(cross-posted on Daily Kos)

This morning I opened my email and found a tirade by a friend currently serving in Iraq about Blackwater killing all of those civilians and the U.S. Army having to go in and stop them.  First of all, I was relieved to see that he was alive, as I am any time I get an email from him.  Then I was incensed by what he wrote.  I asked if he would be willing to share what he has seen of Blackwater on the ground in Baghdad.  Here is his statement, as a Army Captain, West Point graduate and a Combat Patrol Leader in Baghdad.

My impression of Blackwater after having served 10 months of my tour in Baghdad is that they are trigger happy, unrestrained by our army’s rules of engagement, a danger to Iraqi civilians and coalition forces alike, behave as if they are above the law, are viewed as indescriminate killers by the population, and have no business operating in a combat theater.  The consensus among my peers is they are a liability, not an asset.  Our government’s money would be better spent on increasing the size of our regular army than on hiring thrill-seeking cowboys loyal only to a paycheck.

He is right.  We have the best military in the world.  Our proud men and women are more than capable at protecting our embassy staff and fulfilling other security roles.  There is no reason for Blackwater to be in Iraq in the first place.

Many of us feel like there is little we can do about Blackwater.  it appears that Blackwater is under no jurisdiction: not Iraqi law, not U.S. law, not international law.  The Iraqi government may not even be able to prosecute Blackwater’s mercenaries, since a law issued by the U.S. occupation before the Iraqis were given their sovereignty in 2004 gives all American contractors immunity from Iraqi prosecution.

But you know what?  There is something we can do right now to stand up to Blackwater and we need your help.

Blackwater has a 7,000 acre training facility in North Carolina. It also has a large facility outside of Chicago. But that is not enough: Blackwater is now trying to open an 824-acre facility in east San Diego County that will have as many as 700 people present at any given time. The obvious goal? Blackwater wants to guard the California border with Mexico.

Imagine the headlines when they gun down unarmed civilians on the border. Or when they “show up” for an emergency like an earthquake in Los Angeles or San Francisco armed to the teeth — as they did in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina — and offer their services? Will they go away quietly? Will we have to call in our own National Guard to get them to leave, just as happened in Iraq?

Join thousands of activists and Courage Campaign in helping stop, as Rick Jacobs says in the KNBC clip, “the creation of a mafia-like organization”.  This nation can no longer afford to support mercenaries on our soil or off. We certainly cannot allow Blackwater to open a base in California.

Now that the Iraqi government is attempting to ban Blackwater USA, will Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Barbara Boxer move to ban Blackwater West from California?

Sign the petition and tell Senators Boxer and Feinstein and Governor Schwarzenegger to stop Blackwater.

Courage Campaign just sent out an email to all members urging that they sign the petition.  Will you join them?  We already have 4,000 names on it.  Add yours.

Special thanks to Brave New Films for grabbing that video and putting it up.

(Good to see our electeds jump aboard in fighting this dirty trick. – promoted by David Dayen)

This is one straight out of Karl Rove’s political playbook. A group of Republican political operatives and their powerful special interests have hatched a desperate scheme to rig California’s electoral process to their advantage. They’re proposing a statewide ballot initiative to change how California casts its electoral votes for President. They’ve cleverly labeled it the “Presidential Election Reform Act,” which would sound credible if it weren’t so cynical.

But make no mistake, this wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing has nothing to do with reform or protecting voters’ interests or preserving the integrity of our Constitution. It’s an audacious power grab by the GOP as it spirals into irrelevance leading up to the 2008 Presidential race.

The Republican Party is in complete disarray. Wracked by scandal and corruption, the GOP has apparently concluded that it has little chance of appealing to voters on the merits. President Bush’s poll numbers are melting faster than an Alaskan glacier and a recent nationwide poll showed that two-thirds of young voters surveyed believe that Democrats do a better job than Republicans of representing their interests.

