Monday, February 27, 2006

Take It Back: Film


Last night I went to this film event organized by DFNYC: Take It Back (take it back ::: the movement for democracy and howard dean ::: a ...)

Getting there was a minor logistical nightmare. I started out late from home. Then I realized the venue was not neatly off some train stop, and a train change was involved. I figured I will be late. But then it turned out the L train was not running. That added to the delay. So I was running from train to train, then I was running overground from Union Square to the venue.

I got in. First thing I did, I bought the DVD. $50 for Hillary a few days back, $20 for Dean, oh, what the heck. $4 for the train. $3 for the drink. Then $7 for dinner after the movie since there is a great Nepali restaurant not far on the 14th and 1st, and since I was in the area. Then $1.50 for pizza, since after dinner I noticed there was this shop next door that was selling pizza slices for $1.39. Not even Walmart does that. So I went in even though it was right after dinner. As you can see, this movie ended up costing me a small fortune.

I went in. Ordered my drink. And was disappointed that there was hardly anybody. I got fixated on the small screen in the front room. Then the bartender pointed out to me there was an inner room and a bigger screen. I went in. It was a huge crowd, no seats available. Maybe 40 people. Somebody grabbed my hand when my eyes were still trying to get accustomed to the dark. I was startled. It was Lewis Cohen. You find him in all sorts of odd places, in the restroom, in the dark.

I think it was nostalgia that had got the crowd gathered. These were believers. Muhammad came and went, but these people are going to start a religion.

The movie was well done. You mostly saw Iowa. I am so glad I got me a copy. But I drew some different conclusions. Mine was the first and last question during the 15 minute session afterwards.

"The media played the filtered version of the I Have A Scream speech over 700 times. But you had the unfiltered version where Dean is seen trying to get heard over a loud crowd. Why did you not push out that version?"

"Not that he is my hero, but Reagan ran in 1976 and lost early and bad. We all know what happened four years later. Why does everyone in the room think Dean is not running again?"

I am the odd ball out. Noone at DFNYC thinks Dean is running again either. It is because these are Deaniacs. Dean said he is not running, and so Deaniacs believe him.

I don't know. Besides this is a little early. Besides I am a total nobody. Howard Dean does not know me. Hillary Clinton does not know me. Barack Obama does not know me. Not Dean, not Hillary have said if they are running or not in a decisive way. A year is a long time in politics. Two years even longer. We will get a better feel in early 2007. If Dean is running, we will know in early 2007. If he is not, we will know right about then. If Dean announces in the affirmative in January 2007, and Hillary does the same in October 2007, I am on the Dean bandwagon. If Dean is not running, but Hillary is, I am pushing for a Hillary-Obama ticket. But these are heavyweights. They will decide. I am not a factor at all. For now I am just going to prepare. I have a lot of reading to do. I have my finances to get on track, on autopilot. I have a lot of work to do on the Nepal front. I will prepare and maybe my time will come, like Lincoln said.

Some places where I disagree with the Dean crowd.
  1. Dean did not lose in Iowa. He did not lose in New Hampshire. Clinton skipped Iowa, and he lost in New Hampshire in 1992. Dean lost when he skipped the seven primaries after New Hampshire.
  2. The media played the I Have A Scream speech over 700 times. That is not a problem. That certainly is no conspiracy. The media moguls did not invent the mic that cuts off the crowd just for this occasion. It was Dean 2004 that failed. When you get hit, you hit back. Why did the campaign not put out 30 second spots that showed the unfiltered version of the same event? The footage was available. This movie has it.
  3. The primary reason for the Dean meltdown was the system melted. The grassroots heat was too much for the system. When you attempt big changes, you should expect it to be not too easy. First attempt failed, that's all.
Some reasons why I am still rooting for Dean 2008.
  1. With Dean I am part of the in crowd starting out. With any other campaign, I will start out a nobody. How do you get involved?
  2. Dean is the only one who has the democracy message.
  3. Dean will authorize hitting hard the right wingers. Got to go after the fundies.
  4. I want a $10 billion program to spread democracy the progressive way, the war with communications technology way, a project with a deadline, say 2020. Dean will go for this, I think. This is to be my pet project. For this I give Dean my political instincts that will cover all bases and all seasons.
If there is no Dean 2008, and there is a Hillary 2008, then I want Obama on the ticket, and I want to work the $10 billion project through Obama. Google became a verb, Barack is on its way. How would you like for me to barack your world? Besides, if Hillary does not break the glass ceiling in 2008, it will be a while before anyone does. And 2008 will be her last chance, I think.
Barack (verb): breaking the glass ceiling in a casual, surefooted way, such that both sides of the aisle fall in love with you.

