Tough Choices

We as Montanans, and Americans, and as earthlings for that matter have some tough choices to make in the near future concerning our total dependence on oil. First of all we have to admit that collectively we don't have a clue how to function without an abundant and cheap supply of oil. We simply don't know what to do. Or where to even start. It's the unthinkable -- so we do what all addicts do. We choose denial. We pin our hopes on technology, or on new oil discoveries, or clean coal or whatever pie-in-the-sky scheme we can dream up, but we won't face the facts that we can't continue to live the way we've grown accustomed to, and that any economy that continues to depend exclusively on oil for it's survival is doomed. Period. We need to get our brains around that one. Peak oil and global warming are going to force our hand.

Global warming aside for now, here's two questions we need to ask ourselves:

1) Are we going to insist on driving our gas-guzzling SUV's, are we going to demand our air conditioning and our hairdryers and any other gas burning power consuming gadgets that come along designed
to make our lives easier and more comfortable?

If so:

2) Are we willing and prepared, for the foreseeable future, to send our sons and daughters off to fight and die for our oil addiction?

We need to think about this. We have huge decisions to make. We also have an administration and a Congress
that refuses to take action. Lip service isn't going to get it done. And there's hardly even any of that. We need leaders who will squarely face the problem, who will fund research and development of alternatives, and who will make a commitment to weaning us off of our dependence on oil. That's what it will take to avert disaster. We can do it, but we'd damn well better start now. And we'd damn well better be hard-assed about it too. Lower oil prices aren't going to get it done.

The We'll Decide Who Gets To Vote Act of 2006

No, it's not called the We'll Decide Who Gets To Vote Act. But it could be. Our mighty Representative Denny Rehberg struck again and voted for HR4844 last week. Or, and I love this one, the Federal Election Integrity Act. It passed the House on a party line vote and has moved on to the Senate where Senate Dems are asking Bill Frist to not introduce it. This one stinks even to them. It's easy, and important, to focus on the big stories -- torture, habeas corpus, Iran and the Iraq war in general, but these guys are still working on sneaking this kind of stuff through when they think no one's watching.

Here's a good editorial about it. Yes, it's The Nation again. I'll give a short version and let you move on. This bill will require that starting in 2008 anyone who registers to vote will need to provide a picture ID to do so. Bad enough, but not terribly alarming yet. But it gets worse. Starting in 2010 in order to register you will need to provide a government issued card proving you are a citizen of the US. Like it so far? But wait. I'm not done yet. Not only will you need the card, but you will also have to pay for it. Yes indeed. You'll have to pay to prove you're an American citizen. Who will be affected by this? Anyone who registers to vote, re-registers to vote, or simply needs to change their registration because they've moved. In short, just about everybody at some point. Who's likely to be squeezed out? Let's just list the poor, the elderly, the homeless and anybody else who's living on the margins for starters. Read the Nation column. Look up the bill too if you're interested. Then get out there, get registered to vote if you haven't done so already, and vote for Lindeen and Tester. We need to break up this regime now.

Not Red, Not Blue -- Purple

Here's more on what I started rattling on about yesterday about a strong liberal tradition here in Montana, and whether Montana is a red state. But first a disclaimer: I don't have much use for simplistic red/blue divisions. They're used simply so that pundits and news anchors can grasp the political landscape without much difficulty. I use them out of sheer sloth. Reality isn't that cut and dried. I stated that it's only been since the late 80's that we've seen this many Republicans in office, but that I don't think it makes us a red state. Wulfgar posted a comment that the demographics have changed considerably since the late 80's, that our liberal, progressive history maybe doesn't mean much anymore because this is a different state than it was before, and that maybe this is a red state. At least that's what I think he meant. All that might be true. But maybe it's not.

I've spent a lot of time doing door to door work on several campaigns and issues in Montana. I've talked to hundreds, even thousands of people right on their doorsteps. One thing I've noted is that people's political views are truly a mixed bag, the same as it always has been. Demographics change -- but the issues and concerns of real people don't. The people of Montana, of the whole country for that matter, have not swung to the right. I'll repeat that because I think it's damn important. People in this country have not swung to the right. Surveys done over the past few years bear that out. The majority of people surveyed support liberal ideas. A sizeable majority. So why do the Republicans keep winning elections?

The Republicans have built a very efficient machine over the last thirty years or so. They build from the base, get out the vote, and have a powerful thundering noise machine that turns the Democrats guts to water. No, the people of this country haven't swung to the right. But the political parties have. The Republicans have framed the issues and defined the Democrats for years now, and the Dems have been timidly shuffling off to the right ever since. There is no liberal opposition party anymore. There is only one corporatist party. The fanatic corporatists call themselves Republicans, the moderate corporatists call themselves Democrats. There is no one speaking a liberal, progressive agenda. This works fine for the Republicans, everybody speaks their language now. But liberals have felt betrayed and left out, and far too many of them have dropped out of the process and don't bother to vote anymore. There's the big problem. What appears at the polls to be a swing to the right is really the dropping out of the disaffected left. They haven't swung to the right, there's just been no progressive left for them to support anymore. They've simply stopped voting. You see it in the declining voter turnout numbers. The right gets it's voters out. The left can't because there is no organized left anymore. But that's changing. The success Pat Williams had in the 90's, the success Brian Schweitzer had in '04, the success Jon Tester had against Morrison in this year's primary, and the support and excitement he and Monica Lindeen are generating now point to this. Liberals can and do win in Montana. Progressive ideas will bring people back in. Pat Williams showed us that in the 80's and 90's. Schweitzer and Tester and Lindeen are showing us now. These are people who are proud to be Democrats and are willing to roll up their sleeves and slug it out with the Republicans. It's about damn time too. It's pretty simple -- give folks real candidates and they'll vote for them. Don't and they won't. That's how the Republicans win. They give their base what it wants. The Dems don't and they lose their base. Like the saying goes -- it's not rocket science.

