Daily Archives: April 6, 2008

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Another thought on MLK

I wanted to follow up on MLK’s assassination. I know Dave touched briefly on it, but as I was listening to NPR today, I heard this report about Nina Simone’s performance a few days later.  Forturnately, somebody put the song up on YouTube a while ago, so we can all hear the song. The performance where this was recorded was just a few days after King’s death, and the emotion is visibly raw.

Simone was one of the most talented singers of her age, and the musical talent comes through in the song that she learned in a day. But what comes through more clearly is how personal and powerful this moment was for her.

We are headed for the brink

What’s going to happen?

Now that the King of Love is Dead?

King struggled with many of the same issues that we deal with today. He was publicly anti-war when it was hugely unpopular. And to this day we still fight with inequalities in American society. The struggle for equality is not a fight that has an end. It is still far from clear what is going to happen now that the King of Love is dead.  

Los Angeles Area

I am endorsing the Responsible Plan

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(Excellent news to hear all of these CA Congressional Candidates lining up behind the Responsible Plan. – promoted by Brian Leubitz)

As a responsible citizen and congressional candidate I have decided to endorse the Responsible Plan to end the occupation of Iraq. This plan encompasses more than withdrawal from Iraq: it addresses other imperative issues that have arisen as a result of our invasion. Iraq is one of the worst foreign policy debacles in the history of our nation and has resulted in far more devastating consequences beyond Iraq.  The Responsible Plan is a responsible course of action with steps to be taken that we as a nation must embrace in order to ensure that when we leave Iraq we restore more than Iraq.

Many of our troops may have avoided death in Samarra, but the only way we can avoid future deaths is withdraw and then follow a course that will avoid steering us down the same path that led us to pre-emptive war.  We begin to reverse the terrible fate we have inflicted on the Iraqi people, our military, and our standing in the world by leaving Iraq, instituting diplomacy, and instilling humanitarian aid for Iraqi civilians and refugees.

Our mission to accomplish is to urge our Congress to sign on to the Responsible Plan to end the occupation, replace our troops with diplomats, restore Habeas Corpus and work to restore our 4th Estate, the media, to the independent watchdog it needs to be.

I therefore heartily endorse the Responsible Plan and look forward to joining forces with other candidates who have embraced and endorsed this plan.  

Arnold Schwarzenegger, Budget

The Enigma that is Arnold Schwarzenegger

A few months ago, Arnold Schwarzenegger unleashed his “cuts only” budget onto an unsurprised Sacramento. He said all the right things for a Republican: “we have a spending problem, not a revenue problem” yada, yada.  But, underneath it all, many observers thought that the budget was some sort of ploy to get Republicans to actually put everything on the table.  The logic went that the Republicans needed to know that it wouldn’t be cuts on the Democratic-favored programs. It would mean closing schools in their districts, axing future water projects, etc.

If the Democrats are going to put their sacred cow on the table, education, at least the Republicans should do the same with their sacred taxation cow. But the Republicans in the legislature were slow to get the message, so Arnold is being a little more direct these days.

“I said and I made it very clear that everything is on the table,” Schwarzenegger said.

***

Since then, the governor has struck a more compromising tone, suggesting that ideas such as closing tax loopholes or applying the sales tax to services currently not subjected to it – such as, say, haircuts and legal advice – should be on the table.

The governor’s recent rhetoric is a stark departure from his more absolutist stance on taxes – an issue that has defined him politically possibly more than any other – during both of his campaigns. (OakTrib 4/6/08)

But still being vague I suppose.  Put simply, if the Republicans think that we can do a cuts only budget, let’s see it.  And let’s see what the people of California think.  Because right now, the overwhelming majority (70-30) of Californians think that a cuts only budget just won’t work. Arnold’s beginning to come around, now let’s see about those obstinate GOP legislators.

California, Coachella Valley

Democrats of the Desert Awards Banquet: Sonja Marchand and Rosalie Zwain Honored

XPosted 4/6/2008 10:15 AM PDT on MyDesert.com

Yesterday, Democrats of the Desert had its annual awards banquet to honor Life-Time Achievement Awardee Sonja Marchand and Activist of the Year Rosalie Zwain at the Rancho Las Palmas Resort in Rancho Mirage.  Speakers included Stephanie Miller and Jim Ward, “Stars of Progressive Talk Radio” at AirAmerica.

Democratic officeholders in attendance included Greg Pettis, Mayor Pro-tem of Cathedral City and Candidate for the 80th Assembly District, Paul Marchand, Cathedral City City Councilman, Pat Hammers, Cathedral City Clerk, Ron Oden, former-Mayor of Palm Springs, Rick Hutcheson, Palm Springs City Council, Shari Stewart, Board President, and Justin Blake Board Member of the Palm Springs Unified School District, and Rob Simmons, Palm Springs Airport Commission.

Attending Democratic candidates included Julie Bornstein, Candidate for the 45th Congressional District, Pettis, Candidate for the CA 80th Assembly District, Rick Gonzalez, Candidate for the CA 80th Assembly District, Paul Marchand, Candidate for Mayor of Cathedral City, Greg Rodriguez, Candidate for the Board of the Palm Springs Unified School District, and Kira Klatchko, former-candidate for the Palm Springs Unified School District.  Amalia Deaztlan, campaign manager for the Victor Manuel Perez for the 80th Assembly, also attended.  

Union activists in attendance that I recognized included Chuck McDaniel, IBEW Local 440, Juan Carlos Sanchez, SEIU-United Healthcare Workers West, and others.

Many Coachella Valley Democratic Party activists were also in attendance, including Elle Kurpiewski, Chair, Beth Caskie, Vice President Programs and reknowned blogger, and Carole Sumner Krechman, Vice President & Chair Fund Raising, Chris Escobedo, Vice President – Political Action, each of the Democrats of the Desert, Chuck McDaniel, Co-Chair of the Desert Hot Springs Democrats, George Zander, Chair and blogger, Bob Silverman, Treasurer, James Reynolds, Esq., Secretary of the Desert Stonewall Democrats, Desert Stonewall Democrats Steering Committee members Donald W. Grimm, Ph.D., Richard Oberhaus, and Simmons, Sandy Eldridge and David Pye, Co-Chairs of the Palm Springs Democratic Club, and Jackie Atwood, President, Betty McMillan, 1st Vice President, Robert Atwood, Treasurer, each of the Pass Democratic Club.

Sonja Marchand was accompanied by her husband, Robert, and her son, Paul.  She rendered a stirring speech about Democratic activism, the failures of the Bush Administration over the past seven years including the ‘massive mess in Mesopotamia,’ and the need for Democratic Party unity this coming November (sorry for mangling the alliteration, but that was what I could recall early this a.m.).

Of local mydesert.com readership interest, it seems that the identity of the people behind the Pettis files will soon be known.  The blogger and/or his financial backing had taken out advertisements in the media which require campaign finance reporting.  As a result, the identities should be known shortly.  The noose tightens and scandal is abrewing!