Howard Dean for America: Home
Democracy For America
Blog for America
Howard Dean - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The New York Times > Howard Dean
WOAI: San Antonio News - Dean: US Won't Win in Iraq
Wired 12.01: How the Internet Invented Howard Dean
Howard Dean Scream Remixes
Dean Nation
Politics1 - P2004: Profile of Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT)

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Senator from New York
Biography of Hillary Clinton
Hillary Clinton For President
HillaryClinton.com - Hillary Rodham Clinton for Senate
Hillary Rodham Clinton - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hillary Web
The "Unofficial" Hillary Rodham Clinton
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton: Constituent Email Form
Hillary Clinton: "We're Going to Take Things Away From You on ...
Sen. Hillary Clinton

Obama for Illinois
Barack Obama - US Senator for Illinois
Barack Obama - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
BarackObama.com :: Coming Soon
The New Yorker: Fact
OBAMA, Barack - Biographical Information
BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Profile: Barack Obama
Transcript: Illinois Senate Candidate Barack Obama (washingtonpost ...

Visitors

25 February16:28SUNY Brockport, Brockport, United States
25 February18:26Starcomms, Nigeria
25 February18:45Infocom Pvt. Ltd., Nepal
25 February22:44State University of New Jersey, United States


26 February00:57Road Runner, New York, United States
26 February09:29Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Mumbai Bombay, India
27 February14:10NTL Internet, London, United Kingdom
27 February15:37U.S. Senate, United States
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Friday, February 24, 2006

Nancy Pelosi, Speaker



You need one leader, one program. A 10 point program. But there is only so much to learn from Newt's 1994 fireworks. Actually, only one. That you need a 10 point program.

This one person has to be projected as the next Speaker, and the obvious choice is Nancy Pelosi. But then the parallels end. There has to be this sense of collective leadership under the banner, otherwise you win like Newt, and then you crash and burn. There is not much tangible in terms of what you accomplish in the aftermath, not much in terms of legacy.

As for the method to the madness, you learn from Dean 2004. You do it the grassroots way.

So the overall strategy obviously has to be a hodgepodge. There have to be several strands to the thread.

And although Pelosi is the masthead, people like Dean, Hillary and Obama, and even Bill Clinton, should really be crisscrossing the country like crazy, and that list can be larger. There can be no overshadow fear. It should feel more like we are all in this together. The base is dying for a victory. Feed it some.

On The Web

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, California, 8th District
Biography :: Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, California, 8th District
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nancy Pelosi on the Issues
The Blog | Rep. Nancy Pelosi: Bush State of the Union - It Was a ...
Pelosi willing to give up SF funds for recovery
Nancy Pelosi: Biography and Much More From Answers.com

