You Might Be a Blueneck If...

TGIF, folks. The weather has cooled off here in Knoxvegas. Bush got CAFTA passed yesterday. Oh well. I'm about to pop a cold one and help the wife finish painting the living room. Thought you might enjoy a couple of laughs on a Friday, with aplogies to Jeff Foxworthy.

• your bathroom deodorizer is a box of kitchen matches.
  
• you own a Johnny Cash commemorative plate collection.
  
• you've had your job down-sized or out-sourced.
  
• you've ever yelled out "Free Bird!" during the Democratic National Convention.
  
• you refuse to slide in girls' softball because you don’t want to crush your cigarettes.
  
• you like Howard Dean's hog calling technique.
  
• you think lesbians should have the right to have an old lady too. -T
  

Labor's Future

Todd is absolutely right: the labor movement of the future won’t look like yesterday’s. My own dad was a member of the Sheet Metal Workers International, and spent thirty years in a factory earning a decent living with good health care benefits and a nice savings account that sent me to college. Those manufacturing jobs are just about gone now as a result of capitalism’s inevitable…well, capitalization…of the increasingly global economy (more on this below).

But the fight for good wages, just working conditions, health care and education, all hallmarks of the traditional labor movement, must continue, even if the economy has changed. In America’s service economy of today, workers may be more vulnerable now than ever. David Moberg, a writer for In These Times (a fantastic publication if you aren’t familiar with it) gives a balanced assessment of what the AFL-CIO split might mean for the future.

The hullabaloo over Bush’s Supreme Court nomination is overshadowing a more important struggle in Congress right now over a major issue of importance to American workers, authorization of the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement. I full well realize that the globalization of the economy is inevitable. But we don’t have to allow it to happen with no regard whatsoever to the environment and workers rights. Fair trade is something no one has an argument with.

For more info on DR-CAFTA, check out the sites below.
 DR-CAFTA Educational Packet
 Public Citizen Fact Sheets and Information Alerts on CAFTA
-G

Picket Line or Bread Line?

“In a time of such insecurity and instability, there has never been a greater need for a strong labor movement to stand up for America’s workers,”
— Senator Barack Obama

“It began in Chicago and four guys got hanged for it—the Haymarket affair in 1886. What were they fighting for? The eight-hour day.
— Studs Terkel

In the 70s I remember my dad going to CWA local union meetings and coming home talking about what the workers were trying to accomplish. He was a telephone equipment installer, proud of the work he did after moving from a small Tennessee town with few jobs. We were a blue collar family living in a trailer park on one paycheck, good public schools and a healthcare plan. Dad walked a picket line a few times, I remember. Two weeks was the longest he was ever on strike, and the union always won a good contract. My folks bought a house, Dad got promoted, and they sent three sons to college and retired on Dad's union job and Mom's household skills. Is that kind of life still possible? I wonder.

Yesterday we heard an alarm bell go off in the dwindling union movement. As the AFL-CIO opened its convention, two of it’s largest member unions walked out. After organizing a subgroup called Change to Win a month ago, The Teamsters, SEIU, United Food and Commercial Workers, and UNITE HERE—pulled out of the Convention. The last two groups may join them later.

The AFL-CIO has been losing members, while SEIU has been growing. The old guard wants to continue to donate to the Dems, while Teamsters and SEIU want to rebuild their rank and file membership and go back to Washington with renewed clout. According to Teamster President James P. Hoffa, “They said no. Their idea is to keep throwing money at politicians.”

The bigger problem for labor is that American workers have forgotten who gave them the minimum wage, the eight-hour work day, pensions and health insurance. It wasn’t management, and it certainly wasn’t a Republican White House. Unionized workers like my dad and generations before him struggled for these and many other concessions. Nowadays unions are disrespected by management, the media, and non-unionized workers alike while workers have been down-sized and out-sourced out of their jobs.

Whatever happens with between Change to Win and the AFL-CIO, I hope they can begin to rebuild organized labor in America. If they don’t, American workers won’t be on a picket line, but a bread line. — T

Rove’s Leak: Just the Facts

I’ve been on vacation for a week, and things have been interesting to say the least. There’ve been twenty-two car bombs in Iraq, and three suicide bombings on Sunday in Egypt, London, and Baghdad. Bush has found a Supreme Court nominee that might overturn Roe v. Wade and get approved by the the Dems. (And I agree with Gary that we shouldn’t waste our breath on Roberts.) The White House is still saying that they’ll wait until investigations prove Rove committed a crime, though many Americans think he should be fired anyway.

