Silenced Majority Portal

Bass Fishermen Against Bush

It’s not surprising that bass fishermen are against Bush. Just about everyone is nowadays. Bush’s approval ratings hover between 32 and 40 percent so the list of people against Bush includes nearly everyone except the religious right and influence peddlers who want to use the government to expand their fortunes at the taxpayers’ expense (and the nation’s future). This diary is about those remaining Bush supporters and a protest against them on Lake Minnetonka last week to expose their agenda.



Bass fishermen, sail boaters, grandmothers, and soccer moms were on Lake Minnetonka last week to protest Bush’s visit to Minnesota. Last Tuesday G.W. Bush flew to Minnesota to raise money for Michele Bachman, a candidate for the US congress. The fundraiser was held on Lake Minnetonka, 40 miles from Bachman’s district and her home in Stillwater. The roads around the lake mansion where the fundraiser was held were closed, but that didn’t deter Minnesotans who want to express their displeasure with the Bush administration from protesting.

Michele Bachman represents the religious right. Her family business is Christian Counseling. Her husband has a Ph.D. from Regent University (founded by Dr. “Pat” Robertson); she has a law degree from Oral Roberts University, but doesn’t have the right to practice law in Minnesota. Bachmann is currently a state senator from Minnesota.

Michele Bachmann says she supports family issues and that she is a Christian. Why then does she take the following positions?

According to the Wikipedia and other sources, Michele Bachmann:

1. Opposes all legal recognition of gay relationships. She carries the torch on this issue for republicans even though it is painful to her family, including her gay stepsister.

Bachmann fears that if gay marriage is legalized:

"Little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and perhaps they should try it." Sen Michele Bachmann, Interview with Jan Markell, Olive Tree Ministries.

2. Favors leaving nuclear attack option on the table in dealing with Iran. Is a nuclear bomb a Christian value? [

3. Opposes light rail transit and commuter rail transit

4. Opposes any minimum wage

5. Supports the teaching of intelligent design creationism in public school science classes.

6. Opposes universal healthcare. In fact, she doesn’t offer health insurance to the 30 employees of her family business or to the workers on her campaign. That’s the same campaign that just raked in ½ million dollars during Bush’s visit. I guess she will use that money to buy TV ads to show her support for family values rather than practicing them. Or maybe by family values she means HER family; not yours or mine. By contrast, Patty Wetterling, Bachmann’s Democratic opponent, does offer healthcare to her campaign workers.

Bachmann is well known to bloggers in Minnesota. Back in April 2005, at a rally at the state capitol in support of gay marriage, Michele Bachmann left the house session to spy on the rally participants from behind nearby bushes Look here for some photos.

The other remaining part of Bush’s support is the influence peddlers. And that’s why the Bush fundraiser was held in Wayzata at a mansion on Lake Minnetonka, 40 miles in the opposite direction from Bachmann’s congressional district. Quoting an article in the Star Tribune by LAURA BILLINGS:

Wayzata is the top ZIP code in the state for campaign contributions to the 2006 races, according to opensecrets.org, which posts the filings to the Federal Election Commission. Denizens of the 55391 ZIP code have already donated $1,254,841 to their favorite candidates, which is almost a half million ahead of the ZIP's closest rival, 55403 in Minneapolis.

This makes Wayzata three times more generous than all of St. Cloud ($419,253) and six times more deep-pocketed than the Duluth-Superior area ($197,267).

Given this willingness among Wayzatans to open their wallets, you can see why Vice President Dick Cheney has paddled to the shores of Lake Minnetonka twice since last summer to stump for local Republicans. When you charge $4,200 to have your picture taken with patrons (the president himself will expect $5,000 for the honor today), you can be pretty confident the checks won't bounce.

And she raises the point that concerns all of us who want a government that represents its citizens.

…when the serious money in a campaign comes from people 40 miles or, let's face it, a world away from the constituents in question, you can't help wondering whom our public servants are really serving.

