Just in time for Election 2008! Check out the latest version of the Louisville History & Issues discussion board: http://www.historyandissues.org

Here is the list of notable changes:

* Save posts as drafts. The ability to save your posts as drafts so you can work on them off and on until you are ready to submit for the public to see. This should help with creating more thoughtful, more organized posts.
* Easily share topics with others you know not using this board. The ability to share topics with friends, family or colleagues using ShareThis technology. You will be able to share via e-mail, AIM, social bookmarking and networking sites, etc.
* Safe delete of topics and posts. Topics/posts deleted by users and moderators will be recoverable. Deletions won't become final until the administrator intervenes.
* More reliable e-mail delivery. Enhanced e-mail delivery that improves the chances of e-mails sent from the board arriving in the inboxes of the board users.
* Easier to follow or not follow topics by e-mail. Watching (and stopping the watching of) topics will be easier to access and less cumbersome to activate.
* Fantastic new urban visuals. Ten new banners, including some aerial shots of Louisville provided to me by Donald Vish.

Louisville History & Issues is an open, nonpartisan space in which Louisville area citizens discuss our rich local history as well as current political/community issues.

Hope to to see you all there!

Best,
Steve

It's not only that they've run out of positive ideas for governance (long ago, and as if they had any for us to consider), it's that they have also run out of ways to fool the American people or trick the election system into going their way.

In short, the GOP has nothing, and the only thing that could make them come back in two years is if the Democratic Party doesn't positively exercise its newly found muscular power in a responsible manner.

The American people want a successful Congress and President, as they want to be successful. The Democratic Party has to be ready to govern as the adults the Bush Regime criminals and fools could never even dream of being.

And we the people have the responsibility to make them do just this. This election on November 4 is not the end of our long struggle. It is merely the end of the beginning.

As I said to many in November 2004, "Democracy doesn't end on Election Day!"

The following is reposted from my blog.

--

Patriotism demands we must all openly call for Bush and Cheney to step down, despite any personal costs

Keith Olberman led the way on Independence Eve in calling for Bush and Cheney's resignation in the face of their final treason against our beloved Republic. When George W. Bush eliminated the sentence for Lewis "Scooter" Libby, who covered up high treasonous acts by high-level Bush Regime personnel (including the man who directed the outing of Valerie Plame, likely Dick Cheney), this made perfectly clear where this President stands -- for himself and his narrowing base of unAmerican cretins, our beloved Republic and our justice system be damned.

I likewise call for Bush and Cheney's resignation (actually, any form of ouster will do), even though I, like almost all Americans these days, am frightened.

Why are we frightened? The easy answer would be the increasing government surveillance of our communications, the subverting of habeas corpus, or other ridiculous freedom-impinging results that have sprung from the USA PATRIOT Act. It's not just things like this. It gets "realer" than that.

We are frightened of losing our jobs, and following from that our health insurance, thus most of us clam up, whether on the work premises or not, about how we really feel about our disaster of a health care "system", the work world itself, or about what really needs to happen with this worst American Presidency on record. We are frightened of telling the truth that our nation is way past moral and ethical bankruptcy. We dare not speak up for doing anything that might make some corporations or industries unhappy, even if it is for the good of all.

We are frightened of each other, as we are bombarded with corporate newscasts that make it appear that our neighborhoods are chock-full of predators and otherwise awful people, and nobody can be trusted. The neighbors we used to trust and chat with are no longer anything but potential "enemies". We cannot deal with people who might have different viewpoints, and above all, democracy (the great historical invention it is) is feared because "everyone but me doesn't know shit!".

We are frightened of the world and anyone who doesn't look like us or follow our ways. We can't find most of the countries of the world on a globe. We think we are the center of everything, even though we are very much NOT. We eschew ideas from other countries because they weren't invented here, or again, out of pure fear. Despite our health care system sucking ass for millions here, we dare not consider ideas such as socialized medicine (we already have socialized retirement, education, libraries and fire/police), because limited socialism works in other countries, but could never work here (?) -- and this again, comes from fear of the unknown. We the Ignorant jump to conclusions about the world and its working solutions without even flinching.

And last, somehow, someway, we are frightened of this nothing of a President. Forget "bully pulpit", this President went straight to "Big Bully" and has run the most strident, belligerent, ignorant, stubborn, incompetent, callous, criminal Regime ever seen in these parts of the world. His continued virtual non-response to Hurricane Katrina has proven his disrespect for human beings and human decency. His virtual mass murder of Iraqi citizens and our beloved troops for no discernible reason proved the same, times 1000. And his administration's political vendetta against Joe Wilson which resulted in the outing of his covert CIA agent wife, was nothing short of high treason, and no matter who specifically conducted the outing, I ACCUSE George W. Bush and Dick Cheney of high treason against the Republic.

