SurvivaBall

Your latest protection against global warming!

My New Heroes

They're called The Yes Men...which I'd imagine is a title borne of sarcasm/purposeful irony, sorta like this blog.

I'd heard of these guys before, but saw them on the news tonight after they pulled a stunt posing as U.S. Chamber of Commerce staff with a fake news conference.

Absolutely beautiful...these guys rock! I'm sure we'll here more from them again...here's a clip of their fake news conference.

Allegories from Kunstler apply to our health care debate

Reading is such a funny activity...it never ceases to fascinate me on how you can be going over subject matter of one thing, and realize as you're going through it how it applies to something completely different.

Books covering the subject matter of urban planning are particularly interesting in this regard, especially when they focus on the philosophy of the field.

I want to share an excerpt from Howard Kunstler, the author of The Geography of Nowhere and its follow-up, Home from Nowhere...this is from the latter.

You'll see, as you go through it, how what he's saying applies to what we're seeing right now in our health care debate; in terms of the conservative perspective vs. the liberals ones...and the question about whether we can tap into our better angels.

Starting from p. 37, Chapter 2: The Public Realm and the Common Good:

"Main Street USA in America's obsolete model for development---we stopped assembling towns this way after 1945. The pattern of Main Street is pretty simple: mixed use, mixed income, apartments and offices over the stores, moderate density, scaled to pedestrians, vehicles permitted but not allowed to dominate, buildings detailed with care, and built to last (although we still trashed it). Altogether it was a pretty good development pattern. It produced places that people loved deeply. That is the reason Main Street persists in our cultural memory. Many people still alive remember the years before World War Two and what it felt like to live in integral towns modeled on this pattern. Physical remnants of the pattern still stand in parts of the country for people to see, though the majority of Americans have moved into the new model habitat called Suburban Sprawl.

For all its apparent success, Suburban Sprawl sorely lacks many things that make life worth living, particularly civic amenities, which Main Street offered in spades. Deep down, many Americans are dissatisfied with suburbia---though they have trouble understanding what's missing---which explains their nostalgia for the earlier model. Their dissatisfaction is literally a dis-ease. They feel vaguely and generally un-well where they are. Nostalgia in its original sense means homesickness. Americans essay to cure their homesickness with costly visits to Disney World. The crude, ineffective pallaitives they get there in the form of brass bands and choo-choo train rides leave them more homesick and more baffled as to the nature of the their disease than when they arrived---like selling chocolate bars to someone suffereing from scurvy---and pathetically, of course, they must return afterward to the very places that induce the disease of homesickness.

Historically Americans have a low regard for the public realm, and this is very unfotunate because the public realm is the physical manifestation of the common good. When you degrade the public realm, as we have, you degrade the common good.

The public realm is furnished with some nonphysical equipment in the form of laws, beliefs, social agreements, and preeminently language, which enables all these other mechanisms to operate. One might call language the basic operating system of the public realm, without which all the other applications needed to run human society would not function. When you degrade this equipment, this language, as we have in our time, then you impair the ability of a group of people incorporated as the republic to think about the common good."

My letter to President Obama for EFFECTIVE health insurance reform

I've had this in the works, in my mind for a long time...years, actually. It's just been a matter of getting it on paper, and TIMING.

The time is now.

So now, this last weekend, I put something together and mailed it off to the White House, addressed to the 44th President of the United States.

I've also written my two Democratic Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, in addition to Ted Kennedy, to thank them for their efforts.

It didn't end there.

I've written my representative in the House, Republican Dave Reichert, and cc'd copies of that letter to House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner of the 8th District of Ohio, as well as Senate Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky...in hopes (probably in vain) that my family's story will have some effect.

All the letters are nearly identical, with the initial and ending paragraphs differing slightly...the one to Republicans is more about urging bipartisan support.

It will be interesting to see where this all goes. It's a bit of a protracted letter, and I'm sure there's some out there that are more concise, so I'm not expecting it to necessarily be in the "A Group" to appear before eyes such as Obama's...but if it gets before the right person, and hits home, I'm hoping it has great possibilities of effect.

