Tax cigarettes, not clothes

I was glad to hear that Corzine's budget advisors advised against a clothing sales tax in New Jersey, according to the Star-Ledger. The lack of sales tax IMHO is one of the things that helps keep New Jersey viable for consumers and businesses, especially out-of-state consumers. I come from the perspective of someone who grew up in Westchester County and used to go shopping in Paramus several times per year because of the lack of sales tax. Not only do out-of-state shoppers buy clothing, they eat in restaurants, buy gas in New Jersey, and pay tolls on the Parkway and Turnpike.

But the Republicans who are railing against any taxes are playing politics and not living in a reality-based world. New Jersey is going to have to attack our $5 million deficit from many directions. A gas tax is not out of the question, but I think the best way to increase revenues is to bump up the cigarette tax. Yes, New Jersey is already second in the nation when it comes to our cigarette tax (we tax a whopping $2.40 per pack, second only to Rhode Island which taxes $2.46 per pack), but why not be number one in something? With the law making it illegal to smoke in bars and restaurants taking effect in April, it makes sense. It is not only a matter of revenues but a matter of public health. Smokers cost the state $2.9 billion each year in health care costs.

The tax is regressive in a way, because a higher percentage of working class people tend to smoke cigarettes, so it will take a larger chunk of their income than rich smokers. But as a smoker who is trying to quit, I see the use not only in terms of health but also in terms of money. I'm struggling, but in the past week I've bought only two packs of cigarettes, compared to the usual four or five, and it makes a difference in my wallet. I believe that cigarettes should be illegal anyway, so a cigarette tax is a logical move for me and I advocate a sharp increase - perhaps to $2.60. That would be a significant increase in revenues each year, provided people keep smoking.

One argument for raising the cigarette tax is that New Jersey ranks 46th in the number of adults who smoke each day. I have no data that show a correlation between that figure and our high tax, but it can't hurt to raise the tax some more.

More information on the cigarette tax can be found here at the Policy Research Institute for the Region at Princeton University.

MSNBC boycott

Had some free time today and I made several calls, to Turbo Tax (don't use them this year, go to H&R Block), Toyota, Verizon, and several calls to MSNBC regarding the irresponsible Chris Matthews, a supposed journalist who doesn't even correct his mistakes and equates liberals with terrorists (O'Reilly beat him on that one long ago). Visit Open Letter to Chris Matthews for more information and contact numbers.

Don't forget that these media companies are using the PUBLIC'S airwaves, and should answer to us before any corporate board of directors. They have an obligation to keep us informed with accurate, reliable information. As far as Chris Matthews' Hardball is concerned, MSNBC is failing miserably.

Crimes Against Humanity Hearings and How I Met An American Hero

So I met Ray McGovern, a retired CIA veteran analyst of 27 years.

Mr. McGovern isn't very tall and he is very soft-spoken. But I was star-struck nonetheless.

I was sitting on the floor of a large multipurpose room at Riverside Church in Manhattan. My friend and I went there to hear the testimony to the International Commission of Inquiry On Crimes Against Humanity Committed by the Bush Administration. I hadn't been there for more than five minutes - practically every seat was taken as Barbara Olshansky from the Center for Constitutional Rights spoke about the treatment of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. I was sitting on my wool coat when two older white-haired men walked by and I immediately recognized McGovern. He has been a hero of mine since I first saw him, which I believe was in the movie "Uncovered" by Robert Greenwald - a fabulous documentary. McGovern then went on to impress me as he sat next to a then-relatively-unknown Cindy Sheehan at the basement hearings on the Downing Street Minutes led by Rep. John Conyers, another American hero.

McGovern speaks truth to power and he does it so well. I love him. He was so nice and about two hours after I briefly introduced myself and thanked him for everything he's done, he spoke to me and my friend for a few minutes about how much work it is going to take to get the war criminal out of the White House. McGovern will go to Washington on Feb. 2 for the "Presentation of the Verdicts" with the rest of Not in Our Name.

Anyway, I couldn't take notes at the hearings because I stupidly left my notebook at home. It was okay cause I was so star-struck by McGovern (what does that say about me that I am a groupie for a retired intelligence analyst?) that I doubt I could have controlled my pen.

