Dan Rather Suit Going Forward

The London Guardian yesterday published a story up-dating the situation with the Dan Rather lawsuit against CBS. I recommend you read it. (You may access the article by clicking on the title to this post.) Also, I am referencing an article from 2007 on < Salon.com > which gives a true and fairly complete picture of events regarding the firing of Dan Rather.

While no particular fan of Dan Rather, he has every right to sue CBS and I believe his case clearly has merit. The story of G. W. Bush being AWOL from National Guard duty was dealt with at some length on "60 Minutes II" some eight weeks before the 2004 election. Immediately after the broadcast right-wing bloggers began a ferocious attack on Rather and CBS. However, the basic facts in the story have never been refuted. Whatever one's feelings about Dan Rather, it is critical for the truth to come out. The progress of Rather's lawsuit brings that day closer.



http://www.salon.com/opinion/blumenthal/2007/09/27/dan_rather_suit/print.html

One of the Most Credible Threats of Mass Demonstrations Yet

One of the authors of a recent letter to Barack Obama, Leo Gerard, president of the United Steel Workers, has threatened street demonstrations if Congress fails to act to stimulate the economy (actually in the case Republicans block action). This is refreshing news as it indicates a new spirit of bravado on the part of workers which is very much justified by current circumstances. We can only hope that the leaders of our government will take action, not only to stimulate the economy, but to prevent outrageous speculators from hijacking our economy in the future. This should start with bringing to justice the thieves who brought this on us to begin with.

Here is the quote of Leo Gerard as given on Truthout:



"There are a whole bunch of anxious and angry workers wondering why we keep throwing money at the people who have created the mess," said Leo Gerard, president of the United Steel Workers, who also signed the letter.

"We're going to take to the streets if Republicans try to block this," Gerard told reporters.

"We have 850,000 members in two countries. Any Democrat or Republican that tries to put a stick in the spokes of this wheel is going to have problems in the next election," Gerard said.

"Christmas" Reading

During Christmas break I am making progress in my reading of Vincent Bugliosi's Reclaiming History. This mammoth book , 1,510 pages in length, deals with the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It is said to be the product of twenty years of research by its author who was the prosecutor of Charles Manson. I have made it all the way to page 932. I find the book fascinating, well-written in an inimitable, lucid style. In coming weeks I hope to have more to say about this book here. In the meantime, if you are at all curious about the murder of President Kennedy, I do recommend you check it out.

Where We Stand Now

One of these days I hope these various posts will add up to something like a record of politics over the last few years. Because this is a blog and not a book, and not even a complete web site onto itself, it is not possible to present a fully researched presentation each time the way I might like to.

Nevertheless, I feel it important as 2008 winds down to review what was surely one of the most important events -- the Articles of Impeachment introduced by Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio. Below is a link to the complete articles. I am now going through these articles and urge you to read them. It is clear to any rational mind that G. W. Bush should indeed have been impeached long ago. His Vice-President should have joined him as one of the accused. Contrary to the belief of some, it is not too late to impeach both. Even after leaving office they can still be impeached which would prevent either from ever again holding public office, a fate minimally punitive under the circumstances.

Without some kind of accounting, the reputation and I might even say self-respect of the United States will remain seriously impaired. History will be the ultimate judge, but as such it will judge us as well as those most culpable. And what will the verdict of us the citizens be? Will we be able to say we did all we could to make things right, or did we too much go along for the sake of our jobs and our own security with an abomination, a travesty of justice?

As I say, it is still not too late. But if nothing is done, the United States as a nation will be farther from its possibilities as that famous light on a hill. And that will be a terrific -- and avoidable -- tragedy.



http://chun.afterdowningstreet.org/amomentoftruth.pdf

Allegation: U.S. Election System Still Being Undermined

Professor and author Marc Crispin Miller describes in the article referenced here how tactics of voter suppression continued in 2008. Thus, even though a clear winner apparently emerged, there was still vote tampering.

And regular readers will be reminded that the claims of Barack Obama's illegitimate citizenship are still outstanding at the Supreme Court.

In any event, Miller is right that we have much work to do to secure a right to vote in the United States. Surely this is a goal worth fighting for.


http://www.truthout.org/122408J

I have written here before regarding a certain militarization of American life. And, of course, our military is deployed around the world in ways that would have astonished our Founders.

There is so much wrong with all of this, from the cost to the purpose, to the questionable efficacy. So, to the import of the article linked below I had this question: Are we to maintain what is, in effect, an empire? Chalmers Johnson in his valuable book, Nemesis, has detailed how America has established a permanent system of world-wide military bases, not to "spread democracy" but to protect America's (business) interests. Empire doesn't work. Just look at what happened to the Seleucids, the Assyrians, and the Romans. A number of years ago the British decided to divest themselves of most of their various colonies. Of course, the tentacles of the London-controlled financial Empire have continued to bedevil us. But, at least, the outright ownership of foreign lands has mostly ceased.

Our question, then, is To the extent America is maintaining a financial and economic Empire, is this in our best interest? Can we afford it? What is it doing to our moral fiber?

I think these are good questions for the lead-up to Christmas.


