Buy Less Gas as it Gets More Expensive!

by Rick Mitchell

My plan to Buy Less Gas as it Gets More Expensive is now in its 4th week, and it seems to be working well.

Today when I gassed up (at $2.63 per gallon), I bought 2.6 gallons less than I would have otherwise, and so I saved $6.84 by cutting off the gas pump before it turned itself off. More importantly, I got through the week OK with the 2.75 gallons less that I purchased last week. My wife and I shared trips several times where once we would have taken two cars. It takes a little more planning and patience, but we believe it is worth it to help conserve gas.

Last week it was 2.75 gallons less, and the week before that it was about 2.85 gallons less, so I do seem to be able to get by with less gasoline usage each week. And, so far, I have saved $22.50 -- in the first three weeks of this month. I expect it will to out at over $30 total saved for the month.

No great sum, but it's not exactly pennies either -- helps to keep me in lattes and even a beer or two with friends!

Please pass this email along to friends if you'd like to give my plan a try (with the help of your support group). It's easy. Whatever the price of gas per gallon (such as the present $2.63 in northern California where we live), simply buy 2.6 gallons less than you would with a fill-up. Since my tank holds 15 gallons, it is easy to calculate. Today i bought 2.6 gallons less than the full 15 gallons -- or about 12.4 gallons.

It gives me a little bit of pride to know I am doing my part, and i think the gas people definitely CAN tell when someone cuts off the pump in advance of the automatic cutoff. If every customer starts spending $6 or $8 less each week (or more if you have a bigger car), it WILL make a difference in how the big oil companies (and their highly-paid CEOs) look at the problem.

It makes it THEIR problem and not just OUR problem. Sound good??

Join me and thousands of others and send this email to your friends!

Rick Mitchell

"We're fed up with high gas prices and we're not gonna take it anymore."

A Radical in the White House

By Bob Herbert
The New York Times

Monday 18 April 2005

Last week - April 12, to be exact - was the 60th anniversary of the death of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. "I have a terrific headache," he said, before collapsing at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Ga. He died of a massive cerebral hemorrhage on the 83rd day of his fourth term as president. His hold on the nation was such that most Americans, stunned by the announcement of his death that spring afternoon, reacted as though they had lost a close relative.

That more wasn't made of this anniversary is not just a matter of time; it's a measure of the distance the U.S. has traveled from the egalitarian ideals championed by F.D.R. His goal was "to make a country in which no one is left out." That kind of thinking has long since been consigned to the political dumpster. We're now in the age of Bush, Cheney and DeLay, small men committed to the concentration of big bucks in the hands of the fortunate few.

To get a sense of just how radical Roosevelt was (compared with the politics of today), consider the State of the Union address he delivered from the White House on Jan. 11, 1944. He was already in declining health and, suffering from a cold, he gave the speech over the radio in the form of a fireside chat.

After talking about the war, which was still being fought on two fronts, the president offered what should have been recognized immediately for what it was, nothing less than a blueprint for the future of the United States. It was the clearest statement I've ever seen of the kind of nation the U.S. could have become in the years between the end of World War II and now. Roosevelt referred to his proposals in that speech as "a second Bill of Rights under which a new basis of security and prosperity can be established for all regardless of station, race or creed."

Among these rights, he said, are:

"The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation.

"The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation.

"The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return which will give him and his family a decent living.

"The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad.

"The right of every family to a decent home.

"The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health.

"The right to adequate protection from the economic fears of old age, sickness, accident and unemployment.

"The right to a good education."

I mentioned this a few days ago to an acquaintance who is 30 years old. She said, "Wow, I can't believe a president would say that."

Roosevelt's vision gave conservatives in both parties apoplexy in 1944 and it would still drive them crazy today. But the truth is that during the 1950's and 60's the nation made substantial progress toward his wonderfully admirable goals, before the momentum of liberal politics slowed with the war in Vietnam and the election in 1968 of Richard Nixon.

It wouldn't be long before Ronald Reagan was, as the historian Robert Dallek put it, attacking Medicare as "the advance wave of socialism" and Dick Cheney, from a seat in Congress, was giving the thumbs down to Head Start. Mr. Cheney says he has since seen the light on Head Start. But his real idea of a head start is to throw government money at people who already have more cash than they know what to do with. He's one of the leaders of the G.O.P. gang (the members should all wear masks) that has executed a wholesale transfer of wealth via tax cuts from working people to the very rich.