Fortunately, a lot of the testimony was nothing new to me, especially the testimony of Janis Karpinski, the brigadier general once in charge of Abu Ghraib and other detention centers in Iraq. What was new to me from her was hearing just how out of the loop she was and how meetings and investigations were conducted behind her back, simply because she was a woman with experience who played by the rules. When she first saw the Abu Ghraib photos, the ones we all have seen - the naked piles, the leash, the dogs - she could not believe what she saw.

Also, she said that women U.S. soldiers were forced to cross the barracks late at night to go to the bathroom and there was a lot of sexual assault as a result. Of course, no one would see to it that a closer restroom could be built. So to keep from having to make the dangerous trek, these women would not drink after 4 p.m. Problem is, it's hot as hell in Iraq and some of them would die of dehydration! And not just that, but General Sanchez asked people not to list the cause of death anymore as dehydration. This is all according to Karpinski. She received a standing ovation, and I'm thinking of purchasing her book, "One Woman's Army."

For me the most fascinating testimony came from Craig Murray, former British ambassador to Uzbekistan, that paragon of human rights that is our close ally in the war on terror (or maybe the war in Iraq, or maybe the Global Struggle Against Extremism). He said that 1 of every 8 people in Uzbekistan is a member of a police force or secret police, so they spy on each other...during interrogations, when you get dipped in boiling liquid, it's only to your chest, so you're conscious the whole time (I thought maybe they just threw you in there - one woman received her husband's body in a sealed coffin, Murray said; when she opened it, he had been battered and you could see that his whole body from the chest down was scalded). America last year, or the year before, or annually (this is why I wish I had my notebook) gave $500 million to Uzbekistan, and that was more aid than we gave to every sub-Saharan West African country combined. And $80 million of that went straight to the Uzbek secret police. GREAT. Oh, and we use bad intelligence ALL THE TIME from Uzbekistan. intelligence that was obtained via torture. So while they were torturing long before the CIA entered the picture, the CIA and USA are creating a demand for this (bad) intelligence, and hence keeping the torturous cycle in Uzbekistan going.

Poor Uzbeks. Uzbekistan, Murray said, is the world's second largest exported of cotton, and a huge fraction of Uzbeks work on cotton plantations. They can't leave, they make 7 cents a day and they work 12 hours a week, six hours a day.

Secret police, forced labor, torture, citizen spies...sounds like a lovely place, no? And these are our allies. It's quite disgusting.

I bought a black T-shirt at the event that says "WANTED FOR MASS MURDER" then has photos of Tweedledee (Cheney) and Tweedledum (Bush), Condi Rice, and Mike Chertoff. I wore it home and kept it on when I went to this little Italian deli in Emerson. Got many looks, but no one said anything. I also bought a button that says "Fascism Happens," and took a roll of stickers from the World Can't Wait folks, who are buzzing about organizing for their State of the Union events and subsequent rally in D.C. Bush - you's outta here!!!

As usual, Kos hits the nail on the head

...in this post responding to Andrew Sullivan's disparaging remarks.

What idiots like Sullivan don't understand is that institutions like MoveOn and Daily Kos are a reaction to the Right Wing's tactics for the past 20 years. We are a reaction to the politics of personal destruction pioneered by the right's Clinton-hating brigades, the vile and corrosive rhetoric of Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter, and company, and the politics of demonization which the Right practices against blacks, immigrants, and gays.

But when someone on the left fights back, it's the end of the fucking world.

I understand that it was easier for right-wing hacks to ply their trash when liberals unilaterally disarmed and took it with nary a peep. I understand they pine for those days when the best we could offer in rebuttal was Alan Colmes.

But they created the environment we now play in. They wanted a "culture war", an ideological fight, a partisan rumble in which only one side brought guns to the game. Those days are over.

Freeway blogging is cool

Going to make some freeway blogging signs today. Check out the Impeach Project and Freeway Blogger. Then spread the word. You gotta do your part.

