 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 
|
Viewpoints
"America will never be destroyed
from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because
we destroyed ourselves." Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President (1809-1865)
Letters to the Editor
Beware the stain of Atwater's, Rove's tactics
by Sybil Hinkle, club member
When did you last make your voice heard?
by Joanne Gifford, club member
Coulter, GOP fighting the wrong enemy
by Gene Lyons
Napa County Democrats weigh in on election
by Eric Knight, NCDCC chair
For war on terrorism, against Iraq war
by Sybil Hinkle (Sunday Napa Register)
Republican Party going in the wrong direction
by Scott Yeager, club member
Our Constitution has never been so violated
by Mary Ann Mancuso, DoNV President Emeritus
Liberals have proud legacy
by Sybil Hinkle, club member
We Must Take America Back
by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
We're Not in Lake Wobegon Anymore
How did the Party of Lincoln and Liberty transmogrify into the party
of Newt Gingrich's evil spawn and their Etch-A-Sketch president, a dull
and rigid man, whose philosophy is a jumble of badly sutured body parts
trying to walk? (continued)
Hindering America's Vote
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA), the electoral reform bill passed by
Congress in 2002, is a mixed blessing. In fact, HAVA never addressed the
most glaring problem of American election administration-the decentralized
election bureaucracy of more than 3,000 counties that run elections with
few national standards, no uniformity and little oversight. (continued)
In the Alabama 2002 general election, machines made by Election Systems and Software (ES&S) flipped the governor's race. Six thousand three hundred Baldwin County electronic votes mysteriously disappeared after the polls had closed and everyone had gone home. Democrat Don Siegelman's victory was handed to Republican Bob Riley, and the recount Siegelman requested was denied. Three months after the election, the vendor shrugged. "Something happened. I don't have enough intelligence to say exactly what," said Mark Kelley of ES&S. (continued)
A Test of Toughness
In a purely technical sense, you have to admire President Bush's campaign
for its skill in shaping public perceptions and in grasping at any and
every opportunity to make his opponent look bad. When John Kerry said he still would have voted to give the president
the authority to wage war in Iraq, the Bushies accused Kerry of being
a flip-flopper. (continued)
Why Can't Ex-Felons Vote?
On Election Day it will not matter to some 4.7 million Americans whether
they are Republicans, Democrats, independents or whether they have an
opinion on anything at all. Under various state laws, they are barred
from voting because they have felony records. This includes not just prison
inmates (48 states), parolees (33 states) and probationers (29 states)
but also a large number of people -- one third of the disenfranchised
in all -- who are off parole and "free." Minorities are hit
particularly hard by these state laws: They deny 13 percent of African
American men the vote. (continued)
Bush's Withdrawal From the World
The planned withdrawal of U.S. troops from Europe and Asia that President
Bush announced this week, if allowed to stand, could lead to the demise
of the United States' key alliances across the globe, including the one
that Truman considered his greatest foreign policy accomplishment: NATO.
(continued)
Give Up 'Delusional Hope' of Iraq WMD, Kay SaysWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. officials should give up the "delusional hope" that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction so they can move forward with reform, David Kay, who once led the U.S. hunt for banned weapons, said on Wednesday. (continued)
Think Again: The Word 'Liberal'
What do our opponents mean when they apply to us the label "Liberal?"
If by "Liberal" they mean, as they want people to believe, someone
who is soft in his policies abroad, who is against local government, and
who is unconcerned with the taxpayer's dollar, then … we are not
that kind of "Liberal." (continued)
Fear of Fraud
It's election night, and early returns suggest trouble for the incumbent. Then, mysteriously, the vote count
stops and observers from the challenger's campaign see employees of a voting-machine
company, one wearing a badge that identifies him as a county official, typing
instructions at computers with access to the vote-tabulating software. (continued)
The values debate
NEW YORK (CNN) -- While many Democrats and some Republicans (including
John McCain) have complained loudly about the President Bush's re-introduction
of the gay marriage issue, three important things should be noted. (continued)
Demanding Accountability for the Distortions
Naomi Lewis, if convicted, faces up to five years behind bars for possession of a weapon on school property. Not that she intentionally brought the rifle and ammunition to Bull Run Middle School in Prince William County, where she's a cafeteria worker. But she realized her son had brought them to school when she heard something rattling around in the back of her van as they arrived at the building. Instead of taking the weapons home, she locked the van and went into the school. Her son later used a key she didn't know he had to open the van, retrieve several weapons and then barge into a school office with a loaded gun, ordering everyone onto the floor. He was arrested and, thank goodness, no one was injured. But Lewis's case is going before a grand jury next month because authorities believe she should be held accountable for her actions or inaction. (continued)
George W. Bush: Presidential or Pathological?