Roosevelt was far from a perfect president, but he gave hope and a sense of the possible to a nation in dire need. And he famously warned against giving in to fear.

The nation is now in the hands of leaders who are experts at exploiting fear, and indifferent to the needs and hopes, even the suffering, of ordinary people.

"The test of our progress," said Roosevelt, "is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little."

Sixty years after his death we should be raising a toast to F.D.R. and his progressive ideas. And we should take that opportunity to ask: How in the world did we allow ourselves to get from there to here?

[+] One of 1,550 U.S. troops killed (so far) in Iraq

Alain Kamolvathin

In 2003, shortly after the death of his father, Alain Kamolvathin made a promise to his little sister, Sidney. She was in the fifth grade then, suddenly an orphan, and Kamolvathin told her he'd earn the money to buy them a house. Someplace small, certainly, because the Army National Guard didn't pay all that much, but it would be a home for the two of them nonetheless.

In the meantime, she would live with a guardian in Blairstown. He was staying with relatives in Queens, scraping together what he could. In October, the National Guard brought him to Iraq, where Kamolvathin, a 21-year-old specialist, earned his paychecks in the dusty streets of Baghdad.

On Sunday, Jan. 16, 2005, his promise died with him. Kamolvathin, who grew up in Hardwick and Blairstown, NJ, was one of two soldiers killed when his Humvee rolled over and into a drainage trench in the Iraqi capital. The military men who arrived at the Queens home of his uncle early the next morning told the relatives Kamolvathin had drowned. Alain was the 40th service member with ties to New Jersey killed in Iraq since the war began.

"He loved his sister. I can't even explain in words how much he loved her," said a cousin, Frank Kamolvathin, of Forest Hills. "He was saving everything he had so he could buy the house for her. That's everything he was working toward."

Sidney Kamolvathin, 12, a seventh-grader at North Warren Junior High School, has uncles and aunts in New Jersey and Queens. She has the family friend, Marilyn Maring, who has cared for her for nearly two years.

But relatives became choked with emotion at the thought that she will no longer have her brother. "They were very close," said Nazarin Kamolvathin, the siblings' uncle. "It's difficult to take." Family members and friends described Kamolvathin as a quiet man, defined mostly by his love of family, computer games and the martial arts. "He was respected. He was mature. And he was very much loved," said Maring, Sidney's guardian. "He will be very much missed."

For the siblings, it had been a hard five years. Their mother, Marie, a pharmacist educated in France, died of cancer in 2000, relatives said. She was 46. Three years later, a heart attack claimed their father, Chokchai, a native of Thailand, at the age of 50. A graduate of North Warren Regional High School, Kamolvathin was already serving in the New Jersey National Guard at the time.

It was something his father had wanted. Chokchai, who went by the name Ibu, told his son the Army would provide him with training and an education, help him to become someone of whom he could be proud, Nazarin Kamolvathin said. "He joined really to fulfill his father's wish," the uncle said.

Kamolvathin moved in with his uncle after his father's death, at the same time transferring to the New York National Guard, where he served as a scout for the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment. Sidney was to remain in Blairstown with Maring. "Both sides of the family decided we didn't want to uproot her," Nazarin Kamolvathin said. "She was comfortable there. She liked the school system and the teachers. We didn't want to traumatize her any more than she had been already."

Kamolvathin spoke often of a reunion, repeating to his relatives he was making progress toward buying a house for he and his sister to share. Then came the call to head into Iraq. In daily e-mail exchanges with Nazarin Kamolvathin's son, Harris, the soldier spoke of the weather in Iraq and of his friends in the Army. He didn't say what he was doing on a daily basis.

"He wasn't allowed to talk in detail about the kinds of things he did over there," Harris Kamolvathin said. "Just, 'How are you feeling? How's the family?' Things like that." Harris Kamolvathin remembered his cousin as a fireplug of a man, short and barrel-chested, who liked to re-enact the moves he saw in martial arts films and in videos of tough-man competitions.

"He would demonstrate his moves on me," Harris Kamolvathin said, laughing, none the worse for wear. Recently, Kamolvathin e-mailed his cousin a photo of himself from Iraq, chin up in a classic tough-guy stance.

Relatives said he also spoke often by phone with his sister. Just after New Year's Day, Sidney Kamolvathin proudly announced to her friends that her brother had been awarded a Purple Heart, said Lyndsey Myers, 12, a classmate who plays with Sidney on the junior high school's field hockey team.