This week, I have called, faxed, and e-mailed Sen. Lautenberg's office, called Sen. Specter's office, called and e-mailed Sen. Feingold's office, attended a meeting and volunteered time to my county Democratic organization. I passed out flyers about World Can't Wait. Not to mention the daily news reading and analyzing on blogs. It has been a busy week. But, I believe, we are at a critical moment.

What have you done?

Saw this one coming

Posted by Patriot Daily News Clearinghouse at Daily Kos. Just in time for Feb. 4. Damn, these motherf'ers are really serious about this fascism shit. The question now is, are you willing to go down to defeat these people or will you submit to their will?:

Bush wants to create the new criminal of "disruptor" who can be jailed for the crime of "disruptive behavior." A "little-noticed provision" in the latest version of the Patriot Act will empower Secret Service to charge protesters with a new crime of "disrupting major events including political conventions and the Olympics." Secret Service would also be empowered to charge persons with "breaching security" and to charge for "entering a restricted area" which is "where the President or other person protected by the Secret Service is or will be temporarily visiting." In short, be sure to stay in those wired, fenced containments or free speech zones.

Time for some vicious campaign commercials

Man, if I don't see some viciousness in the upcoming 2006 campaign cycle - from the Democrats - I'm going to be pissed.

F*#k the high road. F*#k the middle road. We need to get LOW.

I don't want to see any color commercials from the DNC. I want all slow, grainy black-and-white footage of Jack Abramoff coming out of court looking like a 1930s hitman.

In a split-screen shot, I want DeLay waltzing out of court with that smarmy smile on his face. And I want a low, growling voice that says, "These old and dear friends took $1 million from the Russians and helped Moscow bail out that country's economy. All the while letting your children foot the bill - potentially $2 trillion - for the war in Iraq. Whose side are they on?"

I want a grainy ad of Ralph Reed, campaigning, hand-shaking, smarming it up, and then I want our friendly voice to chime in - "This supposed religious leader took money to stop a casino from being built, just so another one could go up. How did he do it? - 'We want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them. The wackos get their information from the Christian right." Republicans - they use your religion to line their pockets."

I want an ad with a crown imposed on W.'s head. Then our friendly voice chimes in: "George Bush makes and follows his own rules. When he doesn't like a law, he signs a piece of paper saying he doesn't have to obey it. He's done this 500 times. 'If this were a dictatorship, it would be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator.' George Bush doesn't listen to Congress. Which means George Bush doesn't listen to YOU."

Another one: "Republicans think suspending the Constitution is a good idea. Congresswoman Jean Schmidt said so herself (in huge courier font) 'We're at war...suspending the Constitution is sometimes necessary.' (then pounding graphics come in with that sound, like iron hitting steel) Freedom of Speech. Right to Privacy. Right to Bear Arms.
REPUBLICANS. They hate your freedoms."

I don't want to see any lying down by the Democrats this year. I want every commercial to reflect the nastiness that is the Republican party. Every single Republican Congressman should get tarred and feathered with the taint of the culture of corruption. Every single one.

I'm from New Jersey. I want a campaign like the Corzine-Forrester one - except, oh about 20 times worse.

We've got them on family values, moral values, defense (hundreds of soldiers could be alive today had they proper body armor), foreign policy, domestic policy (has the Bush administration gotten ANYTHING accomplished in the past year?), civil liberties, the budget...so let's go out there and fight like we mean it!

We can craft ideas for copy and images in the ads, and also make a list of all the particularly shameful episodes in the last two years of the Republican party that need highlighting and exploiting.

So...I'd be curious to see other people's ideas for nasty, takedown ads that hold nothing back. They can be general ads tarring the Republican party and the president. And they can be ads specific to your Congressional race. That would be very enlightening, cause I don't know the best way to attack in every district or according to each congresscritters sins.

A rant and the senators who voted to convict Clinton in 1999

A hat tip to Kossack rerutled at the Daily Kos. These senators voted to convict President Bill Clinton on articles of impeachment in 1999, for lying under oath about matters of national security...no sorry - for lying about sex!

