HowardZinn.org

HowardZinn.org

Resources for Teachers and others interested in ending prejudice

Here's a link to a web site with interesting resources for teachers and others interesting in ending racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-semitism and other prejudices.

Doing Something for Peace

I had to take my own suggestion, and try to do something for peace, in honor of the International Day of Peace, September 21st. Here's a link to Friends Journal I hope you'll find something here to inspire you.

International Day of Peace

This is the International Day of Peace. Please pray, work, legislate or do anything to help make this a more peaceful world.

Alaska State Agriculture Director Loved Cows

Wow, I loved cows and I want to earn $95,000 per year. Too bad I'm not an old friend of Governor Sarah Palin. According to an article in the New York Times, She appointed her friend, Franci Havemeister, as director of the State Division of Agriculture. The former real estate agent said that that her childhood love of cows qualified her for the position. The article cites many other instances in which Palin apparently rewards her friends and punishes her "enemies." More...

MUSIC OF INTEREST

Here are a couple of tunes and one radio station to check out:

75 and Sunny, by Ryan Montbleau Band: Available on iTunes
See that Train, by Sean Mullins

WOJB 88.9 FM Lac Court Oreilles own tribal radio station. Live streaming eclectic music including, acoustic, reggae, Rock and Roll and more:Click Here

Palin's Husband Refuses To Testify In Probe : NPR

Click here to listen to a short audio clip from NPR, which discusses the refusal of Sarah Palin's husband to testify before the Alaska State Legislature in a case involvinng possible abuse of power by the Republican vice-presidential nominee.

Democracy Now! | Historic 2008 Election Could See Unprecedented Attempts to Bar African American Voters

Democracy Now! | Historic 2008 Election Could See Unprecedented Attempts to Bar African American Voters

I lied...It's the stupidity, stupid

OK. I can't quite figure why thinking people, when they consider the current economic situation, social issues, civil rights, women's rights, human rights, or the Republican vice-presidential candidate could consider voting for the McCain Palin ticket. Maybe if people actually read some excerpts from the Republican Platform, the election wouldn't even be close. So here, for starters, is the Republican stance on marriage:

Preserving Traditional Marriage

Because our children’s future is best preserved within the traditional understanding of marriage, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. In the absence of a national amendment, we support the right of the people of the various states to affirm traditional marriage through state initiatives.

Republicans recognize the importance of having in the home a father and a mother who are married. The two-parent family still provides the best environment of stability, discipline, responsibility, and character. Children in homes without fathers are more likely to commit a crime, drop out of school, become violent, become teen parents, use illegal drugs, become mired in poverty, or have emotional or behavioral problems. We support the courageous efforts of single-parent families to provide a stable home for their children. Children are our nation’s most precious resource. We also salute and support the efforts of foster and adoptive families.

Republicans have been at the forefront of protecting traditional marriage laws, both in the states and in Congress. A Republican Congress enacted the Defense of Marriage Act, affirming the right of states not to recognize same-sex “marriages” licensed in other states. Unbelievably, the Democratic Party has now pledged to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, which would subject every state to the redefinition of marriage by a judge without ever allowing the people to vote on the matter. We also urge Congress to use its Article III, Section 2 power to prevent activist federal judges from imposing upon the rest of the nation the judicial activism in Massachusetts and California. We also encourage states to review their marriage and divorce laws in order to strengthen marriage.

As the family is our basic unit of society, we oppose initiatives to erode parental rights.

Can you stand it?

Palin Receives Rubber Dodo Award

According to an article in "The Guardian UK" The Centre for Biological Diversity has given Sarah Palin the Rubber Dodo Award for insisting that the Polar Bear population is actually increasing across the Arctic. I can think of lots of other good reasons that she deserves this award, too!!

It's the Economy Stupid (and your old worn out policies)

As the American economy continues to unravel, the Republican candidate for president wants voters to believe that the policies of his party and the Bush administration have nothing to do with the current crisis. I was feeling a real disconnect watching the McCain television ads. My feelings were confirmed when I read the September 17th New York Times by Kitty Bennett, Michael Luo, Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny.
According the article, McCain’s record on this topic, “… and the views of those he has always cited as his most influential advisers, suggest that he has never departed in any major way from his party’s embrace of deregulation and relying more on market forces than on the government to exert discipline.”

Courting Equality

If you care about civil rights, marriage equality and equal justice under the law, you'll want to check out the book "Courting Equality." This is a compelling book which chronicles the history leading up to the legalization of same-sex marriage in Massachusetts. The text by Patricia Gozemba and Karen Kahn, and the striking photography by Marilyn Humphries, make this book an excellent gift for those in the forefront of the movement for equal rights, and those who support their cause. More...

Interesting Web Site

I think this is one of the most interesting Web sites I've come across. It has links to old movies, educational videos, old radio programs, TV shows and lots more. Check it out...I think you'll be amazed, educated or entertained...maybe all three.

www.archive.org

Truth or Consequences

After watching Sarah Palin's interviews, I thought of the old TV show, "Truth or Consequences." She can't tell the truth and, if the McCain/Palin ticket is elected, the American people will pay the consequences. First, Palin was almost incapable of answering some of the questions during the ABC interviews. Although her beauty contest background may make her capable of looking comfortable when she doesn't know what she's doing, when it comes to her answers to the tough questions, SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT SHE'S DOING. OK, She didn't know what the Bush Doctrine is, and she has NO foreign policy background. How can any American think she's ready to be vice-president or president?

The questions about gun control made me laugh. I'm still wondering when anyone used a semi-automatic assault rifle responsibly, or hunted with one. Maybe that's something they do in Alaska.

When I see her, or see the attack ads that distort Obama's positions, I just make another donation to the Obama/Biden campaign, or make more phone calls to undecided voters. I hope a lot of other people do the same.

Liar, Liar, Pantsuit on Fire

Well, Sarah Palin has made a lot of statements since she accepted the Republican vice-presidential nomination. Many of them have either been falsehoods, or misrepresentations of the record. Several reports have said that, although she still comments about turning down the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere," she actually supported it until it was already almost dead in Congress...AND, the state kept the money. Also, as someone who promises to change the way things are done in Washington, she has reportedly taken advantage of many earmarks. The "Washington Post," states that, according to a government watchdog group, while she was mayor of Wasilla she hired a lobbyist to secure almost $27 million in federal earmarks for her small town. Palin and McCain are both bending the truth, or lying, for political advantage. I guess that's what happens when you have a candidate whose foreign policy experience is that she can see Russia from Alaska.

Sarah Palin Gender Card | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

Sarah Palin Gender Card | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

Palin leaves open option of war with Russia : NPR

Palin leaves open option of war with Russia : NPR

Will Palin’s mother-in law vote for Obama?

According to an article by Nancy Dillon in the New York Daily News, Sarah Palin’s mother-in-law may be supporting Barack Obama. Although Faye Palin seems to appreciate her daughter-in-law’s “focus,” she states that she is, “not sure what she brings to the ticket other than she's a woman and a conservative.” Some members of a bible-study group who were meeting at the Mat-Su Family Restaurant in downtown Wasilla, were supportive of McCain’s choice, but Dillon quotes Bill Gleason, a 60-year-old contractor, who doesn’t think that Palin is qualified to be vice-president.
To read the entire article go to:
http://www.nydailynews.com

Free audiobooks, and more

Check out free books, audiobooks, CDs, DVDs and more at Project Gutenberg

Democracy Now! | Sarah Palin and the Wasilla Church of God

Democracy Now! | Sarah Palin and the Wasilla Church of God
Click to see the video of Sarah Palin saying that the war in Iraq is "from God."