McKinney was the ONLY memmber of Congress to hold hearings on the fraud that was the 9/11 Commission.

She was attacked from the Democraps and the Rethugs, and forced out of congress as a result.

Maybe you’re the loon.

70+ Disturbing FACTS About the 9/11 Attacks
http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/2007/02/no-george -monbiot-these-are-facts-of.html

http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/

“Our bombing and embargo during the Clinton years killed (reportedly) over 100 children.”

This is so through the looking glass bizarro, I’m nearly speechless.

The UN reported more than 500,000 dead Iraqi children as a result of the sanctions imposed under Bush 1 / Clinton.  This number was also stated as approaching 1.5 million casualties total.

“Are the Democrats solely responsible for 4006 dead troops, and over a half million “others”?> “

More accurate studies put the current death toll since 2003 at over 1.2 million more Iraqis.

Your question is pretty absurd as well.  Are the Democrats “solely responsible” that Rethug war criminals lied their asses off to start this war?

That’s nuts.

Where do you get your information?

Bookmark this:
http://crimesofthestate.blogspot.com/

I couldn’t agree with you more.

Chris Hedges wrote: “Those of us who oppose the war…have only two options…Ralph Nader and Cynthia
McKinney.”

Not so.

Ron Paul also wants to end the war in Iraq and withdraw our troops.

He is, by far, the BEST candidate running. But he would upset the status quo by attempting to return our nation to constitutional government, and our power-loving rulers would NEVER allow that. That’s the main reason FOX News refused to allow him in the presidential debate which they sponsored.

The current three top runners – Obama, Clinton, McCain – would all continue to increase the size and power of our federal regime, continuing our slide into despotism. That, by the way, is the status quo. Goodbye U.S. Constitution, goodbye freedom! All hail the federal police state! And you thought the Real ID Act was meant to help us…

Thanks for the suggestion on that earlier post.  I’d like to take one of those peace courses, but it’s important to try to find peace within oneself, without the help of books and such, I think.

Hi Colin,

Oddly enough, my mother told me long ago that when she was ‘expecting’ me, the alternate name she had in the event that I turned out to be a boy, was Colin. So, I like that name too.

You mentioned that you never had the opportunity to take a Peace Studies Course when you were in college. Neither did I, even though my original college time was in the aftermath of Viet Nam, and one might have expected such a thing to be available.

HOWEVER, if you really wanna do something, and the ‘in the street’ sign carrying doesn’t appeal to you, (it’s also a given that you’ll probably be arrested for exercising your rights anyway, which is why activists generally prepare for that before they even hit the streets) then maybe you might consider taking some courses like that now.

Actually, that’s what I’ve done. There are in fact entire curriculums built on Peace Studies, or Peace and Security, and often are offered under the umbrella of Global Studies.

I’ve had the opportunity to do that, having returned to academia after many, many years. The thing is though, that it is EXPENSIVE. No..it shouldn’t be, but that’s the way the world has become, and especially the US.

Thing is, for us middle agers, (and I don’t know that you are) we really do have to take some responsibility for at least ATTEMPTING to bring ourselves up to speed on the changes that have taken place over the past 3 or 4 decades. I realized that about a decade ago myself, when I kept ‘hearing’ about this “Globalization” thing, and not having any real understanding of what it was all about. I was too busy working, (and being ‘globalized’ without my knowledge).

So, that’s just a suggestion. I know it’s more than a notion to do it. But as things become more and more desperate, it’s damn near a REQUIREMENT. We have to understand what’s happened, why, and how, before we can do much to address it, and make the necessary corrections. Once we do, a bit of that helplessness that has come from the dictatorship of the Cheney regime can begin to subside. (believe me, I DO know the feeling well.)

Just some thoughts.

The advent of paperless voting machines replaced the vote rigging, ballot box stuffing of old, making manipulation more efficient and time saving.

You paint with a broad brush of hate here galateadoro

• “…but forget that 2,000,000 (that’s 2 million) registered DEMOCRATS (= idiots) voted for Bush for president that same year.”

Actually, I certainly DID NOT forget, that so many dems voted for Bush that same year. Most of them probably from TEXAS!!

So, let us not deny that there are uniformed people everywhere, and in all parties, and that’s not gonna change.

SOME of the people can be fooled ALL of the time.

