Rachel Setzer's blog

The "War on Drugs".

The War on "terror".

Abortion bans.

FEMA mismanagement.

Foley-gate.

Illegal wiretaps.

Ted Kenedy and Randi Rhodes on the "No Fly" list.

What do all these things have in common? They are all evidences of the extreme right wing, and the Bush administration in particular, trying as hard as they can to maintain control over the American people. Think about it. What better way to keep American's under their control than constantly spewing vitriolic fear? Of course. This tactic has worked for centuries; the Catholic Church did it; Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy did it; Communist China and the Soviet Union did it. And yet, American's have thought for the last 230 years "that can't happen here". In fact, there is evidence in our founding doccument, The Constitution of the United States, that our founders intended that that very thing not happen here.  Read More »

Ask any  so-called pro-life activist why they are against abortion and they will invariably mention the "sanctity of life", and then begin to babble about how god gives us life so we should cherish it and blah blah blah.

Then ask them what they feel when they see homeless people just trying to get a meal or find a place to sleep. If that one's too tough, ask about the sanctity of life of children who are suffering from malnourishment because their parents have to chose between paying the rent and buying food; why so many children in the foster care system are not taken care of properly. The next time you see one of these people holding a sign with a picture of a dead baby, ask them what they're doing to take care of children who are already alive.  Read More »

In the past, when George H. W. Bush was president, North Korea had enough plutonium for 1 or 2 nuclear weapons.

During the presidency of Bill Clinton, North Korea had no plutonium and thus no nuclear weapons.

Now, during the presidency of George W. Bush, North Korea not only has enough plutonium for 5 or 6 nuclear weapons, they have supposedly tested one of their nukes. Why is this? What's the difference between Clinton's policy and Bush II's policy?  Read More »

World News

*Bad News: The world’s red-headed-step-child, North Korea, is trying once again to garner the attention of the United States by threatening to test its nuclear missiles. Kim Jong Il says he will test his nuclear [note: “noo-clee-ar”] missiles unless the US lifts economic sanctions against North Korea. According to TJN sources, Kim is really upset that George W. Bush didn’t come to his championship soccer game, even though everyone else was there. In response, Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe and China’s president Hu Jintao have agreed that North Korea’s nuclear testing is unacceptable, and quote, “if Kim tests those missiles he’s grounded for the rest of his life”. The United States meanwhile, encourages North Korea to participate in the six party talks, but the bad alcoholic dad of the world refuses to talk to its renegade teenager counterpart.  Read More »

According to Raw Story, a Ukranian Jew who immigrated to the United States and has been a legal resident for 30 years, has been arrested for no reason. The woman, Bella Maryanovsky, has been transferred, (according to a family member who posts on DemocraticUnderground.com), not to an immigration center where she will be able to be see by a judge; but to Monroe Criminal Detention Center in Florida. She has been allowed access to 1 of the 4 medications (after an unknown period where she was allowed access to NONE of her four medications), and her extremities have continued to swell.  Read More »

My mentor just handed me an article from WashingtonPost.com entitled "Legislating Violations of the Constitution" by Erwin Chemerinsky (dated 30 Septeber 2006). The article details House resolution 2679, titled "The Public Expression of Religion Act" -- which passed last week while the congress was cramming through as much crap as they possibly could before breaking for October to go home and campaign. The title of the act sounds innocuous enough, doesn't it? Ah well, that's what happens when the majority party uses 1984 as their play book.  Read More »

For those unaware, today is Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews all over the world. Yom Kippur is the Day of Attonement, during which we fast, pray, meditate, and are technically supposed to stay away from machines. This day is made for deep reflection on the state of the world, the state of our souls, and what we can do to help things out.

This year, I dedicated my fast (in part) to solidarity with Code Pink's Troops Home Fast, but I also spend a great deal of time thinking about world peace. I would like to see a world that handles its conflicts with words rather than bombs. I would like to see Israeli and Palestinian leaders get together in a room, shake hands and say "we can make this work, I know we can". I would like to see Ehud Olmert appologize to Lebanon for putting non-Hezbollah Lebanese citizens in the middle of last summer's war. And I would like to see American troops come home, with all their limbs, with their minds intact; and I would like to see them come home to a nation who missed them and is sorry that their service was abused.  Read More »

Air America Radio went live on 31 March 2003, featuring hosts like Al Franken and Randi Rhodes. All the right-wing talkers said AAR wouldn't last a week. They did, in fact, they've lasted 3.5 years, now have some 80 markets, and their hosts routinely beat out right-wing idiots like Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly. But Limbaugh and O'Reilly still say that AAR is going to be gone in two months. (O'Reilly's been saying it for 3.5 years, in fact. But to be fair, he has a medical condition: chronic wrongitis.)  Read More »