That is the highly provocative question being asked in "Bush on the Couch," a new book in which psychoanalyst and George Washington University professor Dr. Justin Frank uses the president's public pronouncements and behavior, along with biographical data, to craft a comprehensive psychological profile of Bush 43. (continued)
LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Although he doesn't agree with the way President Bush invaded Iraq without waiting for weapons inspections to be completed, former President Bill Clinton said Thursday a democratic Iraq could be a catalyst for reform in the Middle East. (continued)
Although the Bush administration believes former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was an inherent threat to the Mideast, going to war in Iraq has not aided the Middle East peace process, former President Clinton told CNN in a recent interview. (continued)
Let Them Eat Wedding Cake
Commitment isn't easy for guys - we all know that - but the Bush administration
is taking the traditional male ambivalence about marriage to giddy new
heights. On the one hand, it wants to ban gays from marrying, through
a constitutional amendment that the Senate will vote on this week. On
the other hand, it's been avidly promoting marriage among poor women -
the straight ones anyway. (continued)
Presidential elections should be for all of us
06.24.04 - Every presidential election matters, but 2004 has particular
significance. Re-election of George W. Bush with the return of Republican
majorities in the U.S. Senate and House could tip the ideological balance
of the Supreme Court and federal courts for a generation. It could trigger
a wave of Democratic retirements in the House that might cement Republican
domination on Capitol Hill for decades. It could unleash a wave of hard-right
policy initiatives. (continued)
Corporate chiefs defend Democrat ticket
WASHINGTON (CBS.MW) -- A group of high-profile corporate executives came
to the defense of the Democratic presidential ticket Thursday, urging
the business community to ignore Republican efforts to paint John Kerry
and John Edwards as a pair of trial-lawyer-loving protectionists. (continued)
Dude, Where's That Elite?
You can call Michael Moore all kinds of things - loudmouthed, obnoxious
and self-promoting, for example. The anorexic Ralph Nader, in what must
be an all-time low for left-wing invective, has even called him fat. The
one thing you cannot call him, though, is a member of the "liberal
elite." (continued)
The MMOB is part of a growing DIY political phenomenon
(PRWEB) June 30, 2004 -- They don't look like wild-eyed left-wing activists.
They are parents on line at the supermarket. They are retirees and singletons
and golfers with American flag pins in their lapels. The new grassroots
landscape is uniform only in their do-it-yourself creative approach to
beating George W. Bush, as step one in getting the country they love back
on track. (continued)
Kerry's Campaign Theme Is Leaning Toward Center
WASHINGTON, June 24 - Senator John Kerry has yet to produce a popular
catchphrase for his political philosophy, like Gov. Bill Clinton's 1992
promise of a "third way" or Gov. George W. Bush's pledge in
2000 of "compassionate conservatism." (continued)
The economic line - the real world
Washington, D.C. - In response to today's reports of smaller than expected
economic growth in the 1st quarter, the Democratic National Committee
provides a reality check on the rosy economic picture painted by George
W. Bush. (continued)
DNC reminds Bush of father's words
Washington, D.C. - Today President Bush met with his private lawyer and
the prosecutor investigating the leaking of a CIA agent's identity. Democratic
National Committee spokesperson Jano Cabrera issued this response. (continued)
The People have a right to the Truth as they have a right
to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Only the very naïve are surprised when politicians stray from the
truth. The more jaded among us have learned to be skeptical and cynically
distrustful of those in power. But we also know that there are lies and
there are damn lies. For more than three years now, the American people
have been bombarded by their President and his cohorts with the most egregious,
damn lies in recent history. (continued)
What's the worse thing a president could do? Get drunk on the job? Divert millions of dollars into his own pockets? Prance around naked on the Truman Balcony? (continued)
THE HOUDINI PROTOCOL
TO ELECT GEORGE W. BUSH
I'm really trying to understand it. How in the world can almost half
the voting public still believe that George W. Bush belongs in the White
House? How in the world can any American, other than the most closed minded
member of the extreme right, believe that the man who has taken us into
the jaws of hell deserves another term of office? How in the world, indeed…..(continued)
Kerry Tells America's Youth
"America believes in
you. And the best way to show how much you believe in America is to give
something of yourselves to your country as well as your future careers."
