This December 2017 video from the USA shows Daniel Ellsberg on Donald Trump, Iraq War, attack on Iran and nuclear winter.
Wat will George W. Bush do, now that Barack Obama has been elected president of the USA?.
There is Bush´s wars, his disastrous economic policies, his anti civil liberties policies.
The problem is that until January next year, Bush will still be in the White House.
Death threats against Obama at Fox News site: here.
From the Jerusalem Post in Israel:
Exit polls from MSNBC, CNN and Fox have shown that US president-elect Barack Obama received 78 percent of the Jewish vote in Tuesday’s presidential election, whilst his rival, Republican John McCain, received 21%.
The polls all put Jews at 2% of the poll sample.
In 2004, Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry won 74% of the Jewish vote, and in 2000, Al Gore received 79%.
The MSNBC data found the numbers amongst Christians in Tuesday’s election were far closer, with 45 percent of Protestants and other Christians and 54% of Catholics voting for Obama. Together, they made up 81%of the poll sample.
See also here.
‘KEEP YOUR PROMISES’ – US unions tell Obama: here. See also, on foreign policy, here.
Guardian journalist on Obama’s election: An “armed insurrection” averted: here.
The movement behind Barack Obama: here. And here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 
Obama rides to victory on wave of mass dissatisfaction
It began with frustration over the war in Iraq and broadened into fury and dismay over economic turmoil at home, with home prices falling, unemployment on the rise and consumer confidence shattered.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05senate.html?hp
Millions in streets seal Obama victory
Obama’s win reflects a movement of people throughout the country who fought right-wing attacks against voters of color and who repudiated both the outright racism of the McCain-Palin campaign and the barely concealed racism of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s primary campaign. It also reflects a desire to end the policies of endless war at home and abroad — despite how Obama himself stands on the issues.
http://www.workers.org/2008/us/obama_1113/
Meanwhile, in Iraq . . .
“It’s not like even if Obama is elected we’ll up and leave,” said Specialist James Real, 31, of Butte, Montana, as soldiers watched the returns on television at Forward Operating Base Falcon in Iraq.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/world/06worldreax.html?ref=world
LikeLike
Meanwhile, in Albany, GA . . .
But much in this black-majority city of 75,000 also seems the same: neighborhoods remain starkly delineated by race, blacks are still five times more likely than whites to live in poverty and the public schools have so resegregated that 9 of every 10 students are black.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05civil.html?hp
LikeLike
Iraq Vet Calls on Antiwar Movement to Press Obama for Immediate Withdrawal
I’m very excited about what an Obama candidacy — or Obama presidency, the kind of racial unity it can bring, but I’m worried that people in this country believe he is truly going to be an antiwar president, and he’s not. . . . If we want to see peace, the people need to get out and make that a reality. And they’re going to do that by supporting service members refusing to deploy to Iraq. They’re going to do that by opposing Barack Obama’s narrative of Afghanistan as somehow being good.
http://www.democracynow.org/2008/11/5/iraq_vet_calls_on_antiwar_movement
LikeLike
IRELAND’S HOPES ON OBAMA
Hopes are high that the election of a transformative President in the
US could herald an era of progressive change in Ireland.
The triumph of Barack Obama this week has been welcomed as a positive
sign in the struggle for equality across the world.
But in Ireland, the contrast of the election of the first
African-American US president with a coat-trailing British Army parade
in Belfast last weekend has underlined the gulf that remains to be
bridged at home.
As Obamania swept Dublin’s political elites, 26-County premier Brian
Cowen invited the President-elect to visit the ancestral home of his
great-great-great grandfather, Joseph Kearney, in County Offaly.
Mr Cowen said he looked forward to Mr Obama building on America’s
strong relationships with the European Union and the cherished ties
between Ireland and the US.
“Barack Obama’s remarkable personal story, allied to his eloquence and
his huge political talents, sends a powerful message of hope to
America’s friends across the world.”
