Peace, Freedom and How I Know I Found It...

remember all us 'plain folk' back on the farm, er blog.

Have fun! Thanks for the pics.
___
bluerootsradio

i admire you for saying hello to me over here on this 'dirty' old thread...

thank you from my heart....

xox

dada, or catharine, jik, *tll* or ellwort, treebu or cent or center whatever, or whoever were around..i feel alone... :(

"Twinkle, twinkle, little brat!
How I wonder where you're at!"
*TLL*

to get some media hype ...... get a pict of Nader punching someone.

8-)

...

I may have even given up....

that homeless black kitten outside has given me a lot of perspective...

person that I saw in the whole room tonight with a laptop..whereas I'll bet that it's the norm and dem and rep conventions......

elderly, poor and so called minority people have the least access to the internet...

Rosa Alicia Clemente is a community organizer, journalist and hip-hop activist. Born and raised in the South Bronx, she is a graduate of the University of Albany and Cornell University.

A much sought-after commentator, political activist, community organizer and independent reporter, Rosa has been delivering workshops, presentations and commentary for more than 10 years.

In 2003, Rosa helped form and coordinate the first-ever National Hip Hop Political Convention that drew more than 3,000 activists who came together to create and implement a national political agenda for the hip hop generation.

Currently, Rosa is focused on the impact of the 2008 elections, addressing issues of excessive use of physical force, intimidation and infiltration tactics by law enforcement officials and increasing the number of young women of color in leadership roles.

These are VP candidate Clemente's words at The International Tribunal for Katrina last year:

In the days after Hurricane Katrina ravaged parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, Rosa was the only hip hop journalist on the ground.

Her reports were carried on independent and mainstream radio and TV stations all over the world, including Air America, NPR, Pacifica Radio, Democracy Now!, the BBC, and Hard Knock Radio.

---------------

National Conference for Media Reform in Minneapolis, June 7, 2008.

Highly recommended resource -

Audio available from the excellent speakers at the conference - (including Goodman and Moyers)

Program lists speakers and their sessions.

Links are available for various sessions. Enjoy!

-----------

Conference Program and Audio:

http://www.freepress.net/conference/program

http://www.freepress.net/conference/audio

thank you for the response..zeek let me know you had posted one and I received it in time for the event...

la illaha illa'llah (there is no god but God)

The left foot of the whirler should never be raised, but sometimes is in a fit of ecstasy.

Submitted by Alice on Sat, 08/02/2008 - 4:07am.
thank you for the response..zeek let me know you had posted one and I received it in time for the event...

______________

I am glad that you read my post.

What do you think of the candidates?

Which party is the most organized?

each feels genuine to me. vibe wise my interpretation is as it shows in that last title

gloria - ralph - cynthia - brian

i can see from my 'live blogging' how my opinions were decided by me as the time went by with them...

to walk into a hotel suite and have ralph nader be the first person i see is surreal. and we locked eyes, and he needed to finish a conversation with the person speaking to him. with ralph, people wanted to speak to him. with cynthia, and gloria, they seemed to be required to do the speaking...

stewart alexander seemed cool .. he called brian moore on his cell phone as if to say '- hey man - there are people here - where are you -' next I knew he walked out and then was walking back down the hall towards the suite with brian at his side...again he seemed to be doing more listening to people than talking the way i observed the scene...

then gloria was down two floors...she was speaking to about 10 people or so in her suite...cynthia arrived in a minute and gloria seemed relieved to not be on the spot anymore..cynthia spoke as i blogged it up there...i wish i had our q&a on tape but i dont...all i know is it was cynthia, me, p, and about four others and it was 6:59 and we were ataring directly at each other - i was really intending to to absorb her...(and all of them)..so they all had to run down the hall for their debate

there was matt gonzales too..

so..

cynthia mckinney, the first person to introduce impeachment this time, is answering my question and i'm sitting on a hotel room bed while she speaks...like a slumber party...

and again..then i see this black kitten outside of the hotel place and it won't come to me and now i'm questioning my and your whole existence - again...

