Bill Moyers talks with Charlie Rose

National Strike

Harpers Magazine has put a suggestion out there for a National Strike, no working, no shopping, no traveling, nothing. The day they have chosen to do this is 6 Nov, election day. That's great but it's not good enough. We need a bigger day for an impact. I propose 23 Nov, the Friday after Thanksgiving. Also known as "Black Friday", the day most retailers go black in operating cost.

It will also be a better time to get more people involved. Using a regular workday is good, using a representative day like Election Day is better. But using the biggest shopping day all year makes a statement. And we can't just not shop on Friday, it has to be the whole weekend, no making up for Friday on Saturday or Sunday. Asking a majority of people to not go to work would be tough but using a day where they are already at home and all you are asking is that they not go out, not spend money would to me seem to be less of an insurmountable goal.

After 9/11 George W. Bush asked nothing of America. He asked no one to sacrifice, except our military and their families. Since 9/11 no one has suffered a hardship except the victims of 9/11 and their families and the military and their families. Instead of asking Americans to make sacrifices to overcome what had happened that day George W. Bush told us to go shopping, and America did.

Meanwhile, George put us at war with a country that had nothing to do with 9/11. That's like slapping your child because the dog crapped in the house. Attacking a country for being attacked is a reasonable response and we were doing that, but it wasn't enough for this administration. They wanted a bigger prize than Afghanistan offered them. Some in the administration had greater plans for the Middle East and also had scores to settle from the first Gulf War.

So Dear Friends lets stay home on Friday 23 Nov, save your money and your energy. Besides, did you really want to fight those crowds? Now you have a great reason to stay home. Support Peace and Stay Home.

And because we are looking for better days, a musical thought for you.

Dear Karl

It won't work. That's right Karl, it won't work. While many of us on the Progressive side may be supporting other candidates at this time, it doesn't mean we won't unite behind whoever the Democrats eventually choose as our Presidential candidate. So go ahead and play up that you think it's going to be Hillary. We know that you want it to be Hillary. You seem to think that if it's Hillary the Republicans will walk away with another victory. Wrong.

Karl, this isn't 2000. We've seen your work. In my case I've seen it since the nineties. How stupid do you really think we are? You consider yourself a student of history let me quote the first Republican President for you;

"You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."

Karl, we've watched you work, we can't be fooled again. No matter what kind of distractions you may try, no matter whatever kind of threats that may occur, we're ready for your onslaught of misdirection and misinformation. Karl, you are not going against one political consultant or small group of consultants, you are going against hundreds and thousands of us. And we are ready for you.

"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind, unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and a true maxim, that a 'drop of honey catches more flies than a gallon of gall.'"
-- Abraham Lincoln, February 22, 1842 - Temperance Address of Springfield, Illinois

And gall Karl, is something that no one can ever accuse you of not having more than your share. But it will take more than gall Karl. Although, I for one will expect all sorts of attempts to be made to get us to take our eye off the ball. Again, it will take more than gall.

Two more quotes for you Karl, I don't think you'll understand them;

"Let reverence for the laws, be breathed by every American mother, to the lisping babe, that prattles on her lap -- let it be taught in schools, in seminaries, and in colleges; let it be written in Primers, spelling books, and in Almanacs; -- let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation; and let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes and tongues, and colors and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly upon its altars."
-- Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838 - Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois

"Let every American, every lover of liberty, every well wisher to his posterity, swear by the blood of the Revolution, never to violate in the least particular, the laws of the country; and never to tolerate their violation by others."
-- Abraham Lincoln, January 27, 1838 - Address Before the Young Men's Lyceum of Springfield, Illinois

You see Karl you don't respect the law. You don't believe in the rule of law. You only see the law as a tool to acquire more power.


Here's another quote, this one is attributed to you;

"As people do better, they start voting like Republicans - unless they have too much education and vote Democratic, which proves there can be too much of a good thing."

I see you don't care to have an educated populace. Well Lincoln had something to say about that too;

"Upon the subject of education, not presuming to dictate any plan or system respecting it, I can only say that I view it as the most important subject which we as a people can be engaged in."
-- Abraham Lincoln, March 9, 1832 - First Political Announcement

You seem to think it should be limited. Limited how? What do you not want us to learn? What is you wish us to be limited to learning? My desire for knowledge is greater than your desire to control my access to it.


How do you feel about working people? Let's see how the first Republican President felt.

"Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration."
-- Abraham Lincoln, December 3, 1861 - Lincoln's First Annual Message to Congress

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built."
-- Abraham Lincoln, March 21, 1864 - Reply to New York Workingmen's Democratic Republican Association".

Karl, Lincoln appreciated the working class. He understood that without them we would not have the capital to to acquire property and wealth. It seems you and the current incarnation of the Republican party have a disdain for those who work for a living. They are only tools and rubes to be used and manipulated by you and for you to acquire more wealth for yourselfs. I'm here to tell you those days are over. You can't fool all the people all the time. Your days of fooling are through. Oh I know you still have 25%-30% that will always be with you, but Lincoln understood that too. Remember;

"You may fool all the people some of the time, you can even fool some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all the time."

So you see Karl, it may be John Edwards, it may be Barack Obama, it may be Hillary Clinton or it may even be some one not even running yet. But whoever it is Karl we are all going to support them. We're not going to take our marbles and go home sulking because our guy/gal didn't win the nomination. We are going to unite behind whoever it is, because whoever it is, is far superior to the alternative that the Republican Party has to offer.

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Deference vs Entitlement

This started as a comment on Talkleft in a piece by Jeralyn. But with the breadth and wisdom of dkos I wanted to have more discussion and comment. Now with my own Spot, if stumbled upon please engage.

Oh, and btw on dkos, I'm known as TexDem. Hence the new nome de plume, Travelin Tarheel.

Rep. Heather Wilson and Sen. Pete Domenici were wrong in making their calls to USA David Iglesias. What made them think they could make the calls? Rep. Wilson and Sen. Domenici are not dumb. Are they a symptom of the GOP or of the greater sense of entitlement that all of our elected representatives feel?

There was a reason our founding fathers established that there be no Titles of Honor. No Dukes or Princes or Barons. The bestowing of a Title confers upon the recipient an entitlement and no one in America, where every man is created equal, is entitled to anything. And don't confuse rights with entitlements, they are not the same. We have over the years given office holders a certain bit of deference, however it seems that we as a nation should rethink even this.

It appears that holders of high office don't consider this deference as deference but entitlements. No one is above the law in this country and no one is due any special consideration when running for re-election. If a prosecutor is investigating a situation and has yet to determine that a crime has or has not been committed then any pressure put upon them to lean one direction or the other is by definition and action interference with a officer of the court in the performance of their duties. And there should be consequences for those actions.

As a layperson this appears cut and dry. But as a legal matter it may be a bit murkier. Lay this out to anyone on the street in a generic scenario and that will be the majority response. When partisan lenses are added positions unfortunately change. That is more a sad commentary on today’s society.

Rep. Wilson and Sen. Domenici were and are wrong. In days long gone when we had such a thing as honor in this country they would admit their actions and accept the consequences. But in the words of the "Duke" (John Wayne); "that'll be the day." ("The Searchers", 1954)

Something to keep in mind. When one accepts and admits one errors, the consequences are often not as harsh as when one denies and is ultimately proven to be a liar. Errors are sometimes forgiven, lies are often treated harshly.