That's going to be the key to Democratic Party success from here on out. Roll up your sleeves, go toe to toe with the righties, and build a new, strong opposition party from the ground up. Serve up candidates like Lindeen and Tester. Re-energize the base -- it's still out here waiting. People haven't gone over to the right, but many are still looking for a living, breathing left. The best way to turn Montana blue is to show them one.

A Blue State Tradition

When I first moved to Montana back in the early 1980's this was a Democratic state. Indeed, Montana has a long history of Democratic politics. A lot of it had to do with a strong union labor force in Butte, but not all of it. A who's who of Montana politics includes names like Thomas Walsh, Jeanette Rankin, Mike Mansfield, and Lee Metcalf. In the 80's Max Baucus and John Melcher were our senators, and Pat Williams was one of our two Representatives. All Democrats. The Governor, Ted Schwinden was a Democrat. Which all means little today except that we don't fit the mold of a so-called red state. We have a tradition of progressive, populist politics that we can be proud of.

Things changed a bit in the late 80's. Conrad Burns ran for the Senate in '88 and won. A guy named Stan Stephens was elected Governor, the first Republican Governor in years. Remember Stan Stephens? As far as I can remember he's the only Governor in Montana history who fell asleep the day after the election and didn't wake up again until four years later when he had to move out of the Governor's mansion. Pat Williams became our lone Representative after we lost one of our seats. Montana chose him over the other Rep, Ron Marlenee, and he served us admirably until he retired. Marc Racicot became Governor followed by Judy Martz. A guy named Rick Hill took over the House seat for a few years and was followed by Denny Rehberg. That's how it stood until Brian Schweitzer was elected Governor in 2004. My point with this short history is that the Republican domination of our state is pretty recent, and it looks like it may be fairly short-lived. I don't live in a red state. I live in a great, wild, independent-minded place called Montana. We may lapse into Republicanism occasionally but we generally wise up and do the right thing.

I've been voting against Conrad Burns since 1988. It'll be fun to see him go. The same goes for Denny Rehberg -- he's been there long enough to show us where he really stands. It's not with us. We know who he represents, we know what he's done in his six years in the House, but it's good to be reminded once in a while. Here's a pretty good list -- read it and weep. Better yet, read it, and get out there and vote for Monica Lindeen. And don't forget Jon Tester...

Leave Our Kids Alone

Here's something that should set off the alarm bells of every parent of a high school student in Montana. It's nothing new, but it does fly too far under the radar. Far too many people still aren't aware of it.

We're all familiar with Little Georgie Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. There's a provision to the act, Section 9528, that's ominous enough to make the hair on my neck stand up. This section requires public schools to release phone numbers, cell phone numbers, home addresses, and any other contact information on high school boys to military recruiters. That's right -- all the military recruiters need to do is request a list of all the high school boys in your school, along with contact information, and the school is required to provide the list or risk losing their federal funding. Parents can opt out, can refuse to let the school release the information, but it requires filling out a form that few even know is available. There's a couple of links below for information and action we can all take to stop this crime.

With the disaster going on in Iraq, and the military's need to extend the tours of our soldiers because they're running low on available troops this could easily lead to some hard-sell recruiting practices aimed at some of our most vulnerable young people. Add the threat of war with Iran and whoever else Bush&Co's war machine sets their sights on and you can bet your ass there will be some hard core recruiting going on. We could devastate an entire generation if we don't knock this monster off it's feet now. A lot of you reading this aren't directly affected but we all know someone who is. We need to spread the word.

For information on citizen action on this, from working on an opt in rule rather than the current opt out, to working with your school boards, check out Leave My Child Alone.

For more about a House bill protecting student privacy rights click on United For Peace and Justice.

Hey Montana, Do We Want Another War?

Karl Rove has promised the Faithful Followers of Brother George Bush an October Surprise. Now a fleet of warships has been called up to be deployed to the Persian Gulf off the west coast of Iran around October 21, a move that has taken even many in the military by surprise. Here's more, again from The Nation.

Is this Rove's October Surprise, an attack on Iran just days before the mid-term elections? If so, these guys have taken dirty politics to a truly obscene level.

