WAKE UP AMERICA!

Al Gore To Give Bush A Lesson In The Constitution

2006-01-13T15:28:00.000-05:00

Yes, Bob Barr is introducing Al Gore at this event. Well, after all, this is an issue that effects all Americans. I am so grateful to see Al Gore out there doing this. And even more grateful because he doesn't have to do it, but is doing it because he gives a damn about the Constitution and our civil liberties. I'm sure it will be another brilliant truthful speech that rips them a new one. I hope he calls for their resignations, and actually, according to a Nation article it is said he will make reference to Nixon... I then hope he says that since Nixon did the right thing for this country, Bush and the lot lof them should do so as well.

This is how you can contact c-span to cover this speech since the media in this country seems to be deaf, dumb, and blind when it comes to telling us the truth and carrying the speeches of the real President.

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~~~~

Al Gore Speech: Unchecked Presidential Power

Join us at noon
Monday, January 16th
DAR Constitution Hall
1776 D St NWWashington, DC
Map [Get tickets now]

Former Vice President Al Gore will deliver a major address Monday on the threat posed by policies of the Bush Administration to our constitutional system of checks and balances. The speech will specifically point to domestic wiretapping and torture as examples of the Administration’s assertion of executive power in disregard of Congress and the courts.

Sponsored by the Liberty Coalition and the American Constitution Society, this speech highlights concern from across the political spectrum. Vice President Gore will be introduced by former Georgia Congressman, Bob Barr.
Also see:
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=59207

Feed The Hungry

2005-12-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

People tout that this country is the richest in the world and I have constantly asked myself when hearing this line, rich in what? Indifference? Apathy? Hype? We have spent over two hundred BILLION dollars on a war of lies that is going up by the second, while people in this country still have to stand on soup lines. Where are our priorities? Do we really care as a nation? Or do we simply use the downtrodden as our way to score political points? Perhaps that is a question we should all ask ourselves as we look in the mirror once more before the next year rings in as the parties rage on...

Any bolded words are my emphasis.

This is a stark reminder of our failure as a nation in as far as taking care of our own. It also raises in my mind a question. Just why does this country give so much out in aid to other countries (with those needing it not seeing it?) Is it because they really care about the poor and hungry, or simply because politicians want to look good? I surmise if it was the former that we would at least have a plan to take care of our own who need barriers lifted in this country... but we don't. Our leaders and so many who claim to be Progressives who give a damn constantly cite statistics and use them to berate others and place blame...But how much has the Progressive community done as a whole this year to alleviate hunger in this country?
Take a look at some snippets from this report regarding hunger in America:
~~~~~~
December 9, 2005
American hunger: Are scientists lying?
by Julian Edney
http://www.opednews.com/
I gambled $31.50 on the new USDA report ERS-ERR-11, not sure if I would understand. Government reports are often clogged with asphyxiated prose and gravel-gray pages of footnoted tables. But mercifully "Household Food Security in the United States 2004" is a readable booklet. Its main point is clear: hunger in America is rising.
The basics: the Fed has surveyed 60,000 American families. It found 88.1% to be "food secure" - they don't worry about getting food. But 11.9% are "food insecure" - sometimes they don't know if they can afford food, but by doing without medications or delaying the rent they avoid hunger. That category is 13.5 million households. Finally 3.9%, or 4.4 million American households, sometimes go hungry for lack of money.
The statistics also show a 14.7% increase in hunger in one year - as we enter another year of recovery from the recession.
The interior numbers show that the South and the West are hungrier, that Blacks and Hispanics are more vulnerable, that households headed by single women are more vulnerable - and, of course, the poor. (1)
America is the biggest food producer of the world. We ship gargantuan piles of it to hungry foreign countries. Fifty four percent of the world's exported corn is from the United States.(2)
A separate survey last year in Los Angeles found 2.9 million in California suffer food insecurity or hunger - some 10% of San Fernando Valley folks are at risk of not getting enough to eat, and if compared by race, Blacks are most at risk, then Whites, then Hispanics. Among low-income adults the food risk percentages grow huge, with Latinos leading at 38.2%. The poor always say high rents are the single biggest drain on what money they have; the homeless daily have to choose between a motel room and food. In California, food insecurity has increased 16% over two years.(3)
California is the biggest food producing state.
A couple of online experts have called the USDA report stunning.
~~~~~~~~~~End of excerpt.

Stunning is the word.. And it is happening right here. Now, just because I happen to give a damn about hungry American children that doesn't mean I don't also believe we shouldn't help those around this world who are suffering from malnutrition and hunger. I have written my share of diaries this year regarding hunger in America, Niger, and hunger in general, and what we as human beings must do in conquering world hunger and global poverty. It is in my view the one important issue that once SERIOUSLY challenged will lead us to a safer world and a world of peace. However, I can't help but wonder where this problem really falls on the priority scale in this country when our own media doesn't even cover it.

We do have the capacity to fight it and win that fight, so why do we choose not to do it? I can surmise that just the amount of food thrown out in one American household in one year could feed everyone in this country going hungry. The money wasted on political pork could go to feed children who otherwise must stand on soup lines while Congress gets another raise. But still year after year we see these statistics quoted, shrug our shoulders, and move on.

It is simply unconscienable to me that this country can DARE to say it is then rich in anything when in all honesty we on the whole show ourselves to be just the opposite. The homeless are forgotten, the hungry are treated like worthless individuals, and the poor are treated with nothing but suspicion and contempt. Not something I am proud of as an American at the end of this year or any year, and I really hope we as a people can do better in 2006 if only we can get beyond the national denial regarding this problem.

More from the article cited above:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It would be nice to know that the Fed is doing something about all those hungry families. Actually the Food Stamp program (also run by the USDA) is a torn safety net. First, as an index of our Government's concern, the allocation for Food Stamps is 0.0017 of the national budget. The average recipient gets $83 a month.(4 ) Second, the help is not getting through. In California, agencies admit only 45% of people who could use Food Stamps get them, even when they qualify. Consequently, food banks and private charities are besieged. American Second Harvest, an emergency food charity, now reports one in four people in a soup kitchen line is a child. Sometimes the hungry and homeless are turned away.
Not just hunger, but the base of national poverty itself is again broadening, with nearly 37 million Americans in poverty in 2004.(5)
The national obsession with extravagant wealth shows precipitous contrasts in the media. Nine days after the Daily News reported on Los Angeles hunger, the Los Angeles Times ran a colorful front page photo of coach Phil Jackson's wallpaper-size grin at being signed by the Lakers for a three year contract at $10 million dollars a year. (6)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of excerpt.

Oh yes, America is rich. So rich that so many have the luxury of yawning and shoving this under the rug. And it isn't just people of one political persuasion that do it. I notice this topic (like the environment) doesn't exactly spawn outrage here either, and that really bothers the hell out of me. Obviously you can't force people to care, but when they SAY they do, brag about it, and then when confronted with it ignore it, what are you to think of people who do that?

More from the article noted:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Now it turns out we're already donating $2 - 4 Billion a year to sub Saharan Africa alone (the hardest hit region). But little of that money gets to the actual victims. Much of the donations winds up in the pockets of consultants, or gets diverted by corruption. (Apparently if you let everybody do what they want, some people steal.) So Sachs says it's going to take more money - at the rate of $160 Billion a year, and more transparent local governance.
Is this a scientific solution? Or is this the familiar cycle of free market capitalism creating plunging inequalities, then finding a new way to redistribute the wealth?
Hunger is painful, sometimes agonizing. It does not strengthen character. It is demoralizing, dispiriting and disorienting; the victim develops misshapen ideas, hopes and fears. It is a disaster. It festers in official misdirection and political disinterest. And itis encouraged by exploitation and greed. Technology is promising what it can't deliver. A politician's promise is not to be taken seriously because it is like a rainbow, it has no back, no weight. But we trust our scientists. This is one place we don't want to grow credibility gaps.
Sachs is promoting his plans for the abolition of chronic hunger in the rest of the world in ten years. Meanwhile, in the most technological, scientific, transparent and wealthy country in the world, the United States, by our own statistics, homelessness is spreading, and poverty is mounting year to year. And hunger is growing like gangbusters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~End of excerpt.

And what will be done by those who claim to care for this issue in the coming year? Will people stand up to the corrupted systems that perpetuate this endless cycle, or will they continue to just throw words and money at the problem thinking it will be taken care of by others?
The other day I wrote a diary about my Resolutions for the Earth. Well, this is my one Resolution for America...To alleviate hunger in this country and put our money where our mouths are. And that means ending this stinking war, kicking these bastards out FOR REAL, and using the billions they are using to create terror, chaos, destruction, and poverty for what it was meant to be used for: FEEDING OUR CHILDREN.

May this year then truly be one we can be proud of on this front.

This Is Disgusting

2005-12-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Do the bolded words make you proud to be an American? They didn't know who was living in this town, or if anyone from this town had actually set up roadside bombs, and they are happy raiding these villages? Sorry, this doesn't make me proud at all. This is what they are dying for? This is insanity. The sad part about this is, that there do seem to be some troops who are actually enjoying this. WHERE'S THE ^&*&^&*&^DEMOCRACY? God how I hope the American people collectively grow a SPINE in 2006 and rid our government of the thugs running it!~~~

Just Another Day for U.S. Military in Iraq
By RYAN LENZ and ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writers
Mon Dec 26,
5:16 AM

ETBEIJI, Iraq - U.S. Army soldiers carried out raids in dusty Iraqi towns. Military doctors treated soldiers wounded by roadside bombs. Christmas in Iraq was just another day on the front lines for the U.S. military.

Troops woke long before sunrise on a cold, rainy Christmas morning to raid an upscale neighborhood a few miles from their base. In honor of the day, they dubbed the target "Whoville," after the town in the Dr. Seuss book "How the Grinch Stole Christmas."

Commanders said they ordered the operation because they did not know the identities of the neighborhood's residents and several roadside bombs had recently been planted near the district, which isn't far from Forward Operating Base Summerall in Beiji, 155 miles north of Baghdad,U.S. patrols had never before ventured into the neighborhood, where the streets are lined with spacious homes.

Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade knew they weren't going to be welcome when they arrived in the dead of night. It just made sense to nickname the target after the village raided by Seuss' Grinch on Christmas morning, they said."It was appropriate. I did feel like the Grinch," said Pfc. John Parkes, 31, of Cortland, N.Y., a medic in one of several groups called "quick reaction teams" that respond to roadside explosions.The raiders broke down doors, confiscated illegal machine guns, plastic bags of ammunition and gun clips. Iraqi law allows households to own AK-47s, but with limitations.For many soldiers in the 101st, it was their second Christmas in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. The brigade, known as "Rakkasans," also raided a village on Thanksgiving morning this year.

For many soldiers, the holidays are more of a benchmark for their time in Iraq than a special day."Believe it or not, I didn't realize it was Christmas until last night," said 1st Sgt. Andre Johnson, 38, of Baton Rouge, La. "It's just another day, man."Another day on patrol. Another day walking the streets while the cold wind cut through their uniforms and a chilling drizzle coated their faces. The neighborhood's residents stayed inside, peeking through windows at the passing soldiers.Sgt. Jared Jones, 21, of Lafayette, Ind., said Christmas away from home can be emotional for some, but he buries himself in his job."The mission comes first," he said, pulling heavily on a cigarette after returning to the base. "I was out here 15 months the last time I was in Iraq. Holidays don't matter much to me."

Maj. Alex Lee sees Iraq from a different perspective serving in Balad, a town 50 miles north of Baghdad.He is a doctor at the largest U.S. military hospital in Iraq, and his early Christmas shift began quickly: Four American soldiers were flown in by helicopter suffering from burns caused by a roadside bombing near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi.One soldier arrived with burns on his back. His exposed legs trembled from the cold and he unconsciously tore off an air tube placed down his throat. A sweating medic knelt beside him and told the doctors about his condition."This is the most medically rewarding thing I'll ever do," Lee, of Bakersfield, Calif., said as he stood in the emergency room, its floor speckled with blood. "This is why we joined up.""Honestly, it doesn't feel like a holiday," he added. "But for the guys that are conscious, we try to say `Merry Christmas' to them. But it is hard to keep holiday spirits up."

Located on an air base, the hospital is a stretch of interconnected white plastic tents covering more than 35,000 square feet. For Senior Airman Heather Ross, a medical technician, Christmas involved administering intravenous fluids and cleaning up after patients, mostly Iraqi soldiers wounded during an ambush on Saturday. One of her patients was a 4-year-old boy injured in a mortar attack that killed his two brothers. "It's not even a holiday here. It doesn't feel like Christmas. My 18-month old daughter is home for the second straight Christmas without me," said Ross, of San Antonio. During a pause between rounds, she showed e-mails of her daughter to visitors and e-mailed others to family and friends. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051226/ap_on_...ry_christmas___

Associated Press writer Ryan Lenz reported this story from Beiji, AP writer Antonio Castaneda reported from Balad.

Our Civil Liberties Are Not Bargaining Chips!

2005-12-23T13:26:00.000-05:00

By Jan Moore

So when is the next terror attack to once again manipulate the American people, since our civil liberties are only being used as bargaining chips for votes by this Congress?

Congress Extends Patriot Act For ONE Month

Hmmm, OK, so first the Patriot Act in which the most controversial, unAmerican, and unconstitutional provisions were set to see the sun no more at the end of this month were extended by six months... Now, those who fought so hard for that agree to one month in four minutes time. So please then tell me what good the filibuster did? Oh, some will say it kept stronger language out of the bill, and that may be true, but the bill still exists and is breathing robustly with the Bush gestapo still in place with full power and not giving a damn about what is written on a piece of paper. As it is, they are already interpreting the vote to go to war in Iraq as permission to spy on the American people! And in regards to that since I haven't really responded to any of it yet here, I find it absolutely impossible that this man can do all of these things with NO ONE ELSE OR ANY COURT NOT KNOWING ABOUT IT. For if that really is the case, then we as a people are truly abandoning our country, and I then still do not understand why he hasn't been arrested for treason yet... But then again, perhaps I do, because this is really all political.

So now Congress bowed down once again in the dead of night (like that wasn't planned,) and the provisions are now only extended for one month thanks to Sensenbrenner, the ranking gestapo leader in Congress, and Democrats say that is OK. OK? What? Now the time doesn't matter? They just continue to say they hope to work in "good faith" to bring a bill that balances civil liberties with security? Pardon me Democrats, BUT THIS BILL AIN'T IT. I'm beginning to think many of them STILL haven't read it yet! Just the freedoms we as Americans lose under the 4th amendment with this bill should be enough for any member of that Senate with a love for this country and duty to uphold this Constitution to stand up and shout that this bill must be REPEALED. Not extended for one month just so they can get home for the holidays, or six months, or until they get the language just right to please their respective bases for the 2006 elections. OUR CIVIL LIBERTIES ARE NOT BARGAINING CHIPS. They are liberties and rights that many Americans before us fought and died for, and they are not to be trifled with for the satisfaction of one elitist group over the needs of the people. I

personally believe the entire Patriot Act is a heaping steaming pile of bullshit being used to manipulate other Congressional votes, the votes of the American people, and to get us to their 'Police State", and it must be totally obliterated from the face of this Earth.Hmm, so all I can come up with regarding this extension once again being maneuvered to suit the head honcho of the regime is, when is the next terror attack? They won't hopefully get a permanent Patriot Act in February by getting the votes for it in the Senate, so what do they have to do to once again use fear, grief, pain, and desperation to get what they want? That is how they passed this abominable piece of legislation in October of 2001... by using 9.11 to get it, and they got it.

So I am thoroughly prepared for a dirty bomb attack in a subway, or a bio attack in a major city, or a bogus terror threat for them to use as bait to get the permanent status they want, and I'm telling Democrats here and now that you all must know how these people are playing for keeps. So why not do what you are supposed to do as representatives of the American people and this Constitution to truly stand up for freedom, justice, security, and liberty, and call for this unnecessary piece of legislation to die the death it should have died five years ago. NO extensions, NO working to fix the language, REPEAL. Otherwise for me, anything less is capitulation, and that is something this country and our Constitution can no longer afford.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/12/23/83712/899

Bush Admits Spying On Americans

2005-12-17T13:24:00.000-05:00

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=100...gMsvUY&refer=us

And of course, his girlfriend sticks up for him. They say the law wasn't broken... Then prove it.

I smell an unconstitutional rat.

Ok, everybody... AWWWWWW. How sweet.

Hussein Trial Is A Farce

2005-12-05T11:32:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051205/ap_on_...ea/saddam_trial

Does Ramsey Clark realize that his presence in Iraq can also divide Iraq? Aren't we already scorned by the majority of Iraqis for our illegal occupation of their country?... and now, he goes there to actually defend the ally that killed children? Hussein's brother in law all but admitted that in court, and claimed he was a patriot. But I have to say, they sure are giving us all the side show I thought they would. And those who chastised me for saying this disgusts me, should read this article.

And yes, I hate Bush, but I also hate Saddam Hussein. That is possible if you look at this from a human instead of a politically partisan angle. I can't believe some people actually think that bastard should go free because Iraq is no better now, and saying that doesn't make me a Bush supporter either. He DID commit crimes, did he not? His brother in law admitted as much in court during Hussein's outburst, saying that he was a patriot for being head of the intelligence agency of Iraq. These people aren't exactly nice either... Of course the occupation of Iraq is a war crime, and Bush, Rumsfeld, Cheney and the entire PNAC gang should be sitting in a courtroom on trial for war crimes as well... so why aren't they? Why are we the American people allowing THEM to get away with their crimes and manipulate this situation to their advantage?

Saddam Hussein is a despicable human being and deserves to be on trial. He deserves to be on trial however, in the Hague not in Iraq, for granted he will not get a fair trial there and that is obvious after the latest side show. However, where are the calls for the trial to be moved? Where is the international pressure? Ramsey Clark is there, but he spoke and said nothing about requesting the trial to be moved to the Hague. He did not once speak about the chemical weapons given to Hussein by those who now ravage Iraq. What is he really there for then? He actually is defending Hussein, and sorry, while yes, I despise Bush and think they need to be on trial, that does not absolve Hussein from his own crimes.

If a Democratic President had somehow apprehended Hussein, would so many think as they do in this case? How do you all know Hussein isn't in this with Bush? They captured him cowering in a rathole and he didn't put up a fight, and now he is being tough in court? It just doesn't fit. I don't trust ANY of them, and I will not let my hatred of Bush and what he stands for cloud my judgment of Hussein as a human rights abuser and ally of Bush and Rumsfeld who needs to also be on trial for his crimes. The problem is, people on all sides have allowed those who are running this show to continue running it. So yes, while it is a sham, a farce, and a side show, all of us should take equal responsibility in allowing it to go on without seeking justice from our own "leaders." This is what partisanship has done to us. Exclude us from giving a comment based solely on the issue of human rights without us being labeled from a particular Party or supporting it because of that opinion.

Election Reform Must be Number One Issue

2005-11-26T10:21:00.000-05:00

This is an issue close to our hearts, especially after the theft of 2000 that took away the TRUE PRESIDENT of the United States of America. We believe dismissing this crime is a stain on our history that we will pay for forever. We are then also incensed by the 2004 election and reports that votes were manipulated in certain counties in Ohio, and we also believe once again in Florida. John Kerry was also wrong to concede so quickly just because he didn' t want to be seen as a "whiner.

"It is not whining to stand up for your country and the votes of the people! We will then be sending out a press release about this in the coming months, and working with other groups dedicated to this issue to see this issue in the forefront where it belongs instead of relegated to obscurity.

DIEBOLD and other companies like them that have provided software that malfunctions should no longer be allowed to count our votes. Democracy is not a malfunctiion. We need to get these companies out of this process completely, and we need to do that now. We also need to hold our representatives of all politics who continue to bury their heads in the sand about this and put their own political careers before our country to accountability! By their complacency they too are complicit in any crimes committed against the American people. We will then become more involved than we have been within this next year with seeing that happen.

