seajane

Thoughts from a Yellow Dog Democrat living in Olympia, in the great BLUE state of Washington

I am a liberal because it is the political philosophy of freedom and equality. And I am a progressive because it is the political path to a better future. And I am a Democrat because it is the political party that believes in freedom, equality and progress. -- Digby

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Found at Dependable Renegade


I wish I'd thought of this sign for last Saturday's demonstration:

Thursday, January 25, 2007

Ohio -- 2 Election Workers Convicted of Rigging 2004 Presidential Vote

Per AP

Two election workers in the state's most populous county were convicted Wednesday of illegally rigging the 2004 presidential election recount so they could avoid a more thorough review of the votes. . . Special prosecutor Kevin Baxter . . .insisted the employees broke the law when they worked behind closed doors three days before the public Dec. 16, 2004, recount to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand so they could avoid a lengthier, more expensive hand recount of all votes.
insisted the employees broke the law when they worked behind closed doors three days before the public Dec. 16, 2004, recount to pick ballots they knew would not cause discrepancies when checked by hand so they could avoid a lengthier, more expensive hand recount of all votes.

If you remember that it was the the Green and Libertarian Party candidates that insisted on a re-count, not the Democrats or John Kerry. And remember that the money to pay for the recount was raised from us on the Internet, not paid for out of the $75 million or so that Kerry reportedly had left in his campaign war chest after the "Election" in Ohio.

Snark alert:

Yet Kerry's continued and then broke his promise to "Count Every Vote" in 2004.

Yesterday Kerry decided to quit the 2008 Election, luckily this time he did it before election day instead of after.

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Rolling Stone: "Run, Al, Run"

Ooooo!! I LOVE it!

If the Democrats were going to sit down and construct the perfect candidate for 2008, they'd be hard-pressed to improve on Gore.

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We Need Direct Action to Reverse Global Warming

Bush in this SOTU speech gives lip service to global “climate change” but the majority of the ways he suggests, CO2 is still produced. Clean coal, diesel, domestic oil, ethanol, and biodiesel all produce CO2. The goal to reduce our reliance on Middle East oil is laudable and desirable but why not go all the way and go towards non-CO2 producing alternatives? And don’t get me started on how anyone has the nerve to discuss nuclear without handling the waste issue! I’ve been waiting all my life for that promised “we’ll figure it out later” promise!

. . . It is in our vital interest to diversify America’s energy supply — and the way forward is through technology. We must continue changing the way America generates electric power — by even greater use of clean coal technology … solar and wind energy … and clean, safe nuclear power. We need to press on with battery research for plug-in and hybrid vehicles, and expand the use of clean diesel vehicles and biodiesel fuel. We must continue investing in new methods of producing ethanol — using everything from wood chips, to grasses, to agricultural wastes.

. . .

Achieving these ambitious goals will dramatically reduce our dependence on foreign oil, but will not eliminate it. So as we continue to diversify our fuel supply, we must also step up domestic oil production in environmentally sensitive ways. . .

America is on the verge of technological breakthroughs that will enable us to live our lives less dependent on oil. These technologies will help us become better stewards of the environment — and they will help us to confront the serious challenge of global climate change.


Emphasis mine.

Tuesday, January 23, 2007

An Inconvenient Truth Up For Oscar

Not only did An Inconvenient Truth get the nod for best Documentary Feature but "I Need to Wake Up" (Melissa Etheridge's song for An Inconvenient Truth) was nominated for best song. Wouldn't it be great if he announced his run at the Oscars?!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XthWJnOHpVE

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Sunday, January 21, 2007

Draft Al Gore Meet Up Planned in Olympia

This is a grass roots volunteer group dedicated to demonstrate support for Al Gore to run for President in 2008.

Come join us!

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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Jane Hamsher

Jane is truely one of the nicest, most decent persons I've met through blogging. She a leader and inspiration to all of us bloggers and lurkers. Pray for her tonight. I've crossed all my toes and fingers for her.

