Part II..Feminists Debate the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange

In part two of this interesting debate Jaclyn Friedman argues the sexual assault allegations shouldn’t be dismissed just because they’re politically motivated, while Naomi Wolf says by going after Assange, the state is not embracing feminism, it’s "pimping" it.

ACLU event "Reform Cannot Wait"

Written by Fariba Nourian

American Civil Liberties Union hosted a discussion titled, “Reform Cannot Wait,” on Monday, December 6 at the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati. The panel of speakers included Terry Collins, retired director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC); Edward Little, consultant with Cuyahoga County Department of Justice Affairs, and Donna Jones Baker, president/CEO of Urban League of Greater Cincinnati.

Terry Collins talked about how we went from a state with 8 prisons and ~11,000 inmates back in the late 1970’s, when he joined the DRC, to the 31 prisons and over 52,000 inmates in Ohio today. He explained that the department has a 1.8 billion dollar annual budget, with one in four state workers working in the DRC, and that the 8 billion dollar budget deficit facing Ohio in 2011 is good reason to look at reforming the criminal justice system for cost savings.

He also spoke to the fact that hundreds of people are circulating in and out of jail every day in Ohio, costing millions of dollars, and that a large number of these people do not need to be jailed. He mentioned how people who are jailed lose their jobs and then upon release, struggle to find jobs, making it so that they continue to be punished beyond their release.

Ed Little discussed the cost of incarcerating people versus the money spent on educating and revitalizing our citizens and communities. He mentioned that while ~$100,000 is spent in Ohio to put a juvenile through the judicial system, only ~$9,000 is spent on his/her education. He also spoke about the Council of State Governments Justice Center Report on Ohio Prisons (see below), of which he highlighted the increasingly large number of non-violent drug offenders in jail, the disjointed parole/probation procedures which are different in each county throughout Ohio, and the costs associated with incarcerating the mentally ill as opposed to properly treating them.

Ed went on to discuss the rural communities that are economically dependent on the local prisons and the fear of devastating those communities if prisons were closed unless we reinvest the money saved from the prisons into those communities. He spoke on the future of our state, saying how more of Ohio’s prisons are likely to become privatized (Ohio currently has two private prisons) and how we are headed in the same direction as California, where the prisons are running at a near 200% capacity (Ohio’s prisons are currently running at a 133% capacity). Privatization of prisons, he said, is not the solution either, and can exacerbate the problem by making prisoners profitable.

Donna Jones Baker told the audience that the justice system in our state is unjust. She mentioned how while African Americans make up ~12% of the population, they make up 45% of the prison population. She also spoke to disparity of sentences applied to the offense of possessing crack vs. powder cocaine and how this adds to the disproportionate number of blacks in jail. Donna went on to discuss the increased number of child-support violators in jail, and how jailing these offenders does not help the situation since they are not able to work to pay back fines while in jail.

Denise Driehaus, a Cincinnati representative in the Ohio House, was also at the event and she commented on the prison reform bill, Senate Bill 22, which was going to be voted on in the lame duck session, but has been put off. She mentioned that the bill has bipartisan support and support from major newspapers across Ohio. She said that citizen’s support is what’s needed to pass the bill. Denise also commented on the belief that there will be increased privatization and consolidation of Ohio’s prisons with the new republican majority in the Ohio Hose and Senate.

The Council of State Governments report can be found here:
http://www.justicereinvestment.org/resources/ohio-conference

In addition to this report, a report written by the ACLU titled “Reform Cannot Wait,” examines the cost of incarceration in Ohio. Read that report and learn more about Senate Bill 22 here:
http://www.acluohio.org/issues/criminaljustice/ActionAlertSB22.asp

Feminists Debate the Sexual Allegations Against Julian Assange

In this interesting interview Jaclyn Friedman argues the sexual assault allegations shouldn’t be dismissed just because they’re politically motivated, while Naomi Wolf says by going after Assange, the state is not embracing feminism, it’s "pimping" it.

Action Alert

Thanks to everyone that acted on the last action alert. We may be on the verge of a huge victory and you can help see it through.

I received this important message from Josh Spring from the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless.

I have two very important points: two motions have been put forth in the budget committee, collectively they would restore $600,000 to Human Services, reducing the cut from $850,000 to $250,000. This would be a success.