Posted on our webpage at : http://www.patriotsforgore.com/

November 26, 2005

Patriots for Al Gore hopes to be able to plan something for spring-early summer of 2006 that will hopefully galvanize the entire election reform movement in America, and seek to educate more people on what is happening regarding our system. This must be out first issue if we are ever to see decent candidates elected to office that will truly uphold our Constitution and serve the people.Any kind of movement to draft or elect anyone at this time in our view is counterproductive if this issue is not fully addressed. This must also be a non-partisan issue that brings in all Americans of all politics and walks of life who believe in the integrity and sanctity of our votes being preserved to work together on this issue. This GAO report confirms what we have been talking about:

GAO Report

For too long certain interests and influences have been defiling our sacred right to vote, and now in some states even to the point of using that right to take away other civil liberties. And for far too long, the media has once again been complicit in reducing talk of this issue down to a "conspiracy theory" to dismiss it. SHAME on them for downplaying the very structure of American Democratic representation for the people! It is now time for the American people to stand up not only for ourselves and our country, but our children, and for our Forefathers who gave their lives to birth this nation believing it was one based on Democratic representation and freedom. Without Democracy here we cannot ever say we believe in it spreading throughout this world. More details on our plans will come as they are worked out, and more information on this issue will be provided.

Thank you,
Jan Moore
Chairperson
Patriots for Al Gore

Voting is a moral issue!

"We The People Do Not Concede"
So why did John Kerry concede so quickly? Was the fix in?

World Hunger Is A Holocaust

2005-11-22T13:20:00.000-05:00

Six million children dying every year, not counting all of those who die from malaria, AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other preventable diseases is simply unconscionable in a world where the resources are available to prevent it. I simply cannot fathom that so many people believe we live in a world of morality if this does not outrage them enough to do something to help. Perhaps this Thanksgiving can be a time for true reflection in beginning to do that.

This U.N. report released today by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, U.N. Food And Agriculture Report, shows that hunger kills nearly 6 million children a year. I'll repeat that, 6 MILLION children a year. If that is not a holocaust I don't know what is. Many of these children also die from diseases such as malaria, pneumonia, measles, dysentery, and other diseases that are treatable. The greatest threat is in sub-Saharan Africa, where the rate of those dying has increased from 170.4 million in 1990, to 203.5 million people in 2000. Now, add to that the threat of climate change, and the numbers I am sure will increase. Without proper nutrition, the body cannot think, it cannot function, it cannot reason, it cannot be.

However, all is not lost if reducing hunger around the world becomes the central goal of all developing countries. The food agency claims that reducing the world's hungry by half by 2015 is an attainable goal. I agree, however, that goal will only be attained by countries around the world using their resources to face this problem, instead of waging wars that make these problems. Hear that, warhawks? Your way is a FAILURE. Only in people joining together to truly help those in need instead of killing them will this world one day finally see peace through poverty and hunger being obliterated from the face of this Earth.

This report also states that providing children with adequate food is crucial for breaking the cycle of hunger and poverty. That becomes much harder in countries however, where political regimes keep that food from getting to their people. Those are the countries the United States should condemn, but then, our current leaders don't really even give a damn about the poverty stricken and hungry in their own country.

Thirty seven million Americans now live BELOW the poverty line in this country, and that is only based on government standards, and does not even give the real picture. But yet, what does this Congress do? They actually CUT funds that would help people so they can keep funding their oil war! It seems to be a pattern with these people. They claim they care about you on one hand, while they are taking it away with the other.

It would truly be tragic enough to sit here reading about all those around the world who die from these diseases and from poverty and hunger, if I knew there was absolutely nothing that could be done about it. It is even more heartbreaking, outrageous, and sad to see this happening knowing that as a species having the resources to fix all the ills we face, we choose not to do it. And that is EXACTLY the real truth of it. For if we as a species were truly committed to it, it would be done.

So today as I think about what I will give thanks for this week on Thanksgiving, I will give thanks that I have a family to love, and a conscience that will not allow me to just sit there eating and not caring about those in the world and in our own country who will not have as much to be thankful for. That is why in conjunction with this diary, I would like for you to check out:

Heifer Organization

This is the organization our PAC will be donating to this holiday season. It is an organization that actually provides the tools necessary for people in less developed countries to learn to produce their own food and in the process give them a sense of accomplishment. It doesn't just throw money at the problem, it seeks to solve the problem. I think it is a wonderful organization, and their site gives all the information you need should you wish to send a donation to them to provide a sustainable future for a family in another part of the world.
This U.N. report also found that 75 percent of the world's hungry and poor are living in rural areas in poor countries. It is then imperative that those people living in these areas be afforded a chance to learn how to grow crops and be able to sustain their own lives. This organization is at least a start.

So again:

Six million children a year, not counting all of those who die from malaria, AIDS, Tuberculosis, and other preventable diseases is simply unconscionable in a world where the resources are available to prevent it. I simply cannot fathom that so many people believe we live in a world of morality if this does not outrage them enough to do something to help. Perhaps this Thanksgiving can be a time for true reflection in beginning to do that.

Forced Vote On Iraq A Disgrace

2005-11-18T20:05:00.000-05:00

ROLLING IN HIS GRAVE.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10097801/

Republicans, you are Fascists who care nothing for those troops, and merely used that device for your own political agenda. Democrats, you should have known what was coming and personally, I am ashamed as an American to see both sides acting so childish regarding this issue. Real people are dying and suffering as both sides stand and squabble over partisan divisions and loyalties to those who lied and deliberately deceived the American people into this war. SHOW THE EVIDENCE AND LET JUDGMENT BE BROUGHT UPON THE GUILTY PARTIES.

It is not you in Congress who have suffered the most from this war, it is us and the Iraqi people, and especially those who are serving over in Iraq who know the TRUTH. Certainly there is nothing wrong with starting to pull our troops out within six months. There is nothing wrong with continuing to provide humanitarian aid and a contingent of peacekeepers that could be stationed in the Gulf for a few months time after June of next year.

There is nothing wrong with continuing to provide support to Iraq to rebuild the infrastructure WE destroyed with Shock and Awe.However, NO SIDE in this has even mentioned the cost of this war for the American people, and the sacrifices our children will now have to make.

Of course, that is because they are ALL too damn busy arguing with each other while people in this country go without healthcare, decent wages, food on their tables, adequate education, decent homes, and a Congress that truly cares not about their REAL problems above all this noise.I hope now that both sides got it out of their systems and will now go back to their comfy cushy homes for two weeks, that they take some time to reflect on the freak show they gave to this country this evening. I'm totally fed up with all of it.

THIS WAR IS OVER

2005-11-17T19:42:00.000-05:00

THIS WAR IS OVER. BRING OUR CHILDREN HOME! STOP FACILITATING TERRORISM! I have to say IT IS ABOUT TIME to see Democrats speaking like this. Let's hope those doing this aren't looking at polls and 2006, but doing this out of principle. So sad that SO MANY HAD TO DIE FIRST, AND BUSH AND HIS CO-OPTERS WILL NEVER LISTEN AS LONG AS THEY ARE IN POWER. See previous post.
~~~~~

It Is Time To Bring Them Home

All of Iraq must know that Iraq is free. Free from United States
occupation.

By Rep. John Murtha

The war in Iraq is not going as advertised. It is a flawed policy
wrapped in illusion. The American public is way ahead of us. The United
States and coalition troops have done all they can in Iraq, but it is time
for a change in direction. Our military is suffering. The future of our
country is at risk. We can not continue on the present course. It is
evident that continued military action in Iraq is not in the best
interest of the United States of America, the Iraqi people or the Persian Gulf
Region.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11053.htm

Evidence Mounts That Bush Wants More Wars

2005-11-17T16:39:00.000-05:00

Do the People of the United States Care Enough to Stop Him?

Interesting question, and the fact that I can't shout out a unequivocal yes in a split second is frightening... but I can't.

Oh sure, Democrats can close the Senate off for a couple of hours to show their constituents that they are worthy of a vote in 2006. They can backtrack and now say that their vote on the Iraq War was a mistake, when they see the polls and want to run for President in 2008. People can stage die ins, get arrested, and then expect that will be enough to stop this train wreck already in progress. We all sit here daily writing, complaining, and ranting, but still, through it all, through all of that and the supposed "indictments" that have now left me cold, these crooks, liars, and murderers remain, still intact, with all of the power we handed over to them ready to be abused once again.

Therefore, where is all of this leading us in the end? What good is any of this if they are always left standing holding all of the cards? And yes, I know, Bush's poll numbers are at what, 34%? Big deal. Is he not still considered the leader of the free world with all of the powers of that leader? I then don't give a damn what a polls says in that instance. Polls are merely political vehicles, and at this stage, we are past political vehicles.I have spent many hours wondering just what would happen should Bush and his Christian Fascist friends along with all of those who would benefit from their Armageddon actually go that extra step. Just what would the reaction be from the American people as a whole based on the fact that up until now after all the shit they have pulled, there really is no REAL outrage against them? It is fairly easy to assess from Bush's recent words that he is instigating a world war. Iraq was just the tip of the iceberg, and if anyone thinks this is it you are totally naive.

I think it is then time for a definite reality check here. The Iraq war is NOT going to end as long as Bush and his neocons run this country, and they WILL run this country (into the ground) as long as they are allowed to do it and get away with stealing elections in the process. You can scream, holler, get arrested, sign thousands of petitions, write millions of diaries (and read those written by Congressional members here that still refer to this cretin as "President" Bush,) and write thousands of letters to them in return, but it ain't gonna happen. Bush and those who are in league with him hate us.

They don't care about us, the Constitution, international law, the rule of law, nor the future of this country. They only care about their own agenda and any loss suffered in the process of getting what they want, whether it be your child, or an Iraqi child, or any child is of no consequence to them. So why are we continuing to allow those who blatantly and immorally trash all this country stands for to get away with it? The fact that I even see people still trying to write him letters, reason with him, and talk about all of this as if it were just like any other event in history truly unnerves me...because it isn't. And for me it isn't, because none of these people are legitimate leaders of this country. They obtained their power by judicial coup, by fiat, by grabbing the reigns of power and yanking them from our hands... And we have yet to yank them back. And for all of the foot stomping and Senators looking as though they suddenly have a backbone as we edge closer to election year, where is the real sincere MORAL OUTRAGE as these people continue to beat the drums of war?

As long as these people are continued to be allowed to maintain the reigns of power in America regardless of any other gestures, I think this question truly does need to be asked, explored, and seriously debated:

Evidence Mounts That Bush Wants New Wars

Do the People of the United States Care Enough to Stop Him?
~~~~
Evidence Mounts That Bush Wants New WarsDo the People of the United States Care Enough to Stop Him?
By Bill Christison
Former CIA analyst

The people and the politicians of this country should rise from their apathy and shout, "No." The time is past for useless analysis and discussion. We Americans, accounting for no more than five percent of the human inhabitants of this globe, should decide here and now whether we are going to be moral or immoral in our future relationships with the rest of the world. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/...
~~~~
Well, what say you?

2005-11-15T19:48:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051115/ap_on_go_co/sept11_aid

These Reptiles in Congress never fail to use 9.11 everytime they want to sell their war in Iraq, but providing funds that will help workers with longterm illnesses and those who may still suffer doesn't seem to be on their radar screen. Remember, "By their fruits ye shall know them." Don't listen to their words, watch their actions. Shame on them for doing this.

Bill O'Reilly-Terrorist Enabler

2005-11-12T18:04:00.000-05:00

O'Reilly to San Francisco:

"[I]f Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. ... You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead"

Click Play to listen to this audio clip
Problems? Download this clip here

Criticizing a ballot measure passed by 60 percent of San Francisco voters urging public high schools and colleges to prohibit on-campus military recruiting, Fox News host Bill O'Reilly declared on the November 8 broadcast of his nationally syndicated radio show, "[I]f Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off-limits to you, except San Francisco."
From the November 8 broadcast of Fox News' The Radio Factor with Bill O'Reilly:

O'REILLY: Hey, you know, if you want to ban military recruiting, fine, but I'm not going to give you another nickel of federal money. You know, if I'm the president of the United States, I walk right into Union Square, I set up my little presidential podium, and I say, "Listen, citizens of San Francisco, if you vote against military recruiting, you're not going to get another nickel in federal funds. Fine. You want to be your own country? Go right ahead."
And if Al Qaeda comes in here and blows you up, we're not going to do anything about it. We're going to say, look, every other place in America is off limits to you, except San Francisco. You want to blow up the Coit Tower? Go ahead.
The 210-foot Coit Tower was dedicated in 1933 and contains a museum and murals that depict working life in 1930s California.
— S.G.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200511100008

He needs to be fired for this.

House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill

2005-11-10T12:09:00.000-05:00

A temporary reprieve for this legacy. Now we have to KEEP THEIR HANDS OFF OF IT! This now also opens up more Republicans who may have been for drilling who would have voted for this bill based on that alone, to scrutiny of how they will look if they vote for this bill that cuts 54 billion from programs that effect their constituents. If they would STOP THIS WAR they wouldn't be in this quandary. But I'm not dancing over this, because I know they will continue to hack away at taking ANWR from the people. With elections coming up next year, they know they will need another carrot to dangle in front of their oil company contributors.
~~~~~
House Drops Arctic Drilling From Bill
By ANDREW TAYLOR,
Associated Press Writer Thu Nov 10, 2:50 AM ETWASHINGTON - A solid phalanx of Republican moderates drove House GOP leaders to drop a hotly contested plan to open an Alaskan wilderness area to oil drilling as a sweeping budget bill headed toward a vote Thursday. A plan to allow states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts was also axed.Still, passage of the broader plan cutting $54 billion from federal benefit programs through the end of the decade remains a challenge, even after the provision permitting oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge was dropped.The Senate has included ANWR drilling in its budget bill and GOP leaders are likely to push hard for the final House-Senate version of the bill to include it.Many of the same moderates opposed to the drilling plan remain opposed to the bill's provisions curbing Medicaid's growth, tightening eligibility for food stamps and cutting student loan subsidies."I have to represent my district," said Rep. Tim Johnson, R-Ill., who represents farmers opposed to cuts in commodity payments as well as the University of Illinois campus, which is upset about cuts to student loans. "At this point, I am very, very skeptical."The overall bill is a top Republican priority. The Senate last week passed a milder version of the bill to curb the automatic growth of federal spending by $35 billion through the end of the decade.The House plan cuts more deeply across a broader range of social services, though Republican leaders say the effects will be modest to programs like the Medicaid health system for the poor and disabled.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051110/ap_on_...rctic_refuge_11

WAR CRIMES

2005-11-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

WAR CRIMES.

~~~~~

US forces 'used chemical weapons' during assault on city of Fallujah By Peter Popham Powerful new evidence emerged yesterday that the United States dropped massive quantities of white phosphorus on the Iraqi city of Fallujah during the attack on the city in November 2004, killing insurgents and civilians with the appalling burns that are the signature of this weapon.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10909.htm===

Video: Fallujah - The Hidden Massacre Italian TV Report Details Use Of Napalm On Iraqi Civilians
Watch The Video Here

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10907.htm===

The media are minimising US and British war crimes in Iraq The reporting of the Iraqi death toll - both in its scale and account of who is doing the killing - is profoundly dishonest By George MonbiotWe can expect the US and UK governments to seek to minimise the extent of their war crimes. But it's time the media stopped collaborating.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10914.htm

Bush: We Don't Do Torture

2005-11-07T16:59:00.000-05:00

Yes, Bush actually defended torture today, and said it is not conducted. WHEN THE HELL IS THIS LYING MURDERER GOING TO BE IMPEACHED?

http://www.antiwar.com/news/?articleid=2444

DOES THIS LOOK LIKE TORTURE TO YOU?
And sure, Bush doesn't do torture...He has others doing it for him.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051107/ap_on_...wh/bush_torture

FBI Use Of Patriot Act Concerns Lawmakers

2005-11-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU. THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL. And Senator Biden, this doesn't just need a look, THIS ACT NEEDS TO BE REPEALED.

~~~~

FBI Use of Patriot Act Concerns Lawmakers
By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
Sun Nov 6, 9:29 PM ET

WASHINGTON - Lawmakers expressed concern Sunday that the FBI was aggressively pushing the powers of the anti-terrorist USA Patriot Act to access private phone and financial records of ordinary people. "We should be looking at that very closely," said Sen. Joseph Biden (news, bio, voting record), D-Del., who is a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee. "It appears to me that this is, if not abused, being close to abused."Sen. Chuck Hagel (news, bio, voting record), R-Neb., a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, agreed, saying the government's expanded power highlights the risks of balancing national security against individual rights."It does point up how dangerous this can be," said Hagel, who appeared with Biden on ABC's "This Week.

"Under the Patriot Act, the FBI issues more than 30,000 national security letters allowing the investigations each year, a hundred-fold increase over historic norms, The Washington Post reported Sunday, quoting unnamed government sources.The security letters, which were first used in the 1970s, allow access to people's phone and e-mail records, as well as financial data and the Internet sites they surf. The 2001 Patriot Act removed the requirement that the records sought be those of someone under suspicion.As a result, FBI agents can review the digital records of a citizen as long as the bureau can certify that the person's records are "relevant" to a terrorist investigation.

Calling the recent growth in the number of letters a "stunner," Biden said, "Thirty thousand seems like an awful, awful stretch to me."Justice Department spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said Sunday that he could not immediately confirm or dispute the 30,000 figure, but he said the power to use the security letters was justified."The Department of Justice inspector general in August 2005 found no civil rights violations with respect to the Patriot Act," he said.Issued by the FBI without review by a judge, the letters are used to obtain electronic records from "electronic communications service providers." Such providers include Internet service companies but also universities, public interest organizations and almost all libraries, because most provide access to the Internet.

Last September in an ACLU lawsuit, a federal judge in New York struck down this provision as unconstitutional on grounds that it restrains free speech and bars or deters judicial challenges to government searches.That ruling has been suspended pending an appeal to the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. In a hearing last week the court suggested it might require the government to permit libraries, major corporations and other groups to challenge FBI demands for records.

The Patriot Act provision involving national security letters was enacted permanently in 2001, so it was not part of Congress' debate last summer over extending some Patriot Act provisions.As the Dec. 31 deadline has approached for Congress to renew provisions of the act, the House and Senate have voted to make noncompliance with a national security letter a criminal offense.Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Tom Coburn, R-Okla., both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said the expanded use of security letters was a "clear concern" and that information gathered on citizens should be destroyed if it does not lead to a criminal charge.Coburn said on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he "certainly will" take steps to ensure that the documents are destroyed immediately.A message left with the ACLU was not immediately returned on Sunday.

Bush Using Avian Flu To Whore For Pharmaceutical Companies

2005-11-01T14:54:00.000-05:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/11/1/144740/055#2
SOBs.

Scooter Meet Jose' Padilla

2005-10-30T22:34:00.000-05:00

Hmm, did all of the people Governor Death executed in Texas get a fair trial? Send Scooter Libby to Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib. After all, that's how it's done now, right?
~~~~~~

Scooter Meet Jose Padilla

Suddenly, Bush Embraces Right of Fair Trials

By DAVE LINDORFF

When President Bush was confronted by reporters as he left the White House for Camp David following the announcement of the five indictments of, and the resignation of Vice President Dick Cheney chief of state I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, he offered up a lame comment, which at the same time exposed him as a grotesque hypocrite.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10810.htm

Rove Will Get Off The Hook

2005-10-28T08:18:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051028/ap_on_...nvestigation_55

Well, as I suspected, this article claims that Libby may well be indicted, but that Rove will be spared as I posted yesterday. Bush is not about to let his "brain" go down. I have a feeling this is going to be so anti-climactic it isn't funny. I just wonder why Robert Novak isn't in jail right now or on trial for treason. What deal did he make? Again, so much political bs over principle. When will Democrats learn that unless you get to the roots, the crabgrass will continue to grow? So Libby will fall on his sword to protect his treasonous master. How noble.
~~~~~

I have to make a bit of a retraction here. I watched Mr. Fitzgerald in a news conference today, and I think he is a good man doing his job right. We will simply have to wait and see how this unfolds, and I do not see anything partisan about this investigation. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.

EXXON-MOBIL=PIGS AT THE TROUGH

2005-10-27T20:41:00.000-04:00

Making profit from misery... The American way.

Disgusting. But they couldnt have done it without those who simply cannot bring themselves to realize the CRISIS we find ourselves in right now not only economically, but environmentally. And you see, when OIL WHORES like Bush tell Americans to "conserve" they are doing with a smirk on their faces, because they know IT IS IMPOSSIBLE in this gluttonous, selfish, ME society.

