I remember when Richard Pryor dropped the n-word from his routine.  It was after he went to Africa.  He realized there weren't any over there...even though the continent was chock full of black folk.  He came back and decided to label himself, his brothers and sisters in a more dignified and respectful way.

What we call ourselves says a lot about how we view ourselves and how we want others to view us.  

We do the same thing with political labels.  Democrats become "Liberals" become "progressives" become "reality-based."  Republicans have gone from calling themselves "Conservatives" to being members of the "GOP," the "Party of Lincoln," or more recently, the "Corrupt Bastards Club."  This is not an epithet I am hurling around like "fascist" or "liar."  I wish I had thought of it... but I didn't.  This is a term Republicans used among themselves behind closed doors...

The media is full of Katrina recollections and evaluations right now, and by Labor Day, they'll be gone.  Democrats can't let America forget Katrina.

I say this because those responsible for the unnecessary tragedies in the Gulf, and the sickening fact that they continue, must be held accountable, and must be prevented from endangering more lives. This is a dangerous situation for the American present and future, and just about all the nation can do about it at this point is to break the Republican rule of the federal government by electing Democrats to Congress.

So I am going to be unapologetically political here.  What follows is my first draft script for a Katrina campaign ad, simple enough for amateurs to produce but designed for wide distribution. I've posted a version with photos at Dreaming Up Daily that gives a rough idea of what it might look like.    

We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming with this important message...

We need to talk:

Specifically, we need to talk about the new CBS program called Survivor:Cook Island, sporting one of the most ethnically diverse casts ever assembled.  Ironically, this is the 13th season of Survivor... and that is not going to be a lucky number for things like ethnic stereotyping.

Jeff Probst popped in on The Early Show Wednesday morning, confirming the reports that the 20 castaways for Survivor: Cook Islands will be grouped by race, with competitors divided into four tribes consisting of whites, blacks, Asians and Hispanics.

It's crunch time.  It's time to get the main messages out. With candidate speeches and blogs, big money ads and homemade video, with all the means there are. Because it's not going to be as easy as it sounds from the latest batch of predictions, each inflating the other.  It's going to take work to close the deal.

It's time for Democrats to tell their story, and the first thing the party must recognize is that they need to tell it from the beginning.  That's where most good stories start, but there are real world reasons for what I mean.

From the beginning means: don't assume.  Don't assume voters know a lot.  Don't be condescending or phony, but just deal with that fact.  And understand the story they want to hear this election year.

A few hours before Iran delivered its response to the UN regarding its nuclear program, an Iranian warship fired on a Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran.  Troops from the vessel then boarded and seized it, according to the rig's owner said.

Since this is not getting any significant play in the US yet, here is some other stuff you might like to know. For starters, bloomberg news reports:

The U.A.E.-registered drilling company had signed a preliminary contract with Halliburton Co. after winning an estimated $310 million contract to develop phases 9 and 10 of Iran's offshore South Pars gas reservoir.

This is adapted from a talk I gave to the Latvia Special Interest Group luncheon at the Jewish Genealigical Conference in NYC this week. I don't know how much it will resonate with a general readership, but it means something to me and to those who heard it. It's adapted from a Powerpoint presentation, so the format is different than what I normally do.

Sometimes people commit suicide.  Sometimes they do it passively.   Sometimes they do it deliberately.   Sometimes it is over in an instant.   Sometimes it takes years.  Sometimes it is done out of anger, or desperation, or madness, or ignorance.   Sometimes it is a final defiant act in the face of untenable choices.   But one thing never changes.   It always hurts the people left behind.

When I think about the Hezbollah rockets and the Israel's recent decision to expand the fighting, they both strike me as suicidal, but in very different ways.  This brings to mind a third example very different from both of those two. 

You may think that Homeland Security is doing a poor job.  What with enormous amounts of waste in their contracting efforts, and rules that seem designed to contrate on the threat posed by shoes.  However, how can you feel bad after seeing this?

Yes, that's a policeman.  Yes, that's an armored personal carrier.

And the site that warrants this level of protection?  NYC harbor?  Downtown DC?  Nope.  Try Germantown, Tennessee.  You got a problem with that?

