9:52: ACTION ALERT: FREE AMY GOODMAN AND ACTIVISTS IN ST PAUL, MINNNESOTA

ST. PAUL, MN-Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman was unlawfully arrested in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota at approximately 5 p.m. local time. Police violently manhandled Goodman, yanking her arm, as they arrested her. Video of her arrest can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYjyvkR0bGQ

Goodman was arrested while attempting to free two Democracy Now! producers who were being unlawfully detained. They are Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar. Kouddous and Salazar were arrested while they carried out their journalistic duties in covering street demonstrations at the Republican National Convention. Goodman’s crime appears to have been defending her colleagues and the freedom of the press.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher told Democracy Now! that Kouddous and Salazar were being arrested on suspicion of rioting. They are currently being held at the Ramsey County jail in St. Paul.

Democracy Now! is calling on all journalists and concerned citizens to call the office of Mayor Chris Coleman and the Ramsey County Jail and demand the immediate release of Goodman, Kouddous and Salazar. These calls can be directed to: Chris Rider from Mayor Coleman’s office at 651-266-8535 and the Ramsey County Jail at 651-266-9350 (press extension 0).

BRIAN DROLET OF DEEP DISH TV REPORTS: “Many arrestees are being held without booking in the Ramsey Cty jail. Not in the system yet, told no info & they won’t see judges until Wed.”

THIS IS COVERAGE?

The NY Times featured a Page One Photo of A Policemen spraying protesters with mace or pepper spray. The headline: DOZENS ARE ARRESTED AS CONVENTION OPENS. The story itself is pushed way back on to page A 20 below the fold where protesters are called “THRONGS.” As in “AS THRONGS OF PROTESTERS HIT THE STREETS, DOZENS ARE ARRESTED.” The police actions were presented as necessary because of attempts by a minority of protesters (”Although most of the protesters were peaceful..”)

The story quotes from the REPUBLICAN PARTY’s BLOG, but no activist blogs, suggesting that some delegates were spat upon in an effort to block Republicans at a “security perimeter.” The article suggested that that a group of about 200 in black bandannas ” and some wearing black balaclavas cauesed the protest.” There is a reference to a documentary filmmaker, Jerah Plucker, saying he was one of 300 people surrounded by police at a rally on teh banks of the Missisippi.

TWO NY TIMES reporters had bylines on this sketchy report. There is no reference to Amy Goodman or claims that independent media teams were singeled out. See DemocracyNow.org for more. Police said “75 or more” had been arrested. I guess that’s “Dozens” End of article says 300 people were told they were being arrested at peaceful rally/concert. Duh?

THERE IS NO REFERENCE TO WHAT PROTESTERS WERE SAYING OR CHANTING.

Can you image what the Times response would have been if “THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS,” much less faceless THRONGS” had marched at the Olympics in China?

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT:

LABOR DAY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN? WHAT SHOULD IT MEAN?
Here’s Bill Moyers ‘s essay:

LISTEN: LABOR DAY RADIO SHOW BY MARTY GOLDENSOHN

NEW ORLEANS WEATHERS STORM AS GUSTAV IS DOWNGRADED
NEW HURRICANES THREATEN
GOP CONVENTION OPENS; BUSH A NO SHOW
POLICE USE PEPPER SPRAY ON PROTESTERS; AMY GOODMAN AMONG THOSE ARRESTED
REPORT OF NEW IMMINENT ATTACK ON IRAN

I will be upgrading my Labor Day Dissectorgram which was not mailed to subscribers fusing in new stories.

FOR THE BEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE LOCAL REPORTING FROM NEW ORLEANS, READ NOLA.COM

Labor day began with fears of that New Orleans was facing another Katrina. But the storm downgraded and while it is affecting 12 states—with many power shortages—but far no casualty count or damage estimate, and the Big Easy is still here. They are not out of the woods yet. Some levees took a beating and could still fail. Remember, the worst effects of Katrina came the dat after.