We shall see...here's the text from the letter.

August 24, 2009

President Barack Obama, 44^th President of the United States

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, D.C. 20500

Re: My family’s story with regard to the need for EFFECTIVE health insurance reform

Dear President Obama:

I write you today with a heavy heart—and hope—in the push for effective legislation to reform our health insurance system so that it will function in a way that does not rob covered working families of their golden years. Unfortunately, my family—along with many other American families—has direct experience with the failures of the current system; while acting responsibly with full health coverage.

You are the first U.S. President I have ever written to. I’m currently 40, and a technical writer with a background in city planning…and a 3^rd generation only child like my mother and her father before her. My folks were born during the Great Depression, and the practice of fiscal conservatism was ingrained in them at a young age. They developed a jack-of-all-trades skill set; my mother’s background in teaching, nursing, & administration, and my father’s in civil engineering & international sales helped them build a successful manufacturer’s rep business after working for various employers in the 1960s and 70s. In the 1980s they converted the basement of our Seattle area house into an office, and their dynamic skills shined bright as they put passion, time, and diligence into the business.

I recall my father insisting that he wear a button-down shirt and tie before embarking on his commute of twelve stairs into our basement office. He never deviated from that rule once, as it helped get his head right for the workday. While it may seem like a small act, it’s a testament to his work ethic. The business, the xxx, was very successful going into the 1990s…there was every indication my folks were on their way to achieving their retirement dreams through hard work.

Then tragedy hit the family. In June of 1993 my father (57 at the time, fit, and physically active with an impeccable bill of health) suffered a cerebral hemorrhage that snuck up on him; things were fine one minute as we were having Sunday dinner, and then after a rush to the hospital he was in the middle of brain surgery nine hours later. Luckily he survived, but not without some damage to his speech center, right side, and other effects from the trauma. Over the course of the next couple of years my father endured a total of 3 brain surgeries, along with ICU stays, protracted in-patient hospital stays, long stretches of therapy, and a smorgasbord of medications. His speech therapy continues to this day.

As sole proprietors, my parent’s insurance premiums to Regents Blue Shield were approximately $1,500 per month—in 1993…it was the best coverage they could get at the time from their menu of options. Yet, Regents refused coverage for decisions made by the hospital in the use of certain specialists, they went after every possible loophole, and bird-dogged every charge associated with my father’s illness. As if being a small family dealing with this tragedy wasn’t enough, the costs (in the range of 100K) nearly bankrupted my folks and triggered a domino effect of slow financial decline (when you factor in the loss of income from my father’s inability to work) that forces my mother to continue working in other capacities today—in her 70s. Needless to say, the toll of everything accelerated their aging significantly, to the effect that my involvement in a caretaking role—again, as the only child—is happening much sooner than I expected.

This scenario involving my family is unconscionable. The behavior and games played by their insurance company were despicable. I can’t believe that my parents—who were responsible with finances, worked diligently to make a life and future for themselves, and carried full coverage at the time of an illness—could suddenly become victims and essentially be robbed of their golden years.

If working families like mine—who have coverage and act responsibly—are being victimized like this, then obviously our health insurance system is not only broken, but rigged with merciless pitfalls. In the reform efforts taking place at this time, it is imperative that the final product have teeth in it that will protect working families with meaningful coverage; especially those in that vulnerable age bracket from 50–65, and in doomsday scenarios such as the unpreventable one that presented my father’s illness. I see legislation that’s any less effective as simply adding to an already imploding house of cards.

We all deserve to pursue the American Dream built on our own will and efforts; one that won’t be torpedoed by the health insurance machinations and its complex web of cloaked tiger traps. My parents were on track for a solid retirement before having the rug yanked from under their feet by such devices. They deserved better. This is why I write to you today…so that other families don’t experience the horrors with health insurance that mine went through. As a small business owner (I included a couple cards for you) I’ve followed the example my parents set, and needless to say I am concerned about my own coverage when the cards are on the table (in a situation similar to my father’s, heaven forbid) and scenarios to that effect that could wreck my family’s financial future.

Thank you Mr. President for reading this…and for standing firm on your vision of health insurance reform that’s effective and furthers the efforts of many others before you. I appreciate your continuing efforts and personal sacrifices you have made in the interest of fixing the broken pieces of America—like the issues I speak to here. Let’s further perfect our Union with EFFECTIVE health insurance reform.

Yours truly and respectfully,

Sweva

Washington State Obama Delegate for the 41^st Legislative District 2008 Democratic Caucus

Obama for America campaign fundraiser of approximately $2,000

Cc: Ms. Kathleen Sebelius, United States Secretary of Health and Human Services

See ya...wouldn't wanna be ya!

Bye bye Sarah...for now, I guess...as I'm assuming we'll eventually see her head pop up like a jack-in-the-box surprise, promoting some horrific cause.

What will she do next? Perhaps she'll go back to radio...or maybe try to sell us weed wackers on some infomercial.

Oh, I can't wait for that.

For the sake of Alaskans, I couldn't be happier...oh, and thanks Sarah, for helping make bloggers like myself part of the mainstream media. In that regard, with your media and blogger war mongering, you're the greatest thing that ever happened to us.

Ahem, moving on now...next!

Oh, that was smart

Sarah Palin is resigning from the Alaska governorship...and setting aside the fact that I'm not her biggest fan, I must ask: why?

Answer: Palin Logic...yup, sorta like Steely Dan's Pretzel Logic. Makes sense...see? Sure...it makes just about as much sense as her resignation.

WTF? Does she really think this is going to help her ascension to be more effective for the weird stuff she believes in?

Don't try to figure it out, there is no logic here. Haven't you figured that out by now? Don't try to figure it out. It's anyone's guess what this brainiac's next boobhead maneuver is going to be.

Neda

She's the latest to make the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.

An innocent student ~ Neda ~ marching in protest of a fixed election from a crooked Iranian theocracy.

Be warned...it's a little bloody and creepy with her eyes, which seem to be fixing on the person taking the video (appears to be from a phone camera).

Our President is a nice man...sorta.

I realize it sounds like something a kindergartner would say, but it's very basic and true.

This week, Mr. Obama expanded Federal benefits to include same sex partners...and while some say it should have happened sooner, I'm guessing he's had more pressing matters to deal with.

Wow, we have a human being in office. Imagine that.

...but some in the gay community thought he could have done more.

Nevertheless, this is yet another sign of our progress as a society, and a mark of kindness and openness from our President. It's a sign of the great man that he is...even though he isn't personally in favor of all the rights that homosexuals seek in this country (Obama supports civil unions, but not gay marriage), he still understands what it is to be fair.

This also sets an excellent example for states, counties, and cities, which eventually (hopefully) will follow suit...along with Congress, who is the only body that can allow for full bennies to domestic partners of Federal staff.

Yet ANOTHER "enemies list" in an angered Nixon Camp

It's remembered only by those who are in their mid-40s or older...and the only reason I remember it in my early 40s is due to the fact that I grew up in a Republican household that kept the television on after I watched Sesame Street and my afternoon cartoons.

It's the story that keeps on giving, and seems to never want to die.

It's called WATERGATE.

Aside from having evolved into part of the political linguistics that define anything resembling a scandal with a President or Governor (x-gate), Watergate seems to rear it's head back every few years with new information. There were the Frost-Nixon interviews of the late 70s...then there was always the "What's he doing now?" period at the end of Nixon's life, when he was trying to salvage his image. For years we didn't know who Deep Throat was, but then that was revealed in a deathbed confession in the last 10 years.

Now, in 2009 and 15 years following Nixon's passing, a new (and most amusing) twist on Watergate has arisen.

According to Newsweek, the Nixon Presidential Library, in commemorating the 37th Anniversary of Watergate (Nixon was also the 37th President of the United States), has decided to invite none other than John Dean to speak at the event.

Yes, you read that correctly...the John Dean who resigned as Nixon's White House attorney and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice after testifying about his boss's role in the cover-up.

Needless to say, the Nixon Camp is livid...a former communications aide of Nixon's has been quoted as describing it this way: "It's like having Monica Lewinsky speak at the Clinton Library."

