Posted by Dinah - Fri, May 24, 2013, 1:35 A

Gabriel Gomez and women’s health

Gabriel Gomez, running for the MA. Senate, has not yet familiarized himself with the Blunt Amendment; it's only eight pages long, but he hasn't read it. The Blunt amendment would DENY WOMEN COVERAGE FOR BIRTH CONTROL.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ao-aQ6eyl4

If you care about women's health, please share widely. And please come out for Ed Markey, a champion for women's issues, who will represent your interests in Congress. The election is just one month away!
https://www.facebook.com/PV4Markey
 

Posted by Dinah - Sun, May 12, 2013, 2:06 A

Meet ED MARKEY & CAROLE KING - Sunday/ today!

Special event!!! This Sunday Ed Markey will be coming to Northampton, and with him will be the celebrated composer/singer Carole King(!). Yes, it’s Mothers’ Day - so bring Mom! This is an opportunity to meet Ed.

Come out and meet Ed and Carole!

WHERE: The Roost, 1 Market St, Northampton
WHEN: Sunday, May 12
TIME: 4:30pm
 

Posted by Dinah - Thu, May 2, 2013, 2:34 P

Rep. Ed Markey on the issues election night

At his victory speech on April 30, ED MARKEY SPOKE SUBSTANTIVELY ON THE ISSUES THAT MATTER to ordinary working families (something his opponent Mr. Gomez did not do): protecting social security, ending unfair tax breaks and subsidies to corporations, meaningful environmental activism, sensible gun control, health care and women's health, women's right to choose, bipartisanship, and much more. He's ready to fight for us!
Have a look:

http://news.yahoo.co...peech-030000336.html

This general election is going to be a tough fight. If you are with Ed Markey on the issues, please participate, and help Ed win this seat in the Senate, and become an able partner with Senator Elizabeth Warren.

https://www.facebook.com/PV4Markey
 

Posted by acorndr - Wed, May 1, 2013, 10:54 A

UMASS Parking Survey

http://bulletin.pbwo...llowship_winner.aspx

check out this link. These are the people behind the UMASS Parking Survey. Get ready to pay more.
 

Posted by Dinah - Mon, Apr 29, 2013, 4:41 P

Senatorial Primary election TOMORROW - Tuesday, April 30.

About 500 of us locally signed our names in support of Ed Markey for Senate. See if you can find any of your friends here:


Make sure you remember to vote for Ed Markey in the primary tomorrow. Tell all your friends, then go out and make some new friends, and tell them too!
 

Posted by Dinah - Mon, Apr 29, 2013, 2:02 A

VOTE FOR ED MARKEY ON TUESDAY!

http://ts1.mm.bing.n...w=211&h=172&c=7&rs=1

Have a look: his long and proud record as a legislator makes him the ideal progressive candidate to partner with Senator Elizabeth Warren. We need Ed Markey in the Senate, and Ed Markey needs our votes!


 

Posted by Dinah - Thu, Apr 25, 2013, 2:42 P

Meet Ed Markey in western MA today!

Hi all. Come to a Get Out The Vote RALLY with ED MARKEY!
When: Tonight @ 8 pm!
Where: JFK Middle School, Community Room, 100 Bridge Road, FLORENCE, MA

Exciting news: Along with Ed, Terry O'Neill, President of National Organization for Women (NOW) will be at the rally this evening!

Please help us get the word out about the rally supporting Ed Markey for Senate, and Terry O'Neill, who will be a great addition to the event.
RSVP if you can: corey@edmarkey.org but if you decide late, come anyway. You'll still be welcome!
Other GOTV rally locations: http://bit.ly/MarkeyRally

Another announcement:
We will be doing VISIBILITIES (holding signs for Ed Markey Monday, & Tues./Election Day, to remind folks to come out and vote in this special Senatorial Primary.
Place: Bank of America in Amherst (corners Amity, Main, and S. Pleasant)
Times: Noon to 1:00 pm, and 4:30 to 6:00 pm
Please RSVP if you can to Carlos Ortiz: crortizjr@aol.com but come anyway. No one turned away!

Don't forget to vote on Tuesday, April 30. Tell your friends to vote, then go make more friends, and tell them too. If you'll be away, vote now by absentee ballot in the town clerk's office. In a special election like this, the winner will be the one whose supporters care the most to come out to vote.

http://www.gazettene...WT8rFR0u4WXqjMxBvJd8$daE2N3K4ZzOUsqbU5sYuFOZChnpH7Gtu3cZ8C7RiJWCsjLu883Ygn4B49Lvm9bPe2QeMKQdVeZmXF$9l$4uCZ8QDXhaHEp3rvzXRJFdy0KqPHLoMevcTLo3h8xh70Y6N_U_CryOsw6FTOdKL_jpQ-&CONTENTTYPE=image/jpeg

ED MARKEY FOR SENATE! GIVE SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN A PROGRESSIVE PARTNER IN CONGRESS!
 

Posted by Dinah - Thu, Apr 11, 2013, 11:03 P

Support ED MARKEY for SENATE: sign GAZETTE AD.

You can help Congressman Ed Markey be elected our next MA Senator. Here’s one option:

“PIONEER VALLEY FOR MARKEY” is buying space in the Daily Hampshire Gazette for a large SIGNATURE AD of supporters before the April 30 primary. This will publicize Markey's candidacy, and remind voters of the coming election. Deadline for the ad is Wednesday, April 17. To support his candidacy, please add your name ASAP; THE AD CAN INCLUDE ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE AREA, so please encourage friends/colleagues to join in.

To be included in the ad, it’s easy: email Alice at pv4markey@gmail.com Please give permission to use your name in support of Ed Markey for U.S. Senate. Include your name as you’d like it to appear, with town, and phone number.

The ad is expensive; if you CAN make a contribution to “PIONEER VALLEY FOR MARKEY” of any size, large or small, mention it in your email. You’ll be contacted with details for making a donation. If you can’t, don’t let it prevent you from adding your name.

