Commentary - Complete List
Editorials
| Wishful Thinking on Korea |
| The place we should really lose sleep over is North Korea, not Iraq. That's because President Bush is in effect acquiescing as North Korea builds up its nuclear arsenal. |
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| The Faulty Weapons Estimates |
| There seems little doubt that the Bush administration's prime justification for invading Iraq — the fear that Saddam Hussein harbored weapons of mass destruction — was way off base. Nine months of fruitless searching have made that increasingly clear. |
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| Bush in 30 Seconds-MoveOn TV ads |
| MoveOn.org produced a series of 30-second ads concerning the Bush Administration policies. |
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| State of the Union Score Card |
| TomPaine.com will post a score card on the Bush Administration's record after the State of the Union address. |
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| Martin Luther King on War |
| A video clip illustrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s opposition to war with images of Vietnam and Iraq. |
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| Who Get's It? |
| The real division in the race for the Democratic nomination is between those who are willing to question not just the policies but also the honesty and the motives of the people running our country, and those who aren't. |
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| Ralph Nader Does It Again |
| Ralph Nader's anger and frustration once again lead him to elect a Republican president. But this time, Democrats won't be so stupid. |
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| Nader Can't 'Harm' Democracy |
| The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's editorial message to Ralph Nader is confused and unprincipled (Nader's candidacy must do no harm, Feb. 23). Even those of us who may not be Nader fans can hardly follow the logic that the United States' liberal elite no |
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| Do Turkeys Enjoy Thanksgiving? |
| For the first time in history, a single Empire with an arsenal of weapons that could obliterate the world in an afternoon has complete, unipolar, economic and military hegemony. There isn't a country on God's earth that is not caught in the cross hairs |
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| Liberty Takers |
| The entire Bush foreign policy is based on a dubious narrative of US history that has freedom at its heart. |
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| Seattle Times Endorses John Kerry |
| "Four years ago, this page endorsed George W. Bush for president. We cannot do so again..." writes the Seattle Times. |
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| A Day in the Life of Joe Republican |
| The hilarious but sad tale of ordinary, short-sighted Joe Republican, who can't see that clean water, truth in advertising, safe working conditions and more are thanks to tree-hugging, stupid, big government, commie pinko liberals! |
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| The winner is... US conservatism |
| The Democrats face an awesome task in Tuesday's elections but, for the country's good, they must win |
| Web Link |
| Bill Moyers response to Global Enviro Citizen Award |
| RECOMMENDED READING. If you are like we are, you believe the current administration’s religious right affiliation and its siege upon the environment are two separate issues. Bill Moyers explains the connection. —Barbara Bingnear and Linda Janse |
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| The Loss of Ariel Sharon |
| Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine: A bimonthly Jewish Critique of Politics, Culture and Society, and national chair of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, issued the following statement regarding Ariel Sharon, Jan. 5, 2006. |
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| Impeachment by the People - Howard Zinn |
| An argument FOR impeachment, by historian and activist Howard Zinn, who rightly notes that courage is in short supply in Washington, D.C. and that bold action is needed to reverse (not stay) the course. |
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| Florida Can Meet Half of Future Energy Needs with Efficiency & Renewables |
| Major new study shows that a combination of energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce Florida’s future electricity needs by almost half (45%) over the next 15 years. |
| Web Link |
| Letter to Melbourne City Council -- Let's have an MLK street |
| A moving heartfelt letter from a long-time resident of Melbourne, asking the City Council to do the right thing, finally, after 18 years, and name a street we all travel for a great champion of civil rights. |
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| Redistricting Reform: Right Problem, Wrong Solution |
| Ballot measures to implement independent redistricting failed in California and Ohio. Why? Unfortunately, most discussion misses the point about what's wrong with current electoral situation and best options. |
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| The Race to Annex, Faster, Faster, Faster... |
| Cities are furiously annexing as much property as possible, presumably because of (insatiable) desire to expand their tax base. Uncurtailed annexations are a current tool of urban sprawl, and those affected MUST have a vote in the matter. |
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| Hamas and Democracy |
| Conservative Charley Reese laughs at GW Bush's hypocrisy — the choice of the Palestinian majority, expressed in what all observers said was a free and fair election, is not acceptable to Mr. Bush. |
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| Tax Holiday: Is it Wise? |
| Several state legislators are proposing a one-week sales tax holiday. This proposal smells of an election year ploy to plump up the re-election campaigns of incumbent legislators — and they're robbing trust funds to do it. |
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| Why has Melbourne been resistant to MLK memorial |
| For 18 years, Melbourne has been resistant to renaming a street as a memorial to Dr. Martin Luther King. Why? And what does it matter, anyway? |
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| Unchecked Surveillance is a Threat to Freedom |
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| Voice of the Left: Big Brother is Watching |
| Wake up America. Bush's spy program is not a non-problem or a security blanket. Glenn Swift, the Treasure Coast's "Voice of the Left," tells us why. |
