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Strengths of Dyslexics

Raymond — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 23:01:14 GMT

A lot of people focus on the weaknesses of Dyslexics,and they don't even understand those. They don't even consider the strengths of Dyslexics,and those even have less understanding. Dyslexics are visual,imaginative,lateral,global,intuitive,picture thinkers.

People who are very bright can be dyslexic. They are often capable or even gifted in areas that do not require strong language skills, such as art, computer science, design, drama, electronics, math, mechanics, music, physics, sales, and sports.
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_Basics_FS_-_final_81407.pdf

* Often very competent in oral language
* Relies on memory; may have an excellent memory
* Often has good "people" skills
* Often is spatially talented; professions include, but are not limited, to engineers, architects, designers, artists and craftspeople, mathematicians, physicists, physicians (esp. surgeons and orthopedists), and dentists.
* May be very good at "reading" people (intuitive)
* Are often entrepreneurs
http://www.interdys.org/SignsofDyslexiaCombined.htm

(I listed on the strengths of Dyslexia from the Signs of Dyslexia)

Strengths
While there is concern about how dyslexia manifests itself negatively as a learning difficulty, research has highlighted some positive aspects to being dyslexic.
Many dyslexic people are good at architecture, engineering and other creative arts. They can also be good at acting, lateral thinking and often make good managers in people-related occupations.
If given the appropriate help for their areas of difficulty, there is no reason whu a dyslexic person should not be a high achiever and/or gain a university degree – many have done so.
http://www.dyslexia.eu.com/strengths.html

Possible strengths.
* Innovative thinkers.
* Excellent trouble shooters.
* Intuitive problem solving.
* Creative in many different ways.
* Lateral thinkers.
http://www.bdadyslexia.org.uk/whatisdyslexia.html

Dyslexia is not a 'disease' that someone should or can be cured of. It is a type of mind, like any other, with its own particular strengths and weaknesses. We all have different talents - things we are good at and things we find hard. Dyslexic children, teenagers and adults find spelling and sequencing hard, but also have other areas at which they excel - sometimes creativity, physical co-ordination, lateral thinking or empathy with others. The important thing is to raise people's confidence!
http://www.dyslexia-test.com/dyslexia.html

Significant Strengths of people with dyslexia
Although their unique brain architecture and "unusual wiring" make reading, writing, and spelling difficult, most people with dyslexia have gifts in areas controlled by the right hemisphere of the brain. The right side controls:

* artistic skill
* athletic ability
* musical ability
* mechanical ability
* people skills
* 3-D visual-spatial skills
* vivid imagination
* intuition
* creative, global thinking
* curiosity
http://www.dys-add.com/symptoms.html

Dyslexia tends to run in families; it is known that there are several genes that contribute to a genetic risk of dyslexia. Brain scanning studies suggest that, in dyslexic people, the connections between different language areas of the brain do not work as efficiently as they should. However, these differences are not linked to intelligence, and there is evidence that many dyslexic people have strengths and abilities in tasks that involve creative and visually-based thinking.
http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/Page.aspx?PageId=10

Reading and writing are fundamental skills for daily living, however it is important to emphasize other aspects of learning and expression. Like all people, those with dyslexia enjoy activities that tap into their strengths and interests. As multi-dimensional thinkers, visual fields such as design, art, architecture, engineering and surgery, which do not emphasize language skills, may appeal to them.
http://www.ncld.org/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=454

The mental function that causes dyslexia is a gift in the truest sense of the word: a natural ability, a talent. It is something special that enhances the individual.
Dyslexics don't all develop the same gifts, but they do have certain mental functions in common. Here are the basic abilities all dyslexics share:

1. They can utilize the brain's ability to alter and create perceptions (the primary ability).
2. They are highly aware of the environment.
3. They are more curious than average.
4. They think mainly in pictures instead of words.
5. They are highly intuitive and insightful.
6. They think and perceive multi-dimensionally (using all the senses).
7. They can experience thought as reality.
8. They have vivid imaginations.

These eight basic abilities, if not suppressed, invalidated or destroyed by parents or the educational process, will result in two characteristics: higher than normal intelligence, and extraordinary creative abilities. From these the true gift of dyslexia can emerge -- the gift of mastery.
http://www.dyslexia.com/bookstore/firstchapter.htm

Because Dyslexics are visual thinkers, I listed stuff on Visual Thinking:

' Verbal and nonverbal conceptualizations are regarded as the two kinds of thinking. Verbal conceptualizations are linear and results from "thinking with the sounds of words" . A person composes mental sentences one word at a time at the same speed as speech, which is about 150 words a minute. In contrast, "picture thinking is estimated to be, overall, 400 to 2000 times faster than verbal thinking. Once information has been encoded picture thinking is all at once , it exists outside of time . Visual thinking is spatial existing in 3 Dimensions and not the 2 Dimesions of language ' .

Visual conceptualizations are regarded as evolutionary thinking superior to verbal conceptualization because a visual thinking style can be both faster and more complex .Auditory sequential thinkers are born to excel at procedural tasks like reading , spelling and short term memory . A visual spatial thinker will if equipped with the right tools excel with ideas , innovation , long term memory and an ability to handle complexity .

The auditory sequential model is implemented in the classroom , listen and learn . While this model is very effective for the AS , the visual hands on learner is effectively excluded .Drill and repetition , step by step instruction will not work well for visual thinkers who not only think in pictures but also learn all at once , visual thinkers are system thinkers who need an overview .Information needs to be organised spatially and not temporally , not sequentially .

To the lecturer and the AS this means nothing more than thinking in cartoons , to a VS thinker like Faraday this means seeking understanding . Michael Faraday talked of seeing lines of force . radiating outwards . Einstein talks of using the imagination as an experimental lab . This visualization of language to some extent bridges the gap but is no substitute for actually constructing mental models . Auditory Meta models & Mental models allow the visual mind to fully function in an auditory sequential world
http://electronic-labs.co.uk/index.php/ADULT-PROFILES/FAQ1.html

I hope that after reading this,you will understand the strengths of Dyslexics. Then you can see that it's more than just seeing words backwards which is more often a myth...especially when most Dyslexics have auditory,phonological processing problems like me. You will also understand that they are not even slow thinkers,but actually very fast thinkers because picture thinking is much faster than verbal thinking It is also very important for a child's strengths not to be suppressed,invalidated,nor destroyed. The key is for them to believe in themselves. If they do that,then their potential can be unlimited,and there is no telling what they can't accomplish. I wish that I known about this stuff when I was a kid growing up with Dyslexia and having interests in things that Dyslexics tend to be interested which were opposed by my parents. I don't want that for any child...not just Dyslexic children. I definitely won't do that to any children that I might have in the future. You can't fit Dyslexics and other rightbrained people in a leftbrained box, but let them be themselves which is a concept that fit with the natural way of life for I believe that all of us should be ourselves and not try to be something that we are not.

Raymond Andrews

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Addressing The Misconceptions Of Dyslexia

Raymond — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 20:35:44 GMT

A lot of people have misconceptions about what Dyslexia is like seeing things backwards. A lot of people don't know that in most cases,Dyslexia involves phonological,auditory processing problems. Also a lot of people aren't aware that speech problems are symptoms of Dyslexia and that many have had a history of speech therapy in special education. A lot of people think that all students in special education have mental retardation. They don't know that a lot of children in special education classes aren't retarded even though they refer to special education class as "the retard class" and refer to all special education students as "retards". They don't seem to understand that a lot of Dyslexics benefit from early intervention special education,and so they can learn to read,write,and spell well. A lot of people think that speech problems indicate low intelligence. For instance, I read a lot about how President Bush has problems with speech,and so they say that indicates how stupid he is. They don't stop to consider that there are many intelligent people that do have history of speech problems.

The following is from International Dyslexia Association. I am a sustaining member of this organization,and that's part of my advocacy. It is the oldest and largest Dyslexic organization.

What is dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a language-based learning disability. Dyslexia refers to a cluster of symptoms, which result in people having difficulties with specific language skills, particularly reading. Students with dyslexia usually experience difficulties with other language skills such as spelling, writing, and pronouncing words. Dyslexia affects individuals throughout their lives; however, its impact can change at different stages in a person’s life. It is referred to as a learning disability because dyslexia can make it very difficult for a student to succeed academically in the typical instructional environment, and in its more severe forms, will qualify a student for special education, special accommodations, or extra support services.

(as you see, the severe Dyslexics qualify for special education...so you see,there are severe Dyslexics in special education classes. I was one of them. Not everybody in special education classes are retarded. ..Therefore, special education classes should not be referred to as "the retard class" nor should special eduation students be referred to as "retards")

What are the effects of dyslexia?
The impact that dyslexia has is different for each person and depends on the severity of the condition and the effectiveness of instruction or remediation. The core difficulty is with word recognition and reading fluency, spelling, and writing. Some dyslexics manage to learn early reading and spelling tasks, especially with excellent instruction, but later experience their most debilitating problems when more complex language skills are required, such as grammar, understanding textbook material, and writing essays.