One of these two motions was put forth by Wendell Young today. This motion if passed, would repeal all city only jail-able offenses, including the Marijuana Ordinance. This is the ordinance that has resulted in the criminalization of primarily African American Men and cost the city a lot of money. The resulting $300,000 savings would be put into Human Services if this motion is passed. This is about the only perfect motion I have ever seen at city hall. It chooses prevention over response. This would be a success for our community on several fronts. I have attached this motion.

I think we may have four votes on this one now, and we need to get the fifth. I strongly urge you to email Chris Bortz as well as Roxanne Qualls, Laure Quinlivan, and Charlie Winburn urging them to support this (contacts attached). Let them know that this is perfect because it will save money for the city in the way of paying for the constant implementation of the law, it chooses prevention over response and it truly shows service to the people. This motion can unite fiscal conservatives and also the more left of center folks. I urge you to email Wendell Young thanking him for his insight, creative thinking and work for our people. We need to lend him support in this.

Traditionally the city has spent 1.5% of the budget on human services. These services are crucial to battered women, the homeless and many other great services. This money helps leverage other money.

A poll in 2008 showed that an overwhelming majority of Cincinnatians support this level of funding, but it continues to be targeted for cuts year after year. This year there is a 33% cut proposed at atime when homelessness is growing and changing. There are more and more families with kids on the streets.

Please spread the word far and wide and act now. Thanks for all that you do. You are making our communty better.

Please contact them all and ask them to support Wendell Young's motion to repeal all city only jail-able offenses. Please ask them to support funding for humn services.

Here are council's contact info:

wendell.young@cincinnati-oh.gov,
"Mallory, Mark" ,
"Quinlivan, Laure" ,
"Berding, Jeff" ,
"Bortz, Chris" ,
Chris Monzel CCC ,
"Thomas, Cecil" ,
"Ghiz, Leslie" ,
"Qualls, Roxanne" ,
charlie.winburn@cincinnati-oh.gov

Here are their phone numbers and fax numbers etc. They like to hear from their constituents.

Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls
City Hall, Suite 351
Phone: (513) 352-3604
Fax: (513) 352-3621
roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov
Cecil Thomas - President Pro-Tem
City Hall, Suite 349
Phone: (513) 352-3499
Fax: (513) 352-3218
cecil.thomas@cincinnati-oh.gov
Jeff Berding
City Hall, Suite 348
Phone: (513) 352-3283
Fax: (513) 352-3289
jeff.berding@cincinnati-oh.gov Chris Bortz
City Hall, Suite 356
Phone: (513) 352-3249
Fax: (513) 352- 3264
chris.bortz@cincinnati-oh.gov
Leslie Ghiz
City Hall, Suite 354
Phone: (513) 352-3344
Fax: (513) 352-3277
leslie.ghiz@cincinnati-oh.gov Chris Monzel
City Hall, Suite 352
Phone: (513) 352-3640
Fax: (513) 352-4649
chris.monzel@cincinnati-oh.gov
Laure Quinlivan
City Hall, Suite 346B
Phone: (513) 352-5303
Fax: (513) 352-5390
laure.quinlivan@cincinnati-oh.gov Charlie Winburn
City Hall, Suite 346A
Phone: (513) 352-5354
Fax: (513) 352-5367
charlie.winburn@cincinnati-oh.gov

Wendell Young
City Hall, Suite 350
Phone: (513) 352-3466
Fax: (513) 352-3957
wendell.young@cincinnati-oh.gov

Study Confirms That Fox News Makes You Stupid

There’s a new survey of American voters that shows Fox News viewers are significantly more misinformed than consumers of news from other sources. This is not the first study that shows that Fox misinforms its viewers. Facts have a well known liberal bias.

Action Alert: Please contact City Council

Dear Coffee Partiers,

We are asking you to contact city council to ask them to repeal the city’s anti-marijuana ordinance. A disproportionate number of blacks are being locked up and labeled as criminals for simply possessing of small amounts of marijuana.

Currently the city is facing a $60 million budget deficit and a billion dollar hole in the retirement fund. Councilman Wendell Young- a former police officer-estimates that the marijuana law costs the city $360,000 a year. He says it is ineffective and should be repealed.

Below is a letter with some talking points. Please contact city council members and ask them to repeal the law and use those resources on the important services that are going to be cut. Please pass this along to your friends and ask them to contact council as well. Don’t be afraid to call them as well.