It doesn't end there.

Caught in the crossfire is historian Timothy Naftali, who took over as the library's director over two years ago when the Nixon Library was handed over to the publicly run archives. It was his idea to invite Dean.

It's also helpful to understand that before the library was handed over to the public archives, it was run by the Nixon Foundation...and when I personally visited it in 2002, the whole operation was completely sanitized of anything Watergate-related or ANYTHING, for that matter, that even suggested anything negative about the Nixon Presidency.

That being said, it's the privately run Nixon Foundation and its officials (comprised of Henry Kissinger, George Schultz and Nixon's two daughters), who are upset about the Dean appearance...so much that they have compiled an "enemies list" to the effect of this anticipated event.

An enemies list in the Nixon camp? Really? Like the long blacklist of names Nixon himself had in the Oval Office during his Presidency?

You know, THAT list...the one with the reporters and conspiring Hollywood actors on it...and some 95 yr old grandma who was thought to be a spy when she was merely mailing the White House to shame Nixon in the early 70s.

Now do you know what list I'm talking about?

I can't begin to express the level of amusement that this conjures up, having been fascinated with Nixon since I was basically 4 years of age...and this only further perpetuates the enigma surrounding Nixon, who I see as the most fascinating and complicated President of the 20th Century.

Such an interesting development...I guess the apple doesn't fall to far from the tree.

My guess is that these new developments are a reaction to how sanitized the Nixon Library has been up to this point...and believe me, it has DEFINITELY been sanitized, sterilized, and disinfected.

Until now.

In anticipation of Dean's appearance at this event, apparently we can expect some serious fireworks! Apparently Dean is going to be revealing some damning new details with Nixon's role in Watergate. Quoting Dean in a recent interview with Newsweek: "They're going to be particularly unhappy when they hear what I have to say."

I'll leave you with another nice little ditty from the Trickster himself...and this one isn't altered...it's the genuine article from Tricky Dick himself!

Yes, the World hates you Sarah. That's why you feel this way.

The GOP's Cruella DeVille wannabe, Sarah Palin, is at it again...this time it's with a late night talk show host.

Really? Is that the best you can do? Really? Really? Really?

Ohhh Sarah.

Once again, Sarah Palin and her husband are either the most moronic idiots of this early 21st Century, or they're struggling for an opportunity to stay in the media spotlight by manufacturing drama that began with David Letterman joking about her in his nightly Top 10 list this past week.

Uh, it was a joke, Sarah...even if part of it involved your daughter.

No, the other daughter...the one that HAD the baby.

Instead, of course, the Palins reacted to Letterman's self-proclaimed bad taste by calling him a petifile and putting the spotlight on their 14-year-old daughter...the one Letterman DIDN'T include in his joke.

The Palins have brought this on themselves. The daughters wouldn't be in the spotlight if the parents hadn't marched them onto the stage like royalty during the GOP convention in Minneapolis last year.

Moreover, Sarah, the status of how the World hates you (minus the brainwashed or insane mini-sectors of the right-wing freak show) is utterly and completely of your own undoing. Cause and effect. It also probably has something to do with your over-the-top reaction to jokes coming from a talk show host, and your defensive posture.

Again, Sarah, IT WAS A TALK SHOW HOST. IT WAS A JOKE.

The Palins should assess the structural integrity of your own glass house before throwing rocks...but you're not going to do that, Sarah, are you?

Well then, you have a loooooooooooong and torturous road ahead of you. Good luck with it...oh, and try laughing about things like this sometimes. You might live longer.

Honoring "Tank Man" 20 years later

I actually thought of this back in March of this year, and put it up with a delay so it would come out on the 20 year anniversary of the incident, which occurred on June 5, 1989.

This image is burned into the brains of many people who witnessed it at the time, including my own.

I'm reposting a post I found from 2006 on a blog called A Liberal Mormon.

I think of tank man as one of the all-time heroes in human history...he's definitely in my hall of fame.

Tank Man By Derek Staffanson

I have a very un-macho thing to confess. I get choked up every time I see the tank man.

You know who I mean.