To add insult to injury, Bush’s trip cost a small fortune in security and travel expenses. This cost is picked up by taxpayers. Because Bush gave a policy speech in Minnesota, he didn’t reimburse local government for his expenses. That means we, the taxpayers, are supporting Michele Bachmann’s campaign for US congress. One of the local TV stations itemized some of the expenses, but it didn’t list the cost of a half dozen watercraft (Dept of Natural Resources, Coast Guard, Sheriff, etc) and their crews to be on Lake Minnetonka all day.



We saw them out there while we were swimming, fishing, sailing, and protesting Bush’s visit and the dishonesty of his remaining supporters.

21st Century Nero

Does the Bush administration's cutting of funds to maintain New Orleans' levees as part of their war effort mean that New Orleans is now a casualty of the Iraq war?

Nero dressed up in robes, strummed his lyre, sang about the fall of Troy while Rome went up in flames & 200,000 became homeless. Nero enjoyed lavish spectacles and loved to dress in drag. Rumors spread that Nero set the fire but arson charges were never proven. Nero poisoned his step-brother in order to remain Emperor.

Bush was anointed in 2000 by the Supreme Court, with one vote. He "got away with murder." He too likes costumes, and dressed up in pilot regalia (padded crotch?) to land on the USS Lincoln & staged a quick Thanksgiving trip to a hangar in Iraq (to serve a fake turkey). He joked about WMD under the desk ("Nope, no weapons over here .. maybe under here." He was on vacation during Hurricane Katrina.

He ignores disasters building, then stubbornly refuses to leave, but without having a plan or funding for cleanup.

More than 1,800 people died from Katrina. "We will stay until the job is done," Bush said, announcing plans to visit the area, one year after the disaster.

More than 2,000 military and countless civilians died from the Iraq War so far. Bush said, “We’re not leaving so long as I’m the president."

Hempfest Seattle

(excerpts reprinted from today's Seattle Times)

What if pot were legal?
The fondest dream of Seattle Hempfesters has come true: Pot is legal.

But what of the iconic "protestival," with its swirl of tie-dye, aroma of patchouli and counterculture chic?
It could well morph into the kind of mainstream affair many of today's adherents abhor, concedes the man who launched the legalization movement nationwide more than 35 years ago. If people are able to buy weed like liquor and beer, it will probably come with the same kind of corporate trappings, said Keith Stroup, founder of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. "I would love to see only nonprofit cooperatives ... or little produce stands," he said Saturday at Hempfest 2006. "But the truth is somebody is going to make a lot of money off of marijuana."

The crush in Seattle's waterfront Myrtle Edwards Park on Saturday testified to the potential market. Organizers expect 150,000 people for the 15th annual event, which continues today and is the largest of its kind in the United States. The smell of marijuana wafted through the air, though most of the smokers gravitated to the margins of the crowd or gathered on rocks and logs on the beach. One group of six sharing a pipe gave their ages as 15 to 17, but declined to share their names. "My parents don't know I'm here," said one boy, wearing a rainbow-colored, crocheted cap pulled over blond dreadlocks.

In a world where the legal fight over marijuana has been settled, Hempfest spokesman Dominic Holden envisions a festival that would be more celebratory than activist. Like an Oktoberfest beer bash or a wine-tasting gala, participants could partake of different vintages and varieties of pot — probably in the kind of roped-off beer gardens common at concerts.
"Marijuana has an array of aromas and flavors, like fine tobacco," he said.

Former Seattle restaurateur Kanti Selig, selling brownies and cookies made with hemp seeds — sorry, no THC, pot's active ingredient — sees only good things if the drug becomes more widely available.
"It would make everyone less fearful," she said, pulling the lid off a 4-quart container to display the cocoa-brown hemp powder she uses in baking. Hemp — marijuana without the hallucinogenic effect — is grown for food and fiber. It can be imported, but cultivation is restricted in the United States.

If the high-protein plant were more widely available, the price would drop — seeds currently cost $12 to $13 a pound — and products like hemp milk, hemp cheese and hemp flour would be easier to get, she said.But a man who called himself Cloud, an organizer of Emerald Empire Hempfest in Eugene, Ore., worries that mom-and-pop artisans would get squeezed out if marijuana and its accoutrements went legit. "That's a factory-produced tie-dye sheet," he said, pointing to a purple-and-red-banded cloth draped over a table where he and his buddies were selling buttons, hand-dyed T-shirts and PVC bongs as a fundraiser for their festival. "They just pump them out, and the quality suffers."

