My thoughts on politics, foreign policy, sports, America, and anything else I come up with.

 
FOUR Inauguration Day Protests - Show your dissent on Thursday, January 20, 2005!


Protest #1 - BUY NOTHING

http://www.notonedamndime.com/boycott/

NOT ONE DAMN DIME DAY

"Since our leaders don't have the moral courage to speak out against the war in Iraq, Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, 2005 is "Not One Damn Dime Day" in America.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day" those who oppose what is happening in our name in Iraq can speak up with a 24-hour national boycott of all forms of consumer spending.

During "Not One Damn Dime Day" please don't spend money, and don't use your credit card. Not one damn dime for gasoline. Not one damn dime for necessities or for impulse purchases. Nor toll/cab/bus or train ride money exchanges. Not one damn dime for anything for 24 hours.

On "Not One Damn Dime Day," please boycott Walmart, KMart and Target. Please don't go to the mall or the local convenience store. Please don't buy any fast food (or any groceries at all for that matter).

For 24 hours, please do what you can to shut the retail economy down. The object is simple. Remind the people in power that the war in Iraq is immoral and illegal; that they are responsible for starting it and that it is their responsibility to stop it.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is to remind them, too, that they work for the people of the United States of America, not for the international corporations and K Street lobbyists who represent the corporations and funnel cash into American politics.

"Not One Damn Dime Day" is about supporting the troops. The politicians put the troops in harm's way. Now 1,200 brave young Americans and (some estimate) 100,000 Iraqis have died. The politicians owe our troops a plan -- a way to come home.

There's no rally to attend. No marching to do. No left or right wing agenda to rant about. On "Not One Damn Dime Day" you take action by doing nothing. You open your mouth by keeping your wallet closed.

For 24 hours, nothing gets spent, not one damn dime, to remind our religious leaders and our politicians of their moral responsibility to end the war in Iraq and give America back to the people.

Please share this as an email with as many people as possible, and please express your opinion at http://www.blogger.com/app/www.NotOneDamnDime.com."

Protest #2 - FLY U.S. FLAG UPSIDE DOWN

Flying the flag upside down is not showing a lack of respect. It is a time-honored tradition of signaling a state of distress -- either aboard a ship, a fort under siege, or a nation under attack. Our nation is currently under political and social attack by the right wing of the Republican party and the religious right. It is under attack by those in government for whom the rule of law means nothing.

I have the utmost respect for our flag, but I have an even deeper respect for, and love of, our Constitution. Dissent and protest are very American and patriotic acts. The upside down flag is a perfect symbol of the distress that this country is in. What is un-American is the subversion of our Constitution, the erosion of our civil rights, and our young dying in an illegal war against the wrong enemy.

Fly your American flag upside down on Inauguration Day, Thursday, January 20th, and urge others to do the same!

Protest #3 - WEAR BLACK ARMBAND

http://www.blackarmbandsforjustice.com/

Inauguration Day, 20 January 2005, shall be a National Day of Mourning.

On Inauguration Day, wear a black armband, call it a Black Armband For Justice. If anybody asks you about your armband, politely say the following:

"I wear this black armband as a statement that the awarding of another four years in the White House to George W. Bush is a national tragedy. Four more years means increased militarism abroad. Four more years means that here at home we'll see further attacks against working people, women, minorities, reproductive rights, the environment, our civil rights, our Constitutional rights, our standard of living and the most fundamental aspects of our democracy."

Contact everyone you know. Urge them to wear a Black Armband For Justice. Urge them to contact everyone they know.

Protest #4 - CAR HORN AT 11:00 AM CST

I've watched these inaugurations since 1985, and one thing they do well is keep things right on time. The President is to be sworn in at exactly 12:00 PM EST (11:00 AM CST, 9:00 AM PST). They hit this thing right to the second almost. Here is a site to synchronize your watch with the exact correct time:

http://www.time.gov/

Regardless, once you are in your car, you can listen to the Inauguration Day ceremonies on any number of stations (National Public Radio, near 90 MHz on the FM dial; most AM talk stations).

Ideally find yourself an upscale neighborhood or a known Republican area to cruise through, maybe with a convoy of your friends. Or do it wherever you and you car are located. At the beginning of Bush's swearing in, start laying on the horn, and don't let up until the swearing in is done, or keep it going for a little longer. Keep the horn steady, or go on/off/on/off if you like.

Imagine all those diehard Bush supporters sitting on the edge of their seats, watching their Dear Leader start his second term -- only to be interrupted by some obnoxious drive-by protest in the street outside. This is about bringing the protest to peoples' homes.

I don't know how effective this little brainchild of mine will be, especially getting it out this late. But it just might directly piss off the most Bush supporters of any of the protests, and maybe that's why I like it so much.

Please forward this idea on to as many people as possible, and urge them to do the same!

Posted by Brian Adams at 08:38 | Permalink | |

 
Project Censored 2005 - The Top 25 Censored Media Stories of 2003-2004

Go right to Project Censored 2005 for links to the Top 25 stories. I found this item from Media Girl by way of MyDD.com. The story that should biggest in our future planning is changing from an oil economy to a renewable resource economy. Oh wait, gay marriage has to be outlawed by a Constitutional Amendment. Silly me and my mixed-up priorities.


Here are the Top 25 Censored Stories:

#1: Wealth Inequality in 21st Century Threatens Economy and Democracy

#2: Ashcroft vs. the Human Rights Law that Holds Corporations Accountable

#3: Bush Administration Censors Science

#4: High Levels of Uranium Found in Troops and Civilians

#5: The Wholesale Giveaway of Our Natural Resources

#6: The Sale of Electoral Politics

#7: Conservative Organization Drives Judicial Appointments

#8: Cheney's Energy Task Force and The Energy Policy

#9: Widow Brings RICO Case Against U.S. government for 9/11

#10: New Nuke Plants: Taxpayers Support, Industry Profits

#11: The Media Can Legally Lie

#12: The Destabilization of Haiti

#13: Schwarzenegger Met with Enron's Ken Lay Years Before the California Recall

#14: New Bill Threatens Intellectual Freedom in Area Studies

#15: U.S. Develops Lethal New Viruses

#16: Law Enforcement Agencies Spy on Innocent Citizens

#17: U.S. Government Represses Labor Unions in Iraq in Quest for Business Privatization

#18: Media and Government Ignore Dwindling Oil Supplies

#19: Global Food Cartel Fast Becoming the World's Supermarket

#20: Extreme Weather Prompts New Warning from UN

#21: Forcing a World Market for GMOs

#22: Censoring Iraq

#23: Brazil Holds Back in FTAA Talks, But Provides Little Comfort for the Poor of South America

#24: Reinstating the Draft

#25: Wal-Mart Brings Inequality and Low Prices to the World

Posted by Brian Adams at 22:40 | Permalink | |