The Largest Minority

October 2nd, 2008 by Manila Ryce

October 2nd, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Obama and McCain both voted to fuck us over with this latest attempt to protect the rich (as if FISA wasn’t enough), but that’s not what’s really surprising given the record and policies of these criminals. What is surprising is that Dennis Kucinich still cares about the common worker but insists on calling himself a Democrat.

Anytime an armchair political expert argues that Nader would be more effective as a Democrat I point to Dennis Kucinich, that scrappy little leftist who’s consistently silenced and neutered by his own party. Time to lose those shackles brother and enact some real change. Drop your support for that corporate shill we all know you hate, stop taking orders from Pelosi, and join your counterpart below. You know you want to Dennis. Walk into the light already.

September 25th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

While I didn’t get all my edits for our video collaboration with Barely Political into the final product, I do think we were still able to sneak some substance into the normally vacant minds of the adolescents most likely to view this video. The guys at Barely Political were actually quite accommodating to our requests without trying to advance any political agenda. I’m hoping this video will go viral so that we’re able to reach new demographics with a spoonful of sugar. Please share it.

I’m also interested in what you think of Ralph doing videos like this. We obviously don’t want him to look like a clown, but utilizing unconventional means like this are often the only way to get media coverage. Nader can make speeches about policy and strategy all day long (and he does), but finding a way to preach to more than just the choir when both major parties and YouTube itself are actively trying to suppress your message is more than a bit difficult. Surely there is a fine line to walk which I’m constantly in fear of stepping over, as I’m sure other indy and third party campaigns are. Some of you may think we’ve gone over that line already. Feedback is appreciated.

September 24th, 2008 by evmonk

Say what? Here’s the story, straight from the Army Times:

….It is not the first time an active-duty unit has been tapped to help at home…[but] this new mission marks the first time an active unit has been given a dedicated assignment to NorthCom, a joint command established in 2002 to provide command and control for federal homeland defense efforts and coordinate defense support of civil authorities….

“Right now, the response force requirement will be an enduring mission. How the [Defense Department] chooses to source that and whether or not they continue to assign them to NorthCom, that could change in the future,” said Army Col. Louis Vogler, chief of NorthCom future operations. “Now, the plan is to assign a force every year.”

….They may be called upon to help with civil unrest and crowd control or to deal with potentially horrific scenarios such as massive poisoning and chaos in response to a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or high-yield explosive, or CBRNE, attack….

The 1st BCT’s soldiers also will learn how to use “the first ever nonlethal package that the Army has fielded,” 1st BCT commander Col. Roger Cloutier said, referring to crowd and traffic control equipment and nonlethal weapons designed to subdue unruly or dangerous individuals without killing them….

“I don’t know what America’s overall plan is — I just know that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there are soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines that are standing by to come and help if they’re called,” Cloutier said. “It makes me feel good as an American to know that my country has dedicated a force to come in and help the people at home.”

Well that’s nice. The only problem is that I’m pretty sure deploying an active-duty military force within the United States without an extreme scenario that would necessitate it is illegal, and for good reason. It’s not clear what the army will be used for, if anything, but it puts us on a slippery slope, especially if the army is used to repress “civil unrest” and enforce domestic law in instances where state and local authorities are capable of doing so. As the Departments of Justice and Defense jointly stated in 1979:

“The [Posse Comitatus Act of 1878] expresses one of the clearest political traditions in Anglo-American history: that using military power to enforce the civilian law is harmful to both civilian and military interests. The authors of the [PCA] drew upon a melancholy history of military rule for evidence that even the best intentioned use of the Armed Forces to govern the civil population may lead to unfortunate consequences. They knew, moreover, that military involvement in civilian affairs consumed resources needed for national defense and drew the Armed Forces into political and legal quarrels that could only harm their ability to defend the country. Accordingly, they intended that the Armed Forces be used in law enforcement only in those serious cases to which the ordinary processes of civilian law were incapable of responding.”

September 23rd, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Listening to hours and hours of McCain and Obama speeches for matching 2 second soundbites is a hellish torture I don’t wish on anybody. Enjoy my latest vid for the Nader campaign or I’ll cry. A lot of soul-crushing work went into this.

h/t to fellow pinko commie scum John Geraghty who provided me with some footage from his Futurama video.

Want to see Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader in the debates? Here’s what you can do about it:

Call Barack Obama at 866-675-2008.
Hit 6 to speak with a campaign volunteer and insist that Ralph Nader and other ballot qualified third party candidates be included in the upcoming Presidential debates.

Then, e-mail the executive director of the Commission on Presidential Debates Janet Brown at jb@debates.org

Tell her to end the exclusionary restrictions and allow Ralph into the debates.

September 22nd, 2008 by Manila Ryce

Pepe Escobar picks apart McCain, from his lobbyists, to the economy, to foreign policy.

September 19th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

No End in Sight, the critically acclaimed 2007 documentary about the lead-up to the Iraq War, will be available on YouTube in its entirety until November 5th. Their official channel also features behind the scenes footage and interviews.

September 17th, 2008 by Manila Ryce

When Davis Fleetwood interviews a presidential candidate he doesn’t fuck around. This is the kind of substantive work which proves why the Hermit ought to take Katie Couric’s job. Sure, there might be a lot less awkward flirting during interviews, but on the plus side people might actually learn something.

Part 1 - The Progressive Dilemma

Parts 2 and 3 available below the fold.

Read the rest of this entry »