Tiananmen Square. 1989. The government is pulling out all the stops to stamp out the peaceful demonstration for political change. The military has been called in. A column of tanks is rolling down the multi-lane street. And this guy steps out in front of the tanks. He doesn’t appear to be a demonstrator. He looks like some guy on his way home from work with a couple of bags of groceries. And for whatever reason, he just walks out a few feet in front of the tanks and stops. The tank hesitates, and then tries to drive around the guy. But this guy slides back and forth, making sure he is standing directly in front of the tank. And this tank–this column of tanks–is stopped. This one man holds up millions of dollars of Weapons of Mid-level Destruction. It only lasts a few minutes before (if I recall correctly) a handful of men run out to grab this guy and usher him out of sight. Police or soldiers whisking him off to disappear permanently? Friends rushing him off before he gets himself in serious trouble? I’ve no idea. But in those few minutes, he burned himself into (albeit anonymous) immortality in the minds of people around the world.

Seriously, my throat is constricting and my eyes watering even as I write this. I honestly get choked up. Embarrassing but true. I’m that emotionally invested in that image.

This man represents so much I believe in on a social/political level. Just an average person, a regular guy, standing up against evil (not the tank driver per se, but the use of force and political oppression). He has to know he can’t win. He can’t win the revolution. He can’t bring down the government of Bejing. If he is identified, he faces certain imprisonment at the least. He can’t even stop this column of tanks from going where they want to go.

But he does it anyway.

He walks in front of the tanks because, no matter how futile, he is standing for what is right.

And for a few brief moments, he wins.

It shows immense courage. Incredible conviction.

And what a display of hope and faith in humanity! He could not have walked out there if he did not have faith in the goodness of humanity. He had the hope that, no matter what his orders and to whom he was loyal, the tank commander was ultimately a decent human being; that he wouldn’t casually roll over one harmless man.

That is the man I aspire to be. I want to stand for what is true, noble, and good, no matter the odds. I want to have the positive belief that I can do some good simply by doing what is right. I want to believe that I will be doing some good by fighting for what appears to be futile causes when those causes are just. And I want to have the integrity to stand for something not just when I have planned the action, but when important opportunities present themselves.

Tonight on local PBS affiliate, Frontline is presenting an episode on the Tank Man (more info here). I can’t wait to watch and learn more about him and his legacy. I have no idea if Tank Man has ever been identified or if we will learn his fate. Hopefully he isn’t languishing in some prison, but who knows? I can’t wait to learn whatever there is to learn, and I look forward to the time after this life when I can express my appreciation to him for the example he has set.

One of the comments from the blog had this to say:

I just came upon this while searching for information on the Tank Man. Very well-written entry. But I just want to comment on one thing you said:

“Just an average person, a regular guy, standing up against evil (not the tank driver per se, but the use of force and political oppression).”

Although you rightfully acknowledge that evil doesn’t refer to the tank driver, I think you’re making an enormous understatement.

What people often fail to appreciate is that the tank driver is as much a hero as the man in front of the tank.

There have been several reports (though all lacking hard proof, like a lot of things associated with the tank scene) that the tank driver was told to run the man over but refused. Some have speculated that he was punished through demotion or even jailing as a result. The tank man gets all the credit, but the tank driver stood up against oppression just as much. In some ways, that’s what makes the scene so haunting yet so beautiful.

BOTH men, though seemingly on opposite sides, stood up for humanity.

Long Live Dick's Jaw Flappin' Tour!

After Obama's inauguration last February, as Bush Era torture talk began to spin hither and tither, many of us who were not Bush supporters (to put it beyond polite) would see Cheney's face on the television here and there defending his administration.

At first it came across as annoying, but not many of us were surprised. When it comes to our "special li'l Dick," we all know what sort of egomaniac we're dealing with.

However over time, Dick's Jaw Flappin' Tour of endless pro-Bush Era defensiveness has morphed into diatribes and rhetoric that could bring down the whole house.

He seems to operate like clockwork these days...whenever something pipes up (or someone) regarding the issue of torture as it relates to Guantanamo and the Bush presidency, some jaw flappin' from Dick isn't far behind.

