John Yoo: a president can nuke the United States

I had the opportunity to ask war lawyer John Yoo a couple of questions on Friday. The situation was not ideal, with someone else holding the microphone and deferring to the witness, and other people heckling, and other people shouting at the hecklers. Nonetheless . . .

I gave Yoo every opportunity I could to place a limit on presidential power. Can a president shoot missiles in the United States? Can a president drop nukes in the United States? Yoo refused to concede any limits.

Yoo used the example of shooting down one of the airplanes on 9-11 to assert that a president could indeed use drones to shoot missiles at suspected enemies within the United States, assuming of course that the president proclaims it to be "wartime."

So, can a president drop nukes in the United States? Yoo refused to deny a president even that power. He chose to respond by focusing on the example of Hiroshima, arguing for Truman's rightful power to do what he did, but my question had involved dropping nukes in the United States, and Yoo's answer made clear that he acknowledged no limitation on that power. Watch the video below:

'Soul Of A Citizen' excerpt: taking money out of politics: a grassroots effort for clean elections

Nothing makes us feel more powerless than the corruption of our democracy by money. It undermines progress on every issue we face. If America is ever to deal with our critical problems, we're going to need to sever the links between wealth and politics, a task made more challenging by the recent Supreme Court decision that overturned a hundred years of precedent to increase still further the influence of companies like Exxon, United Health and Goldman Sachs. The Maine Clean Elections model offers a powerful alternative model, one achievable even within the parameters of the ghastly Supreme Court decision. The story of how activist Alison Smith helped it pass also exemplifies how individuals can proceed into social involvement step by step:

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Antiwar activity sees surge for 7th anniversary of Iraq War invasion

Peace Justice and Environmental Project (PJEP) organizers along with the representatives of 38 networks and 2 coalitions that comprise PJEP, contribute to a surge in grassroots anti war and pro peace activity that marks the 7th anniversary of the US led invasion of Iraq this week.

Through the use of unique cooperative and collaborative software on network websites, activists have spread word of over one hundred and fifty local actions and events. Events range from bi-coastal mass protests with organizers in towns and cities throughout the US hiring buses and arranging for car pools to local teach-ins, speak outs, sing a-longs, street theater, candle light vigils and prayer services to regional peace rallies and demonstrations. Included are on-going peace vigils which have been occurring since the invasion began.

Weekly Radio Show: "A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments"

You can listen to Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman weekly on WCRS-FM in Columbus at 4pm EST. 102.1 or 98.3. Or online at:
March 19 show
This week's show features author of “A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments.”

Keep Boston Safe!

USDA Inspector General finds Bush administration ignored organic laws

WASHINGTON, DC: After an extensive audit and investigation of alleged improprieties at the USDA's National Organic Program, the agency's Office of Inspector General (OIG) made public their formal report, dated March 9, substantiating the allegations of prominent organic industry watchdog groups — that under the Bush administration, the USDA did an inadequate job of enforcing federal organic law.

Since 2002, when the USDA adopted the federal organic regulations, the agency has been plagued by underfunding and a number of scandals and complaints about its cozy relationship with agribusiness interests and lobbyists.

"We are satisfied with the thoroughness of the investigation conducted by the USDA's Inspector General," said Mark Kastel, Senior Farm Policy Analyst at The Cornucopia Institute. "And, we are pleased and impressed by the earnest response of the current management at the USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), and its National Organic Program, in responding to the report’s critical findings."

Vermont Nuke Letter

Jesus fucking dog Christ! Why aren't the American people uncontrollably ANGRY!!!!!!! One reason, no doubt, has to do with our positively worthless mainline media, who do absolutely nothing for the American people. I mean, imagine if the lost Michael Jackson had been leaking tritium! But instead of the months straight of pure horseshit media coverage given to the pathetic Michael and other such pop culture rot, the Vermont Senate vote to disband its deadly nuke plant gets maybe a few minutes of, eh, I don't know what, exactly. Take me back to my youth, to a figurative, now distant time just before Jack London wrote "The Iron Heel," and I swear I'll join the good guys in his novel and take to the streets. I'm ready to kill certain people, artificial ones mainly, also known as corporations. What a stinking fucking mess we nutty humans, American style, have gotten ourselves into. Nietzsche, way the fuck ahead of our American "leaders" (laughter, laughter!) in terms of everything decent, said that in individuals insanity is rare, but that in groups, NATIONS, PARTIES, and epochs, it's the rule. If that divine pathetic bastard referred to by some as "God" is anywhere

The GITMO distraction

America’s charade of change comes complete with national “debate” and a slight readjustment of the center to accommodate the Bush Lite policies of the Obama presidency.

What matters is that any change President Obama proposes be symbolic rather than substantive. A furious battle then ensues over the symbolic change so that, if it does finally come to pass — with the president weathering the endless flow of invective and fear-mongering from the Republican right — it will appear as though something was actually accomplished.

Meanwhile, business as usual holds course. The great swell of hope for a renewal of American society that swept Obama into office — for a real accounting of the crimes of the Bush administration, not to mention a reversal of its most heinous policies and a return to value-based governance — dissipates into the vague, scattered disappointment of millions of supporters, who once again have no focus for their disaffection.

Activism is change, not academic squabbles and bickering

An activist is a person who feels strongly about a cause and who is also willing to dedicate time and energy towards advancing and realizing this cause.

This might be my own limited interpretation of what activism means. I was born and raised in a Gaza refugee camp where the daily struggles of the community included challenging military occupation while attempting to survive under the harshest of circumstances. Activism then involved civil disobedience, general strikes, confronting armed Israeli soldiers with stones and slingshots. But it also involved much more than that.

Activists in my refugee camp, whether they're identified as Islamist, secularist, socialist or any other name, ensured the community remained unified in the face of adversity. They did not always succeed, but efforts were abound. Activists provided sustainable community support to families with sons and daughters that were killed in clashes or incarcerated in Israeli prisons. They rebuilt people's homes after they were demolished by Israeli dynamites or bulldozers. Some activists even offered free haircuts to those who couldn't afford them.

Zero public option + one mandate = disaster

Not long ago, the most prominent supporters of the public option were touting it as essential for healthcare reform. Now, suddenly, it's incidental.

In fact, many who were lauding a public option as the key to a better healthcare future are now condemning just about anyone who insists that the absence of a public option makes the current bill unworthy of support.

Consider this statement: "If I were a senator, I would not vote for the current healthcare bill. Any measure that expands private insurers' monopoly over healthcare and transfers millions of taxpayer dollars to private corporations is not real healthcare reform."

That statement is as true today as it was when Howard Dean, former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, made it three months ago in a Washington Post op-ed. But now, a concerted political blitz is depicting anyone who takes such a position as a menace to "real healthcare reform."

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