On March 19, 2007, the Baltimore City Council unanimously approved a Resolution condemning the Iraqi War, the lies that got us into it, George W. Bush’s “Surge,” and demanded the troops be “safely” withdrawn from that conflict. That same night, a Peace Rally was held at St. Vincent de Paul RC Church. The Rev. Heber Brown III said: “It’s time for us to raise hell for peace in our churches.”

The number of homeless seems to be growing and the facilities for housing them seems to be shrinking. Is this the way to treat the poor?

Michigan's recent ban on affirmative action is inspiring similar ballot initiatives in several other states, and this should be of deep concern to every citizen with a democratic social conscience. Coppin State University Humanities Professor Robert Birt argues that until U.S. citizens are ready to radically democratize the entire social order, we have a moral duty to defend and strengthen those limited achievements of reform.

The Pentagon was the focus of a spirited Peace demonstration on March 17, 2007. The crowd in the tens of thousands heard from over 30 riveting speakers. Activist Cindy Sheehan said: “Let’s stop this b... s...These b... s.... wars. It’s for the corporations...to make them rich and line the pockets of the...war criminals.” She added: “We’re the deciders. And we have decided that we want Bush and Cheney impeached...indicted...and imprisoned.”

America is headed for “a long emergence,” according to author, James H. Kunstler. He’s convinced that the days of the economy running on a cheap supply of fast-fading oil will soon be history. He spoke at Loyola College in Baltimore, MD, on Feb. 20, 2007. Kunstler said it’s time for the country to think: “Downscale!” He sees hard times ahead. Kunstler also doesn’t think much of how the U.S. looks either. He said much of it is a “piece of crap.”

The award-winning author of the acclaimed HBO program, “The Wire,” painted a grim picture of this country. David Simon said: “We’re headed [towards] separate Americas.” Speaking at Loyola College, in Baltimore, MD, on Feb. 6, 2007, he said that “unencumbered Capitalism has become our God.” In our greedy society, Simon underscored: “Human are worth less, not more: less.” He said America is going to be a “more brutish, cynical and divided place.”

America is going down the toilet! Question: What are you going to do about it? The Russian writer, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, urged his people, in 1974, to take on the Stalinists remnant and to “Live Not by Lies.” Today, America is languishing under the Bush-Cheney Gang, Masters of Deception. “Obedience to lies,” Solzhenitsyn said, robs a people, keeping them “in the herd and a coward.” Remedy--”Live by the truth...It is the only [choice] for a soul.”

A monthly column of political commentary. Thid month: Demonstrations for peace