Still Fighting

Activism

The American Compact. To paraphrase George Carlin, Republicans have a lot of good ideas. The problem is, most of 'em suck. Unfortunately, though, these days those sucky ideas are winning out over Democrats' seeming total lack of ideas. They've got good principles, and know that the Republicans' ideas are destroying the country, but there needs to be an alternative. Enter the American Compact: 10 good ideas that Democrats can stand for, and that will make our country stronger. Learn about these platforms and then encourage your politican to support them. Make the Democratic Party the party of ideas - and good ideas at that.

News

Angry e-mail follows fetal pain article. Pop quiz: What do religious conservatives do when science provides a result that doesn't fit into their world view? Ok, that was an easy question: We all know that they attack the scientists that present the offensive data. In this case, Dr. Catherine DeAngelis, editor in chief of The Journal of the American Medical Association, published an article that said fetuses (fetii?) likely don't feel pain until late in pregnancy. For that, she was attack by dozens of vitriolic emails. DeAngelis herself is quite religious, but fortunately, that hasn't blinded her to science, as religion has clearly done to her attackers. Folks, science is here to stay, so maybe it's time to start looking inward when reality conflict with your faith.

John Conyers Urges Kerry/Edwards Campaign to Not Withdraw From Ohio Recount Case. The 2004 election situation may be far from your mind by now, but it shouldn't be. Forget trying to change the results of the election (hopefully Bush's own actions will take care of that in time), but if we let up on investigating the possible cases of fraud, then there's no reason they won't try again in 2006 and 2008. We have to expose their misdeeds, but apparently John Kerry and John Edwards are losing their will. Last week, there was a report (since denied) that they were going to drop their recount case. Enter John Conyers, who is as ubiquitous on Still Fighting as he is tenacious. He seems to be the only one who refuses to let the Ohio case die, and he needs our support. Make sure Conyers, Kerry, AND Edwards know how important this case is to our democracy - the contact information is at the bottom of the link.

Troops' Gravestones Have Pentagon Slogans. Remember the phrase, "the anti-military left", and how it was drummed into our heads by the right, especially when Clinton was in power? Well, we need to bring that phrase back, except now it needs to be "the anti-military right". With every action of those in power, they make it clear that they don't give a damn about the troops. They're just pawns in their grasp for power. And in the latest disgrace, it seems that the Pentagon is "offering the option" of putting mission names on troops' headstones. It's fine if the troops want that, but at least one family has had their child's headstone set without their approval. Dishonoring the dead? Is there anything more anti-military than that?

Editorials

The danger of yellow ribbon patriotism. Finally, someone nails down what's been bothering us about those silly yellow ribbon magnets. It's not just that it's such a shallow act of support. It's not just that the money for the magnets is likely going to some massive company instead of troops of their families. No, it's that we've apparently lost all sense of what "support" really means. No one is asked to make a real sacrifice, unless they're in the military or care about someone who is. In fact, as you travel the country, but for those goofy magnets, you might not even know there's a war going on at all. Joe Klein is absolutely right: "...patriotic displays just won't cut it anymore."

Could it be Bush's Watergate? You know things aren't going well for you when a former Chairman of the Texas Republican Party is writing editorials forecasting your administration's possible demise. Thomas Pauken writes about how Karl Rove got into the Plame mess, and some of the similarities to Watergate. Not surprising, since Rove idolizes Nixon. Pauken does a nice job of summarizing the current situation (which cannot be ignored, and should be brought up again and again), and adds a new twist: What if the now-known-to-be-fake Niger uranium documents that Joe Wilson was sent to investigate turn out to have been forged by someone in the Administration? As Pauken says, "If there is any truth to these charges, the lid will blow off Washington — and the Bush administration will be history." We're keeping our fingers crossed...

Blogger Commentary

Nice Little Propaganda Machine You Got There, Boys. We presume that if you read this blog, it's because you take progressive ideals to heart. In doing so, you've probably engaged one of your more narrow-minded friends or acquaintences about an issue that's important to you. Maybe it's gay marriage. Maybe it's intelligent design. Maybe it's prayer in schools. Whatever it is, most likely you've been faced with the accusation that you're the one that's narrow-minded because you refuse to accept their view, whatever it may be. Arthur Silber puts that argument to rest. Refusing to accept arguments that are not based in fact is not being narrow-minded; rather, it's the basis for intelligence.