Hey EXXON, how about kicking back some of those profits you gouged to people in the GULF WHO LOST EVERYTHING.

Thursday, October 27, 2005 by the Associated Press

Exxon Mobil Posts New Record for Profit

by Steve Quinn

Exxon Mobil Corp. had a quarter for the record books. The world's largest publicly traded oil company said Thursday high oil and natural-gas prices helped its third-quarter profit surge almost 75 percent to $9.92 billion, the largest quarterly profit for a U.S. company ever, and it was the first to ring up more than $100 billion in quarterly sales. Net income ballooned to $9.92 billion, or $1.58 per share, from $5.68 billion, or 88 cents per share, a year ago.Excluding certain items, earnings were $8.3 billion, or $1.32 per share, versus $6.23 billion, or 96 cents per share, in the 2004 quarter.

Analysts polled by Thomson Financial, on average, predicted earnings excluding items of $1.38 per share.Revenue grew to $100.72 billion from $76.38 billion in the prior-year period.Howard Silverblatt, equity analyst at Standard & Poor's, said both the net income and sales figures are all-time records for publicly traded U.S. companies. The hurricanes slashed Exxon Mobil's U.S. production volumes by 50,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down nearly 5 percent year-over-year, costing the company $45 million before taxes. The company said total daily production slipped to 2.45 million barrels of oil equivalent from 2.51 million barrels."Following the hurricanes, Exxon Mobil maximized gasoline production from all of our refineries which were operating in the U.S., and increased imports from overseas affiliates to meet U.S. demand," said Chairman Lee R. Raymond. Earnings from U.S. upstream operations increased by $498 million to $1.67 billion, while U.S. downstream earnings jumped $548 million to $1.11 billion. In the U.S. and abroad, income from the company's chemicals segment declined by $537 million to $472 million, as raw materials costs squeezed margins.The company cautioned that reduced volumes and higher costs will also hurt the fourth quarter.Shares of Irving-based Exxon Mobil rose 56 cents, or 1 percent, to $56.76 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock has traded in a 52-week range between $48.25 and $65.96.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/1027-06.htm

Three Years Ago Today...

2005-10-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

Three years ago today a bright light in our Senate was snuffed out... However, the legacy of Paul Wellstone will live on. Rest in peace, Senator Wellstone, Sheila Wellstone, and all of those who died on this day in 2002. The people will not forget.

Cheney Cited As Source In CIA Leak

2005-10-25T09:34:00.000-04:00

I will go out on a limb and say that if anyone is indicted, it is going to be Libby. Rove would be nice to see, but I really do not believe Bush will allow that. According to what I read even if Cheney is indicted he won't go anywhere unless he resigns or is impeached. Tell me what the chances are of either of those scenarios happening. Also, it will have to be proven that they knew Plame was a CIA operative when they leaked her name... So unless they have that proof and can then prove they lied about it under oath I suppose all they would have is obstruction of justice if that. So as I stated before, I'm not too excited about all of this but as usual some Democrats are foaming at the mouth because they are so desperate to find something not realizing that these people are so full of guile that they already had it all played out. I will be very surprised to see anyone above Libby get an indictment and again, they would then either have to resign or be impeached. So, are they really scared, or are they laughing their a**es off from behind the scenes watching all of the premature celebrating? I have a very big sneaking suspicion that they are going to get away with it... again. Although, I do hope I am wrong.

~~~~~~~

Report: Cheney Cited as Source in CIA Leak 1 hour, 1 minute ago
NEW YORK - Notes in the hand of a federal prosecutor suggest the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney first heard of the covert CIA officer central to a leak investigation from Cheney himself, The New York Times reported. The newspaper said notes of a previously undisclosed June 12, 2003, conversation between I. Lewis Libby and Cheney appear to differ from Libby's grand jury testimony that he first heard of Valerie Plame from journalists.The newspaper identified its sources in the story in Tuesday's editions only as lawyers who are involved in the case.Libby has emerged at the center of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's criminal investigation in recent weeks because of the Cheney aide's conversations about Plame with Times reporter Judith Miller.

Miller said Libby spoke to her about Plame and her husband, Bush administration critic Joseph Wilson, on three occasions — although not necessarily by name and without indicating he knew she was undercover.Libby's notes show that Cheney knew Plame worked at the CIA more than a month before her identity was publicly exposed by columnist Robert Novak.At the time of the Cheney-Libby conversation, Wilson had been referred to — but not by name — in the Times and on the morning of June 12, 2003 on the front page of The Washington Post.The Times reported that Libby's notes indicate Cheney got his information about Wilson from then-CIA Director George Tenet, but said there was no indication he knew her name.The notes also contain no suggestion that Cheney or Libby knew at the time of their conversation of Plame's undercover status or that her identity was classified, the paper said.Disclosing the identify of a covert CIA agent can be a crime, but only if the person who discloses it knows the agent is classified as working undercover.

The Times quoted lawyers involved in the case as saying they had no indication Fitzgerald was considering charging Cheney with a crime.But the paper said any efforts by Libby to steer investigators away from his conversation with Cheney might be viewed by a prosecutor as attempt to impede the inquiry, which could be a crime.According to a former intelligence official close to Tenet, the former CIA chief has not been in touch with Fitzgerald's staff for more than 15 months and was not asked to testify before the grand jury even though he was interviewed by Fitzgerald and his staff.The official told the Times that Tenet declined to comment on the investigation.Libby's lawyer, Joseph Tate, did not return phone calls and e-mail to his office. The White House also did not return calls.Fitzgerald is expected to decide this week whether to seek criminal indictments in the case. Lawyers involved in the case have said Libby and Karl Rove, President Bush's senior adviser, both face the possibility of indictment.Fitzgerald questioned Cheney under oath more than a year ago, but it is not known what the vice president told the prosecutor.Cheney has said little in public about what he knew. In September 2003, he told NBC he did not know Wilson or who sent him on a trip to Niger in 2002 to check into intelligence — some of it later deemed unreliable — that Iraq may have been seeking to buy uranium there. "I don't know who sent Joe Wilson. He never submitted a report that I ever saw when he came back," Cheney said at the time. "... I don't know Mr. Wilson. I probably shouldn't judge him. I have no idea who hired him."

The Cheney-Libby conversation occurred the same day that The Washington Post published a front-page story about the CIA sending a retired diplomat to Africa, where he was unable to corroborate intelligence that Iraq was trying to acquire uranium yellowcake from Niger. The diplomat was Wilson. A year after Wilson's trip, President Bush cited British intelligence in his State of the Union address as suggesting that Iraq was pursuing uranium in Africa.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051025/ap_on_...k_investigation

Will Indictments Stop Bush?

2005-10-23T16:56:00.000-04:00

I understand those who seem happy by these indictments that are supposedly coming down. My question is, will they stop Bush?

More below.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/22/121051/32

I haven't commented about all of the talk of indictments supposedly coming down regarding Libby, Rove, and Cheney to this point, and that is for one good reason. I don't believe they will really do much to stop the agenda now in place. Sure, we need them to happen, because these scumbags need to be brought to justice because they are traitors to the United States of America. However, look at who will still be in place should these people go down with three years left... a megalomaniac sociopath with the IQ of a dodo bird, who exhibits the same tendencies that Roman Emperor Caligula did, and who I believe will use his corrupted power to make his moves before all of this comes crashing down. This won't stop him, this will only speed it up.

These indictments while being much needed in the course of justice, will also in my opinion be like trapping a rat in a corner who has no place to go, and when that happens the rat will then jump up and aim for the jugular. Bush in my honest layman's opinion is a loose cannon. He already thinks he is on a mission from God to spread "Democracy" (under the guise of violence) throughout the world to bring the forces of "evil" to justice. He is the phony tent revival preacher, and his followers are those in the tent who will believe anything he says and support it because he uses God as his reason to do it. Even today his approval rating is still 33%. Sorry, but I don't see that as low under the circumstances, and it really makes me wonder about this country.

So I suppose what I am trying to say here, is that unless these indictments come down also on him and their entire cabal thus wiping the slate clean, what will be the outcome of all of this even should Rove and Cheney go? It is already reported that U.S troops are in Syria and people have died. The Republican Congress has also been on a fast track to make sure the environment and the poor get screwed, and that their corporate interests and lobbyists get rewarded at our expense. Now gun companies are off the hook due to the Republican Congress that is so worried about terrorism, that they actually will allow gun companies to sell assault weapons to them and escape liability.

Perhaps they see the ship sinking, and perhaps that really is possible. However, I am concerned about what could go down before they do, especially considering the immense amount of power they possess, and their blatant disregard for the rule of law both domestic and international and their obvious disdain for the U.S. Constitution.

So are my concerns real? Are they shared? Does anyone else feel that while following the law to bring them to justice is a good thing, that it may be taking too long under the circumstances? The longer it takes to take action the more time it gives these people to put their final act into play. They do not even believe they need Congress's approval to attack Syria or any other country now because of the carte blanche they got with the Iraq War Resolution (which plainly spelled out this option if only those certain Senators who passed it had actually read past their own ambitions before voting for it,) and they profess an ideology that has no respect for any laws of men.

Therefore, while I am watching all of this unfold regarding indictments with some hope, it is not the kind of hope that has me jumping up and down. It is a wary hope mixed with a good amount of anxiousness in realizing that the very people we need to be marginalizing still hold all of their power while this is going on, and that doesn't leave me with a good feeling at all. So, will these indictments truly be effective?

Yeah, there's a pattern

2005-10-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

It's called arrogance.

It's called indifference.

It's called elitism.

It's called ignorance.

It's called incompetence.

It's called EVIL.

There are no other words except: TIME TO IMPEACH.

Israeli Leaders call for Regime Change In Syria?/ Is God Talking To Bush Again?

2005-10-23T16:21:00.002-04:00

Just look at this picture. This nut actually thinks GOD works through him...And the people in the picture don't look any saner either. God, WHAT KOOLAID ARE THESE PEOPLE DRINKING? And how come he never goes to a funeral of any of the children he sends to their deaths in this war? And now, he in tandem with Israeli leaders who really don't care about their people either are now calling for "regime change" in Syria to expand this war, and of course, this Congress will allow it because let's face it, this IS about Israel. Oh, but don't dare say that in public lest you be called anti-semitic and a terrorist for giving an honest opinon about the foreign policy of this country that has killed too many of our children already for political and corporate greed. My question regarding God talking to Bush however, is: If he does, why doesn't he ever clue him in on these assassinations going down BEFORE they happen so his chosen one can stop them? Methinks God isn't the one talking to this sociopath. The God I know doesn't have red scales and breathe fire. What BS. If Assad had anything to do with the assassination of Harriri, then let him face justice in an international court. This regime change BS by Bush and the usual suspects is getting redundant.
~~~~~~
Israeli leaders call for regime change in Syria after assassination report

By Associated Press October 21, 2005 Israeli leaders on Friday called for changes in the Syrian leadership, after a U.N. probe implicated top Syrian and Lebanese intelligence officials in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The findings drew the first official link between Damascus and the Feb. 14 slaying of Hariri, a popular opposition leader. The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to discuss the report Tuesday and may consider sanctions against Syria.

"I think there needs to be change in Syria," said Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, adding that the United States and France should take the lead in deciding on an international response to the findings. Referring to Syrian President Bashar Assad and his relatives in positions of power, Peres said: "If it is true that the (Syrian) government is involved in the murder (of Hariri), this will shake up the rule of the Assads," Peres told Israel Radio. He added that it is "not natural or acceptable" for a family representing a small minority to rule Syria in what he said was a brutal fashion. The U.N. report stopped short of fingering Assad or his inner circle, but accused Syria of failing to cooperate and said the plot to kill Hariri in a car bomb must have had the blessing of Syrian security officials.

The report includes a single reference to Assef Shawkat, Assad's brother-in-law and the Syrian intelligence chief. According to one witness, Shawkat forced a man to tape a claim of responsibility for Hariri's killing 15 days before it occurred. Ephraim Halevy, former chief of Israel's Mossad spy agency, said it was not necessary to prove a direct involvement by Assad. "The head of the Syrian pyramid is Bashar Assad," Halevy told Israel Army Radio. "I don't think ... there is any doubt that this was an extensive and coordinated operation that was planned for many months. Lots of people from the Syrian elite were involved." Israeli legislator Yuval Steinitz, head of parliament's Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee, called for regime change in Damascus. "As far as I am concerned ... and here I have a dispute with some of the people in the (Israeli) security establishment, it is not just an American interest but a clear Israeli interest to end the Assad dynasty and replace Bashar Assad," said Steinitz, a member of Israel's ruling Likud Party.

Rice: Syria Must Be Held Accountable

2005-10-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051021/ap_on_...jRtBHNlYwMxNjk5

The PNAC plans continues...

Our Environment Is Under Attack!

2005-10-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Wetlands and woods are saturated with oil, north of Lake Pontchartrain following Hurricane Katrina, September 9, 2005. In the past four years, the United States has drastically cut back on its protection of waterways and wetlands, whose erosion was cited as a factor in the destruction caused by Katrina, according to a report issued Wednesday.

http://www.gao.gov/htext/d05870.html
GAO Report on Wetlands/October 12, 2005

Not only is Congress looking to take away protections for other species to benefit their corporate cronies by eroding the Endangered Species Act ( http://www.sierraclub.org/petition/endangered_species?promocode=J05WOTK103&asking=50&m=n ), this administration in the last four years has also attacked this country by assaulting the Clean Air Act (and this is what they propose as of today in making sure your children have a greater chance of living in a polluted country with more disease:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051014/ap_on_go_pr_wh/power_plants_pollution), and the Clean Water Act, which is also what led to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina (and that is without even mentioning their ignorance and indifference regarding the climate change that is spawning stronger storms.)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
US reduces protection of waters, wetlands: report By Alan Elsner Wed Oct 12,11:36 AM ETWASHINGTON (Reuters) - In the past four years, the United States has drastically cut back on its protection of waterways and wetlands, whose erosion was cited as a factor in the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina, according to a report issued on Wednesday. The report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, examined how the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency assert jurisdiction over many of the nation's waterways and wetlands.Environmental groups criticized government practices discussed in the report.

"Losses of wetlands in many areas in the United States are unprecedented, yet the corps is allowing many of the remaining wetlands to be destroyed, in violation of its Clean Water Act obligations, without even trying to figure out why," said Christy Leavitt of environmental group U.S. PIRG.Navis Bermudez of the Sierra Club said, "The GAO's report confirms the administration is secretly pursuing a policy that favors developers and other industrial interests."Before 2001, the corps asserted jurisdiction over most waters, including isolated, nonnavigable waters, if migratory birds could use them. That meant that anyone wishing to build homes, shopping malls, offices or golf courses in such environments first had to obtain a permit from the corps.

However a Supreme Court decision in January 2001 concluded that the corps had exceeded its powers by seeking jurisdiction over such waters solely based on their use by birds.The GAO report found that under the Bush administration the corps and the Environmental Protection Agency had used that ruling as a reason to scale back its jurisdiction over waterways and wetlands much further than was required by the court decision.

NOT ASSERTING JURISDICTION

"The corps is generally not asserting jurisdiction over isolated, intrastate, nonnavigable waters using its existing authority," the report said.Many scientists believe the loss of wetlands along the Gulf of Mexico to building and development contributed to the extent of the destruction wrought by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Wetlands soak up and slow storm water. Paving them over leaves the excess water with no place to go and exacerbates flooding.The Clean Water Act prohibits most discharges of dredged or fill material into the "waters of the United States" without first obtaining a permit from the corps.

The issue of whether or not the corps has jurisdiction over a particular stretch of water depends on how one defines the term "waters of the United States." In 2003, the corps and the EPA issued a joint memorandum scaling back that definition to exclude virtually all nonnavigable waters.The report said corps officials told investigators they no longer considered seeking jurisdiction over many stretches of water or wetlands partly because "they believe headquarters does not want them to use this provision."It is not clear exactly what proportion of the nation's waterways are no longer protected from development as a result of the new policy but the report said it could be considerable. For example, Texas estimated that approximately 79 percent of its 80,000 miles of rivers and streams would no longer be subject to federal regulations.In appendixes to the GAO report, both the Secretary of the Army and the EPA generally accepted its findings and said they were devising better procedures to improve the consistency and openness of their decision making.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is clear to me that the assault upon this country led by the Bush administration is the clearest indication that they do not love America. They do not treasure its wonder and beauty. They do not understand the delicate balance of our ecosystems that sustain all life including OURS. They do not believe our children should have a sustainable future. They then do not believe in freedom, liberty, and justice, as they do not believe in the will of the people. And they most definitely are not true Conservatives, or for that matter, Christians. For they have done nothing for the time they have been squatting in our White House but do all in their power to embarrass, degrade, despoil, destroy, and carve up this country for their own interests. That to me is not American, it is treasonous. For they are Fascist robber barons who dare to stake claim to this country and use it as their personal playground and corporate/military benefit at the expense of our lives.

However, even as Bush’s ratings sink lower than his shoe size, their arrogance and hatred for the American people persists in assaulting our environment, by drilling our last Wildlife Refuge. In rolling back rules that would keep our air cleaner and us healthier and more prosperous. In rolling back rules that would protect our waterways and wetlands. By rolling back any act that would protect other species that have no voice to speak out for them. I am appalled as an American, but more importantly as a person who has always treasured and respected our natural resources, by the absolute blatant disregard for humanity these people have shown and continue to show in their actions.

I am also absolutely saddened that there is no loud outcry regarding these assaults, as once again the media in this country totally ignores the environmental devastation these usurpers have waged upon our country and this world. One only has to look at the environmental devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina (and the environmental rollbacks that heightened her devastation) to see where the values of these people truly lie.

I surely hope there are indictments coming down, or that an impeachment is imminent, or that SOMETHING is coming down the pike to stop these people from attacking our country. For while we do have to deal with a terrorism that seeks to destroy what we believe in, at least I see that terrorism as one that can be confronted and fought with the right leaders in place. However, our environment encompasses so many different species and has been so degraded by these peoples’ greed and selfishness that I don’t know now if we can truly stem the tide of the monster they have created should they be allowed to remain in power these next three years to do so.

Since I was a child, I was brought up to respect and cherish this Earth, and I have done so. I believe God is in all things, and to despoil this planet is to despoil our very spiritual link with our creator. I therefore cannot express in words the desolation I feel in my very soul today as I look out on the American landscape. We simply cannot allow these parasites to continue to suck the life out of this country. It is as simple as that. THEY ARE KILLING AMERICA.

Iraq War Now Costing 6 BILLION A Month

2005-10-08T19:31:00.000-04:00

And Americans (especially seniors and those living on limited incomes) may freeze to death in their homes this winter because of the obscene cost of heating them. Where is Congress on this? And I suppose I can then add to that question, why should I even ask that, WHEN THEY DON'T REALLY CARE? They want to cut food aid for the poor already as it is, and they have forgotten about those lost in the aftermath of one of the most tragic events to ever hit this country. I suppose they don't give a damn if people freeze as well...Bitching over Harriet Miers and giving Bush more money to wage war is now more important.

~~~~

The paper by the Congressional Research Service underscores how the price tag has been gradually rising for the war in Iraq. A year ago, the Pentagon was calculating its average monthly costs in that conflict at below $5 billion -- an amount the research service says has now grown close to $6 billion.
Iraq war now costing $6 billion a month

~~~~
New Orleans lays people off because they say they cannot pay them (where are all the billions for Hurricane Katrina relief going? As if we didn't know!) Americans struggle just to make ends meet, (and I am one of them who is also dreading winter because energy costs are going to bury so many people in this country,) and people are living without homes, food, or hope in this country due to Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Rita, and because of the general economy. Yet these bastards continue to spend 6 BILLION of our money that we don't even have on this illegal war that is accomplishing nothing but continuing to incite terrorism, violence, and kill our children. And they just got 50 BILLION more to keep it going in a 445 billion dollar defense budget! WHERE THE HELL IS THE REAL OUTRAGE IN THIS COUNTRY?

And I am not even talking about Cindy Sheehan setting up Camp Caseys. I am also not talking about people calling their reps to tell them they don't approve of this. None of those things will end this war in my view, and as a matter of fact, the violence in Iraq is escalating. It is obvious that those in power do not care about the people, so why are we the people allowing them to continue to occupy our White House? And though many want to see this, how is indicting Tom Delay stopping this? How is bitching over Harriet Miers stopping this? And why are we bitching about her anyway? FILLIBUSTER her and get it over with!

