In 1797 our government concluded a "Treaty of Peace and Friendship between the United States of America and the Bey and Subjects of Tripoli, or Barbary," now known simply as the Treaty of Tripoli. Article 11 of the treaty contains these words:
As the Government of the United States...is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion--as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquillity of Musselmen--and as the said States never have entered into any war or act of hostility against any Mehomitan nation, it is declared by the parties that no pretext arising from religious opinions shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries."
This document was endorsed by Secretary of State Timothy Pickering and President John Adams (one of the few 'founding fathers' who even claimed to be a christian). It was then sent to the Senate for ratification; the vote was unanimous (most of the Senate's members then had either signed the Declaration of Independence or were directly involved in the Revolutionary War against Britain- who we now call 'founding fathers'). It is worth pointing out that up to that time it was only the third unanimous vote in the Senate's history. There is no record of debate or dissent. The text of the treaty was printed in full in the Philadelphia Gazette and in two New York papers, but there were no screams of outrage, as one might expect today. The Founding Fathers were not religious men, and they fought hard to erect, in Thomas Jefferson's words, "a wall of separation between church and state."
When the christian fundamentalist rightwing try to rewrite history by asserting America's christian foundation, just remember just this one FACT (among many that prove the same point) of early American history- it puts everything into proper perspective. The kook fundies of today are entitled to their opinions and beliefs, but not a reality that never existed, except in their deluded minds!!!
(be sure to click on the link for other blogs commenting on this subject)
-suggested by a recent article in "The Nation"
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Planet Patriot
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Friday, February 18, 2005
Senate GOP Leader Threatens to End Filibuster
This week, the Senate began consideration of a large number of ultraconservative nominees to the federal courts. Many of the nominees were considered and rejected during President Bush's first term because Senate Democrats had serious concerns about the nominees' records. Unbelievably, President Bush is now resubmitting their names for consideration for appointment to the federal judiciary.
These nominees, if confirmed, will receive LIFETIME appointments. Senators have a Constitutional responsibility to review nominations proposed by the President. They also have the right to engage in spirited debates about the nominees and to use all the tools at their disposal -- including filibuster -- to ensure that only the best jurists are appointed to the courts. But the GOP Senate Leader is considering a change to rules established 200 years ago that would take away the minority party's ability to filibuster candidates!
The relentless rant for war, the slashing of civil liberties, the denial of minority rights. . .
Still, the public rides the government sled of fear on it's slippery slope to fascism afraid hardly to whimper, while the corporate media cheers it greedily on!
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These nominees, if confirmed, will receive LIFETIME appointments. Senators have a Constitutional responsibility to review nominations proposed by the President. They also have the right to engage in spirited debates about the nominees and to use all the tools at their disposal -- including filibuster -- to ensure that only the best jurists are appointed to the courts. But the GOP Senate Leader is considering a change to rules established 200 years ago that would take away the minority party's ability to filibuster candidates!
The relentless rant for war, the slashing of civil liberties, the denial of minority rights. . .
Still, the public rides the government sled of fear on it's slippery slope to fascism afraid hardly to whimper, while the corporate media cheers it greedily on!
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PLANET PATRIOT
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Urge Reps to Reject Bush Budget!
Urge your reps in Washington to reject the President's Budget and instead support efforts to extend a helping hand to our most vulnerable neighbors!
The budget President Bush released on February 7 proposes record military spending and more tax cuts, yet it throws thousands of poor people off food stamps and slashes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program which helps poor people pay their heating bills. This cold-hearted proposal comes at a time when the cost of electricity and heating fuel continues to rise and more people are living in, or at the edge, of poverty. And these are just two egregious examples in a budget riddled with cuts to healthcare programs, education funding, environmental protection and a whole host of successful programs.
All this at a time when the president is about to propose spending $80 billion more for the coming year's occupation of Iraq and borrowing trillions more dollars to privatize Social Security. Our government's budget should represent our national priorities. But Mr. Bush's priorities are in the wrong place and the consequence will be suffering for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Please reject this heartless expression of our collective goals, and vote instead to extend a helping hand to the least among us.
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planet patriot
The budget President Bush released on February 7 proposes record military spending and more tax cuts, yet it throws thousands of poor people off food stamps and slashes the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program which helps poor people pay their heating bills. This cold-hearted proposal comes at a time when the cost of electricity and heating fuel continues to rise and more people are living in, or at the edge, of poverty. And these are just two egregious examples in a budget riddled with cuts to healthcare programs, education funding, environmental protection and a whole host of successful programs.
All this at a time when the president is about to propose spending $80 billion more for the coming year's occupation of Iraq and borrowing trillions more dollars to privatize Social Security. Our government's budget should represent our national priorities. But Mr. Bush's priorities are in the wrong place and the consequence will be suffering for our most vulnerable neighbors.
Please reject this heartless expression of our collective goals, and vote instead to extend a helping hand to the least among us.
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planet patriot
Sunday, February 13, 2005
Use Our New 'PEOPLE'S EMAIL NETWORK- CONGRESS ACTION CENTER' Box on the Sidebar Right Here and Speak Your Mind!
An easy way to have your voice heard-->>>>>>>>>>>>
*Just Go to the Sidebar and roll your cursor over the PEOPLE'S EMAIL NETWORK Box and pick your topic. Write a short email message and the Congress Action Center will do the rest!!
There is no excuse for not contacting your representatives on critical issues with this fantastic service now available to you, right here!
Check it Out! It's fun. It's easy. It's important.
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planet patriot
*Just Go to the Sidebar and roll your cursor over the PEOPLE'S EMAIL NETWORK Box and pick your topic. Write a short email message and the Congress Action Center will do the rest!!
There is no excuse for not contacting your representatives on critical issues with this fantastic service now available to you, right here!
Check it Out! It's fun. It's easy. It's important.
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planet patriot
Thursday, February 10, 2005
TAKE ACTION-- No Bush SS Cuts!
The George W. Bush plan to dismantle Social Security has begun. The administration floated a proposal to cut benefits to future retirees by changing the way those benefits are calculated. And these cuts are guaranteed -- whether you opt in to the Bush plan or not.
Here's what the Bush plan will mean for your retirement:
*If you retire in 2022, Bush will cut your benefits by almost 10 percent.
*If you retire in 2042, Bush will cut your benefits by more than 25 percent.
*In 2075, our children and grandchildren will face a staggering cut of 46 ercent to their benefits.
And this is just the first step of the Republican Party's plan to dismantle the entire Social Security system that has kept generations of America's seniors out of poverty. Soon Bush will launch a $40 million TV ad blitz to convince Americans that our grandkids will be left out in the cold if Social Security is not privatized.
We will not stand by and allow that to happen.
Help us take our first step today by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper demanding that President Bush abandon his plan to cut benefits for tomorrow's retirees. Click the link below to write your letter today:
http://www.democrats.org/action
-courtesy of the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (Go Dean!)
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PLANET PATRIOT
Here's what the Bush plan will mean for your retirement:
*If you retire in 2022, Bush will cut your benefits by almost 10 percent.
*If you retire in 2042, Bush will cut your benefits by more than 25 percent.
*In 2075, our children and grandchildren will face a staggering cut of 46 ercent to their benefits.
And this is just the first step of the Republican Party's plan to dismantle the entire Social Security system that has kept generations of America's seniors out of poverty. Soon Bush will launch a $40 million TV ad blitz to convince Americans that our grandkids will be left out in the cold if Social Security is not privatized.
We will not stand by and allow that to happen.
Help us take our first step today by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper demanding that President Bush abandon his plan to cut benefits for tomorrow's retirees. Click the link below to write your letter today:
http://www.democrats.org/action
-courtesy of the DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE (Go Dean!)
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PLANET PATRIOT
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Track Bush's Lies in the 'State of the Union'
WATCH BUSH MISLEAD
During his first State of the Union address of his second term, George W. Bush will do just what he's done for the past four years: mislead America. He'll paint a record of failure as a series of successes and make promises he can't possibly keep. Despite repeated promises not to leave problems for future generations, President Bush's policies have created enormous difficulties for our children and grandchildren. Here's just a sample of where Bush's policies are leaving us.
WEAKENING OUR NATION, ABANDONING OUR NATION'S PROTECTORS
• The tab for Bush's Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is currently $277 billion and counting.
