Remembering the Dead and Declaring Peace in Brooklyn

Waiting to start

Brooklyn Parents for Peace sponsored a march (passed Senator Schumer's house) and candlelight vigil in Brooklyn Sunday night, Sept. 24th, as part of the exciting Declaration of Peace Campaign. Click the title link for the general website, but also read the statement read at the vigil and the follow-up press release. You can also check out some of the pictures I took at my FlickR.com site, http://www.flickr.com/photos/kateannenyc/tags/BrooklynParentsforPeace/. I carried the name of Spc. Roger G. Ling from Dougleston -- and heard the name of someone who could be a distant relative, Jacob Pfister from Buffalo. (From his picture I found on the web, he LOOKED like family -- reminding me of my Uncle John Pfister who, landing on Utah Beach, survived D-Day -- bless him, now 88 years old.) I felt like crying. But action is better, and I thank God for people speaking out against the occupation which has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and tens of thousands of Iraqis.

The Declaration of Peace Campaign continues and activists took over the Senate Hart Office Building on Tuesday -- documented at Commondreams.org -- how wonderful seeing people moving beyond their comfort zone and enjoying it! Check out more of the activities at http://declarationofpeace.org. So much to do, but we all must do what we can. Join us. Please.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Remembering Roger G. Ling

To do Before the Election - Starting NOW!

Ah, it is a rainy Saturday and I would like to stay home and clean, BUT besides cleaning the house, we have to clean THE House and THE Senate, and Mark Crispin Miller has posed FIVE things we can do before Election Day starting now. Click on the Title Link to read Mark's article at The Huffington Post. But then, from there I found that he is now blogging actively, and I will be adding his News from Underground to my sidebar soon. [Is subscribing to blogrolling.com sensible, anybody??] I have also favorited him in my Technorati account. Together, we can and must change the world.

Thanks to Mark, I have found this link to Words-of-Power about the stolen Mexican election and another good blog -- and more because it led me to Bloggers Against Torture -- and the list goes on....

Word of Power also speaks of RFK, Jr.'s latest article in the Rolling Stone, which we MUST blog and talk to our neighbors about, in keeping with Mark Crispin Miller's to-do-NOW list. Bobby Kennedy Jr. talks about the Princeton study (see Sept. 17 post) on how easily hacked the voting machines are and so much more, bringing in new info from a Diebold whistle-blower. Read it, re-read it. Pass it on. (You can also find it without pictures at TruthOut.org).

Now, I gotta go out and meet my peace friends but I'm taking Mark Crispin Miller's book with me to read -- AND DISPLAY -- on the subway: Fooled Again: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them).

God bless you and thank you for whatever you are doing for peace, justice, nonviolence and FAIR ELECTIONS!! And if you have any free time, can you help me clean house -- my son and his sweet significant other will be visiting from red Ohio (turning purple, even blue, thanks to all of us, please, God!) soon. Gotta get a move on. (Hmmmmm.)

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Give Peace A Vote

Code Pink emailed me the link to this video and I absolutely stress its message: Give Peace a Vote. View it -- and ACT!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

FOR Peace, even Late

Gail, Sarah, Joe and Kate Anne
Yes, we were there at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza to protest Bush's speaking at the United Nations on Tuesday, albeit late -- thanks to the challenge of being a peace and justice activist employed by corporate America. Gail Harper and I met up with Joe Fahey and we met and spoke with Sarah. Thomas Gallagher updated us about the march -- there was a big crowd. Matt from Columbia University -- and a stringer for Forbes -- interviewed us, especially when we started to shout, "Hands off Iran!" John Fessel took a picture of us (and I will be posting more pictures later at my Flickr.com site -- including a picture of John and Cathy Fessel and Ben and some SDS students -- that's redundant, but, yes SDS is back!) It was a good day -- and today, Peace Day, some of us plan to be demonstrating with Code Pink outside of Hillary Clinton's office on Third Avenue, at lunchtime.

Tonight, there will be calling for change at Marc Crawford Leavitt's office in Woodside. See details. Busy, busy, busy -- but it is good. Together, we can and WILL make a difference.