I’ll stick with my favorite subject, the Rove scandal. Here are the facts so far:

• The White House lied about Rove’s outing the identity of a covert CIA agent. On September 29, 2003 McClellan said of the then suspicions of Rove that “…it is simply not true.” Here’s a transcript of the press conference.
  
• The White House also said that, “Leaking classified information, particularly of this nature, is a very serious matter.” See the same press conference above.
  
• It was illegal to identify Plame, whether it was as confirmation of what a reporter may have said, whether it was by name, or whether it was by nodding toward her in a line-up. Here’s what the law says.
  
• Rove has admitted to telling at least two reporters that Wilson’s wife was a CIA agent. And yes, she was under cover. Not anymore.
  
• Our national security has been compromised. James Marcinkowski testified to that fact last week before Congress.

This, by the way, is only what we know from reading the newspapers. Meanwhile what the hell is the President doing about it? Apparently nothing but waiting. How can any GOP leader with a conscience not stand up and criticize Bush? Bottom line: Rove should be fired if Bush is serious about national security. -T

My favorite quote of the week:

When this unprecedented act [leaking Plame’s identity] first occurred, the President could have immediately demanded the resignation of all persons even tangentially involved. Or, at a minimum, he could have suspended the security clearances of these persons and placed them on administrative leave. Such methods are routine with police forces throughout the country. That would have at least sent the right message around the globe, that we take the security of those risking their lives on behalf of the United States seriously. Instead, we have flooded the foreign airwaves with two years of inaction, political rhetoric, ignorance, and partisan bickering. That’s the wrong message. In doing so we have not lessened, but increased the threat to the security and safety of the people of the United States.

— From last week’s testimony by James Marcinkowski, a former CIA case officer and a former prosecutor

Forget the Court: Focus on CAFTA

Okay, I am putting myself way out of step with most of my liberal friends out there (maybe even Todd—he can argue with me when he gets back), but I don’t think we should waste our breath on this John Roberts nomination to the Supreme Court. Yes, he’s a anti-environmental, anti-civil rights conservative. He’s young enough to do lots and lots of damage to the country for the next two or three decades. Bush should have gone with a woman or a minority.

Agreed to all of the above. But look: we’ve already lost this fight. This is why Bush never should have been elected in the first place. The most important power of the president is nominations to the Supreme Court. And with a Republican-controlled Senate, Bush will get his man. Progressive groups around the country are gearing up to spend millions of dollars and lots of energy to defeat his nomination, but for what? Bush ain’t gonna nominate a liberal, even if he picked a woman or a minority. This is what we’re going to have to live with.

Instead, I think we need to stay focused on fights we can win: the war in Iraq (get connected to the massive peace demonstrations planned for September) , and especially the upcoming vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement in the House of Representatives. Speaking of which, do something positive for progressivism and contact your representative to oppose CAFTA , before Bush extends his economic influence as far into the future as his judicial influence will inevitably be. -G

More Proof of Rove’s Guilt

AmericaBlog has posted an old quote from Novak that says Rove did use Plame’s name. This contradicts Rove’s recent statements that he never used a name when he spoke to Novak. Although the investigation is not done, evidence that Rove is the leaker is now out there. The question is whether Bush will do the right thing and ask for Rove’s resignation, or take another hit to his honesty ratings by keeping a cabinet member who leaks classified information and puts American intelligence officers in danger. -T

Blogging the Iraq War

Since the London bombings I’ve been reading blogs all over the world, hearing a wide variety voices on the Iraq War.

There’s the Egyptian who hates terrorism but doesn’t trust Bush’s war policy. There’s the gung ho soldier who believes in his President and drives his Humvee on the wrong side of the road British style after the London bombings. There’s the Iraqi expatriot wife who has returned since Saddam’s overthrow but cannot leave the Green Zone. There’s the American Army wife in the U.S. who pretends things are normal and waits for the day that that’s really true. There’s the Marine in Afghanistan who blogged to update everyone back home when the helicopter was shot dow near the Pakistan border. There’s the Iraqi teenager who has blogged her way from Shock and Awe to the elections. There’s the American intelligence officer who listens to jazz, writes eloquent emails and hopes to improve things for his country and the Iraqis he sees daily.