The town was empty save for l0,000 people.The storm sure was half of what it was in Katrina. President Bush staged his photo op at the operations center in Austin and skipped the Republican convention. Now, a new hurricane is threatening named Hanna…and then waiting in the wings is IKE.

MONDAY MORNING 10:30 AM: CNN is doing what it does best–covering a storm with a full court press, using Microsoft Earth technology, doppler radars, links to the National Weather Center, animations, Live Shots and an army of correspondents in red rain gear charting its progress and impact.

The performance is impressive but it is also reminding America about the legacy of Katrina and the failure of the Bush Administration and its “good job Brownie” approach, and its FEMA Trailers or which 14,000 remain, with residents being warned to get the hell out because they can become missiles in flight. (CNN: “FEMA Director says they were a mistake.”) Only three years late.

NOON: There is water going over some levees but little breaching so far. Two barges are loose and banging into a bridge. Water from the lake is rising but hasn’t reached Katrina levels. There is flooding in the lower 9th ward again…..

RE coverage. The nets featured “wrap around coverage” cutting from reporter to reporter with cameras offering many angles…That always makes for great TV, dramatic and ongoing.but clearly there was no knock out blow. All the nets deplyed their top talent and did specials. That was not the case at the Republican convention. There was little informed commentary from the streets there.

MEANWHILE, UP THE MISSISSIPPI

You wouldn’t have thought that this story could be one-upped but it was when it was revealed that there was another disaster of sorts—in the family of his new Vice Presidential campaign. Here was that bombshell:

ST. PAUL (Reuters) - The 17-year-old daughter of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is pregnant, Palin said on Monday in an announcement intended to knock down rumors by liberal bloggers that Palin faked her own pregnancy to cover up for her child.

Bristol Palin, one of Alaska Gov. Palin’s five children with her husband, Todd, is about five months pregnant and is going to keep the child and marry the father, the Palins said in a statement released by the campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

… A senior McCain campaign official said the McCain camp was appalled that these rumors had not only been spread around liberal blog sites and partisan Democrats, but also were the subject of heightened interest from mainstream news media.”

Barack Obama made a statement noting that he was born to an l8 year mother, reiterating his concern that the children of candidates should not be part of the campaign.

OTHER DISCLOSURES RE MRS. PALIN.

ALTERNET: TEN DISTURBING THINGS ABOUT SARAH PALIN

She has hired a private lawyer to defend her in a legislative ethics probe in Alaska; she was a member for two years of the Alaska Independence Party that wanted the state to secede, and that her husband had a drunken driving charges 22 years ago. These disclosures are being used to cast doubt on John McCain’s vetting process. Questions are also being raised about whether a mother with five kids–including one with Down’s Syndrome–should join a taxing campaign , or whether she could handle the demands of the Vice Presidency……Norman Lear, founder of the People of the American Way, warns that given John McCain’s health and bouts with cancer, she could become President.

REPUGS SHOW COMPASSION FOR GULF STATES

There were just a few speeches at the GOP Convention. Bush and Cheney were no shows. The platform was passed and then the wives spoke. After Laura Bush explained how we are Americans, she cited repeatedly and approvingly..smile, smile— that all the Governors in the Gulf States are Republicans and friends of the Bushes.

First Lady Laura Bush

On putting the well-being of our fellow citizens first:

“Our first priority for today and in the coming days is to ensure the safety and well-being of those living in the Gulf Coast Region. And to all of those living in the Gulf States, please know that our thoughts and prayers are with you.

“The effect of Hurricane Gustav is just now being measured. When such events occur, we are reminded that first, we are all Americans - and that our shared American ideals will always transcend political parties and partisanship.”

