Friday, August 8, 2003

Politricks At Work QUOTE OF THE DAY "Our government... teaches the whole people by its example. If the government becomes the lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. - - Justice Louis Dembitz Brandeis KNOW YOUR HISTORY - AUGUST 8th 1973 -- Nattering Nabob Vice President Spiro T. Agnew brands as "damned lies" reports he took kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland. A not so "effete" crook, he vowed not to resign just before resigning. 1974 -- Inspired by his former sidekick, Spiro, President Dick M Nixon, no longer claiming he is not a crook, resigns the Presidency. Said "I'm not a quitter!" Then he quit. 1994 -- Cesar Chavez is posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, becoming the first Mexican-American ever to receive the honor. RHINO'S RAP: California's Total Recall got a new candidate Wednesday night when self professed "moderate Republican" Arnold Schwarzenegger declared on Jay Leno that he was running. Within hours, horrified progressives took to the internet establishing WWW.StopSchwarzenegger.COM The goal is simply to "keep sharing Arnold's brilliant observations"  such as: "How many times do you get away with this -- to take a woman, grab her upside down, and bury her face in a toilet bowl?" -- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Entertainment Weekly, July 11, 2003 Here's a bit of their mission statement: "B-movie actors are as fine as far as they go. But Governor of the largest state in the nation? California's problems can't be airbrushed or digitally animated away. Watching Arnold govern just won't be funny. Real issues are at stake -- real kids, real pollution, real jobs... Was announcing on Jay Leno brilliant? Or cynical, Hollywood-style manipulation? We've only got eight weeks. The most important thing is that we get the word out -- or rather Arnold's words, which speak for themselves. Please email your friends and family -- especially people you know in California.. http://www.StopSchwarzenegger.com Corrections On History Yesterday's "Know Your History"  stated that,  "...Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt had stormed the Republican convention but failed to wrest the nomination from William Howard Taft. He then founded his own, short-lived, Progressive Party. The party split, allowed Taft to win the election." Several astute blog watchers pointed out that  it was Woodrow Wilson who won that election. They went on to note Wilson's history of being a "white supremacist, globalizer & empire builder". What? You say that's not what you learned in history class? Rhino directs your attention to an excellent source of U.S. history entitled: Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your High School History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen , a sociologist who spent two years at the Smithsonian Institution surveying twelve leading high school textbooks of American history only to find an embarrassing blend of bland optimism, blind nationalism, and plain misinformation, weighing in at an average of 888 pages and almost five pounds. Loewen is an educator who attended Carleton College, holds the Ph.D. in sociology from Harvard University, and taught race relations for twenty years at the University of Vermont. The Book At Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0684818868/104-7692246-7446321?vi=glance The Author's Website includes: - Tips for Teachers: How To Teach American History -  American History Quiz: How Well Do You Know Your American History? -  Top Ten Terrible Historical Sites: False American History from Columbus to Vietnam http://www.uvm.edu/~jloewen/   AND DON'T FORGET THE NUEVO-CLASSIC OF AMERICAN HISTORY "ADDICTED TO WAR"  http://www.addictedtowar.com/indexHome.html Chicago Debate Fallout: Gov. Dean's Denial on Social Security Age During the AFL-CIO debate Wednesday, Rep. Dennis Kucinich challenged Gov. Howard Dean on his claim to being committed to a balanced budget while keeping Pentagon spending off-limits to cuts, and he questioned Dean's public statements about raising the Social Security retirement age. In arguing his own position of returning the age to 65, Kucinich noted that "Mr. Dean has said that he'd move the retirement age to 68. One time, he talked about moving it to 70." A few minutes later in the debate, Dean simply offered a broad denial:   "I have never favored a Social Security retirement age of 70. Nor do I favor one of 68." Thursday Kucinich said: "It's unfortunate that Dr. Dean was not forthright with labor leaders and activists concerning his statements on Social Security which had been discussed on a recent 'Meet the Press' program. I was surprised at his denial, which raises many questions. If he wants to clarify his earlier statements, fine. But don't deny them while appealing for union votes." DEAN'S PREVIOUS STATEMENTS ON RAISING THE S.S. RETIREMENT AGE AT: http://kucinich.us/#chicago 8:05:26 AM    comment

RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE - In The Race: Arianna Huffington In The Race - Arianna Huffington Interview byJohn Moyers, Editor-in-Chief of TomPaine.com. TomPaine.com: ... You're going to announce tomorrow [Wednesday, August 6, 2003] in a ... place that serves underprivileged children. Why? Arianna Huffington: I picked A Place Called Home, which is a center for at-risk children in South Central [Los Angeles], because I am determined to make this campaign about the huge divisions in this state that have resulted because of the stranglehold of money on our political system and on our policy priorities. A Place Called Home and services like it are really hurting right now. California has nearly two million people in families who are working full time but are living below the poverty line, and one-and-a-half million earning around the minimum wage. And right now we're facing huge teacher layoffs and college tuition hikes. ... TP.c: That is why you are running for governor? Huffington: ... It is a chaotic situation brought about by a recall process that I oppose, which I've written about, and which I consider a power grab. But at the same time, out of this chaos can come a historic opportunity to really bring about fundamental reform in California. When the system is predictable and stable, as it is in most election cycles, it is really hard to bring about change. ... The pent-up frustration in the electorate, and the fact that this is an extraordinary circumstance that we are presented with, makes it possible for someone like me to run as an independent, which is what I'm doing, and to have a platform through which I can reach a lot of people who feel excluded by the political process, who feel shut out, who feel that they cannot make a difference. ... TP.c: There is no question that you are a learned person, and a forceful advocate for the issues you believe in ... but Californians are going to want to know, probably one of the questions you'll be asked most often, in fact, is what are your qualifications for being governor of the state?... READ THE REST AT: http://www.tompaine.com/feature2.cfm/ID/8556 "RHINO'S BLOG" is the responsibility of Gary Rhine. (rhino@kifaru.com) Feedback, and requests to be added or deleted from the list are encouraged. SEARCH BLOG ARCHIVES / SURF RHINO'S LINKS, AT: http://www.rhinosblog.info RHINO'S OTHER WEB SITES: http://www.dreamcatchers.org (INDIGENOUS ASSISTANCE & INTERCULTURAL DIALOG) http://www.kifaru.com (NATIVE AMERICAN RELATIONS VIDEO DOCUMENTARIES) Articles are reprinted under Fair Use Doctrine of international copyright law. http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.html All copyrights belong to original publisher. 7:10:13 AM    comment

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