People with dyslexia can also have problems with spoken language, even after they have been exposed to good language models in their homes and good language instruction in school. They may find it difficult to express themselves clearly, or to fully comprehend what others mean when they speak. Such language problems are often difficult to recognize, but they can lead to major problems in school, in the workplace, and in relating to other people. The effects of dyslexia reach well beyond the classroom.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQ.htm

What are the signs of dyslexia?
The problems displayed by individuals with dyslexia involve difficulties in acquiring and using written
language. It is a myth that dyslexic individuals “read backwards,” although spelling can look quite
jumbled at times because students have trouble remembering letter symbols for sounds and forming
memories for words. Other problems experienced by dyslexics include the following:

Learning to speak
Learning letters and their sounds
Organizing written and spoken language
Memorizing number facts
Reading quickly enough to comprehend
Persisting with and comprehending longer reading assignments
Spelling
Learning a foreign language
Correctly doing math operations

(A lot of people think Dyslexia is seeing words backwards,but it's actually a myth....you can see that Dyslexics can have problems with speech, and so speech problems aren't necessarily mental retardation)

(As you can see,there are many Dyslexics who have problems with spoken language and auditory processing. Speech problems nor auditory processing problems don't necessarily mean mental retardation. Everybody needs to stop thinking that people with those problems are mentally retarded when they could actually be Dyslexic)

DYSLEXIA AND RELATED DISORDERS

The word dyslexia comes from the Greek language and means poor language. Individuals with dyslexia have trouble with reading, writing, spelling and/or math although they have the ability and have had opportunities to learn. Individuals with dyslexia can learn; they just learn in a different way. Often these individuals, who have talented and productive minds, are said to have a language learning difference.

Does My Child Have Dyslexia?

Individuals with dyslexia usually have some of the following characteristics.

Difficulty with oral language
Late in learning to talk
Difficulty pronouncing words
Difficulty acquiring vocabulary or using age appropriate grammar
Difficulty following directions
Confusion with before/after, right/left, and so on
Difficulty learning the alphabet, nursery rhymes, or songs
Difficulty understanding concepts and relationships
Difficulty with word retrieval or naming problems

Difficulty with reading
Difficulty learning to read
Difficulty identifying or generating rhyming words, or counting syllables in words (Phonological Awareness)
Difficulty with hearing and manipulating sounds in words (Phonemic Awareness)
Difficulty distinguishing different sounds in words (Auditory Discrimination)

Difficulty in learning the sounds of letters
Difficulty remembering names and/or shapes of letters
Reverses letters or the order of letters when reading
Misreads or omits common small words
“Stumbles” through longer words
Poor reading comprehension during oral or silent reading
Slow, laborious oral reading

Difficulty with written language
Difficulty putting ideas on paper
Many spelling mistakes
May do well on weekly spelling tests, but there are many spelling mistakes in daily work
Difficulty in proofreading
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_and_Related_Disorders(1).pdf

(As you can see speech,auditory processing,phonological processing issues are included in the symptoms of Dyslexia...so a lot of Dyslexics don't have visual processing issues. Speech problems aren't necessarily mental retardation even though a lot of people think speech problems mean little intelligence.....reading is not just a visual task,it is also a phonological,auditory task.....you have to know how words sound and how to sound them out and not just know how words look like)

: Can Individuals Who Are Dyslexic Learn To Read?
A: Yes.
If children who are dyslexic get effective phonological training in Kindergarten and 1st grade, they will have significantly fewer problems in learning to read at grade level than do children who are not identified or helped until 3rd grade.
74% of the children who are poor readers in 3rd grade remain poor readers in the 9th grade. Often they can't read well as adults either.
It is never too late for individuals with dyslexia to learn to read, process and express information more efficiently. Research shows that programs utilizing multisensory structured language techniques can help children and adults learn to read.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQLearnToRead.htm

How is dyslexia treated?
Dyslexia is a life-long condition. With proper help, many people with dyslexia can learn to read and write
well. Early identification and treatment is the key to helping dyslexics achieve in school and in life. Most
people with dyslexia need help from a teacher, tutor, or therapist specially trained in using a multisensory,
structured language approach. It is important for these individuals to be taught by a systematic and
explicit method that involves several senses (hearing, seeing, touching) at the same time. Many
individuals with dyslexia need one-on-one help so that they can move forward at their own pace. In
addition, students with dyslexia often need a great deal of structured practice and immediate, corrective
feedback to develop automatic word recognition skills. For students with dyslexia, it is helpful if their
outside academic therapists work closely with classroom teachers.
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_Basics_FS_-_final_81407.pdf

(As you see, early intervention therapy can help many Dyslexics learn to read and write well....Early identification and treatment helps a Dyslexic achieve in school and in life.......I can't stress enough the importance of early intervention. I can't stress enough that many Dyslexics do learn to read and write well. A lot of them do that through special education. The problem is that too many people think special education is for the mentally retarded, and so they can't comprehend the idea of early intervention helps many Dyslexics as result of getting special education therapies)

How widespread is dyslexia?
About 13-14% of the school population nationwide has a handicapping condition that qualifies them for
special education. Current studies indicate that one-half of all the students who qualify for special
education are classified as having a learning disability (LD) (6-7%). About 85% of those LD students
have a primary learning disability in reading and language processing.
http://www.interdys.org/ewebeditpro5/upload/Dyslexia_Basics_FS_-_final_81407.pdf

Q: How Common Are Language-Based Learning Disabilities?
A: 15-20% of the population have a language-based learning disability.
Of the students with specific learning disabilities receiving special education services, 70-80% have deficits in reading.
http://www.interdys.org/FAQHowCommon.htm

(As you see,half of the children in special education aren't even retarded. They have a learning disability. Most of those learning disabled have primary learning disability in reading and language processing. Therefore, special education is not only for the mentally retarded children but children with learning disabilities. Special Education class should not be referred to as "the retard class" and special education students should not be referred to as "retards" )

I hope that after reading this, you will understand what Dyslexics are like. You will know that many Dyslexics have auditory,phonological,speech processing problems like me. You will know that not every person in special education is retarded and that half of the special ed students aren't retarded but learning disabled like me. You will know that majority of those learning disabled are Dyslexic like me. You will know that it is the severe Dyslexics who qualify for special education like me. You will stop thinking that Dyslexics see words backwards and stop thinking of people who have history of special education and speech therapy as retarded which happened to me.

I feel that I have to use my experiences of what it was like growing up Dyslexic,and help people raise awareness of Dyslexia and what it actually entails and help get rid of myths of Dyslexia that actually end up hurting Dyslexic. It leads to confusion,misunderstandings,negative labels,misdiagnoses which often leads to insecurity and low self esteem which can progress into anxiety and depression.

I have this dream that all people will understand Dyslexia. I have a dream that all Dyslexics will understand themselves and never believe that they are stupid and that they will believe in themselves which can lead to great success. I have a dream that special education will no longer be referred to as the "retard class." I have a dream that special education students will no longer be referred to as "retards" I have a dream that all Dyslexics will get identified,get the treatment that they need,and learn to read and write well. I have a dream that all Dyslexics will not be discriminated against but treated as equals. I have a dream that all Dyslexics not be misdiagnosed. I have a dream that all Dyslexics will use their strengths,talents,gifts to make their lives and other lives better. This dream is not just for Dyslexics,but all neurodivergents.

Raymond Andrews

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Stop The Misdiagnosing Of Neurodivergents

Raymond — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:54:28 GMT

Stop The Misdiagnosing of Neurodivergents

I feel that psychiatrists and other mental health professionals need
to consider learning disabilities when patients have mental health
problems. I have a long history of anxiety and depression,and not one
single mental health professional even considered that I had learning
disabilities. I believe that there should be screening for learning
disabilities in people with mental health problems...especially if
they have a history of low self esteem, insecurity,hypersensitivity to
criticism that includes feelings of intellectual inadequacy.
Psychiatrists really need to have their patients tested
psychologically and neurologically in order to differentiate learning
disabilities from psychiatric disorders.

Poor coordination,left/right confusion,memory
issues,disorganization,and speech irregularities are not just symptoms
of psychotic disorders but they are also symptoms of learning
disabilities. It was these issues that got me misdiagnosed as a
schizoaffective bipolar in 1999 by psychiatrists.They never did any psychological
testing nor neurological testing.

I created a petition to stop the misdiagnosing of neurodivergents and
prevent the unnecessary medicating which can cause serious damage on
an emotional and physical level. This would involving having
psychiatrists to have their patients undergo psychological and
neurological testing and not just go by observations. You can't judge
a book by its cover.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/stop-the-misdiagnosing-of-neurodivergents

Aspergers is listed as one of the conditions misdiagnosed Bipolar in
the book,THE BIPOLAR CHILD by The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to
Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder by Demitri Papolos M.D.,
Janice Papolos, Janice Papolos,Janice Papolos. I actually copied the
characteristics of Bipolar children and gave alternative explanations
that could be linked to neurodivergent conditions. One of the common
characteristics of bipolar children listed in the book was learning
disabilities which pretty much supports my belief that a lot of
learning disabled are getting diagnosed as having bipolar. One of the
very common characteristics of bipolar are oversensitivity to
environmental influences,and learning disabled people are highly
sensitive. How many learning disabled children act out,
misbehave,throw temper tantrums,lash out,pout,and/or cry because they
are frustrated,stressed,angry,irritable,and overwhelmed from problems
with processing information that leads to being
misunderstood,teased,ridiculed,and criticized. A whole lot. I
definitely was no different. Where is the common sense in regards to
learning disabled children having secondary psychological symptoms? It
just seems like there is very little of it. Learning disabled children
grow up to be learning disabled adults,and many of them have secondary
psychological problems. I definitely was no different. There is
definitely a significant overlap between learning disabilities and
mental health problems.