I can't tell you how privileged I am to share this special moment in your
lives. And by chance it falls on a day that commemorates a moment that will
always live in American history. As we know all too sadly, this weekend
also marks the passing of a modern giant. I want to focus on your future,
but in the past we are all so conscious of now, there is strength and inspiration
for your lives. First, let me tell you how honored I am to be part of the
class of 2004. I know it's out of the ordinary to have a graduation speaker
who hasn't passed Mr. Harley's math class, but I'm here because of a letter
I received from an extra-ordinary young man. (continued)
Senator Boxer Pays Tribute to Former President Ronald Reagan
Mr. President, I rise today to pay my respects to one of California's
own: President Ronald Reagan.
I first met President Reagan right after I was elected to Congress in
1982 as part of the largest Democratic freshman class since Watergate.
When I was invited to the White House, I wondered how President Reagan
would greet us. After all, he had campaigned for a Republican Congress
and, having lost elections myself, I knew the feeling of disappointment.(continued)
GORE SPEAKS ON BUSH'S POLICY OF DOMINATION
Yesterday, we sponsored a powerful speech by former Vice President Al
Gore on the fallout from the war in Iraq. In the speech, Mr. Gore took
on the Bush administration, arguing that the "abuse of the prisoners
at Abu Ghraib flowed directly from the abuse of the truth that characterized
the Administration's march to war and the abuse of the trust that had
been placed in President Bush by the American people in the aftermath
of September 11th." To sustained applause, he then called for the
architects of the Bush foreign policy - Donald Rumsfeld, Condoleezza Rice,
George Tenet, Paul Wolfowitz, and others -- to resign, arguing that "the
current team is making things worse with each passing day." (continued)
W.'S SECOND TERM: IF YOU THINK THE FIRST IS BAD...
Musings about a second Bush term typically assume another four years
of the same right-wing policies we've had to date. But it'd likely be
far worse. So far, the Bush administration has had to govern with the
expectation of facing American voters again in 2004. But suppose George
W. Bush wins a second term. The constraint of a re-election contest will
be gone. Knowing that voters can no longer turn them out, and that this
will be their last shot at remaking America, the radical conservatives
will be unleashed. (continued)
GORE CALLS FOR TOP OFFICIALS TO RESIGN
DEMOCRAT ASSAILS BUSH'S WAR CABINET
Former vice president Al Gore accused President Bush's war cabinet of
reckless incompetence yesterday and called for the resignations of Defense
Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, national security adviser Condoleezza Rice
and CIA Director George J. Tenet.
"George W. Bush promised us a foreign policy with humility. Instead,
he has brought us humiliation in the eyes of the world," Gore said
at a speech in New York sponsored by the liberal MoveOn PAC. "We
simply cannot afford to further increase the risk to our country with
more blunders by this team." (continued)
"THE PEOPLE WILL NOT STAND FOR LIES"
The producer of "Bowling for Columbine", great winner at Cannes
with his documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11", continues accusing George
W. Bush and tells of pressures being applied to stop the unveiling of
the film is the US. More...
FREE DONNY
Enough with all the chanting for Don Rumsfeld's head. Okay, as Secretary
of Defense, he does have ultimate responsibility for what occurs under
his watch. And, yes, allegations of abuse of Iraqi prisoners (and even
the killing of a few) have been hung up in the Pentagon pipeline for review
by senior officials for months. But the calls for Rumsfeld's bureaucratic
execution are misplaced. More...
Fair Use Notice: This site contains material the use of which may have been specifically authorized by the copyright owner in a good faith belief it is allowed for use. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of educational, environmental, political, economic, democratic, domestic and international issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
| Your Viewpoints |
| Democratic Platform |
| Protect Our Votes - Insist on a Paper Ballot |
| HELP TAKE ON HALLIBURTON |
| THE SEEDS OF A RIGHTS SCANDAL IN IRAQ |
This website is volunteer managed, designed and donated. Content is the sole responsibility of Democrats of Napa Valley Club.
Democrats
of Napa Valley
Headquarters:
1015 Coombs Plaza in Napa Town Center, Napa
(707) 320-2324
Mailing address:
P.O. Box 206, Napa, CA 94559
webmaster@democratsofnapavalley.org