A Plea to Sen. Burns and Rep. Rehberg

I'm sure we've all heard the term blowback a time or two. This particular usage comes from the CIA I believe, and it refers to the consequences the US will pay for it's policies of propping up brutal dictatorships, and for backing repressive regimes that use torture, mass murder, and other evils to keep their subjects in line. That includes our use of the same tactics when it advances our economic interests, primarily in the Mideast, such as occupying and devastating Iraq for control of it's oil. Our role in the coup that lifted the Shah of Iran into power in 1953 hasn't been forgotten either, nor will our ongoing support of the hated Israelis. The Iran hostage crisis of 1979 was an example of blowback. So was 9/11. We're seeing it in the streets of Baghdad every day.

Now there's tough talk and a lot of sword rattling going on about attacking Iran. Without support or authorization if necessary. How can these crazed fanatics even consider such an act? Is there any sanity left in Washington? This is Iran we're talking about here. They haven't suffered a decade or more of bombings and sanctions. They have a well-disciplined, well-equipped military with plenty of muscle. Compared to Iran, invading Iraq was like invading a Boy Scout camp. And we've all seen how disastrously that one turned out. A war with Iran will unleash a hornet's nest that we can't even begin to imagine. The blowback to that one would be truly horrifying. Probably from all over the world. We're fast achieving most hated nation status world wide. This would no doubt get us there.

So, Senator Burns and Representative Rehberg, you still represent the people of Montana in Washington DC so with all due respect I ask this of you both. I ask you to rally your colleagues in the Senate and the House and demand that President Bush and the fools around him forget any short-sighted, ill-conceived ideas they may have about attacking Iran. Tell them that for the sake of national security you can't in good conscience go along with that. As an American citizen I won't tolerate any more illegal wars to be fought in my name. I don't want the citizens of my country to have to pay the price for the madness this administration has demonstrated right from the start, and I'd be willing to bet I'm not the only one here in Montana, or in this country, who feels that way. Will you do this for us?

note: Check this out from The Nation

Let's Field a New Team

To say that Conrad Burns and Denny Rehberg work for the good of the people of Montana is about like saying that the Seahawks play football for the good of the people of Seattle. Sure they wear the uniform and the name, and they come home now and then to perform for the hometown crowd, but they are run by guys with a whole lot of money who sit up in the front office and write the game plan. They may perform to a large crowd, but they play for a handful of owners. Just like Conrad and Denny do.

Roadless Rule Wins

Much to the dismay of Conrad Burns and Denny Rehberg, the Roadless Rule signed by Bill Clinton just before he left office in 2001 will stand. Federal Judge Elizabeth Laporte decided against Bush&Co and ruled in favor of protecting nearly 60 million acres of our national forests from further road building. Thank you Judge Laporte, thank you thank you thank you...

Aside from the fact that protecting our public lands is simply the right thing to do, this one has personal meaning for me too. I worked on the roadless campaign during the summer of 2000 here in Missoula, and again in Utah for a couple of months in 2002. In Missoula we spent the summer going door to door and face to face with people, gathering comments which we turned in to the Forest Service. Up until that time it was the largest number of public comments the Forest Service had ever received in favor of any ruling. Still might be. We spoke out at public hearings in support of the roadless plan. The support in Missoula was about 95% in favor of no new roads. Across the country the vast majority of citizens wanted roadless areas to stay that way. Clinton looked at the Forest Service findings, and as one of his last acts as President signed the Roadless Rule into being. Then he packed his bags and went home.

Then along came George W. Bush. He moved into the White House, took a look at the rule, and threw it out the window before he even set his suitcase down. Along with the likes of our own Conrad Burns and Denny Rehberg and former industry lobbyist turned Ag Undersecretary Mark Rey, he has been working to eliminate protection ever since, usually under the guise of fire protection. Last year he issued his own ruling turning over the roadless decision to the individual states, knowing full well they didn't have the resources to do anything. A few states, Montana included, along with several environmental groups filed lawsuits to stop the Bush plan. Various industry and ORV groups petitioned the states to allow road building. None other than Rehberg and Burns led a group of about 100 people to Helena recently to deliver a petition to Gov. Schweitzer demanding he allow new roads. To his credit Schweitzer wouldn't do it. That's where it stood until today when Judge Laporte ruled against Bush and upheld the 2001 Clinton order.

So again, thanks Judge Laporte, Gov. Schweitzer and the environmental groups who stood up to fight this industry attempt to steal our public lands. It's good to know there are still a few decision makers who haven't gone insane with greed. As for you George and Conrad and Denny --hands off! These are our public lands. You and your friends can't have them. Our kids need them more than you do. We all need them more than you do. And we won't forget what you tried to do.

Once More For Monica

I know, I know. It gets tiresome to to listen to the constant shameless trumpeting of a candidate, but I can't help it. It's been so long since I've seen one this good that I just simply can't help it. I was planning on some good constructive Rehberg bashing tonight, but that can wait. You see, I went to the Grand Opening of Missoula's Lindeen for Congress office, met and listened to Monica speak and answer questions, and came home so jacked up and impressed that it's all I can do to sit still here long enough to type this out. She's that good.

