A Poem for the Youth Voter

By: Harry Waisbren

Check it out:

 

Oct. 26th edition of Forward Forum

By: John Quinlan

his is John Quinlan for Forward Forum.  Please join me, co-host Harry Waisbren and producer Stephanie Woods for the first part of our two part, Election Special, this Sunday from 7-9 pm on 1670am, WTDY, and streaming live online at www.wtdy.com .  (Show website:www.forwardforum.net; show blog www.madprogress.com; updates coming later this weekend.)  And please join in our conversation by calling 321-1670 locally and 1-877-867-1670 toll free from across the U.S., or by sending an email to ontheair@wtdy.com.  And we'll also be unveiling other exciting ways for you to participate through madprogress.com and a special parallel online discussion...  tune in for the details.

Please join us and our guests, Sarah Palin biographer Sue Katz and Internet activist, privacy rights expert, and voter suppression opponent Jon Pincus.

AT 7pm, we'll be revealing new insights about vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, with our guest Sue Katz, author of "Thanks but no Thanks: The Voter's Guide to Sarah Palin."  Seewww.palinvoterguide.blogspot.com.  It's a meticulously researched book, which author Susie Bright praises in saying, "Forget the myths about the GOP's latest superstar--Katz will show the real motivations behind Palin and where she comes from."

Sue Katz is an author, teacher, and journalist, and creator of the popular blog, "Sue Katz: Consulting Adult."  Her passport shows more wear than Palin's--she has lived and worked on three continents and continues her lifelong committment to social justice from her home outside Boston.  Her second book, an edgy and unabashed look at the private behavior of boomers, is due in 2009.

AT 8pm, we'll tackle the disturbing topic of voter suppression with a pioneering social scientist/activist who is using his considerable knowledge of the Internet and New Media to counter this newly-resurgent trend threatening to seriously erode our democratic freedoms.  Jon Pincus's biography is emblematic of the growing fusion between New Media and social justice activism.  His current primary research interests include the interactions between social networks and diversity theory, trolls, and recasting the field of computer science as a social science.  His current professional projects include Tales from the Net (a book on social networks co-authored with Deborah Pierce and his brother Greg) and launching a strategy consulting practice (see http://achangeiscoming.net).  

Some of the social science approaches embodied in his work include asset-based thinking, narratology, cognitive diversity, intersectionality, standpoint theories and situated knowledges, oppression theory, action research, and hot pink beanbag chairs.  He applies similar approaches in his civil liberties activism work, for example with Get FISA Right and the Voter Suppression Wiki; his professional and activist sides merge in my involvement with Computers, Freedom, and Privacy conference, (see http://cfp08.blogspot.com/) where he is currently vice-chair of online visibility for the 2009 conference.

For more info, go to his fascinating blog, Liminal States, at http://www.talesfromthe.net/jon/ .  And be sure to go to co-host Harry Waisbren's blog, www.madprogress.com , for details on some unique opportunities for you to interact with us online during and after our interview.

And don't forget to join our colleague Stephanie Woods in her new time slot of 6pm Sundays (immediately preceding Forward Forum) for her lively and topical show, "Sunday Night Live with Stephanie Woods."

Obama campaign launches "Under the Radar" project

By: Harry Waisbren

Here's the latest from the Obama Action Wire:

John McCain is running one of the sleaziest campaigns in American history -- and just the other day he told an interviewer he's "absolutely" proud of it.

Attacking Barack Obama with dark insinuations in TV ads must have been drawing too much negative attention to McCain's lies, because now he's using automated "robocalls" and hateful mailings to spread doubt and fear under the radar.

The most powerful way to expose McCain's dirty campaign is to drag his shadowy attacks into the light of public scrutiny.

Today we're launching Under the Radar, a website where you can get the truth about some of these deceptive "robocalls" and mailers. Check it out and share it with anyone you know who has received one of these smears:

http://radar.barackobama.com

Back in his 2000 campaign, John McCain said, "Sooner or later, people are going to figure out if all you run is negative attack ads, you don't have much of a vision for the future or you're not ready to articulate it."

He was right.

Keep fighting the good fight,

Obama Action Wire

P.S. -- If you've received a deceptive McCain mailer or "robocall," report it and upload a copy so the campaign can bring it into the light and fight back:

Oct. 24th edition of Meet the Bloggers: Race in the Presidential Debate

Since the race-baiting and fear-mongering from the McCain campaign have intensified in recent weeks, we have escalated our campaign to end the politics of hate. This week on Meet the Bloggers, we will discuss race in the presidential race with special guest Rinku Sen, executive director of The Applied Research Center and author of the recently released book, The Accidental American: Immigration and Citizenship in the Age of Globalization.

Watch Rinku Sen on Meet the Bloggers at 1pm ET: http://meetthebloggers.org/?utm_source=rgemail

Joining Sen will be bloggers Adia Harvey Wingfield (Racism Review), Joshua Busch (Double Take 08), and Liliana Segura (AlterNet). All three have written extensively about this topic, as you can see from the material below. Check out their articles, and join them in the live blog discussion today at 1pm ET/10 am PT at Meet the Bloggers.

• White Progressives Don't Get It -- Rinku Sen, Applied Research Center
• Reject the Hate in '08! Don't Fall for Racist Tactics -- Joshua Busch, Double Take 08
• Backlash: Six Challenges to McCain's Racist Fearmongering -- Liliana Segura, AlterNet
• How White Privilege Works -- Adia Harvey Wingfield, Racism Review
• Tell McCain to End the Politics of Hate -- Brave New Films

U.S. ranked 36th in World for Press Freedom

By: Harry Waisbren

Anyone want to argue that this isn't an indictment of the country that should be the land of the free? Can't say this is that surprising considering that arresting journalists was official policy at this year's Republican Naitonal Convention:

St. Paul police chief John Harrington outlined his policy towards reporters covering demonstrations in a September 3 press conference. Arrest first, ask questions later: Harrington told Amy Goodman that the police can't possibly be expected to differentiate between protesters and credentialed journalists covering protests. He added, generously, that the police would do their best to identify journalists after the fact and expedite their release.

Still don't think this has gotten out of control? Check out this video of even an ABC News producer getting arrested in Denver while "investigating the role of corporate lobbyists and wealthy donors at the convention".

Crazy crazy crazy.

Family Guy's take on McCain/Palin

By: Harry Waisbren

Dear God:

And Will Ferrell joins Tina Fey!

By: Harry Waisbren

Will Ferrell's depiction of an open George W. Bush endorsement to the McCain/Palin ticket just might be the funniest SNL skit I have ever seen. It makes me even more psyched for Will Ferrell's January stint on broadway with "You're Welcome America. A Final Night With George W Bush." In the meantime, check out his chemistry with Fey/Palin below: