News

DLC: Do Democrats Love Corporations?

David J. Sirota writes in The Nation:

Looking out over Washington, DC, from his plush office, Al From is once again foaming at the mouth. The CEO of the corporate-sponsored Democratic Leadership Council and his wealthy cronies are in their regular postelection attack mode. Despite wins by economic populists in red states like Colorado and Montana this year, the DLC is claiming like a broken record that progressive policies are hurting the Democratic Party.

"A WAKE FOR PEACE" JAZZ FUNERAL FOR DEMOCRACY

NEW ORLEANS, La., Jan. 20, 11 A.M. Link Traditional New Orleans jazz funeral entitled "A Wake for Peace": Jazz Funeral for Democracy timed to coincide with the inauguration of George W. Bush. Street theater encouraged. March, rally and inaugural ball featuring local New Orleans musicians.

Ole Miss Names Coach; Richard Barrett Talks Back

Ole Miss introduced its 35th head football coach, Ed Orgeron, on Thursday morning. The Louisiana native comes to Ole Miss from Southern California, where he spent the last seven seasons as defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator and assistant head coach.

Othor Cain

Othor Cain, 38, radiates an exuberance for life in his smile, his body language and, most of all, his deep-toned voice. That voice, were it visible, would surely be the burnished gold of fine jewelry.

Rumsfeld to Soldiers: Stop Your Whining

New York Times editorial today:

[Breaking] Judge Charles W. Pickering Retiring

[verbatim] Today, Charles W. Pickering, Sr. made the following statement:

"My nomination and permanent appointment to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has been pending before the full Senate for more than one year. The recess appointment given to me by President Bush on January 16, 2004 expires when Congress adjourns. Opposition by some Democratic senators prevented an up or down vote on my nomination. A minority of senators prevented the majority from confirming me to a permanent position on the Fifth Circuit. The actions of the minority leave me with no alternative than to retire as Congress adjourns.

Ashley Weileman

Have you ever met somebody and thought to yourself, "I wish I would have known this person when I was younger. Maybe things would have turned out differently." That was precisely the feeling I had when I sat down with Ashley Weileman, owner of Josie's Closet.

From 2004: Chokwe Lumumba v. Mississippi Bar

Activist attorney Chokwe Lumumba, the founder of the New Afrikan People's Organization, is headed back to court this week to fight for his professional life. Again. The Mississippi Bar is arguing for the disbarment of the attorney, who is known for representing black men accused of violent crimes from 17-year-old South African Azikiwe Kambule to rapper Tupac Shakur to ex-police officer Eddie Myers who was found innocent of murder in October 2002.

Delta to Offer Direct Service Between Jxn and D.C.

[December 6, 2004/Verbatim from Sen. Lott] U.S. Senator Trent Lott, who chairs the U.S. Senate's Aviation Subcommittee, and U.S. Senator Thad Cochran have voiced praise for today's decision by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) permitting Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines (ASA) to establish direct nonstop passenger service between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Jackson, Mississippi's Jackson International Airport. The move follows passage of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill which Senator Lott helped craft late last year, providing slots for additional flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and other select U.S. cities as determined by the USDOT.

Soldiers Challenge ‘Stop-Loss' Extensions

AP is reporting:

Eight soldiers are challenging the Army's policy requiring them to serve longer than the terms of their enlistment contracts. In a lawsuit being filed Monday in federal court, the soldiers are seeking a judge's order requiring the Army to immediately release them from service. "The Army made an agreement with me and I expected them to honor it," said David Qualls, one of the plaintiffs. He signed up in July 2003 for a one-year stint in the Arkansas National Guard but has been told he will remain on active duty in Iraq until next year.

[Lott] This Sacred Season

I urge everyone to remember our troops serving overseas during this holiday season, especially the many Mississippians who are deployed away from home and the 18 Mississippi families who have lost loved ones as a direct result of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our prayers must start with the remembrance of those whose holidays will be tempered either by separation or bereavement. Some Mississippians have been in Iraq for almost a year or more. That's a long time to be away from family, friends and familiar surroundings. Yet, these courageous men and women do so without hesitation or complaint.

When Love Hurts

A woman comes home after work, her stomach in knots. She is afraid her husband has been drinking and may be in a bad mood. "I hope I don't say anything to trigger him," she thinks to herself. Her husband, a man who would never be considered abusive in the outside world, is different behind closed doors.

