Federal Genetic Non-Discrimination Legislation Approved (Finally!)

This is awesome news!!!!! People with or at risk for dreaded genetic illnesses have enough to worry about. - Shawn Swickard /Kentuckyleft.blogspot.com



From: Barbara Boyle
Huntington's Disease Society of America (hdsa.org)
Sent: Thursday, April 24, 2008 4:36:05 PM
Subject: GINA Finally Gets Approval!!

Amazing news! After more than a dozen years in Congress, both the House and Senate have finally passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)!

This afternoon, the Senate passed GINA with a vote of 95-0. As you may remember, last year the House overwhelmingly passed the bill 420-3. Since that time, however, a vote in the Senate has been stalled and many feared that the bill’s history of being passed in only one chamber of Congress would repeat itself. Thankfully that won’t be the case! Support for GINA has poured in over the last few months and we would like to thank all of you who have urged your Congress members to support GINA throughout its long journey. This is a huge victory for people affected by genetic disease.

Before being enacted into law GINA must first receive the President’s signature. President Bush has stated his support for this bill and with the vast majority of Congress voting in favor in its favor, it’s safe to say the hard part is over. When GINA takes effect people with or at risk for a genetic disease will have federal legal protection from discrimination by employers and health insurance providers.

Today is a great day! Spread the word. We will keep you updated as we learn more.

MSNBC: Still impossible for Clinton to win

The surge in donations to Clinton show that people didn't do their homework. What a total waste of money. It's over. Give it up. The Clinton political machine is history.

Greg Fischer - a Democrat?

I'm certainly not going to vote for anyone other than Fischer. But I am disappointed that our best choice is a moderate.

We need candidates that will be real reformers and push a Social Democratic platform: single payer health care, government ownership of utilities, and a strong regulatory atmosphere that keeps American jobs here. We need heroes that will stand up for people and not allow corporations to control the direction of our economic policy.

Shawn Swickard's Kentucky Left:
http://kentuckyleft.blogspot.com

My Vote’s for Obama (if I could vote) ...by Michael Moore

A letter from Michael Moore

Monday, April 21, 2008


My Vote’s for Obama (if I could vote) ...by Michael Moore

Friends,

I don't get to vote for President this primary season. I live in Michigan. The party leaders (both here and in D.C.) couldn't get their act together, and thus our votes will not be counted.

So, if you live in Pennsylvania, can you do me a favor? Will you please cast my vote -- and yours -- on Tuesday for Senator Barack Obama?

I haven't spoken publicly 'til now as to who I would vote for, primarily for two reasons: 1) Who cares?; and 2) I (and most people I know) don't give a rat's ass whose name is on the ballot in November, as long as there's a picture of JFK and FDR riding a donkey at the top of the ballot, and the word "Democratic" next to the candidate's name.

Seriously, I know so many people who don't care if the name under the Big "D" is Dancer, Prancer, Clinton or Blitzen. It can be Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Barry Obama or the Dalai Lama.

Well, that sounded good last year, but over the past two months, the actions and words of Hillary Clinton have gone from being merely disappointing to downright disgusting. I guess the debate last week was the final straw. I've watched Senator Clinton and her husband play this game of appealing to the worst side of white people, but last Wednesday, when she hurled the name "Farrakhan" out of nowhere, well that's when the silly season came to an early end for me. She said the "F" word to scare white people, pure and simple. Of course, Obama has no connection to Farrakhan. But, according to Senator Clinton, Obama's pastor does -- AND the "church bulletin" once included a Los Angeles Times op-ed from some guy with Hamas! No, not the church bulletin!

This sleazy attempt to smear Obama was brilliantly explained the following night by Stephen Colbert. He pointed out that if Obama is supported by Ted Kennedy, who is Catholic, and the Catholic Church is led by a Pope who was in the Hitler Youth, that can mean only one thing: OBAMA LOVES HITLER!

Yes, Senator Clinton, that's how you sounded. Like you were nuts. Like you were a bigot stoking the fires of stupidity. How sad that I would ever have to write those words about you. You have devoted your life to good causes and good deeds. And now to throw it all away for an office you can't win unless you smear the black man so much that the superdelegates cry "Uncle (Tom)" and give it all to you.