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| Enough is Enough -- Let's Get Out of Iraq Now! |
| Reasons to get out now from the Treasure Coast's Voice of the Left, Glenn Swift |
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| A Warmonger Explains War to a PeaceNik |
| Why did we invade Iraq? A hilarious, but sad, recap... |
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| Judge orders US EPA to take over from Florida DEP |
| A federal judge on March 14, 2006 ordered EPA to take control of the Buckeye pulp mill (Perry, Florida, Taylor County) permit, taking it away from Florida DEP, which now can no longer authorize a polluting pipeline to the Gulf. Onward to next round! |
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| Chuckles: GW's Job to be Outsourced |
| Office of President outsourced to Mr. Gurvinder Singh of Mumbai, India. Announcement met with disbelief and outright jubilation. |
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| Funny & Serious Review of An Inconvenient Truth by Swami Beyondanana |
| Swami Beyondanana's BeyondaNews is hilarious. "Healing the body politic" is his funny message. But this review Al Gore's global warming movie is a little on the serious side. Get off your butts, folks. |
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| Florida's Gopher Tortoises and Our Taking of Them |
| A forthright statement on the horror we perpetrate on gopher tortoises. A call to action to caring citizens. |
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| Global Marshall Plan for Iraq-National Network of Spiritual Progressives |
| Conference call with Rabbi Michael Lerner and other members of the National Network of Spiritual Progressives to discuss strategy for resolving the Iraq disaster. |
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| Israelis adopt what South Africa dropped |
| South African law professor says former President Jimmy Carter's new book, "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid," is igniting controversy for its allegation that Israel practices a form of apartheid. |
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| Scientific American and the Silent Lie -- Book Review |
| Once again, overpopulation is "overlooked" in an article on sustainability (specifically, Scientific American's September 2006 issue, Energy's Future Beyond Carbon, How to Power the Economy and Still Fight Global Warming. |
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| Poem for Activists - The Low Road |
| Submitted by Cole Krawitz, writer, and former assistant at Demos. |
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| Patriot, loyalist or worse yet in assault of liberty |
| Kudos to Volusia County veteral Phil Restino for speaking out about the loss of our civil liberties under the Bush Administration. |
| Web Link |
| A Freedom Ride -- Palestine/Israel news |
| "Mahatma Gandhi would have loved it. Nelson Mandela would have saluted. Martin Luther King would have been the most excited - it would have reminded him of the old days ... " Israeli peace activists & their "freedom rides" for Palestinians... |
| Web Link |
| Patriot News e-letter from Dr. Bob Bowman |
| Bob Bowman's newsetter for Patriots organization. |
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| Title of item |
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| Haridopolos' Rotten Deal with University of Florida |
| Once again, Mike Haridopolos is the fair-haired boy, landing deals that seem questionable at best. |
| Web Link |
| Carl Hiassens Warns Floridians -- Don't Trust Taxation & Budget Reform Commission |
| Hiassen explains stealth effort of Jeb Bush team to undo the constitutional separation of church & state. |
| Web Link |
| RESUME George W. Bush |
| A hilarious but shocking, sad resume, indeed. That GW Bush should have become President of the USA -- twice! -- is an indication of how dysfunctional our democracy has become. |
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| Remember the 23 Senators who voted AGAINST Iraq War |
| One Florida Senator voted FOR, and one AGAINST. Remember how they voted... and why. |
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| The Brain, Evolution and Spirituality |
| Rev. Dr. Gregory Wilson of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Brevard, shares his thoughts on what brain function reveals about spirituality. |
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News
| The Year of the Fake |
| That was the message sent out by the FBI to roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies on Christmas Eve. |
| Web Link |
| Bush Seeks Ways to Create Jobs, and Fast |
| Bush avoids the jobs issue. |
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| Iraqi who gave MI6 45-minute claim says it was untrue |
| The Iraqi National Congress member who passed along intelligence claiming that Saddam's army could deploy WMDs in 45 minutes says it was not true. |
| Web Link |
| Update from Republican Convention New York City |
| Mindy Stone, from Vero Beach, is participating in the street protests for Republican National Convention in New York City. This is her first dispatch, Tuesday, August 31, 2004. |
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| Civil Liberties Under Assault in Florida |
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| Book Review by Doug Sphar: Highway A1A - Florida at the Edge |
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| Book Review by Michele Langlais: What Liberal Media? |
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| Clean Water Network of Florida receives SCPA Award |
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| 3rd Annual Progressive Celebration, Amy Goodman, Awards |
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| Remembering the Humanism of Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| Though King’s legacy is often inextricably linked to his faith in God, he was hardly a cheerleader for the church as he found it and is best understood as a philosopher and social leader who happened to be passionately committed to Jesus Christ. |
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| What's a Comp Plan, Anyway? |
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| Hugh Chavez Speech to United Nations |
| English transcript of Chavez' infamous speech to U.N. Bush is the devil etc. but there are serious points here for the discerning citizen. Don't let Faux News tell you otherwise. |
| Web Link |
| Governor Crist Opens Clemency Report for Applicants |
| Press release from Governor Crist's office. Thanks to Space Coast social justice advocate Lynda Markham for her good work! |