In The News

Nancy Pelosi, investment advisor Town Hall, DC
Nancy Pelosi: Addicted to Nonsense ChronWatch, CA
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi Slams Hamas AXcess News, NV
US Delegation Promises Electricity AllAfrica.com, Washington
US Pledges More Support to Ellen Liberian Daily Observer, MD
US CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION MEETS LIBERIA PRESIDENT, PROMISES AID African News Dimension, South Africa
US Government Promises to Help Restore Liberia’s Electricity African News Dimension
Bipartisan opposition to the Dubai port deal Town Hall, DC
Searching for the Democrats - Blue Clues OpEdNews
Anti-wire tap vigil in San Francisco features Lady Liberty Mercury-Register, CA
US Pledges More Support to Ellen AllAfrica.com, Washington
US Corporate Council On Africa Holds Roundtable on Investment and ... Perspective (press release)
Structure of Congress PBS
'Political Baggage' from Ports Deal Could Undermine Bush, Say ... Agape Press, MS
House Democrats Offer 'Grassroots Campaign for Victory' Town Hall, DC

1994 Republican Contract With America

Republican Contract with America
Contract with America - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Contract with America: Implementing New Ideas in the US
The Contract With America
Coalition releases Black Contract with America
newt.org - The Official Home Page of Speaker Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Possible Presidential Candidate Newt Gingrich - The Dark Side
frontline: the long march of newt gingrich
GINGRICH, Newton Leroy - Biographical Information
The Secret Life of Newt Gingrich
CBS News | Gingrich Criticizes DeLay | April 14, 2005 10:15:05
Right Web | Profile | Newt Gingrich

Dean 2004 Grassroots Democracy

Democracy For America
Blog for America
People Powered Graphics - Democracy for America
I can't believe it's not a democracy!: Dean for President, 2004
Change for Kentucky: April 2004 Archives
Minnesota for Dean
Dean Launches New Grassroots Group in Seattle
Howard Dean on March 18th 2004 | Democracy for Washington
Columbia Spectator - Trippi Says Dean's 2004 Run Just the Beginning

Visitors


24 February09:04Road Runner, New York, United States
24 February09:52Research In Motion UK, Canada
24 February10:10Dartmouth College, Hanover, United States
24 February10:33XO Communications, Washington, D.C., United States
24 February10:35United States (nyct.net)
24 February11:31United States (prudential.com)
24 February13:05Cisco Systems, Inc., United States
24 February18:26Verizon Online, Reston, United States

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Thursday, February 23, 2006

Tom Vilsack, Iowaman






Hillary In Person

Leila Noor was going to make up for the fortune it cost me to attend the Hillary event, and that by a free pass to a Vilsack event. My business ideas can come across as so out of the whack, I can come across as a member of the Starving Artists' Association (SAA). You show up at some fancy Manhattan party dressed up like a dot com millionaire, and people actually avoid you, otherwise my instinct is to work the room. Especially if you also have long, uncombed hair, unless combing with fingers counts. But today I had my haircut from the day of the Hillary event. And I dressed up, or as far as possible. Spickspan shining shoes, man in black trousers, shirt and jacket. But inside the buttoned jacket - one button, double breasted - was an untucked shirt. And there was no way I was going to put on a tie. It might as well be against my religion.

But then my "new French friend" Alvaro from the Hillary event emailed today, and so I put him on Leila's mailing list for the expensive fundraisers I can not make it to: he got the money alright.

So I was going through the flyer for the event. And there she was the Somalian cum American Queen Noor sitting on the committee, again: political animal, Obama heritage - a combo I find fascinating like stars to astronomers, Obama trait. I am telling you, these lawyers have more fun politicking than lawyering. I just need a few hundred of these nationwide to take off: Video Blogging For A Living!

So today I was actually dressed up, but this time the blackness hit me, the way bright colored Indian clothes might hit American eyes. (blac) I did fine the first round. I made small talk. Then there was the event. Vilsack talked, I recorded it all on video. And I remember thinking, isn't video blogging less travel? Then he was done, and I was about to leave, and Noor was at the other end of the room, nearer the gate, away from the stage, where I first saw her. She was perhaps jaded from the more private audience organizers like her had with the Governor right before the event.