Mr Cowen also sent good wishes to Vice President-elect Biden, “a man
who I know is very proud of his Irish roots in Pennsylvania and
Delaware.”
The Taoiseach said there was “a palpable sense of history” with Mr
Obama’s election.
“We are all reminded of those who struggled for civil rights in
America for so many years, as well as all of those who work for
justice and peace around the world today.
“At a time of immense global challenges, today is a day of hope for
the world.”
The First and deputy First Ministers of the Six Counties have also
congratulated Mr Obama on his success. And yesterday Sinn Fein
released a picture of Senator Obama with party president Gerry Adams
and general secretary Rita O’Hare.
It was taken about a year ago when Mr Adams was in Washington DC
holding private meetings with members of the US Congress.
The photograph is considered controversial by unionists as a
prosecution against Ms O’Hare dating from the conflict remains
officially on the books in the North. The DUP have described Sinn
Fein’s former USA head as a “wanted terrorist”.
Mr Adams also expressed his congratulations to Mr Obama and pointed to
his recent statements on Ireland.
“I extend best wishes to him in meeting the many difficult challenges
facing the new administration,” he said.
“President-elect Obama has committed to continue US support for the
Irish peace process.
“He also outlined his support for a comprehensive truth recovery
process that would tackle the issue of state collusion and in
particular endorsed the call for an independent, public inquiry into
the murder of Human Rights lawyer Pat Finucane.
“I also welcome his comments on trade and investment, and his
acknowledgement of the need for immigration reform. President elect
Obama’s adoption of these policy positions is vital as we strive to
overcome difficulties.
“Barack Obama’s election shows in politics that change is possible,
and people everywhere will be mindful of the long history of African
Americans and of all those who struggled for justice and fairness,” Mr
Adams concluded.
US consul general Susan Elliott has said she hopes Mr Obama or Joe
Biden may visit the Six Counties. She also signalled her belief that
the new president will send a special envoy to the North as part of
continued US support for the peace process.
“Our current special envoy Paula Dobriansky is a presidential
appointee,” she said.
“Obama could ask her to continue. We might have a change there because
we will have a change in the secretary of state but I don’t know for
sure.
“I don’t anticipate that the position will go away.”
It is expected Mr Obama will appoint new ambassadors to Dublin and
London, with US television celebrity Oprah Winfrey being tipped for
the latter post.
Irish Republican News
http://republican-news.org
LikeLike
Young Democrat,
I don’t know about you, but even after having a few days to rest, I am not sure our historic victories have even sunk in yet. But one thing is certain: there sure was a young voter revolution on Tuesday!
From coast to coast, young people were the margin of victory for Democrats.
According to exit polls, young voters supported Obama by a whopping 34 points, 66-32. Voters ages 18-29 made up a larger share of the electorate than seniors over the age of 65. Young voters handed Barack Obama the key states of Indiana and North Carolina and were instrumental in wins in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Ohio, and Virginia. From Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda’s nail-biter of a 440-vote win in FL House District 9 to helping take back the Ohio State House to the Stockton, CA mayoral race to dozens of other contests across the country, Young Voter Revolution campaigns got out the youth vote and put Democrats over the top.
For years, YDA has been building a generation of young Democrats who will be with us for a lifetime. Our Young Voter Revolution campaigns contacted over 150,000 young voters in eight states through peer to peer contact, targeting young people at their homes and hangouts. We knew this was the best way to get out the youth vote and our tactics were proven right once again. Thousands of Young Dems all across the country worked to get their peers to the polls.
Now the real work begins. We must harness the momentum we saw this cycle to get our economy back on track, invest in new energy, make college affordable, and provide health care for every American. The enthusiasm we saw among young voters will continue – already, since Election Day, over 40 new YDA chapters have been created.
So, thank you. Thank you for the thousands of hours you put in going door to door, doing the hard ground work that is so often overlooked. Thank you for the thousands of phone calls, emails, text messages, and Facebook messages you sent to your friends. And, of course, thank you for your vote. Together, young voters had a revolutionary impact this election cycle.
