AL Gore's Speech Yesterday - Green Energy By 2018 -- Watch It!

Friday Mat-Su Democrats July Egan Dinner

Usually, July Matanuska-Susitna Area Democrats Egan Dinners aren't very crowded. I think they've sometimes been cancelled in the past. The middle of summer, and all that. But like every other event involving this growing group of activist Democrats over the past two years, it was big, it was fun, and we got down to business.

A lot of things happened, but I was multi-tasking - almost with a vengeance. Our President, Kevin Brown, had asked me to give a talk on how to write effective "letters to the editor." So, I did that, and also invited Linda Kellen, Dennis Zaki and Shannyn Moore out, to talk about their attendance or probable attendance at the upcoming Democratic Party Convention in Denver. Writing Raven, from Alaska Real, who will be blogging in Denver with Linda, couldn't make it to the dinner.

But Linda and I were also blogging at firedoglake, hosting the last day of their three-day TedFest! event, where commenters at that blog could submit poems about Sen. Ted Stevens, to be judged in a contest.

Here's one part of an e-mail of thanks to the folks at firedoglake that I sent out after Judy and I got home late this evening:

The last evening of the contest was delayed an hour. The post went up exactly when I was supposed to, as Secretary of the Mat-Su Area Democrats, help convene our monthly dinner and organizational meeting. There were over 60 people there. Several young Obama organizers, Mark Begich organizers, Diane Benson (AK-AL) organizers and Ethan Berkowitz (AK-AL) organizers - along with local candidates for our state legislature.

Linda and I were able to start helping the session along at the fdl poem post. I asked fdl commenters to write new poems I could read to the meeting when I gave my talk. They did.

My talk to the dinner/meeting was supposed to be about “letters to the editor.” I did that, slowly changing the subject to Linda’s upcoming trip to the Democratic National Convention, as Alaska’s chosen blogger. Dennis Zaki was there too. His electronic Journal, Alaska Report, gets tens of thousands of hits per day. He’s going to the Convention.

We were able to not only talk to the audience about how Democrats approach new media differently from the GOP, we were able to demonstrate it, even reading new poems about Ted as some came in.

Then my third guest in the new media talk walked in. She is Shannyn Moore, who was recently fired from the Anchorage AM progressive talk station for being, you guessed it - too progressive.

She had quietly left the scene in the two weeks since she was fired. Everyone in Southcentral Alaska who loved her show had been wondering when she would resurface. Here she was, announcing she’s back on the air, on two top Anchorage stations, KFQD and KWHL (where they're also pumping Static Cycle - the band my son now plays in), and subbing in a primo slot - and probably - going to the Democratic Convention. Shannyn has been handling the KUDO departure and transition with a lot of class.

There they were - the Alaska contingent for either convention (Dennis is covering both) from the press. All progressive. All electronic savvy. All excited. All bloggers. All this, while we continued to blog TedFest at firedoglake. We are SO different from Republicans, folks.

They excited the crowd, too, which included more young people than we’ve seen at these meetings until recently.

image - Shannyn Moore, Dennis Zaki, Phil Munger

The Congressional Medal of Honor Citation of Walter Monegan's Father

The Commissioner of Public Safety Sarah Palin had a "temp" fire while she scooted out of town, didn't have a chance to ask "why?"

Walt Monegan was in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. He kept on trying to get assigned to Vietnam, or to combat, but was denied transfer from a stateside post. He finally asked why, in his frustration. He was told that no Congressional Medal of Honor recipients' sons could be assigned to combat zones. At least, that time, he had a chance to find out "why?"

Here is Ex-Commissioner Monegan's father's Congressional Medal of Honor Citation:

MONEGAN, WALTER C., JR.

Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, Company F, 2d Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.). Place and date: Near Sosa-ri, Korea, 17 and 20 September 1950. Entered service at: Seattle, Wash. Born: 25 December 1930, Melrose, Mass. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a rocket gunner attached to Company F, and in action against enemy aggressor forces. Dug in on a hill overlooking the main Seoul highway when 6 enemy tanks threatened to break through the battalion position during a predawn attack on 17 September, Pfc. Monegan promptly moved forward with his bazooka, under heavy hostile automatic weapons fre and engaged the lead tank at a range of less than 50 yards. After scoring a direct hit and killing the sole surviving tankman with his carbine as he came through the escape hatch, he boldly fired 2 more rounds of ammunition at the oncoming tanks, disorganizing the attack and enabling our tank crews to continue blasting with their 90-mm guns. With his own and an adjacent company's position threatened by annihilation when an overwhelming enemy tank-infantry force bypassed the area and proceeded toward the battalion command post during the early morning of September 20, he seized his rocket launcher and, in total darkness, charged down the slope of the hill where the tanks had broken through. Quick to act when an illuminating shell lit the area, he scored a direct hit on one of the tanks as hostile rifle and automatic-weapons fire raked the area at close range. Again exposing himself, he fired another round to destroy a second tank and, as the rear tank turned to retreat, stood upright to fire and was fatally struck down by hostile machinegun fire when another illuminating shell silhouetted him against the sky. Pfc. Monegan's daring initiative, gallant fighting spirit and courageous devotion to duty were contributing factors in the success of his company in repelling the enemy, and his self-sacrificing efforts throughout sustain and enhance the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.

image of PFC Monegan

Jane Hamsher is an Asshole - Guest Post by Rahm Emanuel

Just kidding.....

Rahm's busy, having lunch with the
Chairman of the Carlyle Group (an Ethan Berkowitz donor), one of the biggest beneficiaries of the tie-ins between the Bush and Bin Laden families.

firedoglake, where Celtic Diva and I have been hosting TedFest! - a three-day Ted Stevens poetry contest, ending tonight, is a big fan of Mark Begich, Ted's most likely opponent in November. Jane Hamsher, along with former prosecutor Christy Hardin Smith, started firedoglake almost five years ago. It was the first blog to do live blogging of court events in a major, authoritative way.

The blog's coverage of the Federal trial of Scooter Libby in the traitorous public disclosure of CIA agent Valerie Plame's identity, was watched closely by all aspects of the mainstream media. What started out as hostility, neglect or curiosity by the MSM toward the fdl team at the trial, slowly grew to become marked respect and interest before the trial was over.

Jane, along with Talking Point Memo's Josh Marshall, and perhaps Down With Tyranny's Howie Klein, will be interviewing Mayor Begich at Netroots Nation, in Austin, Texas. It just got underway today. They've become big fans of Mayor Begich.

They're also among the most highly critical Democratic Party-aligned critics of Ethan Berkowitz's main supporter, Illinois U.S. Representative, Rahm Emanuel. Jane joked today about Rahm doing a post at a new feature firedoglake will be introducing shortly, under the title, "Jane Hamsher is an Asshole."

I've pulled back from hard criticism of candidate Berkowitz's campaign funding at Progressive Alaska for a while. That is going to continue to be the case here, for a while more, at least. But it is interesting that two blogs - firedoglake and Down With Tyranny! - that have been backing Diane Benson since August 2006, and are now backing Mark Begich, bringing his national presence up (and ridiculing St. Ted!), and - unlike blogs representing the old guard of the Democratic Party that is rubber-stamping George Bush's criminal administration - are not giving Ethan any coverage, let alone positive presence.

More on this aspect of it soon.

Celtic Diva and I will be helping poets slam St. Ted again today, at somewhere between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Update - late Thursday night:

1) Celtic Diva and I didn't do the poetry slot at firedoglake today - their site went down for about three hours in mid-afternoon, so we're moved to tomorrow, pretty much the same time. Maybe Ted wrote an entry, and when he hit the "send" button, the Toobz clogged...

2) An e-mail from a friend warrants comment. He states, "i don't understand why you rip on ethan so hard because after a month and a half from now, if ethan's the candidate, are you going to keep talking shit?"

I answered him, but reading back through this essay, that provoked the e-mail, I need to say:

Nothing I have felt necessary to bring to light about Ethan Berkowitz's campaign funding could be used by the Right against him.

If, in the chance he somehow beats Diane Benson in August, these things, such as support from war criminals, supporters of bubble financial scams, the Chairman of the war profiteering Carlyle Group, Bill O'Reilly's producer, several of the FOX executives who slime Barack Obama every single chance they get, people who don't want our failing health care industry reformed, and so on, might actually get Ethan more votes from Republicans in November. They like that, as my friend puts it, SHIT.

