Read This!

Fabulous post by Reddhedd entitled “A Question of Doing What’s Right” at firedoglake. You have to scroll down a bit to find it, but it’s well worth the effort. And then, once you’ve read it, get off your butt and start working for a better future for all working Americans!

Excerpt:

“CEOs for some of the major corporations in this country make obscene amounts of money, all the while, in a lot of cases, running the company into the ground and then taking off on their golden parachute ride — leaving behind the folks who are living on the margins on their $7 an hour (and that’s a great salary for a whole huge group of people in this country, let me tell you) to pick the pieces out of all those broken promises.

We need a voice for those people. John Edwards picked up this theme in the last election cycle during the primaries — with his Two Americas — and I would love to see that discussion continued into 2006. People who make $7 an hour (or less) can’t afford to hire Jack Abramoff to represent their interests to the big shots in Washington. They generally aren’t in any sort of union — which would at least give them a possibility of an organized voice of some sort (although these days, that certainly isn’t assured). They have no big money voice to back them up in Washington.

These are the folks that Democrats used to be able to depend on for a vote — because the party spent time working on issues that lifted up the least of our nation, to give them a shot at the American dream, just like everyone else.” (emphasis mine)

Yet Another Wal-mart Story

Wal-mart says, “Screw the hungry.”

Wal-mart Stores, Inc. announced today it is ending charity food donations from all of its Wal-marts, SuperCenters, and Sam’s Clubs. Fearing a potential lawsuit from a homeless, starving person, Walmart says it will no longer donate nearly-expired and expired food to local groups feeding the hungry. Instead, they’ll be throwing it away.

“If they were giving it away somewhere else that wouldn’t be so bad, but the fact is, it’s going into the garbage,” said Owen Foley of the St. Vincent de Paul Food Locker at Presentation Church in Sacramento. “I mean, there’s a big need.”

Disgusting.

Quote of the Day

The motto stated a lie. If this nation has ever trusted in God, that time has gone by; for nearly half a century almost its entire trust has been in the Republican party and the dollar — mainly the dollar. I recognize that I am only making an assertion and furnishing no proof; I am sorry, but this is a habit of mine; sorry also that I am not alone in it; everybody seems to have this disease. — Mark Twain*

The more things change….

*(in Bernard DeVoto, ed., Mark Twain in Eruption: Hitherto Unpublished Pages About Men and Events (1940), quoted from Barbara Schmidt, ed., “Mark Twain Quotations, Newspaper Collections, & Related Resources”)

In The News

Pat Robertson claims Sharon’s stroke was a divine punishment from God
Let’s see, Pat has called for an assassination, threatened a small PA town, and now says God causes strokes (and probably other bad things). Hmmm.

To quote Mark Twain: “If Christ were here there is one thing he would not be — a Christian.” — Notebook

11 Soldiers Die In Iraq
Deadliest day since December 1st brings the US military death toll to 2,194. But hey, we’re turning the corner…last throes….growing democracy. Really.

Delay’s Non-Profit Under Investigation
The Texas prosecutor has widened the investigation of Tom Delay to include his US Family Network.

Doctor Says Mine Survivor Is Not Comatose
Randal McCloy is receiving hyperbaric oxygen treatments at Allegany General Hospital, where he is listed in “stable but critical” condition. Doctors say he is showing signs that suggest it is not a coma.