But that can't happen. You cast your die when you voted to start this bloody war. When you did that you were like Moses who lost it for a moment and, because of that, was prohibited from entering the Promised Land.

How sad for a country that wanted to see the first woman elected to the White House. That day will come -- but it won't be you. We'll have to wait for the current Democratic governor of Kansas to run in 2016 (you read it here first!).

There are those who say Obama isn't ready, or he's voted wrong on this or that. But that's looking at the trees and not the forest. What we are witnessing is not just a candidate but a profound, massive public movement for change. My endorsement is more for Obama The Movement than it is for Obama the candidate.

That is not to take anything away from this exceptional man. But what's going on is bigger than him at this point, and that's a good thing for the country. Because, when he wins in November, that Obama Movement is going to have to stay alert and active. Corporate America is not going to give up their hold on our government just because we say so. President Obama is going to need a nation of millions to stand behind him.

I know some of you will say, 'Mike, what have the Democrats done to deserve our vote?' That's a damn good question. In November of '06, the country loudly sent a message that we wanted the war to end. Yet the Democrats have done nothing. So why should we be so eager to line up happily behind them?

I'll tell you why. Because I can't stand one more friggin' minute of this administration and the permanent, irreversible damage it has done to our people and to this world. I'm almost at the point where I don't care if the Democrats don't have a backbone or a kneebone or a thought in their dizzy little heads. Just as long as their name ain't "Bush" and the word "Republican" is not beside theirs on the ballot, then that's good enough for me.

I, like the majority of Americans, have been pummeled senseless for 8 long years. That's why I will join millions of citizens and stagger into the voting booth come November, like a boxer in the 12th round, all bloodied and bruised with one eye swollen shut, looking for the only thing that matters -- that big "D" on the ballot.

Don't get me wrong. I lost my rose-colored glasses a long time ago.

It's foolish to see the Democrats as anything but a nicer version of a party that exists to do the bidding of the corporate elite in this country. Any endorsement of a Democrat must be done with this acknowledgement and a hope that one day we will have a party that'll represent the people first, and laws that allow that party an equal voice.

Finally, I want to say a word about the basic decency I have seen in Mr. Obama. Mrs. Clinton continues to throw the Rev. Wright up in his face as part of her mission to keep stoking the fears of White America. Every time she does this I shout at the TV, "Say it, Obama! Say that when she and her husband were having marital difficulties regarding Monica Lewinsky, who did she and Bill bring to the White House for 'spiritual counseling?' THE REVEREND JEREMIAH WRIGHT!"

But no, Obama won't throw that at her. It wouldn't be right. It wouldn't be decent. She's been through enough hurt. And so he remains silent and takes the mud she throws in his face.

That's why the crowds who come to see him are so large. That's why he'll take us down a more decent path. That's why I would vote for him if Michigan were allowed to have an election.

But the question I keep hearing is... 'can he win? Can he win in November?' In the distance we hear the siren of the death train called the Straight Talk Express. We know it's possible to hear the words "President McCain" on January 20th. We know there are still many Americans who will never vote for a black man. Hillary knows it, too. She's counting on it.

Pennsylvania, the state that gave birth to this great country, has a chance to set things right. It has not had a moment to shine like this since 1787 when our Constitution was written there. In that Constitution, they wrote that a black man or woman was only "three fifths" human. On Tuesday, the good people of Pennsylvania have a chance for redemption.

Yours,
Michael Moore
MichaelMoore.com
MMFlint@aol.com

Regarding the CentrePointe project

I posted this response on a blog a couple weeks back....

I'm a proud Liberal guy, and I dig pretty much everything you post. But your war against this project is totally unwarranted and counterproductive to the Liberal cause.



Most of the protest is rooted in self-interest. You people value a place to go smoke, pick up chicks, get drunk, and listen to a local bands (The Dame). That's OK - it is a cool place that will be missed. But your selfishness is no reason to kill this project.



The alternative is to turn this block (which is mostly parking lot anyway) into a building that will create an estimated 930 NEW JOBS. This is awesome since this is an easy walk or bus ride for so many folks who need a job. Plus, in such a soft housing market, this massive construction project will provide paychecks for countless contractors. That's what the Liberal cause is about. That's what I see when I look at it- putting money in the pockets of average folks. VHS or BETA can always play at Lynaughs for God's sake.