PS -- I just found out how New Yorkers can stream and even view the morning Air America Radio morning show, the real one, NOT the Armstrong Williams WWRL fiasco which Air America's New York channel is forced to carry. Go directly to TheYoungTurks.com -- yes, you need the "THE", (Melanie Sloan of CREW is currently being interviewed by The Young Turks. John Murtha gets lobbied by his Defense Contract lobbyist BROTHER -- ARGH!!)

The other alternative for mornings is to podcast last night's Air America Radio shows: Rachel Maddow and/or David Bender's Politically Direct. Or listen to Amy Goodman's Democracy Now on WBAI. There is also other great stuff to podcast late, like Bob McChesney's Media Matters -- not on AAR but podcastable from iTunes and on the web here. AND you can download Bobby Kennedy Jr.'s and Mike Papantonio's Ring of Fire. Listen as you get your morning started. Or listened to the wonderful Rev. Jim Forbes' The Time is Now. EcoTalk is now evenings, too: important! (For Heaven's sake, Hit my link and join the virtual march to Stop Global Warming!) And always there is my favorite Thom Hartmann: More than enough to feed your liberal heart, soul and spirit!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Kraft-Nabisco SCREWS American Workers

Yesterday, I called the Kraft Consumer Relations number on the back of a Nabisco Fig Newton Bar package picked out of my firm's cookie basket -- I told Pat at Kraft that I no longer will be buying Fig Newtons as they are now made in MEXICO, that I look to buy American products which give AMERICANS jobs -- even if I pay more, that the American workers are being screwed, that the prices haven't gone down because of Fig Newtons being made in Mexico, that America has the highest rate of poverty in the 37 industrialized nations, and also the highest rate of CEO compensation.

I told her she should read SCREWED: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- and what we can do about it, by Thom Hartmann. I also noted that my Republican cousin feels the same way I do about buying things in America [Jean sent me the Title Link] and that I plan to spread the word. The good news is that Pat was speaking to me from Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area) and NOT India. Good, but not good enough, I said. I also added that I had spoken to the person who does the ordering for cookies at my firm and she will no longer be ordering Fig Newtons. Very politely but with activist fervor, I asked her to pass my message along. She said she most certainly would.

If you wish to join me in repeating this message to Kraft, call them at 1-800-NABISCO (622-4726).

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

PS With luck (and hard quick work) I can get away to join the protest against Bush at Dag Hammerskjold Plaza today on 47th at lunchtime, but I couldn't get the morning off -- we're too busy, sigh. I'm putting in for October 5th NOW -- The World CAN'T wait.

"The Integrity of MidTerm Elections Cannot be Guaranteed"

Ever hot on the verifiable election trail/vote fraud trail, BradBlog has posted the CNN Lou Dobb's transcript on the Princeton study of the new Diebold machines, being used thanks to the misnamed Help America Vote Act. No wonder Bush isn't worried about the Dem's taking over after the November Election. Said Kitty Pilgrim:

"The Princeton group only studied one type of machine, that model will be used in 357 counties across the country by 10 percent of the voters in November. They say the vote can be easily manipulated without being detected.

"The malicious software can modify all the records, audit logs, and counters kept by the voting machine. So that even careful forensic examination of these records will find nothing amiss."

If we lose 10 percent of the vote (and we know there are other ways of stealing besides Diebold and other electronic voting machines), democracy is sunk. The only remedy is to go out in massive numbers and vote, Democrats and Independents and thought-full Republicans, so that we can gain our country back. Then be prepared to go out on the street on Wednesday, November, to demand a re-vote if necessary. (A recount on such hacked machines won't show anything different.) We must demand exit polling of voters by reputable groups such as Zogby to see if things are accurate. (And NOT let the media dismiss the results, which is what they did with Kerry.)

Personally, I think we should demand paper ballots now. They are countable now. The people working my ED could count the 200 or 300 ballots of those probably going to vote. And if more show up and vote, great. Give the poll workers coffee. Heck, I'll volunteer to help them count 'em -- or at least buy 'em coffee.