Democrats in our Congress are not doing any service to the people by concentrating on her at the expense of us! We already know she is UNQUALIFIED for this position. Follow the damn constitution, do your jobs, and get on with the business of serving the people! All of these diversions to position for upcoming crooked elections is hogwash to me at this point, and I am tired of the political maneuvering going on while every day the situation here and in Iraq gets worse! People are hurting! People are dying!

How is also bitching over what the House did to pass an environmental nightmare bill for oil refineries stopping this? IT STILL PASSED. Why didn't ALL of the Democrats show up to vote to stop it from passing? What will then stop these parasites short of US indicting them and the entire damn Congress that backs them? Where are the arrests? Why are these people above the law? When are we going to really stand up to take this country back? (If we ever really had it to begin with!)

You know, as much as I really don't want to state this I do believe there are also Democrats revelling in all of this, because they still think all of this destruction and misery will bring them votes in 2006 and 2008 (just go to the some other sites to see people do nothing but write RUN AL RUN! or rooting for this one and that one (while this country and world crumble around us)... And that to me is disgusting right now. We all need to run to Washington DC and kick these traitors out now!

SIX BILLION a month! My God, how we are failing our children!

Iraq Tightens Security Measures

And look at the above: The "Iraqi" Government, or rather, the American placed Iraqi government has issued a curfew, weapons ban, and border closing before the election on their so called, "constitution." And they dare to tell us that Iraq is a Democracy? Iraq is a colonial property and that is the way it will stay.

Between this and all that is happening here and around the world because of our arrogance regarding our planet, I see it coming to a real head real soon. Avian flu, hurricanes, earthquakes, mudslides, famine... Wow, if I were that religious I really would think it was the "end of days."

And I truly do not believe Bush and his neocons are about to be taken down by some "indictment." And if they do go down, they are going to drag us down with them, and I REFUSE to go.

Therefore, to all of those Democrats who did revel and may be revelling in all of this as well thinking it would only help them win a crooked election down the line, you deserve what you get. Unfortunately, we don't.

So please, Democrats, let me know when we are going to rise up as Americans who really care about our future and do more than just talk or say shame, shame, shame as we give away our country on a silver platter. Indicting Tom Delay (though sweet to watch) isn't going to pay my utility bills this winter. Bitching over Harriet Miers isn't going to feed my child. I don't want bitching, I want LEADERSHIP, and I want these people OUT of the government they stole. My patience is wearing thin, and I know I'm not alone.

Avian Flu Is Coming/ Please Read This

2005-10-01T18:57:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/10/1/175713/702

I wrote this today because I believe this is coming soon. And if it does after mutating, nothing else will matter. PLEASE read this regardless of your politics and take it seriously. And make sure you tell everyone you know about this.

Funeralgate in Louisiana

2005-09-29T08:12:00.000-04:00

Bush, already hiding the true death toll of Iraq, wants to do the same with Katrina. And his old cronies are going to help him do it, as I also have no doubt they are applying great pressure on the Governor of Louisiana to comply with them. Katrina is just as an excuse for them to make money off the dead. They are heartless bastards.

FEMA, La. out source Katrina body count to firm implicated in body-dumping scandals

Miriam Raftery

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has hired Kenyon International to set up a mobile morgue for handling bodies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, RAW STORY has learned. Kenyon is a subsidiary of Service Corporation International (SCI), ascandal-ridden Texas-based company operated by a friend of the Bush family. Recently, SCI subsidiaries have been implicated in illegallydiscarding and desecrating corpses. Louisiana governor Katherine Blanco subsequently inked a contract withthe firm after talks between FEMA and the firm broke down. In other words, FEMA and then Blanco outsourced the body count from Hurricane Katrina -- which many believe the worst natural disaster inU.S. history -- to a firm whose parent company is known for its "experience" at hiding and dumping bodies.

The Menorah Gardens cemetery chain, owned by SCI, desecrated vaults, removed hundreds of bodies from two cemeteries in Florida and dumped the gruesome remains in woods frequented by wild hogs, investigatorsdiscovered in 2001. In one case, a backhoe was used to crack open avault, remove corpses and make room for more dead bodies. SCI paid $100 million to settle a lawsuit filed by outraged familymembers of the deceased.

A secretary at the lawfirm that sued SCI over the Florida cemetery scandals gasped when informed that FEMA had outsourced handling of Katrina victims' bodies to an SCI subsidiary. "Oh, good lord!" she said. Peter Hartmann, general manager of the Menorah Gardens Cemetery chain, was later found dead in his car from carbon monoxide poisoning outside his parents' home in an apparent suicide. RAW STORY calls to FEMA were not returned. Waltrip, chairman of SCI, is a longtime friend of Bush's father, formerPresident George Herbert Walker Bush. The firm's political actioncommittee donated $45,000 to George W. Bush's 1994 gubernatorialcampaign.The company also contributed more than $100,000 for construction of theGeorge H.W. Bush presidential library."It is appalling that the Bush administration –- which has already badly bungled its response to hurricane Katrina –- would hire a company with a record of gross mismanagement of mortuary services," said Melanie Sloan,executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics, aWashington D.C.-based watchdog group. "I can only imagine that this decision was made because of President Bush's long-time friendship withthe head of SCI, Robert Waltrip."

SCI also owned fifteen funeral homes named as defendants in a lawsuitfiled on behalf of family members alleging "macabre mishandling, abuse and desecration of bodies" by Tri-State Crematory in Georgia. The lawsuit accused SCI-owned funeral homes of sending bodies to the unlicensed,unregulated crematorium, where never-incinerated corpses were found piled outdoors and stuffed in sheds in 2000. Some vaults designed to hold one body each had 67 sets of human remainsstuffed inside, investigators discovered.

SCI was among the companies ordered to pay settlement fees to family members, a legal source has confirmed to RAW STORY. Kenyon bills itself as the world's leading disaster management company. It provided morgue support services following the 9/11 plane crash in Pennsylvania and the Asian tsunami. As North America's largest funeral and cemetery company, SCI operates 1,500 mortuaries and cemeteries nationwide. SCI was also involved in an earlier scandal in Texas. Eliza May, former Texas Funeral Service Commission Director, filed a lawsuit accusingGeorge W. Bush, then Governor, of obstructing an investigation into SCIlicense violations. May was fired following a dispute with Waltrip.Waltrip and an SCI lobbyist met with Governor Bush's chief of staff, JoeAllbaugh (Allbaugh was later appointed head of FEMA after Bush becamePresident, but left to become a lobbyist representing Halliburton, among other corporate clients).According to Newsweek, Bush stopped by and said to Waltrip, "Hey, Bobby,are those people still messing with you?"

May, a Democrat, sought to force Bush to testify in the case, but in August 1999, a Texas judge tossed out a subpoena issued by May's lawyers for Bush to give a deposition. Bush, who was not a defendant, called May's claims "frivolous" and denied knowing the circumstances of her ouster. In 1999, when Bush was gearing up to run for the presidency, Texas Governor Rick Perry approved a settlement for May. SCI paid $55,000; the state of Texas shelled out the balance without admitting wrong doing in May's termination. Jennifer Crider, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi(D-Calif.), expressed concern over FEMA's choice of an SCI subsidiary and questioned whether the selection was made through a no-bid process. "The tragedy in the Gulf States must not be compounded by disrespectingthose who have died," Crider told RAW STORY. "It's critical that government contracts be subjected to scrutiny to ensure that there hasb een no fraud or abuse of taxpayer money or interest. "Democrats have called for formation of an anti-fraud commission to investigate no-bid contracts awarded in relation to Hurricane Katrina,she added.

Why FEMA chose to outsource mortuary services to a paid contractor is also mystery to Dan Buckner, co-owner of the Gowen-Smith Chapel in the Gulf area. Buckner had planned to serve with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Responses Team, which reportedly told Buckner's partner, Gary Hicks of Paducah, KY, to expect up to 40,000 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi. Upon learning of Kenyon's contract, Buckner expressed puzzlement. He told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, "Volunteers would have gone at no charge. "Clarification: After FEMA began working with Kenyon, they were subsequently contracted by Louisiana Governor Blanco. It was Louisiana that signed a formal contract.
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/FEMA_outsour..._scan_0913.html

Bush Wants Bigger Role For Military In Disasters

2005-09-27T16:35:00.000-04:00

Gee, how many more are they planning?

http://news.usti.net/home/news/cn/?/usa.go...h.RQYw_FSQ.html

Martial law is coming. When is the only question in my mind. This should chill the blood of any real American. Rumsfeld in charge of disaster relief in this country? The military roaming through the streets of our cities? Totally UNAMERICAN.