:)

hmm...organized...lemme get a sense of that word...

ralph...he seems more organized...which seems right since he has been in this arena longer..he speaks from his heart..

gloria also speaks from her heart...and as i said in the past..articulate doesn't equal bright all the time imo..she got warmed up in the meet and greet and was smart and confident in her debate...but you could see her trepidation at speaking to the small hotel room group...

What was interesting was that Brian & Stewart, and Ralph & Matt each had their own suites to be with people - and Gloria and Cynthia shared one..maybe because Rosa and Eugene didn't seem to be present..? Or maybe because allegedly only three of four would be here and Cynthia didn't have a room reserved and Gloria shared? I don't know..just an observation..

to walk into a hotel suite and have ralph nader be the first person i see is surreal. and we locked eyes, and he needed to finish a conversation with the person speaking to him. with ralph, people wanted to speak to him. with cynthia, and gloria, they seemed to be required to do the speaking...

=================================================
Nader has been doing this a long time. I remember back in my days(late '80s) as a very left student. I considered Nader to be a liberal reformist. In a class (Revolutiuonary Struggle in a Time of Crisis) the professor played a talk Nader gave at a college. Towards the end of his talk, he started encouraging students to take action themselves. Create the structures to bring about change. I was impressed.
*TLL

at the same time...

if the good guys have no chance...yes they make roads..yes lots of roads and everything they do is a step closer...however...as an observer this afternoon.. (as opposed to the mere reader I was yesterday)...i could take this or leave this task of politics...I could leave it and still vote coherently at election time...and further..if I believe in thoughts creating reality, and i do, then my intention is known and put out there..no petition or fight with an opposing thinker is going to change that...I feel like I could do more if I refocused from this 'scene'...

August 1, 2008
www.votenader.org
www.officialnaderstore.com

Good morning.

Here's something you can do right now.

Donate six dollars.

To Nader/Gonzalez.

Why?

Because we're celebrating.

For two reasons.

Number one reason to celebrate: CNN poll from two days ago---Ralph Nader at six percent.

After being totally blocked out from the mainstream media for months.

(This is the fourth major poll putting us at five percent and above. Remember, John Anderson and Ross Perot both got into Presidential debates because they met the then League of Women Voters' threshold of five percent in a number of polls.)

And that's quite remarkable.

Six percent.

With little to no national news coverage.

Number two reason to celebrate: In 2004, we were on only 34 state ballots.

Now, in 2008, thanks to your help, we're heading toward 45 states.

For example, in 2004, we were not on in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Arizona, Maryland, and Massachusetts.

But we will be on these states in 2008.

Today, for example, we will turn in more than 53,000 signatures in Pennsylvania. (25,000 valid required.)

So, yes, we are moving on up.

We'll take the six percent in the polls.

And we'd gladly take six percent national coverage from the mainstream media -- to match our most recent poll number.

But no.

To the mainstream corporate media, we're untouchable.

Why?

Because we represent what the majority of Americans want?

Because we favor single payer health insurance?

And Obama and McCain oppose it?

Because we would quickly end the corporate and military occupation of Iraq?

And Obama and McCain wouldn't?

Because we stand for a shift of the power away from the corporations and back into the hands of the American people?

Because we would cut the bloated, wasteful military budget?

Yes, that's why.

Because the corporate media is just doing its job.

Protecting corporate power.

And we are doing ours.

Representing the majority of the American people.

So, they are doing what they must do.

And we are doing what we must do.

So, drop a six spot here now.

And support the campaign that represents the American people.

Against the corporate masters.

And help us reach our new fundraising goal -- $100,000 by August 10.

Thanks to your generous contributions so far, we're a third of the way home.

Let's keep moving on up.

Both to our goal of $100,000 by August 10.

And let's drive our numbers in the polls to seven, eight, nine and ten points and beyond.

So that even the corporate media will have to sit up and take notice.

Together, we are making a difference.

