Archives for Wednesday, 6/8/05

In his grief, our good friend Stefan has suggested that Republicans respond to the failure of Dino Rossi’s meritless election contest, by committing massive electoral fraud.

I posted Plan B back in January. Of course it was all tongue-in-cheek.

On the other hand, as we learned, if individuals acting on their own in an uncoordinated fashion implemented Plan B, it would be impossible for anybody to do anything about it. Of course, I’m only making a sardonic comment about our election laws. I am not encouraging anybody to implement Plan B

“Plan B” urges Republicans from around the state and the nation to illegally register to vote in Seattle’s Precinct 1823, so as to defeat King County Executive Ron Sims and Council Chairman Larry Phillips. Hmm. I suppose that’s the kind of humorless, futile gesture you might expect from a poor loser… or a prick.

Of course, I’m only making a sardonic comment about Stefan. I am not encouraging anybody to call Stefan a poor loser or a prick. (But just in case you want to, here’s his email address.)

I’m just saying…

Do you live in Bellevue? Are you a progressive Democrat? Are you interested in running for Bellevue City Council? Financial and technical assistance is available for qualified candidates, no prior political experience required. Please contact Dean Nielsen at Progressive Majority of Washington for more information.

(This is no joke. There are seven Republicans and no Democrats on the Bellevue City Council… and yet John Kerry won nearly every precinct in 2004! This is a city that’s turned Democrat, and doesn’t know it. Three council members are up for reelection in 2005, and as of yet there are no progressive challengers. So if you’re a Bellevue Democrat with political aspirations, now’s the time to serve your city and your party.)

[NWPT52]I was listening to a report on NPR this morning about yesterday’s meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and President George Bush. Blair was asking the US to join major initiatives on global warming and aid for Africa. Of course, in appreciation for Blair’s toadying support for the Iraq war, Bush gave Blair a “cold shoulder.”

But what really stood out in the report, was the footnote on the “Downing Street Memo.”

I wrote about this secret memo way back on May 2, and the story is only now beginning to filter its way into the mainstream US media. Originally leaked to the British press just days before parliamentary elections, the memo reveals that the White House had already decided to invade Iraq as early as July of 2002, and that “the intelligence and facts were being fixed around the policy.”

Had this been a Democratic administration, impeachment hearings would already be under way, but so far the Republicans and their corporate media patrons have managed to keep this issue below the radar. However I’m beginning to see parallels between this story and the way the Watergate scandal slowly built to a media crescendo that brought down a corrupt presidency. The news media is a business, and at some point they simply can’t ignore a story the competition is running with.

Congress needs to investigate this memo so that Americans can learn the truth… and you can help. Rep. John Conyers is asking citizens to sign on to his letter to President Bush asking for full disclosure — over 110,000 have signed thus far. And Sen. Ted Kennedy is urging you to write your Senators and urge them to speak out on the Downing Street Memo.

The Bush White House sent American soldiers to die in the deserts of Iraq, based on a lie. There were no WMDs and there was no tie to 9/11 or Osama bin Laden. And Bush knew it.