Mrs. Cindy McCain

A call to help the people of the Gulf States:

“I would ask that each one of us commit to join together to aid those in need as quickly as possible. As John has been saying for the last several days, this is a time when we take off our Republican hats and put on our American hats.”
=
Conservative Ire Pushed McCain From Lieberman

Elizabeth Bumiller and Michael Cooper, The New York Times: “In the end, the choice of his running mate said more about Senator John McCain and his image of himself than it did about Sarah Palin, the little-known governor of Alaska whose selection has shaken up the presidential race.”

Those Who Are Tasked to Police This Democracy Are Blinded by Confetti
By Gary Younge

The real problem with the Bush years is not so much what he did but that America’s political class enabled him to do it.

PROTESTS LARGELY UNREPORTED

NBC reported there were 8000 anti-war demonstrators and in passing, “police used pepper spray on some of them.” No details were provided. (THE NATION REPORTED 50,000!) This story did not make the network news:

RNC Raids Have Been Targeting Video Activists

“St. Paul is a free country!” cried a resident of Iglehart Avenue, a neighborhood street in St. Paul, Minn., as she watched her next-door neighbor’s house being overtaken by police officers on Saturday afternoon. Just one in a series of house raids over a 24-hour period the weekend before the Republican National Convention, St. Paul police surrounded the private home with weapons drawn, detaining people in the backyard, while journalists, activists and neighbors — including several children — looked on.

Their crime? None whatsoever. No one was trespassing or engaging in acts of civil disobedience. Instead, members of I-Witness Video , a New York-based media watchdog group that records police activity in order to protect civil liberties, were holding an organizing meeting at 949 Iglehart, the home of St. Paul resident Mike Whalen, when armed police officers arrived in the early afternoon and ordered their surrender.

Among them was Eileen Clancy, founder of I-Witness Video, as well as a producer with Democracy Now! DN! host Amy Goodman and her staff had just arrived at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport when they received word that producer Elizabeth Press was in the house and being threatened with arrest.

LATE BREAKING DEVELOPMENT: Journalists Amy Goodman, Sharif Abdel Kouddou and Nicole Salazar from
Democracy Now were arrested around 4:45 pm in a mass arrest at 7th Street and Jackson.

According to the Coldsnap legal feed: Police in riot gear have blocked off downtown St. Paul. Bridges closed,
buses shut down.

FEDS INVOLVED IN BUSTING PROTESTERS IN TWIN CITIES

The Federal government stands exposed of involvement in targeting and arresting protestersGlenn Greenwald has that story:

Is this a lesson learned by Mr. Bush fromChina? (see photos below)—

While we think about the Gulf Coast, let’s remember this recent RAID on immigrant workers and its relationship to the GOP Masterplan

STORM STORY STILL EVOLVING…..

ACCU-WEATHER TRACKING THE STORM

FINANCIAL TIMES: WHY THE PALIN PICK WAS SHREWD

Don Rose: Thoughts on Sarah Palin

The selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be John McCain’s running mate is terrifying. It would be good news if McCain were just out of his mind or desperate. Remember Dan Quayle? Quayle was also a lightweight. But in Quayle’s case there was little to suggest what his influence in Indiana could do for the Bush I administration. In Palin’s case what she can do for a McCain administration is all too obvious. She can help turn Alaska into one giant oil field quickly and without any concern for the environment. She can redefine the term”fast track”. She knows the state and can wheel and deal in the places that will most quickly open up protected areas for drilling. Damn the torpedoes… That realization was instantaneous for me. Then came the second epiphany. McCain is acting as if the election is irrelevant and it just may be. The Republicans did steal the last two didn’t they? Is this one already so far in the bag that McCain doesn’t care what she does to his national ticket? I pray there is some other explanation.

Palin flip-flopped on ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ funds
By Tom Kizza

“Palin was for the Bridge to Nowhere before she was against it.”