ALL of the people can be fooled SOME of the time.

ALL of the people can NEVER be fooled ALL of the time.

So, maybe YOU have forgotten that Al Gore won the popular vote in that same election. That means that the MAJORITY of Americans…WHO CASTED a VOTE, did NOT elect George Bush.

The Supreme Court APPOINTED him, over the will of the people.

As for the Democrats being responsible for Iraq, you must be on crack.

If you want four more years of McCain, go ahead, cram yourselves into your ideological voting booth and vote for yourselves. I hope you enjoy your own private circle jerk. If you are interested in moving this country forward instead, vote for Obama or Clinton (hopefully Obama).

Strong language lad (or lass) but not far from the truth. Pelosi is as crooked as they come.

Who says the system isn’t totally broken?  This two party stranglehold is simply a case of Tweedledum and Tweedledee. They are both utterly beholden to big business and the obscene gap between CEO’s stipends and the employees in their companies. What makes anyone think that either of them can (or will even if they could) fix the economy. And, if the government does not fix the economy and our ridiculous dependence on oil nothing else matters.

Democratic voters are the most ignorant, the blindest, the most exasperating people on the face of the Earth. They hate Nader for getting 90,000 votes in Florida in 2000, but forget that 2,000,000 (that’s 2 million) registered DEMOCRATS (= idiots) voted for Bush for president that same year. Can you stop eating excrement for breakfast every morning, Democrats?

Can you face reality and admit that your party is responsible for Iraq, for the disastrous economy and for the loss of our civil rights as much as Republicans are?

In 2004 Senator Coward conceded so fast that even his running mate was disgusted. Senator Coward looked the other way despite massive evidence of fraud in Ohio staring him in the face for months. And of course, Kerry was not going to end the war once in the White House, he was just going to manage it differently.

In 2006 the War Party once again stabbed the American people in the back by not doing what voters elected them to. Probably because through his illegal wiretapping Bush got as much dirt on Pelosi, Reid and Conyers as to guarantee us in Iraq for another 200 years. That’s what happens when you elect criminals to supervise criminals.

Now the War Party want us to choose between two corporate mobsters, Hitlery (Bu$h with tits) and Obomber (Bu$h with a tan) and the blind fools are yet again ready to line up behind them like zombies. Despite clear and abundant evidence of betrayal and deceit from the War Party. Real progressives must NEVER vote for a Democrat. They should just as soon vote for McCane (Bu$h with a cane).

I appreciate your comments too, Angela.  I never used the word “tepid” to describe antiwar protests, though.  I think they’re effective to a degree.  There’re larger forces at work, of course.  The business world turned against the Vietnam War.  It was costing too much, wasn’t good for the economy, those at the top.  Antiwar activism also helped end the Vietnam War.  I think the fact you find meaning in protest is good.  I say God bless you, and I hope I’ll see you out there some time.

Re By vbl, March 26 at 7:40 pm #

“Perhaps it is sad, but neither Cynthia McKinney nor Ralph Nader has any more chance of becoming President than my dog does—and I don’t even have a dog.”
----------------------------------------------------
lol, vbl! 

Your post is right on the mark! And it’s very serious, too! Nevermind left-wingers who are so far “out there” or so pure or something that they can’t tell McCain from Obama or Clinton. There aren’t that many of them in the non-Truthdig world. What’s worse is that I am hearing about polls saying that a large percentage of Clinton supporters (over 20%!)actually say they will vote for McCain rather than Obama, and a somewhat smaller but still high percent of Obama supporters (16%) say they will not vote for Clinton! This is very alarming, don’t you think? This kind of partisanship is lunacy. We’re going to lose if this split keeps up, and it’s gonna be 4 more years ov Bush-McCain.

Thanks, Cyrena.  I like that name.  He did do a lot more than pray.  That’s why I said, “That’s not to saw we shouldn’t act.” I also said I sit on my couch a lot.  I guess it’s a question of finding the opportunity to show courage, and the striving should have meaning outside of the social context.  In other words, going to a peace rally or vigil and waving and sign and then going home and sitting on the couch again isn’t doing much for the people dying over in Iraq.  I just watched that interview that Dick Cheney gave where, when asked his opinion about the fact that 2/3 of Americans want the war to end, he said, “So?” and smirked at his own indifference to our voices.  I feel like I can’t do anything with someone like that running the country.  That’s why I would turn to spirituality, and find meaning in the personal context, and dissenting against evil that way.  The only problem is turning the personal into a mass movement, which is what’s needed to end the war.