A lot of friends of both my wife and myself have donated to Ethan. We have.

I am very dismayed that - as I warned Ray Metcalfe back in March - the GOP is now using Ray's "stuff' about Mark Begich. But I doubt that any of the important facts - all publicly available - about the financing of the Berkowitz campaign by outside Blue Dogs and DINOs - can or will be used in the fall campaign.

image of Jane Hamsher at the 2006 YearlyKos in Las Vegas

Summer Meltdown Poll

Summer Meltdown has one slot left open for bands that couldn't get into the Battle of the Bands at 'Koots recently. One way to not get into the battle was to have any band member under 21.

Four bands that couldn't battle there - because they had band members under 21 years of age - are in the running. My son has agreed to help me clean up the place for the Alaska Convention bloggers' fundraiser, if I push for the band he's in - Static Cycle - in the poll.

Here's their web site.

The other three bands are What May Fall, Twelve O'Clock High, and Monster Eats Pilot.

Listening to the other bands at the event site, I like Static!

Here's where you can vote.

Update - Thursday Afternoon: Static Cycle Wins! Thanks, Erick, others, who liked them.

We're Having A Fundraiser - At Our House!

Here's how to get to our place

TedFest - Day 2 - Coming Up at firedoglake

The Ted Stevens Poetry Contest at firedoglake went well yesterday: over 60 poems in 90 minutes. Needless to say, a lot of them featured the word "toobz" or "tubes."

Celtic Diva helped out with Alaska questions and issues, while I had to leave the session for a while. We'll both be back there today, just after 5:30 p.m, helping Ted inspire more art.

I called Ted's Anchorage office today, and asked if somebody there might be willing to pitch in and help judge the finalists at the end of the week. It was actually a great conversation with Jim Egan, Sen. Stevens' Alaska Office Chief.

More on Diane Benson's FISA Statement

(Anchorage designer, Clark Yerrington, one of the people deeply involved in the Mt. View renaissance, wanted to say more about U.S. House AK-AL Democratic Party candidate Diane Benson's statement, made late last week in the wake of the FISA fiasco in the U.S. Congress and Senate. Welcome to Progressive Alaska, Clark!)

Diane Benson’s statement on the FISA vote is still causing me to marvel. It’s amazing to me that taking such clear and courageous position hasn’t seemed to galvanize support for her campaign. Forget about discussing this as a partisan political issue. The gutting of Fourth Amendment protections potentially affects every single one of us. Here’s her statement, from The Alaska Report July 11:


This week the Senate voted to pass President Bush’s FISA bill amendment. A bill that will grant retroactive immunity to telecommunication corporations that violated the constitutional rights of an untold number of American citizens. This is not acceptable.

The first and most fundamental responsibility of every member of Congress is to uphold the rights enumerated by the United States Constitution. And July 9th 2008 will forever go down as the day when Congress failed to uphold their duty. The Constitution is not a list of suggestions. It is a list of rights that no President and no Congress have the right to take away.

The simple truth is that no one benefits when our civil liberties are compromised. When the civil liberties of Americans disappear no one is safe regardless of race, gender, or political affiliation. Furthermore, laws like this FISA bill set a dangerous precedent for the future. We should never compromise our inalienable rights. First the Patriot Act, then the suspension of Habeas Corpus, and now the FISA amendment; which constitutional right will go next?

It’s time for our representatives to vote for what's right for America rather than what's right for their political careers. It’s not good enough to simply send someone to Congress because of the ‘D’ or ‘R’ next to their name. When voting, Americans must ask themselves one very simple question. ‘Who will fight for my rights?’”


PA proprietor Phil Munger tells me that Begich and Berkowitz also released statements calling the vote dismal and destructive – saying Berkowitz’s is difficult to find on his site. (Sure enough, I couldn’t find it.) I couldn’t find Begich’s statement, either. (Let’s just say I’m not good at finding anything.)