Thanks for your help! Let's encourage others to come out and vote for Ed Markey.
REMINDER: the PRIMARY is on April 30; the SPECIAL ELECTION is on June 25!
Stay connected on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PV4Markey
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Mar 29, 2013, 6:36 P

Supporting Ed Markey’s Senatorial campaign

Hi all. Help Congressman Ed Markey be elected our next MA Senator. REMINDER! The PRIMARY is APRIL 30. The SPECIAL ELECTION is JUNE 25. With regard to the campaign, there's something for everyone here:

DEBATE: If you didn’t have a chance to watch the debate on Wed., here's a link:
http://wgbhnews.org/...cial-election-debate

CANVASSING: Please help with canvassing tomorrow (Sat.) at 11 am. Meet at Wildwood School parking lot on Strong St. We’re going to homes of likely supporters so you might see friends. If 3 hours is too long, come for a shorter time. Bill Ward will be keeping track of how many people will be coming so please contact him at williambward@gmail.com This is an opportunity for face-to-face meeting with voters. There will be canvassing EVERY Sat., 11 – 2, from that location.

GAZETTE SIGNATURE AD: We plan to have a large SIGNATURE AD with many names of Markey supporters in the Daily Hampshire Gazette shortly before the April 30 primary. It will be organized by town and alphabetized by name so your friends can find your name easily. We hope people will see names they recognize and go out to vote for Markey. If you'd like to have your name listed so your friends will be encouraged to come out to vote for him, please send an email to pv4markey@gmail.com , saying, “I agree to have my name in an ad in the Daily Hampshire Gazette supporting Ed Markey for U.S. Senate”. Give your name as you want it to appear, your town, and your phone number. Please encourage other people, especially those who are well known, to sign too. THE AD IS NOT JUST FOR AMHERST, BUT INCLUDES ANYONE IN THE ENTIRE AREA. It will be very expensive, so if you can, please write a check for any amount to “Pioneer Valley for Markey”, and send to Alice Swift, 36 Pondview Dr., Amherst, MA 01002. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO HAVE ALREADY CONTRIBUTED!

MEETING & PHONE-BANKING: The AMHERST FOR MARKEY group will meet on Monday at 5:30 before phone-banking at 6 pm. Everyone is welcome at both, which will take place at Faythe Turner's house, 129 Heatherstone Rd., Amherst. Please feel free to come to the meeting or phoning, or preferably both. Bring a cell phone if you're going to stay for phoning. We need people to help get the word out that there is an election on April 30 and why Ed Markey is the one to vote for. Training and talking points will be available. Bill Ward will be keeping track of how many people will be coming so please contact him at williambward@gmail.com

WRITING LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: We need more people. If you’re interested, please contact Herschel Shohan, jhshohan@comcast.net He had a great letter in the Amherst Bulletin and the Republican.

VISIBILITIES:
Please join us to stand out with signs in front of Bank of America every Wed. from 5:00 to 6:00 if the weather cooperates. Just come; no need to RSVP. This will give visibility to Markey and help get his name out. We can also talk to people who come by and give them literature. It's another way of connecting with people on a personal basis.

- on South Hadley election day, Monday, April 1. Some of us will stand out in front of S. Hadley High School on their election day, Mon. April 1. The high school is pretty far down on rte. 116 on the left at 153 Newton St. (past the rte. 33 traffic light). Please RSVP if you can help, pv4markey@gmail.com 11:30 – 1 pm

- Sat. mornings at 10 am. We can't table inside at the winter market, but we can stand outside the Middle School handing out lit. Susie Lowenstein did it last week and others are encouraged to join her. If you can’t or don’t want to canvass, this is a good alternative.

- Thurs. April 4, 5?-?8 pm, Amherst Art Walk @ Burnett Gallery, Chamber of Commerce, Gallery A3, Hope & Feathers, Town Hall, Collective Copies, Freedom Trails Gallery, GoBerry, JCA, Amherst Community Connections, and others. This is a free cultural event in downtown Amherst. We want to have people walking around downtown with signs and lit, starting at Bank of America. Come if you can for a little while in the early evening.

SOCIAL MEDIA – Facebook: PV4Markey, Twitter @PV4Markey, email: pv4markey@gmail.com

Thanks for your help! Let's encourage folks to come out & vote for Ed Markey on April 30 and again on June 25!
 

Posted by Dinah - Wed, Mar 27, 2013, 4:50 P

Bill Clinton: it’s TIME

It’s time to overturn DOMA. By Bill Clinton, The Washington Post, March 7, 2013
http://www.washingto...turn-doma/2013/03/07
The writer is the 42nd president of the United States.

In 1996, I signed the Defense of Marriage Act. Although that was only 17 years ago, it was a very different time. In no state in the union was same-sex marriage recognized, much less available as a legal right, but some were moving in that direction. Washington, as a result, was swirling with all manner of possible responses, some quite draconian. As a bipartisan group of former senators stated in their March 1 amicus brief to the Supreme Court, many supporters of the bill known as DOMA believed that its passage “would defuse a movement to enact a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which would have ended the debate for a generation or more.” It was under these circumstances that DOMA came to my desk, opposed by only 81 of the 535 members of Congress.

On March 27, DOMA will come before the Supreme Court, and the justices must decide whether it is consistent with the principles of a nation that honors freedom, equality and justice above all, and is therefore constitutional. As the president who signed the act into law, I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE THAT DOMA IS CONTRARY TO THOSE PRINCIPLES AND, IN FACT, INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR CONSTITUTION.

Because Section 3 of the act defines marriage as being between a man and a woman, same-sex couples who are legally married in nine states and the District of Columbia are denied the benefits of more than a thousand federal statutes and programs available to other married couples. Among other things, these couples cannot file their taxes jointly, take unpaid leave to care for a sick or injured spouse or receive equal family health and pension benefits as federal civilian employees. Yet they pay taxes, contribute to their communities and, like all couples, aspire to live in committed, loving relationships, recognized and respected by our laws.

When I signed the bill, I included a statement with the admonition that “enactment of this legislation should not, despite the fierce and at times divisive rhetoric surrounding it, be understood to provide an excuse for discrimination.” Reading those words today, I know now that, even worse than providing an excuse for discrimination, the law is itself discriminatory. IT SHOULD BE OVERTURNED.