Children with learning disabilities are prone to chronic depression.
Older adolescents and adults tend to become withdrawn. They may be
quiet or become agitated, irritable, and angry; they may also look sad
and talk about their sadness. Young children, on the other hand, tend
to exhibit non-verbal clues and express their emotional struggles more
by their behavior than by talking. A major depression typically lasts
several weeks and may be intense. Mild chronic depression (dysthymia)
may last for an extended period of time and frequently appears to be
an aspect of a child's usual moods and personality.
http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/mental_health/depression.asp

Learning Disabilities Association of America

There's all sorts of research in the field to suggest and support the
concomitance of learning disabilities and mental health problems.
Several recent studies show that 50% of individuals diagnosed with
learning disabilities have scores above the clinical range on a well
known depression scale. One thing we know is that attentional problems
are a common feature of both. Another study summary says, Teachers
have long known and reported that students with learning disabilities
at lower educational levels have similar but more, and more severe,
depression, than their peers without learning disabilities. There's no
reason to think this link disappears with age. In fact, it becomes
more urgent. And the stakes are higher. Failure to remediate at this
adult stage has more serious consequences.
http://dyslexia.mtsu.edu/modules/articles/displayarticle.jsp?id=17

About 75 percent of dropouts have trouble reading, according to
research conducted by Reid Lyon of the National Institute of Child
Health and Human Development. About half of adolescents with criminal
records and substance abuse histories have reading problems, according
to a study published by the National Institutes of Health in 2001.
http://www.hopelit.com/Star-telegram.htm

Social Skills Deficits in Learning Disabilities:The Psychiatric
Comorbidity Hypothesis
http://suicideandmentalhealthassociationinternational.org/mentpsych.html

For some the humiliation becomes too much. In one study, Peck found
that over 50 percent of all suicides under age fifteen in Los Angeles
County had been previously diagnosed as having learning disabilities.
The actual percentage of youngsters labeled "learning disabled" in
most school districts in the United States is below 5 percent;
therefore, it seems clear that youngsters with learning disabilities
constitute a disproportionately large percentage of adolescent
suicides compared with the general adolescent population.

Results from a study in the U.S.A. by the National Center for State
Courts demonstrated that youths with LD were 200 percent more likely
to be arrested than nondisabled peers for comparable offences.
According to the U.S. Department of Education 60 percent of America's
prison inmates are illiterate and 85 percent of all juvenile offenders
have reading problems.
http://www.audiblox.com/learning_disabilities.htm
Social and Emotional Problems Related to Dyslexia
Depression is also a frequent complication in dyslexia. Although most
dyslexics are not depressed, children with this kind of learning
disability are at higher risk for intense feelings of sorrow and pain.
Perhaps because of their low self-esteem, dyslexics are afraid to turn
their anger toward their environment and instead turn it toward
themselves.

However, depressed children and adolescents often have different
symptoms than do depressed
adults. The depressed child is unlikely to be lethargic or to talk
about feeling sad. Instead he or she may become more active or
misbehave to cover up the painful feelings. In the case of masked
depression, the child may not seem
obviously unhappy. However, both children and adults who are depressed
tend to have three similar characteristics:

▪ First, they tend to have negative thoughts about themselves, i.e. a
negative self-image.

▪ Second, they tend to view the world negatively. They are less likely
to enjoy the positive experiences in life. This makes it difficult for
them to have fun.

▪ Finally, most depressed youngsters have great trouble imagining
anything positive about the future. The depressed dyslexic not only
experiences great pain in his present experiences, but also foresees a
life of continuing failure.
http://www.interdys.org/FactSheets.htm

Children with both dyslexia and ADD are at dramatically increased risk
for substance abuse and felony convictions if they do not receive
appropriate interventions.
http://www.dys-add.com/nowknow.html

ADHD and Antipsychotic Drugs
Studies conducted at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn.,
suggest that the drugs are routinely prescribed for attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=61845

More research needed
There has been little carefully controlled, long-term research on
children taking most psychiatric drugs, including the atypical
antipsychotics. The FDA is trying to get more pediatric research on
the atypicals, says Thomas Laughren, the agency's director of the
psychiatry products division.
The FDA has asked five pharmaceutical companies that make the drugs to
test them in children with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, the
uses they're approved for in adults. Under law, they can get a
six-month extension on their patents for doing these studies.
Also, the drug companies are doing their own pediatric studies on
children with disorders as diverse as ADHD, autism, conduct disorder
and Tourette's syndrome.
Janssen LP has applied to the FDA for approval to use its atypical
antipsychotic, Risperdal, in the treatment of symptoms of autism, says
Ramy Mahmoud, vice president of medical affairs for Janssen.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-05-01-adult-antipsychotics-kids_x.htm

July 1, 2005 -- The antipsychotic drug Risperdal may cut aggressive
behavior in children with autism.
That effect was reported in The American Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers including James McCracken, MD, of the University of
California at Los Angeles (UCLA), studied Risperdal and autism.
http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/news/20050701/antipsychotic-drug-may-help-kids\-with-autism

Could a lot of Schizophrenics be actually misdiagnosed
Dylsexics,Dyspraxics,ADHDers,Aspergers? I believe so!

Patients with schizophrenia are likely to have problems reading,
reveals a study that shows some may even have impairments similar to
those seen in patients with dyslexia.
http://www.patienthealthinternational.com/ncm.aspx?type=news&param=14509

The ability to recognize objects is a fundamental cognitive task in
every sensory modality, e.g., for friend/foe discrimination, social
communication, reading, or hearing, and its loss or impairment is
associated with a number of neural disorders (e.g., in autism,
dyslexia, or schizophrenia).
http://neuro.georgetown.edu/faculty/riesenhuber.htm

History: Most children who develop schizophrenia have disturbances of
behavior and cognition prior to the onset of characteristic symptoms
of psychosis. Delays in speech and language and delays in acquisition
of motor milestones are noted in approximately one half of these
children. Children who develop schizophrenia have higher rates of
impaired social skills and school achievement prior to presenting
signs of schizophrenia
http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2057.htm
(Delays in Speech and language are signs of Dyslexia,Dyspraxia,and
Autism. Delays in acquisition of motor milestones are signs of
Dyspraxia. Impaired social skills are signs of Aspergers,Autistics.
Impaired school achievement is common in Dyslexics,Dyspraxics,ADHDers.)

Language Disorder In Schizophrenia As A Developmental Disorder by Ruth
Condray
Language disorder is increasingly understood to be an important
characteristic of schizophrenia. The
hypothesis advanced here is that receptive language disorder in
schizophrenia represents a learning
disorder that involves a neurodevelopmental etiology. It is argued
that receptive language disorder may
involve a preexisting developmental reading disorder for a subgroup of
schizophrenia patients. Whether the
language disorder of schizophrenia is equivalent,phenotypically and
etiologically, to the language
disorder of dyslexia is an open question. Although schizophrenia and
dyslexia are separate clinical
disorders, independent lines of evidence are suggestive of parallels
between their hallmark features,
cognitive dysfunction, and potential pathophysiology.
http://www.wpic.pitt.edu/research/biometrics/Publications/Biometrics%20Archives%20PDF/890-2005%20Condary%20Sz%20Res%20Lang%20Disord.pdf

Raymond Andrews

member of International Dyslexia Association,Learning Disability
Association,The Dyslexia Foundation, National Association for the
Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities and
donate to National Center of Learning Disabilities,Hello Friend/Ennis
Cosby Foundation, Dyspraxia USA, and The National Center for Learning Disabilities

I show my LD ADHD Assessment,Cerebellar-Vestibular Dysfunction Testing,Veteran Affairs Neurological/Neuropsychological Testing for advocacy,activist purposes
http://astynaz.myphotoalbum.com/view_album.php?set_albumName=album01

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~ACTION NOW~has been posted at The Tribe of unknown web sites

Leslee — Wed, 30 May 2007 00:21:55 GMT

~*ACTION NOW*~
has been posted at The Tribe of unknown web sites

Do you know a great web site that gets little or no traffic? Post it at

tribes.tribe.net/unknownsites

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in need of adviuse and moral suport / hoeopathic abortion

call8me8jim — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 08:01:14 GMT

i was this post on another tribe.

this lady sounds like she could use some inpatial advise and or asisistance in taking the corse of action that she has desided opon. i don't realy think she should do what she is intending to do ... but it's not my body or my kid, and besides see is geting quite enuf lectures as is,

if you have any reliuble information on how to go about a homeopathic (natural/ herball , ect.) abortion then please contact her via this post. :)

p.s. if you try to hert her with your words i'll hert you any way i can... not a threat , just thot i should make my intent clear. :) :|

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 1 reply

the Bush administration was determined to go to war-Please read!

Fri, 10 Jun 2005 07:09:07 GMT

the Bush administration was determined to go to war, intentionally distorting intelligence, and lying to the American people.One Congressman, John Conyers of Michigan, has started a citizens petition—demanding that Bush directly respond to the evidence of deception contained in the Downing Street Memo. When half a million Americans sign, Rep. Conyers will personally deliver the signatures to the gates of the White House.http://www.moveonpac.org/tellthetruth/?id=5653-5819979-PDkeaAanD_MHIOqzwqJ4kQ&t=3For More information about the Downing Street Memo, including the full text, visit http://www.downingstreetmemo.com/

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

Fight to Save the Arctic Refuge Continues

Thu, 09 Jun 2005 00:39:40 GMT

Polar Bears in ANWRThough many pro-drilling members of Congress would like to think it's over, the fight to save the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska is far from finished. There have been a couple of setbacks, but a crucial vote is coming up within the next couple of months. The votes have been extremely close on the issue, and it may be that one vote change could make the difference. Please help us save this spectacular wilderness by visiting www.savearcticrefuge.org to contact your senators and representative. We need to keep the pressure up for the next couple of months to ensure that those wishing to sweep the refuge under the rug will not be allowed to do so. Please help us to stop the destruction of the Artic Wilderness!