Jan Earl of Tumwater paddled his aluminum canoe from Magnolia to avoid parking headaches.
"I came here for the party," he said, frying burgers on a crepe pan perched atop a tiny propane camp stove. But he also believes marijuana should be legalized — as a way to increase tax revenues and help pay down the national debt.

Today at the festival, former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper is scheduled to call for an end to what he says is a futile and costly war on drugs. Stamper advocates legalization and regulation of not just pot, but heroin, cocaine and all other street drugs. Legality could douse Hempfest's cool vibe, said Stroup. But the sheer numbers of Americans who use pot — 27 million in the past year alone, according to government estimates, Stroup said — should keep the event afloat. "It's not going to go away," he said, "even if it loses a little of its luster."

From Hiroshima to Hope

I first attended the Hiroshima Day ceremony in 1994, just after my father died, and have not missed it since. He would have been 84 yesterday, and this ceremony always falls one day after his birthday. This ceremony has come to be more important to me than Christmas and 4th of July combined. My father was a WW2 vet, stationed in the Pacific, and was expected to fight the Japanese. On this day, I sent out a lantern onto the water, in remembrance of my father, all veterans and their families, and all war dead. My calligraphy spelled out "Compassion." Everyone there created a personal yet communal peace memorial and wish, whether "Love" "World Peace" or a personal letter for a loved one.

We gathered, about 2000 of us, prepared our lanterns with Japanese or Punjabi calligraphy, folded Origami peace cranes, and listened to Taiko music and the Children's Peace choir. These children compose and perform songs of peace in 14 languages. Their music has been taken to Iraq for the benefit of Iraqi children in hospitals and orphanages. They were introduced by young Jewish and Muslim people whose alternated their delivery of heartfelt writings.

As we gathered to commemorate the 61st anniversary of the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, we were torn by many feelings. We grieved at all acts of violence committed during war, however well-meaning the warriors. We hoped that the forces of disunity that are especially strong this year will give way to a deep spiritual commitment by every individual to the oneness of humanity, and that this commitment will bring about peace both locally and globally.

The event was sponsored by area churches, peace fellowships, cultural organizations, the local chapter of the UN Association, and Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Imagine an international network of people working as allies, working for justice and nonviolence, fighting for ideals others may dismiss as utopian. Why can't we reject the old paradigm of "political realism" and adopt the new paradigm of "mutual interconnectedness"? Why not reject cynical realism and cultivate compassion?

We need to support peacemakers in the middle east who are working for nonviolent solutions. We need to emulate their courage wherever we are.

Minneapolis Protest Demandng Ceasefire

Yesterday, 1000 persons rallied and marched in NE Minneapolis for an end to US supported violence against the Palestinian and Lebanese people. The march was organized by the Coalition for Palestinian Rights. Members of WAMM, Veterans for Peace, and the Anti-War Committee were present. 

It has been several weeks since the US gave Israel a green light to attack Lebanon which is curious given Lebanon was a showcase in Bush's plan for democracy in the Middle East. The devastation of the Lebanese infrastructure and the death of more than 1000 Lebanese persons, mostly civilians, has many people throughout the world wondering what the goal is of Bush's and Israel’s policy.  The criticism is expressed succinctly in an editorial by Gideon Levy, an Israeli columnist for the Daily Haaretz. 

Since we've grown accustomed to thinking collective punishment a legitimate weapon, it is no wonder no debate has sparked here over the cruel punishment of Lebanon for Hezbollah's actions. If it was okay in Nablus, why not Beirut?

Here is another excerpt:

Lebanon, which has never fought Israel and has 40 daily newspapers, 42 colleges and universities and hundreds of different banks, is being destroyed by our planes and cannon and nobody is taking into account the amount of hatred we are sowing. In international public opinion, Israel has been turned into a monster, and that still hasn't been calculated into the debit column of this war. Israel is badly stained, a moral stain that can't be easily and quickly removed. And only we don't want to see it.

