, economic and political systems.  Plenty of lawyers work for structures perpetuating and increasing the racism, militarism and materialism in our world.  They are plentiful and well-compensated.  True structural fundamental change will not come by aiming at small revisions or reforms. If we are going to transform our world, we need lawyers willing to work with others towards a radical revolution of our world.  We need no more lawyers defending the status quo.  We need revolutionaries.