Much to be done -- for peace, justice AND democracy. God help us. But remember, "God helps those who help themselves." Quit saying "They should do something about it." "They" is US, "We the People". Get active. Now! If you are active, get MORE active. Our democracy is at stake.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Please - End the Iraq OCCUPATION -- it is NOT a War

Dear Code Pink,

Re: http://www.givepeaceavote.org/article.php?id=1200

Love the new campaign(s) but I take exception at the term Iraq WAR -- as Thom Hartmann and others (see Truthout.org and or Commondreams.org) are stressing, it is an OCCUPATION that we need to end. Bush is NOT a war president but an OCCUPATION president. He declared the war over weeks after the invasion. Where are the battles? Where are the armies? What there is is an insurgency because our presence creates turmoil.

Occupations can be declared over. Congress doesn't have to walk away from a war, merely say it is time to end the OCCUPATION.

The rest of the postcard is great. Let's prevent future wars. And let's create a true and lasting peace.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

~~
http://PeaceHugs.com

Early morning thoughts

Following some phone calling for Citizen Action's Reform Medicare Part D-Don't Privatize Social Security petition (not necessarily the official name, but the gist), I made it home too late last night to do the home or computer "chores". I am paying the price this morning, but such is the life of an activist. Heck I haven't even found time to catch up on my not-so-little boy's blog, http://audientfiles.blogspot.com. (Okay, I just now jumped there and stayed a few minutes to post something -- Audient has a posting on torture.) But there is so much going on. One can stay at one's computer to read or stream about it, or one can get out into the streets or onto the phone lines (ACTION!). Research and action are BOTH necessary. Some things I've been reading about:

> Cindy Sheehan's Hey George.

> Keith Olbermann's This Hole in the Ground (text AND video)

> Jules Siegel's Princeton scientists create vote-stealing program for Diebold AccuVote-TS

> Robert Scheer's Gaping Holes in the 9/11 Narrative

> Tom Engelhardt's Real Link Between 9/11 and Iraq (Finally) Revealed

And more -- perhaps added later, but I got to earn a living.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Hartmann at VOX POP

Thom Hartmann and Mark Crispin Miller
What an inspiration to both hear and see author and talk show host Thom Hartmann, joined by author and professor Mark Crispin Miller, speak at Vox Pop in Brooklyn this Saturday regarding his new book, SCREWED: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- and what we can do about it. The event was filmed by C-Span for a future Book-TV segment [see Title Link -- but no date is scheduled yet], which gave me plenty of light to take some pictures. (More will be posted at my FlickR.com site as time and energy allow during this election period.)

I got to speak to Thom for a few minutes before hand, and then afterwards as he was signing my spanking new copy of the book -- my Amazon copy is acrueing lots of magic marker slashes as I gather facts to help me win "the water cooler wars". He's every bit as charming, nice, energetic, and intelligent as he is on the air -- and the segment should be excellent. Don't miss it!

Seeing and speaking with Mark Crispin Miller again was also very good. Mark is so dynamic and impassioned by his subject of Election Fraud -- and it certainly connects with Thom's subject. Mark wrote the intro to SCREWED and both introduced Thom and helped answer questions afterwards. I joked with Mark that he ought to give extra credit to his students for carrying around town his book, FOOLED AGAIN: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election & Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them). I like to make a point of keeping books such as his and Thom's very visible as I go back and forth to work and meetings. ACTION IDEA: why don't you join me in this small but visible action, 'cause they both have great titles and make great food for thought to New York subway riders.

Vox Pop is a charming coffee shop/book store, very conveniently located to the Cortelyou Q train stop (turn left and walk about four blocks to 1022 Cortelyou Road). I plan to return -- indeed, Greg Palast is scheduled to be there at the end of the month. But Saturday's event was made even more fun by the great energy and conversation shared with my friendly table mates, Sylvia Scaglione, her lovely daughter Dawn, and another independent bookstore owner, Noreen Harnik -- check out her place at 1403 Avenue J at East 14th Street in Brooklyn.

