Norman's Notebook Archives
Pledge of Dignity Why isn’t Rep. Jared Huffman promising to defend Social Security and Medicare?
http://www.bohemian.com/northbay/pledge-of-dignity/Content?oid=2415604
Last week, a Press Democrat editorial praised Rep. Jared Huffman for refusing to join colleagues who have promised to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits—including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need."
From Wall Street to Main Street, the Future at Stake
Originally published by Solar Times
By Norman Solomon
On a beautiful autumn day, hundreds of people gathered in downtown San Rafael to call for basic change. The signs varied, but in essence they gave voice to hopes for democracy instead of “corporatocracy.”
We were on a main street, opposing rule by Wall Street.
The upsurges of Fall 2011 have been much more than a wave of protests beginning with “Occupy Wall Street” actions in the nation’s mightiest financial district.
From Manhattan to Marin County and beyond, people are anguished, disgusted, angry and -- increasingly -- determined.
And we should be determined. The future is at stake.
Corporate power is fundamental to what ails our country. The remedy is genuine democracy.
From Campaign Trail: Jobs Are Job One (or should be, anyway) for Washington
Originally published by DailyKos.com
Today was a big day for our campaign for an open congressional seat here in Northern California.
The state redistricting commission made it official, approving "final certified" maps that mean the district I'm running in -- it'll be Calif. CD-2 -- includes Marin County, western and northern Sonoma County, and the four northern coastal counties of Mendocino, Humboldt, Del Norte and Trinity.
Also today, my op-ed article -- "Democrats Must Push Back" -- appeared in the daily Marin Independent Journal. The themes of the piece go to the heart of my campaign (which you can learn more about by going to SolomonForCongress.com).
The Search for War
Originally Published at CaliforniaProgressReport.com
Posted on 27 May 2011
In times of war, U.S. presidents have often talked about yearning for peace. But the last decade has brought a gradual shift in the rhetorical zeitgeist while a tacit assumption has taken hold -- war must go on, one way or another.
“I am continuing and I am increasing the search for every possible path to peace,” Lyndon Johnson said while escalating the Vietnam War. In early 1991, the first President Bush offered the public this convolution: “Even as planes of the multinational forces attack Iraq, I prefer to think of peace, not war.” More than a decade later, George W. Bush told a joint session of Congress: “We seek peace. We strive for peace.”
While absurdly hypocritical, such claims mouthed the idea that the USA need not be at war 24/7/365.
When “Good” Dictators Go Bad
Originally Published at CommonDreams.org
A standard zigzag of political rhetoric went for a jaunt along Pennsylvania Avenue on Tuesday (Feb. 15) with a speech by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at George Washington University. “Iran is awful because it is a government that routinely violates the rights of its people,” she declared. During the last few weeks, much has changed in the politics of the Middle East -- but not much has changed in the politics of Washington, where policymakers turn phrases on a dime.
The currency is doublespeak, antithetical to a single standard of human rights.
Toward a Greening of Politics
Originally published in the North Bay Bohemian
Clearing the way for a progressive future
"Sure you want to jump into that cesspool?"
I've heard countless variations of the same question in recent months, as the possibility of running for Congress has become more real. With all the big-money hit pieces and mud fights that pass for "politics" these days, no wonder so many people see election campaigns as little more than depravity masquerading as democracy.
What’s at stake in the tax-cut deal
Originally published in the Marin Independent Journal
MORE THAN two weeks after President Barack Obama announced his decision to make a tax-cut deal with Republican leaders, the shock waves continue to buffet many Democrats and others who are stunned by the grim implications.
While the president used political muscle to push the measure through Congress, realization grew that the momentous impacts will span the realms of tax fairness, the social compact and American politics.
3/12/2013
Nurses to hold vigil at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital and Petaluma Valley Hospital Wed., March 13th
1/18/2013
8/30/2012
Pledge of Dignity Why isn’t Rep. Jared Huffman promising to defend Social Security and Medicare?
Last week, a Press Democrat editorial praised Rep. Jared Huffman for refusing to join colleagues who have promised to "vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits—including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need."
Pentagon 'Rewrites Constitution' Affirming Endless War | Common Dreams https://t.co/S2MJYgTtFI
Norman Solomon: Surveillance of AP on Behalf of National Security the 'Last Refuge of Scoundrels' | Common Dreams http://t.co/ICVcTiL9RF
A war museum in NY plans to give Henry Kissinger an award for defending freedom and democracy. Shame them here: http://t.co/zygTsBSltX
Obama in Plunderland: Down the Corporate Rabbit Hole | Common Dreams http://t.co/j6rrYK1uDh
What the US Media Won't Tell You About the "Good" Syrian Rebels | Common Dreams http://t.co/IpBDT40VQa