Bill Would Permit DNA Collection From All Those Arrested

2005-09-27T16:32:00.000-04:00

And the FASCIST agenda of the Bush adminsitrtion contiues.
~~~
Bill Would Permit DNA Collection From All Those Arrested
By Jonathan Krim

Suspects arrested or detained by federal authorities could be forced to provide samples of their DNA that would be recorded in a central database under a provision of a Senate bill to expand government collection of personal data. The controversial measure was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and is supported by the White House, but has not gone to the floor for a vote. It goes beyond current law, which allows federal authorities to collect and record samples of DNA only from those convicted of crimes.

The data are stored in an FBI-maintained national registry that law enforcement officials use to aid investigations, by comparing DNA from criminals with evidence found at crime scenes. Sponsors insist that adding DNA from people arrested or detained would lead to prevention of some crimes, and help solve others more quickly. "When police retrace the history of a serial predator after he is finally caught, they often find that he never had a prior criminal conviction, but did have a prior arrest," Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said in a statement. "That means the only way they are likely to catch such a perpetrator after his first crime -- rather than his 10th -- is if authorities can maintain a comprehensive database of all those who are arrested, just as we do with fingerprints." Privacy advocates across the political spectrum say the proposal is another step in expanding government intrusion.

"DNA is not like fingerprinting," said Jesselyn McCurdy, a legislative counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "It contains genetic information and information about diseases." She added that the ACLU questions whether it is constitutional to put data from those who have not been convicted into a database of convicted criminals. The provision, co-sponsored by Kyl and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.), does not require the government to automatically remove the DNA data of people who are never convicted. Instead, those arrested or detained would have to petition to have their information removed from the database after their cases were resolved. Privacy advocates are especially concerned about possible abuses such as profiling based on genetic characteristics.

"This clearly opens the door to all kinds of race- or ethnic-based stops" by police, said Jim Dempsey, executive director of the Center for Democracy and Technology, a digital policy think tank. Originally, the federal DNA database was limited to convicted sex offenders, who often repeat their crimes. Then it was expanded to include violent felons. Several states, including Virginia, also collect DNA from those arrested for violent crimes. "It's a classic mission-creep situation," said Jim Harper, a privacy specialist with the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "These guys are playing a great law and order game . . . and in the process creating a database that could be converted into something quite dangerous."

Typically, DNA is taken from suspects via a swab of saliva. A DNA "profile" -- or unique numeric signature -- is generated, which can be stored without including private genetic information. But privacy advocates say they are unclear how the growing number of state and federal samples are being handled, recorded and secured. The Kyl measure was added to a bill to strengthen penalties for violent acts against women and was approved without a roll-call vote. McCurdy said she hopes that negotiations among Judiciary Committee members result in changes before the legislation is voted on by the Senate.

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Commemorate International Day Of Peace

2005-09-20T19:47:00.000-04:00

This isn't only about ending the war in Iraq. This isn't only about standing with a poster. This goes so much deeper than that now. We need to join with the entire world in seeking peace. Without that, we have no chance. Please read on about another way you can also help in your own way to make International Peace a reality...

International Day of Peace

http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org

UN General Assembly Resolution 55/282, calls for September 21 of each year to be designated as an International Day of Peace. This is to be a day of reinforcing the ideals of peace in order to provide education in alleviating the tensions and causes of conflict. All organizations of the United Nations, countries, states, organizations, and individuals are encouraged to commemorate this day. That also includes providing education, public awareness, and cooperation with the United Nations in establishing a global ceasefire, including the proliferation of nuclear weapons.

This commemoration goes from North Korea to Ireland, Iraq to the Sudan. It encompasses our entire world, and it is to be a day of tribute in seeking the peace we must have in order to survive. It is about joining hands with all around the world in a common bond of brotherhood.I entreat you all to join people throughout the world in one minute of silence at 12 noon tomorrow in your common commitment to peace. Have a minute of silence in your school, home, or office. Bow your head, meditate, or light a candle for peace. Plan a local event at a school, church, library, park, or municipal building. Join with others in prayer and meditation to create a global International Day of Peace vigil. Feel the positive energy such commitment creates in the world and build on it. There is no more crucial time for this energy to be generated than now.

You can also send any of your Peace Day activities to Pathways To Peace to be included in the annual "We, The People" report to the United Nations. Individuals and nations working together in peace do make a difference to our quality of life, our environment and our future. Through such cooperation, we do not see our differences and say we cannot abide them, we see our similarities and say, we are one. How I long for such a world in my heart, and I believe we can have that world.

Congressman Rob Andrews of NJ issued a Congressional Proclamation on behalf of the First Congressional District of New Jersey yesterday, calling for his fellow citizens to celebrate and affirm the International Day of Peace. His quote: "Whereas the IDP brings to this time of great turmoil the opportunity to reflect on the value of and need for peace and hope in the world; and Whereas the IDP reminds us that beneath the threat of terror and fear is a worldwide movement to create a culture of peace and a better, more just and more sustainable future."

And that is what this should be all about. And to be honest, that is what has turned me off about the protest on September 24. It seems now to have become just a "Get Bush" rally (with people just planning what bars they are going to meet and drink in (and I am sorry if that offends anyone), with everyone going home after a few days and leaving them there to continue doing what they are doing now), when to me it should be a serious outpouring of people from around the globe joining hands and calling for an END TO ALL WAR no matter who our leaders are. We can't have peace without peoples around this world joining together in a concerted effort to work for it with us, and it must be daily work encompassing so many different avenues. I want to see a worldwide effort for real peace, and I would also stand in the street for that anytime.

For me it now goes so far beyond George W. Bush. It goes to all those of immorality, cruelty, and greed in our world who have for far too long been allowed to use this good Earth for their own evil purposes, and that includes Islamic extremists and extremists of all religions who have twisted religion to suit their own personal agendas. It goes to our very culture, our way of life, our spirituality, and how that all relates to what kind of world we wish to make for our children. It is good that people are waking up to the criminality of Bush and his brood, but if we are to stand up, I believe we must do so now as one voice and as one world to not only tell Bush he is wrong, but to also tell those terrorists in our world who have and still seek to take advantage of their ineptitude and callous indifference, that we will not stand for any of their attempts to tear this world apart either.

NO MORE WAR! NO MORE KILLING! NO MORE TEARS!

That is why our PAC, Patriots for Al Gore, has also endorsed the International Day of Peace, and call on all to light candles tomorrow, say a prayer, and do all you can to empower even one person to seek peaceful and just solutions to the problems that face us in this ever changing world. To anyone who ever thought that their actions do not shape the future, just look at the (s)election of 2000. If that American tragedy doesn't convince you of how important it is to look to the future with every present action, then nothing else will.

Also, encourage your state legislatures and elected officials to commemorate and proclaim this day a day of Peace. So far 16 states have done so and they include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Washington.

This must be the century of the new Renaissance. This must be the clarion call to all of those around this world who have for far too long been silent in the shadows to take that step forward. Peace is not an illusion, it is a worthy goal, and to me and I know millions of others around this world, it is the one goal that will hopefully one day lead us to that place we can call home... The world the God I believe in meant for us to have and to share.

And yes, I know working for real peace isn't "cost effective" for war brokers, (and face it, some who actually make money off of protests too) and that is why they don't really want peace no matter how many times they say they do. So, it will then have to be people from around this world who do really wish to see real peace (which also takes real courage) who join together to cause such an overwhelming rush, that those who don't get out of the way will be overrun by our tsunami. And as I stated, I would go to the streets for THAT any day.

Why John Roberts Is Bad For America

2005-09-18T10:55:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/9/16/165316/148

My views on this "activist" judge.

Is Avian Flu The Next Disaster?

2005-09-17T16:21:00.000-04:00

Why is avian flu now being discussed in wake of Hurricane Katrina and disaster plans? Is that the next disaster on the agenda?

It is interesting to me that now Bush also wants disaster plans for every major city (and also approved the planned closure of 22 military bases) and also mentioned avian flu as an example of such a disaster in his press conference yesterday with Vladmir Putin. The outbreak is then coming as far as I am concerned (or at least enough fear mongering about it or some other impending disaster for them to use it to get Martial law), it's just a question of when. I put NOTHING past these people.

And while we are discussing responsibility for the response to this tragedy, Chertoff then needs to be FIRED (for how could he not be the man in charge when FEMA was placed under Homeland Security?), and Brown needs to be brought up on charges as well involving criminal negligence. He thinks because he resigned that ends it? It shouldn't. Unfortunately, I don't see any real punishment coming to any of these people. Will there be? Can anyone state that with any sort of conviction and certainty? It is as if they are made of Teflon.

It is also as if America is a battered wife whose husband constantly beats up on her, who then is forgiven just because he brings her roses and promises to do better even though he has hit her thousands of times before... The thing about Bush however, is that he is a batterer who also expects you to pay for those roses...

Two hundred BILLION dollars to reconstruct New Orleans added to the billions for a war that I see not ending anytime soon with or without a protest march, on top of all the other factors involved (consumer confidence at the lowest it has been in 12 years, added to the housing bubble and the already huge deficits, next to an obscene defense budget,) does not bode well for those Americans in the middle who have already been squeezed to the point of bankruptcy, which of course, they can't do now either (even though airlines still can.)

As with any tragedy including 9.11, my method then for placing responsibility has always been to "follow the money." And if you do, you will find that in every case since these people were selected by the USSC to ruin America, it always leads to THEM.

It is then clear to me after reading this and other articles about how the events of this tragedy transpired that these people may not have been oblivious to what was going on in the Gulf, they were waiting for the water to rise (just like they waited for the WTC to fall) because they knew what it would bring them.

Where I come from that's criminal negligence, and this then needs to be investigated and not by the very government people who allowed it to go this far. Now just look at all they will get from it. Perks for their corporate buddies who will make a windfall profit on the redevelopment and on others' misery, with those poor families coming back to federal housing because they won't be able to afford to live anywhere else (that is, the evacuees who actually come back to New Orleans, or are allowed to come back from the FEMA camps they are now in.)

It is just like their rationale in looking for kudos regarding reconstructing Iraq. Really, if YOU break it in the first place, shouldn't YOU be responsible for fixing it? I think we need to face facts. America is being attacked from within. The question then is, what are we REALLY going to do about it? And how could we then possibly afford what would be necessary to contain and fight a flu pandemic in this country, and would we even find out in time with incompetent opportunists like this in charge?

As New Orleans flooded, Chertoff discussed avian flu in
Atlanta
Excerpt (bolding emphasis mine):

Knight Ridder
Newspapers - Sept. 15, 2005 WASHINGTON -

Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff, the U.S. official with the power to order a massive
federal response to Hurricane Katrina, flew to Atlanta for a previously
scheduled briefing on avian flu on the morning after the storm swept ashore.

Chertoff's decision to fly to Georgia for a business-as-usual
briefing even as residents in New Orleans fought for their lives in rising
floodwaters raises new questions about how much top officials knew about what
was happening on the Gulf Coast and how focused they were on the unfolding
tragedy.
In fact, Chertoff didn't know for sure that New
Orleans' life-preserving levees had failed until a full day had passed.

Not until Chertoff was returning from Atlanta on Aug. 30 did
he begin writing the memo that declared Katrina "an incident of national
significance" and put the full force of the federal government behind the relief
and rescue efforts.

Critics charge that the delay in making the
designation until about 36 hours after the storm may have been one reason why
federal help was slow in coming and why no one seemed to be in charge in the
disaster zone.

The article goes on to explain how four days actually passed before any sort of Federal aid was given by Chertoff. I find it to be absolutely IMPOSSIBLE that he didn't know what was going on down there, and I question why he thought discussing avian flu was more important...Unless that is the next catastrophe (feigned or otherwise) awaiting us.

"In the relative scheme of things it (avian flu) needed to be put on the
back burner while New Orleans was going under water," said John Copenhaver, a
southeastern regional FEMA director under the Clinton administration. Copenhaver found it incredible that Chertoff didn't know water was
flooding into New Orleans until Tuesday, Aug. 30."He is the Cabinet official of
the department that's supposed to know things like this," Copenhaver
said.

With the spotlight now on Chertoff, officials at the Department of Homeland
Security this week have begun issuing new versions of events surrounding his
role in the botched federal response to Katrina. What they are saying this week
contradicts many of their previous statements and actions. Knocke said Thursday
that Chertoff's Aug. 30 memo, first obtained by Knight Ridder, created "an
administrative paper trail" for an incident of national significance. He said
that the department had been acting "under the auspices of an incident of
national significance" since President Bush issued an emergency declaration on
Aug. 27, the Saturday before the storm.

But the National Response Plan says that it's the Secretary of
Homeland Security who designates an event an incident of national significance.
When asked if Chertoff had made the designation earlier than Aug. 30, Knocke
refused to answer the question directly.

After Chertoff made the designation in his Aug. 30 memo, federal troops
began to file into New Orleans, bringing much-needed supplies to residents. But
many people remained stranded on their rooftops seeking help from passing
helicopters and boats. Knocke acknowledged on Thursday that the National
Response Plan - which was redrawn after the Sept. 11 attacks and became
effective just this year - could be in line for an overhaul. "We're also going
to have to step back and take a look at the playbook," he said. http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/news/nation/12657190.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

I just bet they are taking a look at that playbook. Patriot Act III, anyone?

Since Bush Is Taking "Responsibility", He Needs To Do It All The Way

2005-09-16T13:26:00.000-04:00

Phoney tears and pseudo contrite platitudes after the fact regarding the tragedy in the Gulf Coast do nothing to assuage my utter disgust and reprehension with an administration that has done nothing but embarrass this country in the eyes of the world. An illegitimate administration that has done nothing to appease the outrage I have with them now by making more enemies than we have ever known, while also bringing to all of our children the promise of nothing but perpetual war and hardship.

How DARE he think he could say that in public in a phoney press conference just because the Iraqi American handpicked President was there. I know what this is all about, and I'm not buying it. However, while he's so busy taking "responsibility" without expecting personal consequences for it, I found a few other important events that he and his minions need to take responsibility for, if they are indeed sincere and the "Christians " they claim to be...So this is to you, Mr. USSC handpicked president...

Remember 9.11? People threw themselves to their deaths out of a burning WTC while you were reading a book about a goat after being told it was happening, looking like you couldn't tell you head from your ass. REAL people died that day while you sat, and while normal protocol for hijackings was not followed. Are you going to take responsibility for that?

Do you remember "shock and awe?" Seen many pictures of the children you helped blow up? You know, like Bin Laden, your family's business partner from way back likes to do? The innocent victims in your "shock and awe" campaign to show the world that you are, "gonna smoke those terrists out" are your responsibility, because YOU ATTACKED THE WRONG COUNTRY while Bin Laden still goes free. Are little children really "terrists" to you? Are you going to take responsibility for that?

There are also dead birds lying in oil. They drown in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, you know, the place where 95% of the land is already open to oil exploration, of which you are salivating to get the other 5% (The Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge) for your Halliburton friends? As A Christian, does this bother you? Will you take responsibility for that?

Remember all of the American kids you helped slaughter with your illegal war for oil in Iraq? They will now never know life, love, joy, happiness, or the physical embraces of their families and friends ever again. And you know why? Because you put your loyalties to your friends before the lives of the American people, even to the point where you would lie to our faces to get what YOU and THEY want. Seeing pictures of their coffins brings me to tears, which of course is why you and your minions won't allow the people to see the truth. Are you going to take reponsibility for that?

This picture really brings me to real tears. It is a picture of the man you cheated out of the Presidency that you dare to assume for yourself because you lack moral courage, character, honor, and true love of Democracy. This was the first in a long line of usurpations you and your cohorts have perpetrated against this country and the American people.

So now while you are all of a sudden so consumed with taking responsibility for Hurricane Katrina in a purely politically motivated attempt to salvage the falling ratings you now have, you should get down on your knees and really get to it. You have MUCH to be "responsible" for.

The Legacy of 9.11: Nuclear War

2005-09-11T18:43:00.000-04:00

The legacy of 9.11 should have been an awareness that violence and hatred begets more violence and hatred, and therefore, was not the road to go down. It should have required a closer look at our foreign policy to determine our own hand in the events taking place in this world, and looking for ways to move us to a firm but principled stance in the way we conduct ourselves, and in seeking justice against those who would harm us. It should have required that hard questions be asked, and accountability be brought forth. However, what we got was none of those things. What we will get is thinking the unthinkable...

In the wake of 9.11 this country shared a commaraderie with the world unlike what we have seen for quite some time before it. People actually did unite because the events of that day were so heinous and evil and countries around the world wanted to comfort the American people who now had felt the sting of terrorism that had hit so many of their countries. And I was part of that uniting as well. I helped bring supplies to the firefighters and workers who needed them at the Jersey City, NJ waterfront, and I hoped that those responsible for this attack would be caught and brought to justice. I actually thought for a moment (only one moment) that the people who had stolen the election just 10 months prior would show a side I didn't think they had... Fast forward to September 11, 2005, and much of this country now knows that was all just a dream as we see clearly now where they have led us by using 9.11 as their springboard to kill in our names and the names of those victims.

For out of this "uniting", all the world got in return from this administration was war and arrogance. All we got as Americans were deficits, war, death, and now the promise of a nuclear disaster in the making via presidential executive order, with the American Caligula placing his finger on the button any damn time he wants to:

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...uclear_doctrine

{{U.S. Envisions Using Nukes on Terrorists2 hours, 24 minutes ago WASHINGTON - A Pentagon planning document being updated to reflect the doctrine of pre-emption declared by President Bush in 2002 envisions the use of nuclear weapons to deter terrorists from using weapons of mass destruction against the United States or its allies. The "Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations," which was last updated 10 years ago, makes clear that "the decision to employ nuclear weapons at any level requires explicit orders from the president."But it says that in a changing environment "terrorists or regional states armed with WMD will likely test U.S. security commitments to its allies and friends.""In response, the U.S. needs a range of capabilities to assure friend and foe alike of its resolve," says the 69-page document dated March 15.A Pentagon spokesman said Saturday evening that Navy Cmdr. Dawn Cutler, a public affairs officer for the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has issued a statement saying the draft is still being circulated among the various services, field commanders, Pentagon lawyers and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's office, .Its existence was initially reported by The Washington Post in Sunday editions, which said the document was posted on a Pentagon Internet site and pointed out to it by a consultant for the Natural Resorces Defense Council.}}

This is their response to an attack that took innocent lives by blowing up buildings... they will take innocent lives by blowing up buildings. (That last sentence was the black and white sound bite version just in case any Bushies are reading this.) They will use it as a precursor to get the nuclear war they want. In other words, in order to fight terrorism, they will and have become terrorists. The Pentagon and the Neocons think that continuing to blow up buildings and to kill innocent civilians is how you thwart terrorism!?Is this truly what some Democrats also think? ( Well, in reality, I don't think they give a damn about terrorism at all. It's just a lucrative way for them to make lots of money.) My God, how so very WRONG and DANGEROUS they are for these times.

{{The file was not available at that site Saturday evening, but a copy was available at http://www.globalsecurity.org/."A broader array of capability is needed to dissuade states from undertaking ... courses of action that would threaten U.S. and allied security," the draft says. "U.S. forces must pose a credible deterrent to potential adversaries who have access to modern military technology, including WMD and the means to deliver them."It says "deterrence of potential adversary WMD use requires the potential adversary leadership to believe the United States has both the ability and will to pre-empt or retaliate promptly with responses that are credible and effective."It says "this will be particularly difficult with nonstate (non-government) actors who employ or attempt to gain use of WMD. Here, deterrence may be directed at states that support their efforts as well as the terrorist organization itself. However, the continuing proliferation of WMD along with the means to deliver them increases the probability that someday a state/nonstate actor nation/terrorist may, through miscaluation or by deliberate choice, use those weapons. In such cases, deterrence, even based on the threat of massive destruction, may fail and the United States must be prepared to use nuclear weapons if necessary."}}

In a nutshell this says they have the means and will squash any country like a bug that THEY deem to be a threat even if they aren't, and they don't have to tell the American people a damn thing. And they will take money away from your levees, your safety, your future, and your child's mouth to get the job done. Then they will take your child and use him/her as cannon fodder in their war while preaching about peace and freedom.This is why I firmly believe that we need to get working on some way to bring accountabilty and justice now. I do not believe that waiting until 2008 will serve us or this world well.

What has been unleashed in this country by the failure to see the true extent of their madness, is now that the unthinkable has been made thinkable. How truly sad that the legacy of 9.11 has not been peace. It has not been justice. It has not been accountability. It has not been a new awareness of the role we could play in this world as a country with an outstretched hand as opposed to a clenched fist. However, it must still be a country where its people see this, and work to stop the unthinkable from becoming a reality. I sincerely hope that moment has not passed us by.

We Have Been Abandoned By Our Own Country

2005-09-04T20:01:00.000-04:00

You have to watch this video to understand how little regard our government has for the welfare of its own citizens.

You cannot watch this without crying. It shows the President of a LA parrish breaking down on Tim Russert. All of these bastards should be fired.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10121.htm

Copyright:
(In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. Information Clearing House has no affiliation whatsoever with the originator of this article nor is Information Clearing House endorsed or sponsored by the originator.)

Updated News on Katrina/ SHAMED INTO RESPONDING

2005-09-03T12:51:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/fc/world/hurricanes_and_tropical_storms
All updated news on Hurricane Katrina efforts at the link.

Notice also how the caravan is arriving in New Orleans after the country saw the media showing the TRUTH about the racism of the conservatives in power in this country. Good work, America...After all, it is OUR tax dollars going for their ILLEGAL war in Iraq. Now we want it to go to HELP OUR OWN. FEED THOSE PEOPLE, YOU BASTARDS. Oh, and they are NOT refugees, they are American citizens.

MURDERERS

2005-09-01T18:32:00.000-04:00

Words cannot describe the outrage I feel right now in seeing what is happening at the Convention Center in New Orleans. Dead bodies are lying around the Convention Center, with reports of children dying of dehydration. These people have been waiting for FOUR days for help. Why is it we can airlift food to everyone else ( especially those in other countries this government hopes to BRIBE to get at their oil) and members of Congress always manage to show up at these tragedies for their photo ops, but they can't come through for their own people?

This is not humane, and those in this government who have not provided what these people needed in a timely manner are murderers, and should be treated as such. This video shot by MSNBC http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9156612/ shows the truth of what is happening. I submit it should then be used as evidence in the trial of George W. Bush and those in this government who once again FAILED the American people and breached the constitution and the laws we live by.

Our "elected" officials take an oath to defend and protect the constitution of the United States of America. That also includes insuring "domestic tranquilty", which these people do not have, not as much at this point because a hurricane hit them, but because their own government has left them behind to die. Oh, and I read that Congress is going to pass a 10 billion aid bill for this hurricane, and I say that is NOT ENOUGH. We spend more than that in Iraq in a week. That is the amount that EXXON alone will more than likely make in profits from price gouging gas.

It is now time for Democrats to CALL FOR AN END TO THIS WAR, and for us to get serious about REAL Homeland Security. And if these bastards then think they will hold down the American people who speak out by instituting Martial Law, they will see that we LOVE this country and care about ALL of its people and aren't about to allow them to take anymore from us.

Is Martial Law Staying?

2005-08-31T23:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/31/205923/414

ONPLAN 2002. Look it up.

Floodwaters Causing Humanitarian Crisis In New Orleans

2005-08-30T16:14:00.000-04:00

You cannot say you cannot give to this effort to help these people if you have at least one dollar to spare. These people are in desperate need, and they are our own people. I just sent off something to the Red Cross. And don't forget about Mississippi, which has experienced a tragedy as well. It is bad enough our government on all levels has done a piss poor job of preparing and handling this. Don't make any excuses, GIVE.

http://www.redcross.org/

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rising floodwaters bring huge humanitarian crisis to New Orleans
Tue Aug 30, 12:20 PM ET NEW ORLEANS, United States (AFP) -

Helicopters plucked victims from roofs and rescuers dodged submerged live power lines and spewing gas pipes as still rising floodwaters turned New Orleans into a disaster zone. Local television reported that as conditions worsened, martial law was imposed in two areas, Jefferson Parish and Plaquemines Parish, a day after murderous Hurricane Katrina slammed into the city.Police were halting anyone trying to get into the city, WWL-TV said.Authorities said New Orleans, with highways submerged, bridges washed out and even elevated expressways unsafe, was effectively cut off, and waters were devouring more and more real estate after a storm surge breached a levee.WWL-TV reported, quoting unidentified local officials, that flood waters were still coursing into the city, and were beginning to threaten areas in the historic French Quarter and downtown which were on higher ground.

Another local station, WDSU, warned viewers that the Louisiana Superdome, which welcomed at least 10,000 evacuees on Monday, was now surrounded by three feet (one metre) of water.Evacuees sat tight in the massive sports arena, which itself bore Katrina's scars after having much of its outer dome ripped off.Communications with New Orleans were largely cut off and around 700,000 people were without power. Some victims had been stuck on the roofs of their homes for nearly 24 hours in a spiralling humanitarian crisis.Water was unsafe to drink in many areas, if available at all, as the Red Cross swung a massive relief operation into action to aid a city metropolitan area population of 1.4 million."Our city is in a state of devastation," Mayor Ray Nagin told WWL-TV "we probably have 80 percent of our city under water.""With some sections of our city, the water is as deep as 20 feet" (seven metres)."It's almost like a nightmare that I hope we wake up from."With live power lines, gas pipes and debris including submerged cars floating below the surface of foul waters, it was too dangerous for rescue workers to use boats in some areas, meaning helicopters were the only choice.Nagin declined to offer casualty figures, but warned of "significant" deaths, amid gruesome reports of bodies floating in the waters, hours after a storm surge deluged homes pummelled by massive winds.

The city's Methodist Hospital prepared to evacuate patients by air from its roof, after rising floodwaters threatened generators.Reports said that a levee in the city's 17th Street Canal had given way, allowing the waters of Lake Pontchartrain to surge into the streets.While the famed French Quarter and business zone of New Orleans was battered by winds of up to 150 miles an hour (240 kilometres) on Monday, residential areas north and east of downtown paid the heaviest price.Louisiana state Governor Kathleen Blanco told CNN television that hundreds of people were pulled out of floodwaters late Monday, and hundreds more were awaiting rescue. "We've pulled literally hundreds of people out of the waters," Blanco said. In one rescue operation witnessed by AFP, firefighters spotted a man who had patched together a makeshift boat with wooden shipping pallets and was pushing himself toward an interstate freeway.

He was pulled into an aluminum flatbottom skiff. The firefighters then steered their way to a ramshackle white house where they picked up a soaking wet elderly man in a green shirt. The boat then moved on to the next home. About 30 minutes later the passenger-laden skiff pulled up to a shallow spot along the interstate where police and firefighters lowered a ladder. "Just take your time. You're alright. I gotcha now," a firefighter said as he helped a woman climb out of the boat. The man in the green shirt was one of the last to leave the skiff. "Can you pass me my cane?" Ronald Wood said as he steadied himself on the concrete barrier. "I'm kinda cold right now," he said as he climbed into a waiting ambulance. "I feel pretty sick."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050830/sc_afp/usweatherneworleans_050830162048

Pat Robertson Calls For Chavez Assassination

2005-08-23T12:18:00.000-04:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9047102/

Pat Robertson, a supposed CHRISTIAN:

“You know, I don’t know about this doctrine of assassination, but if he thinks we’re trying to assassinate him, I think that we really ought to go ahead and do it,” Robertson said. “It’s a whole lot cheaper than starting a war ... and I don’t think any oil shipments will stop.”

Christian? Would Jesus do this? I wonder, does Robertson still keep in contact with his friend, Liberian dictator and murderer Charles Taylor?

It Is Up To "We The People"

2005-08-21T11:45:00.000-04:00

From our Declaration of Independence: (bolded words my emphasis:)

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed–That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security."

In this diary I posted yesterday, http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/20/161741/192#3 a respondant stated that currently we cannot sue Congress members or Presidents while they are serving, but that our remedy is at the ballot box (and yes of course, impeachment if you happen to have a Congress that actually places principle and this country first.) That is of course, currently correct, but then, when they fix the ballot box where then is our remedy? I say, our remedy is in the Declaration of Independence and the words that back us up are bolded above, which are the exact words being twisted and used by these Neocons with subtle force to change this government from a Democratic Republic to a Fascist Theocracy against our will.

I also then say, it is time we the people changed them back. And if that means exploring ways to then hold Presidents and public officials accountable for crimes that violate our laws while serving in their offices providing they are of such a nature that threatens our existence as a nation and a people, then we as our Declaration of Independence instructs, MUST do what is necessary to insure our domestic tranquility and justice for its people.

This war also wasn't a "political judgement", this was done for revenge. This was done based on lies. This was done based on treachery. This was done based on greed. There was no love for the American people expressed in this decision. There was no caring for what the repercussions would be on the American people regarding loss of life or cost. There was no plan relayed to the American people. This was done based on nothing outlined in our Constitution nor our Declaration of Independence that fits any article. According to the evidence out there, this was also premeditated murder, and if I may go so far, treason as it has now made this country more enemies. And yes, I know that the House has to issue the articles of impeachment, and then the Senate has to vote on them by 2/3 to oust any President (or appointed corporate spokesperson) accused and convicted of crimes and misdemeanors, but again, a "man" who commits murder while in the White House who did not come about the Presidency constitutionally, is not a President, but a murderer.

There is also evidence to prove that Bush did not win the 2000 election, and I am absolutely outraged at the media and other officials who KNOW THIS but who are being silent about it, and yes, to an extent that goes out to Al Gore too. Are those who have hijacked power that powerful, that they could threaten and scare an entire nation into doing their bidding and bring us this far? Is that truly DEMOCRACY? This isn't something to just "get over" or to stop "crying in our teacups about", because the outcome of the 2000 election and our ignoring it LED US HERE, and it expressly then tells us as Americans that any so-called "political judgements" made since then which include the invasion of Iraq, were then just as unconstitutional as the coronation that brought it ( and so much more) upon us. He did not deserve the Presidency, to live in the White House to make any "political judgments" that placed lives on the line, nor did he really have the power to make that political decision alone, as Congress must declare war, not any President. Are we so removed from caring at this point that this doesn't even outrage anyone?

I am sure the Founding Fathers while writing the Constitution also took into consideration that we might down the line have someone in power who would totally abuse it, and that we would have the sense and vision and love of country to change what was written to accomodate the situation in a legal constitutional manner, rather than saying we can't do it. When it concerns the very future of this country, we must do it. I also do not believe after what they suffered at the hands of a King George no better than this usurper, that they would disagree that any man who takes the Presidency the way Bush did, is not entitled to be covered by any Constitution he would then deign to crap on.

Therefore, as one American speaking here, I do not believe Presidents (or those who pretend to be Presidents) deserve to be unaccountable in office by the people for crimes they commit against those people. We aren't talking Kings or Gods here, we are talking about men who WE HIRE (or rather, who we are told we hire) to do a job for us. Especially under the current circumstances, when those representatives who know these crimes have been committed continue to tow their Partyline and selfish interests over the principles that truly guide jurisprudence and our Constitution. They are all then accountable!

And if we are truly at an impasse now regarding that accountability and all we have are candlelight vigils, we must then work as our Founding Fathers did to make changes that bring back the power that was taken from us. Instead of continuing the exchanges that talk about Bush and what he has done (with the help of many I might add), how about we begin discussing what we the people can really DO to change this situation legally and constitutionally? And we must have this conversation now, because I fear that even now it may be coming too late.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/8/21/103345/403

Jury Finds Merck Liable

2005-08-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

http://money.cnn.com/2005/08/19/news/fortu...dex.htm?cnn=yes

And according to the poll there, most think the amount awarded for damages was too high. Sorry, but I think it was just right. For all the money these companies make off the consumer on these drugs ( instead of spending more for R&D that could give people a higher standard of living without depending so much on medicine,) this is a drop in the bucket. Remember, they are DRUG DEALERS.

Pentagon Prepares For Martial Law

2005-08-19T21:26:00.000-04:00

What will you do when it all goes down?

CONPLAN 2002

http://www.mindfully.org/Reform/2005/North...itary8aug05.htm

All it will take is one attack in any of the United States, or another "nuclear scare", or an outbreak of a flu like say, Avian Flu, and it can be timed just in time to knock out elections. Do you honestly think after all these people have done, that they wouldn't do this?

British Military Families Hope To See Blair In Court

2005-08-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

Families of dead troops hope to see Blair in court : Tony Blair could be forced to give evidence under oath after families of 17 soldiers killed in Iraq began a legal bid yesterday to secure an independent inquiry into the lawfulness of the 2003 conflict.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9857.htm

People in Crawford can sit there and hope Bush comes out or that Laura the Stepford Wife would even think to tell him what to do (especially after she has been silenced since saying she was for Roe vs. Wade), but these British families have it right... SUE HIM, and force him UNDER OATH to tell you why he killed your children, and stop treating him as if he deserves this respectful "questioning!"

The Right To Protest

2005-08-13T15:41:00.000-04:00

Americans are guaranteed the right to petition their government for grievances under the First Amendment to the constitution of this country. Protest is what birthed this nation and sustained it through very tumultuous times. Therefore, I wanted to set some of my opinions about this vigil in Crawford straight, and say something to those from the hypocritical RW who think the constitution only applies to them.

I have been giving my opinions about this vigil, and wanting to see more action media wise (because I also think this complicit blood-soaked corporate media owes us all at least that) regarding outting this lying war criminal for what he and his ideology is really all about, because I am looking at this from a change in policy focus, rather than fully from the perspective of a mother. However, please let me make one thing perfectly clear: I support Ms. Sheehan's right to stand in Crawford Texas until her feet fall off if that is what she believes in.

Looking at this from the perspective of a mother is probably something I have subconsciously been trying to avoid doing, because the thought that my child could ever be drafted into this horrible war and killed is just too much to bear (because believe me he would NEVER be allowed to join the military.) Therefore, on that level I do stand with Ms. Sheehan, so I hope no one has misunderstood that.

However, regarding standing on the level of policy change I did expect a more forceful voice there in respect to getting out real truth, and about alerting people to what is happening in Congress regarding HR 375, what it is, co-sponsoring it, the importance of it, and the constitutional procedure we now must follow if we are to see these people out of our government which is the only way I truly see this war ending. I hope that does get printed in at least a few of the articles coming out of this.

Now, on to the RW who are going there to protest Ms. Sheehan. As an American, I stand and defend Ms. Sheehan's right to protest, and therefore I then defend the rights of those to protest her protest. However, for them to stand and chant, "I don't care" as what was reported, brings tears to my eyes. To think that there are Americans with such hatred in their hearts for their fellow Americans sickens and saddens me to the heart.

Through all the exchanges I have ever had anywhere with these "people" through the years, I have never stooped to the hatred and downright cruelty they have stooped to. They should all be ashamed for what they do, even though constitutionally they have the right to do it. But above all of that, they should be even more ashamed for supporting a man who epitomizes death, while they scream about being "Christians."

Is it Christian to stand and scream you don't care to all those who have lost children in this war, whether they are for it or against it? What despicable human beings! For those who claim they cherish the constitution, they never seem to have read it. But of course when the Bible is what you base your political beliefs on, is it any wonder they are so "confused?" To be honest I actually pity them, and I think that is the best course of action here. Perhaps one day they will have a revelation regarding just what they have enabled by their "bring it on" attitude, and if there is a heart of any kind beating in their chests, it will overwhelm them.

I have been torn about this vigil because my disgust for Bush has made me so very anxious to see him escorted from that ranch in handcuffs. Seeing people writing letters to him with, "Dear Mr. President" in the heading angers me. Why people call him "George" mystifies me.

However, make no mistake about it, I stand in principle with the right of any American to question this administration and this government in the peaceful way they see fit, and I absolutely am ashamed of those who while exercising their right to free speech (that they claim those who die in war preserve for them, when ((newsflash)) it is for ALL of us), chose to do so in a such a hateful and insensitive way. Oh, and BTW, RW, Bin Laden doesn't care about dead Americans either, so you are in good company... traitors.

Why Aren't They Talking About HR375?

2005-08-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

Again, this is like all the other stories coming out of the media about this vigil. Where is the mention of HR 375? The Downing Street Memo? I know the real intent of this is to give PR to the dropping favorability rating for this war and to prove Bush is a coward. However, what longterm purpose will that serve if he is still allowed to continue this war elsewhere? He also met with her last year already, so he won't look like a coward to his base, and I can bet not too many other people who, NEWSFLASH: DON'T REALLY GIVE A DAMN. That unfortunately, is just the way it is.

And look at the comments Ms. Sheehan made about Bush and the war just a year ago after her son was killed. She called him A MAN OF FAITH? Sorry, but I could never have opted to keep my true feelings a secret at the first meeting, especially if as she says she was against the war then and tried to talk her son out of going into the military, ( I actually would not have gone to meet with him AT ALL) and I have a problem with those comments to be honest.

And look at Bush's BS in this article. Was it predictable, or what? So I suppose nothing concrete will come of this as the war will go on, and they more than likely will be taking down troop levels in Iraq, to send them to Iran. Sorry, but I truly believe this is now nothing more than a PR stunt (which I hope doesn't backfire) and find it hard to believe that one sentence Bush said a few days ago set this off, when this war has been going on since March 2003. I even helped call on the media to cover this, but now am disappointed at the results up to this point.

I don't think the real purpose of this is then accountabilty, but personal closure. And while it is touching, and I can understand the need for her to have it, I truly expected more... but I should have known better, because Bush is a waste of time so it is a given that this will not give the American people what we need: Justice... at least not this August.