Okay, so I didn't go out specifically politicking for Jonathan Tasini on Saturday, though I did remind Sylvia and Noreen about voting for Jonathan for US Senate instead of DLC Democrat Hillary Clinton -- but I made another contribution to his campaign. (And Sam Oast and I did make the Saturday Union Square peace vigil.) I needed and enjoyed my little pilgrimage to Brooklyn. Now to finish Thom's book -- and vote tomorrow.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne
Noreen Harnik, Sylvia and Dawn Scaglione

ABC-Disney Mocudrama Fiasco Continues

MakeThemAccountable.com has some great stuff on the outrageous Path to 9/11 farce that ABC-Disney still has on its schedule. Meanwhile, they tell us they are still editing so our criticisms are premature. Still editing? Would they still be editing if we weren't criticizing and protesting this blatant partisan farce? Steal those votes from Democrats by depicting Dems as demons and incompetents. I am not letting Clinton and his administration off the hook for flaws and questionable policies. (NYFOR protested in front of the UN every Wednesday evening against Iraq sanctions for many months during Bill's time in the White House.) But it would appear the 9/11 mocudrama a/k/a docufraud is wrought with historical distortions and blatant lies. Don't give us dramatic license as your excuse, Steamboat Bobby Iger! You appear to be guilty of swiftboating or conspiracy to commit swiftboating.

Long day today -- but we have to keep on this issue. See Democrats.com and ThinkProgress.org for more info -- and also check out MyLeftWing.com for some commentary and great links. And find time to have a life, too -- and work on New York State's 9/12 Democratic primary GOTV. I need a clone.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

PS Just found Delilah Boyd's Best. "Path to 9/11" Link. Ever -- Yes!!

Thom Hartmann in Brooklyn Saturday

Author, activist and talk show host Thom Hartmann will be in Brooklyn this Saturday, 4 pm at Vox Pop in Flatbush (Q or F train) -- You should stream Thom if you can, noon-3 pm weekdays (plus it is rebroadcast continuously) via WhiteRoseSociety.org, but not today as Thom is doing a book tour on his new book: SCREWED: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class — And What We Can Do About It. For info on his Vox Pop gig, see http://www.voxpopnet.net/hartmann.html -- PLUS you can read an excerpt of Thom's book at GregPalast.com. (Greg likes the book.) And, I hope to see you at....

Vox Pop
1022 Cortelyou Rd.
Brooklyn, NY 11218
Telephone: 718 940 2084
(They say to phone 'em if you get lost :-)

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

Petition and Boycott ABC/Disney for 9-11 Farce

Hey, PeaceHuggers -- when I am furious, I ACT and I urge you to join me in another petition -- this from the Democratic Party AND also in the 2-week boycott of ALL THINGS ABC and DISNEY for the next two weeks (MINIMUM) -- see the Huffington Post and also Think Progress and FiredogLake.com for more info and updates. AND see the link for the Democratic Party site for the petition. But the ABC - DISNEY distortion must be stopped!

The ABC television network -- now owned by the Walt Disney empire -- has been blitzing the airwaves via info and advance copies issued to the right wing hacks and pundits in the last week regarding the new "docudrama" -- or MOCudrama, The Path to 9/11. ABC has been publicizing the two-night production, billing it as a public service: a TV event, to quote ABC, "based on the 9/11 Commission Report".

BULL! The Path to 9/11 is actually a bald-faced attempt to slander Democrats and revise history right before a major US election where Democrats are expected to do well due to the many Bush Administration failures. Can't allow that, can they? No! Gotta lie and pull out the fear stops. Mind you, I'm not totally letting Dems off the hook for creating an environment which caused 9-11. But it is our foreign policy of the last FORTY years which sowed the seeds to 9-11 -- not limited to Dems by any means. This film, written by a right-wing hack has real people (DEMOCRATS) doing specific AWFUL things they didn't do -- and key scenes are patently FALSE.