Add to that reports of the state Republican Party’s serious financial woes and the resignation in June of its embattled chief operating officer and it’s easy to see why state GOP leaders figured it was time for a little election reform.

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that some of the same Republican forces behind this bogus reform effort were responsible for the despicable Swift Boat ads attacking Presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Bob Perry, who contributed $4.5 million for the Swift Boat ads, is so far bankrolling the GOP electoral reform initiative to the tune of $50,000. 

There’s no question that our nation deserves a meaningful discussion about improving the way in which we elect our chief executive officer. The 2000 Presidential election showed us that our current system is far from perfect. But that’s not what this is about and it’s not what the GOP has in mind.

No, this Karl Rovian scheme is a slick GOP effort to steal as many as 24 of California’s 55 electoral votes and deliver them to their party’s 2008 Presidential nominee. Under our current system, whatever candidate wins the majority vote in California gets all of the state’s electoral votes. Republicans, out-of-step with California’s progressive values and unwilling to change their message, haven’t had much success.

Although I am running for on the same ballot, I will be joining the “all hands on deck” effort to stop this dirty trick and I urge you to join me. Here’s how you can help:

1.  The California Democratic Party has set up an effort dubbed “Fraud Busters” to track how the GOP is waging their battle. This is a big state, but with your help Democrats can have eyes and ears on the ground state-wide: www.cadem.org/fraudbusters 

2.  California bloggers have partnered with the Courage Campaign to run a nation-wide online campaign against the initiative. No matter where your friends and family live, they can get involved in this effort: www.NoDirtyTricks.com

With all of the serious issues we are facing in this state, from health care to education to our crumbling infrastructure, is this really the issue that Republican leaders believe California should be focusing on? More likely, it’s the one that fits their national agenda for keeping us in Iraq indefinitely, ignoring global warming and
giving tax breaks to the rich while burdening future generations with unprecedented debt.

The apparent strategy of the GOP operatives who are advancing this initiative further reveals their sinister and cynical intent. They are looking to place it on the June 2008 ballot and exploit low voter turnout to sneak it through. Beating back this GOP power grab will take an aggressive education effort. As a recent New York Times editorial concluded, “If voters understand that the initiative is essentially an elaborate dirty trick posing as reform, they are likely to vote against it.

Let’s make that happen!

Arnold has had plenty of opportunities to read the dirty tricks initiative.  After all, I did drop off 2,148 copies of it last friday.  And we did fax him to make sure he acknowledged receiving them.  When Arnold repeated again yesterday that he hadn’t read it, it created the perfect opportunity to make this video. Matt Ortega and I stayed up late working on last night.

Take action.  Tell Arnold to Lead AND Read.

And if you want to reward good production hit the ActBlue.  And I am still looking for the last $180 or so on paying off the Kinkos bill.

The Courage Campaign email is below the fold.

Dear Julia,

Sometimes art imitates life. Or, in the case of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, “The Simpsons” lampoons his “leadership.”

Take just one minute to watch this funny YouTube clip right now. You’ll see how incredibly prescient the new “Simpsons” movie is about Arnold’s, er, “philosophy.”

And, with only one day left to pressure Arnold before the California Republican Party convention this weekend, you’ll be able to tell him what you think about it as well:

http://www.courageca…

Last Friday, Courage Campaigner and blogger Julia Rosen delivered your 2,148 copies of the so-called “Presidential Election Reform Act” to Arnold’s Sacramento office. We asked you to flood his office with copies of this dangerous initiative and you delivered. It appears that your action helped to educate Arnold about what the New York Times is calling an “elaborate dirty trick” to steal 20 electoral votes from California for the Republican presidential nominee.

What does Arnold think about this destructive initiative? You might be surprised by what he said yesterday:

  “I feel like if you, all the sudden in the middle of the game, start changing the rules it’s kind of odd, it almost feels like a loser’s mentality, saying I cannot win with those rules, so let me change the rules… I have not made up my mind yet in one way or the other, because I haven’t seen the details on it.”