Family members said Kamolvathin was recommended for the award after suffering minor injuries when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb in Baghdad. Kamolvathin planned to leave the National Guard after his current commitment was up, his family said. He'd stay close by his sister, they said, find work that provided him with decent hours and that allowed him to be more of a caretaker.

"He was a beautiful person," Nazarin Kamolvathin said. "He wanted to take care of his sister, and I really supported that. I told Alain and Sidney that I wanted them to be together. I told them that their mother and father would have wanted them to be together."

Comments posted by friends and family:
[Alain was killed on Jan. 16, 2005, and the following tributes and remembrances were posted by friends and family shortly thereafter. His story is but one of the 1,550 U.S. troopswho have died so far in Iraq. -- Editor]

Alain Kamolvathin
Authored by: Anonymous on Friday, January 21 2005 @ 04:12 PM EST
RIP Alain Im going to miss you Soo much! I will never forget the good times! Thank you for being my best friend.

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, January 22 2005 @ 11:22 PM EST "Blessed are the mournful for they shall be comforted." My sympathy goes out to his family and friends... Alain will truly be missed.. I'm grateful God chose to cross our paths if even for a short while.. Much Love to our fallen soldier.. our fallen angel.. Alain

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, January 29 2005 @ 11:20 AM EST I still can't believe you're gone. Even after your funeral yesterday, I'm in shock. It was so hard. You have no idea. I couldn't stand to see those men hand sidney a folded flag, she's 12. It hurt so bad. Whatever happens I will always remember you, and how honorable you were. I'll certainly be thinking of you when I graduate from Basic next year. I made a promise when we talked, and I'm not going back on it. RIP Alain Kamolvathin 1-16-05

Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, January 31 2005 @ 08:09 AM EST Alain, I hope you can read this or hear my prayers. You are in my heart till we meet again. I still can remember all the days we hung out, you are my brother, my best friend and cousin, and I miss you so much. The thing you never knew, is that I looked up to you, your dedication, loyalty, "fearlessness" and faith gave me new respect for life. I thank you for being in my life, you saved me plenty of times, though I let you down. I was supposed to protect you and I failed. I love you, I miss you, I wish you were here. Alain, be safe, and don't cause too much trouble up there!! Be good.

Authored by: Anonymous on Monday, February 14 2005 @ 05:56 PM EST [no written words]

Authored by: Anonymous on Thursday, February 17 2005 @ 03:36 PM EST Words cant express how much you will be missed here on earth. It's hard to admit to myself that ur no longer around, but I know now ur safe. It hurts more than ever that the first funeral I had to attend was urs, the same person who saved me from taking my life. I'll always love you and u'll always be my best friend. I can't wait to be with you again, we have some unfinished business.

Authored by: Anonymous on Saturday, February 26 2005 @ 08:55 PM EST Alain i love you and miss ur so much. I cannot understand why a person as wonderful as you had to be taken from us. I love you and i know we will be together someday i just wish we could have in this life. I miss you sweetheart and i love you. I will never forget you! love ya Erin

April 15th: You're Getting Screwed, by Molly Ivins

April 15th: You're Getting Screwed

By Molly Ivins, AlterNet. Posted April 14, 2005.

[Thanks to Marshall King for forwarding.]

As more and more rich people cheat on their taxes, the IRS is increasingly unable to go after them because it is so poorly funded. For all this, we can thank the Republican Party.

Happy tax day, fellow citizens!

My favorite authority on taxes is David Cay Johnston of The New York Times, who won a Pulitzer for reporting on the terminally unsexy topic of taxes. His book Perfectly Legal -- The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super-Rich -- and Cheat Everyone Else is the single best work on public policy of recent years, I think.

Johnston reports: "Through explicit policies, as well as tax laws never reported in the news, Congress now literally takes money from those making $30,000 to $500,000 per year and funnels it in subtle ways to the super-rich -- the top one-one hundredth of one percent of Americans.

"People making $60,000 paid a larger share of their 2001 income in federal income, Social Security and Medicare taxes than a family making $25 million, the latest Internal Revenue Service data show. And in income taxes alone, people making $400,000 paid a larger share of their incomes than the 7,000 households who made $10 million or more."