THOUGHTS FOR THE REST OF US: CAROLYN BAKER.NET

Events like Katrina and Gustav hold meaning both literally and
symbolically. In terms of the latter, they represent for me a
fast-forward image of collapse. What most of humanity refuses to
grasp is that collapse is happening, and is to some extent, occurring
in slow burn fashion, yet when sudden crisis events erupt, a tipping
point both exacerbates collapse and reveals what it will look like in
its last stages. Those lines of cars evacuating crisis areasthe ones
that seem to stretch into infinity, that weve become so familiar with
since Katrina, should send all of us immediately back to Collapse
Preparation 101, checking our emergency supplies and pondering where
we need to be living and what more we need to be doing to navigate
the inevitable

JAPAN’S PM RESIGNS

DUTCH NEWSPAPER REPORTS IMMINENT ATTACK ON IRAN

Biggest Newspaper In Holland Says Dutch Intelligence Helped Prepare Imminent Attack On Iran
De Telegraaf front page says sources inside AVID helped CIA map air attack

Sam Gardiner, Col. USAF Ret, comments:

This morning, Holland’s largest newspaper carries an important article on Iran. The article was quickly picked up and translated into English by the official Iranian new agency. According to the piece, a classified Dutch intelligence operation cooperating with the CIA has been pulled back. The operations has involved infiltration into Iranian industry, missile equipment and launchers were specifically mentioned. The Dutch effort was pulled back because the United States is on the verge of targeting these facilities.

The author of the Dutch article has a history of good contacts with Dutch intelligence.

This is makes some sense. The United States would not want to target a facility where a cooperating intelligence agency had people. I don’t conclude from this that the United States is close to an air strike. I see this more in terms of the target of covert operations where we are beginning to see the results from the recent Presidential finding we’ve read about in a number of investigative pieces.

‘US to Strike Iran in Coming Weeks’

The Jerusalem Post

The impending air-strike on Iran was to be carried out by unmanned aircraft “within weeks,” the report claimed, quoting “well placed” sources.

BEHIND GLOBAL FAMINE

Reuters: Ingushetia website owner killed by police

An opposition internet news site owner in Russia’s troubled Ingushetia region was fatally shot yesterday after being detained by police. Magomed Yevloyev was one of the most high-profile journalists to be killed in Russia since the investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya was shot dead near her Moscow apartment in 2006, provoking condemnation of Russia’s record on media freedom.

Yevloyev, who owned the website Ingushetiya.ru, was a vocal critic of the region’s Kremlin-backed administration, accused by opponents of crushing dissent and free speech.

A lawyer for the repeated official attempts to close it down, said police met Yevloyev at the steps of an aircraft after he flew into Ingushetia’s airport and drove him away in a Volga car. “As they drove he was shot in the temple … They threw him out of the car near the hospital,” Kaloi Akhilgov told Reuters by telephone. “He was discovered there and they quickly put him on the operating table, which is where he died.”

Akhilgov said Yevloyev, who was in his 30s, had flown from Moscow to Nazran on the same flight as the Kremlin-backed local leader, Murat Zyazikov, who has been struggling to contain a low-level insurgency by Islamist militants. A spokesman for Zyazikov could not be reached for comment.

Interfax news agency cited an unnamed law enforcement source as saying that Yevloyev was shot by accident, and said prosecutors had opened a criminal case for causing the death by carelessness.

In Moscow, Vladimir Markin, a spokesman for the investigations unit of the prosecutor general’s office, said only: “A preliminary investigation is being carried out into the incident.”

THERE WAS A PROTEST AT THE FUNERAL TODAY

DALI LAMA RECOUPERATING

REUTERS:Doctors treating the Dalai Lama say there is no cause for concern despite him being admitted to hospital in India, and the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader will take part in a fast on Saturday, aides said.

“He is doing fine. He is undergoing some checkups … the doctors have told us that absolutely there is no cause for concern,” Chhime Chhoekyapa, a senior aide to the exiled spiritual Tibetan leader, told Reuters from Mumbai on Friday.

Personal doctors and aides to the Dalai Lama said he had a “mild problem” and would undergo more tests on Saturday.