“A loser’s mentality.” You said it, Arnold.

You can tell Arnold what you think about his characterization of the dirty tricksters after watching his YouTube cameo in “The Simpsons” movie:

http://www.courageca…

Funny thing is, Arnold will be joining many of those “losers” tomorrow at the California Republican Party convention. And what are his Republican cronies doing to prevent this cynical ploy to change the rules, lock down the White House, and keep us in Iraq for another four years?

Planning to enthusiastically endorse it, of course.

  Ron Nehring, the chair of the California Republican Party, called a potential endorsement a “significant step” and that the party could provide money or help gather signatures to qualify the measure […]. The move for the California GOP to back the initiative before it has even qualified – or even reported a campaign contribution – was driven, in part by “the hyperventilating on the part of the Democrats.”

  “Cynical ploy orchestrated by the blah blah blah,” said Nehring. “The vitriol and overreaction from the Democrats caught a lot of people’s attention from the party.”

“Blah blah blah.” You said it, Ron. Sounds like a “loser mentality,” if you ask me.

Needless to say, Arnold Schwarzenegger is probably the only person in the world who can kill this radical right-wing coup in its cradle right now. If he wanted to, he could terminate it at this weekend’s Republican convention. Unfortunately, as the future of our country and the world hangs in the balance, Arnold is playing dumb while sitting on 2,148 copies of the initiatives you sent him to read.

Time is running out to kill this dirty trick dead. Please take just one minute to watch the YouTube video and tell Arnold right now that he needs to read and lead NOW:

http://www.courageca…

While Arnold dithers and dallies, our movement to defeat the dirty tricksters is growing stronger by the day. Nearly 10,000 Courage Campaign members have pledged their strong opposition to this radical right-wing power grab, including Sherry Lansing (former CEO, Paramount Pictures), Sal Rosselli (President, SEIU-UHW), Bradley Whitford (“The West Wing”), Arianna Huffington (“The Huffington Post”), Assembly Majority Leader Karen Bass, and L.A. City Council President Eric Garcetti.

Now that Arnold has plenty of copies of the initiative – a document that only takes about five minutes to review – we need you to push him hard to “read or lead” right now.

No more dirty tricks. No more partisan power-grabs.

Not in California. Not in America.

http://www.courageca…

Thank you for everything you are doing to support our people-powered campaign for change.

Rick Jacobs
Chair
Courage Campaign

P.S. You are absolutely amazing! On Labor Day, we asked you to help us defeat this dirty trick by contributing “20 for 20” — $20 dollars to save 20 electoral college votes – and building our netroots infrastructure by using ActBlue to process your small-dollar donations. In a little more than 48 hours, 352 of you have raised $9,781 (average donation: $27.79!). Due to its focus on small donations, ActBlue IS campaign finance reform.

Your amazing support helped Courage shoot to the top of the ActBlue “standings” as the third “hottest” group on the site. That’s great, but we’re not settling for number three. To keep up our community momentum and continue to build our movement, please dig deep and make a contribution in any amount you can afford. Help us kick this dirty trick to the curb right now:

http://www.courageca…

I mentioned this in the Quickies, but it deserves some front-page attention.  The San Jose Mercury News has delved deeper (reg. req’d) into the connections between the GOP law firm pushing the dirty trick initiative to steal the 2008 Presidential election, and past ratfucking operations of years past.  At the top of the list is the key financier from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth.

Lawyers behind a California ballot proposal that could benefit the 2008 Republican presidential nominee have ties to a Texas homebuilder who financed attacks on Democrat John Kerry’s Vietnam War record in the 2004 presidential campaign.

Charles H. Bell and Thomas Hiltachk’s (Arnold’s former personal lawyer -ed.) law firm banked nearly $65,000 in fees from a California-based political committee funded almost solely by Bob J. Perry that targeted Democrats in 2006. Perry, a major Republican donor, contributed nearly $4.5 million to the group Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that made unsubstantiated but damaging attacks on Kerry three years ago.