The Parties Are Over. Gary Hart's been on a roll these days. A couple months ago, he wrote this editorial for the Huffington Post, discussing how the two-party has strayed far from its original intend. Parties cling to their bases, and serve their own interests. Neither party really seems to stand for anything any more, except possibly opposing the other party. And while we certainly want the Democrats to keep opposing Republicans, they need to do more. Maybe the current state of things will bring about an end to this system, as Hart predicts. We'd like that - more choices are always better. But in the meantime, we also worry about things getting even worse before they get better. There's no easy solution - stick with the system in an attempt to fight off Republican dominance? Or buck the system, knowing that it might only work out after decades of fighting for an electoral revolution?

Activism

Corporate Accountability International. In the corporate world, profit is king, and as much as some companies might pay lip service to responsible practices the truth is they'll get away with whatever they can if it pads their bottom line. Visit this site for news alerts of corporate abuse and resources to help you combat it, as well as information on CAI's various campaigns to hold corporations accountable for their irresponsible behavior.

News

Iraq Deadline Looms Without a Deal. There was a new Iraqi Constitution due last week, but Monday's deadline came and went without any agreement on what it should look like. That deadline was put off by a week, but it's looming large again, and the disagreements that prevented a compromise from being reached are still very much in play. The United States has has been pushing for this constitution to be completed, but Iraqi leaders warn that rushing the job to suit Bush's timetable would be detrimental to the process.

Army Planning for Four More Years in Iraq. Without a solid plan in place, it's difficult to say when we could reasonably expect to start bringing troops home from Iraq. The Army appears to be counting on staying for the foreseeable future, but continued bad news from Iraq has been hurting recruiting efforts. Rumors abound that we'll miraculously discover the troops can start coming home just in time for next year's elections, but it's anybody's guess as to when this ill-defined mission (whatever it is) will be accomplished.

The 1% Split Over Estate Taxes. Ever since Bush took office five years ago, the wealthiest Americans have profited from his well-aimed tax cuts. Even as costs continue to balloon in Bush's Iraq fiasco, the fight goes on among the elite few at the top to permanently free their cash flow from the burden of taxation. The middle class is paying their disproportionate share because they lack one critical asset that the privileged enjoy: High-level access to politicians.

Editorials

Why Roberts' Views Matter. Top Democrats want information on John Roberts, but the White House is dragging its feet again. Before deciding whether Roberts deserves a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court, it's important to study his views to gain some idea of how he'd perform his duties in our nation's highest court. The Senate Judiciary Committee has requested documents relating to 16 cases Roberts dealt with during his time as deputy solicitor general from 1989 to 1993, to determine his personal views on issues including civil rights, disability rights, and women's rights, but as far as releasing information's concerned the White House thinks less is more.

The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan. One thing you can say about the Right Wing is they stick with a winning strategy. Smearing vets like John McCain, Max Cleland and John Kerry is a great way to distract from their part of the public debate, especially when what they say threatens to undermine the conservative agenda. Now the spinmeisters are starting in on Cindy Sheehan, labeling her everything from crackpot to traitor. What makes her case different is the groundswell of grassroots support she's received in her quest to apply accountability to those who most want to avoid it.

Blogger Commentary

Beltway Dems Regurgitate Right-Wing B.S. on Iraq; Grassroots Fights Back. One component of Bush's success in pushing his neo-con agenda has been the lack of coordinated leadership among the supposed opposition party. Democrats have been making more noise recently, bouyed by grassroots' clamoring for something to be done, but for the most part we still lack a consistently focused and effective response to the success of the Right Wing Noise Machine. David Sirota discusses the Democratic Leadership Council's role in undermining the Democratic Party's anti-Bush, anti-war efforts.