“Today and tomorrow he will be in the hospital, but day after tomorrow he might be discharged,” said Tenzin Taklha, a senior aide to the Lama, in Dharamsala on Friday.

ECONOMY

WP: Fannie, Freddie Slip After Key Gains
Share Prices Up For Week Despite Sell-Off at End

SAVING FREDDIE AND FANNIE

Credit crunch fallout could linger in ‘09

Much to the shock of many economists and to the chagrin of politicians, the
credit crunch hung around so long that it turned a year old this summer.

…”We’re going to be struggling well into 2009,” said Zandi, whose new book is
called “Financial Shock: A 360-degree Look at the Subprime Mortgage Implosion,
and How to Avoid the Next Financial Crisis” ($24.99, FT Press).

This is not just any old financial blip. Typically, a crisis can last days or
weeks.

“This is unprecedented,” Zandi said.

The subprime financial shock, he concludes, will go down as an inflection point
in economic history.
What’s next

Unfortunately, I’ve got a strong hunch that Zandi is right on the money. His
book offers a readable explanation for how roughly 15 million shaky or bad
mortgage loans could turn into what’s expected to be a trillion-dollar global
financial fallout.”

EUROPEAN VIEW ON FINANCIAL CRISIS

European social democrats, or the powerlessness of power By Michel Rocard

In reporting on the crisis, the media have placed too much emphasis on finance
alone, and have paid insufficient attention to the marked slowing of economic growth. But it is the economic slowdown that renders all developed countries less resistant to the financial shocks resulting from the sub-prime problem and from the mixed loan packages that are then used to dilute the risks attached to sub-prime debt. Indeed, the combination of banking uncertainties, slower growth, and the heightened risk of underemployment and casual labor creates the political weakness now visible in the UK, Spain, Italy and elsewhere.

Herein lies a real ideological problem. The second half of the 20th century
witnessed the victory of the market economy over the administered economy. The
left, which had previously looked to Marx, lost its bearings. Even social
democracy, which, particularly in Scandinavia, was an excellent regulator of
capitalism, found itself muted in the controversy between Keynesians and
monetarists, and, throughout the developed world, the monetarists won.

But have they?

NEW GOOGLE BROWSER CHALLENGES MICROSOFT

FT: Google is to release its own internet browser in what amounts to its most direct attack yet on Microsoft’s dominance of PC software. The launch of the browser, known as Google Chrome, will pit the internet company against Microsoft’s dominant Internet Explorer browse

SAL SIINO WRITES ABOUT PAUL CORTEZ

My name is Sal Siino. I am a former corporate attorney who left the practice of law to pursue my MBA at Harvard Business School. Together with other young professionals in the New York area, I recently formed a non-profit organization (The Paul Cortez Defense Fund, Inc.) to help Paul Cortez fight for justice. (www.freepaulcortez.org)

When in March of 2005 another murder was announced in New York City, I was as disgustingly un-surprised as the next person. This time, however, the stories plastered on news stands happened to concern a man with whom I had previously crossed paths at our local gym: Paul Cortez.

While it is true that my (admittedly brief) acquaintance with Paul piqued my interest enough to follow his case in the news, I was initially neither convinced nor unconvinced of his innocence. Eventually, my vague interest slowly morphed into mangled knots of unsettled questions. The whole thing just didn’t seem right. The tabloid headlines were racially slanderous. The language was agonizingly unprofessional and contained many contradictions. False and exaggerated statements were issued, recognizable by those with even a modest amount of sensibility…all leading me to scratch my head and wonder: ‘do people actually believe this?’ Is anyone going to help this man? I had faith, however, that despite the media frenzy, Paul would have his chance in court and that my unsettled feelings would soon be put to rest.

Last year, Paul was sentenced to 25 years to life for a crime he did not commit. His defense attorneys were so incompetent and ill-prepared that they failed to show up for the first three days of trial and inexplicably did not test any DNA evidence which could have cleared Paul or call any forensic experts at trial.

