Thursday, August 21, 2003

Pete Wilson? Brain Power? QUOTE OF THE DAY "The symbol of the male here in North America has always been the gun, the knife, the club. Violence is extolled at every exchange: the TV, the motion pictures, the best-seller lists. The newspapers that sell best are those that carry the boldest, bloodiest headlines & most sports coverage. To die for king & country is to die a hero." - - George Jackson (following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.) KNOW YOUR HISTORY AUGUST 21 1971 -- Black liberation activist George Jackson, 29, & five others are assassinated by prison guards at San Quentin, California. Killed during an escape attempt, while about to face another trial on charges of murdering a white guard. 2017 -- Next total solar eclipse visible from North America. RHINO HERE: Pete Wilson as brain power for The Terminator? Electrical Grid deregulation was Pete Wilson's war cry when he ran for President. So just when Arnold hires him, the effects of lectricity dereg drops the grid out from under the entire Northeast. Is anyone paying attention? Is the press asking Wilson the right questions? RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE tells the tale. But first, if you were ever curious about the accusations that Dennis Kucinich sent the city of Cleveland into default by refusing to sell the city's power company to pay off loans, and he did so against the urging of the media, the city council and the banks, if you were ever curious about that, now is the time to get the story. Here is a timely essay by Dennis on his historic battle to defend the public against energy corporations: Power to the People by Dennis J. Kucinich, CommonDreams.org, August 20, 2003 With an estimated 50 million Americans and Canadians left without power and in some cases water, common sense requires us to reflect on the absurdity of deregulation of public utilities. The right of utility franchise is vested in the people. We give utilities permission to operate, and enable them to set up a profit making business in exchange for the promise of affordable and reliable service. In 1992, investor owned utilities pushed the Democratic House to pass HR776 which granted electric utilities broad powers. The bill was supposed to restructure the electric utility industry to spur competition. Utilities used deregulation to affect a series of mergers limiting competition. In order to accelerate profits, cost cutting ensued, involving the layoff of thousands of utility company employees, including some who where responsible for maintenance of generation, transmission, and distribution systems. A number of investor-owned utilities stopped investing in the maintenance and repair of their own equipment, and, instead, cut costs to enhance the value of their stock rather than spending money to enhance the value of their service... CONGRESSMAN KUCINICH'S HISTORIC BATTLE WITH FIRST ENERGY CORP IS AT: http://kucinich.us/powertothepeople.htm 7:53:06 AM    comment

RHINO'S BOTTOM LINE - Forget Arnold, "Blackout Pete" Wilson is the Electric Terminator In The Race - Arianna Huffington Interview by John 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. 6:37:24 AM    comment

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