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/19/AR2008121902748.html

Case Against Blagojavich May Not Be Air-tight

According to today's New York Times, the case against Illinois Governor Rod Blagojavich may not be as clear-cut as initial reports indicated. The gist of the article is that merely talking as Blagojavich did does not necessarily mean he actually committed a crime. To read the article, click on the title above. (Registration may be required.)

American Freedom Campaign Denounces Mukasey

The web site of the American Freedom Campaign has an excellent statement on the refusal of Attorney General Michael Mukasey to prosecute lawyers who mangled words in order to justify illegal actions regarding the Bush administration's "anti-terrorism" drive. An excerpt is below. The entire statement can be found at the web site of the American Freedom Campaign: < http://www.americanfreedomcampaign.org///index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=41 >.



On December 3, Mukasey demonstrated in the clearest manner yet that our fears were entirely justified. At a time when an attorney general concerned about the rule of law should be appointing an independent prosecutor to determine whether any laws were broken during the development and implementation of the administration’s counterterrorism policies, Mukasey has unilaterally dismissed the notion that anyone should be prosecuted based on the fact that “the lawyers who authorized the surveillance and interrogation programs had done so in the belief that they were following the law.”

Seasonal Music Fun

We interrupt this web log to bring you a moment of musical levity. The video speaks for itself. I hope you enjoy it.







(This is the 300th post of The Musical Patriot.)

Mores v. Law

Below, I have included a quote from a comment to an article found today on Truthout on the web. The writer's comments echo those of the author of the current quote here on The Musical Patriot. Of course, the rule of law must be restored. (The original writer, Marc Ash, is writing about the need to restore the rule of law after the Bush administration. Those of us who have supported the impeachment of Bush and Cheney thought it was vital to restore the rule of law as soon as possible.) It is worth pointing out that values, or what is sometimes called natural law are the underpinning of any great society. Indeed, the western world is struggling to hold on to a minimal set of values. Those values are still reflected in our Constitution and our great Declaration of Independence. The more we hold up these values, the more we secure our future both for ourselves and, as an exemplar, for the whole world.

The article by Mr. Marc Ash can be found at the URL below the quote.

From < truthout.org >

Mon, 12/15/2008 - 21:32 — Herman Rottinghuis (not verified)
Dear Sir, That is an inspiring article. However, I beg to differ with you on one point. Where you say "Nothing could be more critical to the restoration of American democracy than the restoration of the rule of law.", I would rather believe the end of that phrase should read: ".... the restoration of Mores". As a lawyer I know that falling back on the rule of law is the ultimate remedy when Morality and Mores have sorrily failed.


http://www.truthout.org/121508J

Federal Reserve Stonewalls. Abolish the Federal Reserve

Bloomberg News reports that the Federal Reserve is refusing to disclose how $2 trillion of taxpayer money is being used under provisions of a recent bill bailing out financial institutions, specifically banks. The article linked here tells the story.

It is outrageous that we are not being told how our money is being used! Of course there have long been parts of the Pentagon's budget which are secret, and that is outrageous enough. But this is an affront to democracy. As one commenter said, We fought a revolution over this sort of thing.

The Federal Reserve was established essentially to protect the private banking system. So what it is doing is in line with its original purpose. That, of course, does not justify its secrecy in this case. It is time to establish a national bank, not for the purpose of replacing private banks but to help regulate the system and prevent crashes. This new national bank must operate with appropriate transparency and over-sight. It must be part of a far-reaching reform of our entire banking and financial system.

http://www.truthout.org/121408A

Resuming

For the last week I have been preparing for and then completing jury duty. In the end, all prospective jurors ended up being dismissed. However, the experience was enough to limit -- seemingly -- my mental powers to the matter at hand.

At this point I am free and clear to resume posting. For today's post I choose to refer you to an article by former White House aide, Charles Colson. Below is a link to the commentary on the situation with Gov. Blagojevich. While I can't say I have always agreed with Chuck Colson's "religianity" (to coin a word), this commentary is refreshing. It might not be a bad idea to pray for Gov. Blagojevich. And, yes, under our system all are innocent until proven guilty.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/10/colson.corruption/index.html#cnnSTCText

Berg before the Supreme Court -- An Update

Astute readers may remember that yesterday, December 1, was the deadline for a response from Barack Obama and the DNC to a writ filed by Philip Berg, the former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania, concerning questions over Mr. Obama's citizenship. Mr. Obama and the DNC have so far refused to respond though they apparently have a couple of extra days to account for late mail.

There was no up-date on the Berg web site today or yesterday, but I have found an article with some up-dated information at the link supplied. There are other lawsuits now going forward as well. This story has to be one of the biggest untold stories of 2008. As Mr. Obama announces his "defense and security team," peppered with Bush administration hold-overs, America gets a clearer picture that Mr. Obama does not truly represent the change he promised to bring -- at least not in terms of the defense industry.

If the press had done its job from the beginning we would not have this sticky little mess, wrought by questions of citizenship. Nevertheless, the Constitution must still be fought for -- now more than ever.



http://citizenwells.wordpress.com/2008/12/02/philip-j-berg-lawsuit-us-supreme-court-update-december-2-2008-emergency-injunction-writ-of-certiorari-deadline-obama-and-dnc-have-not-responded/