The whole world was sickened by the Israeli attack on Qana, Lebanon that killed 56 civilians, including 34 children. During this same time, but not receiving any press, more than 100 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli assaults in Gaza. This has prompted rallies throughout the world demanding an immediate ceasefire. According to the Independent, more than 100,000 persons protested in London. 

The rally was in NE Minneapolis just west of Central Avenue.  There were several speakers who addressed the group.  I was busy taking photos so I didn’t have a chance to monitor any of the speeches in detail.  I hope that someone will post a summary of their speeches below my post of photos. 

I did manage to hear part of Marv Davidov’s speech.  Marv is an outspoken critic of US policy in the Middle East.  He has been a peace activist for many years and is a major organizer of the weekly protests against ATK, a weapons manufacturer with its home office located in the Twin Cities.  According to Marv, ATK is responsible for making weapons used by Israel that are supplied by the US government. Visit Circlevision.org to learn more about protests against ATK.

We the People

It was heartening to see a real President join a local hero, Jim McDermott, in a Celebration of Freedom of Speech. As Jim said, "I wish I could turn back the clock!" Together, they planned this amazing evening to entertain, educate and motivate "we the people" in the most beautiful symphony hall. We enjoyed world music (Children of the Revolution), jazz (Stanley Jordan) and commentary (Thom Hartmann of Air America).

Thom Hartmann reminded us that Jefferson sent letters to Madison in 1776, from Paris, desperate to persuade him that we explicitly needed a Bill of Rights in addition to our Constitution, in which said rights were implicit. Jefferson advocated for absolute unlimited freedom of speech including political speech. Prior to the Magna Carta, only kings had Freedom of Speech. Following the Magna Carta, only the wealthy had Freedom of Speech. From 1776, "We the People" were likewise given Freedom of Speech. In 1798, the Alien Sedition Acts was established under President Adams, and passed by only one vote. Benjamin Franklin was arrested. Freedom of Speech was re-established via the Election of 1800. Without Freedom of Speech, a free America could not exist.

(photo credit Scott Cohen, Seattle Times)

The Court Case

We are at such a crossroads again. It started in 1993 with Newt Gingrich, who was fined $300,000 for using tax-deductible money to finance a political organizing tool, which was highly illegal. Gingrich organized a conference call with House conservatives to craft a media response, though this was expressly prohibited. Two citizens intercepted the call and recognized Gingrich's voice, as one of the participants used a cell phone while parked outside a pancake house, a scenario one would think would happen only in a movie. Eventually McDermott heard the tape and leaked it to two newspapers. Gingrich was forced to resign. McDermott thus became a target and was sued by Representative Boemer, the first case of one Congressman suing another in the nation's history. McDermott's interpretation is that he is defending "the people's right to know," and he has the support of Dow Jones, ABC, Associated Press, DBS, Heart Corporation, McGraw-Hill, NBC, New York Times, Newsweek, Time, Washington Post, Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and even the Wall Street Journal. To some, he is just another "leaker." (More at http://www.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politics/2002895236_webmcdermott28.html)

A Contrast in Values

Bill Clinton has been doing alot of travelling in America. People someimes tell him that they don't kow what the Democrats stand for. He laid it on the line in this manner. Republicans like to concentrate wealth and power, Democrats like to reward the working middle class. If concentrating wealth and power is the primary goal, a secretive government, no-bid contracts and corporations that regulate themselves do not seem odd. If ordinary people are to be empowered, openness and accountability are called for. Democratic values would encompass a cleaner energy future, good healthcare, a decent living wage, good education, and a security policy that fights terror but seeks to have more allies and create fewer terrorists.

Secondly, he contrasted Republicans as "ideological" and Democrats as "philosophical." If one has an ideology, they can fit the facts to their belief system. If one has a philosophy, values lend a direction but facts are taken into consideration. In an "ideological" system, it is best if people stop thinking and questioning. He cited Ron Susskind's latest book, in which certain conservatives felt that progressives were "trapped in the reality-based world."