That was the beginning of part two of the evening. It culminated in me meeting with an actor who actually has made an apperance in the mega movie Any Given Sunday (Any Given Sunday (1999)): DJ Funny. The guy has met Al Pacino, the American Amitabh Bachchan.

"What is he like in person?"

"He bites nails."

DJ used to work a Wall Street job. He quit that to follow his sartorial dreams.

Robert Smith hosted the event. Towards the end he presented Vilsack with all sorts of "black" books and magazines. It might have been an awkward moment. He also announced the organization endorsing several candidates for the same office, and got one wrong, he got it mixed up between Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor.

I am so glad I stayed on. I got more and more comfortable. I was one of the last to leave. I was getting into the groove. Once I warm up, there is no stopping me. I talk like I blog, impulsive, unstoppable.

Vilsack has an impressive record. He has been both DLC Chair and Chair of the Democratic Governors' Association. Bill Clinton was one, Howard Dean another, I think. I overheard him having spent an hour with the Time magazine columnist Joe Klein. I guess you come to pay your respects. Should not journalists be doing field work instead? Some media types come without term limits!

I got to quiz his staffer. She was taking care of the logistics for his tour. Political work is much physical stamina.

During the first half of the evening before the speech, I bumped into one group, two were for not sparing the rod, one was for no touch, in terms of raising children. I joined the second school of thought, and the vote became 2-2.

I arrived way too early. That gave me time to get a slice of pizza in the neighborhood, read a few stories in the New York Post that I had picked up in the train, the most reading of the Post I have ever done. Then two glasses of coke in the outside bar. Then a glass of pineapple juice downstairs before the Vilsack hubbub began.

On The Web

Office of Governor Tom Vilsack and Lt. Governor Sally Pederson
Tom Vilsack - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Office of the Governor
DesMoinesRegister.com
Tom Vilsack on the Issues
The Fix - Chris Cillizza's Politics Blog - (washingtonpost.com)
Vilsack for Veep?
Heartland PAC
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Democrat

In The News

Insider Interview: Tom Vilsack's Democratic Optimism Washington Post, United States
Vilsack quietly focuses on '08 presidential campaign DesMoinesRegister.com, IA
Candidates address penitentiary issue Keokuk Gate City Daily, IA
Leader Sees Video Lottery Restrictions As Inevitable KCCI.com, IA
Vilsack: Lawmakers could miss ethanol opportunity Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA
Vilsack to lead trade mission to India Cedar Rapids Gazette, United States

Visitors
22 February21:06University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
23 February10:29Bulgaria (cablebg.net)
23 February15:15University of Colorado, Boulder, United States
23 February22:25Orange County Dep. Education, United States



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Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Video Blogging For A Living


Google's Blogger was not around during Dean 2004. So the idea that you can have your own blog in text for free is kind of recent. The idea that you can have your own podcast for free is even more recent. Google came up with the video option, as have a few others like YouTube.

I moved to New York City this past summer. Why did I move? I needed a place I could call home, something crowded, and diverse, and noisy and a little on the dirty side. Career was a secondary concern. I thought I might cultivate a few business ideas. Instead I was doing the Nepal work days, nights, evenings, and weekends.

I dipped into the storm during the dot com mania, I have been to all 48 states, I have driven overnight through a hurricane, and I am hard core political. And bills have to be paid.