Here's where my being frightened comes into play. I may well pay some kind of price for printing this. But it is my clear-headed position, and my beloved Republic ultimately must come first. I have to speak out.

But for this to have any effect, you must join me. You must. Look at what this disastrous President has perpetrated against our beautiful country. Look at the ruination of long-standing principles and the rule of law. Look at our nation's extremely scarred image around the world. And look at the numbers of our fellow human beings DEAD because of THIS PRESIDENT.

President Bush, and Vice President Cheney, if you have any decency, or any regard for the Republic you pretend to serve, you will indeed both resign. We the People have had enough of you. We the People spit on you. We the People hereby deny you any more power over us.

For the sake of our grand, beloved Republic... We must stop being frightened!

http://www.unity08.org

In their attempt to create a "bipartisan ticket" that "unites the country", let's consider what they are really doing.

They are trying to preempt the first Progressive Unity (i.e., landslide) since the times of FDR. The GOP/Corporate Old Guard knows what is up and what is coming and they know full well the GOP is very doomed in 2008, and that a Progressive Democrat will handily win. So, they are seeking a "fudge factor" -- someone in the mushy undefinable "center" who isn't all that bad for continuing corporate crimes against the Republic.

They are creating a veil of direct democracy so that the "silent majority" can select their fudge factor candidates. But instead of increasing democratic choices, they are reducing them. "Here, vote for these guys -- they're clean enough -- and they'll keep the status quo -- no need for a dreadful progressive swing!" Instead of a choice between a Democrat and a Republican, we will have a choice between "Extreme" (read: exactly what America needs) vs. "Normalcy" (read: nothing changes and America dies).

They pretend to care about all the great issues (including global warming) that need to be worked on. But in reality, they want a calm, go-slow approach favored by the corporations. They will make it appear (like magic) that "The People" are "deciding" which issues should be highlighted and how to proceed on them, but in reality, they will use the Mass Media like never before in soaking the public airwaves with their point-of-view so that the masses who vote on their little website will automatically produce their desired fudge factor candidates.

I swear, Democrats, do *everything* in your power to destroy this cancer before it starts. Please! Our national survival is at stake here!

Signed,
Canary in mine shaft

Well, the "place for Louisville metropolitan area citizens to discuss area history and current issues" may not be going strong as of yet, but we have 28 "citizens".

As the board software and layout has stabilized, I invite everyone to give a board a look-see and please consider joining. (Consider this a "Grand Opening")

Link: http://www.historyandissues.org/louhi /

I hope that this board will become the friendly central location to discuss "everything Louisville". With such a rich history and diverse set of issues we face, this board (or something like it) should have a very solid future in front of it.

Hope to see you there.

Cheers!

Two years ago, I wrote a blog article " A Tip to the Politically Defeated: Democracy Doesn't End on Election Day".

I wrote this to salve everyone's hurt feelings after Bush's "re-election" and to make a point that is especially salient now: The GOP's win wasn't forever. Democracy is a continuous process. Hopefully, most of you are thinking "Duh!", but I continue to be struck by how many people don't get this.

My first thought, related to this, is not an idea many of us will savor, but it is nevertheless a truism, in my humble opinion. Just because the election is over doesn't mean we are to stop campaigning. The Republicans will inevitably regroup and will campaign against any and all policies Democrats want to pursue. Democrats must campaign back against them, as if we have a new election in May, then another in November 2007, and so forth. Certainly, the biggest concentration must be on governance, but if we are to maintain this majority, we must always think and work as if we're the underdogs and can possibly lose everything, again. Bill Clinton seemingly invented the "continuous campaign", but he was merely emulating a Republican electoral strength. They don't stop and neither should we.

My second thought is about the so-called mainstream (read: corporate) media. It has been assumed by many that the media has been on the GOP's and Bush's side for six years, virtually ignoring the Democrats, because they actually support the policies of the GOP or were afraid to challenge the GOP. No, that is mostly not the case.

The real deal is that the corporate media is all about money and power. They, like much of their audience, is attracted, either positively or negatively, to money and power. Many Americans, whether Republicans or Democrats (or Independents) orient their respect to the wealthy and the powerful, and the corporate media feeds the public what it tacitly expects. For better or worse.

This election changed how the corporate media acts simply because the Democrats dramatically took back the reins of power. The news covers those who are in the driver's seat, not the back seat, of power. That is what they (and their audience) is attracted to.

So, if Democrats want to maintain their news media spotlight, they must do one big thing, in spades: Exercise their power!

To summarize, in contemporary American democracy, campaigning is never-ending, and the powerful get the attention. I believe that we will always have a hard time fighting against these realities, so we must decide to flow with them, or perish.