Here's a woman who is friendly, open, honest, intelligent, straightforward, erudite,experienced, willing and able to tackle real issues that concern real people... and that's just the beginning. Oh yeah -- did I mention open honest and intelligent? She greeted everybody as a friend. Not in a phony, smarmy way, but as a real human being. She dazzled us with the scoop on what Denny Rehberg is really like, and who he really represents. Not that we didn't already know all this stuff, but it was great fun to hear her say it anyway. Then she got down to business and answered questions. She didn't do the duck and cover routine. She gave solid thoughtful answers. She knows her stuff and is willing to get to work for Montana. She's right on the money about wages, health-care, energy, trade agreements -- the whole deal. We need this woman in Congress now. Register to vote. Drag a friend or two to the polls with you. Hell, hire a bus and bring a whole bunch of friends to the polls. Whatever it takes. Let's send Monica Lindeen to DC. With someone this good running it would be a crime to send Denny Rehberg back for another term.

Homeland Montana

I was going to take a day off from this endless pecking at the keyboard. I feel now and then, you know, like who the hell cares what I have to say? There's any number of you out there who are doing this, and doing it a whole hell of a lot better than I can. Why not just kick back in the recliner, maybe take a nap, maybe watch a little football, and maybe do everybody a favor and just shut up for a while. But no, here I am again. The blog calls. What on earth have I done to myself by starting this damn thing? Oh well... I'm not much of a football fan anyway. I'd much rather sit here and be a pest.

There's no end to the work that needs to be done, in Montana and in the rest of the country. We need to yank a corrupt government out by it's roots. We need to somehow wrestle power away from a global corporate empire. November's elections are looming, and getting more urgent every day. But all of that will still be there tomorrow. Today my mind has been on a couple of the reasons I'm glad I live here. I'll be brief.

I moved to Montana about a quarter of a century ago to live near the wilderness. No, it wasn't the wages that brought me here. It was the mountains. I've been hiking and photographing and enjoying and appreciating and defending them ever since. Around the middle of the last century some far-sighted folks saw the need to protect our wild places and fought for years to do so. Those battles resulted in the Wilderness Act of 1964, a truly heroic gift from one generation to the next. Those who made it happen have my profound thanks. We've had to fight off attack after attack over the years since but we can still pass it down to our kids as long as we don't allow the corrupt and greedy to auction off our public lands to the highest bidders. We know they'll keep trying. I for one will keep defending. These wild places have fed my spirit for years now -- may they do the same for my kids.

I've gotten pretty fed up with party politics over the past couple of decades. I no longer consider myself a Democrat. I've never been a Republican. I'm lining up with the Democrats this year though, simply because of the hope Tester and Lindeen have brought to this year's election. I'm proud to get on my soapbox for two candidates of this caliber. They're another reason I go to bed at night feeling good about living here. I want to thank them too.

Montana is my homeland. I don't want to live anywhere else, and I am willing and prepared to defend it. I will defend it against the powerful and greedy who have no regard for the health and well-being of our people. I will defend it from those who would turn our wild, public lands over to the corporate vandals for the sake of quick profits. I will keep pounding away on this keyboard because I still feel that passion and commitment can make a difference. I will stir up this wild, wonderful soup that we call society. I will work to rile up the masses. I will write because I can and must. I will do it whether I feel like it or not. I will reach out because people do care.

Speak Your Mind

I read a post earlier today over on Liberal Wacko, Montana Division about how he writes because he can't help it. He writes to speak his mind because he needs to, and makes the point that we all need to, that by doing so we might just inspire others to do so too. And that's good for all of us. I couldn't agree more. I'll ask you this -- why not speak out? Who knows more about what you think and feel than you do? Why trust the pundits and analysts to speak for you? Your take on things is just as valid as theirs. Maybe more so. You live in the real world, not all of them do.

Maybe you have to work for minimum wage because nothing else is available to you right now. Maybe you have to work two jobs because of it and have no time and energy for anything else. And still can't make ends meet. And you know that the minimum wage buys less than at any time since 1949 and your Congress won't raise it. How do you feel about that? Maybe a friend or loved one needs medical care but doesn't have access to it because they can't afford the bloated insurance premium. What then? How about the attempts to sell off huge areas of our public lands, including several of the National Parks, and the plans to sell corporate naming rights for several others (yes, Pombo in California tried this. How does the sound of Halliburton/Glacier grab you. Or Exxon/Yellowstone)? That's just the tip of the iceberg, but you get the idea. My guess would be that most folks are outraged by all of this. And they feel helpless to do anything about it. But it's not so.

We all have a voice. And we all have the right to use it. I'd go a step further and say we have the responsibility to use it. But how? How can one lonely voice be heard? It's not that hard. Start speaking out. Talk to your friends. Get to know your neighbors. Write letters to the editor. Maybe even start a blog. Hell, it's easy. Even I can do it. Shout it from the street corners and rooftops. Whatever. But reach out. Others will hear. Others will join you. We can build a voice that lets our nation's leaders know that we've had enough, that we demand change, and we want it now. We deserve no less. Thanks for the idea Liberal Wacko. There's a lot of work to do.

Tester and Lindeen: Two More Reasons

Several blogs lately have posted good solid reasons to vote for Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen. Shane over at Wrong Dog and Left in the West posted fifteen reasons to vote for Lindeen a while back and just followed it up with a request for other folks' reasons. They're all good, they're all true, and they all paint a picture of the kind of elected leader Montana wants and needs in DC. The same goes for Tester. I'm adding two more reasons here because these two are worth a post of their own. I'm supporting Lindeen and Tester for my kids.