His tone keeps growing more defensive and bitter...and with it, he keeps revealing more information about who made what decisions as it pertains to torture. Just recently, he has essentially implicated Bush himself as a decision-maker who knowingly called shots regarding torture.

Everything he states in interviews only digs the ditch deeper...remember, it's all admissable in court. If he keeps it up, he could expose the whole Bush Administration on war crimes and accounts of torture.

So keep it up, Dick! Please!

Oh, and can you send me that Oroville Redenbacker coupon you promised me? I need to stock up on all the popcorn I'm going to need when the war crimes trials begin.

Think of the $20 bill as 20 opportunities Jackson squandered

...and why exactly is Andrew Jackson worthy of being on a $20 bill?

Because I'm a bit confused about that, lol.

It's probably something you've never thought about...however if you're of Cherokee descent, you'd probably rather fatten your wallet with 20 $1 bills than carry a $20.

Andrew Jackson is the only President in history to openly defy a Supreme Court decision that protected the removal of a Native American tribe from their homeland; the Cherokee when they inhabited what is today most of northwest Georgia.

Other than defacing U.S. currency (I would cover Jackson's face with a pic of a famous Cherokee, such as Chief John Ross, pictured above), I'll display a picture of Ross instead of Jackson...and I'll choose to interpret it this way: the "20" represents at least 20 opportunities Jackson had to change his mind and honor the homeland of the Cherokee.

...or 20 bad decisions...or 20 (insert logic, or lack thereof)...in other words, 20 opportunities squandered.

Needless to say, Jackson didn't have an epiphany, nor a moment of clarity, in his Tennessee-raised military-esque anti-Indian drunk-with-power early 19th Century Swiss cheese brain.

He defied the Supreme Court and went forward with the Indian Removal Act...and we all know what that led to: one of the United State's most shameful moments, The Trail of Tears, which represented an account of ethnic cleansing and part of the U.S. government's systematic destruction of Native American homelands and way of life that continues to this day.

How do we correct our shameful and erroneous ways of the past?

GIVE THEM THEIR LANDS BACK. Read on.

Andrew Jackson - The Worst President The Cherokee Ever Met
by Christina Berry

from All Things Cherokee

The title of worst US president is hotly debated and is most often awarded to Andrew Johnson or Warren Harding. Many polls and studies rank Andrew Jackson in or near the top 10 best presidents. However, to many Cherokees Andrew Jackson is without a doubt the worst US president. Some Cherokees would rather carry two ten-dollar bills or twenty one-dollar bills than carry a single twenty-dollar bill. Why? Because the US has chosen to commemerate Jackson's presidency by putting his face on the twenty dollar bill.

So why is Jackson so disliked by the Cherokee? Oddly enough, at one point the Cherokee were allies with Andrew Jackson. It was at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend where Andrew Jackson's famous story really began. He was considered a hero after his victory in this battle against the Creek Indians, a victory he would not have attained had it not been for his Cherokee allies who fought alongside him.

Several years later in 1828 Andrew Jackson was elected president. His popularity and subsequent election are largely attributed to his pro-Indian removal platform. Once in power he began to allow whites to move onto Cherokee land. He also allowed Georgia to extend state law to include the Cherokee Nation. This called into question Cherokee sovereignty and declared their government and laws void.

In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. Gold had been discovered on what was Cherokee land in western Georgia and the white settlers wanted to get the Cherokee out of the way. In Jackson's own words, "[The Indian Removal Act] will place a dense and civilized population in large tracts of country now occupied by a few savage hunters." Jackson painted a picture of the Cherokee as illiterate, uncivilized "savage hunters" even though 90% of the Cherokee Nation could read and write in Cherokee (many could also read and write in English) and were farmers.

The Indian Removal Act was very popular among voters. However, not everyone supported Indian removal. The Act's strongest opponent was Congressman Davy Crockett, but the Act passed regardless. Once passed by Congress, President Andrew Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. And so it began.