Gavin Guynes

A Tablet PC with WIFI—that's 28-year-old Gavin Guynes' current favorite piece of the technology pie. Excitement spilled over as he explained: "There's no keyboard. You use a pen to draw and write on it. And it recognizes my handwriting—I write horribly, too." It'll even recognize his voice, minus the Mississippi drawl.

Hollywood on Trial

Danny Goldberg writes:

In a recent Los Angeles Times article Patrick Goldstein said "Hollywood took it on the chin" in the recent election. [...] Goldstein mentioned a handful of harsh references to President Bush made by assorted celebrities during the recent campaign (the same ones that Stephanie Mansfield of the right-wing Washington Times had cited a week before): Jennifer Aniston, the "Friends" actress who called Mr. Bush "a f--king idiot"; John Mellencamp, who described Mr. Bush as "a cheap thug"; and Cher, who called Bush "stupid and lazy." Then there was the Whoopi Goldberg joke, a pun based on the President's last name that she told at a Kerry fundraiser at Radio City Music Hall.

The Progressive Morality

Professor George Lakoff writes in The Nation:

Tyrone Davis

Remember that old saw, "the clothes make the man"? In Tyrone Davis' case, it's most definitely the man who makes the clothes.

White House, Congress Rolls Back Student Loans, Grants

New York Times is reporting:

Dust-Up on Floor of U.S. Senate Today

[Breaking] Apparently, it was just disocvered that Republicans snuck a provision into the 3,000-page budget bill that allows agents of congressional committees to have access to anybody's IRS records. They're fighting about it right now on C-SPAN II. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is yelling right now that they never "intend" to use the power. BIG FIGHT.

My Plan to Break Partisan Judicial Stalemates

Mississippians know what it's like to see one of our own attacked unfairly in the judicial confirmation process. Judge Charles Pickering, a good judge who also is a committed Christian, was harshly and unfairly attacked by Senators John Edwards and Ted Kennedy and other liberals during his confirmation hearings. That's why Mississippians are very concerned right now with how a new Senate will handle President Bush's future judicial nominations.

Imagining a Real Youth Movement

By Raj Jayadev writes for Wiretap about problems with the youth voting movement. "[A] movement is about creating choices. The gulf is about imagination. As Desmond Tutu said, it's not just about having a seat at the table, it's about setting the menu. If young people really did set the menu, I doubt they would be serving up the Democratic Party or John Kerry.

Could Upcoming Ohio Recount Change Outcome?

CNSNEWS.com is reporting:

Surreal Blog: Stories Too Incredible to Be False

So, I'll start with the story that inspired this Surreal Blog:

Listening to NPR this morning, I decided that we need a place on the JFP site to collect all these crazy stories coming (mostly) out of Washington these days. These are true news stories that seem too unbelievable to be true -- but they are. Feel free to add your own at will. Definitely include the link, and a couple sentences of explanation as need.

The Soul of An Elephant

"They will learn to conform to our agenda or they will be driven from our party"

Voting at Black Colleges Hit Record Levels

This year's surge in youth voting—51 percent of Americans 29 and under voted this year as opposed to 42 percent in 2000—was nowhere more apparent than on black college campuses, reports the Black College Wire:

Rene Paul Barilleaux

Even as a child, Rene Paul Barilleaux knew he wanted to work in the arts. "Before first grade, I was always interested in drawing, making stuff and doing visual things," he says.

Denise Krause

When Denise Krause, 40, graduated from the Monterey Institute of International Studies with a Masters in Russian, it was likely that neither the dentistry nor the technological field was on her mind. She was on her way to post-graduate school in Moscow, then to other parts of Europe, where she saw the Berlin Wall fall.

Orley's Brilliant Manifesto on Crime

Michael Moore: 17 Reasons Not to Slit Your Wrists

1. It is against the law for George W. Bush to run for president again.

Provocateur Michael Moore shows some optimism over on Alternet. A sampling:

Nathan Glenn

When Nathan Glenn, now 29, was growing up, his parents would check him out of school to "help toast bread or wash dishes" at one of their restaurants. After graduating high school, he went to Hinds Community College for a few years to pursue a business degree, but quickly realized that the restaurant business is his calling.

It's Mourning in America

Rick Perlstein of The Village Voice writes:

Ellington