As the Democratic party says on their web site:

This miniseries, which was put together by right-wing conservative writers, relies on the old GOP playbook of using terrorism to scare Americans. "The Path to 9/11" mocks the truth and dishonors the memory of 9/11 victims to serve a cheap, callous political agenda. It irresponsibly misrepresents the facts and completely distorts the truth.

So go to the Democrats.org site (title link and below) and tell Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger to keep this propaganda off the air -- ALSO, TELL THEM you PLAN TO BOYCOTT -- and TELL YOUR FRIENDS TO DO LIKEWISE:

http://www.democrats.org/page/petition/pathto911/ftakao

UPDATE: ABC says they are still editing the film so our criticism is premature -- do they expect us to WAIT until they air lies and distortions, such as Sandy Berger screwing up when it was he who told Condi Rice she must pay attention to the dangerous Osama bin Laden (that's not in there, of course)? No.....ACT NOW!! In a close election, EVERY VOTE COUNTS, so if Repugs can fool a few people, that's all it could take to screw up our country for another two years. Remember they pulled the more accurate Reagan docudrama because the rightwing complained. "People have the POWER." Use it -- speak up and/or boycott.

Thanks much!

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne

An open letter to Air America Radio

Dear Air America Radio

First we lost Unfiltered, then Morning Sedition, and now Mike Malloy!?!! Mike adds color and flavor to AAR and there are nights when I gotta hear him. Thom Hartmann (who was not on NYC's new WWRL 1600 lineup at all this weekend) is my fave along with Rachel Maddow, but there's something wickedly endearing about Mike. Bring Mike back, please. (And whatever happened to Lizz Winstead?!? And Marc Maron's West [Left?] Coast show!)

And do something about that awful signal and screwed up WWRL programming (weekend mornings are compromised -- and Armstrong Williams weekdays is gawd-awful!!). It is not fair to people who don't have computers -- or can't be tied to streaming. Thank God for podcasting, but Live is the best. I'm in WESTERN Queens and the signal is spotty, especially on portables. EGAD!!

But of special concern is the lack of communication with listeners, including us premium members. This is incomprehensible and truly bad judgment. I've listened to AAR from Day One and have been a cheerleader ever since -- but enough, already. We need more Thom -- and we need Mike back. What is going to happen to little Molly Malloy. Give us variety on AAR -- but stick to the LEFT, PLEASE. And thanks.

Peace Hugs,

Kate Anne

~~

"The God of Peace is never glorified
by human violence." -- Thomas Merton

Late Summer Reading

Got my copy of Thom Hartmann's new book, Screwed: The Undeclared War Against the Middle Class -- And What We Can Do About It and now must schedule some time to read it. Being away at Aunt Betty Murphy's in Erie last weekend, I didn't get much reading done and nothing on my own personal to-do list. I did, however, get to see a bunch of my cousins and my nephew Christopher, and Aunt Betty got her yard worked done by cousin Pat Coyne and me ("People first :-). Of course, we were rewarded with Aunt Betty's great cookies. (Holy Hips!) Back in NYC, there's lots to do at my paid work and I managed an evening of political phone calls with Citizen Action

I also managed to see Bloggermann Keith Olbermann's great retort to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld which Keith gave on his show Countdown on MSNBC, Read it at CommonDreams.org and/or view it at Truthout.org.

And also in the news, is a story in the New York Times which needs spreading, Ohio to Delay Destruction of Presidential Ballots. Ken Blackwell not only wants to get away with election fraud, he wants to be the next Ohio governor. God help us, especially my Ohio family!

Meanwhile, don't forget to call the White House Comment Line or your congressmembers to demand that we stay our of Iran. When he's in trouble, Bush likes to bomb things. No diplomat he! God help us. But God helps those who help themselves. Call, act, read -- please do what you can for peace and justice, including fair elections. Let's watch the Ohio story..... And buy and read Thom Hartmann's book(s) -- as well as his new essays at Common Dreams, including JonBenét Died - And Bush Lied? and Reclaiming The Issues: Islamic Or Republican Fascism?.

Peace hugs,
Kate Anne