Abraham Lincoln Brigade Veterans and Supporters Celebrate 70th anniversary of Despedida Farida Jhabvala-Romero, Nov 13, 2008 The 70th anniversary of the farewell or despedida to the Spanish Civil War’s International Brigades - thousands of volunteers who fought for the Spanish democratic government from 1936 to 1939 - was celebrated last Saturday November 1st in San Francisco. “They were people who wanted to fight for international social justice,” said Richard Bermack, 58, author of The Fro...

I believe that after a series of elections stolen in various ways, resulting in a small group of incredibly frustrated, angry, but very determined people (present company included first and foremost), today's action by the Obama campaign requesting that the special prosecutor for the U.S. Attorneys scandal include the GOP's co-ordinated effort to whip up a "voter fraud" scandal regarding Acorn indicates that the terrain has changed. Obama and his exemplary campaign aren't the battered spouse. ...

November 4th, for all you've done to date. (Image) But we'll all taste the rewards for the work done, and for having the courage to say that we knew that even when the laughter of the bullies rained down on our heads, and the frustration of feeling alone was infuriating and seemed to leave each of us helpless, alone, and without a way to overturn the crime that had happened right in front of everyone, there would come a day like the first Tuesday of next month, when we would be repaid for the ...

 
These guys blow the socks off of people who don't even have feet yet! Enjoy.

(Image) From the good folks at electoral-vote.com. :)

She isn't taking questions.

And he's showing up to support Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention. (Image) (Image) (Image) It's time to shock the world. See you there, Champ.

Plucked from livvy's Daily Election Reform thread of today: Democratic Party leaders, fearful of the size and scope of voting machine fraud, have chosen to turn their heads at their and our risk. With public awareness and outcry that this is not yesterday's issue, Ohio attorneys Cliff Arnebeck and Bob Fitrakis can shine the light on Rove's machinations to steal the upcoming election, if it is a close one. It will not be enough for the Obama people to raise funds, turn out the vote, etc. if the ...

This Fourth of July, love for my country and its promise has me thinking of another Independence Day: January 20, 2009. So one of my favorite songs, which I always make a point of listening to each year on this date, has special meaning to me this year. We all know that the end of this administration won't be the end of the damage they've caused, and set into motion. But it's a place to begin again. So hang in there, friends, patriots, and countrymen and women; the day is coming. :toast: ...

They're taking it. Here, there, and everywhere. There is a lot of sincere regret and even anger among Democrats. Which makes for an excellent opportunity for some people to sink to the level of crying, from the back of the crowd, "Burn her! She is a witch!" I've seen too much of it to not say anything. Just because I support Barack Obama and look forward with deeply heartfelt emotion to his presidency and the repair of American democracy, that doesn't mean that I'm blind to the destructive...

Mostly Irish/Scots. One of my grandfathers immigrated from Hungary in the 1920's, but I'm pretty much your standard-issue Caucasian. The MSNBC program "Meeting David Wilson" has me blinking back tears. My mom was born into a fairly wealthy family, well off enough that my mom was raised mostly by Ruby Maupin, a beautiful African-American woman employed by her family, while her mom lived the life of a country club wife of a doctor in Peoria, Illinois. I remember visiting her family's home in t...

(Image) We found them. America is still America, even if it's been taken over by criminals. It's time to bring them to justice.

His principles. His character. His intelligence. His interview on 60 Minutes made me proud to be a Democrat, and proud to be American. His work since the debacle of 2000, which deeply wounded so many of us, is reminiscent to me of the tremendous courage and strength shown by those who immigrated to the United States, determined to make a better world for their children, even though they arrived with nothing but their own fortitude, hopes, and dreams to sustain them. Our national identity ha...

(Image) Thank you for your attention.

and those in his administration who broke the law, in a blatant and prima facia way. If the telecoms had to defend themselves in court, they'd have to drag the White House into it as their only justification for knowingly breaking the law. The lawsuits filed against the telecoms don't concern the administration because of potential financial damage to the companies themselves. It's because the suits will do what the Democratic Congress has failed to do: initiate discovery proceedings against...

As related in this thread by cali, Huck tells a little girl that his favorite is Dr. Seuss: (Link) How do you think Dr. Seuss might respond? I'll start: I do not like this Huckabee; Not sitting by a Christmas tree, Not even with a floating cross, I do not want him for our boss. I do not like him with Chuck Norris, In fact I may need my thesaurus And search from letters A to Z For words to make it clear to see: I do not like this Huckabee! (Image) (One of my favoritest.)

