Obama Starting to Confront Clinton

Tonight there was another Democratic presidential candidate debate at Drexel University in Pennsylvania. This time Obama took Hillary Clinton to task on her record and her evasion of questions. While many of the other candidates, such as Edwards and Biden attacked Clinton as well, Obama continued to promote his positive message and made the case for his being more of a uniter than Hillary Clinton could be. I'm glad to have seen Obama handle this well. He is not a negative campaigner and it is obvious that this sort of distinction-drawing with fellow Democrats does not come easily, but he handled himself well, and I firmly expect the polls to reflect a loss for Clinton and a gain for Obama. I think Obama has a real shot at winning the Iowa caucus. I hope Obama has gained the momentum he needs and this will carry him though to the final election as President!

Quintin Mecke for Mayor of San Francisco!

It seems a forgone conclusion that Gavin Newsom will be reelected mayor in November. I originally supported him when I moved to the City. But I have been increasingly disheartened by his lack of leadership in several areas. But recently, Newsom endorsed the hawkish, chameleon-like Hillary Clinton for President. That was enough. After that, he had definitely lost my vote. So, I started to see if there was anyone running whom I could support. It is difficult because Newsom has had no real opposition in this election cycle. But I did find someone who is starting to get the attention of several groups in the city - Quintin Mecke. I have read up on his stands on various issues and must say his positions are much more in keeping with the spirit of San Francisco. His stands on crime, homelessness, and transportation are better than those of our current mayor. I fully support Mecke for mayor and hope that San Franciscans take the time to learn more about him before they vote.

Rising Fascism in America

We live in very frightening times. I have been very critical of many changes taking place in America since President Bush's "election" and the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Many things disturbed me, as one would expect - me being a liberal Democrat opposed to the Neo-Conservative George W. Bush. But soon, events and actions taken by the administration and its supporters were beginning to worry me in more than a difference-of-ideology way. Dissent of the president's actions were being framed as "unamerican" or characterized as supporting "the enemy". Things seemed to be getting worse with the invasion of Iraq, abuses of prisoners, secret prisons, warrantless wiretapping, harassment of administration critics, usage of mercenaries, and the flagrant disregard of the law and the Constitution. All these things disturbed me. But after reading Naomi Wolf's The End of America, I see all these events not as the isolated excesses of an abusive and incompetent neo-conservative administration, but as part of a disturbing trend leading to the establishment of a totalitarian even fascist regime in America.
I know that some will think that I am overreacting. But Wolf presents a well-reasoned, thorough comparison of recent events in America with the rise of totalitarian regimes and the destruction of democracy movements in 1920s Italy, 1930s Germany, East Germany in the 1950s, Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, Chile in 1973, and China in the 1980s and 1990s. Wolf argues (quite convincingly) that leaders always take 10 steps when their societies become totalitarian closed and undemocratic. These steps are as follows: 1) Invoke an internal and external threat. (This can be real or imaginary. In our case, the threat of terrorism is certainly real.) 2) Establish secret prisons. (Such as the secret CIA prisons that are being operated by the Bush administration. 3) Develop a paramilitary force. (Such as Blackwater.) 4) Surveil ordinary civilians. (This was being done illegally and it continues.) 5) Infiltrate citizens' groups. 6) Arbitrarily detain and release citizens. 7) Target key individuals. 8) Restrict the press. 9) Cast criticism as espionage and dissent as treason. 10) Subvert the rule of law. ( How many laws are being broken - we may never know thanks to the evocation of executive privilege by current and former Whitehouse officials and the "forgetfulness" of administration officials.
The founding fathers of America worried about the rise of an all-powerful executive. We may dismiss this notion "It can't happen in America... ...we overthrew the rule of a monarch and democracy is so beloved here..." But we should remember the lessons of history. In ancient Rome, the monarchy was overthrown and a republic established. The revulsion of the kings ran strong and deep in roman society until the rise of all-powerful executives came to power and Rome came to be ruled by an emperor. In Germany and Italy, Mussolini and Hitler came to power legally - though the use and abuse of democratic governments. Am I worried that Bush will enter Washington D.C. with an army and proclaim himself dictator-for-life? No, but I do worry that the damage that this administration has done to our republic may have closed the door on our open society in the guise of protecting us from a handful of religious fanatics.

A final thought: Right now, just by reading this, your computer activities may be monitored by government officials. Perhaps the words terrorist and September 11 got their attention. You might be added to a list whereby you might not be able to fly on a commerical airliner. When you try to fly, you could be detained, strip searched and held without being charged. If it is the whim of the President (or perhaps even a minor official) you may be labeled an enemy combatant and flown to a secret prison where you could be drugged, sleep deprived and forced to stand for days without rest and put into solitary confinement. (This is not considered torture by the administration.) Your family, friends and employer may wonder where you are as your detention would be classified as a state secret. You could be tired in a secret military tribunal with secret evidence that you and your consul are not permitted to see. Any contact permitted with your lawyer could be monitored perhaps by the same people prosecuting you. An overzealous contractor might "interrogate" you to death without much fear of punishment. This is a real possibility under current interpretations of the law. Does this sound like anything that could happen in a free society? This is truly frightening. This is NOT the America I learned about in school. This sounds more like what could happen to one under a fascist regime...

Obama Needs to Draw Sharp Distinctions With Clinton

In the latest MSNBC Democratic primary presidential debate, most of the candidates attacked Hillary Clinton to some degree. But Barrack Obama seemed to be content to let the other candidates attack Clinton, while he either stressed more of a more positive message or saved his attacks for the disastrous Bush administration's policies. Normally, I would applaud such an approach, but I fear that he is not showing the public enough of the differences that he has with Clinton. While I dislike negative politics, I think its time to draw that contrast sharply. I do not want Clinton to be the Democratic candidate in 2008. If Clinton were elected, things would be better than under Bush - but that is not saying much. That would be true for just about anyone . I fear that Clinton would be "Bush Lite", thanks to he aggressive hawkishness and willingness to give ground to a GOP unwilling to budge in their convictions. I hope that Obama can show the voters an honest and truthful distinction that can show why he would make an excellent President. The facts are in his favor. His positions are more in tune with the Democratic party as a whole and the American public in general. After what will then unfortunately be 8 years of near hell, the U.S. (and the world) will need Barack Obama. I wish him the best of luck, pledge my support and will do all that I am able to do to convince others that he will make an extraordinary President.