I’m going to be away for a week, so Gary can’t blog either since he hasn’t worked all the kinks out yet. While I’m gone I hope you’ll take time to listen to a few of the voices out there in cyberspace. -T

Mahmood’s Den

Free Thoughts on Iran

From Cairo with Love

Iraqi Expat

The Green Side

Hamurabi

Mental Mahem

Baghdad Burning

Wires: Desperately Rebuilding Iraq

Iraq at a Glance

Healing in Iraq

The Mesopotamian by Alaa

Iraq the Model

Neurotic Iraqi Wife

A Family in Baghdad

An Army Wife Life

Black Five

Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellu

Major K

Firepower Forward

365 and a Wake-Up

Fun with Hand Grenades

Karl’s Kountdown

The White House has said Karl Rove was not the leaker, and that if he was he would be fired. Now it’s proven that Rove was the person who leaked the identity of CIA agent Plame to the press, probably in an attempt to smear her husband Joe Wilson for pointing out that the President was wrong about WMD purchases by Saddam. Dubya is in deep doo-doo, folks. He’s gotta fire Rove to retain credibility. So the Kountdown begins…

The White House had reacted by ordering a Code Red Clam Up. Bush is saying nothing. Scott McClellan has no comment. Apparently they were waiting fore the GOP talking points on the scandal. When they had nothing on Rove but former Ambassador Joe Wilson’s word, McClellan had plenty to say. See these quotes via David Corn:

Plamegate, according to Scott McClellan:

That is not the way this White House operates. The president expects everyone in his administration to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. No would be authorized to do such a thing.

Well, I’ve made it very clear that it was a ridiculous suggestion....It is simply not true....And I have spoken with Karl Rove.

If anyone in this administration was involved in [the leak], they would no longer be in this administration.

Pop a cold one, Bluenecks. This is gonna get interesting. — Todd

Rove is the Leaker

It looks like Karl Rove was real criminal who "outed" Plame, apparently before the press ever got the story. Bluenecks just got this email from SD:

You may want to see David Corn’s latest post, revealing that Newsweek is about to publish a story with documentary evidence that Rove told Cooper about Plame (and knew she was a CIA agent) before Novak’s notorious column. See www.DavidCorn.com and look for the July 9 posting. Let’s hope Rove gets the shitstorm he so richly deserves. SD

London Bombings

The London subway bombings this week will no doubt heighten the rhetoric on both sides of the Iraq War debate. Ironically, President Bush said many of the right things in his public statements immediately after the attack. He emphasized hope and compassion and framed his comments in the context of the G-8 Summit’s emphasis on poverty and AIDS. Such rhetoric should rightly be met with skepticism on the part of peace activists, but it nevertheless provides a standard by which to judge the President’s actions in the future.

As Matthew Rothschild of The Progressive points out, the London bombings illustrate how futile the “war on terror” really is, and how our imperialist adventure in Iraq actually leads to more bloodshed. As David Sirota of the Progressive Legislation Action Network writes in his web log, perhaps the most telling element of the London attack is lays bare how hollow the argument is that by attacking Iraq we “took the war back to where it originated.”

How long before we face this kind of tragedy on our own soil again? The most important thing we can do for national security is to abandon the war and bring the troops home now. — Gary

Free Press: Pit Bulls of Democracy

I have little choice but to conclude that some of the intelligence related to Iraq’s nuclear weapons programme was twisted.
— Joseph Wilson

I have nothing but contempt and anger for those who betray the trust by exposing the name of our sources. They are, in my view, the most insidious, of traitors.
— President George H. W. Bush

Sometimes an educated, voting public isn’t enough to keep a Democracy safe. Sometimes we need a pit bull on the front porch just so we don’t get robbed blind. The trouble is, judges are locking the guard dogs in the hoose-gow.

We’ve heard a lot about the reporters who have been sent to jail for protecting anonymous witnesses. They should get the chair for “outing” a secret agent during a war, right? Well, maybe not. The story is too complex for a CNN sound bite, but it’s as important to Bluenecks as Carter peanuts and Clinton cigars.

Here’s a Blueneck breakdown of the whole fascinating mess:

1. February 2002 Joe Wilson is sent by the White House to investigate a story about Saddam getting nukes from Africa. We just whipped Afghanistan. Who’s next? Saddam, you wanna piece of me? Bring it on!



2. February 2002 Wilson goes to Africa. Asks questions. Looks around. Comes home. Tells the administration it ain’t true. No way.



3. January 2003 Bush says it is true anyway. On national TV. To all of us. Looks us in the eye. Lies his ass off.



4. July 6, 2003 Wilson goes public and says Bush lied. Says it very politely.



5. July 14, 2003 Someone in the administration tells a reporter that Wilson’s wife Valerie Plame is a CIA agent. Whaaat? Conservative columnist Robert Novak prints it in the Washington Post. Not too cool. Coulda got her killed. The reporter puts it in print. Hey, the White House said it, right?



6. Wilson is pissed. Nobody else much cares. We gotta war to fight, right?



7. Turns out Wilson is not a big fan of Bush and served under Clinton. He faced down Saddam and saved hundreds of Americans is all...