The Perry-financed committee in California, the Economic Freedom Fund, continued to spend money this year, mostly on legal expenses tied to an ongoing legal dispute in Indiana over phone calls made to voters in 2006. It lists the Sacramento law office’s address as its home and its Web site directs contributions to the firm, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk. In addition, Bell serves as the committee’s treasurer.

I highlighted that other bit because it’s significant that Perry also financed the major dirty trick of the 2006 election: numerous illegal robocalls to voters in swing districts, pretending to be from Democrats.  So the same law firm trying to split California’s electoral votes have taken cash from the major Republican dirty tricks operations over the last several years.

It’s unclear whether Perry has given to this current power grab.  But with his name in the rolodex, it would be absurd to think he won’t.

Here’s a little more on the law firm, Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk:

Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk is one of the most politically involved law firms in the state. According to a news story on its Web site, Bell keeps a life-sized cardboard image of President Bush in his office. Federal records show the firm does legal work for a host of political committees, most with Republican or business ties.

“It comes across as a power grab,” said Republican analyst Allan Hoffenblum, who predicted the proposal would likely fail in the Democratic-leaning state. Even Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger offered a lukewarm assessment of the idea.

Here’s Digby on the power grab.

They really couldn’t be more obvious.

I suspect this is as much mind fuck as anything, and perhaps a simple desire to force Democrats to spend money on something they don’t want to spend it on, but you cannot take that for granted. These people have no compunction about cheating. They’ve shown that. Look what it got us in 2000. And if they succeed again, the press will just laugh and giggle about haircuts and cleavage and tell everyone to get over it. Just like last time. And the time before. And the time before that.

This is about spending money, certainly, but I do think it could backfire by energizing California and national Democrats in a way that they are rarely energized about anything. If we build a broad-based movement around first fighting this dirty trick and then making them pay, they could rue the day they ever put this out. Courage Campaign is raising money to fight this at the grassroots level, with low-dollar, broad-based donations.  They’ve already raised $7,000 from over 250 contributors within less than 24 hours.  Let’s get to 1,000.

This is something that impacts everyone around the country.  A strong people-powered movement in California will resonate everywhere, and this can be the spark that will light that movement.  Let’s not let the type of tactics we saw with the Swifties predominate.  Let’s make these thieves pay.

UPDATE: It was a blogger, our own Frank Russo of the California Progress Report who exposed Bell, McAndrews and HIltachk’s involvement with the Swiftboaters.  If you want to see more digging like this, more people-powered exposure of these dirty tricksters, give to the Courage Campaign fund to stop this power grab in its tracks.

(bump – promoted by Lucas O’Connor)

On August 23, Gov. Schwarzenegger said:

“I haven’t looked at the language and I’m not saying I’m against it or I’m for it or anything.”

Well, now he has 2,148 opportunities to read the thing and say whether he is for it or against the dirty trick initiative.  Thanks to you.

We asked the blogosphere and thousands of Courage Campaign members to send him a copy and boy did you deliver.  I had to get my weightlifter friend to help me cary them in to the Governor’s office.  Mind you it is about 100 degrees in Sacramento today.

I had given the press office a heads up that I was coming, just so we would not have an issue when I arrived.  Unfortunately, the guy I talked to was no longer around when I arrived.  A Sergeant at Arms directed us to the back door drop-off location.  After some convincing and him talking to the governor’s staff, we were allowed to go in to the governors office.  Everyone was very gracious.  The CHP officer laughed when I told them what we were up to.  Not so much from the governor’s staff…

Here are the boxes sitting on the official seal of the governor and one of me with the boxes.  They are now in the hands of the governor’s staff.  Hopefully, at least one makes it’s way to the governor’s desk.