The diary below was originally posted earlier today on my blog the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

David Brooks is a lightweight whom I typically ignore. Other progressive bloggers critique his sophomoric punditry and infantile analysis with enthusiasm. Until Friday, I considered attacking Brooks akin to abusing the Pillsbury Dough Boy.

Standing on an overcrowded A-Train with malfunctioning air conditioning, I read Brooks' column "Bye-Bye Bootstraps" while commuting to Manhattan from Brooklyn. Brooks had the temerity to suggest that a "Wal-Mart leisure class" was emerging in America. One wonders how my fellow passengers suffering from the heat as we commuted to our jobs would've responded to this soft minded propagandist of America's plutocracy.

Most of you may not recognize this image:

Those are US National Guardsmen (in the foreground) attacking unarmed students (on the hill) at Ohio's Kent State University in May, 1970.  Seems like ancient history, doesn't it?  Times have changed, right?

From Kent State to Police State
Some will say, "We're focused on the future!  We are working to win back the congress!"  Who cares history?  Well, you should care -- if you care about what congress will be able to achieve in 2007 and beyond.   Let me show you.  Come with me to the scene of another crime against citizens of the republic that recently happened in Ohio: The theft of the 2004 election  You need to hurry up.  In 30 days the smoking gun will be history.   Unless you act now.

The diary below was originally posted earlier today on my blog the Intrepid Liberal Journal.

In July 1947, George F. Kennan published an article in the quarterly edition of Foreign Affairs entitled "Sources of Soviet Conduct." Kennan originally drafted the article as a paper for Defense Secretary James Forrestal. When he submitted it to Foreign Affairs, Kennan used the moniker "Mr. X." The piece was known as "containment" and is credited with guiding American foreign policy under presidents of both parties during the cold war.

The Congress, both houses, have failed the veterans used in hazardous substance  experiments from WW2 thru the end of human experimentation in 1975, when after public outcry and congressional investigations, by Vice President Nelson Rockefeller and then the Church Commission, exposed the depth of violations by the CIA and DOD of the Nuremeberg Codes of 1947 on American military personnel.

Senator Jay Rockefeller conducted the Rockefeller Commission of 1994 that delved into all of the programs, nuclear, radiation, chemical and biological. It is now 2006 and the federal government refuses to find these veterans who were harmed in these experiments  why? Why hasn't our Congress, our elected officials ever forced them to deal with a six decades long problem?

Crossposted at skippy, Booman Tribune, and my blog, The Mystery of the Haunted Vampire.

Asked to explain the differences between the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Hamdan and President George W. Bush's description of the case, the U.S. Department of Justice's head of the Office of Legal Counsel Steven Bradbury told the Senate Judiciary Committee: "The President is always right."

In decision after decision, we have seen that this was not a lone statement from a sychophant. Remember, George W. Bush could not think of any mistakes he had made despite failing to prevent the worst attack to the United States in modern history. "The President is always right" is a view held by George W. Bush himself.

This is it folks. Tonight is the night!

Endorsed by Eliot Spitzer...

Designated a 'Top Tier' race by the NY DSCC...

...Our man Brian Keeler (NYBri) is having a 'Blograiser' -- located physically in Manhattan and virtually online -- live-blogged on DailyKos.com and other excellent sites across the blogosphere.

This is our chance to make a bold statement about the direction of politics in America -- and continue to expand the passion and implement the progressive values of the Netroots.

Leading the charge to take back the NY State Senate, Candidate Brian Keeler (NYBri) is setting the standard for creative thinking -- an invaluable quality for any leader. His latest creation is the 'Blograiser' -- a commonsense combo of traditional and pioneering fundraising.

As far as we know, this will be the first time that a (relatively) traditional political fundraiser (See Details Below) has been coordinated to run concurrently with an associated online fundraiser (a 'Blograiser').

The purpose is threefold:

1) Maximize the contribution total for the event -- accepting contributions from both the physical and virtual attendees.

2) Allow supporters outside Brian's district -- and even outside NY -- to participate and support his candidacy.

3) Generate a burst of enthusiasm for the Keeler campaign that will increase his campaign's visibility with his constituency, the remaining public, the media, and the state and national political infrastructure.

HERE'S HOW IT WILL WORK