I have an son in his mid-twenties. He's out on his own and can take care of himself pretty well. Hopefully I helped prepare him for the challenges ahead. I like to think I have. I also have an 11-year old daughter who will grow to adulthood soon. Too damn soon. But for now she still trusts me to take care of her, to keep her safe, and to assure her that the future will be OK. I promise her that I'll do the very best I can to make it so. To vote for Burns and Rehberg would be to break that promise. I can't do that. Besides, they're Republicans. I don't vote for Republicans.

I want my daughter to grow up in a world where global warming and environmental destruction don't turn a simple thing like stepping outdoors hazardous. I want both kids, and their kids in turn, to have the health-care they need when they need it. That's not asking too much. I want them to have the opportunities to pursue their dreams and interests to make decent livings. That's not asking too much either. I want them to be able to enjoy our public lands and wild places like I have, to lose themselves in the mountains for as long as they want to stay lost. Our lands need to stay public and protected or that chance is gone. Conrad Burns and Denny Rehberg won't work for any of this. These two shrunken heads have a history of working against these very things. They've got to go.

I wasn't born yesterday-- I know Monica Lindeen and Jon Tester can't march into DC and suddenly make everything alright. But if we send them there now along with others who represent a new direction, by the time my daughter grows up we just might have made a difference. I have to do what I can. I promised.

Solid Choices in Montana

We have an interesting election coming up here in Montana. We can set an example. We can show the rest of the country that it is possible to find good, solid candidates who will fight for what's right, who will stand up to a corrupt incumbent regime. That it is possible to run candidates who aren't hand-picked by national party leaders for their blandness, but instead have real grassroots living breathing peoples' support behind them. We have Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen. That's good. We're lucky. But that's only half of the equation for a win in November. You can have the best candidates in the world and the best campaigns behind them, but you still need the voters to get out there to put them into office. That's the bottom line.

I've mentioned before that roughly half of the eligible voters in this country don't vote. Some never have and never will. So be it. Some people simply won't get involved, and it's likely a waste of time to try to reach them. Others won't get involved for religious reasons. We won't reach them either. But there are a lot of folks out there who do care, and care deeply. Many are former voters who are thoroughly pissed about the direction our country is heading, and about the sorry lack of candidates in the past, and have dropped out of the electoral process in disgust. We all know some of these folks. They may be our friends, they may be our co-workers. Maybe our own family members. Whatever. The important thing is that we all know some, and these are the ones we can reach. Imagine the impact we could have if each one of us would get one new voter registered, and would get that one person to the polls to vote for Tester and Lindeen. Things could turn around fast that way. Swing the middle-of-the-road undecideds if you want to, but let's not forget to mobilize the angry and the disaffected. This is what a New Democratic Party needs to do both in the next few weeks before November, and especially for 2008. Instead of spending all of our time analyzing and dissecting the numbers and percentages, we need to organize and mobilize. We need to get Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen to DC now for all of us in Montana. The rest of the country can take notice, find candidates like them, and get their voter base energized. We can take back America that way.

Liberal And Proud Of It

Somewhere along the line the word liberal started to scare the Democrats. Progressive is the word of choice in certain circles now. I find that troubling. I started voting in 1972, and I always voted for liberal Democrats. These guys would come out and proudly announce that they were indeed liberal Democrats, and that they would make our society a better place. Then they'd get elected and do exactly that. They didn't make it a perfect place, but they did make it a better place. Then things started to change.

A couple of decades back the right-wing built this loud-mouthed propaganda machine. They started throwing 'liberal' around as if it were a dirty word, and the Democrats have been backing away from it ever since. The righties would holler out 'tax and spend liberal' or some other stupid accusation, and the Dems would cower from them like they would from a schoolyard bully. But what happens when you cower from a bully? He kicks your ass anyway. Nowadays, according to guys like Burns and Rehberg, us liberals are soft on terror, want to 'cut and run' from Iraq, promote abortion, and want to burn the flag, and who knows what all else, but it's the same story. All these kooks have to do is yell Boo! and the current crop of pseudo-liberals dive under the desk with their teeth chattering. Then they wonder why they can't win an election. It should be obvious by now, but you don't win elections by timidly sitting at a laptop crunching numbers or juggling percentage points. We've seen the results of that too many times now. It's time to rebuild.

One definition of liberal is to be open minded and generous. You know, as in being willing to change direction when necessary, and being willing to see to it that those in our society who need help get it. Not a bad place to start in my book. 'Liberal' should be a badge of honor, not something to be ashamed of. Progressive is a fine word, and it makes a fine base for a strong platform. I have no problem with it. It just shouldn't replace liberal in our political vocabulary. Democrats need to proclaim themselves as liberals with a progressive agenda, boldly get out there and declare their opposition to the current regime, and fight it out with the Republican fanatics. The support would likely be overwhelming. That's the only way out of this right-wing nightmare. The next time one of these belligerent jerks accuses you of being liberal, stand up tall, look him in the eye and say damn right. Then proceed to kick his ass for a change. That's what I really like about the Montana races this year. We have two solid candidates in Tester and Lindeen who are willing to stand up and fight Burns and Rehberg, and they have the grassroots support behind them to knock these guys right out of the ring. It warms my heart folks -- I've been waiting a long time for this.

