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January 28, 2010 - Issue 360
 
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No Surprises
Leftward Ho!
By Peter Gamble
B
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So, the supreme court says corporations are people and can spend as much money as they want in political advertising. This news caused liberal pundits and media analysts to react in horror because to them, the ruling means that corporations will now have vast power over what average Americans think and who is elected to Congress.

What a non-surprise to be told the Pigs of the Power Structure (POPs) are going to have a powerful influence in the USA. We are told this by the same brainy analysts who had been reporting for some time about the severity of influence by insurance companies on the healthcare reform fight.

The liberals who think the high court decision about corporate political advertising is worse than the Dred Scott decision need to have their heads examined. As an aside, these are the same liberals who were horrified when Rev. Wright expressed his outrage over injustice in America, as if it was the first time they ever heard a militant, angry and impatient Black person express themselves.

The second big non-surprise came in the form of the effect the loss of the Democrats� super majority in the Senate will have. Oh �how horrible� the liberals cried, �now healthcare reform and everything else worthwhile is dead!.� Please. Healthcare reform was already dead � killed by the cowards in the Democratic party.

An authoritative source very close to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave BC a clear message about the power of the minority in the Senate when it comes to getting health reform passed. I received this information while trying to find out the difference between using a conference committee to work out differences in the House and Senate healthcare bills and the Democrats doing it behind closed doors

The following is the text of an email exchange beginning with an answer to my question as to whether there would be a conference committee.

On background, there will likely not be a formal conference because Republicans have pledged to not let us go to conference. Senator Reid has spoken with Speaker Pelosi and will continue to do so along with the White House as we move forward.

We would likely need 60 votes to pass the legislation.

They could force us to go through several procedural hurdles in order to even be able to appoint conferees to a conference committee.

Even if we did end up having a conference report from a conference committee, they could still force us to file cloture on the conference report. We would still need 60 votes to invoke cloture.

The unnamed source I am quoting is an individual who requested that any information be considered �on background�.� That meant the person was willing to give me a information on the condition that they not be named as a source.� It also means the person did not want to be caught dead� speaking on the record.

You may recall, Dubya never had a super majority in the Senate, but still managed to get things done. George W. succeeded because the Republican Party fought for the results they wanted.

Leadership in America reminds me of a neighbor of mine. One day while walking my dogs past his house, I observed him working in the garden. My greeting of �looking good there bro� resulted in his statement �I do as I�m told.�

Every single significant change for economic justice, social justice and peace to come out of Congress was the result of movements by the American People. This Congress and this president are no different. Obama and members of Congress do as they are told, so we have got to tell them what to do in a clear, loud voice.

Movements by people like us have accomplished a lot � including ending slavery, creating a 40-hour work week, getting women the vote, outlawing segregation and ending the Vietnam War.

If the corporations show their greedy side in their usual form, they will go too far and even the stupidest low-information voter will learn very quickly how to use the ballot to send the clearest most powerful message there is.

Your representative in Congress must also hear from you between elections. I believe it is best to make contact as an individual. You can also sign petitions or take part in mass email campaigns, but mass efforts are often more easily ignored by members of Congress. An individual call, letter or email is better than what looks to them like a form letter. So here are the links for you to use to find your representatives in the House and Senate:

*For the U.S. House of Representatives: http://www.house.gov/ (enter your zip code in the upper left corner of the page)

*For the U.S. Senate: http://senate.gov/ (choose your state using the drop down menu in the upper right corner)

*White House Comment Line - 202.456.1111 

*White House Switchboard - 202.456.1414

*White House Website contact form: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Now is not the time to run in fear of the POPs. In the past, we�ve braved fear to stand up and fight oppression in any form. We know how to make them listen. It is also going to be necessary to hit the bricks in large numbers. Money may talk, but BS walks!

BlackCommentator.com Publisher and Chief Technical Officer Peter Gamble, is the recipient of a national Sigma Delta Chi award for public service in journalism and numerous other honors for excellence in reporting and investigative reporting. The �beats� he covered as a broadcast journalist ranged from activism in the streets to the State Department and White House. The lure of a personal computer on his desk inspired a career change in 1985 and an immersion into what he sees as the future of communications. The acquisition of computer programming skills made it possible for Peter to achieve an important level of self-reliance in the technology of the 21st century and to develop BlackCommentator.com. Click here to contact Peter.

 
 
 
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