8. Later the Post reported that the Bush sources called at least six reporters trying to “out” Plame before Novak bit. Maybe he had an axe to grind.



9. Big investigation. Justice Department gets involved. Criminal charges. Bush gets deposed! Can’t get to the bottom of it. Hmm…



10. Investigators want to know who leaked to the press. Now you tell us or…



11. Two other reporters work on the story. They get busted. Hey! Shouldn’t the leaker get jail time, not the reporter?



12. The Supreme Court says these reporters are screwed. Was it their fault?



13. Now two reporters are in jail for protecting a White House snitch who tried to get a CIA agent killed. No shit!

Here’s the deal: this can and probably will blow up into the smoking gun of the Iraq War. Actually we already have a smoking gun called the Downing Street Memos. They say there were no Weapons of Mass destruction and there was no 9/11 connection with Saddam. It says the Bush administration’s justification for the upcoming war with Iraq was “thin.” This series of memos isn't written by Liberals in the Media. it's written by the British Government, our biggest ally. Now it looks like the White House blew a secret agent’s cover to get back at her husband for calling Bush a liar.

Just a few weeks a go we finally learned the identity of another anonymous source in a matter of national security. Mark Felt was “Deep Throat,” the secret source who helped Woodward and Bernstein break the Watergate story. What if their bosses had given them up to a judge for doing their job?

Oh, and there’s Daniel Ellsberg, the military hero who photocopied and leaked The Pentagaon Papers, a pile of secret documents that showed the Vietnam War was based on lies from the beginning. What if The New York Times, had been too afraid of jail to publish them?

There it is, people. When the President lies, only a free press can flush out the truth. lock up the leaker, not the reporter. Write your Congressman and ask them to support Conyer's letter. Bluenecks want the truth. #8212; Todd

Why We Should Stop This War

We invaded Iraq on March 20, 2002. After 24 months and 1700 U.S. casualties, most Americans agree that the war is going badly and that we should get out. Here are a few good reasons:

This war has nothing to do with 9/11. This is Big Lie Number One that most of us have figured out already. It is very simple: the 9/11 hijackers came from Al Qaeda. Al Qaeda found sanctuary in Afghanistan and was run by bin Laden. We attacked Afghanistan to get bin Laden, but he is still on the loose, probably in the border country of Pakistan. Saddam has no connection to Al Qaeda whatsoever.

There are no Weapons of Mass Destruction. This is Big Lie Number Two. The Bush administration and the Blair administration knew it before the war. The fact is Saddam had destroyed any weapons of mass destruction, probably years before we invaded. WMD should really stand for “Willful Mass Deception.”

If we stay, we are doing more harm than good. Now that we have invaded a sovereign nation, overthrown a dictator, allowed looting of cultural treasures, created an interim government, tortured prisoners, and held elections we are done. Violence is escalating and most Iraqis see us as occupiers, not liberators. The U.S. presence is drawing terrorists to Iraq who were not there before. It is time to let Iraq deal with its own problems.

We have plenty of problems at home to focus our efforts and funds on. Military families are stressed out. Reservists deserve a break. A few years after the Clinton Administration left us with a surplus, we are $7.8 Trillion in debt and we have spent 178 Billion as of this writing fighting this war. That would have provided 8,664,477 college scholarships, hired over three million new school teachers, or provided 107 million needy kids with healthcare insurance.

Enough! Begin now to stop the war. — Todd

Inciting Peace

We are against the war. But how do we translate this pro-peace sentiment into viable political action? This is a fundamental question facing the peace movement right now.

Polls indicate that the majority of Americans agree that America is on the wrong tack when it comes to the war in Iraq, and President Bush is now losing support from his own party Peace advocates now have more potent fuel for calling for a complete troop withdrawal from Iraq, but this alternative by itself is not politically viable. People of good conscience feel an obligation to the people of Iraq to do something to help fix their nation as a result of our invasion. What would be the result of a complete troop pull out? Can the majority of Americans support such a move without a real solution to the political and economic instability the country now faces?

Vietnam era Pentagon whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg makes a case for why a pull-out is the first step, and must be demanded. His speech also provides a great comparison between Iraq and Vietnam.

However, even if no grand “Marshall Plan” for peace can be formulated at this time, calls for peace must also be accompanied by specific political action on the part of our leaders. Sojourners, the Christian social justice magazine, is seeking petition signatures to support the Jones-Abercrombie resolution, which calls upon the president to articulate a specific plan for troop withdrawal and a plan to win the peace as soon as possible.

This is at least a first step toward withdrawal that middle-of-the-road Americans might get behind.— Gary