~~~~
Mother of US Iraq casualty vows to follow Bush
Thu Aug 11, 4:58 PM ETCRAWFORD, United States (AFP) -

The mother of a US soldier killed in Iraq warned she would camp outside the White House next month if US President George W. Bush refuses to meet with her here at his ranch. "I don't understand why he cannot spend ten minutes of his time to talk to somebody whose life he has devastated," said Cindy Sheehan, 48, who has been camped out about a kilometer from the gates of Bush's ranch since Saturday.Sheehan, whose son, Casey, was killed in April 2004 five days after arriving in Iraq , wants to meet with Bush face-to-face to deliver her anti-war message."I want Bush to stop using my son's sacrifice to justify the killing," she told reporters, insisting that "he needs to bring the troops home now."

After meeting at his ranch with his top foreign policy advisers, Bush said: "It's very important for our citizens, no matter what side of the political aisle you're on, to understand that the mission is a vital mission.""Listen, I sympathize with Mrs. Sheehan. She feels strongly about her position. And she has every right in the world to say what she believes. This is America. She has a right to her position," he said."I thought long and hard about her position. I've heard her position from others, which is: Get out of Iraq now. And it would be a mistake for the security of this country and the ability to lay the foundations for peace in the long run if we were to do so," he said."I met with a lot of families" who lost relatives in Iraq said Bush. "And I have done my best to bring comfort to the families and honor to the loved one. You get different opinions when you meet with moms and dads and sons and daughters and the wives and husbands of those who have fallen.""One opinion I've come away with universally is that, you know, we should do everything we can to honor the fallen. And one way to honor the fallen is to lay the foundation for peace," said Bush.

Nearly 140,000 US troops are in Iraq, where more than 1,830 have been killed since Bush ordered the March 2003 invasion to oust Saddam Hussein on grounds he possessed weapons of mass destruction that were never found."I don't think aggression on a country that was no threat to the United States is noble," said Sheehan, who met with Bush previously in June 2004 along with other families who lost relatives in Iraq.

Afterwards, Sheehan told her local newspaper that she said that she and her family "haven't been happy with the way the war has been handled" or with Bush's changing justifications for the invasion, but had opted to stifle such criticisms in the meeting. "I now know he's sincere about wanting freedom for the Iraqis," Cindy told the Vacaville Reporter newspaper after their meeting. "I know he's sorry and feels some pain for our loss. And I know he's a man of faith." While the White House has invoked that meeting to deny her another audience with Bush, Sheehan now says the president "disrespectful (and) inappropriate" and referred to her as "Mom."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20050811/ts_alt_afp/usiraqbushmother_050811205805

Tell the Media: Cover Vets and Family Members In Crawford!

2005-08-06T15:28:00.000-04:00

I have been sending this release and a message to the media all night.