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

Public land use fee

Cedwyn — Tue, 23 Nov 2004 18:52:16 GMT

Shenanigaii everywhere! The latest is courtesy Rep. Ralph Regula (R-OH), who slipped a public lands permanent fee rider into the omnibus monstrosity saturday. He has, apparently, been pushing this since the 90's.

Anyhoo, this legislation, basically, mandates pulic land use fees. Anywhere - not just campgrounds. It also, imo, opens a slippery slope towards privatization of recreational lands. Some more background:

http://www.freeourforests.org/actionalert.html

http://www.wildwilderness.org/aasg/passport.htm

i just got off the phone with one of my reps - Wyden. This man needs some love! He is adamantly anti-rider and has been known to make a fuss over it. I am going to send him an email asking that he initiate reform on rider legislation.

In the meantime, we must act against this now! please, everybody, contact your reps and tell them they must block this legislation - HR 3283.

and spread the word!

Congress - 1-800-839-5276
congress.org

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

New York Times Rewrites Fallujah History

dan_arth — Wed, 17 Nov 2004 00:07:12 GMT

ACTION ALERT:
New York Times Rewrites Fallujah History

November 16, 2004

In three recent reports about the military invasion of the Iraqi city
of
Fallujah, the New York Times has misreported the facts about the April
2004 invasion of the city and the toll it took on Iraqi civilians.

On November 8, the Times reported: "In April, American troops were
closing
in on the city center when popular uprisings broke out in cities across
Iraq. The outrage, fed by mostly unconfirmed reports of large civilian
casualties, forced the Americans to withdraw. American commanders
regarded
the reports as inflated, but it was impossible to determine
independently
how many civilians had been killed."

The next day, the Times made the same point, reporting that the U.S.
"had
to withdraw during a previous fight for the city in April after
unconfirmed reports of heavy civilian casualties sparked outrage among
both Sunni and Shiite Iraqis." And on November 15, the Times noted
that
the current operation "redressed a disastrous assault on Fallujah last
April that was called off when unconfirmed reports of large civilian
casualties drove the political cost too high."

It's unclear why the Times considers those civilian deaths
"unconfirmed."
While there is some debate over precise figures, this wording leaves
the
impression that nothing can be reasonably known about deaths in
Fallujah.

The head of Fallujah's hospital, Dr. Rafie al-Issawi, has consistently
maintained that more than 600 people were killed in the initial U.S.
siege
of Fallujah in April 2004, a figure that rose to more than 800 as the
siege was lifted and people pinned down by the fighting were able to
register their families' deaths (Knight-Ridder, 5/9/04). More than 300
of
the dead, according to al-Issawi, were women and children. The Iraqi
Health Ministry in Baghdad, part of the U.S.-installed government, gave
a
lower figure of about 271 killed, with 52 of the dead being women and
children. On October 26, the independent British-based group Iraq Body
Count reported that the civilian death toll in Fallujah in April was
about
600, based on their extensive evaluation of the numbers reported by
local
hospital officials and the Health Ministry, as well as mainstream media
accounts.

Other journalistic investigations depict the reality of widespread
civilian death in Fallujah: An Associated Press tally of the dead in
Iraq
(4/30/04) discovered that in Fallujah "two football fields were turned
into cemeteries, with hundreds of freshly dug graves, marked with
wooden
planks scrawled with names -- some with names of women, some marked
specifically as children. At one of the fields, an AP reporter was told
by
volunteer gravediggers on April 11 that more than 300 people had been
buried there." A Reuters report (4/13/04) quoted researchers from
Human
Rights Watch calling for an investigation based on reports they
received
from residents fleeing the violence in Fallujah.

Even the lower estimates provided by the Health Ministry debunk the
Times'
repeated assertion that reports of "large civilian casualties" are
"unconfirmed"-- unless the paper wants to maintain that 52 women and
children killed in an attempt to "liberate" their city are
inconsequential. But the Times should know from its own reporting that
the higher casualty figures are much more realistic.

On October 19, the Times reported: "There are no agreed figures for
civilian deaths in Iraq over all since the war began in early 2003, but
the best estimates, by private groups and independent news
organizations,
place the figure in the 10,000 to 15,000 range." It would seem
obvious,
then, that the bombing of a large civilian population in Iraq in what
the
Times called "the most intense aerial bombardment in Iraq since major
combat ended" (4/30/04) would produce significant civilian casualties.

Since substantial numbers of civilians did in fact die in Fallujah in
April, even if the exact number cannot be pinned down, readers might
wonder if the Times' policy is that things that cannot be confirmed
with
numerical precision are essentially "unconfirmed." But this would be a
double standard on the part of the Times; in its November 8 report, the
paper noted: "The number of insurgents in the city is estimated at
3,000,
although some guerrillas, terrorist fighters and their leaders escaped
the
city before the attack. American military officials estimated that of a
usual population of 300,000, 70 percent to 90 percent of civilians had
fled."

Surely there is no way to determine exactly how many insurgents are in
Fallujah, or how many civilians have fled. To be consistent, shouldn't
the Times be reporting that accounts of civilians leaving the city are
"unconfirmed"?

In its November 8 report, the Times matter-of-factly noted that U.S
forces
targeted a Fallujah hospital early in the campaign "because the
American
military believed that it was the source of rumors about heavy
casualties." The Times added: "This time around, the American military
intends to fight its own information war, countering or squelching what
has been one of the insurgents' most potent weapons."

If part of that "information war" means convincing Americans that
civilians are not victims of the Fallujah invasion, the Times has
signed
up on the side of the Pentagon.

ACTION: Please contact New York Times public editor Daniel Okrent and
ask
him to investigate why the Times treats credible reports of hundreds of
civilian casualties in Fallujah as "unconfirmed."

CONTACT:
New York Times
Daniel Okrent, Public Editor
mailto:public@nytimes.com
Phone: (212) 556-7652

As always, please remember that your comments have more impact if you
maintain a polite tone. Please send a copy of your correspondence to
fair@fair.org .

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

Voter Suppression in PA

erufailon — Wed, 03 Nov 2004 01:04:33 GMT

Members of my family are now official members of the Club of Suppressed Voters. I just got done talking on the phone with my Mom in Washingon County, Pennsylvania. My brother, his new wife, and her sister are all recently registered Democrats. They got to the polls and were turned away because their names didn't appear on the voter rolls. My brother went and asked if the three of them could get provisional ballots and they were told that there were only 20 ballots available, and no, they couldn't get ballots. This county recently signed up 5000 new voters and only 1900 provisional ballots were made available to polling stations countywide, 20 going to the district my brother and my family votes in. They were turned away. That's when my brother's wife called the Dept. of State for PA. A couple hours later, they were told they could go and vote, and they did, on provisional ballots that were being put into separate piles depending upon party affiliation.

Also, in PA election news...
In Prosperity, PA, also in Washington County, large numbers of Republican voters are being turned away from the polls either by challengers or by their names not appearing on voter rolls.

What the hell's the matter with people? In a country that prides itself on its Beacon of Freedom for All the World, can't we get an election right? Our Bill of Rights states that a person is assumed innocent until proven guilty. Why can't our society also assume that a person is assumed an eligible voter until proved otherwise? Provisional and absentee ballots aren't counted until days AFTER the general election, sometimes up to 10 days. Why not let all people vote on election day - you can always verify later on, which is what all states do anyway!

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

unamerican video

Cedwyn — Thu, 28 Oct 2004 23:04:13 GMT

it'd be really cool if we could do something like with the eminem video.

go here:

http://www.mtv.com/onair/trl/vote/

scroll to the bottom and choose "other"

and write in "unamerican" by ian rhett

put the video's url in the comments box:

http://www.sharedvoice.org/unamerican/

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

IMPORTANT from FAIR

dan_arth — Wed, 27 Oct 2004 18:59:05 GMT

ACTION ALERT:
Bush's Kerry Comments Go Unchecked

October 26, 2004

George W. Bush's new claims about Kerry "flip-flopping" on the war in Afghanistan quickly moved yesterday from the campaign trail to the nightly news. But some journalists who repeated Bush's charges made no effort to examine the truth behind Bush's claims-- claims which turn out, like many other Bush lines of attack, to be deceptive.

Bush charged that while Kerry now criticizes how the administration managed the search for Osama bin Laden in Tora Bora, Kerry made comments at the time that were much different. "In the fall of 2001," Bush charged, "on national TV, he said this about Tora Bora: 'I think we've been doing this pretty effectively and we should continue to do it that way.' At the time, the senator said about Tora Bora, 'I think we've
been smart. I think the administration leadership has done it well, and we are on the right track.'"

But Bush is taking Kerry's words grossly out of context. Both comments he cited came from an appearance on CNN's Larry King Live (12/14/01). When a viewer asked "why they don't use napalm or flamethrowers on those tunnels and caves up there in Afghanistan," Kerry replied:

"Well, I think it depends on where you are tactically. They may well be doing that at some point in time. But for the moment, what we are doing, I think, is having its impact and it is the best way to protect our troops and sort of minimalize the proximity, if you will. I think we have been doing this pretty effectively and we should continue to do it that way."