We are still a young country, and many of our landmark civil rights decisions are fresh enough that the voices of their champions still echo, even as the world that preceded them becomes less and less familiar. We have yet to celebrate the centennial of the 19th Amendment, but a society that denied women the vote would seem to us now not unusual or old-fashioned but alien. I believe that in 2013 DOMA and opposition to marriage equality are vestiges of just such an unfamiliar society.

Americans have been at this sort of a crossroads often enough to recognize the right path. We understand that, while our laws may at times lag behind our best natures, in the end they catch up to our core values. One hundred fifty years ago, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln concluded a message to Congress by posing the very question we face today: “It is not ‘Can any of us imagine better?’ but ‘Can we all do better?’?”

The answer is of course and always yes. In that spirit, I join with the Obama administration, the petitioner Edith Windsor, and the many other dedicated men and women who have engaged in this struggle for decades in urging the Supreme Court to overturn the Defense of Marriage Act.

http://ts3.mm.bing.n...w=209&h=123&c=7&rs=1
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Jan 25, 2013, 3:58 P

GOT DEMOCRACY?

GOT DEMOCRACY? Maybe not for long.

The GOP is feverishly working to grab the next election, using gerrymandering and electoral college rigging.
To see how the destruction of democracy will look, watch 1:04 - 1:26 (after the ad).

GOP VOTE RIGGING PLAN WOULD CHANGE ELECTION
http://on.aol.com/vi...e-election-517653356
 

Posted by Trouble - Wed, Jan 23, 2013, 3:14 P

DISMANTLE DOMA NOW!

On W2 day I just have to write a note to my sister and brother UMASS workers who are married to OPPOSITE SEX SPOUSES... you may now clap yourself on the back in congratulations that you are not being targeted as a SECOND CLASS CITIZEN OF THE USA and that you are not PAYING MORE TAXES BECAUSE YOU LOVE THE WRONG KIND OF HUMAN BEING!

Because of DOMA (thank you very much Bill Clinton) I am forced to pay taxes on my wife's health insurance premiums that my co-workers who are married to the opposite sex DON"T PAY ONE PENNY OF TAXES ON!! I am being economically punished for marrying a lovely person rather than staying with my violent ex-husband, THANK YOU AMERICA for MAKING ME LESS THAN EVERYONE ELSE.

Does my USA/MTA Union care? NO! Does my Department Head or the Faculty care? NO! Do my co-workers care? Why should they? They don't pay a f**king penny while I'm taxed on an additional $5,110 a year (and growing)!

So just a little tidbit while you're spending your tax return, think of your gay married co-workers, friends and family and know that we are being DISCRIMINATED AGAINST DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY, YEARLY and we will be getting a lot less on our tax returns than YOU!

Now go write a letter to Congress to STOP SUPPORTING DOMA! Thank you.
 

Posted by Dinah - Thu, Jan 3, 2013, 6:01 P

Buh-Bye, 112th Congress!

I've been smiling a lot today.
Have a seat, Senator Warren - the people's seat.

 

Posted by Trouble - Thu, Jan 3, 2013, 4:14 P

Couldn’t resist!

http://www.huffingto...print&comm_ref=false
 

Posted by Dinah - Mon, Dec 17, 2012, 6:35 A

Sandy Hook, and the war we’re in

Like millions of others, I am dazed with sorrow since the massacre at Sandy Hook. I attended several vigils since Friday; did you as well? We’re all heartbroken. President Obama, a father, was clearly stricken with empathetic grief; his statements were beautiful and heartfelt. But will he lead on taking the "meaningful action" he called for? If now isn't the time to demand sane gun policy, then when? Or shall we wait until after the next massacre? Mass shootings, along with the less dramatic yet steady flow of single homicides will continue, until we ban easy access to these armaments.

The dead on Dec. 14, 2012 in Newtown, CT. were victims of WAR.

When our American forefathers acted to ensure "a well-regulated militia", they never could have imagined these mass shootings of innocents in the name of 2nd Amendment “freedoms”. It would have horrified, enraged, and revolted them. How can we continue to tolerate the worship of guns over the lives of our friends, neighbors, and children?

Some of the Newtown teachers were brave enough to give their lives to try to protect other people's children. Will politicians be brave enough to protect us from the NRA? The NRA and the gun culture are a cancer on law enforcement, and a cancer on the country. No civilian should have access to any automatic, high-speed, high-kill weaponry. If we do not act, keep your mourning clothes on; we’ll meet soon enough, at the next vigil.

Sen. Feinstein is bringing legislation to ban assault weapons on Day One of the new Congress. Let's stand with her, and pressure others in Congress to work for sane gun regulation. It’s no longer enough to cry, light candles, or pray. The greatest tragedy of all would be to avoid our responsibility to our communities. Words of comfort, from high or low, will be meaningless without unified action. I'm in; are you?

Actions:
The White House - http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact
Immediately address the issue of gun control through the introduction of legislation in Congress. https://petitions.wh...on-congress/2tgcXzQC
More Petitions: President Obama: gun violence in America must be addressed. http://www.signon.or...ence?source=homepage
Gun Control. Now. http://www.signon.or...ow-1?source=homepage
Today Is the Day for Common Sense Gun Regulations. http://www.signon.or...or-1?source=homepage
Contact your members of Congress: http://www.senate.go...ion/senators_cfm.cfm
http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Here is a poem from a different war, but with the same victims:

* * * * * In Guernica * * * * *
In Guernica the dead children
Were laid out in order upon the sidewalk,
In their white starched dresses,
In their pitiful white dresses.

On their foreheads and breasts
Are the little holes where death came in
As thunder, while they were playing
Their important summer games.

Do not weep for them, madre.
They are gone forever, the little ones,
Straight to heaven to the saints,
And God will fill the bullet holes with candy.

- - Norman Rosten
 

Posted by 0i812 - Sun, Nov 11, 2012, 9:23 A

THE TRUTH HURTS

So, it's now official -- America has reached de Tocqueville's tipping point: "A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world's greatest civilizations has been 200 years." In short: The takers now outnumber (and so can outvote) the makers. And so, America's decline has begun in earnest. Now begins the rejoicing of those around the world who have so long envied and resented our freedom and success.
 