I believe I have found a business model that could work for me. Google Video has announced it will make pay per view possible. If I could produce a 30 minute clip per day and get watched by 100 people per clip on average, at 50 cents a clip you are looking at $1500 a month, still below poverty line, but enough to pay all my bills. At 1000 viewers, that is $15,000 a month though, and that is rich. At 200 viewers you are looking at 36K per year. At 400 viewers 72K, which is ambitious even by NYC standards. There are various permutations and combinations possible. And it does not have to be one loyal band of 500 viewers. It can be a revolving door. Some of my most watched videos for free are those people must have found using the search engine. (My Four Most Viewed Video Clips)

It can not be my Nepal blog (Activism And Entrepreneurship), it has to be my Americana blog. I need a potentially large audience. You do your own marketing. You post a blog entry, and go looking for blog posts on similar topics, read them, leave links to your article in their comments sections, and you get return hits. A few days back I left less than 10 comments, and I had 50 plus page hits the following day, a record for my blog that had 30 plus max on any other day prior. But then the day after it went up to 80 plus without any additional work. With 500 comments, I could possibly hit the magical 10,000 page hits mark. At that point you are really talking. I could be blogging on a daily basis.

The business model is as yet unproven, but the numbers look really good and achievable. And it is appealing so many other ways. This feels like a dot com. This is entrepreneurship. On the other hand, this is politics in a the future is now way, in a politics at the speed of thought way. Blogging dissolves boundaries. Between politics and business, between academia and politics. Heck, I might even write a novel and publish it the same way.

This business model will allow me to do a whole bunch of reading, something I look forward to greatly. Books, movies, music.

This really helps with my political work. I believe I am going to be much more focused on my blog and my MeetUp. My political career does not go through DFNYC. I am going to be much more selective in terms of the DFNYC events I attend. I can not be moving one meeting at a time. I have to move at speeds possible online. And with the online option, you don't meet the geographical bounds. If it were just offline politics, I would feel guilty at some level. What am I doing for my people? My allegiance lies with the Global South.

If you write a blog entry that gets read by 200 people, that is like addressing a 200 strong crowd. I am all set. I am excited.

I have not had to open up those envelopes yet, but if I need venture capital, it comes in the mail in the form of credit card offers, in case the business idea takes a few months longer to take off than I have thought. Now you are really talking dot com.

Visitors

Busiest day so far20 February 2006

Page views81

21 February09:25Smart Telecom Holdings, Ireland
21 February09:38North Carolina Central, Durham, United States
21 February09:45Telefonica de Argentina, Argentina
21 February13:11Columbia University, United States
21 February14:57Road Runner, New York, United States
21 February18:45NTL Internet, Salford, United Kingdom
22 February10:55Qwest Communications Int., Salt Lake City, United States
22 February16:36State of Illinois, United States
22 February18:09Sify Limited, India
22 February18:32Rogers Communications Inc., Canada
22 February18:56CTX Mortgage Company, Dallas, United States
22 February21:06University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, United States
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Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Hillary In Person







The artist Hillary brought along for the event played hip hop on violin. I had not imagined that was possible.

There are benefits to being on Leila Noor's mailing list. I got invited to this Hillary fundraiser. Cost $50 but more in the priceless category. After making the payment online, I teased her. After Hillary Obama. The reply email said sure, I will put you down for an Obama fundraiser I might be hosting. I was not expecting that. Then I said, after Obama Amitabh Bachchan.

"Who is Amitabh?"

The most recognized face on the planet.

I video recorded Hillary's entire speech which I will display here after uploading. Her basic thrust was it was time to start winning elections again. She did not say as much, but her point seemed to be that Nancy Peloisi should be the next Speaker.

If more 18-35 crowd voted, we would not be in this sorry shape, she seemed to suggest. That was the crowd she was addressing, people who buy cheap 50 dollar tickets.

"Now I will have to host a fundraiser of my own," I emailed Noor after purchasing the ticket.

If we can send a man to the moon, we can put biofuel in your tank. That was another point she made.

She also talked about health care for everyone, "starting with me and my throat." She was on the verge of losing her voice.

After getting the wild-eyed personal attention along the rope line I said, "Senator, it is such an honor." Then I requested a photo. Her staffer did the clicking. It's a big deal.

I had been growing my hair all winter. Today I had a haircut for the event.