Paul has now spent over 900 days in a roach-infested cell, stripped of his most basic human rights. Torn away from the comfort of friends, family, and the familiarity of his life, he was without warning thrust into the swells of panic, despair, and utter darkness. He was (and is) demonized as a monster by most of the world. He is threatened, denied, and tortured on a daily basis. Not only is Paul a prisoner, but he is a high-profile prisoner. Therefore, Paul is targeted by the other inmates and correctional officers.

Paul was tried and convicted by the press and an over zealous prosecutor, just as we all witnessed with the Duke lacrosse debacle. Unlike those Duke lacrosse players, however, Paul did not have the public outcry or the finances to fight the allegations.

We are trying to right this wrong by appealing his case, but it is a daunting task.

None of us associated with The Defense Fund has been involved, to even remotely near this capacity, in human rights affairs. Each of us spends numerous hours a day on top of our own careers and family working on Paul’s case and fighting for his freedom. We have spent our own savings and receive no funding in return. We do this because Paul could have been our brother, our son, our father. He is, undeniably, a fellow citizen. And he has, over time, become a good friend. He is a wonderful and gifted person who has worked tirelessly to achieve every one of his amazing successes in his short life.

Briefly, Paul grew up in an impoverished neighborhood in the Bronx. From the time he was a child, he rigorously applied himself to his academics and artistic pursuits, hoping to one day be able to support his family and move them out of the Bronx.

He earned academic scholarships to the prestigious Buckley School on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, and Boston University’s School of Theatre Arts. He also recorded three solo albums and became the lead singer of a popular New York City band. After graduation from BU, Paul moved to New York to chase his theatrical and musical dreams. While auditioning, Paul supported himself by working as a yoga instructor and personal trainer. At the time of his arrest, Paul was in the midst of auditions for Rent on Broadway.

My hope is that you might be willing to help us spread the word about this case. The time has nearly passed for an appeal. If it is not approved, Paul will spend the rest of his life in prison. He only has one chance. Additionally, even if the appeal is granted, the caliber of forensic experts we hire and number of amount of DNA we will be able to test will hinge on the level of funds that we have raised, and we simply cannot afford to bargain-hunt. Thank you in advance for your consideration and please do not hesitate to contact me for more specific information or questions.

With much appreciation and respect

ANOTHER COMMENT ON THIS CASE

Today, a new angle is added to this case: the way the media reported the case:

My name is Diane Seltzer and I am responding to the article written about Paul Cortez: and stating my concerns with how the media effected the civil rights of the accused. Please read the following:.

Media bias pervades our daily lives. The First Amendment assures freedom of the press and allows all opinions to be expressed. Historically, various perspectives were viewed as thought provoking and a source of stimulation for ideas or actions. However, a new type of journalistic attitude has taken hold of much of the media. Ideas become fact, and these “facts” are manipulated to produce a more scandalous version of the truth and spun into sensationalized stories to boost sales. There are serious topics and issues being misrepresented by this tabloid media with little concern for accountability or consequence for the “public lynchings” they orchestrate.

One consequence can be the undermining and ultimate loss of a citizen’s civil rights. American law states a citizen is to be innocent till proven guilty in a fair court of law. However, you can be tried and convicted by the media with no chance to prove otherwise unless you have incredible resources. Even then, it can rob a person of years of freedom before the truth is allowed to be proven. There is such a situation in New York that a group of concerned citizens became aware of and couldn’t ignore. We feel this is an attack on the rights of all citizens. The media took a story and sold their product ,the truth be damned, and helped to wrongfully convict a very talented young man named Paul Vincent Cortez.

YOUR LETTERS

Zina Norman of the TransAtlantic Institute in London, writes;

I concur with Thomas Goltz’s account of how the Russo-Georgian War resulted from orchestrated provocation, and was not the result of an attack ordered by Saakashvili.

