A lawsuit brought by Rep. Dennis Kucinich and 9 other members of Congress against the Obama Administration - which alleged that the US involvement in the war on Libya was in violation of the US Constitution and the War Powers Resolution - was dismissed by a Federal court judge for the District of Columbia late last month.

In its 23-page Decision, dated October 20th, granting the Administration's motion for summary dismissal, US District Court Judge Reggie B. Walton, appointed to the bench by President George W. Bush in 2001, held that "...the plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that they have standing — either in their capacity as Members of the House of Representatives or because of their status as taxpayers — to maintain this action."

Given that the Court found that the Plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the case, it didn't address the merits of the case - i.e., it never addressed the question of whether or not the President had the authority to conduct the war or, indeed, even the question of whether or not the intensive bombing of Libya represented the conduct of "hostilities."

Columbus Police arrested 7 activists as they read aloud a long list of complaints against US Bank. They face fourth degree misdemeanor trespassing charges, according to attorneys with Occupy Columbus. Activists had planned to do a “parade tour” of several banks in downtown Columbus, but only got to two of them when police made the arrests, said Justin Poulin.

“We went inside Fifth Third Bank. We protested for about 5 minutes, talked about the bank. Then we were followed from Fifth Third Bank by police to US Bank. We were followed into the lobby. We did exactly the same thing we did in Fifth Third. We were just talking about the bank. Then the police surrounded us and started putting people in hand cuffs,” said Poulin.



Using the ‘people’s mic.’ demonstrators were addressing anyone in the bank who would listen, said Poulin.

An important progressive movement, MOVE TO AMEND is gaining momentum. It is a grass roots initiative to promote an amendment of the U. S. Constitution to negate the immoral ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court of January 21, 2010,
“Citizens United v The Election Commission of the U. S. Instead of making a ruling on a simple case, the Court by a 5 to 4 decision made a wide reaching law."

It declared that corporations and unions are people with First Amendment rights of free speech. That includes the right to contribute funds to help or deter candidates for public office and to influence the passage of referenda and state constitutional amendments. Money can be donated through PACs without transparency. The Citizen United ruling is destroying our democratic system of government. Corporations have unlimited funds and unions have much less money and political influence. This ruling is allowing corporations to weaken union even more.

Before leaving the G-20 meetings in Cannes, France, President Obama joined with French President Sarkozy to pay tribute to the two countries’ alliance and celebrate the successful intervention in Libya that ended the rule of Moammar Gadhafi.

“Every man and woman in uniform who participated in this effort can know that you have accomplished every objective,” Obama said. “Today, the Libyan people have liberated their country and begun to forge their own future.”

Obama, who launched the Libyan mission amid widespread Republican criticism, had good reasons to greet Gadhafi’s overthrow with relief. And all hope that democracy can take root. But once the U.S. intervenes in an internal foreign dispute, we bear greater responsibility for the outcome. Before the “war of choice” on Iraq, former Secretary of State Colin Powell warned President Bush about the “Pottery Barn rule: If you break it, you own it.”

That’s why the U.S. and its allies must respond to the credible reports of terrible violence being wreaked on dark-skinned Libyans by the victors.

I know a lot of folks don't take me seriously, because I don't have the money machine behind me that Elizabeth Warren or Barack Obama, but but here's my two cents again. I am not rich. I am not owned by the corporations or by the political machine. I am of the working folk, like you. Not a Wall Street mouthpiece robed in false promises of populism. Not an Ivy League-educated lawyer with a web of powerful and dangerous connections.

I am not a lawyer, but I have been reading the Law now for years... like another man you may have heard of... his name was Abraham Lincoln.

I am tired of our current President and our current Congress tearing down our world. Every four years a new President come into office, and every four years, all the President does is work for the rich and for the war machine. And they continue to destroy and despoil our planet.