I'm pjfinn, I'm a full-blooded liberal, and I'm damn proud of it.

Where Do Burns and Rehberg Stand?

Our good friend and neighbor, Sen.Byron Dorgan (D-ND), has introduced a bill in the Senate this summer. SB3485. Rep.Sherrod Brown (D-OH) has introduced it in the House as HR5635. The Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act is what it's called. On the odd chance that this one hasn't come up on your radar screens yet, this is a no-nonsense bill that sends a loud and clear message to retailers. No more sweatshop goods! And it's got the teeth to make it stick. We all abhor the practice of sweatshop labor and the corporate free trade agreements that cater to these low-lifes who benefit from this obscene exploitation. We need to all get behind this one. Click on the little Thomas link for text and details.

While we're at it, a tip of the hat to Sen. Dorgan and Rep. Brown would be in order. This is long overdue. I'm breathlessly awaiting word from our good ol' boys Burns and Rehberg. I wonder where they line up on this one?

Let 'em Howl

A lot has been made of the audience jeering and heckling at yesterday's Tester-Burns debate in Hamilton. I wasn't there so I don't know what all happened. I'm just tickled to death that the Tester crowd outnumbered the Burns bunch by at least two to one. In Hamilton. All I've heard are second hand accounts and they vary considerably. But I can't help but wonder --what's the fuss? This is politics. Politics isn't polite. Politics shouldn't be polite. There's too much at stake. We're talking about the future direction of our country here. The Democrats have been too polite for too long. It's cost us all dearly. We don't need polite. We need change. We need passion. We need outrage. We need people to sound off at debates like they did yesterday. I just wish there was someone around to heckle Burns every time he stuck his head out the door. Rehberg too for that matter.

The press always makes a spectacle of these things. They will let a guy like Conrad Burns off the hook every time and focus on the unruly crowd. If the press takes the easy story and ignores the rest, well, so be it. There are a lot of good, solid blogs here in Montana. They'll tell you what's going on. Let's not be afraid of the press just because they're too incompetent or too lazy to do their jobs. The people are the ultimate decision makers here. The people vote. Not the press. People have the right and the duty to voice their dissent or agreement. If you're angry and fed up, sound off. It's your country and your future.

We need to howl and jeer when we're moved to do so. It's nothing new. It shows we're outraged and concerned and that we've had enough. I don't agree that any of this will hurt Jon Tester's campaign one bit. If anything it will help to keep it energized. A noisy, cheering jeering raucous unruly crowd isn't a problem. It's the sound of people waking up. It's the voice of anger and outrage. And it's just what we need. Let's not come down on honest, angry citizens here. Let 'em howl.

Impeach Bush?

You hear a lot these days about movements to impeach George Bush. Not so much on the news, but there is a lot of activity out there around the country. Should we do that? On the surface it sounds like a good idea -- he's certainly done enough damage to warrant it. But should we do it? Aside from the fact that we probably wouldn't come up with the two-thirds vote needed to do it anyway, I don't think it's the smart move.

BushCheneyInc represent a whole new breed of corporatist fanatics. They represent what the Republican Party has become. If we were to impeach one or the other, or even both we would feel like we've made a major change and the heat would be off for a while. But there's no shortage of bums lined up who could step right into their shoes and continue on where these guys left off. All we would do is change the players, not the game plan. Things won't change dramatically until the outrage in this country grows to a level that demands it. The outrage is growing, but it's not there yet.

People like Lindeen and Tester can step in and keep the heat on. In the meantime we can keep BushCheney in the headlights for the next two years. Outrage will grow as things get worse, and these guys are perfectly capable of making things worse. With a little luck they will destroy the credibility of the Republican Party for a generation or two. Or at least long enough for us to elect some leaders who have a heart and soul and vision. I don't mean to let George W. off the hook for the things he's done, but in the long run it might be better for all of us to let him finish shredding the reputation of his party. If anybody can do that he can.

No More Excuses

There's a lot of campaigning going on these days, and that's good. Some of it gets a bit tiresome, but it's still good. This is an historic election. It's been a long time since the corporatist parties have faced this much disapproval and disgust. We need to build momentum for real people politics when we have the chance. Pile it on Jon. You too Monica. This is your chance. But that's not what this post is about.

Voter turnout in the US since 1992 has averaged about 46.1%. In other words, over half of the eligible voters in this country don't bother to vote. The result? Just look around. A corrupt corporatist privatizing fundamentalist right-wing regime has assumed control and except for the handful that benefit from it we're all suffering. I've done a considerable amount of door to door work on ballot issues, various citizen campaigns and voter registration. I've heard every excuse in the book. I've heard a lot of them that aren't in the book. I'm not going to be a nice guy about this. There are no valid excuses not to vote. Period. The only valid reason is if you're not eligible for some reason. There are a few. No, voting isn't mandatory, but voting is one of the responsibilities of citizenship. Anyone who lives in a participatory democracy but doesn't take part in shaping the government that affects us all is letting his fellow citizens, and future generations, down.