There is a budget hearing tomorrow, Wednesday, Dec. 15 at the Clifton Cultural Arts Center (3711 Clifton Avenue) at 6 p.m. You can sign up and speak for two minutes.

A better Cincinnati is possible and we can make a difference in our city. Thanks for all you do!

Here's an example:

Dear Councilmember (X),

As our city leaders deal with a $60 million budget deficit I want to encourage you to consider the drain that the anti-marijuana puts on the budget. Councilman Wendell Young estimates repealing the law will save $360,000 and according to Citybeat that number doesn’t even include the amount of police overtime for police officers to show up in court.

The law also costs many of our citizen’s job opportunities by labeling them as criminals for possession of small amounts of marijuana. The punishment is much harsher than the current state law that exists against possession of marijuana and there doesn’t seem to be any significant benefits.

Another troubling aspect of the ordinance is the disproportionate number of young black males being arrested under the ordinance. I believe that Cincinnati has come a long way in building community-police relations and this law undermines that trust.

The resources currently spent on the law would be better spent on human services that help those most in need and prevent crime. Homelessness is growing and changing. We have more people on the streets, currently we don’t have enough room for single women and we do not have enough room for families. I’ve heard reports that families are being seen outside now.

In 2008 Applied Information Research did a study which showed that most Cincinnatians favored Human services being funded at 1.5%. Please don’t cut those crucial services again. Our city needs policies that lift people up instead of taking away opportunities for jobs. I think that is the moral and fiscally responsible thing to do.

Sincerely,

Justin Jeffre

Clifton Heights

Here are their email addresses.

wendell.young@cincinnati-oh.gov,
"Mallory, Mark" ,
"Quinlivan, Laure" ,
"Berding, Jeff" ,
"Bortz, Chris" ,
Chris Monzel CCC ,
"Thomas, Cecil" ,
"Ghiz, Leslie" ,
"Qualls, Roxanne" ,
charlie.winburn@cincinnati-oh.gov

Here are their phone numbers and fax numbers etc. They like to hear from their constituents.

Vice Mayor Roxanne Qualls
City Hall, Suite 351
Phone: (513) 352-3604
Fax: (513) 352-3621
roxanne.qualls@cincinnati-oh.gov
Cecil Thomas - President Pro-Tem
City Hall, Suite 349
Phone: (513) 352-3499
Fax: (513) 352-3218
cecil.thomas@cincinnati-oh.gov
Jeff Berding
City Hall, Suite 348
Phone: (513) 352-3283
Fax: (513) 352-3289
jeff.berding@cincinnati-oh.gov Chris Bortz
City Hall, Suite 356
Phone: (513) 352-3249
Fax: (513) 352- 3264
chris.bortz@cincinnati-oh.gov
Leslie Ghiz
City Hall, Suite 354
Phone: (513) 352-3344
Fax: (513) 352-3277
leslie.ghiz@cincinnati-oh.gov Chris Monzel
City Hall, Suite 352
Phone: (513) 352-3640
Fax: (513) 352-4649
chris.monzel@cincinnati-oh.gov
Laure Quinlivan
City Hall, Suite 346B
Phone: (513) 352-5303
Fax: (513) 352-5390
laure.quinlivan@cincinnati-oh.gov Charlie Winburn
City Hall, Suite 346A
Phone: (513) 352-5354
Fax: (513) 352-5367
charlie.winburn@cincinnati-oh.gov

Wendell Young
City Hall, Suite 350
Phone: (513) 352-3466
Fax: (513) 352-3957
wendell.young@cincinnati-oh.gov

Prisoner Advocate Elaine Brown on Georgia Prison Strike: “Repression Breeds Resistance”

Democracy Now! reports that at least four prisons in Georgia remain in lockdown five days after prisoners went on strike in protest of poor living and working conditions. Using cell phones purchased from guards, the prisoners coordinated the nonviolent protests to stage the largest prison strike in U.S. history. There are reports of widespread violence and brutality by the guards against the prisoners on strike. They speak to longtime prison activist Elaine Brown of the newly formed group Concerned Coalition to Respect Prisoners’ Rights.

To our readers on Facebook, (Pt.II)

Once again I'm posting this in response to comments left on our Facebook page. I think there are several comments that are worthy of a response and I posted the article to spark a debate. I'm still not on Facebook so I'm responding via this blog.