In other words, Kerry was suggesting that napalm and flamethrowers might be ill-suited for the mission to find Osama bin Laden.

Bush is incorrect in saying that the other quote was "about Tora
Bora"; in fact, that comment came in response to this question from host Larry King: "Senator Kerry-- and this is for all of you-- how goes it so far in Afghanistan, in your opinion?" A moment's thought reveals the absurdity of comparing one assessment of the situation in Afghanistan-- made shortly after the capture of Kabul, when it was believed that bin Laden was surrounded and would soon be captured-- with an assessment made later,
after bin Laden had slipped away to parts unknown.

Unfortunately, some journalists covering the Bush campaign appearance passed along his allegations, but failed to inform viewers about their accuracy. CNN's John King (10/25/04) talked up the Bush campaign strategy, noting that "another part of their strategy to keep voters moving from Bush to Kerry is to make the case that Senator Kerry has been inconsistent on Iraq." As evidence, King explained that "as part of that message today, one of Senator Kerry's arguments on the campaign trail has
been that the United States military let Osama bin Laden away at Tora Bora -- let him escape from Tora Bora, Afghanistan. Senator Kerry says that is proof that Mr. Bush has mismanaged the war on terrorism. President Bush today in his speech is quoting something very different Senator Kerry said back in the fall of 2001." He then quoted from Bush's speech, but failed
to provide the context of Kerry's statements, made on his own network.

NBC Nightly News correspondent David Gregory (10/25/04) also failed to challenge Bush's claims, opting instead to explain Bush's strategy to NBC viewers: "The president also took aim today at one of Kerry's main attacks, that the administration let Osama bin Laden get away during the war in Afghanistan. Today, the Bush campaign tracked down an interview Kerry gave at the time, praising the effort to find bin Laden at Tora Bora. The president quoted Kerry's words." Unfortunately, Gregory did not
compare Bush's description of Kerry's words with Kerry's actual
remarks.

ACTION: Please contact CNN and NBC News and remind them how critical it is to check the accuracy of charges made in the closing days of the presidential campaign.

CONTACT:

CNN, Wolf Blitzer Reports
mailto:wolf@cnn.com

NBC Nightly News
mailto:nightly@nbc.com
Phone: (212) 664-4971

As always, please remember that your comments have more impact if you maintain a polite tone. Please send a copy of your correspondence to fair@fair.org.

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

eminem anti-war video

Cedwyn — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 00:40:14 GMT

video here:

[url]http://www.gnn.tv/videos/video.php?id=27[/url]

and you can yell at mtv to play it here:

[url]http://www.mtv.com/onair/trl/vote/[/url]

scroll to the bottom and write in Eminem - Mosh.

get this video out there far and wide!

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 1 reply

FAIR- Take down the Washington Post!!!

dan_arth — Mon, 25 Oct 2004 20:40:39 GMT

ACTION ALERT:
Washington Post Still Stretching to Find Kerry Fibs

October 22, 2004

On September 30, a FAIR action alert urged the Associated Press and
Washington Post not to exercise "false balance" in their reporting on
the
exaggerations and deceptions coming from the major presidential
candidates. By straining to include an equal number of Bush and Kerry
statements to "fact check," news outlets give the impression that both
sides are equally culpable of deceptive rhetoric.

On October 20, the Washington Post put a new spin on that formula by
suggesting one candidate has increased his output of inaccurate
rhetoric:
John Kerry. The Post's Howard Kurtz wrote that "Kerry has pushed the
factual envelope less often than the president-- until recently,"
suggesting that Kerry's deceptions now equal or exceed Bush's.

But the evidence Kurtz presented did not support his charge. He listed
four of Bush's exaggerations, including his characterization of Kerry's
health plan as "government-run," his claim that Kerry "voted for
education
reform and now opposes it," and his repeated use of an out-of-context
Kerry quote as proof that Kerry thinks terrorism is merely a
"nuisance."

But Kurtz presented only two examples of Kerry pushing the "factual
envelope," and neither one makes a convincing case for Kerry's misuse
of
facts. Kurtz wrote that Kerry plays loose with the facts when he says
that Bush "has a plan that cuts Social Security benefits by 30 to 45
percent." Kurtz countered this by noting that Bush, "while favoring
allowing younger workers to put part of their benefits in private
accounts, has never put forth a plan-- and has vowed that any change
would
not affect current retirees."

But Kerry is not talking about current retirees; the TV ad in question
is
based on a Congressional Budget Office study of one of the plans put
forth
by Bush's Commission to Strengthen Social Security, and the possible
cuts
in benefits would apply to future retirees. It is true that Bush has
not
explicitly endorsed any particular privatization model-- instead
describing his commission's proposals as "a variety of ideas for people
to
look at" (debate, 10/13/04)-- but given that the contributions being
made
by workers now go to pay the benefits of current retirees, any plan
that
significantly shifts worker contributions to private accounts will
require
increased taxes, reduced benefits or both.

The second Kerry deception, according to the Post, concerns the
military
draft. Kurtz wrote that "Kerry said last week that there is a 'great
potential' that Bush will reinstate the draft." This is inaccurate,
according to Kurtz, because Bush has issued denials about reinstating a
draft: "The president has repeatedly denied this, and Bush spokesman
Steve
Schmidt, in a common campaign refrain, said the charge shows Kerry
'will
do or say anything to get elected.'"

By this logic, the Post would have ruled "inaccurate" a hypothetical ad
in
1988 that asserted that the elder George Bush would raise taxes--
because
he had declared "read my lips, no new taxes." As any political
observer
knows, it's hardly "push[ing] the factual envelope" to suggest that
politicians don't always keep their promises-- but by the Post's
standards, Kerry is being deceptive if he doesn't take Bush at his
word.

And there are, in fact, credible reasons to believe that Bush policies
might require a draft in a second term. As Paul Krugman pointed out in
a
recent column (New York Times, 10/19/04), a study commissioned by
Defense
Secretary Donald Rumsfeld found that the U.S. has "inadequate total
numbers of troops and lack of long-term endurance" (Navy Times,
10/4/04).
And Bush constantly stresses that he is more willing to take
pre-emptive
military actions than his opponent-- actions that would be difficult if
not impossible to undertake without a draft, given how stretched U.S.
troops already are.

(Interestingly, also on October 20, Washington Post online columnist
Dan
Froomkin used the same two examples-- Social Security and the draft--
to
make the claim that Kerry was making "basically groundless,"
"essentially
unsupported charges" as part of a "sordid" political game. Froomkin's
column does even less than Kurtz does to justify the assertion that
Kerry's charges are inaccurate.)

Kurtz is not afraid to assert that Bush has been more deceptive than
Kerry-- in the past. When talking about the present, however, he
continues the Post's practice of straining to counterbalance outright
Bush
misstatements with something that can be painted as a Kerry stretch--
no
matter how far-fetched.

ACTION: Please write to Washington Post ombudsman Michael Getler and
ask
him to address his paper's pattern of holding Kerry and Bush to
different
standards of accuracy.

CONTACT:
Washington Post
Michael Getler, Ombudsman
mailto:ombudsman@washpost.com
Phone: (202) 334-7582

As always, please remember that your comments have more impact if you
maintain a polite tone. Please send a copy of your correspondence to
fair@fair.org.

Read the Post articles (registration required) here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A46224-2004Oct19.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47962-2004Oct20.html

----------
Your donation to FAIR makes a difference:
http://www.fair.org/donate.html

SUBSCRIBE TO EXTRA! AND GET FAIR'S NEW BOOK FOR FREE:
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http://www.fair.org/ohreally.html

FAIR SHIRTS: Get your "Don't Trust the Corporate Media" shirt today at
FAIR's online store:
http://www.merchantamerica.com/fair/

FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 130
stations in the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you,
visit http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html

Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of
your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses,
to fair@fair.org .

You can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org . Our
subscriber list is kept confidential.
FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: fair@fair.org

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

No Stolen Elections!!

Tedster — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 05:42:42 GMT

Before this tribe dies of atrophy, I thought of posting this.

http://www.nov3.us/

Pledge of Action to Stop A Stolen Election

"I remember the stolen presidential election of 2000 and I am willing to take action in 2004 if the election is stolen again. I support efforts to protect the right to vote leading up to and on Election Day, November 2nd. If that right is systematically violated, I pledge to join nationwide protests starting on November 3rd, either in my community, in the states where the fraud occurred, or in Washington DC."

