1. Viva Nancy! Nancy Skinner -- early progressive talk show radio host and partial inspiration for the entire Air America experiment -- is running for Congress in Michigan's 9th District. Yes, she's raising funds -- and yes, I know that you, like me, may be tapped out to the point of eating meatless pasta. But do her a favor -- do yourself a favor -- and watch her video. Its a compilation of her appearances on television throughout the early years of the Bush administration, when she spoke out against war and tax cuts for the wealthy at a time when doing so won her no friends.She was phenomenal in combat. Not only that: This video compilation reminds us of just how wrong -- and how utterly ARROGANT -- the right-wing pundits were at that time. I defy anyone to watch this presentation without wanting to grab the nearest tire iron to smack the smirks off the faces of those ignorant sunsabitches.
If you live in Michigan -- and even if you don't -- support Nancy Skinner.
2. If you live in California -- and even if you don't -- support Debra Bowen. She's the California state legistlator fighting to overturn the reign of electoral misrule instituted by the Arnie-appointed Secretary of State Bruce McPherson. This is a national issue: If McPherson succeeds in his evil scheme to Dieboldize California's voting booths, no Democrat will ever again win the presidency.But that's not the only evil scheme up Brucie's sleeve. Bowen has uncovered a new plan: McPherson, taking his cue from Katherine Harris, has instituted a new voter registration database, designed to "weed out" the poor and the homeless. (And there will soon be plenty of them, once the housing bubble bursts.)
More than 14,000 new voter registration and re-registration applications just from Los Angeles County were recently invalidated under this new stringent set of regulations — and other counties are seeing similar results.By the way, Bowen will be on the Al Franken show between 9:30 and 10:00 a.m. this Friday. The topic will be keeping the vote clean and non-computerized. Much as I admire Franken, he hasn't always been good on this issue, so let's hope she can turn him around -- or, better still, electrify the audience.
This is a 43% rejection rate! In fact, virtually all of these applications would have been accepted before Secretary McPherson rolled out his new statewide voter registration database. Typically rejection rates are 1-2%. This is outrageous.
Perhaps I should end with a nod toward a third courageous woman. As I've noted on a couple of previous occasions, Lydia Cornell hopes that her piece on Ann Coulter will win the Koufax award for best blog post. Alas, voting has closed. Even so, Lydia deserves all the good will she can get, since she will soon become the target of an epic right-wing hate campaign, due to her new book on Coulter. My prediction: The hatemongers try to portray Lydia -- a sweet-natured mother of two, and one of the few genuine Christians -- as a scarlet Hollywood liberal, "out of touch with mainstream America" -- just as they will try to paint the venom-spouting, hard-drinking, bed-hopping "Mistress Ann" in hagiographical hues. That show could prove quite entertaining!
4 comments:
I have looked at your lead for two days: Any true gentleman will rush to the aid of a lady in need. I would like to introduce you to two women who could use your help, even if all you can offer is a kind word.
Shit!
Not that the women you mention aren't worth paying heed to.
It's your condescension that annoys the hell out of me. These women are running for political office. I find your idea that they, because they are women, deserve some special kind of velvet-glove treatment offensive.
You may think it's gallant, and charming of you to see them as "ladies" in need.
It's annoying, Joe. Tell us about their platforms and issues if you like, but come to their aid because they are women (gack! "ladies"? Give me a fucking break! I hope they or their people have been in touch to say bug off, but they probably haven't. It's up to me to tell you that your hand-kissing at a party would be cute...but in politics? You gotta be kidding. It's annoying.
Dear Joy,
You are way over the line on your criticism about Joseph coming to the aid of these deserving women.
I wanted to think Joseph for putting in two words and helping these women raise interest and money.
Particularly Debra Bowen who is facing a huge war chest by Arnold appointed CA Secretary of State Bruce McPherson.
Women still get paid something like 65 cents on the dollar to men on average. More often than not, many women are still financially dependant on men.
Yes, women still need more help than men in many areas, including getting elected to public office, especially if they don't have rich husbands.
thank you Joseph
Katie, not your average liberal in SF
Sorry you were offended, Joy. A true gentleman hopes never to offend a lady.
Good thing I decided not to go with the original version of the opening. It went something like this:
"I like to think of myself as a gallant sort of fellow. The sort who opens doors for a lady. The sort who, when not destitute, insists on paying for the meal. The sort who generally avoids applying shackles or hot wax without permission..."
That seemed needlessly digressive, so I edited.
Hey Joe this is a great column. Debra Bowen is the answer to voting legitimacy in California voting, especially in the Diebold mess -- and instead the Dems who do not believe there is anything wrong with the electronic voting machines are trying to replace Bowen with a Hispanic woman who doesn't know anything about the voting scandals, just because they want the Hispanic vote!
Also, Lydia Cornell has changed my life. Thank you for putting her on there as the kind of liberal whose values can combat the phony values of the Reichstag and win elections. Her viewpoint is so refreshing and she's a real Christian.
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