Walter Broadnax Obama's accomplishments aren't very impressive???
http://whatthefuckhasobamadonesofar.com/
Check this link if you think the President has done nothing.

I didn't say "the President has done nothing". I said his accomplishments haven't been very impressive and his policies are largely a continuation of the Bush administration's policies. FYI some of the sources on that site are from blogs and one is from Wikipedia so it like my oped shouldn't be taken as gospel. A lot of the things that site touts are about Obama's Republican health care bill that has just been ruled unconstitutional because of the very unpopular mandate. It's future is uncertain at best.

The drug and insurance companies' stocks went up after the heath care bill passed because they basically wrote it. Obama negotiated a deal that would prevent the government from negotiating drug prices. He failed to even push universal health care, much less deliver it. He said everything was on the table, but Medicare-for-all never was. When it didn't matter he supported single payer and said,

In 2003 he said,

“I happen to be a proponent of a single payer universal health care program.” (applause) “I see no reason why the United States of America, the wealthiest country in the history of the world, spending 14 percent of its Gross National Product on health care cannot provide basic health insurance to everybody. And that’s what Jim is talking about when he says everybody in, nobody out. A single payer health care plan, a universal health care plan. And that’s what I’d like to see. But as all of you know, we may not get there immediately. Because first we have to take back the White House, we have to take back the Senate, and we have to take back the House.”

During his campaign he talked about universal health care or "universality" or something like that.

In 2009 he said,

Obama: I want to cover everybody. Now, the truth is that, unless you have a -- what's called a single-payer system, in which everybody is automatically covered, then you're probably not going to reach every single individual because there's always going to be somebody out there who thinks they're indestructible and doesn't want to get health care, doesn't bother getting health care, and then, unfortunately, when they get hit by a bus, end up in the emergency room and the rest of us have to pay for it.

He didn't even really support a public option.

Martha L. Meacham I think it's a little early to throw the President under the bus. Plus, looking at Walter's link would be informative, IMO

It isn't too early to judge the President's record so far. He's been in office for two years with large majorities. What are we suppposed to do wait until his first term is over to evaluate what he has done? I don't think that is wise. Besides I spoke about his record going back to when he was in the State House. I'm judging his record going back as long as he's been in a political office.

I think his base needs to push and pull him in a progressive direction. The corporations and the Republicans are pulling him to the right 24/7. Citizens should do more than simply vote.

Marc Conter: There are some issues not directly tied to our core message (which is very muddled right now) where we can openly work towards compromise...there are others where we can't and shouldn't. Standing tall on principles is a long term strategy and once violated it takes 10X more effort and money to overcome the sell out than it would have cost to stand strong in the first place.

I agree. Simply compromising for the sake of compromising doesn't move us forward as a nation, especially when both parties are beholden to the corporations and they take issues off of the table by protectively imitating each others positions on the wars and for profit health care etc.

Pamela Zelman Here is my opinion of what I just read: I, too, joined this group believing that the Coffee Party was for people in the middle to have a quiet place to debate issues with manners. I'm disappointed to read that the "debate" is started by op...inions being stated as fact. The editor may believe that President Obama has squandered his opportunities, but that is only his OPINION. Blogs, like statistics, can support or refute any viewpoint.

Perhaps the way forward is to do like Martha did above, and begin by saying "I think" or "I believe" rather than stating their opinion as gospel. This acknowledges the validity of the other side.

Pamela, I don't believe that anything I said was rude or without manners. I think it is pretty clear that my article was an oped, but just because it was an oped doesn't mean that there weren't facts listed to make my overall point which was 'do progressives have a breaking point or will they vote for Democrats no matter what their policies are?'.

I think it is a fair question. I believe the answer for many liberals and progressives is no, they will always vote for the Democrats no matter what they do. The problem with that as I see it is that you allow yourself to be completely ignored and taken for granted and then you get taken everytime. I think we must fight for what we believe in, not make excuses and ignore bad behavior from a party or politician that has betrayed the working class for decades.

Just because an opinion appears on a blog doesn't make it invalid. The purpose of the blog is to have a debate that includes the other side of the debate. The snarky site that Walter linked to certainly isn't unbiased and it doesn't acknowledge the other side yet nobody seems to have a problem with it. It doesn't have a comment section where people can point out some of the problems with some of the statements made on it. This site is different in that regard.