Posted by Dinah - Sun, Nov 4, 2012, 8:47 P

Call your Bubbie! Call your Zaydie!

You don't have to be Jewish or progressive to enjoy this video - but it doesn't hurt!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWzCmeURev0
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Nov 2, 2012, 5:27 P

Reminders for Sunday - and Tuesday!

Remember:


 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Nov 2, 2012, 3:24 P

The politics of OBSTRUCTION

This piece gives a useful perspective on the President's "good-but-could-do-better" performance.

Shame the haters: WHY I BACK OBAMA By Van Jones Nov. 1, 2012
http://www.jackandji...rs-why-i-back-obama/

Have you ever worked at a job where somebody was actively trying to sabotage you? Do you remember what that feels like?

Well, that has been President Obama’s experience from Day One. As African Americans, we have a special sensitivity to situations where folks are unfairly set up to fail. We shouldn’t allow such tactics to determine the outcome of a national election.

This is especially true in the president’s case. Obama’s performance has been extraordinary in both foreign and domestic policy, but he has gotten almost zero credit for truly historic achievements.

ON THE ECONOMY: The U.S. economy is growing at a rate of about 2 percent, according to the most recent Commerce Department report. In the abstract, that might seem like not much to cheer about. But what we are comparing that 2 percent rate of growth to?

Let’s look at the rest of the industrialized world. Japan is SHRINKING at a rate of about 2 percent, as is all of industrial Europe.IN FACT, THE USA IS THE ONLY INDUSTRIALIZED POWER THAT’S GROWING — IN THE ENTIRE WORLD. Developing countries like China, which is growing at about 6%, are a century behind us. Much of their growth comes from doing things we did long ago, like building roads, sewers and cities.

A Republican president might be hailed as an economic genius by beating all of our industrial competitors by 4% in terms of GDP, despite the economic pain that the country is going through. Instead, Obama is castigated. Instead of praise and respect, he is continually attacked by his Republican colleagues in government.

ON FOREIGN POLICY: No recent U.S. president could do what President Obama has done: He convinced China and Russia to side with us against Iran. Thanks to his leadership, Iran is fully isolated. It is being strangled by crippling economic sanctions, even by Iran’s friends and key allies. This represents a huge diplomatic and foreign policy success by Obama. But again, he’s gotten zero credit from Republicans and even from the mainstream media.

Let’s look at Libya. On the one hand, George W. Bush bankrupted the federal government and cost America tens of thousands of lives trying to bring about regime change in Iraq and Afghanistan. On the other hand, Obama helped bring about regime change in Libya without a single military casualty. It is the height of hypocrisy for Republicans to continue to politicize the death of a brave American diplomat, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, without acknowledging first the incredible success that the president achieved by avoiding any American loss of life in Libya up until that point.

No president should be expected to achieve even half of what President Obama has been able to achieve with zero support and actively daily obstruction from the rival political party. He has faced an unprecedented level of sabotage by the Republican Party — at a time when the nation is in the middle of two wars, the greatest economic collapse since the Great Depression, and faces a range of challenges across the globe. It is unconscionable.

Voters should be abandoning the Republicans in droves and rallying to this president’s side.

I see this as a moral question. IMAGINE A LIFEGUARD TRYING TO SAVE LIVES IN THE WAKE OF A TSUNAMI. NOW PICTURE THAT LIFEGUARD BEING UNDERMINED BY PEOPLE WHO ARE HOPING MORE PEOPLE DROWN, JUST SO THEY CAN GET THE LIFEGUARD’S JOB.

This is what we are faced with. Whatever frustrations any of us have had with this president (AND I HAVE HAD PLENTY), Americans of all colors have a duty to reject the politics of obstruction and give him four more years to complete the mission.

Everyone has had to face down a jealous, destructive “hater” at work. Next week, we have the chance to send a clear message to haters and saboteurs everywhere: this kind of behavior is unacceptable, and it will not be rewarded on the national stage.


[Van Jones is president and co-founder of Rebuild the Dream, a platform for bottom-up, people-powered innovations to help fix the U.S. economy. A Yale-educated attorney, Van has written two New York Times Best Sellers: The Green Collar Economy, the definitive book on green jobs, and Rebuild the Dream, a roadmap for progressives in 2012 and beyond. Van is currently a CNN Contributor.]

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Let's give the President a Congress who will work WITH him, and that includes Elizabeth Warren for Senate. Thanks! Dinah.
Feel free to share with others.
 

Posted by skoczur - Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 7:42 P

Mitt Romney’s tax plan, just a click away

EXACTLY!!! Wonder if it will ever be known....
 

Posted by Dinah - Wed, Oct 17, 2012, 4:43 P

Mitt Romney’s tax plan, just a click away

Have a look at at the Romney-Ryan tax plan. Clear! Simple! Sensible! Just click and you'll understand EVERTHING!

http://www.romneytaxplan.com/
 

Posted by 0i812 - Tue, Oct 16, 2012, 3:30 P

Interesting

Posted by Dinah - Tue, Oct 16, 2012, 1:44 P

Brown vs Warren on the Asbestos Case: Brown LIES

Quoted verbatim from FactCheck.org:
The article referenced is an extremely lengthy and comprehensive exegesis on the case from every angle. You can read it for yourself.

WARREN'S ROLE IN ASBESTOS CASE
http://factcheck.org...le-in-asbestos-case/ October 15, 2012 by Robert Farley

"Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren are accusing each other of “not telling the truth.” Brown says Warren worked to “restrict payments” to asbestos victims, while Warren says she worked to “get more money” for them. WE FIND WARREN IS CORRECT; BROWN'S AD IS A DISTORTION."

"WE FIND WARREN IS CORRECT; BROWN'S AD IS A DISTORTION."
(emphasis is mine).

"It may seem counter-intuitive that Warren’s work on behalf of an insurance company that covered an asbestos manufacturer could be work on the same side as the victims of the case. But Warren was brought in as a bankruptcy expert on a case before the Supreme Court to secure a $500 million trust to pay asbestos victims. As part of a settlement that Warren worked to preserve, the insurance company sought immunity from lawsuits in exchange for releasing the $500 million trust. Attorneys for most of the asbestos victims supported Warren’s efforts. ...