[Washington Post, 1/26/05]
• Bush's plans in Iraq call for troops to be in the Middle East for years. Armed Forces specialists
plan on keeping 120,000 American soldiers deployed in Iraq until at least 2007. [Washington Post, 1/25/05]
• The President says that he will honor our veterans. Meanwhile, according to The Washington
Post, 300,000 veterans are still waiting for necessary health care treatment. [Washington Post,
10/3/04]
FAILING TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS
• To pay for Bush's misguided economic agenda, the country's debt has soared. Experts recently
announced that Bush's growing $8 trillion dollar debt translates to roughly $26,000 per person.
[Treasury Department; www.house.gov/budget_democrats]
• While advocating the need to create economic opportunity for all, President Bush has presided
over an economic record that includes the loss of over a million jobs since he took office. [Bureau
of Labor Statistics]
• President Bush will hail his own commitment to creating opportunity for Americans, but the
legacy of his first term is that 4.3 million more Americans are now in poverty. [Census Bureau,
Current Population Survey]
• Bush's most recent budget passed by Congress fell $9.8 billion short of Bush's commitment to
reform America's schools. Overall, the Republicans have fallen $27 billion short of the funding for local schools promised in the No Child Left Behind Act. [House Democratic Leader's Office,
1/7/05]
ABANDONING OUR NATION'S HEALTH
• The President's repeated commitments to health care are simply more lip service. Rather than reducing the number of people without coverage during his first term, 5.2 million more people are uninsured today than in 2000. [Census Bureau, Current Population Survey]
• Under Bush, consumers' medical bills grew 7.6 percent in 2003, the fastest growing area of health care spending. And meanwhile, Bush's health care proposals do nothing to control soaring health care costs. [Pharma Marketletter, 1/12/05]
• More than 130 million Americans breathe dirty, unhealthy air. Instead of working to change this, Bush's Clear Skies legislation would protect polluters and undermine further progress.
[Washington Post, 12/14/04; www.cleartheair.org]
-courtesy of the Democratic National Committee
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PLANET PATRIOT
During his first State of the Union address of his second term, George W. Bush will do just what he's done for the past four years: mislead America. He'll paint a record of failure as a series of successes and make promises he can't possibly keep. Despite repeated promises not to leave problems for future generations, President Bush's policies have created enormous difficulties for our children and grandchildren. Here's just a sample of where Bush's policies are leaving us.
WEAKENING OUR NATION, ABANDONING OUR NATION'S PROTECTORS
• The tab for Bush's Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is currently $277 billion and counting.
[Washington Post, 1/26/05]
• Bush's plans in Iraq call for troops to be in the Middle East for years. Armed Forces specialists
plan on keeping 120,000 American soldiers deployed in Iraq until at least 2007. [Washington Post, 1/25/05]
• The President says that he will honor our veterans. Meanwhile, according to The Washington
Post, 300,000 veterans are still waiting for necessary health care treatment. [Washington Post,
10/3/04]
FAILING TO CREATE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL AMERICANS
• To pay for Bush's misguided economic agenda, the country's debt has soared. Experts recently
announced that Bush's growing $8 trillion dollar debt translates to roughly $26,000 per person.
[Treasury Department; www.house.gov/budget_democrats]
• While advocating the need to create economic opportunity for all, President Bush has presided
over an economic record that includes the loss of over a million jobs since he took office. [Bureau
of Labor Statistics]
• President Bush will hail his own commitment to creating opportunity for Americans, but the
legacy of his first term is that 4.3 million more Americans are now in poverty. [Census Bureau,
Current Population Survey]
• Bush's most recent budget passed by Congress fell $9.8 billion short of Bush's commitment to
reform America's schools. Overall, the Republicans have fallen $27 billion short of the funding for local schools promised in the No Child Left Behind Act. [House Democratic Leader's Office,
1/7/05]
ABANDONING OUR NATION'S HEALTH
• The President's repeated commitments to health care are simply more lip service. Rather than reducing the number of people without coverage during his first term, 5.2 million more people are uninsured today than in 2000. [Census Bureau, Current Population Survey]
• Under Bush, consumers' medical bills grew 7.6 percent in 2003, the fastest growing area of health care spending. And meanwhile, Bush's health care proposals do nothing to control soaring health care costs. [Pharma Marketletter, 1/12/05]
• More than 130 million Americans breathe dirty, unhealthy air. Instead of working to change this, Bush's Clear Skies legislation would protect polluters and undermine further progress.