Jim Taylor I thought the Coffee Party Idea was a good one because we can actually discuss the problems, use real facts, and try to come up with the best solutions, most often out of several potential solutions. There is no perfect solution to complex ...things, so compromise and time will tell how good the guess was. One cannot quit because of disagreement. Also, there are those in the political arena that daily tell absolute lies, half truths and are only talking because they have been bought by a corporation or PAC. And boy, they sound like it to any thinking person. THESE are the people we need to bring into the public eye for not defending the best for the country.

I agree and that was the point of my original post. Both parties get massive amounts of coporate cash. You aren't considered a "serious" candidate by the corporate media without it. Therefore you don't get media coverage.

Glenna Allison Well, I can see I have some people who disagree with me. And that's fine. However, maybe some don't realize how Congress works. Our President can't make laws.....or do away with the laws. Congress does....And no matter if the Dems contro...l the congress, many did not support him when it came to a vote. And, by the way, no Republicans did. Now, if we could elect him to be King, he could get his agenda passed. But, as Harry Truman said, The Buck Stops Here. And the person at the top has to take the blame. Fair or not.

Glenna, I am well aware of how Congress works. The Democrats have large majoritites in the House and the Senate. They will maintain control of the Senate when the Republicans take the House and the President still has veto power. The Senate is the place where good bills-which are extremely rare these days-get watered down or buried.

The President has the power to stop Don't Ask, Don't Tell from being used to kick gay people out of the military. He said he would end the policy. He didn't say 'if I'm elected the Congress will repeal it'.

Obama also has the power to end the wars without Congress or the Senate. He hasn't done either. The President also has the power of the bully pulpit. He leaned on Dennis Kucinich who was the only Democrat taking a principled stand for the public option which Obama negotitated away from the begining even though he was still publicly stating he supported it. Obama didn't lean on the conservative Blue Dogs.

President Obama has declared that he can assassinate US citizens without due process. If that's not the power of a King I don't know what is. It is certainly a position that is at odds with our constitution. If Bush had taken the same positiion people on the left would be outraged. Obama can do no wrong as far as some on the left are concerned. That was the point of my article and I stand by that statement.

"Congress does....And no matter if the Dems contro...l the congress, many did not support him when it came to a vote."

I'm not sure what vote you are refering to but it sounds to me like your using this as an excuse for a whole host of issues. The POTUS is the most powerful position on earth, especially when he has a mandate and both Houses on his side. We should be calling on him to lead and fix the problems, not the blame.

Thanks for the comments. I don't intend to respond to every comment on Facebook, but I do think this is an important subject that is being discussed in liberal circles across the country.

Please feel free to comment here at the blog or if you would like to submit an article we would be happy to publish it. Thanks!

10 years after the 2000 stolen election

Though many Democrats like to repeat the lie that Ralph Nader spoiled the 2000 election and gave us Bush the reality is that Republicans stole the 2000 election and that is well documented. Because the Democrats basically rolled over and blamed Nader we ended up with another stolen election in 2004. We still need a lot of electoral reforms.

Orwell Rolls In His Grave is a documentary that desricbes our corrupt corporate controlled media and how they helped Republicans steal the 2000 and the 2004 elections.




Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections documents the 2004 stolen election in Ohio.

Uncounted - Election Fraud - 1/2

A positive meeting and moving forward

I’d like to thank everyone that came out to our last meeting on Thursday. I thought it went very well and the feedback we got about was very positive.

For those that couldn’t make it I gave a short presentation about legal scholar Michelle Alexander’s presentation at City Hall where she talks about the New Jim Crow. You can read a great interview with her here and here. When asked if Cincinnati’s anti-marijuana ordinance contributed to the New Jim Crow she said that she thought it fed into it.

Fariba gave a report on the ACLU’s presentation Criminal Justice Reform Cannot Wait. There is good legislation at the state house for reforms that we will be supporting.
They discuss how Ohio’s criminal justice system employs policies that increase cost, reduce safety and contribute to racial disparities. Prison officials, judges and community advocates are calling for reform to lessen the number of people sentenced and to support those who leave prison.

Fariba will be posting her review of it here soon. We will also be posting some action alerts where we will be asking you all to contact your representatives and ask them to reform these policies. Please stay tuned and engaged!

