Political Bunker

Dr. King's August, 28 1963 speech at the March on Washington...

"NO DANCING," reads the sign behind the bar. It’s not some kitschy 19th-century relic. It’s the law in New York City, as revived by our just-departed mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

NYT - In the genteel world of bridge, disputes are usually handled quietly and rarely involve issues of national policy. But in a fight reminiscent of the brouhaha over an anti-Bush statement by Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks in 2003, a team of women who represented the United States at the world bridge championships in Shanghai last month is facing sanctions, including a yearlong ban from competition, for a spur-of-the-moment protest.

Menstrual Poetry - Universal Health care. What sends chills down the spines of Republicans everywhere, but what could ultimately make the United States a more respected country–A country that takes care of it’s people, including the poor. It doesn’t have to be such a distant dream, however, the world of health does not have to be dictated by insurance companies whose CEO’s know nothing about dying or losing a loved one because they simply did not have sufficient medical insurance.

WaPo - One year out from the 2008 election, Americans are deeply pessimistic and eager for a change in direction from the agenda and priorities of President Bush, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

say goodbye to police protection
say goodbye to fire protection
say goodbye to military protection
say goodbye to public libraries
say goodbye to postal service
say goodbye to 911 systems
say goodbye to public schools
say goodbye to highway systems
say goodbye to criminal courts
say goodbye to public defenders
say goodbye to public water systems
say goodbye to many public services

Are not all of these social programs? Is socialism really the evil thing we've been led to believe? Shouldn't health care be on this list?

continued after the jump...

"Fifty years ago, Sputnik marked the dawn of the Space Age and the beginning of a new era filled with new challenges. Fifty years later, there is no single, galvanizing event to steel our resolve and to lift our eyes to the heavens. The challenges we face are more complex and interconnected. From the rise of globalization to the threat of global warming. These challenges require big ideas and bold thinking."

"But instead of fostering a climate of discovery and innovation, the Bush administration has declared war on science. The record is breathtaking: banning the most promising kinds of stem cell research, allowing political appointees to censor studies on climate change, muzzling global warming experts like Dr. James Hansen, overruling doctors and the FDA on emergency contraception, suppressing and manipulating data on mercury pollution, even delaying one report which found that 8 percent of women between 16 and 49 years of age have mercury levels in their blood that could harm future children, denying the risks of toxins like asbestos in the air after the 9/11 attacks, overruling scientists who sought to protect animals under the Endangered Species Act, eliminating scientific committees at the Department of Health and Human Services that did not parrot the politically accepted ideology — or packing those committees with industry insiders, altering scientific tests on the lead content of children’s lunch boxes — and appointing a lead industry consultant to a key panel formed by the Centers for Disease Control, barring a USDA researcher from publishing or even discussing his work on antibiotic resistant bacteria, censoring government websites on breast cancer research, contraception, climate change, and so much else." ~ Hillary Clinton

Read the full speech here...