[Washington Post, 12/14/04; www.cleartheair.org]
-courtesy of the Democratic National Committee
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PLANET PATRIOT
Saturday, January 29, 2005
Renowned Gay Architect Dead
The force behind the 'International Style' of modern architecture dead at 98:
Openly gay architect Philip Johnson, whose austere 'glass box' buildings and latter-day more whimsical designs made him one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, has died at 98 in his New Canaan, Conn. home. He leaves behind his longtime lover of 45 years, David Whitney.
Johnson was one of architecture's most recognizable figures, with his trademark black, round-rimmed glasses that gave him a distinctive, owlish look.
Johnson's work, which spanned more than half a century, included one of San Francisco's most beautiful structures, 101 California Street. He was the major force behind the 'International Style' of modern architecture, epitomized by his design (along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) of the Seagram building in New York City. Yet, his influence became just as much post-modern and beyond.
With his business partner, John Burgee, Johnson also designed the AT&T building in New York City (now the Sony building); the Bank of America building in Houston, a 56-story tower of pink granite stepped back in a series of Dutch gable roofs; and the Cleveland Playhouse, a complex with the look and feel of an 11th-century town.
Despite Johnson's early dabblings in right-wing philosophy and politics, his later years were marked by great philanthropic endeavors (especially associated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City) and support of many progressive causes.
Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger pronounced him "the greatest architectural presence of our time. . .There's no question that he used his fame for the betterment of architecture. ."
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PLANET PATRIOT
Openly gay architect Philip Johnson, whose austere 'glass box' buildings and latter-day more whimsical designs made him one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, has died at 98 in his New Canaan, Conn. home. He leaves behind his longtime lover of 45 years, David Whitney.
Johnson was one of architecture's most recognizable figures, with his trademark black, round-rimmed glasses that gave him a distinctive, owlish look.
Johnson's work, which spanned more than half a century, included one of San Francisco's most beautiful structures, 101 California Street. He was the major force behind the 'International Style' of modern architecture, epitomized by his design (along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe) of the Seagram building in New York City. Yet, his influence became just as much post-modern and beyond.
With his business partner, John Burgee, Johnson also designed the AT&T building in New York City (now the Sony building); the Bank of America building in Houston, a 56-story tower of pink granite stepped back in a series of Dutch gable roofs; and the Cleveland Playhouse, a complex with the look and feel of an 11th-century town.
Despite Johnson's early dabblings in right-wing philosophy and politics, his later years were marked by great philanthropic endeavors (especially associated with the Museum of Modern Art in New York City) and support of many progressive causes.
Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger pronounced him "the greatest architectural presence of our time. . .There's no question that he used his fame for the betterment of architecture. ."
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PLANET PATRIOT
Friday, January 28, 2005
STOP Abstinence Only Sex Ed
Comprehensive sex education programs have been proven to reduce teenage pregnancy rates, yet no federal dollars are invested in these programs. Instead, funding has been poured into Abstinence Only Until Marriage programs, even though there is no evidence these programs work. And, according to a new report from Representative Henry Waxman (D-California), abstinence-only programs present false information about the effectiveness of condoms and the risk of abortion, as well as misinformation on other sexual and reproductive health issues.
Join the Sierra Club in it's efforts to Stop Abstinence Only Sex Ed! Tell your Congressperson to oppose funding for the Abstinence-Only Until Marriage program of the Bush administration.
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PLANET PATRIOT
Join the Sierra Club in it's efforts to Stop Abstinence Only Sex Ed! Tell your Congressperson to oppose funding for the Abstinence-Only Until Marriage program of the Bush administration.
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PLANET PATRIOT
Saturday, January 22, 2005
A Quote for Thought:
"Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives."
--- John Stuart Mill
--- John Stuart Mill
No Observers for Iraq Election Farce
As further evidence that the upcoming Iraqi 'elections' will be nothing but a farce, note this from today's Washington Post :
". . .There will be no neutral outside group deployed across Iraq to determine whether voters are impeded, ballot boxes are stuffed, any party tries to interfere with the process or votes are counted fairly. No congressional delegation will monitor the polls, and the European Union announced last week that it had declined an invitation from Iraq to send observers. The Carter Center, which has monitored more than 50 elections overseas, also decided not to send observers. . ."