Andrew Jackson was pleased with the passage of the law because in addition to enabling the States to "advance rapidly in population, wealth, and power" he believed the law would also help the Cherokee and other Indian tribes. In his address to Congress in 1830 Andrew Jackson stated:

"It will separate the Indians from immediate contact with settlements of whites; free them from the power of the States; enable them to pursue happiness in their own way and under their own rude institutions; will retard the progress of decay, which is lessening their numbers, and perhaps cause them gradually, under the protection of the Government and through the influence of good counsels, to cast off their savage habits and become an interesting, civilized, and Christian community."

The Cherokee did not consider the Indian Removal Act to be the humanitarian act Jackson claimed it to be. They fought the law by challenging it in the Supreme Court. In Cherokee Nation vs. Georgia (1831), the Supreme Court refused to hear the case on the basis that the Cherokee Nation did not represent a sovereign nation. However, in the case of Worcester vs. Georgia (1832) the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Cherokee. The Supreme Court this time ruled that the Cherokee Nation was sovereign thus making the removal laws invalid. The decision, rendered by Justice John Marshall, declared the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to be illegal, unconstitutional and against treaties made. President Andrew Jackson, who had the executive responsibility of enforcement of the laws, stated, "John Marshall has made his decision; let him enforce it now if he can."

Andrew Jackson was clearly unhappy with the Supreme Court ruling. In order for Jackson to remove the Cherokee he would need for the Cherokee to agree to removal in a treaty. In 1835 Jackson got what he wanted. The Treaty Party, a small faction of the Cherokee Nation led by Major Ridge, his son John, and Elias Boudinot, signed the Treaty of New Echota. The Treaty violated Cherokee law. Chief John Ross gathered 16,000 signatures of Cherokees who opposed removal. However, once the treaty was ratified by the US Senate it was official: the Cherokee could now be removed.

In 1838 the removal of the Cherokee began when General Winfield Scott, along with several thousand men, forcibly removed thousands of Cherokees from their homes and their land. The trip was brutal and about 4000 Cherokees died along the way on what became known as the "Trail Where They Cried" or the "Trail of Tears." John Ross, then Chief of the Cherokee, led the later parties from Georgia to Oklahoma and helped many to survive the harrowing journey.

The Cherokee settled in Indian Territory. The Cherokee land covered the Northeastern corner of present day Oklahoma. For their act of betrayal against the Cherokee Nation the leaders of the Treaty Party faced a punishment of death, according to Cherokee law. In 1839 Major Ridge, John Ridge, and Elias Boudinot were all assassinated. The factionalism created by the Treaty and removal did not go away and divided the Cherokee people for many years. Many are still divided over the issue of blame between the Ridge Party and the Ross Party.

It is important, when looking at these events in history, to remember that Andrew Jackson did not work alone. While there was some resistance to his Indian Removal actions, there was a lot of support. The United States voters who voted for Jackson because of his pro-Removal stance are also responsible. Some people considered Indian Removal a humanitarian gesture to help isolate the Indians from encroachment, but many others simply wanted more land. Davy Crockett who opposed the bill was ruined politically and left politics and Tennessee for Texas (where he died in the Alamo).

Of even greater concern is the fact that these same issues -- treaty rights and tribal sovereignty -- are contemporary issues which are still being fought in the US courts. As they say, "If we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it." Before we shake our finger at the mistakes of the past we need to take the time to learn about the issues of today and the mistakes we could make tomorrow. Know your history; don't repeat it. How close did we come to having Slade Gorton nominated as secretary of the interior? Too close.

History lessons: Olbermann addresses President Obama on the prosecution of Bush war crimes

While many are not fans of him (usually those with far right-leaning views), I see Keith Olbermann as the Nation's conscience in some ways. Each and every time there's an issue that forms into the likes of an elephant in the room, the man goes right after it's throat.

This is yet another example of why I love Olbermann's reporting. The man is simply fearless. We need more voices like this in the news.

A much-needed discussion has begun

I first want to issue my deepest apologies for not posting more often as of late, especially in light of some interesting political times going on right now.

I'm commenting on exactly that thing today...aren't you relieved?