Warren’s version of the case has been publicly backed by several attorneys representing the asbestos victims, as well as leaders of an asbestos workers’ union. “He’s flat out misrepresenting the facts,” Francis C. Boudrow, business manager for the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Asbestos Workers Union, Local No. 6 told the Boston Globe. “It’s offensive to all these people who’ve lost lives” to asbestos-­related illness, he said.

Bruce Carter, an Ohio attorney whose firm has worked on behalf of over 19,000 claimants in the case, told us Brown has simply mischaracterized Warren’s role. The idea that Warren was working against the interests of the victims, he said, is ”not true.”

“During the period she worked with Travelers, the claimants (the victims) and Travelers were working together to do what was necessary to get these funds approved and established,” Carter said. “We were all working together for the benefit of the victims. We were working together toward a common goal.”

It was only after Warren left the case, he said, that Travelers “tried to back out of the deal and try to get something for nothing.”

Another lawyer representing victims in the case, Edwin L. Wallace with the law firm Thornton & Naumes in Boston, echoed Carter’s assessment.

“She was working for the victims,” Wallace said.

Carter and Wallace both said that — contrary to what the Brown campaign is now saying — neither they nor Warren could have foreseen the lower court ruling that let Travelers off the hook for the $500 million trust.

And Wallace is confident that ruling will be overturned. “They will get paid,” Wallace predicted

PLEASE SHARE WITH OTHERS: SCOTT BROWN IS LYING ABOUT ELIZABETH WARREN TO WIN RE-ELECTION.
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Oct 12, 2012, 2:55 P

Elizabeth Warren & women’s concerns

Scott Brown speaks of himself as a supporter of women: defended his mother against an abusive step-father, has daughters, says he's pro-choice, folds laundry, etc.

Here's what Elizabeth Warren said about the choice we face in this election, with regard to protecting women's rights:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a358k6-kdP8&feature=player_embedded#!

And in case you missed the third Warren-Brown debate in Springfield two days ago, here it is:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-jlfkl1HV0
 

Posted by radiodjfern - Fri, Oct 5, 2012, 10:15 P

I’M VOTING REPUBLICAN !!!

thanks for posting this. i am reposting on FB
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Oct 5, 2012, 4:51 P

I’M VOTING REPUBLICAN !!!

Now that I have your attention ... Enjoy!!!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EKmhMWqFuDo
 

Posted by nckare - Thu, Sep 27, 2012, 3:33 P

Re: the DISGRACEFUL, IGNORANT posting:

Thank you Dinah for this thoughtful reply. My own thoughts, after reading only a few of the ignorant accusations against Muslims was to compare those accusations against the actions of the outspoken, fundamentalist Christian conservative minority coalition that is doing everything in it's power to impose its own moral code on the rest of Americans--religious, political, and cultural.

Yet, as much as I fear the group I've described, like you, I recognize that most Christians are loving and tolerant human beings who live their spirituality independent of their political affiliations. I appreciate all those who recognize that America is the land of the free only because we tolerate different beliefs, religious and other, and don't try to impose one group's ideals on the rest of the citizenry.

I too wish for more open minds and open hearts.
 

Posted by Dinah - Thu, Sep 27, 2012, 1:19 P

Re: the DISGRACEFUL, IGNORANT posting: "Muslim Encroachment Around The World"

0i812:

I believe in the First Amendment and the right of Free Speech for all, even for you.

I believe in the right of anyone to parrot (i.e. cut & paste) opinions, and to disseminate the rantings of others bred from a lack of critical thinking.

I believe in the right to speak and write from a place of paranoia, hate, fear, and ignorance to the tenth power.

I believe that the strength of the First Amendment comes from our ability to speak our minds, even if that speech reveals small-mindedness, close-mindedness, petty-mindedness, and empty-mindedness.

I believe that the strength of the First Amendment allows you to spew vile and vicious notions against the beliefs of others without your fear of being arrested, imprisoned, or executed.

I also believe that the First Amendment requires me to speak out against ugly, hateful, bigoted, misguided, and ignorant speech - if not to educate YOU, then to at least counter your knee-jerk, extremist, right-wing babble in the national conversation with other ideas and other sources of information.

I believe that the same Amendment which allows you to speak stupidly is one which also allows religious diversity and diverse political expression to flourish in America – even ideas and religions you don’t like. Even ideas and religions I don’t like. I don't like some things about my OWN religion, but thinking and talking about them help me grow.

I also believe that you don’t know any Muslims personally, nor would you try to. Okay, be that way; it’s your prerogative. I’m a Jewish agnostic, and I know without doubt that most Muslims are just like me, as are most Christians I know. As are most atheists, agnostics, and those of other faiths. Most of us want to experience love, have meaningful work, be able to pay the bills, have good relations with our neighbors, have the best opportunities for our kids, enjoy our friendships, learn new things, be safe in our homes, express our truths, sing and dance. After all those things we share, any differences - like what we eat or the name we call our God - become unimportant.

I also know that you, in your Christo-fascism, have more in common with Ayatollahs and the Taliban than you know: a hatred and fear of the Other, profound ignorance of different cultures, and a willingness to go after or demonize anyone or any group which doesn’t think or practice as you do. You remind me of “Pastor” Terry Jones, the hate-monger who chose to burn the Koran rather than to read it. What a shame that you model yourself after someone like him – all that you are missing in life, behind those walls.

While I wish you would just be quiet, I’m sure we’ll keep seeing your profoundly offensive posts here. Yet I keep having this dream that you might, over time, open just a little to ideas and opinions that give your brain something to do other than snap shut. Can any and everyone change? Hope springs eternal.
 

Posted by 0i812 - Thu, Sep 27, 2012, 11:07 A

Muslim Encroachment Around The World

Posted by Dinah - Sat, Sep 22, 2012, 3:22 P

A letter to Mitt Romney from the 47%

A Personal Letter To Mitt Romney..
http://www.facebook....osts/478431362191286

Dear Mitt Romney:

I saw your video.