How corporate control of the media creates a conservative bias in our media

It seems rather obvious that there would be a corporate bias from a corporate controlled media, but the liberal media bias lie has been repeated so often that some have started to believe it. Some think the media is objective or at least strives to be objective, but this is simply not the case. There’s a corporate bias.

First of all, it is important to understand that corporations have political agendas. For instance GE-which owns NBC and MSNBC-has a position on tax policies because they don’t like to pay taxes. They have a position on pollution because they are a major polluter.

They have a position on trade because they like to be able to build things overseas. And they have a position on the wars and America’s foreign policy because they make huge profits selling weapons and jets used by our military and militaries that we aid. GE is so political that they even have their employees write and call Congress in support of funding the engines they make for our military.

GE doesn’t just have a lot of influence because it has its employees contacting members of Congress, it has PACs and it donates to candidates etc. GE has the power to shape the news because it owns NBC and MSNBC. These aren’t the most profitable parts of their business, but the propaganda machine is crucial to their profits.

Now you might be saying to yourself, ‘Wait a minute, this has to be nonsense because Keith Olberman, Rachel Maddow, and Ed Shultz are on MSNBC and they are definitely on the liberal side of the aisle. And that is true to a point, but you should consider this.

As Glenn Greenwald points out in this excellent article,

Last May, CNN's Jessica Yellin said that when she was at MSNBC, "the press corps was under enormous pressure from corporate executives, frankly, to make sure that this [the Iraq War] was a war that was presented in a way that was consistent with the patriotic fever in the nation"; "the higher the president's approval ratings, the more pressure I had from news executives ... to put on positive stories about the president"; and "they would turn down stories that were more critical and try to put on pieces that were more positive." Katie Couric said that when she was at NBC, "there was a lot of undercurrent of pressure not to rock the boat for a variety of reasons, where it was corporate reasons or other considerations" not to be too critical of the Bush administration.

“MSNBC's rising star, Ashleigh Banfield, was demoted and then fired after she criticized news media organizations generally, and Fox News specifically, for distorting their war coverage to appear more pro-government.”

And, of course, when MSNBC canceled Phil Donahue's show in the run-up to the Iraq war despite its being that network's highest-rated program, a corporate memo surfaced indicating that the company had fears of being associated with an anti-war and anti-government message.”

In Bill Moyers excellent documentary Buying the War he documents how all of the major “news” outlets in the corporate media beat the drums for war. This is an example of how “liberal” MSNBC is.

BILL MOYERS: You had Scott Ritter, former weapons inspector. Who was saying that if we invade, it will be a historic blunder.

PHIL DONOHUE: You didn't have him alone. He had to be there with someone else who supported the war. In other words, you couldn't have Scott Ritter alone. You could have Richard Perle alone.

BILL MOYERS: You could have the conservative.

PHIL DONOHUE: You could have the supporters of the President alone. And they would say why this war is important. You couldn't have a dissenter alone. Our producers were instructed to feature two conservatives for every liberal.

BILL MOYERS: You're kidding.

PHIL DONOHUE: No this is absolutely true.

BILL MOYERS: Instructed from above?

PHIL DONOHUE: Yes. I was counted as two liberals.

Greenwald points out that,

A leaked memo from NBC executives at the time of his firing made clear that Donahue was fired for ideological reasons, not due to ratings:

The study went on to claim that Donahue presented a "difficult public face for NBC in a time of war . . . . He seems to delight in presenting guests who are anti-war, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration's motives." The report went on to outline a possible nightmare scenario where the show becomes "a home for the liberal antiwar agenda at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity."

NBC executives then proceeded to hire Dick Armey as an MSNBC commentator and give a show to Michael Savage. Michael Savage.

Not only have they fired reporters for being critical of the justifications given for war. MSNBC has hired Michael Savage, Dick Armey, Tucker Carlson and Joe Scarborough.

It is widely believed that GE's CEO Jack Welch insisted that they call the election for the Bush even though the exit polling showed Gore-Lieberman won. This helped set the stage for the stolen election in 2000.

The Center for Public Integrity reports that,

Throughout 2001, California Congressman Henry Waxman accused Welch of intervening in NBC's 2000 election night coverage and pressuring the network to prematurely declare Bush the winner. Welch admitted he attended an election night party at NBC's headquarters and that he cheered for Bush but denied interfering with coverage decisions. When the major network and cable news division heads were called before Congress in January 2001 to account for the election night debacle, the president of NBC News offered Waxman access to internal videotapes made of Welch on election night, only to withdraw the offer just days later.