Onward

The Nader Team

P.S. Remember, for a donation of $200 or more to Nader/Gonzalez by Sunday August 3 at midnight, we'll ship to you three anti-war books by former New York Times reporter and current Nader supporter Chris Hedges---Collateral Damage, What Every Person Should Know About War, and War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.

or rather 8-)

like I wanted to...cynthia read the most from her notes...brian and stewart seemed somewhat 'slicker' than ralph - for lack of a better term...

You have got to change the power imbalance. To do so, you have to transform structures, and create new ones. Thoughts alone may help you and a few friends, but they won't change anything fundamentally.
Did you ask my question?
*TLL*

but what? more yacking here and reposting to my blog in between helping people in the library full-time, or in between caring for 20 some odd cats...plus being married? these things take time and attention....Argh..I'm probably a bit tired and rash decisions are no good right now...

me!
*TLL*

the one i wrote about up there - it came to me as I asked it...i had ALL the questions i had from everyone ready and with me...i just went with what felt normal..i felt like i might sound like fucktard trying to say what he's been told to say when he reads his speeches from his speech gods..So I just asked what came to me when i felt it was the right time to raise my hand..

the moments with gloria, & stewart were more brief.

i'm just saying - how does one - YOU - be feeling like you're 'doing something' 'being active' and all that and still devote proper time to other obligations? politics is draining to me...

I might be more content to discontinue acting as if this matters to me...
*might* *I might*
I'm undecided as of now...
goodnight, blog..

10:00am tomorrow something starts...see you then

Submitted by Alice on Sat, 08/02/2008 - 5:08am.
politics is draining to me...

________________

Alice,
Politics influence public policies and impact our lives.

I am keenly interested in politics.

I recommend working on "common goals" with other people in groups and organizations.

---------

We live in revolutionary times, but the revolution we are living through is a slow turning around from one set of beliefs and practices toward another, a turn so slow that most people fail to observe our society revolving — or rebelling. The true revolutionary needs to be as patient as a snail.

-Rebecca Solnit

:)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

I wish I was up there even if I am not a big 3rd party guy on the national level and don't love Sackatomato.

Keep up the good work!

lotta tie dye.. ;)

gonna go look at laptops bbl...

Patience is not my virtue, Star Vox...and I really suck at this:) but I'm trying and it's a new experience...and Stewart Alexander has perma-happy face like Fernando does..I like him the most as a person...based on my very limited exchanges with each candidate..

...we really appreciate your live blogging. Keep it coming!

By the way, what time do the nominating speeches begin? I understand that each of the candidates will be given ten minutes to address the delegates.

He's the most high profile leftist presidential candidate and is the one that can bring in the most votes for the Peace and Freedom Party.

True statement above. It might be interesting to look into how (and why) a small minority blocked Nader from the Green Party nomination in 2004. There is more than meets the eye there.
TLL*

...

the voting begins at 4 I believe...I'm in the room now but left the agenda in my hotel room...I'm hoping no one kicks me out of this chair that is next to the plug... :)

Stay in your chair --- we appreciate the up-to-the-minute reporting. You're doing an awesome job! This should be really interesting, more exciting than any of the other conventions this year.

And I would prefer Stewart Alexander as the Presidential candidate than VP. I prefer his vibe. I believe Stewart was a Presidential candidate for P&F then shifted.

Good point, Alice. A longtime P&F activist, Stewart Alexander actually sought the Socialist Party's presidential nomination last October at the SPUSA's national convention in St. Louis. After being eliminated on the second ballot, he was nominated for the vice presidency as Brian Moore's running mate. I think this contest will probably come down to Nader or La Riva, but Moore, who was publicly endorsed by Ralph Nader during his 2006 U.S. Senate campaign in Florida, and Stewart are good folks and, as a possible compromise ticket, would do the Peace & Freedom Party proud this fall!

Keep up the good work, Alice! It's really appreciated.

Is the CP running anyone for president this time? What about Swippies? Are they still around?