Hey, that’s cool you teach a Peace Studies course.  I never had one of those as an option when I was in college.  I understand Hedges calling on us to support the third party peace candidates.  It’s not that bad of an idea, really, even though I said it was, and you think he’s lost his mind.  To start a movement, we should support people like Nader, who, if you’ve read his recent articles, actually is like a saint compared to the other people in Washington.  And, by the way, did you watch the debate with Sam Harris.  Hedges opening speech about God made me cry.  It was so beautiful.  The rest of the debate was truly informative as well.  Atheism was made into a joke, based on the interaction between Chris and Sam Harris.  It was great.

Career politicians and the electoral system rigged against democracy.  Your premise is quite on the mark until the word democracy is used.  Our government was designed to be a plutocracy to protect the wealthy, so I suggest the original plan has worked quite well.

Real debate on real issues, that affect the people of our nation as a whole, will never happen, for career politicians would be out of a job working for lobbies. 

Your post is quite enlightening, Not sure what you mean about “progressives” “playing musical chairs in congress”?

And of course the AIPAC money which funded the GOP campaign to unseat McKinney, even though there are few jews in her district.

Good post colin…

BUT, remember this one thing...Gandhi did far more than pray.

It takes courage, and I know that can be hard to come by. But it’s worth striving for…

What:

“[McKinney] got run out of GA, which is not that easy to do...”

It is easy when you know the facts.  The GOP had over 40,000 of its voters switch parties JUST so they could vote in the Democratic primary against McKinney.  They then switched BACK to the GOP for the general election.

This is established fact.  And unquestionably one of the smarmiest displays of unethical behavior in the history of politics.

Peace.

Chris,

I’ve read your articles and books.  You’re the best political writer, and, I think, non-fiction writer, out there.  But this article is a bit disturbing.  A vote for Nader or McKinney is basically pointless.  My parents asked me who I was for in the presidential election.  I said Nader.  But then I said, “I’m not gonna vote anyway.” That was after they voiced their disapproval.  Who’s to say someone like Ralph Nader, if he were to get into high public office, wouldn’t turn into exactly the same type of person the Left excoriates?  In my opinion, all government officials are by nature imperialists.  As Simone Weil pointed out, the desire is for power, and the acquisition of more and more power, even to the extent of self-destruction from that very power.  Our current administration exemplifies these traits.  Yet I don’t think I’m being cynical--just realistic--in saying that everyone in the state apparatus is, or will become, if they reach the height of power, a morally offensive militarist, who understands force alone, as opposed to compassion and love among human beings.

As for the anti-war movement, I wasn’t aware of some of the things Kerry said, such as that which you alluded to about Falluja.  I knew he was a fraud, as far as being opposed to the war, even though he wasn’t when he came back and testified about atrocities in Vietnam when he was a young man.  He wasn’t in power then.  He was just a conscience-stricken kid, really.  As soon as he became a senator and finally a presidential candidate, his conscience was left in the wake of trying to appear as patriotic as his Republican counterpart.  Your points about Clinton and Obama are true.  They’re not going to end the war, I don’t think.  Their rhetoric about bringing the troops home is designed to garner votes.  However, Obama seems at least a little more sincere.

I personally have not participated in any anti-war protests, so maybe I’m a hypocrite and an idle man who spews opinions about the way things should be from his couch in his safe home.  Yet I’d love to truly get involved and bring an end to the hate-filled crime of blood and sin that is the Iraq war.  What can I do, though?  I’m just one person.  When Gandhi was asked what should be done about Hitler, he responded with what some would think of as a crazy idea.  He said, “Pray for him.” I just pray, right now, that the war ends.  I know some people, who might read this, comment feel the same way.  I think that’s really the only way we’ll end the war in Iraq.  That’s not to say we shouldn’t act.  But the only way is through the source of peace, the source of love.  You know who I mean, Chris.

Excellent post, and a much appreciated evaluation of the reality of things.

Thanks!!