Go to http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/ to find out how to send this on to the media to have them cover this.
~~~~
Tell the Media: Cover Vets and Family Members in Crawford!

Submitted by davidswanson on Fri, 2005-08-05 17:21.

Activism Cindy Sheehan, Co-Founder of Gold Star Families for Peace, and mother of a soldier killed in action in Iraq, plans to confront President Bush with questions at his Crawford ranch on Saturday morning, August 6, 11 a.m. CT. Accompanying Sheehan will be members of Veteran's for Peace (VFP), Military Families Speak Out (MFSO), Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), CODE PINK, and Crawford Peace House, all members or allies of the AfterDowningStreet.org Coalition.

SEE FULL RELEASE.

CONTACT THE MEDIA

They all have reporters already in Crawford with very little to do. Ask them politely to cover this story.

UPDATE:

http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/News/2005/31-40/31news02.htm
This site is blogging the events in Crawford.

Call Your Representative To Co-Sponsor HR 375

2005-07-31T11:24:00.000-04:00

We MUST get this resolution passed, but it will not happen unless we the people keep the pressure on. If you read this and haven't contacted your representative yet, what are you waiting for? And we must tell all Democrats in the House that to vote NO on this is to vote at their own peril. Time to keep their feet to the fire.

Forty members of Congress have now co-sponsored Congresswoman Barbara Lee's Resolution of Inquiry, including some generally known as moderates.

See:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902

Many more will almost certainly do so if asked by their constituents.

Democracy for America is taking up the cause of promoting investigation of the Downing Street Memos. They have organized meetings all over the country on Wednesday, August 3, and you can sign up for one here:

http://dfa.meetup.com/

Later in the month of August, DFA will organize meetings with Congress Members while they are home in their district offices. Sixty of these meetings have already been scheduled. At these meetings, people will ask their Congress Members to co-sponsor Rep. Lee's Resolution. To help organize these events, participate in the MeetUps on Wednesday.

The AfterDowningStreet coalition is supporting this effort, and we encourage all of our member organizations and individuals to promote both Wednesday's MeetUps and this month's meetings with Congress Members in their district offices.

For lists of Congress Members who are especially important to reach on this, and for lobbying materials, see:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/902

Starving People Is An Act Of Terrorism

2005-07-27T19:34:00.000-04:00

Starving People Is An Act Of Terrorism
By Jan Moore
PFG Editorial
July 21, 2005

The Government of Niger is allowing people to starve by stating it would be folly to give them free food. Where is the international community and namely our own "compassionate conservative" government in helping these people and condemning the government of Niger for committing an act of terrorism against its own people? I believe feeding the people of our world is one of the primary ways we can not only return to balance in our world, but to see peace, and to truly wage a war on terrorism. Terrorists thrive on subjugating and terrorizing those who are seen as vulnerable and weak. Keeping people strong physically to give them mental and spiritual awareness would in my view save many poor countries from the fate their children more often than not meet. It would heal many wounds, which is what we as a people need to do to face terrorism head on. Not by causing division, not by blowing up the world, but by seeing the common threads that run through all of us as human beings, and working to alleviate the suffering of those who too many times fall prey to hateful ideologies because of the lives they are forced to live.

The situation in Niger is now critical. An estimated 3.6-4 million people are in critical need of food. That is 1/3 of the entire population of this country. Can you ever imagine that happening in the United States? The UN reports that more than 800,000 children are suffering from hunger, including 150,000 children who suffer from severe malnutrition. A drought and locust swarms devastated crops throughout the country, leaving an already destitute country in desperation. Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world, ranking 176 out of 177 nations listed in the UNDP's 2004 Human Development Report. Each year an estimated 166,000 children in Niger die from preventable diseases, and almost 70 percent of the country's 12 million people do not have access to health services.The government of Niger has now declared an emergency and is appealing for aid, yet it was also reported that Niger's President, Mamadau Tandja and the government has refused free food to those who are starving.

My questions to the President of this country are then: Why are you not feeding the people in your country? How is it you can live in relative wealth while your people starve? I saw pictures of 2 year old babies totally emaciated, and people so desperate that they take a chance on dying by boiling the leaves of a poisonous plant for three days in order to have something to eat. Do you eat every day, President Tandja? Do you eat leaves? How is it that countries can spend billions of dollars on war machines, bombs, rockets, and building walls, but can never seem to come together to feed its people? And once again, why is this tragedy not getting the media coverage in this country that it should get? You know as well as I do that if this were taking place in France, Britain, Germany, or some other "anglo saxon" country that would be all we would see on our televisions. Why does it seem that brown skinned people and their suffering don't seem to rate with our media?

And where is the Bush administration regarding this? Isn't their President refusing to feed them an act of terrorism? Isn't that barbaric? Wasn't the human rights issue one of the many BS "excuses" given for occupying Iraq? Well, we know now that was all a crock, as the unemployment rate in Iraq is at 33%, and people are now selling their blood to feed their children whatever they can scrape up...That is unless their children are now murdered in the atmosphere of chaos caused by the occupation of that country... But I digress. It was also reported by BBC News that out of 16 million dollars pledged to this region of Africa, Niger has only seen at most 4.4 million.

To me, it is an outrage to see such pictures broadcast from any country in this world. I can believe that people in this country throw out more food in one day than these people would eat in a year. I find it to be an outrage that the reason why these people starve is not because we haven't got the resources to feed them, but as a species it seems so many of us are so self-absorbed and selfish that as long as it isn't us, we don't give a damn if a small brown skinned child on the other side of the world doesn't even make it to be three years old. How is it also that with all the technological advances we have in this world that the life expectancy for a man and a woman in Niger is still 46? I am 46 years old and consider myself to still have many years to go. However, if I lived in Niger I would be close to death.

I can't fathom that people in this world still live in such misery and desperation considering all that is spent to blow up countries in the name of " Democracy." That is why even though I am not a Senator, or a member of the House of Representatives, or someone looking to run for office, or some other "celebrity", I am imploring all who read this to at least donate five dollars to CARE to help the people of this region of the world. Five dollars isn't much for many of us, but it could be lifesaving for a baby in Niger who needs milk to live. It is also a gesture that says to terrorism, you will not defeat us. It is also a gesture to their President that we will not allow him to get away with starving his people and that the world community does care. It is also a gesture to all in this world who think that bombing babies rather than feeding them is "compassionate," that they are part of the problem and we are the solution.

I thank God everyday of my life that I was born here and that I have the ability to help provide for my family so that my child does not go hungry. I treasure that, and that is why when I see a child in such misery as those in Niger and in so many places around this world, my soul cries out to them. For it is not only physical hunger that kills them, it is spiritual food they then lack, and that is a true sin. How can we constantly sit and watch while our fellow humans just die away in front of our eyes from something WE CAN PREVENT? I've made my donation.

PLEASE, help these people.

See the following:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4675379.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4607345.stm

Blair Defends His Policy Of Murder

2005-07-24T09:52:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...britain_bombing

Tony Blair is now no better than a terrorist for supporting a shoot to kill policy that is really OH SO convenient. This man they shot was a 27 year old Brazilian who had no relation to the bombings. He had no bomb, and he had no gun. He is now dead after being pursued, tackled, and pumped with bullets five times in the face and torso. Witnesses claim his face was unintelligible. This is a tragedy of the highest extreme, because it could have been any one of us!

I do not believe in a "shoot to kill" policy, and I do not believe it should be allowed by the citizens of Britain or the United States. Authority is taking WAAAAAY too much liberty with our lives, and frankly, when I get on a bus or a subway I would rather take my chances rather than have the same chance of being killed by a police officer just because I don't happen to be dressed like everybody else.

This man's family should sue the British goverenment and those responsible for the death of their family member, but I bet you that once again their "war on terror" will negate that possibility. And please, let us be spared Bush's PHONY platitudes about what a "tragedy" this is, after responding after this shooting that we won't allow "thugs" to take control. He has EMBARRASSED us enough in front of the world already. This is one time when he truly does need to keep his big mouth shut.

Do NOT Confirm Roberts

2005-07-20T22:12:00.000-04:00

Between last night and today, so many Democrats have been playing politics in thinking that we should bow down to Bush's USSC nominee just so they can get back to "getting Rove." Yet these are the same people who think Bush cannot be impeached. So please, tell me what that is all about.

I am so very upset by Democrats who would even suggest to just allow this nominee Roberts to sail through confirmation, or to just, "make a good show" and then confirm him. Don't they think that is exactly what Bush wants them to do? Some say he announced this nominee to get the heat off of Rove. Hmm... What if it is the opposite? What if Rove was put out there by them in order to have this nomination sail through because they KNEW that Democrats would be foaming at the mouth if Rove was ignored for even one day?

Let's consider this. Rove may well be a traitor, and removing him from his position and imprisoning him is what we should then seek to do. But why do we have to give up our constitution to do it? THIS IS SO VERY IMPORTANT, and for the life of me, to see Democrats playing such self serving politics with this truly angers me. From all I have read about Roberts, he is an EXTREMIST, and an extemist on any end of the political spectrum is not good for the USSC.

I have a teenager who would have to live the next thirty years or more with this extremist judge making rulings that would decide whether or not he and/or his children live in a cleaner sustainable world where peace and justice are sought, as opposed to a dirty, backward world run by corporate crony war opportunists. He will have to live with rulings that will effect his civil rights, the environment he lives in, his ability to earn a fair and decent wage, rules surrounding the reproductive rights of his future wife or lover, and a host of other issues that will decide what kind of life he will have.I'm then not about to sit by and say,"we could have done worse", because by letting this go WE WILL DO WORSE.

Therefore, I think we need to devote more time to doing what we can as citizens to make sure that all children in this country do not have to pay for the rest of their lives for a partisan powerplay that may well change the entire face of this country. We have surrendered FAR TOO MUCH to these people already to be "nice." Should Roberts be confirmed, years of hard work that many Americans did regarding the environment, womens' rights, corporate responsibility, and the separation of church and state could be all for nothing. That to me isn't worth seeing Rove just get a "pink slip," and I think it is time for some Democrats to start looking at this more rationally. I hope for all of our sakes that happens. I'm just not going to support this bow down philosopshy. Too much is at stake. If Democrats know what is right, they will FILIBUSTER this nominee and stop worrying about what the FASCISTS in this government and their complicit media think about them putting their country first!

NO ACTIVIST JUDGES.

Bush Picks Conservative For USSC Nominee

2005-07-19T21:31:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...sh_050719235805

And once again Bush gives the finger to the very people he "said" he would hear suggestions from. When will Democrats learn? Bush doesn't give a damn about what you think. The fact that he is even still in power to be able to do this and have it carry any weight after what he has done is abominable. I truly don't know why I even bother giving a damn anymore. And make no mistake about it, Roberts will be confirmed. And you know what, then I think I can definitely say to both Republicans and Democrats, you all deserve what you get. This was also the perfect diversion to cover up their TREASON. There are days when I have hope for America, but this day wasn't one of them.

http://www.independentjudiciary.com/nomine...cfm?NomineeID=5

He's a conservative for pollution, religion in schools, and banning abortion. He is a rightwinger deeply entrenched in the Republican Party. If confirmed, say goodbye to your rights. And again, if Democrats confirm him, YOU TOO deserve whatever the hell you get, you spineless wimps.

Bush and Blair Using Tragedy For Political Gain

2005-07-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

It appears the threat level was lowered AFTER the elections in Great Britain that just barely put Blair back in again... That is the same MO used by Bush and his fearmongers before the 04 deception. This area was up to orange until after the election, then it was lowered. In GB, the threat was lowered only about three weeks before the London bombings. Now, whether an attack would have been stopped had the threat level been higher is anyone's guess.. It also then depends on whether or not it was an inside job. It is all very curious to me now.

http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2005/07/08/uk_intelligence_in_spotlight_over_london_bombs/

The American Gestapo

2005-07-19T21:21:00.000-04:00

Remember, this is what Bush really thinks of you, and he shows it everyday.

Why aren't Democrats talking about this? Why isn't the creation of this SS type agency not being mentioned on the DNC site? How are we going to make Americans aware of just what is going on behind the scenes (while they are all embroiled in the media diversion of the week,) if all we do as a Party is still tow the "talking points" line? There is no other way to say it- these people are Fascists, and they must be ousted. And in all honesty, just giving Karl Rove a "pink slip" is not going to stop this.

"First they came for the Communists, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up, because I wasn't a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up, because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak up for me."
by Rev. Martin Niemoller, 1945

"A dictatorship would be a heck-of a lot easier; as long as I'm the dictator." PResident George W. Bush

And remember the key words from this excerpt. Negroponte will report DIRECTLY TO BUSH. NO Congress, therefore, no prying eyes of the American public. That is clearly in my view a violation of checks and balances.

By Mike Whitney
07/16/05 Excerpt:

The freshly minted National Security Service, which has been dubbed the New SS, will operate under the authority of former ambassador to Iraq, John Negroponte, whose involvement in overseeing the terrorist activities of death squads in Nicaragua will provide him with the necessary experience for his new task. Negroponte, the new Intelligence czar, will report directly to the President, who in turn will carefully monitor the violations of civil liberties that will naturally evolve from unsupervised investigations.
The rest here:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article9483.htm

Senator Robert Byrd already warned the American people about the repercussions of the intelligence bill hastily passed last December which eliminates Congressional oversight regarding what Negroponte does, as he will report directly to Bush. His speech was right on target, so I am posting the link here.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/121004X.shtml

And look at this report from almost three months ago. Chertoff wants to privatize this so that those who are spying on you aren't accountable to the American people. This is TIA all over again, and it is a gratuitous attack on our civil liberties.

We no longer live in a Democracy no matter what anyone tries to say to give that illusion. It won't be long before we will be asked for our papers while walking in the streets at this rate, and the scary thing about it is that I now have no doubt that many would comply!

I was always leery of the "Homeland" Security Department. I do not believe it is really here to protect Americans, it is here to protect the government FROM Americans. It appears to me that everything is happening here as it did in Nazi Germany, and that is stated because it has historical merit. So please, no attacks from members asking me to apologize for making an historical comparison, because I won't do that.

People who essentially haven't been hurt badly by anything these policies have done are still living in denial, for they do not see that what is done to one is done to all. So was the case then, hence the comparison. I honestly do not know what will become of this country now, but I am very concerned for her future.

April 29, 2005
DHS chief floats idea of collecting private citizens' information By Siobhan Gorman, National Journal
Call it Total Information Awareness, homeland-style.
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff this week floated an idea to start a nonprofit group that would collect information on private citizens, flag suspicious activity, and send names of suspicious people to his department.

The idea, which Chertoff tossed out at an April 27 meeting with security-industry officials, is reminiscent of the Defense Department's now-dead Total Information Awareness program that sought to sift though heaps of foreign intelligence information to root out potential terrorist activity.

According to one techie who attended the April 27 meeting, Chertoff told the group, "Maybe we can create a nonprofit and track people's activities, and an algorithm could red-flag individuals. Then, the nonprofit could give us the names."
More here:http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0405/042905nj1.htm

Gore Plugs His Current Passion

2005-07-19T21:01:00.000-04:00

Gore Plugs His Current Passion
Former vice president discusses his new cable network geared to the 'Internet generation.'
By Scott Collins Times Staff Writer
Posted July 19 2005

Presidential candidate-turned-TV entrepreneur Al Gore promised Monday that his long-awaited cable network would offer many enticements for the "Internet generation."But the former vice president vowed that Current, the lifestyle and news outlet set to launch in nearly 20 million homes around the country next month, wouldn't do one thing: fill the airwaves with more shouting matches over hot-button political and cultural issues. "It's not intended to be partisan in any way," Gore told television reporters in Beverly Hills, where he appeared at a media event to drum up interest in the channel. "I think the reality of the network will speak for itself."

Appearing relaxed and confident, Gore dove with aplomb into the pitchman phase of his new career as a budding media baron. With his business partner, legal services tycoon Joel Hyatt, observing silently in the back of the room, Gore, 57, fielded questions alongside Current's programming chief, former CNN executive David Neuman, as well as several twentysomething reporters and on-air hosts.No one mentioned the critics who've often ridiculed Gore for supposedly overstating his role in creation of the Internet. But there was no question that Gore hoped that his famed ease with technological issues would give him an edge in reaching Web-savvy 18-to-34-year-olds."We want to be the 'television home page' for the Internet generation," Gore said, smiling and gently deflecting questioners who thought that the term "home page" might be cluttered and confused.

Programs will be divided into "pods" that will be only two to seven minutes in length. One such pod will be called "Google Current," described as a cheeky summary of top searches on the Google website.The on-air talent promised Current would cover stories including trends in child-rearing, sexual habits and the private lives of young people in Iran. Gore said the privately funded network — Gore and Hyatt were two of the investors — had already sold out advertising for its Aug. 1 launch, but network officials declined to identify the companies that bought ads.

The channel will appear on DirecTV and some Time Warner and Comcast systems, along with other cable providers. One key appeal of San Francisco-based Current, Gore insisted, will be the fact that ordinary viewers will be able to contribute video and other material that will then be broadcast. After the session, Hyatt said contributors would receive payment for any effort that was telecast. "This generation wants to be in control of its media," Gore said.Gore didn't comment on the controversy surrounding Deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove or other issues, and said he didn't miss politics, adding that creating the cable network had been "a blast.""I consider myself a recovering politician," Gore joked. "I'm on about step nine."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/la-na-gore19jul19,0,4707343.story?coll=sfla-newsnation-front

Dragging The Media Down Downing Street

2005-07-13T14:54:00.000-04:00

Dragging the Media Down Downing Street
By David Swanson,
AfterDowningStreet.org

The U.S. corporate media has begun to awaken to the fact that top Bush adviser Karl Rove exposed an undercover CIA agent's identity and then lied about it. But reporters, editors, and producers remain slow to pick up on the heart of the story, namely that this was part of an extensive campaign to deceive the media, the public, and the Congress about the justifications for an unjustifiable war. The media has also given coverage to the recent bombings in London, but in very few instances has communicated the fact that the Bush and Blair administrations took their focus off Al Qaeda in order to launch a war against a sovereign state with no ties to the 9-11 attacks, and that this was done on the basis of intentionally false claims about weapons of mass destruction and ties to those attacks.

There is a danger that Blair and Bush will try to misuse the recent tragedy as they have done that of four years ago, that the media will allow them to do so, and that the result will be still more attacks. One way to break this cycle would be to provide the appropriate public discussion and congressional investigation of the lies that launched the war on Iraq.

On May 26, there had been virtually no U.S. media coverage of the Downing Street Minutes. On that day a coalition of veterans groups, peace groups, political activist groups, and blogs launched a campaign at www.AfterDowningStreet.org to demand media coverage and congressional action. This survey of media coverage as of May 31st shows that results were not immediate: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/16

But by the time Prime Minister Blair visited the White House on June 7, a coalition of hundreds of blogs called the Big Brass Alliance, and the work of dozens of progressive radio shows around the country had begun to pay off. By June 16, when 35 Congress Members held an unofficial hearing at the Capitol, Congressman John Conyers delivered a letter with 560,000 signatures and 123 congressional signatures to the White House, and the After Downing Street coalition held a rally in Lafayette Square Park, the Downing Street Minutes had become news.

Pundits had begun talking about how the blogosphere now served as a court of appeals when the media blacked out a story -- http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/605 -- , but it's hard to overstate the impact that new progressive radio and progressive print publications had as well. In any event, the door had been opened. Letters to the editor had been joined by op-eds and editorials and even news stories. The White House press corps had raised the issue twice at press briefings: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/241 . The cable news pundits had acknowledged the story and yelled at each other about it. If there were serious reporters waiting for a timely hook that would persuade their editors to allow them to do their jobs, now was the moment.

Alas, either there were no reporters or the editorial wall was still standing. Even news stories about how there were no news stories stopped seeming interesting to editors unwilling to do actual journalism. No polls have been done, but it seems likely that many Americans still don't know what the Downing Street Minutes say. In recent weeks, a FOIA request from 52 Congress Members has gone uncovered by the media. A letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee from 10 Senators has passed unnoticed. A Resolution of Inquiry is expected to soon be introduced in the House, thus far unremarked upon. And the three-year anniversary of the meeting on Downing Street that gave us the minutes is rapidly approaching, without comment.

Many media outlets in the United States have done one or two stories about the Downing Street minutes. Some have done none. None have created the endless echo chamber that's so badly needed, but which is apparently reserved for celebrities and sex. So, AfterDowningStreet.org has decided to organize events all over the country on that three-year anniversary, Saturday, July 23, in an effort to create a public discussion, as well as to gather yet more signatures on Congressman Conyers' letter, promote support for the Resolution of Inquiry and the Senate Intelligence Committee investigation, and to spread the word about an investigative trip to London that Congressman Conyers is planning for next month.

Over 150 public forums, town-hall meetings, dramatic recreations of the Downing Street Minutes, house parties, and study circles have been planned for July 23rd.

See this site: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/526

Now is the time to request a meeting with your local newspaper's editorial board and ask them to write in favor of an investigation. Here are talking points: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/612

Here's another good clip to share: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/472

Ask them to do at least as well as the editorials compiled here: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/735

Ask them also to run op-eds and columns as good as the ones in this collection: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/736

And now is the time to demand that news operations report the news. Ask them politely, and then protest noisily, until they do at least as well as the articles and broadcast stories collected here: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/737

And – above all – now is the time to hammer unremittingly at the corporate wall of those worst offenders among the media outlets. No media outlet has given this story the level of coverage awarded to, say, the Michael Jackson trial. But some have completely or virtually blocked it out. Others have covered it dishonestly. Those that have imposed a complete or nearly complete blackout include:

CBS (I know of no coverage);
ABC (there may be no more than this one interview: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/337 );
NBC (there has been at least one report, which can be found in the collection above, but little or no follow up);
PBS (Jim Lehrer did one interview that touched on this; NPR has done several substantive stories);
Many major newspapers not found in the collection above.

TELL THE BROADCAST NETWORKS WHAT YOU THINK:

Remember that they all gave Bush 30 minutes of prime time to repeat his false claims in a speech on June 28 http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/310

Those media outlets that have covered the Downing Street Minutes dishonestly include these: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/?q=node/738

Clearly any major media outlet that at this point does not have at least one investigative journalist in London and one in Washington, D.C. working on this, is in the entertainment business.

Let them know we are not entertained!

CONTACT YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS:http://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?...7656046&type=ME

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What Would An Occupied America Do?

2005-07-10T21:50:00.000-04:00

The pre-emptive policy of this government that has led us now to perpetual war, has done nothing but goad countries like North Korea into thinking they have the ability to do as they do and escape international condemnation. Now, I know that an occupation of this country along those lines is something impossible to consider to some, and I don't believe we as a people would ever allow it to go that far... However, for the sake of conversation and to see this from a perspective that may just jolt some reason into some, what would an occupied America do? A (fictional) reality check, if you will...

My journal:

It is now the end of the second month of the occupation. Most of the cities of the Eastern coast are in ruins as a result of the bombardment that has levelled them. They struck without warning and in violation of international law. They violated our most sacred relics and they destroyed our White House, Capital building, and other monuments in their "Shock and Awe" campaign. They claim our country needed "liberating" from the current administration, and that our leader was a threat to world peace. My question then is: How is making war bringing peace?

There is no clean water, no power, and little food. Life as we knew it no longer exists, and medical care is out of the question as hospitals are filled to capacity, and ambulances carrying the wounded and dead are now being stopped at checkpoints and denied access to our major cities. The stench of the dead is also overwhelming as tanks patrol the streets looking for any survivors. Martial law has been declared, and I sit in this bunker beneath it all in fear for my life from the invading army which kills without warning and without remorse.

My son who is only 15 has been taken from me, taken by them to be sent to their training center to be trained for the army they say will restore order once they leave. I don't believe that for one minute. My son is innocent of the world's atrocities, but he will now be forced to see a world that he should never have had to see, and a world he will be forced to have a hand in making.

My husband was sent to a local prison for processing during a raid of our home in search of guns, and I don't know if I will ever see him again. I managed to escape with another family and some others afterwards to their bunker. We are truly in the bowels of hell. I have not stopped crying since this happened, and am on the verge of suicide with my thoughts of hopelessness.

The government of the occupying country has announced however, that they will pull out once order has been restored, yet it was they who caused the havoc. They also state this was done for our own good and to free us from a brutal dictator who was in possession of WMD with the intent of world domination. However, they are also building more prisons and military bases here now, so it is obvious to me that they have no intention of leaving regardless of their words.

That is why I am in the process of joining the resistance to fight to get my country back. I will now have to stoop to doing something I never thought I would have to stoop to doing...becoming like the enemy, and the thought of that makes me hate myself. However, if that is the only way there is to get my country back out of the hands of the occupiers, then that is what I am willing to do.

Some of those in the bunker with me eye me suspiciously however, and they think I am really consorting with the enemy because my son is being trained in their army. Some think I should just accept the Communist government of the country that has attacked us, because after all, they did do it to "liberate" the United States from George W. Bush, who now sits in a jail awaiting trial.

I did not agree with the policies of Bush, but I never wanted it to come to this. Why did those who pushed for this war not see what could come of it full circle? Why could they not see the deceptions and stand up for our country first? What am I going to do now? What would you do?

What I celebrate today...

2005-07-04T16:35:00.000-04:00

http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/co...n.preamble.html

And I also lament in its passing. Hopefully, we will soon be in our Restoration period as a nation. However, that will only happen through action by the people in standing up for true freedom. We cannot depend solely on elected (by corporate touchscreen voting machine) representatives who put profit before people to bring those changes about. Today then should be a reflection of the courage and spirit of the citizens of the Colonies who gave all they had to procure this great nation for so many future generations, and to follow it.

That is what I celebrate today, and have hope for in the future. I do not celebrate the flag today, as for me it is now a symbol of occupation, pre-emptive war, empire, lies, death, and betrayal of the trust of the American people. I do not celebrate those who dare to say they speak for us by lies, murder, corruption, deception, and treachery.

I celebrate the spirit of the American Colonists, which I pray will renew our nation again. I celebrate the love I feel for this country, and the strength of spirit that will never be broken. I celebrate our youth and the promise they bring for our future. I celebrate all Americans who continue to work to make this a more perfect union with love, compassion, strength, knowledge, conviction, adherence to the rule of law, justice, vision, and hope.

That is the trouble with so many in this country today who subsctibe to the "me" theory. They do not think of the future repercussions of their actions nor their inaction. Everything is the here and now, and "what benefit will it bring me." There is no true concern for where their actions will lead them nor how they will effect future generations, even though those generations will include their own children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. In this age of convenience, they have become complacent about government and how their country is led. In this age of media manipulation, they have become lazy in seeking out truth. In this age of technology, they see it only as a tool of intimidation and hatred.

God only knows where this America would be today had those citizens who fought so bravely for freedom, had decided that the Loyalists were correct regarding their cowardice and traitorous activities in colluding with the British Empire to subjugate the citizens. Of course, we see today a new brand of "Loyalist" who seeks to do just that.

These Loyalists subscribe to an ideology that seeks to undermine our constitution while telling us they cherish it. They call for violence to be brought upon our troops and our citizens.
They precipitate hatred, religious discourse, intolerance, class warfare, and perpetual war in the name of greed and revenge. They seek to take away essential liberties all under the guise of wanting to "keep us safe." They claim to treasure Democracy, while doing all in their power to silence those here who dare to speak out for it. They do not represent the true American spirit as they hide behind the flag they soiled with blood and oil.

Therefore, on this day, I do not celebrate them, I challenge them. For they will never succeed in their goals as long as the spirit which birthed this nation is kept alive in us. I then celebrate the inemitable spirit of the American people who are waking up to the deceptions.
May this July 4th truly be one which finally seeks to give the American people the freedom we have long been searching for these 229 years.

Happy Birthday, dear, sweet, beautiful America, land that I love. You have given me so much, and for that I will forever stand beside you against any real enemy foreign or domestic in seeking that more perfect union.

Hold The Media Accountable!

2005-06-30T17:29:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/30/16513/0946

Our Troops Are Still Dying In Afghanistan!

2005-06-29T17:45:00.000-04:00

The total INCOMPETENCE of those who purport to be leaders in this country is staggering. We now mourn the loss of 17 or more servicemen in an attack in Afghanistan, when the number of troops that are in Iraq should be the number we have there in order to track down Osama Bin Laden. It is through the absolute INEPTITUDE of those who orchestrated this war that our people will continue to die. HOW LONG MUST WE STAND FOR THIS? How many more must die before we really stand up to say ENOUGH?

How DARE Bush stand up to our faces last night and tell US TO PERSEVERE regarding Iraq. WHAT THE HELL DOES HE THINK PEOPLE HAVE BEEN DOING? WHO THE HELL DOES HE THINK HE IS? IT ISN'T HIS CHILDREN IN THE LINE OF FIRE! I don't think you will find many Americans who were against our going into Afghanistan after 9.11... However, when they USED 9.11 as a pretext to go into Iraq, (knowing all along it had been planned years before 9.11 ever took place) that is when they forever placed America in a category it should never be in if we are to see peace and security... That is the category of a rogue bully nation. Also, this is how the Soviets started to realize they were being defeated in Afghanistan in the eighties. These people are resilient and they have experience in fighting on THEIR TURF. Just how INEPT are those who claim to know so much about how to, "take it to them?"

Whether they want to admit it or not, we appear to be following the same fate the Soviets did in the eighties in Afghanistan. The Soviets did not win, and we are not winning either. The fighting in Afghanistan is going on as Iraq is dangled as the distraction.

In my view, we need to shift a huge number of troops from Iraq to Afghanistan to truly complete the task that SHOULD HAVE been completed. Then we need to get more support from humanitarian agencies around the world to help mend Iraq .(However, unfortunately, with the level of violence Iraq has descended to, that may not even be possible now.) How do you win a war on two fronts? And, what does winning really mean at this point?

I believe it is then now very, very clear:

Bush HAS FAILED his objective in Afghanistan.

Bush has FAILED to secure JUSTICE for 9.11.

Bush has FAILED to apprehend Osama Bin Laden.

Bush has FAILED to claim responsibility for allowing 9.11 to happen on HIS WATCH, as he covers his FAILURE with propaganda and sound bites made to stir up nationalistic fervor for a corporate war of diversion and lies that will do nothing to further, "Democracy."

And then, Karl Rove has the unmitigated GALL to claim Liberals were soft after 9.11?... Well, pardon me (as vulgarity is not usually part of my vocabulary) but FU** YOU, Karl Rove. How I loathe what these people have turned America into and the hatred they have propagated against our citizens. If that isn't a crime against our constitution, then I don't know what the hell is.

My condolences go out to the families of those lost in Afghanistan. Your loved ones are on the front that should be the front where Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda were apprehended, and where justice for 9.11 was served. However, we will NEVER see justice with the likes of the sociopaths that have also invaded our own government for their own personal and political benefit at the helm.

All we will see is this:

Hostile Fire May Have Downed U.S. Copter
By DANIEL COONEY, Associated Press Writer 56 minutes ago

KABUL, Afghanistan - A U.S. Chinook helicopter that crashed in eastern Afghanistan was likely shot down by hostile fire, and the fate of 17 American service members aboard was unclear, the U.S. military said Wednesday. The Taliban claimed it attacked the aircraft. The troops were on a mission against al-Qaida fighters when the helicopter went down Tuesday in a mountainous region near Asadabad, in Kunar province."Initial reports indicate the crash may have been caused by hostile fire. The status of the service members is unknown at this time," a U.S. military statement said.

Excerpt continued

The violence has left much of Afghanistan off-limits to aid workers and has heightened concerns that the war here is escalating into a conflict on the scale of that in Iraq. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050629/ap_on_...HNlYwMlJVRPUCUl

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/29/122422/426

Pentagon Database Violates Parental Rights

2005-06-28T19:17:00.000-04:00

Please forward this message to your family and friends!

For Immediate Release June 28, 2005

Stealth Recruiting Database by Pentagon Violates Parental Rights and Student Privacy

MAD OFFERS OPT-OUT FORMS TO PARENTS

Last weeks revelation that the Pentagon hired an outside marketing firm to compile an extensive database of high school and college age students who meet minimum requirements for military service has earned the scrutiny of privacy rights advocates and the anger of moms across the country. The Pentagon has violated the law and infringed on parental rights by compiling an extensive database of personal information on American teenagers, charges the chairman of a national anti-conscription movement. â€œWeâ€™re outraged by the Pentagonâ€™s predatory and illegal actions,â€ stated Janine Hansen, Chairman of Mothers Against the Draft (MAD). â€œ

Particularly troubling is the fact that the Pentagon compiled this massive, centralized database in secrecy, and has been using it for three years before giving public notice as required by the Privacy Act.â€ The Joint Advertising and Market Research Recruiting Database (JAMRS), created with the aid of a private marketing firm, contains extensive information on 30 million young Americans between the ages of 16 to 25. Updated daily with new records, JAMRS includes such information as social security number, ethnicity, grade point average, areas of study, height, weight, postal and email address, selective service registration, and phone number. â€œThe very existence of the database is an unlawful and unwarranted violation of the privacy rights of our children,â€ declared Debbie Hopper, MADâ€™s Vice Chairman.

â€œItâ€™s also a clear warning to every mother in America that the Department of Defense, desperate to fill boots on the ground in Iraq, is more than willing to circumvent the law to ensure that no child is left un-recruited.â€ â€œThe military manpower problem is real and significant,â€ said Hansen. â€œWhen there arenâ€™t enough volunteers, Congress is left with few choices. They can significantly raise taxes to support a mercenary force, change our foreign policy and reduce our overseas military commitments, or resort to the draft or some other form of compulsory national service to fill the gap.â€ â€œWeâ€™re not anticipating a military draft like what we saw during the Vietnam War,â€ said Hopper.

â€œWe think it far more likely that weâ€™ll see legislation mandating two years of â€˜national serviceâ€™ for all young men and women, perhaps coupled with a skills draft of older citizens who are doctors, nurses, EMTâ€™s, Arabic linguists, and others who possess â€˜special skillsâ€™ sorely needed by the military.â€ â€œConditions are growing ripe for such a push,â€ said Hansen. â€œItâ€™s time for Congress to stop dodging the draft issue. The mothers of American have an absolute right to know if our elected representatives support a draft or other forms of involuntary national service. And our representatives have an absolute duty to tell us the truth.

â€ Parents can take action to protect their childrenâ€™s privacy by submitting a request in writing to the Joint Advertising and Market Research Study Office. Opt-out forms and mailing instructions are available on MADâ€™s website at http://www.mothersagainstthedraft.org.

The Real Nuclear Option Is Iran

2005-06-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/26/114525/108

The Real Nuclear Option Is Iran
by Patriot for Al Gore
Sun Jun 26th, 2005 at 08:45:25 PDT

Iran has just elected an ultra conservative hardliner as their President who has now vowed to pursue nukes. This should come as no surprise to us as Americans, as it was our own ultra conservative pResident who has been setting the stage for this showdown for the last four years.

To many of his syncophants however, he need take no blame for the fact that Iranians came out to vote for this man not because they place their wellbeing first (although, that is what we are supposed to believe) but because they hate us more. I believe they also want a nuclear conflagration just as much as Bush and his RW, rapture seeking, pseudo Christian fanatics do, and Bush knows that too, and he and the "Armageddon" watchers will make sure we get it. This scenario then does not bode well for our future, and I am now more convinced than ever that this was all planned.

Remember that these people want war and are keeping it going despite their "words" of wanting peace. Remember that these people stole an election maybe two from the American people, despite their "words" about spreading Democracy and freedom around the world. This should be the flag that goes up telling us all that their "words" are empty.

If you know anything about PNAC and the Neocon agenda, it is easy to see that they are deliberately perpetuating a showdown by spewing words like "axis of evil", "they support terrorism", etc. Words also such as "bring it on" don't exactly do much to foster an end to violence. It is very subtle, but nonetheless it is a tactic that makes them look as though they are against the very policies they are secretly espousing, because they know the outcome it will produce.

Imagine if Iranians had voted for a true moderate who wanted reforms, peace, and who wanted to dismantle all nuclear aspirations. Do you honestly believe Bush and his Neocon profiteers would have condoned that privately? They need an ultra conservative hardliner in Iran as the reason to bring their agenda full circle. Isn't it so coincidental how they just happened to get that now?

The current U.S. nuclear policy is a disaster waiting to happen. While chiding other countries like Iran for plans to produce nukes, they continue to produce the most of any country and are continuing with a program that calls for pre-emption without compromise by using bunker busters to "smoke em out." Is it any wonder other countries pursue such programs as well?

There is no excusing Iran from wanting to do this, as they too will perpetuate a showdown that will forever change the face of this world and they should be castigated for it. However, we as Americans must not overlook the goading of it being perpetuated by people in this government who have been waiting for years for this showdown to occur, and have done all in their power from behind the scenes to see it come to its fruition.

And remember, Israel also has nukes (and that is fact, not an anti-semitic slur) as well as Pakistan, France, China, India, etc. Iran and Israel are also mortal enemies, so I do believe the stage is being set, and I have no doubt that the government of Israel will also help in cranking up the rhetoric. There is also talk of a pipeline being built that would pump oil from Iraq to Haifa via Jordan. Now that should really cool things down over there.

Democrats for the most part bowed down to Bush and the Rwers regarding the fillibuster "nuclear option." This is one nuclear option we can't afford to back down on, however, for it is the real thing. This is why joining together to do all in our power to stop this from happening should be our primary goal right now.

Nuclear Posture Review (link in story)

As long as this country's leaders continue with such a policy however, our children will have nothing to look forward to but a more horrific future.

Another Draft?

2005-06-26T08:41:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/26/8193/54387

The Sith Lord Speaks

2005-06-24T12:08:00.000-04:00

Typical Bush Supporter Blather

2005-06-24T10:34:00.000-04:00

Wow, I didn't know Bush supporters who belong to the "morals" Party were so much into such disgusting practices... Which is why those remarks posted here will not be deleted. It shows clearly what the, "BUSH" Party is really all about. Even more reason to work to kick your lame, lying, murdering, hypocritical, apathetical asses out of our government. People are dying in Iraq, and all his groupies can do is attack Americans for caring about principles and the constitution. BUSH LIED AND AMERICANS DIED. No amount of BS spewn by any of you will ever change that, and it isn't going away.

Patriots for Al Gore calls For Resolution Of Inquiry

2005-06-21T14:31:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/21/113548/000

http://www.patriotsforgore.com

THANK YOU Representative Conyers

2005-06-17T13:30:00.000-04:00

I must thank Representative Conyers and all those who took part in the Downing Street Memo hearing yesterday. It's time to show these liars that the PEOPLE do have a say in their government!

THANK YOU Representative John Conyers and all those who took part in the Downing Street Memo hearing (and yes, it WAS a hearing even though Republican partisans think otherwise) yesterday.

Those who took part gave us great insight into the machinations behind this war. I was especially touched by the statement of Ms. Sheehan, who lost her son in Iraq. I sat with tears streaming down my face as I imagined him dying alone in Iraq, wondering what his last thoughts were about... then relating them to the smirk on Bush's face as he stood and lied to the American people about the justification in having that young man murdered.

SHAME on the Republicans in our Congress who continue to put partisan politics above their own country. In my book, they are all traitors to the American people and should be impeached for their role as accomplices in this violation of our trust.

I also hope this is not over. Please, let this be only the first step in an historic event that once and for all rids our government of the stench of Fascism, cronyism, and the total lack of ethics that exists in it's halls.

I signed Rep. Conyers letter and will continue on my own to get the word out about this memo and its implications in the deaths of so many innocent people. We as Americans must now also keep pressure on the MSM and pummel them in regards to their blatant collusion to keep this silent.

I do believe a great crime has been committed against the American people and our constitution. It is then our duty as citizens to see this through, and I now have hope that we will. Again, my thanks to all of those who are fighting this fight. I stand with you.

END THIS WAR NOW!

Our America is Slipping Away

2005-06-15T17:12:00.000-04:00

America has always been the bastion of the free. Imagine a place where torture was unthinkable, where the Bill of Rights was always a shield against abuse of authority, where the people's vote always counted and where politicians took seriously their oath to protect and defend the Constitution. This is our America and it is slowly slipping away before our very eyes.

Some point to 9-11 and blame the acts of terror by those hijackers for every abuse of authority since then. The real change, however, took place on Dec. 13, 2000. The day the SC trumped the will of the people and handed the White House to a cabal whose primary aim was to protect the interests of the super rich and corporate elite. Our right to have our vote counted has since come under question. Machines owned by Bush loyalists are in charge of the counting and they will not open up their machines to scrutiny. Our sacred votes are at their mercy.

Back to 9-11, that horrible day our dear leader sat reading, "My Pet Goat" as the Pentagon burned and the dust and the smoke of the Twin Towers choked the lungs of New York City. We will never cease to wonder where the downed plane in Pennsylvania would have hit if not for the bravery of its passengers.

As a result of this horrible day, Congress passes the Patriot Act in haste, an act that should make the terrorists hate us less if "our freedoms" are what they really hate. It is set to be renewed and the sunset clauses taken out. This with the blessing of many Senate Democrats. The Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment have been "rendered quaint" just as the Geneva Convention.

The abuse of power continues with the War in Iraq, or rather the Quagmire in Iraq. 1,700 soldiers officially dead. Many thousands more wounded physically and psychologically. There is no accurate count of Iraqi dead but estimates range from 10,000 to 100,000. Over half the population of the US says it was not worth it now and some are realizing the extent of the brainwashing lies used to get us to war. Yet, there are still those who ardently support the war; however even the able-bodied among them are not joining the military these days not to mention even willing to pay taxes to pay for it. It's easier to blame the "liberal media" and "permissive liberal parents" for the shortfall in recruiting.

Congress in the meantime is intent on appeasing every whim of corporate America. Tort reform, the Bankruptcy Bill, and the rape of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge have all come to pass just in this session and it is not over yet. A few more years of this and life in our country will become unbearable.

Whether we can save our America is unclear right now. The voice of reason somehow must come through during the next election cycle. The people must get beyond prejudice and Texas chuztpah and vote to restore our democracy. Until then people of conscience will struggle for change and continue to fight, for, as Al Gore put it in 2000, "The People, Not the Powerful."

Downing Street Memo Hearing-This Thursday

2005-06-14T20:45:00.000-04:00

{Contact by email and phone Rep. Conyers and all representatives in the House including Rep. Sensenbrenner. Our taxes foot the bill for Hill facilities. Conyers must not cave as it sets a dangerous precedent when minorities want to have hearings on issues the Majority is intent upon ignoring-Ed.}

Please send to members and to media - thanks!

Now we've got the times and places -- it's time to go get the PEOPLE.

HEARINGS ON DOWNING STREET MINUTES SET FOR 1 PM THURSDAY

Hearings to be held at DNC because Republicans Denying Democrats Use of Rooms on Hill

On Thursday June 16, 2005, at 1:30 p.m. in the Wasserman Room at 430 S Capitol St. SE, Washington, D.C., Rep. John Conyers, Jr., Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, and other Congress Members will hold a hearing on the Downing Street Minutes and related evidence of efforts to cook the books on pre-war intelligence.The hearings are being held at the Democratic National Committee because the Republicans controlling the House Judiciary Committee refused to permit the ranking Democratic Member to use a room on the Hill. http://www.thehill.com/thehill/export/TheH...Dome/index.html

Nonetheless, Republicans are welcome to attend.Later on the same day at 5:00 p.m. ET in Lafayette Square Park, in front of the White House, a large rally will support Congressman Conyers who plans to deliver to the White House a letter addressed to President Bush and signed by over 500,000 Americans and at least 94 Congress Members. The letter asks the President to respond to questions raised by the Downing Street Minutes.Among those speaking at the hearings will be: Joe Wilson, Former Ambassador and WMD Expert; Ray McGovern, 27-year CIA analyst who prepared regular Presidential briefings during the Reagan administration; Cindy Sheehan, mother of fallen American soldier; John Bonifaz, renowned constitutional lawyer and co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org.

Among those speaking at the rally will be: Congressman Conyers and various other Congress Members, Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace, John Bonifaz of AfterDowningStreet.org, Ray McGovern former CIA analyst, Medea Benjamin of Global Exchange, Rev. Lennox Yearwood of Progressive Democrats of America, Stephen Cleghorn of Military Families Speak Out, Kevin Zeese, Director of Democracy Rising.

More information, and flyers promoting the rally, are available at

www.afterdowningstreet.org

Flyers to print, copy, and distribute widely:

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/rally.pdf

LOCAL RALLIES PLANNED AROUND COUNTRY

Supporters of this campaign are independently organizing rallies on Thursday at locations around the country.

http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/modules....article&sid=211
AfterDowningStreet.org is a rapidly growing coalition of veterans' groups, peace groups, and political activist groups, which launched on May 26, 2005, a campaign to urge the U.S. Congress to begin a formal investigation into whether President Bush has committed impeachable offenses in connection with the Iraq war.

David Swanson david@davidswanson.org 202-329-7847
Jonathan Schwarz jonrschwartz@yahoo.com 301 928 7579

Time To Impeach, NOW

2005-06-07T13:37:00.000-04:00

PFG COMMENTARY: http://www.patriotsforgore.com

June/2005
Time To Impeach, NOW
by Jan Moore

I call on Al Gore, Howard Dean, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and every other Democrat and American of conscience (And yes, that means you Republicans if you have a conscience) to stop twiddling their thumbs and playing it safe by giving safe speeches for groups and taking on issues that are safe, that ignore the clear and present danger to our Democracy- GEORGE W. BUSH AND HIS ENTIRE CABINET and their treasonous violations of our constitution and international law. There is no more time to lose.

I don't give a damn about the "perception." I don't give a damn that an election is coming. What the hell good is it anyway if Democrats and other Americans will only once again roll over and allow them to steal it again? THE EVIDENCE FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ WAS FIXED. Innocent people died for those lies and are still dying because of this DELIBERATE DECEPTION that is a violation of our constitution, international law, and all human decency. I am sick of watching daily while these people continually get away with sucking the marrow out of this country.

Where is the Democrat and especially Republican who will stand up to this HIGH CRIME against the American people and start the ball rolling on the impeachment that must be done to preserve our nation's future? And what is wrong with Americans out here? For all of the talk there is NO WALK. Just what would have to happen to be enough to impeach these usurpers?

And what of our leaders? Is your precious political grandstanding and using the suffering of people to position yourselves for another Presidential run more important than avenging these crimes against the American people and the world? There is a CLEAR constitutional process and duty that was outlined by our Founding Fathers in cases like this. I cannot see a more necessary use of it than having an UNELECTED pResident who has used and abused the office of the Presidency for personal gain over the needs and will of the people, and thus LYING to them and willfully deceiving them to get to those ends face accountability and justice.

We owe no less to ourselves, our children, and our country, no matter what it takes to see that justice according to the very constitution he has violated is served.

WHERE IS YOUR LOVE FOR THIS COUNTRY? This is not a partisan issue, this is a principled issue!

Representative John Conyers did write a letter asking Bush questions on the Downing Streety memo (THANK YOU), and 88 members of Congress so far have signed it.

WHERE ARE THE REST OF THEM?

They steal an election (perhaps even two) and GET AWAY WITH IT.

They extort our tax dollars for personal use, and THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They obfuscate and refuse to answer questions on the most heinous attack on our country, AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They continute to abuse the constitution for their own purposes, and THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They perpetuate war crimes and murder based on fixed evidence to get us into a war, AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT?

This memo needs to be sent to every media outlet, and Americans need to wake the hell up.

Again, I urge Democrats and statesmen like Al Gore, Howard Dean, and others to speak out about this egregious violation of the American peoples' trust and to call for justice.

Mr. Gore has always been a leader and has been the one man to call Bush out on his lies. This is no time to be silent.Impeachment is the only way to go about this, and perhaps to even cause Bush to have to resign. Then he must be put on trial for crimes against the American people and humanity along with his cohorts.

The British people need to get going as well, because Tony Blair is no better. He then must have known the evidence was fixed as well and must not escape responsibility and accountability for his actions either.This is not a matter of politics, it is a matter of PRINCIPLE. If we as a people allow them to get away with this, there is then no turning back and there is NO REGAINING OUR SOUL as a nation.

Therefore, what say you, those who read this? Is this just something to read to pass your time, or are you really going to get up and do something about these people who have betrayed you and this country?

TIME IS RUNNING OUT.

"We Need The American Army"

2005-06-05T10:12:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/6/5/92549/09243

Giving Me Hope!

2005-06-04T12:39:00.000-04:00

We need a million people on the streets of Washington DC demanding an end to this war in Iraq that is only exacerbating the very conditions that lead to global poverty! Instead, we get the Michael Jackson trial! What hogwash! Thank you people of Europe for giving me hope not only as an American, but as a citizen of the world...Let's hope it is peaceful, to really get the message across.
~~~~
Published on Thursday, June 2, 2005
by the Independent (UK)
Police Scramble to Draw Up Plans to Deal with Protesters After Geldof's March Plea
by Maxine Frith