So we have at least three candidates (Democrats, all) speaking out against this. My question for the others is: Seeing as you seem to have no objection to these changes to the Fourth Amendment, which of the other nine in the Bill of Rights seem the most vulnerable, or less relevant today (“quaint”, like the Geneva Conventions)? Which ones will you consider less precious and be more likely to bargain away? Most reactionaries out there would immediately say that liberals just want to take away their guns – a wedge issue that has been expertly deployed by Republicans for decades. All I can say about that is I doubt it. There’s a legitimate debate about interpretation of the Second Amendment and the framers’ intentions – but the idea that liberals have some secret agenda to get rid of guns is just fancy, merely tactical for the GOP.

The only other Alaska politician I heard in recent years speaking as eloquently on similar concerns was Tony Knowles, at a 2004 fundraiser when he was running against Lisa Murkowski. He spent about a third of his informal speech talking very specifically about the Patriot Act and how much of a mistake it is to compromise our traditional privacy rights.

Alaskans would be getting out the torches and pitchforks if they knew what was really at stake here. We’d have Libertarians marching shoulder to shoulder with Republicans and Democrats, on the way to confront Young, Stevens and Murkowski about their continuing duplicity with this murderous and thieving administration! A commenter at Huffington Post said what we’re seeing here is a transformation from a representative government to some completely different form of government.

Most of the attention paid to the so-called compromise on FISA is obfuscating the essential issue, which is, as Benson said, “(the Constitution) is a list of rights that no President and no Congress have the right to take away.” It’s said that Obama’s capitulation is in recognition of a political reality – the McCain campaign will eat his lunch on national security issues if he appears to err on the side of not cracking down on terrorism suspects. But that is a debate we shouldn’t even be having. By sacrificing core principles and rights that have protected all of us for 200+ years, we’re at least overreacting. When is the cure worse than the disease? Where is the evidence that the FISA law as it has existed since 1979 has been ineffective? Since we have now given retroactive immunity to the telecoms, how will we ever find out what happened – if the Bush 43 administration broke the law, if they spied on Democrats in addition to terrorists?

We deserve to know. Obama’s vote was not particularly astute as political calculus, because the revisions to FISA that passed with his support will prevent us from knowing the answers.

Regardless of how Diane Benson fares in the primary, I will never forget her defense of our basic freedoms. And given any kind of choice in the future, I will take anyone who promises to work as hard as they can to restore our democracy to its former state.

-- Clark Yerrington

image of Diane Benson and Mark Begich at a bowl-a-thon benefit for Military families

DMOA

That's "Dead Meat On Arrival."

The other guy wasn't that great, but far better than many who have served in the post of Alaska Public Safety Commissioner. And Monegan was looking under some carpets, especially regarding the handling of sexual abuse issues.

Timing is important, Governess Palin. You blew it with this one. Big time!

I have a lot of friends who hoped Sarah Palin could create a bipartisan, outside-the-box administration. Friends from all over the political spectrum. Many have declared the "honeymoon" over.

My turn, Sarah:

Honeymoon over...

image of Chief cop Kopp as he shouldn't be

The Constitution is NOT a List of Suggestions!

This week the Senate voted to pass President Bush’s FISA bill amendment. A bill that will grant retroactive immunity to telecommunication corporations that violated the constitutional rights of an untold number of American citizens. This is not acceptable.

The first and most fundamental responsibility of every member of Congress is to uphold the rights enumerated by the United States Constitution. And July 9th 2008 will forever go down as the day when Congress failed to uphold their duty. The Constitution is not a list of suggestions. It is a list of rights that no President and no Congress have the right to take away.

The simple truth is that no one benefits when our civil liberties are compromised. When the civil liberties of Americans disappear no one is safe regardless of race, gender, or political affiliation. Furthermore, laws like this FISA bill set a dangerous precedent for the future. We should never compromise our inalienable rights. First the Patriot Act, then the suspension of Habeas Corpus, and now the FISA amendment; which constitutional right will go next?

It’s time for our representatives to vote for what's right for America rather than what's right for their political careers. It’s not good enough to simply send someone to Congress because of the "D" or "R" next to their name. When voting, Americans must ask themselves one very simple question. "Who will fight for my rights?"

-- Diane Benson