I am the Young Voter Revolution,
David Hardt
President
Young Democrats of America
PS: Do you have photos or video of you or your chapter’s efforts this election cycle? You can email them to bell67those@photos.flickr.com and they will upload directly to our flickr photo set.
PPS: Don’t have photos but want to see what people have already uploaded? Visit http://www.flickr.com/youngdemsofamerica.
LikeLike
Uri Avnery
8.11.08
Yes, you can
IN JULY 2004, the convention of the Democratic Party was about to nominate John Kerry as its candidate for President. The organizing committee had to decide who would deliver the keynote speech. In the American tradition, that speech sets the tone for the whole convention.
“Perhaps we should have a black speaker this time?” someone suggested.
“Good idea,” the chairman responded. “But who?”
Then someone, in a hesitant voice, said that he had met a young guy with a funny name in Chicago. He is black and an excellent orator. “Maybe we could try him?”
I don’t know whether such a conversation did take place. If it did, that someone made history.
“GIVE ME marshals who have luck!” Napoleon once exclaimed.
There are people who are lucky because they know how to grab luck with their two hands and run with it. It is a matter of talent. Barack Obama is such a person.
His speech at that convention, only four years ago, was a sensation. It inspired his afflicted party and all of America. He brought an uplifting message, a message of hope, and, most of all, a unifying message. His main motif was: Let’s unify America again!
It appeared that from the hundreds of possible messages, this was the one that touched the heart of the torn American nation. Between speaker and audience a contact was established – the mystic contact that every orator strives for, and only a few achieve. It is the connection with the mysterious thing that the German philosopher called the Zeitgeist, the spirit of the age.
Obama sensed that he had connected with the American psyche. From that moment on, he did not let go of that message. He stuck to it throughout the long election campaign. It brought him victory.
THAT WAS not easy. As somebody who has managed several Infinitely smaller election campaigns, I know how difficult it is to fix a central theme – and even more difficult to stick to it yourself.
In the course of an election campaign there are countless temptations to divert from the central message in order to react to stuff that happens, seize passing opportunities, respond to the opponent’s attacks. It is hard to rein oneself in, to stay the course.
This week, many people extolled Obama’s campaign. I am not sure that all of them quite understood how right they are. He remained cool when he could have got angry, could have responded sharply to defamation and insults and paid back in the same coin. He didn’t. He remained solid as a rock to the end. John McCain, on the other hand, did not stick to his chosen persona – that of war hero, nice guy, symbol of decency. Several times he stooped to defamation. He brought with him that vulgar purveyor of invective, Sarah Palin. At the very last moment he allowed his followers in Florida to publish a preposterous ad that accused Obama of being a friend of Fidel Castro and of conspiring to turn the US into a second Cuba. For that alone he deserved to lose, and lose he did.
Obama did not pursue luck. Luck pursued him. The Palin phenomenon, a quite extraordinary act of folly by his opponent, brought him the votes of women. The economic collapse that occurred at the height of the campaign assured him of victory. All components of American society were crying out for an uplifting message, a message of salvation.
IN HUNDREDS of places around the world, rejoicing crowds poured into the streets to express their delight at the election results. In those moments, the contact of the US with the world, which had been cut by the clumsy hand of Bush, was renewed.
In Tel-Aviv, no such celebration took place. Throughout Israel, there was a mood of apprehension. Official Israel was seriously worried about the new man.
If there had been a celebration in the central square of Tel-Aviv, I would certainly have taken part. But my joy would not have been unalloyed, because I would have remembered what happened in the same square some nine years earlier. That was when our Barak, Ehud, won the elections. The country heaved a sigh of relief, much as the US did this week. It felt like a day of deliverance. Binyamin Netanyahu’s term in office had been an unmitigated disaster, a nightmare of corruption, polarization and utter failure. Barak would be our savior. A hundred thousand jubilant people streamed into Rabin Square, without waiting to be called. They danced, sang, rejoiced and listened attentively to the speech of Barak the Redeemer.
