Points for change--Amiri Baraka

Progressive Agenda for Obama
from: http://possumego.blogspot.com/

1. End Iraq War, cancel preparations for Iran War. Re-establish that it is Congress that declares wars. End so called “National Security Government: Close Guantanamo, end Homeland Security\domination of US political and social life.

these things seem doable by the new president, I would add that the National Security Agency be abolished. The Central Intelligence should be what it is, the Central Intelligence Agency.

2. Make racism a criminal offense assault 1
Hateful as it is, it is a protected right, shall we now institute
thought crime as a criminal offense?

3. Use of the N Word (by anyone) assault 2
Words too, are protected, to fear them is to make them powerful

4. Use of the B Word (by anyone) assault 2
Ditto the above;
and where do you stop, George O asked sweetly?
"Yor Momma?"

5. Begin to push for change in Political Culture of US**
A. End the Electoral College System
B. End Winner Take All System
C. Initiate One Person One Vote
D. Abolition of US Senate -replace with Unicameral system (one House of Representatives based on One Person One Vote).
E. Parliamentary System= As many parties as represent ideological groups, as in Europe, so that Coalition politics emerge.
A thru D will require a constitutional convention, tho I believe E. is a necessary change which we must see. The Two prevailing parties are all things to all people and stand for nothing at all, unless it is Fascism.

F. Ban on private monies in elections
This probably won't happen until we get get of Politicians and start electing Statesmen. I see none on the horizon.

G. Restoration of Voting Rights to Ex Felons
Don't matter to me. Most are either political or trumped up drug charges to cover for political. Something that needs to be sorted out, "ex" would mean in any case that they have served their sentence---further restrictions would constitute cruel and unusual punishment.

6. Review of National Debt by National Forum
At 2.5 trillion, I think George has fucked us prettily royally. All the talking in the world won't get us out of this one. All in all looks pretty bleak given the balance of payments, falling dollar, and bogus financial manipulations.

7. Executive Support for Reparations- Establishment of National Citizens Committee
What we going to use to pay reparation with? No more fucking committee's please.

8. General Investigation & Review of Criminal Justice System
Buncha good old boys investigating a bunch of good old boys generally finds that laundry hanging on the line smells pretty sweet.

9. Appointment of Progressive Supreme Court & Other Judges
Yeh well, we can hope--Problem with appellation "progressive" when applied to judges is most of them good old boys is lawyers.

10. Review Diplomatic Relations with all Nations. By National Panel with recommendationsa. Haiti b. Cuba. c. Venezuela d. Saudi Arabia e. Iran f. Israelb. Strengthen Committee on Africa, investigate relations
"Yeh right," they say, "the paper tiger wants to kiss our asses now."

11. Investigate Need for Cabinet level Office of Afro American Affairs
No more committees!

12. Review Affirmative Actions statutes, reverse negative trends
When Congress reviews shit they have a tendency to make things worse.
i.e. fuck things up.

13. Housing: “Everyone must have a place to live” bill
Man wouldn't that be sweet. Who gonna pay for that, Rupert Murdach?

14. Education- Reaffirm support with action for Public Education. Veto attempts to weaken PE budget
Certainly within the purview of a new President. Good luck with that.

15. Minimum Wage
with 17% inflation how do you keep up, and what's the point with the corporations selling us down the river anyway?

16. Investigate Bush-Cheney years, including their election, with National Forum, Recommendations
Yeh right. 20 years in the courts for a wrist slap. anda don't do that no more.

17. National investigation of 911
How much do we really want to know? and what would we get anyway but plausible extrapolations?

18. Review FDA- Reverse Bush’ Rule eliminations
Reorganize the whole damn mess. like that's going to happen.

19. Review Environmental Protection Agency –role- laws
Same thing.

20. International treaties review Oslo, Nuclear, Ballistic missile, Trade
Treaties aren't the problem adherence to them by a lawful government is.

21. Plan for direct monitoring and supervision of Voting Apparatus Nationally. Stop “suppression of the Black & Latino vote”
It would be better for local authorities to live up to their "oaths of office" on this one--one more layer of bureaucracy will solve nothing.

22. Executive intervention for National Health Care plan
Bush has pretty much made it impossible to be paid for, Greed in health care industry have driven costs out of sight. Still a new president can milk it for all she's worth even though the well is dry.

23. Presentation of Progressive National Immigration Bill
Blather. No amount of regulation will stop the movement of peoples and it is only going to get worse. Best we can do is find a way to deal with the influx of people. (See end of Roman Empire, Goths, Visigoths, Vandals, Huns, etc.)

24. New initiative for National Cultural & Arts Support
Being a piss poor poet I'd be in favor of this one--cept America is and more than likely always will be afraid of Art--it opens up onto to many avenues of Darkness.

25. New Public Works Program to put US back to work
A microwave transmission satellite system for the generation of energy, by an international consortium of nations, infrastructure for existing rail, new maglev system of rail transit, canals refurbished, but who gonna pay for that?

26. Push programs for Regulation of Capitalism, Stop excessive outsourcing , end big capital’s abandoning of factories, cities, industries
this will happen, of course, when the driving force of America is no longer profit. Bluntly, when we eliminate American Greed. First things first.