*TLL*

Róger Calero

Socialist Workers Party candidate for
President of the United States
Born 1969
Nicaragua
Political party Socialist Workers Party
Róger Calero (born 1969 in Nicaragua) is a Nicaraguan American journalist and one of the leaders of the Socialist Workers Party. He was SWP candidate for President of the United States in 2004 and 2008, and for the United States Senate in New York in 2006.
*TLL*

@TLL:

The Communist Party hasn't run a presidential candidate since 1984. I believe they've endorsed the Democratic candidate in every election since, as the lesser evil, though I doubt the Democrats care. There have probably been Communist candidates for lower offices, though I don't know of any.

*

The CP endorsed JFK in 1960. Berkeley used to be a stronghold of CPUSA, but I think the politicians were covert about it. Maybe it still is. NY communists used to run and win elections, but red-baiting laws passed in the late 1940s did them as a threat to the two party stranglehold.
*TLL*

http://www.cpusa.org/article/view/758

I really want Nader to win but he didn't win it in 2004. According to ballot-access news Nader may have a slight lead in delegates that we know of but that may change as they move through the different ballots.

primary election..

Thanks a lot for keeping us updated.

they voted to allow til then, an extra 1/2 hour, to discuss.

hope I am not pushy but any info on what they are saying would be awesome.

they all four already spoke...I keep updating the top of this post as it goes on...

Ralph was of course the most exciting to hear...a surrogate spoke fro Cynthia - Gloria was great and interesting..and Brian..well Brian might have let Stewart speak as he is much more dynamic, imo...

The next time we hear a candidate speak today it will be the nominee's acceptance speech...

Sorry I didn't know you were updating the first post. Awesome work!

Cynthis McKinney didn't show up for the convention?
*TLL*

For posting the up-to-the-minute reports. Fuck trying to paraphrase. Just give a summary. And take the time to groove.
- A

not today..at least she is not here now and hasn't been anywhere I've been today...I would have thought for sure Ralph woulda been the one to ditch...but no..he is sitting quietly across from me right now...

*

...Hi ellwort.. :)

this is great we've got someone on the inside. I'm
so in awe I could not do what you're doing keep up the good work. and thanks again

:)

how I ended up in that one chair alone in the corner of the room situation...probably how I would look if we all blogged in the same room.. ;)

Only five minutes to go! Good luck and best wishes to Phil Sawyer and other central committee Nader Supporters!

Thanks again. Sorry I did not come up.

You're doing a wonderful job --- and thank you so much!

Congragulations to Ralph Nader, Matt Gonzalez and thanks to Phil Sawyer and other Nader supporters! Nader will do far better than in 2004. Thanks for your awesome job Alice!

might just indulge in a beer or two.. :)

Thank you too Anonymous and Darcy ...and visitors...

XOX
-Alice

p.s. I really wanted Gloria...however..I can see that this could work real well for this party.... I wish I wish I wish...

..and Alice could have phoned in her story and taken questions from the blog.

___
bluerootsradio

It should help with their ballot access.I like Mckinney, so I will not say anything derogatory about her. But in 2004, the Greens copped out, bowing to Democratic Party strong arming, and went with Cobb, who then ran a safe state campaign.*TLL*

I'm a poor writer - my speaking is worse...
:)

*

I was just at dinner and the State Chairperson Debra Reiger came in..she wants my info and wants to me to start a p&f in my county....hmm...

August 2, 2008
www.votenader.org
www.officialnaderstore.com

Drop a two dollar bill on a winner.

That would be Nader/Gonzalez.

Why?

We're celebrating again.

Just now - on Saturday, August 2, today, at 5:10 p.m. PST.

In Sacramento, California.

The statewide convention of the Peace and Freedom Party chose Ralph
Nader to be its candidate for President.

And Matt Gonzalez to be its candidate for Vice President.

Nader/Gonzalez is on the ballot in California.

Thank you Peace and Freedom delegates.

With California, we're now on 21 state ballots.

On our way to 30 states by August 10.

And 45 states by September 20.