If, as “Heavyrunner” suggests, a Gore/Nader ticket would have resulted in a landslide victory for Gore in 2000, perhaps an Obama/Nader ticket would result in a landslide in 2008.  Personally, I’d rather see Nader on the USSC than in the WH.  Can you just imagine how the corporatist pimps Roberts, Scalito, and Scalia would deal with one such as Nader!  The very thought brings joy to my heart.  Unfortunately, he’s getting a bit long in the tooth for that job too.

The christian ethic of turning the other cheek is no less a myth than the rest of christianity!  George W. Bush and Dick Cheney are epitomes of christianity.

Yes, it is a very deeply seated psychosis and it won’t be diminished by Israel’s continued hypocritical response and reluctance to revisit the original wound and address it, that being their Jewish-Egyptian heritage and the person who founded their violent split from the heritage – Akhenaton/Moses - and the son Tutankhamun who attempted to heal it but was killed by one of their own for the attempt.

Of course, it didn’t help that Constantine exacerbated the wound by wallowing his own lust for empire in it, by spinning a psychodrama around it.

Peace, Best Wishes and Hope

I agree you’ll never find the 100r;s, but my real point is that one should not compromise their vote away from their preferred candidate, whomever that might be, to “the lesser of evils” of only those candidates that are percieved as being able to win.

Just think about how candidates for the various debates were chosen.

The whole point of voting is to exercise one’s power as a citizen to move the country in the direction one wants it to go. One must therefore base one’s choice of who to vote for on many other factors besides which candidate is closest to one’s own position on the issues.  Even though you might agree with Nader more on the issues, voting for him amounts to nothing but a protest vote and should only be done if you really believe that there is no difference between McCain, Clinton and Obama. You might not agree with Obama on some issues, but you have to ask yourself whether you agree with Clinton or McCain less. If you say that you will not vote for a candidate unless you agree with him 100% is to take yourself out of the political process. You might as well just vote for yourself and be done with it. To me, Obama is head and shoulders above the other two viable candidates.

I agree, unfortunately many of the semitic people bear grudges and seek revenge for generations.  The christian ethic of turning the other cheek is non-existent especially on the part of Israel who have demonstrated overkill on most occaisions.

I’ll bet many of those “terrorist” rocketeers taking potshots at Israel are nothing more than a small cadre seeking revenge for relatives killed and displaced by Israel.

We need more statesmen to call out Israel and the tiny minority that supports it.

Antitrust actions are long overdue in the media, banking, and other sectors of society which a small religious minority seems to discrimminate against all others.

So-what’s it going to be Hedges?-no health care for 65-70 million Americans after 8 McCain years? How many women mangled after the McCain court outlaws abortion? How many unwanted, unsupported & unsupportable children roaming our streets and filling our prisons for future generations? How unbreathable will the air be? How undrinkable the water? Will we be able to read anything we want at the library, and without homeland security not knowing about it? Come to think of it, will there still be libraries??--with public funding???
What does it take for these shameless, mindless, tumors on the body of the real left to finally be excised? Look what they have given us the last 7 1/2 years by electing Bush by voting for the N-word, and still the whining little weasel who thinks its still the 60’s and we’re all in danger of buying corvairs, doesn’t show the least little amount of class to slink off to his rooming house and and finally wash & press his 1 drip-dry suit.
Hedges-there are a few other issues besides Iraq. Even if these 2 pathetic people (Dear God-Shrieking Psycho Cynthia McKinney as the Nadernut’s running mate??!!-Britney Speares would have been a better, and saner choice) will never see that, or admit that they did since that would remove even this miniscule limelight they’re struggling so hard to get under this election year, the rest of the left does appear to finally get it-GORE WAS NOT JUST A DRAMATICALLY SUPERIOR CHOICE TO BUSH IN 2000-HE WAS A MONUMENTALLY SUPERIOR CHOICE TO NADER.
Silly, whining, anti-semetic, irrelevant (except potentially through irresponsibilty) Hedges; who but you would come up with this nonsense? Well, Ralph I guess.

i am truly sympathetic to “voice of truth"s point of view.  yet .... 

i live in a world that will be run by somebody, NEVER my preference on principle (at least to this point and i’m 54 years old).  the next president will come from the 2 major parties - in neither of which I am a member - the democrats are closer to my policy taste.  so i’d rather them than republicans.

you should vote for who you want.  but if you have a policy preference among those who are likely to win, your reality might be better lined up with your principles if you bend your principles when you vote.