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| EEL Property Appraisal Disputes |
| Summary of comments submitted to us regarding appraisal prices for environmental lands purchased by Brevard County. For additional info on the EEL program: http://www.brevardparks.com/eel/faq/ |
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| Jeff Nall's book: Perpetual Revolt |
| Howling Dog Press publishes Jeff Nall's first book, Perpetual Revolt in June 2008. Nall plans book speaking tour in Florida and Georgia. The author is a founding member of Patriots for Peace and the Space Coast Progressive Alliance. |
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Letters to the Editor and Essays
| King Stood Tall Against Violence |
| Martin Luther King was a progressive visionary on issues beyond racial equality. |
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| Remembering a 'great soul' |
| Friday marked the 56th anniversary of the death of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a symbol of nonviolent struggle and an icon of the peace movement. |
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| Manage Growth to Protect Nature |
| The significant environmental areas ordinance proposed by the Brevard County Natural Resources Management Office to protect the crucial habitat overlay zone is a major step in the right direction. |
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| Election Commentary - Ralph Nader's Candidacy |
| American citizens should not demonize third-party candidates such as Ralph Nader who are executing their Constitutional right to “free speech” in engaging in electoral politics. |
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| Sacrificing Liberty for Security: The New American Way? |
| Read how local citizens in Brevard County have already experienced unjust government surveillance, and what this scary new era means for all of us. |
| Web Link |
| The Threat is Real - Sheriff's Surveillance |
| Jeff Nall's statement to the press concerning Brevard County Sherriff Office's undercover operations, March 21, 2005 |
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| Floridians Organize Against REAL ID Act |
| On June 21st, 2005, a variety of Brevard County groups attended a meeting at Kay's Barbecue in Cocoa, for the purposes of discussing how to organize opposition to the recently passed Federal REAL ID Act, a big brother nightmare. |
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| Reports from End-the-War March, Washington DC, Jan. 27, 2007 |
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| Talking about Israel & Palestine, fair & balanced? |
| Si Pristoop commentary on recent SCPA Social Program, followed by SCPA response. |
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| Jesus Christ Went to Prison Today |
| Adam Byrn Tritt submitted this short poem to SCPA for publication. Observation on media, the nature of Jesus, and the American interest. |
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| A War Too Far From Home |
| poem by Jim Badger, Space Coast poet & activist |
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| A Danger to Society |
| poem by Jim Badger, Space Coast poet and activist |
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| Two Racial Discrimination Cases Should Force Changes in Cocoa |
| Valetta Chaney discusses two legal cases and their origins in what sounds like a water department with a real problem in the City of Cocoa. When you see a hangman's noose, what do you think of? |
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| 3rd Annual Progressive Fest, July 22, 2007 HISTORIC EVENT! |
| Third Annual Progressive Fest, 1-5pm, July 22, 2007, hosted by the Space Coast Progressive Alliance at the Eau Gallie Civic Center in Melbourne. Reuse & Recycle Rummage Sale from 11-5pm. |
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| Why I Fight (Protest) |
| SCPA member and Tallahassee resident Tom Baxter shares his experience as a veteran, as a street protest advisor to veterans and those who might become veterans, and as a man driven to fight this war. |
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| No Child Left Behind is Really a Military Recruiting Tool |
| Letter to the editor on little-known requirement of the No Child Left Behind act, requiring schools to share information on students with military recruiting agencies. |
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| When the Opposition Makes You Mad ... Think DHARMA |
| SCPA Mother Snowbird Barbara Murphy sends us a little Buddhist wisdom ...something to be remembered when Bush war supporters accost you at the next peace rally ... |
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| We are Not Stupid |
| Essay by local physicist and environmental ethicist on the "big picture" that so many of us fail to see, and why we don't see it. Read this and rethink the direction of our society. Excellent links to sources of more detailed info at the end. |
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| New Progressive Alliance Unites Believers & Non-Believers |
| This is a summary of an effort to unite progressive believers and secularists, and to say no to culture wars imposed by the right wing, which has tried to hijack faith in this country and abroad. |
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| Highway A1A, Florida at the Edge - Book Review |
| Review of new book that shows describes how Florida's tourism and development-dependent economy has eroded the state's quality of life. |
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| Bringing Our Brave Hearts Home - Poem by Johanna Brown |
| Original poetry and song lyrics by Johanna Brown, Indian River County resident. |
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| WMEL- You Can Do Better! |
| Why does our local WMEL 920AM contribute to the worst of media by airing angry hotheads like Mark Savage, Mark Levin, Sean Hannity and other rightwingnuts? Shouldn't WMEL reflect and serve our local community? |
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| Brevard County Residents to be Squeezed by Trash Contract? |
| Citizen questions decreased service and increased cost of no-bid contract between Waste Management and Brevard County. Read letter to District 3 Commissioner Helen Voltz. |
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| Hollow Responses from Bush Rubber-Stamp Dave Weldon |
| Space Coast resident Adam Tritt received one of those hollow, form letter responses from Rep. Dave Weldon's office, one that can be filled in with almost any words ... |
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| 2007 Christmas Message from Dr. Bob Bowman |
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