The Peace and Freedom ballot line ensures that the Nader/Gonzalez campaign will be a national one.

Securing the California ballot line is a huge victory for Nader/Gonzalez and will give millions of Californians the opportunity to vote for a candidacy that will shift the power from the corporations back into the hands of the people. (In 2000, 418,707 Californians voted for Nader/LaDuke--representing nearly 15 percent of our national vote total that year.)

Blocked out by the mainstream media, we've still polled five percent and above in four separate polls this year - including the most recent CNN poll this week putting Nader at six percent.

Again, thank you Peace and Freedom delegates.

Together, we will make a difference.
Onward to November.

The Nader Team

P.S. Remember, only one day left on the Chris Hedges three book offer. For a donation of $200 or more to Nader/Gonzalez by Sunday August 3 at midnight, we'll ship to you three anti-war books by former New York Times reporter and current Nader supporter Chris Hedges - Collateral Damage, What Every Person Should Know About War, and War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning.

Your contribution could be doubled. Public campaign financing may match your contribution total up to $250.

Paid for by Nader for President 2008

Nader for President 2008 P.O. Box 34103 Washington, D.C. 20043 (202) 471 5833

Your writing skills and moxie tell a different story. Of course I don't agree with anything you say but the way you say it makes me feel bad that I don't agree with you.

;-P

___
bluerootsradio

Suzette is having a minor breakdown. Please stop. She has feelings. Real feelings!

HeeHeeHee

I wish!
___
bluerootsradio

Initially, Camejo was a member of the Socialist Workers Party, a Trotskyist party. As a branch organizer, he sought to reorient the SWP towards the student movement. He was the SWP's nominee for President in 1976 and won 90,986 votes, or 0.1 percent.
The SWP's policy was to turn its members into "proletarians" by having them take jobs in factories and advocate for a worker-based class struggle. By 1980, Camejo came to disagree with this policy in favor of democratic socialism, and the SWP expelled him. [I knew several former members who were expelled because of this policy. College professors, mostly.]
Camejo was quoted in 2002 as claiming that he was a watermelon--green on the outside but red on the inside.
*

HAHA! ... So do you think I can use this skill right now on the Italian La Cross team players in the hot tub that I'm about to go (back) to? I'll see if I can get some Speedo shots for the Blog.. ;)

*

*TLL* I keep forgetting I'm on highspeed so I can't wait to see those vids when I get out there and settled for the evening...

*

Peter Camejo Ralph's other running mate from the past is speaking. Delegates are yielding their time to allow Peter to speak longer. Peter says 12 people have been indicted for what was done to Ralph Nader [in 2004], and he said it may go to the top of the Dem party.
============================
I experienced first hand what the Democrats did in 2004 to keep Nader off of the ballot. Perhaps Camejo should have said it would go to the top of the SEIU, as well, or at least to the top of a few locals.
*TLL*

I was going to look that up I remember now...

a link?

...

I am looking for stuff on the Democrats' dirty tricks against Nader. Some of it was illegal. They would send goons to signature gatherers homes and threaten them with legal action, since it was certain that some of the signatures were invalid. Things like that. I must say that I did not know that people have been prosecuted for the campaign, although I heard of lawsuits.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2007/10/30/nader-sues-democratic-national-c...

http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-4812430/An-analysis-of-the-2004....

I wish I were better company tonight...I'm starting to feel exhausted...quite an exciting day...

That was good commentary you wrote above. Gives a sense of what was going on. I must say that I did not
think Nader would win the nomination. Also, I wonder why McKinney only got 6 votes.
*TLL*

*

The Queen of Hearts,
She made some tarts
All on a summer's day.

The Knave of Hearts,
He stole the tarts
And took them clean away.

but it looks like this thread got a little off topic so I will probably miss some points. Sorry that Nadir took it but it doesn't surprise me given Sac'to's proximity to SF/gonzo base.