Alabama, Sen. Jeff Sessions, Sen. Richard Shelby; Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens; Arizona, Sen. Jon Kyl, Sen. John McCain; Colorado, Sen. Wayne Allard; Iowa, Sen. Charles Grassley; Idaho, Sen. Larry Craig, Sen. Mike Crapo; Indiana Sen. Richard Lugar; Kansas, Sen. Sam Brownback, Sen. Pat Roberts; Kentucky, Sen. Jim Bunning, Sen. Mitch McConnell; Mississippi, Sen. Thad Cochran, Sen. Trent Lott; Missouri Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond; Montana, Sen. Conrad Burns; Nebraska, Sen. Chuck Hagel; New Hampshire, Sen. Judd Gregg; New Mexico, Sen. Pete Domenici; Ohio, Sen. Mike DeWine, Sen. George Voinovich; Oklahoma, Sen. James Inhofe; Oregon, Sen. Gordon Smith; Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum; Tennessee, Sen. Bill Frist; Texas, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison; Utah, Sen. Robert Bennett, Sen. Orrin Hatch; Virginia, Sen. John Warner; Wyoming, Sen. Mike Enzi, Sen. Craig Thomas.

Do these same senators feel that Bush's illegal actions with regard to the NSA spying scandal rise to the level of a high crime and misdemeanor? I mean, come on. FLIP-FLOPPERS! In refusing to get a warrant before surveilling the communications of legal American citizens, Bush broke the law, plain and simple. National security doesn't come into play specifically because the law, when it went into affect in 1978, allowed intelligence authorities to get retroactive warrants up to 24 hours. It was extended to 72 hours - three whole days - as part of the Patriot Act. So if you are so pro-Patriot Act and you want to extend it forever, why is 72 hours still not good enough? So bad that you decide you just don't have to obey the law.

Not just that, in 2004 FISA rejected no applications for warrants. Three were withdrawn and some 1,700 were approved. I saw all this on C-SPAN today - Washington Journal, 1/2/2006. So if Bush and his crew try to argue that they couldn't risk that FISA wouldn't grant them the warrants, that just doesn't fly. Especially if there is a good reason for them to believe they were surveilling al-Qaeda. Today Bush said he was listening to calls involving al-Qaeda suspects inside and outside the United States. Okay, fine, why would you think the FISA court wouldn't grant a warrant for that?

Maybe the FISA court is full of liberals and activist judges. So when something bad happens to one of them it turns into, "hey, I'm not saying it's okay, but I understand." Some people are just so vicious, so blinded with hate and rage because they are inadequate in some way, that they refuse to acknowledge what is before them or they just really cannot see it. I listen to these people on C-SPAN who call in from different parts of the country and yell "how come the Democrats don't do anything about it, how come they don't pass a law?" You dummy, it's kind of hard to get anything done if you can't call any hearings, can't issue any subpoenae, can't chair any committees, can't get a majority vote on any of your bills - it's amazing to me how Republicans finally have all-encompassing power, the type which our system should be able to roll back, and the dittoheads are still looking to the Democratic party for leadership? What does that say about the leadership in the Republican party?

Those people are hopeless, but the rest of America has got to wake up. So what if you really think "you have nothing to hide" (you really do though - nobody wants their entire life on display for invisible eyes) - what if there is a flaw in a data mining program and you're info is hit by the wrong keyword, or if the pattern of your behavior in one particular week matched that of some person or persons authorities are tracking? And then they swoop down on your ass and extraordinarily render you to a secret CIA prison camp where you are starved, shackled and beaten for weeks?

I mean, if that is okay with you, fine - you are hopeless too. If that's not okay with you, you really have to start thinking about the potential implications here. And let's not delude ourselves. They've already spied on PETA, vegans and Quakers. Because that is who attacked us on Sept. 11, 2001.

And I don't ever want to hear anything about 9/11 from someone who lives in Montana, Alabama, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, or any other state in which terrorists are just completely uninterested. I live in the chemical armpit of the United States - central Jersey. If terrorists attack those chemical plants, refineries and other smelly shit 10 miles north of where I'm sitting now, I'm dying or my health is severely messed up. Not just that, yeah, I love America. That might be hard to believe that a non-pickup truck owning, non-gun owning, anti-military and prison complex, anti-jingoistic, twisted blue state values-having young woman of color actually loves her country, but it's true. I don't want to get attacked again either, you morons.