Greenwald also exposed how NBC censored and silenced Keith Olberman and their use of Richard Wolffe is sleazy. Olberman no longer criticizes Bill O’Reilly or Fox because Fox had begun attacking GE and they decided to come to an agreement with Fox. Olberman no longer counts down the days since the former commander in chief had declared mission accomplished. They were happy to cover Obama’s 'combat mission accomplished' propaganda campaign uncritically.

Greenwald also describes how the Associated Press has refused to use the White House’s propaganda terms for the war in Iraq, but that NBC and MSNBC have agreed to use them. NBC and MSNBC were given exclusive coverage of the Obama’s administrations campaign to fool their liberal viewers into thinking that US combat troops have left Iraq.

The AP knows that thousands of US troops are still engaged in combat missions, but Rachel Maddow, Keith Olberman and the “journalists”/stenographers at NBC are pushing government lies. Though they are more honest than many TV commentators but they are paid to push lies in support of the corporate-government agenda too.

While I used the example of NBC and MSNBC the same can be said for all of the corporate owned media outlets. I once interviewed Phil Donohue and he encouraged people to watch cable news-including Fox-because it is important to know what people are being told by these media outlets. He also encourages people to look to independent media outlets like Democracy Now! that aren’t corporate controlled.

It is important to look at many different news sources and to use critical thinking skills to evaluate them. As I.F. Stone once said, “All governments lie”. It is important to question those in power and to pay attention to what is going on in our community and around the world. As George Seldes once said, “Nothing can stop the march of an informed people”.

To our readers on Facebook,

I’m not on Facebook (I know that’s kind of weird in this day and age) so I hadn’t seen your comments until a friend forwarded some of your comments along. First, I’m not surprised that some people were upset that I criticized President Obama. I believe that I’m not alone and there are many progressives that are very disappointed in what the President and the Democratic majority have done or failed to do.

Having said that, I believe we can disagree without being disagreeable. The purpose of the blog is to spark discussion and debate. Different points of view are welcome as long as we keep the discussion civil and respectful.

I appreciate the feedback and have chosen to respond to your comments below. Please feel free to comment at the blog or submit an article of your own.

"I do not know. I only know that there was no way I would have voted for McCain-Palin. I can't even watch/listen to either of them. And, I live in SW Ohio and dread the times Boehner and McConnell are on camera."

I didn’t vote for McCain-Palin either. I voted for Nader-Gonzalez because I believe we must always vote our conscience and if the American people stopped voting out of fear and started voting their values and beliefs the country would be transformed rather quickly. I dread Boehner and McConnel as well.

Glenna: "What do you expect him to do? He is out numbered. You are blaming him for something that is out of his control. If he hadn't made this deal, many would be in worse shape. What is your group doing to change things other than complain."

Glenna, thanks for your comments. President Obama isn’t out numbered. The Democrats still control the House, the Senate and the White House. Nobody is beyond criticism, especially politicians that can’t keep their campaign promises and then have the nerve to show contempt for their own base when the people that elected them complain because he’s failing to deleiver. I pay taxes and have a right to complain.

"A true patriot is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins" - Frederick Douglas

The Coffee Party is working to help get people engaged in politics in a way that is more meaningful than simply voting for a lesser evil. Voting is important, but voting is the bare minimum for a citizen.

Our local group is currently working on a campaign to educate about the New Jim Crow also known as the prison industrial complex. We are contacting our members of council and encouraging them to repeal that anti-marijuana ordinance which disproportionately affects young black males. And we are contacting our representatives at the state level about reforming laws at the state level.

If you have any suggestions for things we can work on we are happy to hear them. Thanks!

"Thank you Glenna-I think he is doing the best he can do under impossible circumstances. Therefore, I am leaving this page. Our president needs support, not negative criticism."

The President has had huge majorities in both the House and the Senate. He hasn’t delivered on many of the things that he promised and what he has delivered hasn’t been good. He has pursued a strategy of triangulation which means he’s moved to the right. Now he is further embracing that strategy which is bad for the country, the world, his legacy and his chances of being reelected. Patronizing his base isn’t good for him.