Everybody knows what happened next. Within a few months the public came to loathe Barak, he failed in all respects and buried all that had been built by Yitzhak Rabin. The public turned away from him and passed the crown to Ariel Sharon. The whole episode lasted less than two years.
I hope with all my heart that nothing like that will happen to the American Barack. But this week, many people here will remember that chapter. Today, in a few hours, many people will stream again into the square – the same square – in order to take part in the annual memorial meeting for Yitzhak Rabin, the Prime Minister who was assassinated in this square, which now bears his name. The main speaker is – you may not believe it – Ehud Barak.
IN THREE months time, general elections will take place in Israel. No Barack Obama of ours will be standing.
Obama is a great politician. According to my definition, a great politician is a politician who does not look like a politician. Like Abe Lincoln, like Mahatma Gandhi, like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, like David Ben-Gurion, all of them great players of the political game, politicians from head to foot. But they did not look it. I think Obama is like that, too.
In Israel, the man who hopes to win, Binyamin Netanyahu, is the very opposite. He oozes sleazy politics from every pore. In his last term as Prime Minister, he was an utter failure. If he wins, nothing will change for the better.
Ehud Barak is another antithesis of the American Barack. Like Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni, he belongs to the “white” Ashkenazi elite. He has no emotional or other connection with the minorities. He is a militarist through and through. He exploited, for example, the night of Obama’s election, when the attention of the whole world was riveted there, to violate the cease-fire and carry out a provocative military action in the Gaza Strip.
There remains Tzipi Livni. Has some of the stardust of Obama become attached to her? Hard to say. She is not a great orator. She is no orator at all in fact, which many people hold to her credit. But she promised “new politics”. She has not been connected with corruption scandals, like the incumbent Prime Minister and both Netanyahu and Barak. She has no military aura. Her term as Foreign Minister has given her some credibility as a diplomat.
The one thing that unites almost all Israelis is the importance of maintaining good relations with the US. Everybody knows that the present Israeli policy is possible only as long as there is unstinting American support. Among the three candidates, Tzipi Livni looks like the one most likely to be able to work with the new President. The election of Obama can help her own election, if she knows how to utilize it.
THE QUESTION is: what policy will Obama adopt vis-à-vis Israel?
Jerusalem is worried, but the spokesmen comfort themselves – and the public – by saying (as the Hebrew expression goes) that “the demon is not so terrible”. The new Congress is different from the last one as far as the balance of power is concerned, but its fear of the pro-Israel lobby will be unabated. True, the influence of the Zionist Evangelicals will be much diminished, but AIPAC is alive and kicking, and its kicks will be as painful as ever.
Whoever will be the new Secretary of State and the other ministers, the Israeli Prime Minister will have direct access to the Oval Room. The new doorkeeper, who bears the ringing Israeli name Rahm Immanuel (Rahm means high, Immanuel means God with Us), is the son of an Irgun underground veteran. Rahm grew up in a Jewish home, speaks Hebrew and rushed to the aid of the Israeli army during the first Gulf War. I don’t know his views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but he certainly will not block the path of the Israeli Prime Minister to the President.
If there is a change, it will probably be slow and gradual. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be significant.
There is no chance for progress towards Israeli-Palestinian peace without American pressure on the Israeli government. That has been true for decades, and that remains true today.
All the American Presidents after Dwight Eisenhower have been afraid of exerting such pressure. Those who tried, like Richard Nixon at the beginning of his term, quickly drew back. The only exception was Bush the Father, or rather his Secretary of State James Baker, but that pressure (on the pocket) did not last long.
To be effective, American pressure does not need to be brutal. It should be gentle, but firm and consistent. This may suit Obama’s temperament.