The rest of us are subsidizing not only the super-rich, but also corporations. Fifty years ago, corporations paid 60 percent of all federal taxes. But by 2003, that was down to 16 percent. So individual taxpayers have to make up the difference, as corporate profits soar and wages fall.

As more and more rich people cheat on their taxes, the IRS is increasingly unable to go after them because it is so poorly funded.

For all this, we can thank the Republican Party.

Every year at this time, conservatives moan and groan and tell us how terribly, terribly overburdened we are by taxes. We wouldn't be overburdened if the tax code hadn't been rewritten by Republicans, and if Republicans hadn't weakened the IRS so much it can barely function. Damn right, this is a partisan effort. And damn right, I'm bitter about it. We don't need to raise taxes in this country, we need to collect them. We need tax cuts that don't favor the obscenely rich. You are getting screwed.

OK, now that I've gotten that rant off my chest, back to how it's done. Johnston: "One 1985 law, promoted in the Senate as relieving middle class Americans, gave a huge tax break to corporate executives who make personal use of company jets. CEOs may now fly to vacations or Saturday golf outings in luxury for a penny a mile. Congress shifted the real cost of about $6 per mile to shareholders, who pay two-thirds, and to taxpayers, who suffer the cost lost as a result of reduced corporate income taxes.

"Since 1988, Congress has also cut in half the Internal Revenue Service's capacity to enforce tax laws, replacing it with extra effort to reduce audits of corporations and the rich.

"On March 30, Congress was told that 78 percent of known tax cheats in investment partnerships are not even asked to pay because there are not enough tax collectors to go after them."

The IRS oversight board asked for money to go after these cheaters, but both Congress and President Bush refused. The IRS's computer system was installed when John Kennedy was president.

The Senate budget currently under consideration includes $129 billion in new tax breaks for millionaires and a $2.8 billion cut in farm and nutrition programs (i.e., food stamps). Which do you think is more important? The House has already passed a budget that cuts at least $15 billion for Medicaid and $5.3 billion from food stamps.

I have long held that W. Bush does not believe changing government policies can actually wreck people's lives -- he thinks it's a game, and the Democrats are just the other team. But if you believe the shift in the tax burden in this country -- and the consequent separation of a tiny, ever-richer minority from the rest of us -- doesn't have real effects, you're blind.

When you cut housing subsidies, you get more homeless people. When you cut food stamps, you get more hungry people. In 2002, at least 25.5 million people went to soup kitchens and food pantries. In 2003, 1.1 million more joined the lines. As unemployment and other government programs run out, even more will be standing on line. Last year, America got a pay cut. Wages for the average worker fell, after adjusting for inflation -- the first such drop in 10 years. That means the standard of living for most Americans is in decline.

The country becomes less and less fair, and equality of opportunity grows farther away ever day. Again, I don't think Republicans are doing this because they are mean, but because they have convinced themselves that people shouldn't be "dependent" on government, that it's bad for their moral fiber. Only corporations and the super-rich should get welfare and subsidies.

As economist John Kenneth Galbraith put it, "The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness."

Molly Ivins is a best-selling author and columnist who writes about politics, Texas and other bizarre happenings.

John Paul II -- the Anti-War Pope

by John Nichols

[Much has been said about George W. Bush's presence at the funeral of John Paul II -- the first time a sitting President has attended such an event. However, this unprecedented display of support for memorializing the pope and his life should not be allowed to obscure the fact that he was staunchly opposed to the current war in Iraq and even called world leaders together to urge that they "give peace a chance." He expressed profound disappointment that President Bush proceeded with plans for the invasion of Iraq. This article concludes with the following:"Those who are honoring the Pope's memory this week frequently refer to him as a man of peace. They would do well to recall that this is more than just a phrase. While the Pope was not a pacifist, he was an ardent foe of unjust and unwise wars. And his opposition to the war in Iraq - and to all forms of preemptive war - is at the very heart of the legacy he has left with regard to international relations." ]

Date: Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:27:12 -0700

FOCUS The Anti-War Pope
http://www.truthout.org/ docs_2005/040805Z.shtml
By John Nichols, The Nation/Editorial

Thursday 07 April 2005

Expect to see a lot of George W. Bush over the next day or so, as he attends the funeral of Pope John Paul II. The White House is going out of its way to hype the fact that Bush is the first U.S. president ever to attend the funeral of a pope. And don't be so naive as to think that White House political czar Karl Rove and his minions - all of whom are deeply concerned about the president's declining poll numbers - have failed to calculate the political advantage that might be gained by associating the president with a pontiff whose passing has drawn unprecedented attention in the U.S. and around the world.