(Image) Popcorn's on me. :patriot:

I'm grateful for a lot of things this Thanksgiving, and DU is part of that list. Thanks to all of you for being here and creating a community just by virtue of humans showing up somewhere together. Thanks for showing up for the reasons you do. DU's discussions are created (in the vast majority of situations) by the real concern people have for democracy, for the world, and for people. Thanks for being people! I never thought I could treasure the friendships and collegiality of other people ...

Our nation was founded, and its survival forged, on the radical idea, new on the planet, that national security required, by its very nature, respect for human rights. Human rights are the foundation of what has made the idea of America so powerful over the last two centuries. Anyone who asks you to be willing to sacrifice human rights for security is asking you, point blank, to turn your back on the heart and soul of what has made America a miracle and a force for good all across the globe. ...

about torture as used by the Bush administration, and the inevitable downfall of this regime because of decent, brave, and honest Americans, I wish to affirm once again: I believe. I believe that America is better and stronger than the criminals who have corrupted its institutions to impose fascist ideals where We the People better keep our mouths shut. I believe that America, for all the faults and unresolved moral quandaries and shortcomings, is a virtuous ideal that the world needs, and th...

Nice coverage in the San Francisco Chronicle: (Link) (10-07) 17:13 PDT BERKELEY -- It all began with a simple conversation around the kitchen table on a Saturday afternoon. Sarah Newsham, 9, asked her dad if he knew about Google Earth. Taking one look at the satellite images, Brad Newsham had an epiphany: The anti-war movement needed visuals. On Sunday, nearly one year later, Newsham directed more than 1,000 people to lie on the grass at the Berkeley Marina to spell out "IMPEACH!" while photo...

We're responsible for how we see the our place in the world, and our power or powerlessness. Give it up, and it's gone. Don't be fooled into thinking it belongs to someone else, and it can't leave you. At this point in American history, nothing can defeat us but defeatism.

Dan Rather is taking a stand. We all know that in 2004, Rather reported about George W. Bush's service in the Texas Air National Guard. How he got in through his father's contacts, despite lacking the kind of qualifications that other men his age needed to even have a chance at getting in. How he consistently got mediocre reviews, until he stopped showing up altogether. How he got plum reassignments, and didn't even show up for those. How he was remembered, by his cohorts and his superiors,...

There's just no way, even if he were to have any inkling to try. I'm guessing he doesn't. Certainly there is tremendous frustration among Democrats over the failure of a slimly Democratic Congress to stop the war, get the troops home, prosecute those guilty of lying us into a war that's killed nearly a million innocent people, impeaching the figurehead of this monstrosity, and restoring the rule of law and the primacy of the Constitution. GFD, as my brother likes to say: God Fucking Dammit. ...

From kpete's post (Link) we learn that In court papers seeking to end the case, the Justice Department said the White House Office of Administration has no substantial authority independent of President Bush and therefore is not subject to the disclosure requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. (Link) Thus, that amorphous phantom, the Unitary Executive, which has flitted about Supreme Court hearings, discussions about the validity of signing statements that claim the right to ignor...

In his feud with the Daily Kos, the Lord of the Wingnuts complained that a poster at dKos had referred to the Pope as a "primate". Clear proof that "hate speech" permeates that web site, said Falafelmort, who then likened it to the KKK and the Nazis. A brief look at a dictionary might have been a good idea, though: Main Entry: pri·mate Pronunciation: 'prI-"mAt or especially for 1 -m&t Function: noun Etymology: Middle English primat, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin primat-, primas arc...

Now more than ever. Even with the Supreme Court majority now infiltrated by liars who would uphold stare decisis while effectively neutering those historical precedents, and with a Vice pResident who claims to be beyond the Constitution. The wisdom of the founders, and the character of the American people, are being tested in a way that perhaps they never have before, not even in WWII when we had a clearly identifiable Axis of evildoers to defeat. Now the enemies are domestic, and the body po...

Karl Rove and Monica Goodling: (Image) It is, as Jon Stewart has noted, a miracle: a list of US Attorneys targeted for firing, that was drawn up by...no one. "Immaculate Termination" was the humorous moniker he gave the story that the list, according to all public testimony from Justice Department officials most intimately involved in the firings, had no author. Not to be missed in this miracle is the fact that (presumably by divine ordination) the attorneys targeted were in districts of ke...

(Link) Dec.12, 2000 is a day that will live in infamy. Bush needed the help of five right-wing Republicans on the Supreme Court to stop the recount in Florida and enable him to steal the election. There has been an ongoing controversy regarding the 2004 election. State and national pre-election and exit polls pointed to a Kerry victory. Those who claim that Bush won fair and square are relentless in their attempts to thrash polling analyses which suggest that fraud occurred. Since the media wil...