Initial signatories:

Stewart Acuff - Organizing Director, AFL-CIO
Fred Azcarate - Jobs with Justice
Patrick Barrett - RadFest: Midwest Social Forum
Brian Benford - Madison Common Council
Medea Benjamin - CodePink
Adrienne Maree Brown - League of Pissed Off Voters
Mike Brune - Rainforest Action Network
Dennis Brutus - poet
Andrea Buffa - Global Exchange
Linda Burnham - Women of Color Resource Center
Leslie Cagan - United for Peace and Justice
Tim Carpenter - Progressive Democrats of America
John Cavanagh - Institute for Policy Studies
Steve B. Cobble - political strategist
David Cobb - Green Presidential Nominee
Rev. James Demus - NAACP, Chicago
Charlie Derber - Boston College
Karen Dolan - Policy Studies & Cities for Peace
Theresa El-Amin - Southern Anti-Racism Network
Daniel Ellsberg - author
Barbara Ehrenreich - author
Larry Fahn - Sierra Club
Kathay Feng - Asian Pacific American Legal Center
Lisa Fithian - Root Activist Network of Trainers
Arun Gandhi - M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence
Ed Garvey - Fighting Bob Fest
Greg Gerritt - Friends of the Moshassuck
Ted Glick - National Coordinator, IPPN
Jim Goodman - Family Farm Defenders
Rev. Graylan Hagler - Ministers for Justice
Jody Grage Haug - Green Peace Action (GPAX)
Andy Heidt - Madison Common Council
Dolores Huerta - United Farm Workers
Rev. Jesse Jackson - Rainbow/PUSH
Reverend James Lawson - civil rights leader

Natalie Johnson Lee - Minneapolis City Council
Van Jones - Ella Baker Center for Human Rights
Rabbi Michael Lerner - Tikkun
Pete Karas - Racine Common Council
Brenda Konkel - President, Madison Common Council
Doug La Follette - Wisconsin Secretary of State
Barbara Lubin - Middle East Children's Alliance
Ben Manski - Foundation for the Democratic Revolution
Jessica Marshall - National Youth and Student Peace Coalition
Elizabeth Martinez - Institute for Multiracial Justice
Mike McCabe - Wisconsin Democracy Campaign
Robert McChesney - Free Press
Michael Moore - Author
Holly Near - singer-songwriter
Maya O'Connor - Labor Greens Network
Jamala Rogers - Organization for Black Struggle, St. Louis
Rebecca Rotzler - Alder, New Paltz
Marc Sanson - Co-Chair, Green Party of the US
Renee Saucedo - La Raza Centro Legal
John Sellers - Ruckus Society
Charles Shaw - Newtopia Magazine
Jane Slaughter - Labor Notes
Eleanor Smeal - Feminist Majority
Damu Smith - founder, Black Voices for Peace
Starhawk - activist and writer
Gloria Steinem - author and feminist activist
Ajita Talwalker - United States Students Association
Chuck Turner - Boston City Council
Chris Vaeth - This Time We're Watching
Rabbi Arthur Waskow - The Shalom Center
Jason West - Mayor, New Paltz NY
Bob Wing - War Times
Dean Zimmermann - Minneapolis City Council
Howard Zinn - historian

Our Purpose

We all remember the votes that were never counted in Florida 2000. While we are all working hard for a positive outcome on November 2nd, we also have to be prepared for a repeat of a 2000 stolen election. By signing the No Stolen Election pledge, you will be joining with thousands of others in the November 3rd Urgent Response Network. Please sign the pledge and pass it around far and wide.

We have established a Fair Elections Advisory Council made up of US and international elections experts who will give us their assessment on election day itself. If they find significant fraud, we will activate the Urgent Response Network on or immediately after November 3rd, calling on people everywhere to engage in protest, including non-violent civil disobedience, in front of their local federal buildings and other appropriate places. We will also be asking those who can to converge in the states where the most serious fraud occurred, as well as in Washington DC.

In addition to signing the pledge, please work with other people and groups in your area to protect the vote on Election Day on November 2nd and to build the Urgent Response Network. Pick a venue for your local protest in the case that the Urgent Response Network is activated, and list the time and place on the website. We also recommend that you set up a place to jointly watch the election results on Election Night.

Let us commit ourselves to making sure that this time around, the person who occupies the White House is the one who won the election.

http://www.nov3.us/

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 4 replies

Irony

dan_arth — Thu, 21 Oct 2004 23:10:39 GMT

How I posted this tribe notice in many very large tribes, and we got about the same percent here as people in "real life" interested in being active?

a ha a ha ha haaaa

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 1 reply

FAIR- Finding Fault on Both Sides Can Be False Balance

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:54:10 GMT

STILL RELEVANT!

ACTION ALERT:
Finding Fault on Both Sides Can Be False Balance

September 30, 2004

While fact-checking is an essential media function, particularly during
an
election year, it's a hollow exercise if journalists start with the
assumption that both sides must be found equally guilty of falsehoods.
It
is, in fact, not always the case that both campaigns are responsible
for
deceptive claims to the same degree; coverage that insists on a false
even-handedness, while pretending to expose political mendacity,
actually
gives cover for it by neutralizing criticism with the "they all do it"
defense. Such coverage may protect news outlets from charges of bias,
but
it does a disservice to voters.

This kind of artificial balance was demonstrated by Associated Press
(9/25/04) when a story originally headlined "In New Attacks on Kerry,
Bush
Twists His Rival's Words"-- which accurately reflected the focus of the
story-- was sent out again by the wire service with the headline "Bush,
Kerry Twisting Each Other's Words." The one example AP gave of Kerry's
word-twisting was barely comprehensible: An email from the Kerry
campaign
had cited Bush's remark that he had seen "a poll that said the right
track/wrong track in Iraq was better than here in America," saying that
this meant Bush thought "the future of Iraq is brighter than the future
of
America."

The wire service reported, in supposed contrast, that "the president
wasn't comparing Iraq's future to that of the United States, only
accurately reflecting one recent survey in Iraq and the latest trends
in
America that asked participants for their assessment of the direction
their countries are going." As "the direction their countries are
going"
is another way of saying "the future," AP seems to be saying that
talking
about public assessments of a country's future shouldn't be taken as
suggesting anything about that country's actual future. It's a petty
distinction, if it's a distinction at all.

The Washington Post, in a debate preview piece (9/30/04), illustrated
the
same phenomenon. Reporters Glenn Kessler and Ceci Connolly found some
fairly serious untruths by Bush-- that Kerry plans to "nationalize"
healthcare, for example, or his claim that "We've strengthened
Medicare"
even though "Medicare's independent trustees...report that the [Bush's
Medicare] law severely weakened the program's fiscal stability." Then
they
bent over backwards to find Kerry distortions to mirror those of Bush--
often coming up with discrepancies that are trivial at best.

The Post took issue, for example, with the Kerry statement, "The
administration misled America, the United Nations and the world,"
saying,
"there is little evidence the Bush administration purposely tried to
deceive Americans and other world leaders about the threat posed by the
alleged weapons."

While whether or not the administration "misled" is surely a matter of
opinion, there's plenty of evidence to support the claim that it did
so.
To cite just one example, Secretary of State Colin Powell in his speech
to
the U.N. (2/5/03) prominently cited Iraqi defector Hussein Kamal's
figures
on chemical weapons produced by Iraq-- without mentioning that Kamal
had
told U.S. and international authorities that these stockpiles had all
been
destroyed (Newsweek, 3/3/03).

The Washington Post also complained that "in a recent line of attack,
Kerry has said the cost of Bush's 'go-it-alone policy in Iraq is now
$200
billion.' This is an exaggeration, because it combines the amount
already
spent-- about $120 billion-- with money that is expected to be spent in
the coming year or requested by the administration." Surely, though,
the
"cost" of something is the total amount of money that one has to pay
for
it; no one would describe the down payment on a car as the "cost" of
the
car.

Puzzlingly, the Post took Kerry to task because he "emphasizes the loss
of
2.7 million manufacturing jobs since Bush took office, which overstates
the total job loss." The Post is not saying that the 2.7 million figure
is
inaccurate; it's saying that Kerry shouldn't use that number because
job
loss in the manufacturing sector is worse than in other areas. One
might
as well say that you shouldn't talk about how cold it is in Alaska,
because it's colder there than in other parts of the country.

The paper also scolded Kerry for crediting Bush with "jobs that pay us
$9,000 less than the jobs that are going overseas"-- a criticism the
Post
called "an extreme extrapolation of figures contained in a study
published
by a labor-backed progressive group." It's hardly an "extreme
extrapolation"; the think tank in question, the Economic Policy
Institute,
calculated (1/21/04) that jobs in U.S. industries where employment is
growing paid an average of $35,410, whereas jobs in shrinking
industries
paid $44,570. The difference between the two figures is $9,160. And
noting
that the data comes from a "labor-backed progressive group" hardly
constitutes a persuasive rebuttal.

Virtually all of the Post's criticisms of Kerry's supposed "misleading
claims" are similar to these-- statements that are inaccurate only when
held to an impossible level of scrutiny, at which virtually any
sentence
could be found to be "wrong." Indeed, if Kerry's criticisms of Bush had
been as far-fetched as the Post's criticisms of Kerry, the Post could
have
written a much more compelling article.

ACTION: Please write the Washington Post and Associated Press and
remind
them that true fairness is not automatically finding deception on both
sides, but in holding both sides to the same standard of truthfulness.

CONTACT:
Washington Post
Michael Getler, Ombudsman
getlerm@washpost.com

Associated Press
Ann Levin, National News Editor
info@ap.org

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously
if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your
correspondence.

Read the Washington Post article here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A60722-2004Sep29.html

Read the AP article here:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-09-25-word-twisting_x.htm

----------
Your donation to FAIR makes a difference:
http://www.fair.org/donate.html

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http://www.fair.org/ohreally.html

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FAIR's online store:
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FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 130
stations in the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you,
visit http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html

Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of
your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses,
to fair@fair.org .

You can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org . Our
subscriber list is kept confidential.
FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: fair@fair.org

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

About ACTION NOW

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:39:14 GMT

My apologies for the badly formatted posts. When I have more time I'll reformat new posts.

Feel free to engage in light debate in the threads, post your correspondance experience, etc...

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

DREAM ACT- Call now!

