Thursday, December 30, 2004

NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS

Conyers' Lonely Struggle

New York representative John Conyers (D) is doing his absolute best to try and prevent George Dubya from assuming a second term for his shamocracy, but it's tough when you're the only voice of reason in a room full of mindless yesmen and barking dogs. He wants the Senate to formally object to the vote of the Ohio electors on the grounds that vote tampering there questions the legitimacy of the vote and the entire election.

While some Democrats will almost certainly go along with Conyers' call, an objection will not necessarily stall the official Electoral College vote or overturn the result. But even symbolically, it will make a difference for the historical record and help underline what a lie the Bush "mandate" actually is.

New Year's Resolutions for Me - 2005

1. Starting with this year, I will officially stop getting older. When people ask my age, I will bat my beautiful brown eyes and answer, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

2. Even in this non-presidential election year, I will give at least $100 to progressive political groups like NARAL, Moveon.org and the NRDC.

3. I will not, no matter what the circumstance from this time forward utter or type the phrase, "wardrobe malfunction."

4. When referring to President George W. Bush I will, as often as possible, refer to him in print as "El Jefe" since he has about as much legitimacy as many Latin American strongmen.

5. I will recognize that cherry pie is neither fruit nor a vegetable, but a dessert and it should be eaten in moderation.

6. I will use my blog forum as a bully pulpit to sing the praises of Howard Dean as chairman of the Democratic Party and Hilary Clinton as the next nominee of the party for 2008. I'd also like outgoing NAACP chair Kweisi Mfume to play a larger role both among Democrats and within the African-American community.

7. I will donate some money to the tsunami relief efforts, while recognizing that even if an early warning system had been in place, it would probably wouldn't have made much of a difference.

Happy Progressive New Year everyone. Remember that the real work lies ahead of us. Peace...