I saw you speaking candidly and off the cuff about me. Don’t get me wrong, I know that you didn’t mention me by name or anything, but we both know you were talking about me.

When you were talking about 47% of the population that is never going to vote for you because we are “dependent victims” who lazily live on government programs like food stamps, I can’t help but take personal offense. In fact, once you decided to lump in anybody who is never going to vote for you, you weren't just talking about me, but many people I love, and about 90% of the people I know.

My children eat because of food stamps, Mr. Romney. Now, sir, I want you to picture a Wyoming cowgirl: a mother, a fighter, a righteous, determined, God-loving woman. A Rocky Mountain Grizzly Bear Mamma that would make Sarah Palin’s makeup-wearing pit bull shudder. Picture me staring you in the eyes as I ask you, “What business have you got talking about me and mine like that?”

I am watching you run your Richie Rich mouth on TV right now, with your little flag lapel pin over your heart. You brag that you will bring “12 million new jobs and rising take home pay.” Quite frankly, I have no reason to believe you or your failures in arithmetic. Even if you did manage such a feat, I’d point to the 4.5 million job head start you had thanks to President Obama saving the nation from the failed GOP policies which you use as a platform, and which nearly caused a second Great Depression.

You said that you think that 47% of Americans “think they are victims” and you even said it wasn’t your job to worry about us.

First, I must argue with you. I am not a victim. I have been beaten. I have been bullied. I have been raped. I have been addicted. I have been alone. I have been poor. I have been homeless. I have been sick and broken. I have chosen — each and every single time — to stand up and pull myself and my family out of those circumstances. I beat every one of them without any riches to aid me. I did that without any inheritance, any gifted stocks or bonds, any loans, any rich family, or any elevators for my cars. I did it because I am not a victim, I am an American. I am the Mom-in-Chief of my house and nothing less than the very best that I can provide will do. I am the product of women who forded rivers to fetch the mail after working a hard day’s labor on the Laramie high plains. I am a force to be reckoned with.

I f you don’t believe me, you could ask the doctor who has to take fluid from my spine on a regular basis to preserve my ability to see, due to a rare disease. If you don’t believe me, you can ask our Ambassador to China Gary Locke, who personally invited me to a bill signing when I helped Washington State legislate protection for children in schools against bullying by sharing my own experiences. If you don’t believe me, you can ask my children who have seen me struggle but always, always provide for them. Any one of these people will tell you, that this American is not a victim.

You call me entitled. I devote every day of my life to bettering the planet I live on, with no hope of profit. I am sorry, sir, but you calling me entitled is like the pot calling the dove black. That isn’t going to work. I challenge you to stand at my side and let the American public judge which of us is entitled. I spend every dime of my and my husband’s earned income as quickly as it comes in, right here in my town. Every dime I earn and spend stays in America. I am the ultimate Job Creator. Who are you to challenge me?

You call me entitled. Every year on April 15th, I am certain that I have shown every cent that went through my pocket honestly. I dream of a day when I am well enough off to pay taxes. I fantasize of the flourish with which I will write my first check to the IRS. I would give any earthly belongings I have to be self-sufficient enough to be able to pay it forward to the society that I love.

No, you cannot challenge me, Mitt Romney. I challenge you: where are your tax returns?

I fought, I graduated at the top of my class in college, and I pursued graduate studies. I took loans against myself, believing that this would pay off, but then, in 2009, something happened.

No, it wasn’t Barack Obama’s inauguration; it was a sudden injury to my spine that ended up revealing not one but two severe spinal diseases. Since then I have been unable to finish my studies or to work. I’d like to know, Mr. Romney: how many months of physical therapy, how many of my surgeries, how many of my scars must I share to prove my devotion to wanting to be better? How many of my efforts must I submit before you’ll see me, an American citizen, as worthy of your worry? When you tell me to take responsibility for myself, I ask you: what after that?

This evening, when you justified your awful statements in that video, you said that you had said what you did because you were reassuring your donators that you could win this election. I’m sorry that you have to pander to your base like that. You seem to have sold out your soul. You have forgotten “the eye of the needle” with that wealth you’ve got. You’ve left behind Matthew 24:50. I hate to be the one to tell ya buddy, but you are not the promised one. The promised one understands that the 47% you are talking about are more than low wage workers and elderly people who worked their whole lives and paid into the system, they are the 100% that your God is concerned with when he said “Love thy neighbor.” You may pay a tithe with your wallet, but it’s obvious you’ve neglected to tithe your heart.

My husband left for work at 7 AM. It is now 9 PM and he won’t be home again for two more hours from his second job today. I spent yesterday at the emergency room. I have been waiting for two years for Social Security. I do not understand. How much more do we have to work to show you that your call for jobs isn’t enough? You must also be concerned for the whole nation, and whether we eat, and whether we have medicine. You must care if a hardworking, devoted family like mine is unable to survive after investing their best efforts. How many jobs do you expect every American to take? Three? Four?

You simply must stop and consider those you dismiss as beneath you or you cannot be our leader. It is an unwritten but widely understood rule of the presidency. I don’t know what they taught you when you were out there scalping businesses hard-won on the backs of people like that 47% you so rudely kick around, but in the real world, we care when Americans suffer. We care when you forget the young military men and women who serve our nation by sacrificing their lives. We care when Americans go hungry. We care when Americans jobs are sent overseas and rich men hide societal resources in offshore accounts. We care that we are being ripped off and even if you find profit and power in our suffering, we still exist, we still care, and we will still stand up.

See? You called me a victim, you called me entitled, you called me a lot of other things in that video, but on every count you are wrong. Just by writing you this letter, I’ve proven I am not your victim. Just by living my life of hard and dutiful effort I have proven that I am not entitled. In fact, I consider it a duty as a citizen of this Great United States to shout loudly and proudly: “Mitt Romney is not and never will be my President!”

I warn you Mr. Romney, the one thing that I have not, and will not ever lose, is my voice. I will sound it each and every one of these 50 days until Barack Obama is re-elected, we will vote with Compassion, and Wisdom, and Empathy…and you, sir, can keep your spite and your hate and your rhetoric and see your way out.