"I thought the coffee party was neither a republican or democrat movement, but one where we can discuss civily our points of view and hear others and perhaps in the process begin to understand and even respect others views which may temper m...y views. This article, (written by whomever) sounds very much like a far left liberal democratic view ( I am more a liberal than a conservative) but realize that we may have to meet somewhere in the middle on many issues. Isn't that what the "discussion wheel" was all about, finding out where we agree, disagree and which points/issues we could find common ground and MOVE FORWARD. Ithink the last thing we need is to sound angry if we are tryng to communicate in a civil way."

Thanks for your comment. I wrote the article and yes I’m an unapologetic independent liberal. I don’t support either party because as I stated in my article they are both beholden to the corporations. Money has an undue influence on our political system and I think that is a view held by a majority of the Coffee Party members and citizens in general across the country.

I’m not sure what the “discussion wheel” is, but I don’t think my article was uncivil or angry. It was an analysis of the President and his party’s record. I see no reason to beat around the bush, his policies are largely a continuation of the Bush administration’s policies.

You are free to disagree and to counter my argument. The point of this blog and my article is to spark debate.

Glenna: "I never said I would be leaving your group, however, if I am being dropped because I disagree with your comments, then so be it. If my voice is only good when I agree, then your are like the Tea Party, I thought you were different. I see where there were others who agree with me."

Glenna, your views are welcome here and I'm sure there are others that agree with you. I think that when you said you are leaving the page people took that to mean you were leaving the group. Nobody wants you to leave. I just wanted to express my views on the current political climate. I’m sure we can find plenty of common ground. But I don’t think blind support for any politician is a pragmatic strategy for bringing progressive change to our city and country.

Glenna: "We have a President, who is doing an impossible job. The Republicans are determined to say "no" to anything they can to stop progress, and the Democrats don't stand by him either. He isn't a magician, that can turn a rock into an apple. He's dealing with a bunch of people acting like 2 yr. olds. He must feel alone in trying to bring our country back to where it leads the world. The Dems did this to Jimmy Carter too."

Glenna, we agree about the Democrats and the Republicans. We disagree about Obama. Nobody expects him turn a rock into an apple. We expect him to deliver on some of his campaign promises like letting the tax cuts for the rich expire, ending don’t ask, don’t tell and ending the war in Iraq etc. Obama was given a mandate for change and large majorities in the House and the Senate. He had an army of citizens that were willing to take to the streets in support of a progressive agenda. But that agenda was never on the table and he squandered the opportunity he was given to be a transformative figure.

His accomplishments as President aren’t very impressive. His base is demoralized and he and his party are responsible for that. Is it mean of me to point that out?

The media's authoritarianism and WikiLeaks

There has been a lot of hype about Wikileaks. And unfortunately there has been a lot of misinformation put out in the media. Glenn Greenwald has been eloquently writing and passionately speaking about the issue. I highly recommend going to Salon.com where you can see him debating the issue and writing extensively about it.

Obama capitulates again and again

The corporate Democrats still control the House, the Senate and the White House. A majority of the country opposes extending tax cuts for the rich, but President Obama has chosen to move to the right again and then lecture his liberal base which he has contempt for. And he’s abandoning net neutrality.

The Republican will take the majority in the House, but the corporate Democrats still control the Senate and the White House. ‘So why are the corporate Democrats going to move to the right?’, because they are owned by the same corporate interests as the Republicans. In fact, Obama got more corporate money than McCain-Palin or Bush-Cheney.

I know that many people were excited about candidate Barrack Obama because he gave good speeches that sounded progressive. But that was all just overheated rhetoric. Many of us predicted that progressives that were energized by his excellent PR campaign would become greatly disappointed.

This wasn’t just because a racist backlash was predictable for the first black President. It was because his record has always been one of capitulation to the corporate agenda. Even Obama’s famous anti-Iraq war speech made clear he didn’t oppose war. He just wanted the right war at the right time.

Those who took a deeper look into is his record knew that he always advocated keeping a force of 50,000 troops in Iraq and all the private mercenaries like Blackwater. He has kept some of his promises, like escalating the war in Afghanistan-what he believes is the right war at the right time-and increasing the bloated Pentagon budget.

Obama and his corporate Democrats have demonstrated that they can’t deliver a progressive agenda when they are in control of government with large majorities. The only question now is: do his supporters have a breaking point or will they vote for him no matter how much he serves the corporations and shows contempt for liberals and progressives that believed in his hype?