Yesterday, I made available a beta version of the new "Louisville History & Issues" discussion board. This will be an open, nonpartisan, democratic (small 'd') discussion board for discussing Louisville-related history and current issues. For too long, as many community issues (bridges, arenas, preservation, local news coverage, etc.) have festered, we have, in my humble opinion, gone without a sufficient online facility for discussing these issues.

I and my associate in this strictly non-commercial venture certainly have no interest in trying to replace any online or "offline" groups for discussion of such issues, but we hope this new board will augment the efforts of these groups. The main drive I have in starting this board is my love for my hometown, and because of those feelings, I want the very best for Louisville's present and future. A new web commons for the airing of our shared issues can only be a positive thing.

As far as what topic areas are covered, early participants will get the special opportunity to help me shape the names and topics of the various forums that will be included on the discussion board. I've already put together a first draft of my own choices, but feedback is very much welcome.

To join the mailing list for developments about this board (and also to get the web link to the board), send an email to steve@stevemagruder.com -- all email addresses will be kept confidential as all notification emails will be sent to me with sendto addresses as "bcc".

Thanks,
Steve

the day Bush signs the Pro-Torture bill, the Old Republic is gone, unless and until courts intervene (if they can) or the military says in some manner, "Enough!".

The only fear I have at this point is that we patriots of the left and center (and even some true conservatives) will have to consider violence against the government in the near future if these unconstitutional, un-American activities don't cease. And that would indeed be a sad, but necessary bloodbath.

Am I too premature in my thinking here?

Reflections of 9/11 and thoughts about the Bush Regime's new vicious campaign against the American people

Link to Article

Link to Article

For purposes of posterity, I am rerunning my Katrina Disaster article that attempts to document much of the inept, insensitive, criminal negligent behavior of the Disastrous Bush Regime. Although I admit this is a long article (there was a lot to talk about!), last year's version was much longer. I took out much of the 9/11 and Iraq comparison discussion to achieve that reduction.

If you have, by chance, forgotten a lot of the bungling of this regime that took place a year ago, this article should bring it all back.

THIS NOVEMBER, REMEMBER KATRINA.

Thank you,
Steve

and here's the kicker that would stop Republicans in their tracks... in calling for this prosecutor, we be magnanimous and say the prosecutor will fully pursue and prosecute leads of fraud submitted to it from both sides of the aisle!

This could be our opportunity to prove our contentions of fraud have far more weight, while looking nonpartisan and pro-country in our desire to eliminate "all fraud, no matter where it originates".

Could this approach work?

that is, 70% of the American people.

I posit that history books will record this event as the "last great false hope" of the war before the camel's back was broken and our troops are yanked outta there.

What we will behold soon is yet another unwelcome rerun. After (maybe) a brief interlude (mainly due to press concentration on Zarqawi's death rather than the insurgency), the violence will continue unabated and will most likely even worsen.

Then, most everyone will ask the predictable question: Why was the Bush Regime trumpeting Zarqawi as a major terrorist leader in Iraq when it turns out he has had little to do with most of the violence going on there? And the evidence will be clear--more and more of our soldiers will be coming home in body bags despite the capture of this "high figure".

It's the beginning of the end of this elective, illegal war of aggression against Iraq.

, abrogating it on multiple fronts, how can they then stand and say Americans cannot burn the flag? I mean, when the Constitution is no longer respected by Bush and the GOP, does the flag really have any meaning any longer?

While I don't intend to ever burn the flag, I do symbolically fly it upside down.

(Whoops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, as now the GOP will now try to ban flying it upside down.)

As far as I'm concerned, when I see the flag, I see the nation that existed before the Criminal Bush Regime's reign of terror. So I do salute the flag.

But this nation is in distress, and all GOP lawmakers want to do is ignore the real problems of the country and play games with our democracy, thinking we will somehow forget that many of them are outright crooks, and worse, they provided no oversight over the Bush Crime Syndicate.

America moves headlong into tyranny, while GOP politicians belittle the intelligence of the American people with diversions and wedges.

Never before in this nation have we beheld such treachery.

http://www.indolink.com/displayArticleS.ph...



Lots more in the article.

And I'll add this: A sizable majority of respondents agreed that Bush is good or excellent at acting brave when faced by a righteously angry citizenry sick and tired of his criminality.

On that note, this kook seriously thinks Bush is very brave. Har har.

ON EDIT: The first article at the top is a Colbertesque article that bashes Bush. The second article at the bottom is a Bushbot praising Bush for his bravery. Please don't confuse them.

Subtitle: "Are Americans relearning how to speak out without fear?"

Link to Article

Following is an excerpt: