www.partizane.com

Governor Sarah Palin announced today that she will resign as Governor of Alaska.  I was listening to FOX news when I heard this. They interviewed her brother, Chuck Heath, over the phone, and the man sounded like he was on the verge of tears to me.  He said that his sister is stepping down, because she is constantly having to defend herself.  There has been a non-stop media onslaught of nastiness and insults on her and her family, since Sarah first stepped on the stage as John McCain’s choice for VP.  Then there are the frivolous accusations of ethics violations that she has been accused of.  Her legal bills are astronomical.  Her brother says that Sarah doesn’t feel like she can give the office the time and attention it deserves in light of these things.  She feels she will be a "lame duck" Governor, and therefore, not effective in the office.

I decided to go around and check out some of the blogs I used to read, before they got drenched with kool-aid, to see what their reaction to Sarah‘s resignation was.  I found pretty much what I expected to find.  Remember that these are the same brilliant people who voted for Barack Obama for President, so you can’t expect anything but nasty, disgusting or misogynistic comments.  These are some of the comments I found:

"Freedoms Forge"...by Jim Ticehurst (Mountain Lion)

They first Landed upon the Atlantic Shores

Of a brave New Land  that Opened Its Doors..

To The Dreams of those Who Would be Free

Seeking Only Peace and Place of Harmony....

They Came Not wanting a War or to Fight.

Only to Follow the Path of Freedoms Light...

To find a new home and make a Stand

As They Would build a nation and make it Grand ...

Pilgrims, Peasants,Poor or Rich they Came

In Gods Creation They were All The Same...

Creating a Nation Not Ruled by Hate

Following Destiny, Dreams and unknown Fate...

Uniting as a PEOPLE ..That Tyrrany might Fall

They Gathered in Numbers at Independence Hall

A Hand Written Document would Soon Declare..

Liberty and Justice Had Brought them There...

A Continental Army  Joined to Carry the Fight

At Valley Forge....The Fires Burned Bright...

That United The Colonies in a Just Revolution

Creating thier Freedom and a New Constitution..

Those Banners Pass on From Sister and Brother

To Make this GREAT Nation Unlike Any Other ....,.

America was Built on Blood...Sweat...and Tears..

There was a revival of folk music in this country and in Britain after WWII, when folk music was embraced by Americans as the cultural antithesis of popular music. This Land Is Your Land is one of America’s most famous and beloved folk songs. It's a song we love to hear on national holidays like the 4th of July, but few Americans know Woody Guthrie, whose photo is on the left, wrote it in response to Irving Berlin’s God Bless America and originally titled the song, God Blessed America for Me.

The lyrics were first penned by Guthrie in 1940, but the lyrics of This Land Is Your Land were sung by Guthrie with different words at various times, perhaps to enhance his political viewpoint at one particular time and to be more politically correct on another. How can it be so hard to lock down the verses of a song? Check out the last three verses of Guthrie’s song below:

This upcoming Saturday is July 4th and our nation’s 233rd birthday.  The 4th is usually a big day for family and friends to get together and celebrate.  Where I live, you can go outside around noon, and the air is filled with the smell of hotdogs and hamburgers cookin’ on the grill.  You can hear the sounds of children and music playing.  After the sun goes down, the fireworks begin.  I remember my cat, Frisbee, who is no longer with me, used to be scared to death of the noise of the firecrackers.  He used to hide once they started-up.  I like to watch the concert on TV that the Boston Pops puts on.  I love it when they play Tchaicovsky’s 1812 Overture.

I see another diaspora on the tubes. 

Some of our friends are closing shop and others are just quieting down.  Many people are just running out of things to say since it's been such a long strange trip.  I'm sometimes wordless for days on end, but Partizane is fine when I shut up because, well because we're sort of a team and there'll be somebody posting in my absence.

We're like many blogs that have a group of writers, yet we're different too. But I'll come back to that in a bit.

A little of my own history and what drove me to create this experiment in adult communications.  I think it was Cal who ealier today called it an experiment and I think that hit the nail on the head. 

So,  I can be a royal pain in the butt.  I'm one of those snarky, ADHD commenters that can sometimes torment a serious blogger.  I can also be very serious myself and take things like my belief in women a little too seriously at times.  I'm a Dennis Kucinich lover, but a realist Clinton Democrat.  Wait!.  I'm no longer a Democrat since formally becoming an Indi this spring.

The June issue of Fortune Magazine has an article about the Federal Budget and the impact of Obama’s plan for the economy on the national debt. In “We Owe What?”, Shawn Tully estimates that each of us has a $155,000 share in the projected US debt. (Yikes!) The article argues that our national debt will rise so high that the most probable way of reducing it will be a VAT (Value-Added Tax).

A VAT would tax purchases at 10-15% and generate the money needed to pay for the POTUS’ agenda and balance the budget. It would be imposed like a Federal Sales Tax and be paid along the chain of production by both wholesalers and retailers. A product gets more expensive as it goes through the production process and moves from wholesale to retail to consumer.