What are our chances of turning things around soon? I don't know. We're up against a powerful machine. But one thing I can guarantee -- if we do nothing we have no chance at all. A lot of folks are disgusted with what the Democratic Party has become in recent decades, with good reason, and have quit voting. But sticking one's head in the sand and refusing to take part in the political process is a gutless response too. We need to build a new Democratic Party, a true opposition party, to stand up to the corporatists. We need to do it now. That's our only chance. Here in Montana we have two promising candidates in Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen. Everybody who cares needs to get behind them now.

The deadline for voter registration in Montana is October 10. It's easy to do. If you're not registered yet get out and do it. Do it now so you don't forget.

Where Do We Start?

We're only about two months away from November's mid-term election, and this is a big one. I'll gladly spend a good part of that time hammering away on it, repetitious as it may be. It's important. Most of you reading this are already on board and this isn't really aimed at you. This is more for the those who have given up on the Democratic Party and the timid tactics they have relied on for too many years now. Cheer up folks. There's hope. If you're not registered to vote, get out there and get it done. We can win a big one this year.

There's so many issues these days to watchdog that it could easily become overwhelming. Poverty, health care, peak oil, global warming, the gutting of environmental protections, corporate corruption... ah Christ. It gives me a headache just thinking about it.Where the hell do we start? Well, we start with the election in November.

Anybody with at least two working brain cells can see that most, if not all, of these issues have their roots in a global corporate takeover. Most of our elected ofiicials, of either stripe, are more concerned with protecting corporate money, and their own positions, than with protecting anything else. Elections aren't so much about Democrats vs Republicans or liberals vs conservatives anymore as they are about the corporate elite vs the rest of us. Yeah, yeah, I know. Things are a lot more complicated than that. But the fact remains -- corporations dominate our planet and most politicians are more than happy to get on the gravy train. That's why it's so refreshing to see candidates like Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen step up to the plate. They represent hope and change. It's been a long time since I've seen candidates that excite me this much, and I've been voting since '72. I'll gladly get on the bandwagon for these two.

We all know where Burns and Rehberg and their cronies in BushCheneyInc stand. We can't afford this kind of regime any longer. The lies, the deceit, the corruption, the shady dealings of this administration are well known. Enough is enough. Denny Rehberg and Conrad Burns have shown us their true colors time after time. There should be no question in anybody's mind about what to do this November. There needs to be no debate about whether these two are fit to serve in Congress. They're not. We shouldn't even be considering them -- we should all be out in the streets demanding their heads.
I'm pjfinn and I approve this message.

Cheesehead-in-Chief

Maybe you caught the ABC and CBS news this evening. Some show, huh? George W.and Rush Limbaugh both on the same day. Boy! What a treat! At least I found out that Bush is the educator-in-chief. I would've never guessed if he hadn't told us. The first thing that popped into my head while watching these guys actually had to do with football. You know, over there in Wisconsin they love their Green Bay Packers. The fans call themselves cheeseheads, wear these wedges of cheese on their heads, get blind drunk every Sunday, and then spend the rest of the week recovering. Which is all OK if that's what you like to do. It occurred to me though while watching Bush and Limbaugh that these guys are really cheeseheads too. They just don't need to wear the stupid hats. They carry the cheese between their ears.

Deja Vu Yet Again

Haven't we heard all of this too many times before? An AP story today by Judith Kohler had this headline:

Agencies unveil plan to stem beetle infestation.

Yesterday Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth along with Agriculture Undersecretary Mark Rey and Interior Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett -- you know, the former industry lobbyists --flew over parts of the Colorado mountains checking out damage from bark beetles. After viewing the area they announced that BushCheneyInc. would unveil a plan to deal with the infestation later this week. They did give a few details today though. Guess what folks? It's the same plan they always have -- log off the infested areas. This one amounts to Healthy Forests Initiative II. It'll be just like HFI I except they'll move faster to expedite the cut. The plan is to "streamline" the process by handing out no-bid contracts, setting up enterprise zones so local business people can profit from the timber grab, and of course by denying public comment on the whole sorry mess. Can't have those pesky citizens screwing up a lucrative deal. Of course it's all being done to protect us from fires. Seems to me George and the boys just tried this one in the California redwoods and got shot down by the courts. How many times are we going to hear the same old song from these guys?

So are beetle infestations good or bad? I don't know, probably some of both. I'm not a forest entomologist. Jesse Logan in Utah is though. He's a research entomologist with the Forest Service and has done a ton of research on beetles. He's far more concerned about global warming than he is about bark beetles. He's been studying global warming for over a decade and is convinced it is the biggest factor in the spread of beetles. Look up the July 19, 2004 issue of High Country News and you'll find out more about his work. Of course we won't deal with global warming. Bad for business you know. In the meantime the timber industry will have their way with a few hundred thousand acres of our public lands if this plan ever gets off the ground.

I don't know, is it just me? It seems the Bush regimes only response to a given situation is to figure out the quickest way to fill industry's pockets with yet more obscene profits. Jeezus Christ...

Burns and Rehberg --Working For Montana?