The whole point of voting is to vote for the person you want to see in a particular office, not for someone’s else’s choice.  Just because a person will not win does not mean that one should compromise one’s principles and vote against their conscience.  Look at the candidates who have run for office in the past numerous times before finally achieving success.  The fact that more and more people voted for them is the reason for their success.  It has to start somewhere.

If your choice of candidate can not win on their own stances, then they don’t deserve to be in office.

Echos of Naderites in 2000 swearing there’s not a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats, when Ralph Nader voters could have voted for Gore and gotten closer to their policy goals than allowing the Bush Republicans to run things by voting for Nader.

But go ahead, throw the election to McCain by voting for either of 2 candidates WHO WILL NOT WIN ... and plan on sending your great-grandchildren to Iraq as a result

If you lived here in the Atlanta area, you would know this crazy nut called Cynthia McKinney.  Her father, Billy McKinney, a GA State Rep, once pulled a knife on another rep, in the Statehouse, threatening to “cut” him!!  He is also famous for his speech of “That ain’t nothing.  The Jews have done bought everything anyway.  Jews.  J-E-W-S.  Jews!” This must be the genesis for Cindy’s hatred of Isreal as well.

Little Cindy is only following in his shoes.  She was voted out of office here twice, but can’t seem to just go away.  Anyone who would vote for her just because of her Iraq stance isn’t intelligent enough to even be allowed to vote.

Furthermore, I am confidant that Obama will address the highly xenophobic nature of this issue in the same cool and calm approach which he has already demonstrated by his manner of dialog, and the necessity of dialog, rather than imposing the explosive club of force, when pressed to confront other such divisive volatility.

Peace, Best Wishes and Hope

Hey Ralph, if you’re reading this, I’ve got a nice campaign slogan for your run against Obama:

“Obama’s spare change won’t cover the reality check.”

Outraged:

“Good one....  I agree...except, if Maani is racist I’d be surprised (not some of the others though), he could be though, but I don’t think so.”

Where is this coming from?  I read through every one of zeitgeist’s posts here and did not see him suggest that I was a racist.  Is this coming from him - or from you?

In either regard, I must say I am surprised and concerned at how easily the term “racist” is thrown around here.  What is particularly strange about it is that it is coming largely from those who decry the lack of understanding, and are MOST supportive and complimentary about Obama’s speech calling for a national discussion about race.

Throwing the word “racist” around does absolutely NOTHING to furthher that discussion, and in fact only hinders it.  One does not teach an ignorant person something by calling them “stupid”; one “takes their hand” and TEACHES them - patiently, honestly and humbly.  Similarly, one does not help either the REAL racists or bigots (of which there are few, if any, here, despite how often the word gets thrown around) or the “borderline” ones (those who may simply not know better) by accusing them of being racists.

Apparently, Cyrena and some of the other “angry” people here either cannot or will not learn how to govern their passions enough to stop with the name-calling and accusation, and actually do what Obama is suggesting: engage in a DISCUSSION about race, NOT engage in epithets and unhelpful vilification.

Peace.

**By Tony Wicher, March 25 (The Obama campaign is full of Arab-Americans and Palestinian sympathizers such as myself who have been keeping a low profile. I have recently begun speaking out and opposing Zionism within the campaign, and I have found many supporters. However, I condemn the Hamas rocket attacks too. They accomplish nothing but to bring retribution on the heads of the Palestinian people. Palestinians need a Nelson Mandela to lead them, not desperate militants firing rockets. This is the only way to get American public opinion on their side, and that is the only way they can win, not with stupid rockets. Obama would gladly negotiate with such a leader.)

Tony, you are so right, violence begets violence. I’m sure that you’re aware of another voice that is consistently squelched, the Jews against Zionism.

The following video is a bit dated now, but still relevant-
Ahmadinejad Meeting With Anti-Zionist Jews:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xA1DbBAcOQ

It is critical that these folks be brought into the fold and their voices heard.

To fully appreciate the level of forces currently at play, one must go back and plumb the preponderance of prevailing winds which helped propel and breathe life into the Balfour Declaration. Much of the impetus for Zionism rode on the back of delirious Christian sympathies both in England and America, who in the throws of blind passion, sought to compel the fulfillment of prophecy; thought it necessary to blast a chunk of earth out of Palestine in order for this to occur, this was and is a very fundamental undercurrent which subconsciously fanned the flames for the creation of an Israeli state and thus, influenced Zionist aspirations.