The Sad Reality:
1) This 'election' can logistically be held in barely half the country, because of the actual control over much of the country by insurgents.
2) The parts of the country where a semblance of an 'election' can be held will be done under the threat of almost certain mayhem.
3) It is likely that no one, whether participants or not will accept the outcome.
Who does the Bush administration think it is fooling by going forward here? The frightening specter of civil war looms its head ever higher as this preposterous plan is carried out. All the while the administration hides it's head in the sand!
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PLANET PATRIOT
". . .There will be no neutral outside group deployed across Iraq to determine whether voters are impeded, ballot boxes are stuffed, any party tries to interfere with the process or votes are counted fairly. No congressional delegation will monitor the polls, and the European Union announced last week that it had declined an invitation from Iraq to send observers. The Carter Center, which has monitored more than 50 elections overseas, also decided not to send observers. . ."
The Sad Reality:
1) This 'election' can logistically be held in barely half the country, because of the actual control over much of the country by insurgents.
2) The parts of the country where a semblance of an 'election' can be held will be done under the threat of almost certain mayhem.
3) It is likely that no one, whether participants or not will accept the outcome.
Who does the Bush administration think it is fooling by going forward here? The frightening specter of civil war looms its head ever higher as this preposterous plan is carried out. All the while the administration hides it's head in the sand!
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PLANET PATRIOT
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Backlash Against Gays a Myth
--from Stonewall Democratic Club of San Francisco website at:
http://stonewallsf.tripod.com
Many in the LGBT community feel that the last election expressed the "backlash" of American society against the progress of the gay rights movement. We beg to differ. Read what Martin Luther King, Jr. had to say on the subject in relation to the black civil rights movement. He stated, “There is really no white backlash, because that gives the impression that the nation had decided it was going to solve this problem and then there was a step back because of development in the civil rights movement. Now, the fact is that America has been backlashing on the civil rights question for centuries now.… The backlash is merely the surfacing of prejudices, of hostilities, of hatreds and fears that already existed and they are just now starting to open.”
In actuality, 2004 was a year of great accomplishment in the battle for LGBT civil rights. We achieved things that once seemed impossible. This includes the 'legal' marriage of more than 4,000 couples in Massachusetts. A successful national lobbying campaign gained enough votes in Congress to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment. Plus, important decisions in the courts furthered our rights under the U. S. Constitution.
Our society has moved towards equality only when challenged. A "backlash" isn’t a reaction, it is the expression of resentments, misunderstandings and yes, hate that already exist just under the surface. Battles over civil rights are never easy, but throughout our nation’s history, these battles have resulted in the expansion of equality to people who had previously been denied them. So, take heart that our struggle will be won! We need but continue the fight.
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PLANET PATRIOT
http://stonewallsf.tripod.com
Many in the LGBT community feel that the last election expressed the "backlash" of American society against the progress of the gay rights movement. We beg to differ. Read what Martin Luther King, Jr. had to say on the subject in relation to the black civil rights movement. He stated, “There is really no white backlash, because that gives the impression that the nation had decided it was going to solve this problem and then there was a step back because of development in the civil rights movement. Now, the fact is that America has been backlashing on the civil rights question for centuries now.… The backlash is merely the surfacing of prejudices, of hostilities, of hatreds and fears that already existed and they are just now starting to open.”
In actuality, 2004 was a year of great accomplishment in the battle for LGBT civil rights. We achieved things that once seemed impossible. This includes the 'legal' marriage of more than 4,000 couples in Massachusetts. A successful national lobbying campaign gained enough votes in Congress to defeat the Federal Marriage Amendment. Plus, important decisions in the courts furthered our rights under the U. S. Constitution.
Our society has moved towards equality only when challenged. A "backlash" isn’t a reaction, it is the expression of resentments, misunderstandings and yes, hate that already exist just under the surface. Battles over civil rights are never easy, but throughout our nation’s history, these battles have resulted in the expansion of equality to people who had previously been denied them. So, take heart that our struggle will be won! We need but continue the fight.
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PLANET PATRIOT
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