If the new American administration decides to reassess the American national interest in the Middle East and comes to the conclusion that Israeli-Arab peace is an essential requirement of the American post-Bush policy, then the new President must inform our new Prime Minister of this fact and ask politely but unequivocally for a freeze on the settlements and a start of new negotiations – this time not just to fill time, but to attain final agreement in 2009.
Many Israelis would thank him for that. Quite possibly, our next Prime Minister would also thank him in the hidden recesses of his (or her) heart.
Will the new American President do so? Is Barack Obama able to do so?
There is only one possible answer: Yes, you can!
Commemorating Rabin, Nov. 8, Tel-Aviv – photo: Reuters
permlink Avnery: Yes, you can: http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/channels/avnery/1226155650/
LikeLike
Idaho students chant ‘assassinate Obama’ on school bus: Report
David Edwards and Muriel Kane
Published: Wednesday November 12, 2008
Madison County, Idaho was once dubbed “the reddest [most Republican] place in America” by Salon, but that didn’t make it any less shocking when elementary school children started chanting “assassinate Obama on the school bus.
Matthew Whoolery told KIKD News he found out about the chanting from his second and third graders, who had no idea what the word “assassinate” meant.
“They just hadn’t heard anything like this before,” Whoolery stated. “I think the thing that struck us was just like, ‘Where did they get the word and why would they put that word and that person together?'”
Whoolery, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University in Rexburg, is not an Obama supporter, but he was shocked that any public official would be threatened in that way. “I don’t think that the majority of people in Rexburg have extreme ideas like that, but we were just surprised that it would go that far,” Whoolery told KIKD.
The Madison County School District has sent out an email saying that students are to be told this sort of behavior is unacceptable.
According to an article which appeared in Salon in 2006, “You’ve heard of Jesusland, but Rexburg, Idaho, is something more. It’s not just a small town in rural Eastern Idaho. It’s a small town in rural Eastern Idaho completely dominated by a fast-growing Mormon college, Brigham Young University-Idaho.”
“Through this conservative convergence,” the article continues, “Rexburg and surrounding Madison County may well be the rosiest place in all of red America. Need numbers to prove it? In the 2004 presidential election, 93 percent of Madison County’s votes went to George W. Bush or minor-party conservative candidates — arguably the reddest result of any county in the entire country.”
The population of Madison County is not only heavily Republican but also 97.7% white. One of Rexburg’s lone Democrats, a professor at the university, told Salon that “she remembers the time when a group of classmates followed her third-grader home, shouting out ‘baby-killer’ all along the way. She took it up with the teacher, who didn’t seem to mind.”
The full KIDK story can be read here.
This video is from KIDK 2 News, broadcast Nov. 11, 2008.
http://rawstory.com/news/2008/Idaho_students_chant_assassinate_Obama_on_1112.html
LikeLike
Congratulations on the fabulous and historic election of President Barack Obama!!!
As we celebrate our new President-elect and all the changes he will bring to our nation, we must not turn a blind eye to the final actions of George Bush.
Incredibly, Washington is already buzzing with Bush’s plans to block all investigations of his crimes and even to pardon everyone involved – including Cheney and himself. Chris Matthews is even counting down the days .
Does Bush have the power to pardon everyone in his administration? Yes.
Will he abuse that power to stay out of jail? Only if we let him.
We must create a groundswell of opposition to any pardons by George Bush, so he understands that he will be impeached and prosecuted for issuing corrupt pardons.
Please help us launch a massive movement against pardons by signing our petition to Congress and telling your friends:
http://democrats.com/pardon?cid=ZGVtczE0MDA2MmRlbXM=
We will announce additional plans to stop Bush’s pardons in the coming days. Read more about our efforts and join our discussion here:
http://democrats.com/bush-pardons
Thanks for all you do!
Bob Fertik
LikeLike
Pingback: Daniel Ellsberg on Vietnam and Afghan wars | Dear Kitty. Some blog
Pingback: Bush’s anti environment policies | Dear Kitty. Some blog
Pingback: Worst Americans of 2008 | Dear Kitty. Some blog