Sincerely,
Sarah Zacharias, a.k.a. The Bucking Jenny

*********************************************************************************************************

I'm just one of the 47%, and one of the 99% who stands with you, Sarah Zacharias, with deep and heartfelt gratitude; you speak for so many, and your powerful and compassionate voice WILL BE HEARD.

Please share. D.
 

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 8:15 P

Obama the Re-election Musical

If you like :Les Miz", you'll really enjoy this!

View on Vimeo.

Posted by 0i812 - Fri, Sep 21, 2012, 11:36 A

The Fallacy of Redistribution

Posted by Dinah - Thu, Sep 20, 2012, 6:25 P

BIG DRAMA about the Warren-Brown debate tonight!!!

Regarding the debate tonight - which will be televised nationally on C-SPAN - could it be that Scott Brown is a little nervous?

"Harry Reid Calls Off Votes TO PREVENT SCOTT BROWN FROM DITCHING DEBATE With Elizabeth Warren"

http://tpmdc.talking...elizabeth-warren.php


Brian Beutler September 20, 2012, 3:51 PM

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid interrupted proceedings on the Senate floor to announce there would be no more votes Thursday afternoon, delaying action on pressing issues like funding the government.

Why? Because he thinks Republicans were fixing the schedule to allow Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) to use evening votes as an excuse to get out of a debate with Elizabeth Warren.

“Madam president, I’m so sorry. We have no more votes today,” Reid said. “No more votes today. It’s obvious to me what’s going on. I’ve been to a few of these rodeos. It is obvious there is a big stall taking place. One of the senators who doesn’t want to debate tonight won’t be in a debate. While he can’t use the Senate as an excuse, there will be no more votes today.”

Reid’s maneuver came moments after the Boston Globe quoted Brown saying he’d skip the debates if called on for Senate business. His move came as a surprise to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell who appeared on the floor shortly after Reid to request evening votes proceed as scheduled. Reid objected.


Enjoy your debate-watching experience tonight.
Dinah
 

Posted by 0i812 - Tue, Sep 18, 2012, 10:19 A

To All Americans

Posted by 0i812 - Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 5:28 P

How About A Little Humor

http://www.youtube.c...bedded&v=WH_a0cGVRmI
 

Posted by plstawasz - Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 3:30 P

Free Speech

I’m sorry, I try to be respectful and even want to laud you sticking up for your views even though they are unpopular in this area/on this list. But you make it so hard when you just parrot paranoid and inaccurate information that you get from other Websites. And the phrase “you don’t have to check this out on Snopes - it made Fox News!” made me laugh. Of course people should triangulate sources and look for additional information rather than relying on one source that is known to mislead. If you actually look at Snopes (http://www.snopes.co...crime/restricted.asp) you’ll see more context and information about this law, which, as even Fox News says, was overwhelmingly passed by both parties. You can disagree with the law (which was an update of an already-existing law), but stop trying to pin this on Obama (or “Obama,” as he is bizarrely referred to in this message—why the quotation marks?!) and mislead people into believing it’s something it is not.

Pamela
 

Posted by Dinah - Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 1:49 P

a beautiful morning

It was a gorgeous morning today, much like that other Tuesday. At this morning's memorial at the Amherst firehouse, I thanked every first responder I could. My heart still breaks and re-breaks for all those who were lost that day, and for the loved ones who will never stop missing them. My heart also breaks for the tragic, unnecessary violence our government later inflicted on the innocents of other nations. But today, I most especially hold in my heart the 343 who bravely ran TOWARD harm's way on that day, to serve and to save. I'm a New Yorker; they were MY 343.

My appreciation for ALL who serve and save.


 

Posted by skoczur - Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 1:15 P

Fox news

FOX is about as far right as to almost be off the planet. As to God having mercy, I sure hope he has it for the sheep that are being led to belief all of these outlandish things......broaden your horizons and read or listen to something besides FOX and you might gain a better knowledge and understanding of the world.
 

Posted by 0i812 - Tue, Sep 11, 2012, 9:31 A

Free Speech

This is not Republican or Democrat, liberal or conservative, it is anti American - a major step toward a dictatorship in the US . this is exactly what Putin is doing in Russia - criminalizing free speech, and it's being done in secret. Had any of you heard of this law before this UTube came out?

YOU DON'T HAVE TO CHECK THIS OUT ON SNOPES - IT MADE FOX NEWS WHICH YOU CAN SEE THE VIDEO BY CLICKING ON BELOW! PRETTY SCARY FOLKS!!!

This is really frightening. They sneaked another one in on us. New law makes it illegal to protest in Obama's presence
This means that, wherever Obama is , you do not have a right to ask him anything you want to. His secret service can have you arrested, fined, and imprisoned for more than a YEAR if you ask him something he doesn’t like. Sound like he’s more like Hitler than Lincoln to you?
WATCH AND BE AMAZED AT HIS LATEST ATTEMPT TO STAGE A TAKE OVER OF AMERICA ...
It’s probably the scariest thing this guy has done yet.
Are you aware of this new law, signed by “Obama” in early March 2012?
May the Lord have mercy on us!!!!
http://www.youtube.c...SGWH3kirzg&vq=medium
 

Posted by Dinah - Sun, Sep 9, 2012, 10:17 P

Leave my KenyanMuslimSocialist President alone!

You do realize, L. Blakes / 0i812, that my subject heading is a joke, don't you?
L. Blakes / 0i812: You write that “Mychal Massie is a respected writer and talk show host in Los Angeles.”

Respected? BULL.

Mychal Massie is a rabid and contemptuous venom-slinger for the WorldNetDaily, an extremist rag followed by far-right wackadoodles, tea-baggers, birthers, fact-free know-it-alls, and all-around Obama haters. Massie says: “I've made no secret of my contempt for the Obamas”. Massie calls the first Lady “Buttzilla”. Massie continues to spew new and revive already discredited stories about both Obamas. His descriptions of one or both Obamas: mobocratic, deeply damaged, elitist Leninists, arrogant racialists.