To unravel this you need to go back to what was happening in villages like Avnevi in the run up to 8.8.8. The accounts of those who were there on the 5th and 6th of August tell of repeated attacks on peacekeepers and civilians. Kokoity, de-facto leader of Ossetia, had all civilians evacuated on 3rd August, the same day Ingush and Chechen fighters entered the area.

On August the 6th the Georgians came under attack with weapons that were banned under the terms of agreement brokered in 1992.

Thanks to you Danny for not letting the election frenzy squeeze Georgia off the agenda.

Arthur Lieber says “three cheers”

Forget a moment about the wolf hunting xxxx from Alaska and pick up a copy of Hebdo.

Danny has imparted his wisdom to the “duhs” and given his expertise on the Georgia thing (not Atlanta, Rhett)

The headline on Danny’s interview reads “Ce conflit est un enjeu électoral américain.”

Once again, Danny scores….

Congrats

FROM THE ASIA MEDIA FORUM

The siege of the government TV station National Broadcasting Service of Thailand by supporters of the People’s Alliance for Democracy this week grabbed the headlines and prompted media rights bodies to strongly condemn the incident. This incident is yet another reason why Thai journalists continuously clamor for media reform which will hopefully pave the way for this industry’s full democratization.

LARRY HOUGHTELING WRITES

For years my favorite blogger was “billmon” of the Whiskey Bar site. He’s been out of action for a couple of years. Now he’s back doing an occasional opinion piece at DailyKos. Here, post Democratic Convention, an example of why I like his stuff so much:

Jeremy Alderson writes about a march against homelessness at theg RNC:

Anyway, the news is that The Homelessness Marathon will be doing a special broadcast — “Live From The March For Our Lives” tomorrow, Tuesday, September 2nd. This broadcast will be on about a dozen radio stations and will be available over the internet at: http://kpftx.org:9000/homeless

The March For Our Lives will be a major poor people’s demonstration outside the Republican National Convention. It will include homeless people, welfare mothers, people without health insurance and many, many others whose needs are not being met by the current economic order.

STORIES OF INTEREST

WAS BUSH DRUNK AT THE OLYMPICS?—SEE THESE PHOTOS

HOLIDAY TREAT: NEIL YOUNG’S LIST OF ANTI-WAR SONGS
My friend, singer-songwriter Dave Golden is on the list.

I was going to rest this weekend but there’s been so much news–and also very disturbing reports of premptive arrests in the Twin Citiies of protesters that make China look mild.

Finally a Yuk– from humorist Andy Borowitz who went looking for some eerie parallels, and found one:

The GOP campaign for the White House is looking more and more like the screenplay for an unproduced Goldie Hawn film from the 1980’s, a Goldie Hawn film expert said today.

Davis Logsdon, who teaches at the University of Minnesota’s School of Film and is considered the world’s foremost expert in the cinema of Goldie Hawn, said that in choosing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his running mate Sen. John McCain was taking a leaf from an unproduced Hawn vehicle from 1984 titled “Contestant in Chief.”

“In the screenplay, an evil presidential candidate chooses the American he thinks is the least likely to catch on to his nefarious plans to destroy the country,” Professor Logsdon said. “Enter Goldie, a former beauty pageant contestant, small-town mayor and hockey mom.”

In keeping with the formula of Goldie Hawn movies in the 1980’s, “She turns out to be smarter than she looks and exposes her running mate on national TV, becoming President herself in the process.”

But Professor Logsdon cautioned that in the case of this year’s GOP ticket, life will probably imitate art only up to a point: “In real life, if Gov. Palin becomes President she will most likely ban abortions, destroy wildlife habitats and blow up the world.”

Elsewhere, Gov. Palin said she was looking forward to the vice-presidential debate, or as she called it, “the talent competition.”

if you are a reviewer, blogger or interviewer, you can also request a copy of my new book PLUNDER

This seems to be a time for prayers as well as hopes (and support) for the already traumatized people of the Gulf coast.

Your comments to Dissector@mediachannel.org