Where is Israel in all of this? Through a comfortably numb symbiosis, Israel continues as a surrogate in the clutches of its Neo-Roman host, whose ego, in 1948, had been stroked with the offer of a seat at the table of Constantine’s neo-Roman empire, which continue today in the same imperialist aspirations of Constantine.

Once this is understood, it becomes clear that Israel is Israel in name only, but in reality it wears the Neo-Roman coat of Constantine; the Atonist; Sol In Victus; today the radical fundamentalism of the extreme right, the neo-Christian-Zionist; anyone thinking this to be utter nonsense, need only to listen to the ranting agenda of Pat Robertson and his ilk. It is from this pack of wolves, ‘Roberson’s School for Religious Change in Government’, crusader Bush has chosen to pluck his warrior disciples from and fill bureaucratic positions around him. It is the injection of this toxic mix that infuriates the region of Israel’s Arab brothers and sisters and it must be vetted.

From what position do you suppose James Carvel, was so brazenly pointing his pontificating finger when he accused Richardson of being ‘Judas’, upon Richardson’s decision to bail from this boat of lunatics?

Peace, Best Wishes and Hope

Tony:

“Maani, I am not a partisan sycophant for Obama as you are for Clinton.”

Now you are an BLATANT liar!  And for anyone who doubts me, here is the proof:

http://www.iowa.barackobama.com/page/dashboard/public/CXZZ

Peace.

Yes, you could vote for Nader or McKinny and help ensure that we’re in Iraq for a hundred years with McCain. When the left becomes as ideological and pure as the right, we are doomed.

Would you really want either of these people as President and Commander and Chief of the United States? Of course not. The last time enough people decided to send a “message,” we got George Bush for 8-years.

Get real. Vote Obama and get real change in 2009.

Mike Gravel just switched to the Libertarian Party.  So now we have 3.

What we need is for MORE people to run for office, any office, in order to talk the ‘gate’ issues of campaign reform and public financed campaigns, an national election system, and media reform and net neutrality.

These will give us the tools to reshape policy in our interests, and make the ‘We’ mean you and me, not the financeiers and facists.

So what office are you running for?

re By zeitgeist, March 25 at 2:15 pm #
(160 comments total)

Re: Re:
Tony, I’m in agreement with ‘markfreds’ conclusion:

**My hope is that an Obama Administration and a wave of new progressive Democrats in Congress we will move the party and our nation.  I think there is even a chance that a stronger and more progressive Congress will be out front on some issues and will be able to hold Obama’s feet to the fire**

I too have had similar concerns regarding even small remnants of any corporate troops, mercenary or otherwise, remaining within Iraq borders. Just imagine how we would feel if a belligerent force were parked off our coasts and within our cities? Only a complete withdrawal, embarrassing and humiliating it should be, because we, as a people failed to restrain a brute and misappropriated use of force… But, as I have stated elsewhere, we’ve already seen what happens to outspoken people, such as Kucinich, who was marginalized and diminished in the public mind, trashed as being unelectable, so too would Cynthia become chewed up and spat out. What most people probably don’t realize is that Obama is attempting to appeal to the widest spectrum, initially and once he becomes the nominee, I am confident that he too would echo in resonance to those very same concerns Kucinich and now Cynthia bring to the table. “
-----------------------------------------------------
Zeitgeist,

This is my thinking too. I would only like to add that it is up to Obama’s supporters to hold Obama’s feet to the fire. That is why I have been speaking up within the Obama campaign, where I am a member of several groups, taking a strong and visible stand for really ending the occupation, and also for fighting the influence of the Israel lobby (which is active in every campaign) and standing for Palestinian human rights. Thus I urge those who really oppose this war and have a progressive agenda not to waste their time on Nader, McKinney, the Greens, etc. but to join the Obama campaign and advocate their positions from within it. Their chances of actually influencing national policy will be much greater.