If you were to make the mistake of reading Mychal Massie, wear a rain poncho: he is the Gallagher of right-wing extremists, using his written rants in the WorldNutDaily as a "Sledge-O-Matic" to whack at anything on the left, mainly the Obamas. This man is indefensible. Have a look:

“The Ghosts of Mr. Massie”
http://conwebwatch.t...ies/2005/massie.html

“Is Anyone Surprised that WND is Pushing a Patently False Story to Smear Michelle Obama?”
http://www.rightwing...people/mychal-massie

“WND Columnist Revives Bogus "Whitey" Tape Claim”
http://mediamatters....ey-tape-claim/180164

“Mychal Massie, Depraved Liar”
http://conwebwatch.t...012/massieobama.html


Oh, and L. Blakes / 0i812: your sign-off statement that Mychal Massie “is a respected writer and talk show host” is simply the verbatim tag line used on any number of right-wing sites where Massie’s posts can be found. You may agree with the tag line which accompanies his verbal swill, but once again, you hide behind the words of others. I hope one day you’ll express an idea that wasn’t completely regurgitated by another person.

In the meantime, please, please, please stop smoking the tea long enough to do some legitimate research, and be able to back up what you say. You can start with Snopes.com, a reputable source for what are true or false stories in the public arena. Start here:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp

L. Blakes / 0i812: You are hermetically sealed inside your own rigid and scary ideology. That is not the best way to interact with the world. But, I guess having a closed mind – or an empty mind – is optional.
 

Posted by nckare - Sun, Sep 9, 2012, 6:31 P

The Best Summation Of Barack & Michelle

LOL. Well, smack my forehead and say "Doh" ! 0i812, all this time I've been thinking you are the most ignorant person I have ever encountered, albeit anonymously via this discussion forum. After reading the first few paragraphs of this ridiculous essay though, I realize you have been yanking our liberal/progressive chains all these years. This post is so off base and out of the stratosphere with idiotic made up fantasy, it is finally obvious that you, nor ANYone, can possibly believe this tripe.

Emperor and empress! hehe my goodness. good one. I guess what gave it away was "transpicuous". Love the made up word. There's a TV show that prides itself on making up words, isn't there? I can't believe I've fallen for your jokes all this time. Well, I sure am glad to have that cleared up finally. Now I realize our country isn't going to hell in a hand basket. We've just got a whole segment of society with an incredibly twisted sense of humor. Got to hand it to you. You had me going there for a while. Henceforward, I'll read (maybe) your posts in the spirit they are offered...as a hilarious ruse caricature of the teabag party. Oh ho ho. Just can't stop giggling over this one.
 

Posted by 0i812 - Sun, Sep 9, 2012, 3:40 P

The Best Summation Of Barack & Michelle

Posted by Dinah - Fri, Sep 7, 2012, 5:09 P

In case you missed Elizabeth Warren @ the DNC ...

... here she is, expressing her passionate commitment to the working class.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBtij5dR3dA


Go Elizabeth!
 

Posted by mcharney - Wed, Sep 5, 2012, 12:52 A

Don’t forget to vote on Thurs. 9/6!

Primary on Thursday

http://www.boston.co...9uywamqjI/story.html
 

Posted by 0i812 - Tue, Sep 4, 2012, 9:23 A

A Must Read

Posted by spellicy - Fri, Aug 31, 2012, 4:35 P

Before you VOTE

Do yourself a favor. Bookmark factcheck.org http://www.factcheck.org/ and check it often as you prepare to vote. Read the whole quote and not the sound bite. Be an informed voter and don't rely on any one media source, right or left. Do your due diligence before you vote and, above all, participate by VOTING!
 

Posted by 0i812 - Thu, Aug 23, 2012, 3:37 P

You should read this book

If you plan on voting this November ,this is a must read book.

The title is: "FOOL ME TWICE" The Author is : ARRON KLEIN
 

Posted by Dinah - Sun, Aug 19, 2012, 11:24 P

Tell Romney and Ryan: RSVP to the NUNS!

Friends (from CREDO),

You may be familiar with "NUNS ON THE BUS," a group of courageous women who have been traveling to the Congressional districts that would be hardest hit by Paul Ryan's immoral Tea Party budget that gives money to the ultra-rich while stripping vital services from the poorest Americans.

Now the nuns are turning their attention to the Republican presidential and vice presidential candidates directly. But neither Romney nor Ryan has RSVPed to the nuns who have asked them to "spend a day with Catholic Sisters who work every day to meet the needs of struggling families in their communities."

"I'm not concerned about the very poor." That's what Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney said in a televised interview on CNN after he won the Florida primary. And now he's doubled down on that sentiment by naming Paul Ryan, whose budget would give the richest Americans $3 trillion in tax cuts while drastically cutting food stamps for millions of poor Americans, to the Republican ticket.

Clearly, Romney and Ryan are dangerously out of touch. Thankfully, a group of righteous women who have dedicated their lives in service to the least among us have invited Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to spend a day with them to learn about the struggles of some our poorest citizens. Join me and close to 50,000 others in telling Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan: RSVP to the nuns.

http://act.credoacti...298-562995-A%3D1XG3x


http://thinkprogress...ublican-budget-cuts/

http://thinkprogress...ns-challenge-romney/
 

Posted by Dinah - Sat, Aug 11, 2012, 4:53 P

The Romney-Ryan ticket & Ryanomics

Many of you already know the issues and positions of the presidential candidates, so I'm not trying to preach to the choir. But if you do know anyone who needs to be educated about Paul Ryan's economic manifesto, and what Romney's pick means, think R.R. - it's the Rolls-Royce ticket.

Please share this video (or the information) with your friends and relatives in the battleground states, so that they can promote this message where it counts.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWyk-Mr6cfc&feature=share
 

Posted by Dinah - Wed, Aug 8, 2012, 10:03 P

Elisabeth Warren and student loan debt

For those of you with kids in school, you already know how financially tough it is. Please have a look at what Elizabeth Warren says about the subject, and about her commitment to make Main Street concerns a priority over Wall Street. If you like what she has to say, check out some more of her positions, and please pass it along to your friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors, who would benefit from a closer look:



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sLZD0Ne6_8


http://www.youtube.com/user/ElizabethForMA