It's been a combination of things, ranging from a little burnout and a vacation from blogging to a more legitimate reason, which involves a business I'm starting up and launching a website in conjunction with networking, media packets, and a whole host of other things...such as accounting...jeepers, do I really have to keep the books current?

Oh yeah, there's that thing called the IRS, I guess I should...but it's, uh, not my strong suit.

Anyway.

One of the networking events I attended this past week is through an online group called Biznik, and so far I give it a two thumbs up.

The event was at the Cactus, across from Alki Beach north of West Seattle. There were about 10 folks there, most of whom work in completely different industries. It was billed as the sort of event where you want to put on your professional hat and be on somewhat filtered behavior...which, I'm proud to say, can be challenging for me at times. Generally that's a good thing, as being square sucks and is no fun...but with this sort of thing, and in an effort to put a professional image out there, I guess I can check the wierd beard at the door...for 20 minutes...clock's ticking!

That being said, I did not expect to have a protracted discussion about race and politics with an African American lady, who we'll refer to as "V." That's something I would have never expected at all anytime soon, let alone at a professional networking luncheon.

I arrived before about 3-4 others, and V entered; a tall slender woman with a big laughing smile, wearing an Obama pin that almost looked homemade but really slick, stating "The New Hope" and sporting a picture of Barack and Michelle.

Since we were together at one end of the table, we started discussing this and that...then I decided to ask about the Obama pin.

The discussion quickly ~ and comfortably ~ got into political ideals and anecdotes, which was easy since we're all Obamaheads...and some race-realted current events of the time were brought up, such as the former Klansman who apologized to John Lewis for beating him up when he was marching in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s.

The most moving part of my conversation, however, was hearing the story of V's father and uncle, who had passed away a few years before Obama was elected. I can't imagine how much their presence during the election would have meant to her (see my previous blog about something similar to that notion), and hearing her voice crack when she spoke about it, and seeing her eyes water a bit drove home the gravity of what this past election means to the black community and all of America.

The greatest, most enduring effect I believe Obama is having with the country ~ and begun when he started running for office just over two years ago ~ is propelling the discussion of race into a place where blacks and whites can feel comfortable talking about it.

Through all the awesome, progressive-thinking policies of the Administration ~ through all the undying hope and dreams that citizens will be able to realize in the years ahead that they otherwise wouldn't ~ through everything that the Obama Presidency means to this day and through a historical perspective ~ I believe his greatest legacy could be the discussion he empowers progressive-minded folks with on the streets of America.

It's made changes in our everday lives, in the way blacks and whites interact with one another in our day-to-day business.

To folks who are 35 and older, this is especially an important step in the evolution of the American mindset. In the past, whites felt like they couldn't bring up the subject, afraid they were going to offend somebody...and blacks, based on conversations I've had, perhaps felt uncomfortable with it because they thought they might make whites uncomfortable ~ as it conjures up a shameful, horrific period in American history.

The reasons for NOT talking about it were all numerous, complex, emotionally-tinged, and deeply personal...and opened up too much room for misinterpretation...so why bring it up at all?

Obama ended all that...not only becuase of his great abilities as a leader, but I believe also because of what he represents genetically. The way I see it, he's the purest representation of America having come from an Anglo mother and a Kenyan father. Both blacks and whites can identify with him, and are invested in him on many levels.

Obama represents our meeting spot...he's our virtual meeting place if you like. He opens up discussions in restaurants, bars, cafes, ballparks, and living rooms all over the country. Amen! Let the discussions happen! Let MLK's dream reign! Let the cork pop out of the bottle and the wine hath shall flow!

I'm not saying these cross cultural and cross-racial discussions should happen every time whites, blacks, Middle Easterners, Asians, Hispanics, Indians, and Native Americans get together...that's not realistic, and we're naive to assume that everyone and their mother is going to be comfortable with it...but, more often than before, it's there if we want to go there, and we can be more comfortable with it.

I'd venture to say that's a light year leap from where we were at even three years ago.

This is a healthy thing we've been waiting for...this is something American needs. An evolution of the minds. A way to rehabilitate sad minds, heal old wounds, and amend silly perceptions through this much-needed discussion that has begun.