Your Credit's The October Surprise 2005. Credit debt got you down? If you're getting by on minimum payments, your budget may be in for a shock when those minimums start going up later this year. It's better for your bottom line to make bigger payments up front, but in a nation that's seen household debt rise as consumer bankrupty protections decrease, this increase could break families that are skating too close to the edge. There's still time to tighten your belt, but Christmas is just around the corner, and in an industry that feasts on consumers' holiday overextension it won't just be families that go hungry.

Activism

An Activist Guide to the Exit Strategy. Over and over we mention how important it is to get out of Iraq. Over and over, Democrats are decried as the party of naysayers, just opposing the President whenever the chance presents itself. Well, to those who would ask "How to get out of Iraq?", and "What's your plan?", we have an answer. Tom Hayden outlines, in detail, a very reasonable exit strategy, and then, at the bottom, lets you know what you can do to make it happen. Get crackin', people!

Original Commentary

In a first for Still Fighting, we're going to provide more than just a paragraph worth of original commentary. It's by Still Fighting friend, and now contributor, Andrew Duggan. Take it away, Andrew:

Support Your Local Starbucks

Health Insurance has become one of the largest crises in the United States today, but this issue has yet to capture the public’s attention or elicit action on Capitol Hill. This crisis has been masked by larger issues such as the War in Iraq and John Roberts’ nomination. However, one could argue that the high cost of health insurance has impacted more Americans than anything else.

Health insurance costs routinely increase 10% each year, and coupling this with co-payments for the cost of prescription drugs, it is hard for one to imagine how the American public has not made more of an outcry. Perhaps the housing boom has delayed the effect of rising health insurance through the use of home equity loans. Perhaps the reduction in disposable income caused by high health insurance premiums has forced many to rely on credit cards. In any case, the American economy cannot withstand the health insurance onslaught in the long term.

Enter the unlikely savior: The American corporation. Starbucks, GMC, and other responsible corporations are feeling the effect of this crisis, and they are beginning to lobby Congress to act. Starbucks guarantees health insurance to all of its employees who work 20 hours or more, and as costs go up, the Starbucks bottom line, although firmly in the black, is affected significantly and negatively. Starbucks claims that in 2004, they spent more money on health insurance than the raw ingredients for their coffee.

So, if I were you, I would not feel bad paying four dollars for that Grande Vanilla Latte three times a week. In fact, I would add a muffin or two to the order. I would also jump on the bandwagon and petition my local Senator or Congressman to act. Unfortunately for me, I live in the District of Columbia, so petitioning my representative is akin to yelling at the performers during a rock concert. But for all the non-DC residents out there, start writing letters, emails, and make phone calls. Perhaps the health care crisis can start to “have some play” in the national spotlight.

News

Harper's Index for August. We've got a very eclectic post today, and nothing says eclecticism like the Harper's Index. Read it and learn just how out-of-control our lobbying problem is. Think about it: It truly is legalized bribery. The reason is that it works. You give your Congressman some cash for his re-election, he attaches an appropriate to some bill that benefits your business. Everyone wins! Everyone, that is, except for the average American citizen. That's not all the index covers though. It's pretty amazing how simple statistics can somehow put our misplaced priorities in perspective.

Editorials

What They Did Last Fall. Our pal (well, ideologically at least) Paul Krugman hops on the electoral reform boat, and it's none too soon. Here's the deal, guys: All of our success campaigning for guys like Paul Hackett and against cretins like Rick Santorum won't make much of a difference if we don't have real electoral reform in this country. We don't need to dwell on the past, but if we don't learn from it, we'll be doomed to repeat it. Republicans will steal elections if we let them. They did so in 2000. Can you imagine how much better we'd be if we hadn't let that happen? Let's not be asking ourselves this question again in 2006 or 2008. So focus on helping out deserving campaigns, but also make sure your representatives focus on having those elections run legitimately.

Ridiculousness

Liberality For All. Sometimes, there's nothing we can write that will do a link justice. We hope that this is a tongue-in-cheek sarcastic political commentary masquerading as a comic book. However, there are people in this world who watch FOX News and think it's "Fair and Balanced", and we're betting those same exact people would buy this comic and believe it's better than X-Men. We need rescue alright, but it needs to be from the people who write and believe this trash.