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Tuesday, October 29, 2002 |
QUOTE OF THE DAY
"The hidden hand of the market will never work without the hidden fist. McDonald's cannot flourish without McDonnell Douglas... and the hidden fist that keeps the world safe for Silicon Valley's technologies to flourish is called the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy and Marine Corp."
- - Thomas L. Friedman (from his book, "The Lexus and the Olive Tree")
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-1012896-8195213
RHINO HERE:
Last week Rhino's Blog featured an article by William Rivers Pitt, a teacher from Boston, concerning a pending Congressional bill entitled "Universal Military and Training Act of 2001," which calls for the drafting of all able-bodied men between the ages of 18 and 22 for military service.
http://radio.weblogs.com/0103207/2002/10/22.html#a450
He's now written a powerful overview of the astounding events that have been befalling us already in the first two years of the new millennium, one after the other after the other, not one of which like anything we saw in the 1990's. Although I excerpt the latter portion of the article, Comes a Time I urge you, make the time to read the entire piece.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/10.28A.wrp.comes.time.htm
His main point is we'd better get out the Democratic vote for Congress next Tuesday or all hell will continue to break loose.
Mr. Rivers Pitt is author (with Scott Ritter) of "War On Iraq; What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know".
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/002-1012896-8195213
8:42:52 AM 
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By William Rivers Pitt,
t r u t h o u t | Perspective, Sunday, 27 October, 2002
...The Congressional midterm elections of 2002 will happen all across the country on November 5th. Control over both houses of Congress is up for grabs, and many of the races are tight. In the end, it will all come down to turnout. The GOP base is energized - they see an historic opportunity for Bush and the Republicans to take Congress and overthrow the Jeffords jump. The Democratic base, as it stands, has been demoralized by recent 'yes' votes cast by many Democratic Congresspeople that allowed passage of Bush's resolution for war on Iraq. Green Party campaigns in races all across the country have likewise sapped strength from traditional Democratic voting bases.
The economic uncertainty, coupled with broad disquiet at the notion of an Iraq war, would seem to offer the Democrats an opportunity to make large gains in November. If the turnout is not high enough, this will not happen. If the GOP should retake Congress after November 5th, a number of things will happen in rapid succession:
1. There will be more ruinous tax cuts that will push us further into deficit spending;
2. There will be no justice for the crimes of the corporate robber barons who have bilked American investors of trillions of dollars;
3. Bush will be in a position to nominate as many as three new ultra-conservative Justices to the Supreme Court before his re-election campaign. Those nominations will not be stopped;
4. The PATRIOT Act will be reaffirmed, and likely given sharper teeth;
5. Roe v. Wade will fall;
6. Regulations controlling inflated profit reporting and pollution will be further watered down;
7. Further ill-conceived and nebulously-defined wars across the globe will be pushed;
8. No answers to questions regarding 9/11 will ever, ever come.
This, again, is a short list.
History happens fast these days, and seems beyond our grasp to control. We forget, in the blur, that it is the people who make history oftentimes, when they make their minds up to do so. Remember what has passed, and consider what may come, as you mark your calendar for November 5th. This administration has not demonstrated the competence or goodwill required of their position in the world. Handing all three branches of the federal government over to them would be a blunder of millennial proportions.
If for no other reason, act in the memory of one fallen man. Paul Wellstone worked every day for the betterment of this nation. On November 5th, remember him, and act in his name.
THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IS AT:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_02/10.28A.wrp.comes.time.htm
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law ( http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html ).
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rhino@kifaru.com
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8:34:23 AM
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© Copyright 2005 Gary Rhine.
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