I am sure Ralph will be giving maximum effort to develop P&F after the election.

nice to see a friendly blogger.. ;)

http://www.pscelebrities.com/whitelightblacklight/2008/08/since-you-wont...

The top of the post is where I did all the updating while I was here so that's there...then I collected links about it (not many of course) and put them on my blog...

I got a couple of mentions in places..and my Open Mic is linked in one story....I wish they'd linked my blog instead...I'm a free blogger and all.. ;)

Heavens to murgatroid !

:)

"Hello to our friends and fans in domestic surveillance."

Susan Tripp Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 7:04 am
Do you know why SEIU was named in the suit? In the interview in July on Democracy Now, Nader complained that Andrew Stern participated in ads advocating universal health care.

SEIU endorsed the Kuehl bill for single payer health care, like universal medicare, that
saves a lot of money. It passed in California but was veoed by Schwarzenegger.

What does SEIU have to do with ballot access? I think a lot of union members will be puzzled since Nader has been working on union issues for a long time.

Richard Says:
October 31st, 2007 at 7:27 am
The SEIU office in Oregon apparently helped find people to sabotage the Nader independent petition, and also to go sit in the Nader meeting (he wouldn’t have needed a petition if he could have got 1,000 people into a room simultaneously, each of whom would sign as a participant in nominating Nader at that meeting). People hostile to the meeting took up room in the meeting and then the Secretary of State’s observer wouldn’t let anyone else into the room, after there were 1,100 people in the room. But the hostile people wouldn’t sign the paper.
http://www.ballot-access.org/2007/10/30/nader-sues-democratic-national-c...

*TLL*

August 4, 2008
www.votenader.org
www.officialnaderstore.com

This is a biggest ballot access week of the campaign to date for Nader/Gonzalez.

With the addition of California on Saturday, we're currently at 23 states with seven to go to meet our goal of 30 states by the end of the week -- on our way to 45 states by September 20.

This is what we need today:

We need more roadtrippers to collect signatures to put Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot.

Optimum profile for a Roadtripper for Ralph -- energetic, youthful spirit, personable, fun loving, adventure seeking, democracy warrior.

If you can commit a week or more to get Ralph on the ballot in the Mountain West, the South, the Midwest, and the East Coast, contact mark@votenader.org.

This week, we'll be turning in signatures in Maryland, Kansas, South Dakota, Alaska, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Iowa -- to put us at 30 by the end of the week.

We're halfway to our goal of $100,000 by August 10 to fund this 30 state drive.

So, please, donate now whatever you can afford $20, $50, $100 -- let's get it done this week.

Finally, two more installments to the Obama Flip Flop Watch:

Number one:

On May 4, Obama told Tim Russert on Meet the Press that he was willing to debate with "any of my opponents about what this country means, what makes it great."

But on Saturday, Obama campaign manager David Plouffe backed off, saying that Obama would debate only Senator McCain and only in the three rigged debates sponsored by the two parties and paid for by major corporations.

Number two:

Prior to last week, Obama said he was opposed to offshore oil drilling.

Last week, he said he was okay with it.

As we move toward November, and as Obama reveals himself to be the corporate candidate that he is, a significant portion of the American electorate will demand an alternative.

That's why it is so important to put Nader/Gonzalez on the ballot in as many states as possible.

And that is the important ground work we are completing now.

Come September, we will be in a position to demand open debates.

And present the American people with a viable candidacy that will shift the power from the corporations back into the hands of the American people.

If we meet our goal.

So, please, donate now, whatever you can.

And help push us toward our goal of $100,000 by the end of the week.

Together, we will make a difference.

Onward to November.

The Nader Team

That was an amazing narrative.
You sure did generously give a lot of your heartfelt energy, as well as time.

You are an extremely talented person.

I knew that already, but this Open Mic was absolutely remarkable.

Bravo.

Thank you...

always lovely to read you

You are very, very kind.

P.S. I just sent you an e-mail.

Sweet dreams.

xoxox

you are...and along with rawfoodie..it's very refreshing..

I have received your email and have responded to you..

XOXOOX 2 U