I am a conscientious objector who went underground during Viet Nam rather than appear when drafted.  Other than one year when I was emotionally exhausted from legal battles I have never paid Federal Income taxes (legally).  The tax laws are written in such a way that if you are in business, like owning a farm, you can pretty easily take in enough money to live, yet show little or no income on your schedule “C.” So if you want a lot of money, this is not a way to avoid taxes, but if you don’t mind living simply in beautiful peaceful surroundings it works out well for keeping on the moral side of funding nuclear weapons, wars of aggression and genocide.

I live in California, where John McCain has about as much chance of winning as Cynthia McKinney does.  I have voted for Ralph Nader in the past, including in 2000.  My take on that election is that if the Democratic ticket had been Gore/Nader instead of Gore/Lieberman they would have won by a landslide.

So since it is a free vote, I will keep my conscience somewhat clean by voting for Cynthia McKinney, most likely, in the fall. 

I would never vote for Hillary Clinton even if I lived in Virginia, but I might take a chance on Obama going off the reservation once in office and vote for him if I was in a swing state like Virginia.

^ comment.  With all of the propaganda; I’m tired all over.

Hello truth diggers here is my latest:
http://thebeerdoctor.newscloud.com/

Hi Expat. You sum up the whole discussion in one simple sentence:

‘We’re being fooled into thinking “we” decide.’

The truth is that the system is totally broken and the options available are pretty well all designed to keep the system in being (Hillary,Obama, McCain) or impotent when it comes to effecting change (McKinney, Nader).
When I read about Obama spending $1.5 million a day on his campaign and Clinton spending $1.0 million a day I cringe at the heart of my soul. 

As far as the two Chrises are concerned give me Chrisopher Hitchens rather tha Chris Hedges any day—despite Hitchen’s crude behaviour. At least Hitchens has the courage to say “God is not Great”.

Chris, you say “Those of us who oppose the war, who believe that all U.S. troops should be withdrawn and the network of permanent bases in Iraq dismantled, have only two options in the coming presidential elections—Ralph Nader and Cynthia McKinney.” If we all do as you suggest McCain will be president. How is this an option we should consider seriously? This is why I often am embarrassed to say I am a progressive.

I appreciate the efforts of Ralph Nader and whoever Cynthia McKinney is and we need to have more people speak out to shape the national debate instead of just tagging along behind the front runners like an obedient flock of sheep.

With the margin in Florida so small you could almost say that Ralph Nader cost the Democrats the election in 2000.  And how do we use that information constructively? I believe we write to Senators Clinton and Obama (and your own state sentator)referencing this blog post and threaten to vote for Nader if the Democrats are not more forthcoming with a time table for complete troop withdrawal and a realocation of funds to health care, social security, energy independence, and the new green economy.

^ Chris.  IMO this article is disingenuous rot or maybe you’re chumming (the same).  Come on; what’s Nader or McKinney going to do at this late date.  You grossly over estimate the power of truthdig.com to effect meaningful change (hasn’t so far).  For a third party to be viable they need MONEY, lots of it!  Judging by this election a third party in this country is a fantasy at best/false hope at worst.  These guys hang out and lounge around and then have a little fanfare and declare?  WTF, are you truly serious?  On top of this….the dems can’t focus and risk 4 more years of the same.  Personally I’m disgusted with the whole charade.  We’re being fooled into thinking “we” decide.

I’m not quite that harsh.  But I am more a “think outside the box” and “I dream dreams that never were” kind of guy.

Most of us have been sucked into the propaganda and rhetoric, the empty rhetoric IMO, of this campaign that has become “the Amercian Way.” We’ve bought in.  I really don’t think that what the MSM and politicians are keeping at the forefront of our minds has anything whatsoever to do with the idea of America or the dream of America.

The campaign has become entertainment.  It’s easy to debate the economy and the war.  But these things are only symptomatic of an ongoing conspiracy to shut the majority of American people out of the dream.  And people don’t know any better because, if you’re born blind, you have no idea what it’s like to see.

We need to start from the beginning.  In this case, I’m a “throw the baby out with the bath water” kind of guy because this baby, the bastard child of politicians and MSM, is an evil alien.

All the candidates have been sucked in.  They’re all part of the problem.  It is absolutely inane and silly for any of us to focus in on any of them.  They’re talking heads.  They’ve amassed $1 billion to spew their garbage and lies to us and we continue to listen. 

Truthdig and blogs like it could be instruments for change in the dialogue.