Thanks for Investigating Those Outrageous Rumors About the US Executing Handcuffed Children

By David Swanson

At the first of the year, a story hit the news about US-led troops executing 8 handcuffed kids in Afghanistan. I blogged about it. The outrage was tremendous. How dare I comment on such atrocious reporting? Didn’t I know the president was now a Democrat and wars were tools of peace? Surely I was just making it all up.

So, I blogged again, citing all the sources of information. Of course, I couldn’t know what happened, read more

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Yoo and Jefferson

By David Swanson

As John Yoo’s visit to Mr. Jefferson’s university here in Charlottesville approaches, one is tempted to ask the same question people around here ask about everything: WWJD? What would Jefferson do?

Of course, it’s almost taboo among the most serious peace and justice advocates to cite positive precedents from Jefferson, because he was a slave owner. But Jefferson’s views on the structure of a government don’t actually become less admirable (or more) read more

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Overview of Single-Payer Healthcare in the States, Thanks to Kathlyn Stone

Kathlyn Stone has done what I should have done and collected my recent postings on state level single-payer healthcare on her blog.

The question isn’t if a state will enact true health care reform before Congress, but which state and when.

Forget Congressional action on meaningful health care reform. It’s clear that whatever national health care legislation is passed, its main intent will be the preservation of a for-profit system.

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How Kucinich Resolution Will Help End Afghan War

By David Swanson

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 4, Congressman Dennis Kucinich plans to introduce a privileged resolution to end the Afghan War. The resolution requires that the House debate, within the next week, the continuing war in Afghanistan, now the second longest war in American history.

While we may not win a majority vote in the House on this first go-round, and would still have to get past the Senate and the President (a good time if ever there was one to throw Scylla and Charybdis into a read more

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New Heroine Sparks a Movement

Harry Hanbury has a story that any videographer or blogger would love. He created a video of Congresswoman Donna Edwards taking steps to amend the Constitution to restore our democracy following assault by the Supreme Court. A woman you’ve never heard of named Jessica Sharp saw the video and decided to take action herself. She had never organized a rally or even attended many, but she put together an event at the state capitol of Maryland that inspired every interested activist group read more

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Single-Payer Healthcare Coming to Minnesota and Maryland

By David Swanson

California keeps passing bills for state single-payer healthcare, but Ahhhnold won’t sign em, and Jerry Brown who wants to be governor doesn’t seem to want it badly enough to make a commitment on healthcare. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania is encouraged that their current governor has said he probably will sign a single-payer healthcare bill, and the legislature just might pass one. But Minnesota has an angle neither of these other states can claim: a serious candidate for read more

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Single-Payer Healthcare Coming to Missouri

By David Swanson

Canada did not create a civilized healthcare system nationally until its provinces led the way. Clearly Congress is dragging behind the states in our country, and it is through state successes that we will eventually compel the U.S. government to provide our people with this basic human right.

Hawaii has a single-payer healthcare system. California’s legislature has passed a single-payer bill three times but not yet found a governor to sign it into law. Single-payer read more

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The Saddest Story

By David Swanson

One of the most unusual books and far-and-away the saddest I have ever read is James Douglass’s “JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters.” This is the best documented account ever produced of why and how the CIA assassinated John F. Kennedy. That the CIA did this is beyond dispute, and that the first President Bush was involved is well established by Russ Baker’s book “Family of Secrets.” What separates Douglass’s book read more

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A History of Recent US Politics in 75 Words

Stage 1: Media debate between Republicans in power and what the people and the Democrats want.

Stage 2: The people give the Democrats complete control.

Stage 3: Media debate between the hideous proposals of the Democrats and the powerless Republicans.

Stage 4: A debate between the proposals of those in power and what we the people demand begins to percolate up through the internet and grassroots organizing.

Stage 5: We take control or lose it completely.

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Tangled Up in Yoo

By David Swanson

Early one mornin’ the sun was shinin’,
Prisoners layin’ in bed
Wond’rin’ when the guards would come
And kick them in the head.
The folks who wrote the torture memos
Sure did have it rough.
They never got enough exercise.
The new condo wasn’t big enough.
One victim standin’ at the side of his cell
Blood dripping on his shoes
Admitted Iraq had WMDs
Lord knows that made the news but was it true,
Tangled up in Yoo.

Yoo was married to his belief
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