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:37:32 GMT

For those interested in supporting the DREAM Act, please call Senator
Feinstein and the White House today, Tuesday Oct 4 & tomorrow Oct 5:

Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles Office
Organizational leaders = Leave a message with the District Director,
Guillermo Gonzales, 310-914-7300
Community members = Leave a message for the Senator, 310-914-7300

Senator Dianne Feinstein's DC Office - 1-800-690-1936
Organizational leaders = Leave a message with Monserrat Miller,
202-224-3841
Community members = Leave a message for the Senator, 202-224-3841

District office (San Francisco) - 415-393-0707

White House - 202-456-1111

see below for more information.

Terry, an individual concerned

======================

From:
Jane E. Chung
Program Associate
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
Tel: 323/937-3703
Fax: 323/937-3526
jane@nakasec.org

======================

CALL TO ACTION!
DREAM Act Attached to Department of Justice
Appropriations Authorization Act (S. 2863)

The DREAM Act has been reintroduced by Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) as
part of
a larger package of bills called the "Department of Justice
Appropriations
Authorization Act." The Senate version of this new bill is S. 2863,
and
because it is part of a new bill, the DREAM Act will have to go through
the
Senate Judiciary Committee again along with the rest of S. 2863. This
has
been scheduled for this Tuesday, October 5th, though it may not happen
due
to the scramble of the last week before congress recesses for the
election.
During Tuesday's "mark up" session, assuming it happens, Committee
members
will consider amendments and then vote on whether to report the amended
version of S. 2863 to the Senate Floor.

Immediate Action Needed to Support The DREAM Act!!
Call Senator Dianne Feinstein and thank her for her efforts and also
urge
her to remove amendments that would make the DREAM Act more
restrictive,
such as the requirement for students to register with the Student
Exchange
Visa Information System (SEVIS).

MAKE YOUR CALLS ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 4TH THROUGH TUESDAY OCTOBER 5TH!!
***ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS, BOARD MEMBERS AND BOARD
CHAIRS ARE ENCOURAGED TO CALL SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN'S DISTRICT AND
DC
OFFICES AND LEAVE A MESSAGE AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF YOUR RESPECTIVE
ORGANIZATION.

***ORGANIZATIONS SHOULD GET THE WORD OUT AND MOBILIZE COMMUNITY MEMBERS
AND
STUDENTS TO MAKE CALLS TO SENATOR DIANNE FEINSTEIN.

***ALL SHOULD CALL THE WHITE HOUSE COMMENT LINE AND URGE PRESIDENT BUSH
TO
SUPPORT THE DREAM ACT!

***Phone numbers are at the bottom of this email.

DOJ Authorization Bill
S. 2863 is an authorization bill, which means it provides the total
amount
of money that an agency‹in this case the Department of Justice‹can
spend,
and also includes legislation relevant to the conduct of that agency.
An
authorization bill is not to be confused with an appropriations bill
which
actually permits the agency to spend money for specified purposes. If
Congress fails to pass an appropriations bill before the previous bill
expires, the affected federal agency cannot legally pay its bills and
must
shut down. The same does not apply to an authorization bill. S. 2863
is a
grab-bag of provisions on a broad range of subjects from criminal
justice to
tobacco to money laundering, missing children, and immigration. We are
not
experts in most of these areas, but we are given to understand that the
DREAM Act is by far the most controversial item in the bill.

What will happen Tuesday?
Assuming the mark-up of S. 2863 occurs as scheduled, we expect Senators
to
offer several new amendments to the DREAM Act portion, though we may
not
know until the last minute what these amendments might be. One likely
amendment that would improve the bill would do away wiht the
requirement
that DREAM Act beneficiaries register with SEVIS, the database now used
solely to keep track of student visa holders. Other possible
improvements
are also under consideration. At the same time, we anticipate that
some
amendments to weaken the DREAM Act could also be offered. After voting
on
these amendments, and on amendments to the other sections of S. 2863,
the
Committee will vote on whether to pass the amended version and report
it to
the Senate floor.

What will happen after the mark-up?
One of the advantages of including the DREAM Act in the DOJ
Authorization
bill is that this bill has already passed the House, although the House
version is different and did not include the DREAM Act (Student
Adjustment
Act). The House bill is H.R. 3036. Assuming the DREAM Act survives
with
only minor changes in the Senate Judiciary Committee, the next step
will be
a vote on the Senate floor. If it passes the Senate, the bill will go
to a
Conference Committee charged with ironing out the differences between
the
House and Senate versions.

This probably will not happen before the election. But it is becoming
increasingly clear that Congress will return to Washington shortly
after the
election for a ³lame duck² session. Lame duck sessions are notoriously
unpredictable because Members of Congress tend to be drained and
emotional
after the election results are known. But if the DREAM Act survives
the
Committee next week, it could possibly be enacted in November. Even if
there is no mark-up, the inclusion of the DREAM Act in the Senate DOJ
Authorization bill provides some hope for passage before Congress
finally
adjourns after the election.

Senator Dianne Feinstein's Los Angeles Office
Organizational leaders = Leave a message with the District Director,
Guillermo Gonzales, 310-914-7300
Community members = Leave a message for the Senator, 310-914-7300

Senator Dianne Feinstein's DC Office - 1-800-690-1936
Organizational leaders = Leave a message with Monserrat Miller,
202-224-3841
Community members = Leave a message for the Senator, 202-224-3841

District office (San Francisco) - 415-393-0707

White House - 202-456-1111

Jane E. Chung
Program Associate
National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC)
900 S. Crenshaw Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90019
Tel: 323/937-3703
Fax: 323/937-3526
jane@nakasec.org
www.nakasec.org <http://www.nakasec.org>

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

California- Equal Rights for LGBT Immigrants!

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:33:34 GMT

Join LGBT Contingent
Immigrants Rights March
Sat. Oct. 16, 12 Noon
Olympic & Broadway

Amnesty for All Immigrants!
Equal Rights for LGBT Immigrants!

March with us. Gather at 12-Noon on the corner of
Olympic and Broadway in downtown L.A., look for the "
LGBT Marriage Rights " banner.

And help build a LGBT presence at this march, leaflets
for this contingent can be downloaded at:
www.marriagerightsla.org

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Trans People face
discrimination and are denied equal rights to health
care, insurance, adoption & marriage rights & housing
each day.

Every day along with countless undocumented workers,
gay people are deported, often facing persecution &
harassment in their countries of origin.

LGBT couples - like millions of other immigrant
families - are torn apart by oppressive US immigration
policies.

The key to beating back racism, homophobia and US
immigration policy is united action.

We call on all progressive people - gay and straight -
to demand amnesty for all immigrants now!

The L.A. Coalition for Equal Marriage Rights
1800 N. Argyle Ave. #410 Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.MarriageRightsLA.org
(323) 464-3180

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

FAIR- Sinclair's Partisan Ploy Cries Out for Equal Time

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:32:19 GMT

ACTION ALERT:
Sinclair's Partisan Ploy Cries Out for Equal Time

October 12, 2004

In an unprecedented move, the Republican-friendly Sinclair Broadcasting
company has ordered its 62 television stations to preempt regular
prime-time broadcasting to air the anti-John Kerry documentary "Stolen
Honor: Wounds That Never Heal" just two weeks before the election. The
film is to be shown in several swing states, including Ohio, Florida
and
Pennsylvania.

"Stolen Honor"-- much like the discredited Swift Boat Veterans ads--
offers unsubstantiated claims by alleged Vietnam POWs that their
Vietnamese captors used Kerry's anti-war statements against them. In
fact,
the organization that paid for "Stolen Honor"-- called POWs for Truth--
recently merged with the Swift Boat Vets, forming a combined group
called
Swift Vets and POWS for Truth (Talking Points Memo, 10/11/04).

The film was made by Carlton Sherwood, a consultant to the Bush
administration's Department of Homeland Security and a personal friend
of
the department's head, Tom Ridge. A former reporter for Rev. Sun Myung
Moon's Washington Times, Sherwood also wrote a book about Moon,
Inquisition, that the self-proclaimed messiah was allowed to see before
publication. After reviewing the book and giving Sherwood a list of
changes, Moon aide James Gavin wrote to Moon: "In addition to silencing
our critics now, the book should be invaluable in persuading others of
our
legitimacy for many years to come." Moon reportedly ordered 100,000
advance copies of the book from the publisher, a subsidiary of the
conservative imprint Regnery (Frontline, 1/21/92).

Sinclair's ties to the right are no less strong. According to the Los
Angeles Times (10/9/04), in the 2004 political cycle, 97 percent of
contributions made by Sinclair executives went to Republicans. Sinclair
has a record of allowing its conservative agenda to influence its
programming decisions. For instance, in April, Sinclair ordered seven
of
its ABC-affiliated stations not to air an episode of Nightline that
featured the names of American soldiers killed in Iraq, saying, "We do
not
believe such political statements should be disguised as news content."

However, soon after the September 11 attacks, Sinclair stations were
required to air editorial statements in support of the Bush
administration
(Extra!, 11-12/01). And most Sinclair stations are also required to air
commentaries from the company's vice president, Mark E. Hyman, during
their newscasts. Hyman's conservative commentaries routinely include
harsh
attacks on Kerry, who Hyman accuses of "a lifetime of supporting
Communist
forces opposed to the U.S." (The Point, 9/22/04).