As Bush and other global leaders pay their final respects to John Paul II on Friday, however, it is important to remember that the Catholic pontiff was not a fan of this American president's warmaking.
John Paul II was an early, consistent, passionate and always outspoken critic of the president's scheming to invade Iraq. The Pope went so far as to meet with world leaders who were close to Bush, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, in a high-profile attempt to prevent the war. Finally, the Pope sent a special envoy to Washington - Cardinal Pio Laghi, who has long been close to the Bush family - to try and derail the administration's rush to war.

When the war began, aides said that the Pope was "very disappointed and very sad" that Bush had ignored appeals to give peace a chance.

The Pope remained a critic of U.S. actions in Iraq, especially after it was revealed in May, 2004, Iraqi prisoners had been abused by US soldiers at the Abu Ghraib prison.

"From all continents come endless, disturbing information about the human rights situation, revealing that men, women and children are being tortured and their dignity being made a mockery of.... It is all of humanity which has been wounded and ridiculed," John Paul II said.

Those who are honoring the Pope's memory this week frequently refer to him as a man of peace. They would do well to recall that this is more than just a phrase. While the Pope was not a pacifist, he was an ardent foe of unjust and unwise wars. And his opposition to the war in Iraq - and to all forms of preemptive war - is at the very heart of the legacy he has left with regard to international relations.

[+] C. S. Lewis "speaks" anew on religion in politics today

by revscat

Wormwood to Screwtape [written in the literary style of C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), one of the intellectual giants of the twentieth century, author of The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Great Divorce, and arguably the most influential Christian writer of his day, according to http://cslewis.com.]
Mon Nov 15th, 2004 at 02:42:20 AM EST

It is with the greatest pleasure that I write to you today. Our successes of late have been many and profound, and your advice has helped further our cause immensely. As Our Father Below requested, I have compiled a list of our recent successes and victories. It is difficult to express in words how excited I am at our prospects.

1. We have convinced the Christians in the most militarily powerful nation on the planet to support our causes. The greatest success of this venture has been in convincing the leadership that they are in fact doing the Enemy's work, not ours. Without their energetic support we never would have achieved so much.

2. Support for war among the Christians is at an all time high. It tickles me to no end to write that sentence. Christians, supporting war! It was not too long ago that such an utterance would have been unthinkable. We have quietly convinced them that they are, in truth, warring against the Muslims of the world, and that their very existence is dependant upon such support. Our agents amongst the Muslims have already achieved great successes, and now the lessons we learned with those people are paying off with similar success in our efforts against Christians.

3. Support for torture among Christians is now a reality! My dear Uncle, despite our occasional differences I must say that your advice on how best to achieve this was absolutely indispensable. We have successfully played upon their xenophobia, although we would not have been so subtle in our justifications had it not been for your excellent guidance.

4. The most egregious lies are now supported and even encouraged amongst and by the Christians. We have managed to show them how the lessons learned from marketing and selective editing can twist the truth to their own cause, and they have most willingly taken it up as their own. Since for them the end justifies the means, there is no lie they will not willingly tell themselves or others. They even think themselves clever whenever they successfully lie in such a manner, and take pride in it.

They take pride in their lies! Ecstasy, dear uncle!

5. Our extensive communication networks have convinced the Christians that the only morality of any value is hatred (rarely called that, of course; they find the word distasteful) towards both homosexuals and liberals. The abandonment of disinterested love has allowed gains in other areas, specifically the support of war, murder, torture, and other acts which bring us such joy. All other morality has taken a backseat. They still speak with great vigor about worshipping the Enemy, but this of course concerns us little. Their actions are what are important to us.

6. Finally, and perhaps our greatest success: we have brought into being an apocalyptic mythology which has completely distracted them from the realities immediately before them. Our precious fool LaHaye has seen untold success in the market, and has brought many under our fold. His followers have been so blinded by fear, hate, and shallow scholarship of the hated Book that mere contemplation of the notion that our Greatest Agent now occupies the White House is deeply taboo. (You can be sure that we are quick to mock, vilify, and suppress any who even suggest the truth!)

In short, dear uncle, Our Father Below is right to be pleased with our progress. We have turned the Enemy's own people against him, and done so while simultaneously fooling them into believing they are doing His work. A more masterful stroke has never before been accomplished, and they are further than ever from the clutches of our Enemy. Fear is a wonderful tool.