I met a French guy who is originally from Chile and his job is to order clothes from places like India. He has been in the city three years. We talked much Chile and France politics for much of the evening. Hillary signed her autobiography for him. She made a point to ask him his name. She made him say it a few times to get the spelling right; he was to my right. Authors like the idea of being read, I guess.

Meeting Hillary in person is a big deal. After seeing her on television and in countless pictures, and reading so much about her, as well as reading her writings, listening to her speeches online, I still really really wanted to do this event. You meet in person, and it is like breaking the sound barrier. There she is in flesh.

A few evenings back I watched her appearance in San Francisco recently, archived online by C-Span, to prepare for this event.
PLAYAmerican Perspectives: Sen. Clinton (D-NY), Fmr. Pres. Bush, Coretta Scott King
 On this week's program, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) and journalist Jane Pauley sit down and discuss a variety of political issues. Next, George & Barbara Bush, fmr. President & First Lady, talk about a wide range of topics, including memories of their White House years. Then, a tribute to Coretta Scott King, the civil rights activist who passed away Tuesday at the age of 78.
 2/4/2006: WASHINGTON, DC: 3 hr. : C-SPAN
The anti-war hecklers showed up again, just like at the San Francisco event. Two young women with alike banners, alike slogans both times ("Hillary, stop the war! Stop the war!"). You would think Hillary were Commander In Chief. Hail Chief, stop the war. Is someone coordinating this? The crowd drowned them out with pro-Hillary cheers. Now that part was spontaneous.

Hillary looked a little tired, with wrinkles she did not have in 1992. A politician's job does ask for much physical stamina. Golley, shaking all those hands, smiling at all those people, endless speechmaking. Talking is hard to do.

To my left was a guy from Ohio who had just moved to the city, four weeks. He was relieved to know I had spent some time in Indiana.

"Everything is three times more expensive here," he noted. He was paying $2800 for his apartment.

Leila and Dana were two DFNYC folks I bumped into. Tonight was also the DFNYC Mixer. We missed it. But that's okay. They are screening a Dean 2004 themed movie in a few days. I plan to show up.

The hubbub of the city has many layers to it, some of it is to do with how much people are making. A lot of money is being made and spent. The caching sound is loud and strong.

Come to think of it, this was the same bar where I showed up for the Lampson fundraiser. (Lampson, Mistry, Dance-a-thon, LinkUp) Crobar. 530 West 28th Street.

My new French friend told me he also attended a Bill Clinton fundraiser for Hillary the same venue. And that Bill Clinton was in Delhi, India, for a wedding as we speak. He told me of privately owned roads in Chile, privately owned pension schemes. We talked Bachelet. (Michelle Bachelet: Yet Another Woman)

Noone I know talks of Hillary without not mentioning 2008 in the same breath. Tonight was no exception. This was a loyal crowd. But Hillary is pragmatic, disciplined. She is focused on 2006. There is no way to guess where she herself stands on 2008.

Hillary Clinton is focused and disciplined, concepts that are alien and imaginative to Bill Clinton.

I feel protective of the Clinton couple. They have done so much already. You really miss them when you are out of power, don't you? One person does make a whole lot of difference. Supporting the leader is part of the package deal of activism. Leadership particularly matters to the Democrats because this party tries to represent the powerless. That is a tricky proposition. There is much infighting you end up dealing with.

At the end of the day I was just thankful. Thanks for making the time, Senator.

Bill Clinton Had Icecream For Lunch
Bill Clinton Has Left The Building

In The News

ABC Asks Bill Clinton To Endorse Hillary's Odd View of Cheney's ... NewsBusters
Poll: Condoleezza Rice Up, Hillary Clinton Down NewsMax.com, FL
President's Day Poll: Hillary Clinton Numbers Continue to Dive National Ledger, AZ
The upcoming Hillary Clinton wreck Wizbang, DC
Hillary Clinton to speak at Latino event New Britain Herald, CT
Purple Heart group gets flak over nod to Sen. Clinton Scripps Howard News Service, DC
Why Hillary Clinton is so disliked Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL
Hillary Rodham Clinton Looks Like a 2008 Candidate ABC News
Magical moments with Hillary Clinton Northwest Asian Weekly, WA
Hillary Clinton Sides with Conservatives in Ports Controversy NewsMax.com, FL