Monday, January 01, 2007

The Case for Al Gore

2006 is over and in 2007, political discourse is going to be dominated by discussion about the candidates for president. What has become clear to me is that Gore would be a great president. Nevertheless, many folks would love to see a Gore presidential campaign. Ever since he was 'defeated' by George W. Bush in 2000, the vice president has become a progressive in the best sense of the word. He was one of the first to speak out against pre-emptive military action in Iraq, and he's spoken out similarly against wiretapping and the Patriot Act. And, of course, we are all familiar with his work on global warming. But more than that, Al Gore is uniquely positioned to unite all of us.

Greens

In June 2006 Dana Milbank reported in his column that Nader said at a book signing for An Inconvenient Truth, "He's (Gore) defining what progressive Democrats should be about."

Evangelical Christian

In February evangelical Christian leaders decided to back a major initiative to fight global warming.

Latino and Youth Voters

Zogby in their 2006 post-election survey, said that a solid majority (58%) of voters agreed their elected officials “should make combating global warming a high priority.” Three-quarters (75%) of Americans who voted in the mid-term elections say the “U.S. Congress should pass legislation promoting renewable and alternative energy sources as an effective way to reduce global warming pollution.”

A deeper analysis of the survey revealed:

Global warming concerns were strongest among Hispanic voters, with 62 percent
saying global warming was important in their voting. Overall, the post-election
survey showed that fewer Hispanic voters voted for Republicans in 2006 than
voted for George Bush in 2004.

Concerns about global warming were also
stronger among younger voters (those under 30) than older generations, with 58
percent of youth saying a candidate’s position on global warming was important
to their vote. A strong youth turnout in this election, with 61 percent of
voters aged 18-29 voting Democratic, also contributed to Democratic gains.
Turnouts of under-30 voters increased by 2 million voters compared to the 2002
mid-term elections.

Democrats and Progressives

If you need a refresher on Al Gore’s record and positions, chick here. When I reviewed the list to prepare this article, I was struck how we have wasted the last 6 years ignoring things like healthcare, diplomacy, safe drinking water, cleaning up toxic waste sites, lead poisoning reduction, life long learning, urban revival, rural empowerment, more Pell grants, HOPE scholarships, and on and on.

Although he doesn’t address it in this old website cited above, I think we can count on Al Gore to lead the way for verifiable paper trails in our voting booth based on his 2000 experiences.

Recently while promoting his DVD, Gore said:

"I am not planning to run for president again," Gore said last week, arguing
that his focus is raising public awareness about global warming and its dire
effects. Then, he added: "I haven't completely ruled it out."

If Hillary’s divisiveness and continued support for the Iraq war bother you. . . If you are nervous about Obama’s level of experience. . . If you love Kucinich but just can’t see how he can win. . . Please consider joining me in the Draft Al Gore movement. It’s as easy as first starting with signing a petition to make sure Al Gore knows we want him to run. You can sign the petition here: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/algore2008/

Other web sites to explore include:

http://www.algoresupportcenter.com/
http://draftgore.com/

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Plug In Hybrids

Plug-In Partners is a national grass-roots initiative to demonstrate to automakers that a market for flexible-fuel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) exists today. I recently visited their Web site, www.pluginpartners.org, and voiced my support of the initiative by signing the Plug-In Partners Petition, urging automakers to go beyond popular hybrid vehicles and manufacture 'plug-in' electric hybrids that run on electric fuel as well as gasoline or other fuels.

Plug-in hybrids are in our country’s national interest because they will reduce dependence on imported oil, decrease greenhouse gases and other pollutants, and lower fuel costs. These cars will be cheaper and cleaner to drive, run on domestic electricity, and give us the option of plugging it into an ordinary electrical outlet to recharge the battery.

Especially here in Washington where most of our electricity is generated by water, this kind of vehicle is a smart choice.

Please join me in signing this petition.