Burns and Rehberg usually like to come home to Montana at election time and crow about how much they do for the people of this state. Conrad is busily at it again but Denny is keeping strangely quiet. But then voting against a minimum wage increase while at the same time enabling his corporate buddies to rake in record profits really isn't much to crow about. Not to mention his own pay raise. Minimum wage is still stalled at $5.15/hr -- a pittance --yet these honorable gents couldn't even see fit to raise it to a slightly larger pittance over the next few years. That's doing something for the people alright. You bet.

Here's some numbers that should give us all pause. The average CEO pay in this country is $8000/hr. No Denny, that's not a typo and you know it. That's $8000/hr. A minimum wage earner working full-time makes a little over $10000 a year. Let's see. A little simple math works it out to something like this. It takes a minimum wage worker working full time about six years to earn what the average CEO earns, or at least gets paid, in one day. One day! And you can guess which one has his or her health care and other basic benefits covered. Just let those numbers sink in for a while. Then ask yourself this. How bad are we going to let things get before we do something about it? Then watch how Burns and Rehberg grovel before these crooks.

Any honest person, whether conservative or liberal or any other persuasion, has to admit that this isn't right. Yet what's done about it? We here in Montana have choices to make this coming November. We can stick with Burns and Rehberg or we can vote for Tester and Lindeen. We know where Denny and Conrad will take us. We've already been there. We need to give Jon Tester and Monica Lindeen their tickets to DC. Montanans aren't fools. We know the right thing to do. Let's get it done.

Conrad Burns' Dam(n) Bill

It's easy to sit back and chortle and gloat when a guy like Conrad Burns continues to make a fool of himself in public every time he opens his mouth. It's great sport. It's easy too to concentrate on the upcoming election and on all the big stories we are bombarded with every day. One thing we need to remember though is that Conrad Burns is still a Senator, and he's still working. One thing these corporatists drool over is the idea of getting everything they possibly can into private hands. Conrad has introduced a bill -- S2633 -- that would give right of way into the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness here in Montana to the owners of irrigation dams. These dams have been maintained over the years in ways that are compatible with wilderness designation, but this bill would allow the building of several hundred miles of roads with 120 foot rights of way into the heart of some of the finest wilderness on this planet. Not only would it allow roads, but it would transfer ownership of these rights of way to the dam owners. They in turn could sell them to anyone they choose. You folks may be on top of this one, but it's still hanging out there and we need to get on the horn and stop it now.

There is a handy website out there, Library of Congress/Thomas, that can give you the full text of this crime. It is also full of information about what is happening in Congress, what your Senators and Reps are up to, and lists all the bills pending in the Senate and House. There's a ton of information there. I've put a handy little link next to this post that will get you there. Just click on and there you go.

Montana-- Is It The Birthplace of The New Democrats?

It's fun watching the Republicans self-destruct. They've gotten pretty good at it here in Montana. There's Chuck Denowh, the young director of the Montana Republican Party. He obviously graduated from the Rush Limbaugh Academy of Political Idiocy. You know the place -- it's where you learn to keep your mouth open and your mind closed. His past attacks on Judge Terry Treweiler and former Rep.Pat Williams, along with his recent remarks on local bloggers being paid pawns of the East Coast/West Cost liberal establishment are real howlers. Then there's Conrad Burns. He's in the news almost every week for some stupid remark about working women or firefighters or anything else that may pop into his head. He must have gone to the same school. Denny Rehberg is the only one who has the sense to keep his mouth shut. That's no big surprise. He knows Montana Dems never put up much of a challenge for our lone seat in the House. He probably figures to nap for a couple months and to wake up after the election with his job intact. It's worked so far. But hey. Wait a minute. I know -- let's send Monica Lindeen to Washington instead! Wouldn't it be fun to see the look on Denny's face if he had to go home?

The Democratic challenge to the Republican rule over the past couple of decades has been a disgrace. You can't even honestly call it a challenge. The Democrats seem to be willing to do anything to avoid being called liberal. They still call themselves the Democratic Party, but they are obviously too embarrassed and too gutless to stand up for what the party historically has stood for. Right now there is no Democratic Party. I've said it before, I'll say it again, and I'll keep saying it as long as it applies. Politics in this country are dominated by one corporatist party. The rabid fanatics call themselves Republicans. The meek and mild call themselves Democrats. Haven't we had enough?

It's critical right now to elect people who aren't merely going to call themselves Democrats. We need people representing us who will actually be Democrats. Or better yet New Democrats. Here in Montana we may just have the beginnings of such a movement. I've mentioned Monica Lindeen who is running against Dennis Rehberg for our House seat. We also have Jon Tester running against Conrad Burns in the Senate race. We need to give these fine folks a chance to show us what they're made of. We already know what the other guys will do. I'll be the first one to admit that we need to go beyond the traditional left/right arguments if we're to have a decent future. The challenges we're facing go far beyond the usual Democrat/Republican debate. We need some forward thinking. Third parties are always intriguing, but we need to work with the tools we have available now. That's the reality. We need a New Democratic Party, one that will proudly stand up for people, for our environment, and for the future. The alternative is the corporate tyranny that we face now. I'll proudly line up on the left for the time being and help to elect Lindeen and Tester. We all need to do that. Then we can push them in the right direction if need be. Not to the left, not to the right, but forward. Maybe those of us here in Montana can show the rest of the country the way.