Questions have been raised about whether the extraordinary decision to
force stations to carry the film violates FCC requirements that
broadcasts
provide equal time for electoral candidates. The rule does not apply to
coverage of legitimate news stories, and Hyman appeared on CNN
(10/12/04)
to claim that "Stolen Honor" fell in this category:

"This is news. I can't change the fact that these people decided to
come
forward today. The networks had this opportunity over a month ago to
speak
with these people. They chose to suppress them. They chose to ignore
them.
They are acting like Holocaust deniers, pretending these men don't
exist."

Hyman's bizarre analogy aside, Sinclair's obvious attempt to affect the
election by broadcasting the film is exactly the sort of use of public
airwaves to promote station owners' private political agendas that
federal
regulations have always been designed to prevent. "American thought and
American politics will be largely at the mercy of those who operate
these
stations," Rep. Luther Johnson warned at the time of the passage of the
Radio Act of 1927.

With growing numbers of stations controlled by chains like Sinclair--
which controls more television licenses than any other operator-- these
concerns are more relevant than ever. As former FCC chairman Reed Hundt
wrote to Sinclair (Talking Points Memo, 10/11/04):

"How can it be part of a broadcaster's public interest obligation to
aspire to alter the perceptions of the audience about a presidential
candidate by showing biased content that in no way reflects either
breaking news or even-handed treatment of the issues? Why should a
broadcaster keep its licenses if it behaves in this manner?"

If Sinclair wants to give more exposure to "Stolen Honor," it can do so
fairly by providing equal time for an examination of the same subject
from
an opposing perspective. The documentary "Going Upriver: The Long War
of
John Kerry," a positive account of Kerry's service in Vietnam and his
anti-war activism upon his return, would seem to be an ideal candidate.
The Chicago Tribune (10/1/04) called it "almost essential viewing...
that
anyone who intends to vote this November should make every effort to
see."

ACTION: Please call Sinclair Broadcasting and tell them that if it airs
a
partisan documentary attacking a presidential candidate just before the
election, then it should give equal time to a documentary from an
opposing
perspective, like "Going Upriver."

CONTACT:
Sinclair Broadcasting
Phone: 410-568-1500
mailto:comments@sbgi.net

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously
if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your
correspondence.

For more information about activist campaigns regarding Sinclair, see:
http://www.sinclairwatch.org

----------
Your donation to FAIR makes a difference:
http://www.fair.org/donate.html

SUBSCRIBE TO EXTRA! AND GET FAIR'S NEW BOOK FOR FREE:
The Oh Really? Factor
http://www.fair.org/ohreally.html

FAIR SHIRTS: Get your "Don't Trust the Corporate Media" shirt today at
FAIR's online store:
http://www.merchantamerica.com/fair/

FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 130
stations in the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you,
visit http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html

Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of
your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses,
to fair@fair.org .

You can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org . Our
subscriber list is kept confidential.
FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: fair@fair.org

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

fair.org--MSNBC's Rightward Slant on Debate Coverage

dan_arth — Tue, 12 Oct 2004 23:31:25 GMT

ACTION ALERT:
MSNBC's Rightward Slant on Debate Coverage

October 12, 2004

After standing virtually alone among mainstream media outlets in
declaring
Dick Cheney the clear victor in his October 5 debate with Democratic
vice
presidential candidate John Edwards, MSNBC made an odd decision about
its
coverage of the subsequent Bush-Kerry debate: It added more
conservative
voices to its panel discussion.

MSNBC's panel for the October 9 Bush-Kerry debate consisted of host
Chris
Matthews, NBC reporter Andrea Mitchell, conservative pundit Pat
Buchanan
and Ben Ginsberg, a Republican election lawyer who had to leave Bush's
campaign when his links to anti-Kerry Swift Boat Veterans were
revealed.
Providing "balance" was Ron Reagan Jr., an MSNBC political analyst
whose
main liberal credential is that he does not embrace the views of his
father, the most famous conservative politician of the 20th century.

In other words, two right-wingers, two centrist journalists (both of
whom
praised Cheney's performance nights earlier), and the not particularly
ideological Reagan. While the right-wingers offered unvarnished praise
for Bush (Bush "was outstanding at times and he was spectacular at
times,"
according to Buchanan), there was no one on the panel to offer similar
support for Kerry, or substantive criticisms of Bush.

Andrea Mitchell thought that "the questions were very, I thought,
tougher
on Bush than on Kerry." The panel agreed that Bush was better prepared
this time around-- as Matthews put it, "I think the president did well.
I
saw him wink twice, certainly an air of confidence exuding there." NBC
anchor Tom Brokaw, who joined the panel as a guest, agreed: "I think
the
president stepped up his game tonight. And I think that he came with a
game plan in mind and tried to execute it on that stage." The verdict
on
Kerry was less hopeful; as Matthews put it, "I think he was pulling all
the ammo he could into his stockpile, but I'm not sure he shot it all
with
enough command."

Even when the panel thought Kerry prevailed on issues like stem cell
research, the verdict was that Kerry didn't do as well as he should
have.
(It's worth noting that this judgment was not necessarily shared by the
voters who were the debates' intended audience; a Gallup poll taken
after
the second debate--9/9-10/04--found Kerry beating Bush, 45 percent to
30
percent.)

One would think that after the MSNBC panel's performance following the
Cheney-Edwards debate, some re-tooling could be in order so as to
represent a wider spectrum of opinion. That night, Matthews touted
Cheney's unequivocal victory, declaring that he "was loaded for bear
tonight. He was out on a hunting trip looking for squirrel," and that
the
proper analogy to illustrate the gap between the two "would be a water
pistol against a machine gun." Cheney was "in to hit home runs and he
did
so," and was so much better that Matthews wondered if Edwards was "not
ready for this, bigger than that, like not ready to be vice president
of
the United States."

Andrea Mitchell agreed, referring to the "stature gap" between the two,
and said that "Dick Cheney did awfully well at, first of all, putting
John
Edwards in his place." NBC anchor Tom Brokaw chimed in by comparing
Cheney to heavyweight fighter George Foreman ("He kind of shuffles
across
the ring and then he unleashes a powerful right hand") and a school
principal "who calls you into the office and he sits there and he has
got
all the answers. You can go after him as much as you want to, but
ultimately he has the authority."

Matthews wondered: "Will the liberal press admit that Cheney won?"
That
would depend on how you measured a victory-- a CBS poll of uncommitted
voters (10/5/04) gave the edge to Edwards, 40 percent to 28 percent.

The MSNBC panel was particularly keen on Cheney's claim to have never
met
Edwards until the debate, a moment Matthews declared "we will relive
for
years to come." There was considerably less interest in whether or not
Cheney was telling the truth. NBC's Russert, for example, waited until
an
appearance on the next day's Today show (10/6/04) to explain that he
knew
the two were on his Meet the Press show together in 2001. "I thought
that
John Edwards would call him on it right at that very moment," Russert
explained. "I still don't know why."

In the midst of the October 5 broadcast, MSNBC aired a clip of Edwards
speaking after the debate about his previous encounters with Cheney.
Though this fact undermined the very moment the MSNBC pundits had been
praising as indicative of Cheney's superior performance, Matthews could
only offer this response: "Well, that's it. That wasn't very edifying,
was
it?"

The same could be said of MSNBC's right-leaning debate coverage.

ACTION: Please encourage MSNBC to offer a more balanced panel
discussion
following tomorrow night's presidential debate.

CONTACT:
MSNBC
Hardball
mailto:hardball@msnbc.com

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously
if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org with your
correspondence.

----------
Your donation to FAIR makes a difference:
http://www.fair.org/donate.html

SUBSCRIBE TO EXTRA! AND GET FAIR'S NEW BOOK FOR FREE:
The Oh Really? Factor
http://www.fair.org/ohreally.html

FAIR SHIRTS: Get your "Don't Trust the Corporate Media" shirt today at
FAIR's online store:
http://www.merchantamerica.com/fair/

FAIR produces CounterSpin, a weekly radio show heard on over 130
stations in the U.S. and Canada. To find the CounterSpin station nearest you,
visit http://www.fair.org/counterspin/stations.html

Feel free to respond to FAIR ( fair@fair.org ). We can't reply to
everything, but we will look at each message. We especially appreciate
documented examples of media bias or censorship. And please send copies of
your email correspondence with media outlets, including any responses,
to fair@fair.org .

You can subscribe to FAIR-L at our web site: http://www.fair.org . Our
subscriber list is kept confidential.
FAIR
(212) 633-6700
http://www.fair.org/
E-mail: fair@fair.org

posted in ~*ACTION NOW*~ - 0 replies

~*ACTION NOW*~'s topics - tribe.net

Strengths of Dyslexics

Addressing The Misconceptions Of Dyslexia

Stop The Misdiagnosing Of Neurodivergents

~*ACTION NOW*~has been posted at The Tribe of unknown web sites

in need of adviuse and moral suport / hoeopathic abortion

the Bush administration was determined to go to war-Please read!

Fight to Save the Arctic Refuge Continues

Public land use fee

New York Times Rewrites Fallujah History

Voter Suppression in PA

unamerican video

IMPORTANT from FAIR

eminem anti-war video

FAIR- Take down the Washington Post!!!

No Stolen Elections!!

Irony

FAIR- Finding Fault on Both Sides Can Be False Balance

About ACTION NOW

DREAM ACT- Call now!

California- Equal Rights for LGBT Immigrants!

FAIR- Sinclair's Partisan Ploy Cries Out for Equal Time

fair.org--MSNBC's Rightward Slant on Debate Coverage

~ACTION NOW~'s topics - tribe.net

~ACTION NOW~has been posted at The Tribe of unknown web sites