As for me, I am thrilled to see a brainstorm idea I came up with a week ago, translate into thousands of Californians taking action and creating a real world impact.  We asked, you answered and we delivered.  I look forward to many more.  It was a thrill to be your messenger.

Like Rick Jacobs, the Chair of Courage Campaign says:

Thousands of Californians have made one simple request of the governor: please spend five minutes and read the initiative closely. The next time the Governor is asked publicly about this initiative, he will no longer have an excuse to play dumb about this partisan dirty trick.

The Republicans are pushing this dirty trick in an attempt to steal the election and our “post-partisan” governor is claiming ignorance. Has he failed to grasp the lessons of the 2005 election? In California, partisan power grabs are unacceptable and divisive.  It is time for him to do the right thing.

Thank you to all who took action.  If you have not done so already, please join the Courage Campaign and pledge to defeat this initiative.  No matter where you live, you can help us beat back this dirty trick.

Welcome HuffPo readers.  They have my picture and a link back to this post on the Politics section right now.  I screen grabbed for posterity sake.

The largest hospital and healthcare workers union in the western US will begin a massive, coordinated campaign to improve the rights of healthcare workers across the country to stand up for better patient care and higher standards.  Courage Campaign’s Elliott Petty will be at the strategy session in Oakland, covering the event LIVE on CourageCampaign.org.

The 140,000-member SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is sending a delegation to California which will begin work on the historic bargaining campaign.

Join me after the jump for the full text of a SEIU-UHW press release.

SEIU-UHW For Immediate Release:

WORKERS PREPARE FOR LARGEST COORDINATED HEALTHCARE BARGAINING CAMPAIGN IN HISTORY.

Event Bringing Together Caregivers from Several States to be Covered by Blogger

OAKLAND – A delegation of 700 healthcare workers from six states will gather in Oakland on Saturday to plan for a coordinated bargaining campaign in 2008, when contracts at more than 200 hospitals and nursing homes will expire, creating an opportunity for caregivers to achieve unprecedented victories for working people across the United States.

The convention in California, to be hosted by SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West, represents the first time that healthcare workers will coordinate their bargaining campaigns on such a massive scale. Caregivers from California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Minnesota and Connecticut will participate in the event.

“This meeting represents an unprecedented opportunity for healthcare workers from around the country to work together for improved standards such as the right to stand up for our patients and residents,” said Sal Rosselli, president of SEIU UHW. “Healthcare workers do the same work everywhere in the country, and it only makes sense that we come together to work toward our common goal.”

Healthcare workers at several SEIU local unions plan to coordinate their bargaining campaigns next year, in order to maximize their ability to improve quality care for their patients, raise industry standards and win a voice on the job. More than 150,000 caregivers will benefit from this coordination by achieving the ability to advocate for improved patient care through their union.

Adding a unique twist to the proceedings will be the presence of netroots blogger Elliott Petty of the progressive online California group Courage Campaign, who plans to post live updates to his site, http://couragecampai… as the meeting progresses through the day. He will also post at MyDD and Open Left, two major national political blogs.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to observe, participate, and interact with UHW’s members at this meeting,” Petty said. “The best way to build bridges between labor and the online communities is to engage in actions with each other. Progressives win when we are united, which this effort will help us to be.”

Petty’s participation is an outgrowth of UHW’s involvement with the YearlyKos convention earlier this month, in which UHW leaders met with numerous members of the progressive blogosphere to discuss ways that their online activism can dovetail with the grassroots worker and political organizing of labor unions. The union plans to hold a retreat for progressive bloggers in the fall.

“Our values of member democracy, openness, and dialogue and debate are mirrored by those of the netroots community,” Rosselli said. “We look forward to continuing to work with online activists who share our goals and values.”

Rosselli and several healthcare workers will be available for interview throughout the week and on Saturday.

The 140,000-member SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West is the largest hospital and healthcare union in the western United States and represents every type of healthcare worker, including nurses, professional, technical and service classifications. Our mission is to achieve high-quality healthcare for all.