Visitors

20 February13:51Mannesmann Arcor Telecommunications AG & Co, Germany
20 February17:19Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau, United States
20 February17:23Yale University, New Haven, United States
20 February18:55Inktomi Corp, United States
20 February20:22NTL Internet, London, United Kingdom
21 February09:25Smart Telecom Holdings, Ireland
21 February09:38North Carolina Central, Durham, United States
21 February09:45Telefonica de Argentina, Argentina
21 February13:11Columbia University, United States
21 February18:45NTL Internet, Salford, United Kingdom




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Monday, February 20, 2006

Iraq Intel: The Spy Who Failed Me


This article by Paul Pillar, a CIA Officer has-been, in Foreign Affairs is a must read.

Intelligence, Policy,and the War in Iraq
Paul R. Pillar
From Foreign Affairs, March/April 2006
"..... it has become clear that official intelligence analysis was not relied on in making even the most significant national security decisions, that intelligence was misused publicly to justify decisions already made, that damaging ill will developed between policymakers and intelligence officers, and that the intelligence community's own work was politicized ....."
This is quite an accusation. The author claims the mistake was not in the intelligence sector, but rather in the policy of not letting the UN inspectors do their work. War was rushed into. The messy aftermath was not thought through.

You don't go invade a country just because you can. With much power comes much responsibility.

I don't believe an immediate pullout of all troops is the answer. But the rush to war asks for some judgment. If you don't ask the questions, you are allowing yourself to be blackmailed.

Only a total spread of democracy in the Arab world will positively conclude the war on terror. I believe that. The question is, is the neocon Iraq way the way to go ahead, country after country? I don't believe so. It is too expensive in terms of lives and dollars, not sustainable. If the US had not so rushed to invade Iraq perhaps it might have found the better way to work towards the same goal.

Isolationist sounding liberals are not a viable alternative, so that neocons have failed is not enough solace. The answer lies with progressives who will find a way to spread democracy the progressive way while keeping the option of war as the weapon of the very last resort, and will reorganize flanks of the army for the new challenge of dealing with organized groups that do not fight with standing armies but rather through sneak attacks.

Bush has spent upwards of $200 billion on Iraq. A policy alternative would be to suggest perhaps a $10 billion war with communications technology and grassroots organizing should be fought, not that America should turn inwards. Isolationism is not an option, technically speaking. Globalization is here to stay. Or if you act miserly on the $10 billion proposal, you also lose another $1 trillion to Bush' tax cuts. So you spend $1o billion to save on $200 billion and $1 trillion.

And it is not just about spreading democracy in the Arab world. It also is about expanding the democracies in Europe and America so people of all cultural and religious backgrounds can feel at home in those democracies. Right now that happens not to be the case. This is also very much part and parcel of the war on terror. Xenophobes in the west are in the political target zone.

It is not just about introducing democracy in Arabia, but also about expanding democracy in Euro-America.

blac
The Larger WMD Question And Iran
Complicated Iraq
The Jyllands Posten Muhammad Cartoons Controversy
Pat Robertson Is Sick, Anti-Faith
French Society: No Easy Solutions

In The News

Update 2: US Envoy Warns Iraq Over Sectarian Govt Forbes
Five die in Iraq restaurant bomb BBC News, UK
Group begins month-long protest over Iraq invasion ABC Online, Australia
Bin Laden compares US tactics in Iraq to those of Saddam himself Salt Lake Tribune, United States
At Least 17 People Killed in Insurgent Attacks in Iraq New York Times, United States