Your affectionate nephew,
Wormwood

[The author, revscat, is associated with the Unitarian Universalist website for drug policy reform, http://www.uudpr.org/, and is a frequent contributor to Kuro5hin (http://www.kuro5hin.org/ , "a collaborative site about technology and culture ... a community of people who like to think ... a site for people who want to discuss the world they live in...") and Philocrites (http://www.philocrites.com/, ("commentary on liberal religion and politics").]

"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny sincerely exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive." -- C.S. Lewis

Take a stand against DICTATORIAL power - special message of URGENT importance! (Please read and respond)

This is a very important message regarding the attempt of the radical Republican majority leaders (Cheney, Frist, Delay and others) in Congress to achieve dictatorial powers to control all the branches of our government with an iron fist.

THIS WOULD BE A U.S. GOVERNMENT 'COUP' OF UNPRECEDENTED SIGNIFICANCE.

Following the 51 to 49% outcome of the 2004 election and their majorities in theHouse and Senate, the Republicans have taken an aggressive stance that seeks to interpret this rather modest plurality as a "mandate," and they are now seeking to exploit the opportunity to take complete control of all governmental functions at the federal level.

THIS MAY WELL LEAD TO VIRTUAL DICTATORSHIP BY REPUBLICANS WITHIN A YEAR.

Since several of the present Supreme Court justices are in their seventies or eighties, radical Republicans see a chance to 'pack' the court with ultra-conservative lawyers considered more likely to support corporate interests and rightwing ideological causes. Chief Justice Rehnquist, who is 80 (and will be 81 in October) is in quite poor health. Justice Stevens is even older (he will be 85 next month), and Justice Sandra Day O'Connor is now 75. Justices Scalia (the reputed 'heir apparent' to the Chief Justice position) and Justice Kennedy are 69 and 68 respectively.

I BELIEVE WE HAVE ARRIVED AT A 'RED ALERT' SITUATION WITH THIS THREAT OF THE TOTAL TAKE OVER OF OUR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT BY THIS RADICAL GROUP.

Here is my personal challenge to you, my friends. I know many of you are also concerned. I also know that some may feel I am being alarmist or 'over-reacting' to this threatened takeover.

Therefore, I am asking you to consider carefully this impending situation after listening to what you hear from others and then write to other friends --stating your own concern -- in whatever terms you feel appropriate.

However, please accept my challenge to DO SOMETHING NOW -- this vote is expected to occur within one month, perhaps sooner, as it appears that it is being planned as a 'sneak' attack. TO SIMPLY DO NOTHING IS NOT A DEFENSIBLE OPTION IF YOU VALUE YOUR LIBERTY AND FREEDOM AS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN.

Jokes have been made and eyebrows have been raised about Bush bringing a Fourth Reich to America. Well, the time for joking and skepticism is past. Call it what you will, the intentional junking of 200 years of Senate tradition and protocol in order to impose by brute force a regime of dictatorial and essentially totalitarian rule by one party dedicated to religious, ideological,or racial/cultural conformity is as dangerous a philosophy as we have ever seen in this country.

Please respond by writing your concerns to those you know, believe in, and care about... This country is still ours to lose, folks.

Passionately, on Good Friday, 2005,
Rick Mitchell, "Revrickm"

[Original message: from "Ben Brandzel, MoveOn PAC": Date: Fri, 25 Mar 2005, Subject: "Stand up against absolute power" - reproduced in part below.]

Radical Republicans are reaching for absolute power to appoint Supreme Court justices who favor corporate and extreme-right interests over the rest of us--and we only have a few weeks to stop them. Their plan is to throw out 200 years of checks and balances in the Senate, by silencing the minority party for the first time in American history. It's a maneuver so outrageous that even Republicans call it the "nuclear option." It will take 51 senators to defeat them, and the vote is probably less than a month away. The Republican leadership is working overtime to keep their plan out of sight, because they know most Americans oppose their bid for absolute power. To fight back, we need to expose them on the nation's editorial pages, and demand that our senators stand up against one party rule. The next week is critical. All our senators will be home and paying close attention to the local press. Moderate Republican andDemocratic senators will be looking this week to see where their constituents stand -- and letters to the editor are one of the most powerful ways to show them that we are ready to fight.