Bill O'Reilly Assaults Obama Staffer

Watch this awesome clip that also addresses Obama's boycott of Fox News....

Saskatchewan Lost

After 16 years of rule, the NDP, a Democratic Socialist party, lost to the center-right Saskatchewan Party late last year.

I am certain the new Premier will take great pleasure in dismanteling the social safety net that people like Douglas and Calvert spent decades establishing.

In memory of the Sask NDP, here's one of their campaign ads:

KY Dem wins by-election

Dear Shawn-

Thanks to the support and involvement of Democratic leaders and active members of our party, Tuesday night brought the first gains of 2008 for Democrats in Kentucky.

In the 72nd House District (Bath, Bourbon, Fayette and Nicholas counties), voters elected Sannie Overly, a dynamic new Democratic State Representative who won every county in the district, and won the overall district vote count by a two-to-one margin. Sannie's win preserved our party's 61-seat majority in the House and set the stage for this seat to remain in Democratic hands in November. We are confident she will bring the same qualities she displayed during the month-long campaign for this seat to the House of Representatives - honesty, intelligence, and dedication.

In the 63rd House District (Kenton County), hard-working Democrats fired a shot across the bow of the GOP machine in one of the strongest Republican districts in Kentucky. While Democrats were disappointed with the loss in this district, record-breaking Democratic performance in this election is a testament to the resurgence of our party across the Commonwealth. (see attached chart)

Democrat and former city councilman Dan Wolff lost by less than 300 votes to come within six points of defeating the Republican. A strong door-to-door effort contributed to an unprecedented voter turnout in a special election and a clear indication that Kentucky is again becoming a blue state.

Our party must now focus on three upcoming special elections on Feb. 5. Races in the 6th House District (Lyon, Marshall and McCracken counties); 95th House District (Floyd County); and 30th Senate District (Bell, Harlan, Leslie and Perry counties), are crucial to continuing the Democratic momentum in the state. We have strong Democratic candidates in Will Coursey (6th HD), Greg Stumbo (95th HD) and Scott Alexander (30th SD) and the KDP will provide the necessary support and resources to lead these candidates to victory.

Our goal, as a party, is to show up in every race, every district and every county in Kentucky. We pledge to field and support candidates across the Commonwealth - no Republican should be left unopposed.

When we talk about the strength of today's Kentucky Democratic Party, we are talking about you. Our energy comes from YOU. We thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Jennifer A. Moore, Chair
Nathan Smith, Vice-Chair

URGENT: Help defend the rights of American voters

A letter from the Hon. Dennis Kucinich

Friends,

Once again, America is faced with questions about the integrity of machine-counted ballots and about the rights of Americans to decide for themselves who they should be allowed to vote for in this crucial Presidential election.

In New Hampshire, it's a question of whether votes were counted or manipulated. In Nevada, it's a question of whether the GE-owned NBC television network should have the power to decide who your choices should be for President.

The vote counts in New Hampshire are suspicious. And, today's decision by NBC to exclude Dennis from next week's Presidential debate - even though he met the criteria - is outrageous. And, we need your help to deal with both of these matters.

Because of the unexplained disparities between hand-counted and machine-counted ballots in New Hampshire, Dennis has asked for a recount. "I am not making this request in the expectation that a recount will significantly affect the number of votes that were cast on my behalf," Dennis said in his letter to the Secretary of State of New Hampshire. But, he cited “serious and credible reports, allegations and rumors" that question the integrity of the machine-controlled process.

If New Hampshire agrees to a recount, this campaign will have to pay for it. And we can't investigate what happened in New Hampshire - or protect every other state in the Union - without your help.

Likewise, NBC and MSNBC have made a corporate decision to exclude the one and only voice who represents you and those things that the Democratic Party should stand for. If you are as outraged as we are, feel free to call:

* NBC/MSNBC at 212 664-4444 and ask for the Comment Line or
* email NBC/MSNBC at letters@msnbc.com

PLEASE share this message with everyone you know so that the voice of the people will be heard and their votes WILL be counted.

Strength through Peace,
The Kucinich Campaign

CNN: Impeach Bush + Cheney