There he is.  The latest Senator from the land of a zillion lakes.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/30/franken.ruling/index.html

CNN

(CNN) -- Minnesota's Supreme Court has dismissed former Sen. Norm Coleman's challenge to the state's November election results and declared Democratic challenger Al Franken the winner.

The court's unanimous, unsigned opinion declared that Franken "received the highest number of votes legally cast" and is entitled "to receive the certificate of election as United States senator from the state of Minnesota."

i am so busy at work and as they say, that's much better than the alternative.

As I work, I'm listenning to the blues.  This one is for my best friends.  You know who you are.

I'm busy spinning the wheels of web hosting.  Cleaning up useless pain in the ass server hacks and viruses.  Upgrading some accounts to bigger servers and listenning to the boss cry about getting new products out the door.

So anything new on the blogs? 

I found some good political cartoons.  Enjoy!

I subscribe to Harper's Magazine. Although the editors and contributors drank the Kool-Aid many moons ago, it is still a genuinely left-leaning publication, with a left-leaning perspective and many fascinating articles for us librul types to peruse. Imagine my shock when the July issue arrived in my mailbox, with the words "Barack Hoover Obama: The Best and the Brightest Blow it Again - By Kevin Baker" displayed prominently on the cover.

Intrigued, I started reading. (Apologies to non-subscribers, but the link is pay-only.) The usual nauseating, opinion-masquerading-as-fact, obligatory fawning and drooling ensued.

Enough, already! 

For the fourth straight day I am staring at non-stop front-page coverage of Michael Jackson's death.  The reaction to Jackson's death is on a par with that when JFK was assassinated and even greater than that when Bobby was killed.  This is ludicrous!  I'm desperate for news from Iran and it's buried under a mountain of stories about Jackson.  This morning's CBS mainpage lists eleven stories at the top.  Six of them are on Michael Jackson.

Funny but all I can think is: Up Yours DNC!

http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2009/06/democrats-work-to-avoid-2008-primary-strife.html

Democrats Work To Avoid 2008 Primary Strife

June 27, 2009 12:09 PM

New York Times Op-Ed columnist Roger Cohen has been reporting from Tehran, consistantly reporting on the plight and strength of the women.  Todayy he speaks to us and also to President Obama.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/27/opinion/27cohen.html

Their courage and pain haunt me. We need Delacroix to paint them. We need President Obama to put engagement — still the right medium-term objective — on hold in their name.

He is asking Obama to put the rights of women, human rights, on the table as part of his "engagement" process.  I ask, where is the Secretary of State, a women who I know places women's rights at the forefront of almost any discussion.

I don't know where she is.  But I ask that all readers of this blog, please go and read Cohen's piece.  I will only quote parts.

I’ve just come across some information of a new appointment that I’d like to share with you.  Lynn Rosenthal has been chosen to be the White House Advisor on Violence Against Women.  This is a new position, and Rosenthal will advise President Obama and Vice President Biden on domestic violence and sexual assault issues.  Rosenthal will coordinate with Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women on the implementation of Violence Against Women Act programs.  She will also coordinate with the State Department and USAID on global domestic violence initiatives.

Lynn Rosenthal is a life-long advocate for women and is an expert on domestic violence policy.  She served as the executive director of the National Network to End Domestic Violence (NNEDV) from 2000 to 2006.  Rosenthal began working as a domestic violence advocate in her home state of Florida.  She became the director of the Florida Coalition Against Domestic Violence before going on to became executive director of NNEDV.  For years, Lynn Rosenthal has been working to educate members of Congress about domestic violence issues and was a key figure in getting the Violence Against Women Act signed into law.  She recently served as executive director of the New Mexico Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Michael Died.  Farrah is finally at peace.  A governor finally has a wife who shows him the door.  i have to go hay the lawn after a month of rain.

Kal's cartoon from The Economist

My daughter forwarded this email update from Eve Ensler of V-Day. Eve's message is pertinent to Partizane, so I'm posting it here.

Congo Update From Eve

Dear Friends,
It is almost 4AM and I am awake in Bukavu. I find myself filled with so many images of the recent days here. I think being in the Congo, one is forced to hold the extreme duality of this century in almost every breath and image. I find myself alternatively believing we are at the beginning of real change and revolution and simultaneously at the end of all possibility.

I am there in Kinshasa where 5 brave women survivors break the silence in front of 500 people -- members of Parliament, Senators, activists. There, as they tell their stories, Janet limping to the microphone on a cane as she vividly tells of how they ripped her legs over her head so violently when they raped her they made her permanently handicapped. I listen to the women form words around such cruelty and am simultaneously crushed by the horror and how easily one becomes accustomed to atrocity. How 500 people politely listen to such crimes against women's bodies and do not stand, scream, rush into the streets demanding justice.

While the world mourns Michael Jackson, my thoughts are with a woman who began her career as one of a nearly naked trio of angels belonging to Charlie.  She is remembered for being the subject of the best-selling poster of all time, with more than 12 million copies sold.