Visitors

18 February04:47Verizon Online, Reston, United States

18 February08:01ONPT, Morocco
18 February10:25Road Runner, New York, United States
18 February11:06Smart Telecom Holdings, Ireland
18 February19:49American University, Washington, D.C., United States
18 February19:52Paknet Limited, Pakistan
18 February21:25Rogers Communications Inc., Canada
19 February00:19ETC, United Arab Emirates
19 February00:28Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Singapore
19 February01:44South Africa Internet Exchange, South Africa
19 February06:35Tele Danmark, Denmark
19 February11:01Level 3 Communications, Seattle, United States
19 February15:01Hungary (ceu.hu)
19 February21:32Alaska Communications Systems Inc., United States
19 February22:14Qwest, Bois D Arc, United States
19 February23:55Everest Connections, Kansas, United States
20 February00:33Xtra, New Zealand
20 February01:23Telia Network Services, Canada
20 February01:36Monash University, Australia
20 February02:17Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, India
20 February03:02Multinet Karachi, Pakistan
20 February03:48World-Net Limited, New Zealand

20 February03:53TopLink Plannet GmbH, Germany
20 February05:04NTT Communications, Japan
Busiest day so far19 February 2006
Page views55
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Contents 2004, 2005

The 90 Minute Experience
Presidential Primary Reform
The Spectrum On Gender
Pan American Desi Caucus: Brown Is Beautiful
Nepal Message To Top Democrats
Michelle Bachelet: Yet Another Woman
Lampson, Mistry, Dance-a-thon, LinkUp
DFNYC Socializing Is Circle 3 For Me
Mumzee's Kitchen
Soviet Health Care In America
Politics At The Speed Of Thought
Social Progress: Show Me The Money
Lee Metcalf Is A Naderite
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Bill Clinton Is Now Anti War Like Dean
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Saturday, February 18, 2006

blac



Every legislature in America needs to get a BLAC, Black Latino Asian Caucus. The word in block letters signifies the caucus. The word in small letters is a noun. I am blac.

The world is not white and non-white. Rather it is blac and white. Non-white suggests a lack of something, a missing of whiteness. Blac suggests the embodiment of the rich cultural heritage of the Global South.

Powerlessness leads to infighting. Infighting leads to powerlessness. It is a vicious circle. Ethnic solidarity is all good, but reachouts have to be made, political alliances have to be forged. There is too much at stake.

It is all good that the word blac rhymes with the word black, for the blacks in America have born the brunt of the non-whiteness more than any other group. "The Plymouth rock landed on us," like Malcolm X said.

Identities are social, cultural, political constructs. You have to claim it, you have to create it, you have to forge it. It does not just passively happen. It has to be asserted.

Pride is positive power.

Blac is not a negation of the white. There is a positive, European white heritage. Blac is a positive affirmation of a vast identity. The blac identity has always had the numbers, but power has eluded it for the longest time.

Power is pride. Pride begets power. Pride is the antithesis of self hate, and hence half the battle.

BLAC is political. It respects the separateness of the component groups, but it also brings them together. The leadership has to see the common ground, and the masses will follow.

It is about pride. It is also about strength, the strength in numbers, and in solidarity.

Blac.

The Demosphere Manifesto
Your Many Identities

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In The News

Black Caucus walks out, evacuees get to vote absentee The Southern Digest, LA
Black Caucus and NAACP Want Juvenile Boot Camps Closed Lakeland Ledger, FL
National Black Caucus of States Institute to Hold Press Conference ... U.S. Newswire (press release), DC
Ga. black caucus miffed over King funeral DailyIndia.com, NY
Black Caucus: ‘Together we can take America back’ People's Weekly World
Kozloff honored by Pennsylvania Black Caucus BU Today Plus, PA
California Latino Caucus Institute Announces Senator Richard G. ... Hispanic PR Wire (press release), FL
Hispanic caucus seeks fresh ideas Orlando Sentinel, FL

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