WHAT Really Happened in Mid Sept, and WHY We Are Where We Are

I want you to watch something so bone chilling it is surrealistic. PLEASE, please watch this.

Rep. Kanjorski: "It would have been the end of our economic system and our political system as we know it."

The statement above by Rep. Kanjorski (D-PA) refers to mid September, 2008 (when McCain was uttering things like the basics of the economy are sound). As Rep. Kanjorksi points out (and something that has NEVER been told to the American people before), is that in the period of about one hour, the US money markets began an electronic run that took $550 BILLION dollars out of the market in one hour.

This section begins about 2:10, but the WHOLE THING is bone chilling.



Now, with that in mind...

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), one of my senators and a woman I have great respect for, talks about the need for 60 votes and why the GOP is being effective. Watch, it's good (6:14) and it explains a lot about the rumbling and bumbling going on in the US Senate over the stimulus bill.

"To do nothing is a hostile action against the American people."
--Barbara Boxer

Now that you watched that... watch Michael Steel, and Rachel Maddow again, from last night. Oy. (5:21)



These paired videos, along with the thinking of most economic czars, says that, if anything, the stimulus bill needs to be larger, not smaller. But as Boxer points out, they need the 60 votes (even with Franken, they would only have 59 assuming ALL dems are lockstep including the two independents). Republicans that really don't want the dems to succeed (for a lot of reasons), nevermind the American people, stand in the doorway.

I have stayed in constant communication with my federal reps [even my useless congressman, Gary Miller (R-Diamond Bar)] and let them know what I think. I praise them when I can, and in the case of Miller have just suggested he stay home if he can't do anything useful past being an uber right-wing ideologue. Miller is as useless as a pop gun.

I hope you will do likewise.

If we fail at this, our collective future will be GRIM... unless you like making new friends in a bread line.

NIRS Needs Your Help--And So Does Ellie Over At MP's

UPDATE: First to Ellie. Ellie is having to put her dear dog, Izzy, down today. She was just diagnosed with bone cancer in her leg. Please visit MP's and send Ellie a prayer, and one for Izzy, too.

*****

One of the very best--and I mean top notch--groups in the U.S. on everything nuclear is Nuclear Information Resource Service, NIRS. I worked with them (I was employed by another international environmental group at the time) on a number of radioactive waste issues and I can tell you they are truly guardians of us all when it comes to anything nuclear. I hold the highest respect for them.

NIRS needs your help to yank $50 billion in loan guarantees from the stimulus bill designed to help construct new nuclear power and "clean coal" plants. This is not the way to go green, assures even more radioactive waste which has no place to go, and in the case of coal, spews toxic metals and chemicals into our air and water and refutes attempts to stop climate change.

This will only take a minute, and if you don't belong to an organization, just type none in the organization box.

There are two things to do, and I have made it very easy for you:

1. Sign the letter to stop the nuclear and coal pork
2. Send an e-mail to your senators to stop the pork

Thank you very much. It is important to us all.