Fawcett played one of three undercover, underclothed crime fighters and "Charlie's Angels" became an enormous hit and cultural phenomenon, working to redefine gender roles.

"What we had for the first time were women operating in what was heretofore a man's world," Goldberg said.

But after only one year, Fawcett walked away from the show at the height of her fame to explore a career in film -- a move, the star told Walters, she did not regret.

But she knew she was more than just a body; she knew women were more than just bodies and deserving of consideration and respect as human beings. 

I will always remember her for her role in bringing the horrible treatment of women to the public's attention.

Before all the terrible stories, publicity, and public scrutiny, there was just a young boy with a great deal of talent. I remember Michael Jackson today, because of his gifts and because I don't really know what else is true:

They started the America’s Got Talent auditions this past Monday night.  I love this show, because anybody can try out.  It doesn’t matter who you are, how old you are or what your talent is...anything goes.  Three siblings were the last to audition during this first show. These three wonderfully talented kids call themselves “The Voices of Glory.”  They have amazing voices, and their story will melt your heart. These young people are already stars in my book, and they are on their way to great things.                  

I will be wearing green this Friday, June 26, to show my support for the People of Iran.

Will you join me Partizanes?

White House press conference, Tuesday, June 23:

Major Garrett, Fox News, asked president Obama a question about his delayed substantive response to the events in Iran: "What took you so long?"

Now, it seems we have the answer: 

Iran media: Obama sent secret letter of support to Khamenei before election

US and Iranian sources report that before Iran's presidential election, the Obama administration sent a secret letter to its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei calling for "cooperation in regional and bilateral relations" and a resolution of the dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Tonight, George Orwell’s 1984 becomes a reality in America as ABC NEWS relinquishes its role as an independent American news outlet and fully embraces the position that many of us have suspected it has coveted for awhile. Mark it in your calendars; on the night of June 24, 2009, Charlie Gibson will deliver World News from the Blue Room in the White House, and the media and the federal government will officially become one and the same. After Gibson’s Orwellian moment, ABC will throw caution to the wind and turn its programming over to the POTUS and his groupies as they push for government health care.

They have been fighting the Mullahs for almost 2000 years.

The women of Persia, the Women of Iran, have fought this battle since the Arabs invaded in 623AD.  I believe what I've been reading on a few un-verified websites.  I believe the history and the truth has been hidden, or at least not mentioned in order to appease the bastards who have ruled that land for 30 years.

Oil you see, is more valuable than Women.  More valuable than Human Rights.

So I browsed the webs after hearing so much in the last few days about the women who want to reclaim their Persian identity.  Many don't realize that Iran is not an Arab land.  Definition time.

New York Times OpEd June 22, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/opinion/23herbert.html

Herbert nails the administration on their being no better than the bushies when it comes to the erosion of our basic rights.  For the life of me I don't understand how the majority of Americans can support keeping GITMO open.   Maybe they just don't understand the underlying principle at stake here.

Maybe they don't care if they or a loved one is arrested and thrown in prison for suspicion of terrorism.  Never charged, never found guilty, never released.  Maybe they don't care.

By BOB HERBERT
Published: June 22, 2009

Policies that were wrong under George W. Bush are no less wrong because Barack Obama is in the White House.

One of the most disappointing aspects of the early months of the Obama administration has been its unwillingness to end many of the mind-numbing abuses linked to the so-called war on terror and to establish a legal and moral framework designed to prevent those abuses from ever occurring again.

 

I am so very conflicted about Iran.  I want Obama to scream and yell his support for the revolution, yet i don't want him to give the Iranian regime the excuse they want to crack down harder on those people.  I think today he gave the Iranians the strongest support he could without outright calling the Islamic Republic Illegit. 

This is one of those times when I have no idea what to do.  I am personally a lousy negotiator and poor verbal communicator.

When I have no idea what is best I must trust my President and trust in the hope that he is using his Secretary of State in developing the calcualted response today.

We have seen the video; we know her name was Neda. Her story is slowly unfolding and knowing the specifics of her life adds to the tragedy of her death. Some online commentators have said that her dying image ranks alongside that of the 1989 unnamed man standing in front of a Red Army tank in Tiananmen Square. I remember that man in Beijing and I always will; so I know that I will remember Neda.

I prefer the picture of Neda on the left to that in the video. The photo shows the sweetness, depth and promise of the young woman who was murdered in Iran. I think she would like to be remembered like that.

We have learned that Neda means “voice” or “call” in Farsi. It seems sadly appropriate given the circumstances. Her spirit speaks out loud and clear.

It is not known who killed Neda, but according to a doctor on the scene she was gunned down viciously and purposefully with one shot directly to the heart. How much hate must someone have in their spirit to gun down another human being? Did he hate the young girl, because she was speaking out against the regime; or was it simply because Neda was a “she”? We’ll probably never know, like other cowards he shrouds himself in anonymity.