Inside the Belly of the Beltway Beast

As a Green, I am extremely concerned about global warming. Finally, even conservatives are beginning to acknowledge the current reality of global warming and what this could mean for rising ocean levels. Our local Pacifica Radio station, WPFW, was discussing new findings today. And then I ran across the following article. Signing onto the Kyoto Protocols should be just the first step for our government. By William Neikirk Chicago Tribune (MCT) WASHINGTON - Left unchecked, global warming could drive the world economy into a depression similar to the devastating downturn of the 1930s, the British government said Monday in a report that appeared designed to influence politics in the United States. The report, written by Nicholas Stern, head of the British Government Economic Service and a former World Bank economist, said the environmental cost of global warming could range between 5 percent and 20 percent of the world's gross domestic product, or total annual economic output, after 2...

I went last night with a couple good friends to see "Death of a President," one a frequent co-protestor and the other a very long-time friend and fellow native of D.C. We celebrated my birthday at a very good Chinese restaurant in the now rapidly dwindling Chinatown before we headed for Landmark's E Street Cinema. This is a great theater with a lot of very good independent and foreign films. It is also the only theater in the D.C. area to show this controversial film. The acting is kind of mediocre, as I was unimpressed and couldn't suspend disbelief while watching the supposed heartfelt reflections of a Chicago police officer, an FBI agent, a Secret Service agent and President Bush's speechwriter on the infamous day of October 19, 2007. That's the day President Bush is assassinated. The actual shooting, in the lobby of a downtown Chicago hotel was kind of unexciting, and although the outcome of discovering who was indeed the assassin was unsurprising -- it wa...

Please join The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture (WRRCAT) on Tuesday October 17, at 9:00 am in front of the White House to demonstrate our profound opposition to the "Military Commissions Act." DAWN and Montgomery County Peace Action have endorsed this action, as well as others. President Bush is expected to sign the bill into law during a ceremony at the White House. The law would fundamentally change American interpretation of the Geneva Conventions. We'd like to have a sizable number outside of the White House to convey to the American public that there are still some Americans who support Common Article 3, of the Geneva Convention that prohibits "cruel," "humiliating" and "degrading treatment" and "outrages upon personal dignity." President Bush and the US Congress contend that this language is vague. The President claims it doesn't give "clear" guidance about what is permitted and what is prohi...

I have begun my search for a job, which will have some meaning for me and will hopefully be personally rewarding. A good part of this afternoon, I will spend working on my resume and checking out a bunch of different progressive non-profit organizations on the Web. Here are a few I am very interested in: Peace Action U.S. Public Interest Research Group Friends Committee on National Legislation Public Citizen Regarding USPIRG, I noticed one of their canvasers today outside of my work. If you see these young guys and gals around town, talk to them. Sign their petition, offer to buy them lunch. They are doing some great work, and the work is very demanding! Here are some of the important environmental campaigns they have taken on right now: USPIRG Campaigns I guess the environment is something I have not yet taken on in my blog. Of course the earth is our home, and there's more all of us could do. I do make my best attempts to buy only recycled paper products. I am the only one in my ...

On Tuesday Mari Blome, Katie Heald, David Barrows and I appeared in court in regarding the unlwaful entry charge stemming from the May 18th Rumsfeld protest. We were prepared to go to trial, which will be a jury trial since the maximum sentence is six months in prison. However, the matter has been postponed until November 6th. I am not very hopeful of getting much media attention, as this is the day before the election. Mari (Tobi) and Katie are associated with Code Pink. David and I are with the D.C. Anti-War Network (DAWN). We continue to be enthusiastic about arguing our first amendment rights before a jury of our peers. One supporter joining us in the court house was the brave Eve Tetaz, an over-70 local peace activist who was also with us on 9/26 and 9/27. On 9/26 (the Senate side action) Eve was knocked to the ground by aggressive Capitol Hill Police and recieved a large bump to her head before being arrested. The very next day (the House side action) she chose to risk arrest, an...

On September 26th and 27th, two wonderful coalitions came together on Capitol Hill to express nonviolently their outrage over the war and occupationof Iraq. On Tuesday 71 people were arrested in three different locations focusing on the Senate. On Wednesday 26 people were arrested in front of the House Rayburn office building, and soon after three women were arrested in the House gallery during a debate over a bill which will now gradually scale back habeas corpus, the guiding light of our judicial system. Both days got scant media coverage, but both the National Campaign of Nonviolent Resistance and the Declaration of Peace became stronger and are already contemplating future actions. I was arrested among the second group on Tuesday, as we blocked one entrance to the Russell Senate Office Building. Before us, a group mostly from Baltimore were arrested as they tried to bring a coffin with pictures of the war dead to the West Lawn of the Capitol. After us, about 40 were arrested inside...