Authorities in Scotland were being forced to draw up contingency plans in response to Sir Bob Geldof's call for a million protesters to "descend on Edinburgh" for a mass rally to coincide with the G8 summit.Ministers and senior police officers expressed alarm yesterday after they appeared to have been taken by surprise by the scale of the protest on 6 July.

Police, council officials and organisers of the Edinburgh event will meet today for talks in an attempt to prepare for the rally which Scotland's First Minister warned must be "peaceful and respectful".Jack McConnell sounded the warning in the Scottish Parliament as concern mounted over Sir Bob's call for a massive turnout in the capital. "I think it is absolutely critical any demonstration is peaceful and respectful - not least of those in Africa who are currently starving or dying," he said."They are the people it is meant to be all about."Whatever the numbers are, I want to see any organisers working closely with the authorities here."

David McLetchie, leader of the Scottish Tories, questioned whether the city could handle such a huge number of people.He said: "We simply cannot have one million people turning up on the streets of Edinburgh without proper arrangements."The scale of public enthusiasm for the Make Poverty History campaign and the sequel concerts to Live Aid has astonished even the organisers. More than 20,000 people a day are signing up to the MPH website, with millions expected to compete in a text message competition for the 72,000 tickets to the concert in London's Hyde Park.

The Prince's Trust charity, which had planned its annual Party in the Park concert for the same day, has decided to cancel the event and will receive a £1.6m donation from the money raised through the Live8 text competition.Police in Edinburgh had expected 100,000 campaigners to descend on the city for the two-day summit of the world's most powerful leaders. The Chancellor had allocated £20m to the security operation.With up to 10 times more people expected to flood into the city between 2 July and 8 July, the cost of the police operation is spiralling and according to some reports could reach £100m.

Make Poverty History organisers had planned a rally, march and concert in the city for 2 July, the day of the Live8 concerts.However, Sir Bob seemed to take even his anointed organiser in Scotland, Midge Ure, by surprise yesterday when he called for a million people to make the "long walk to justice" and converge on Edinburgh by any means necessary on 6 July.A spokesman for Live8 admitted there were no firm details of the Edinburgh event, and city councillors said they had not been forewarned by Sir Bob.Downing Street insisted Tony Blair had been totally unaware Sir Bob would invite thousands of people to protest at the G8 summit.A source said: "He had no idea about this.

Who Mr Geldof invites to his parties is up to Mr Geldof, and the idea the Pope should make it his first gig is also entirely something for Mr Geldof."The Live8 event in the Scottish capital will coincide with several planned direct action protests by more extreme anti-globalisation campaigners and could end in chaos, Assistant Chief Constable Ian Dickinson said.Mr Dickinson said: "We may need to find additional police officers if large crowds are to be here for a longer period, and that may be difficult."There has been talk of up to a million people coming to Edinburgh, and frankly it is difficult to conceive how they could all get to this area in the first place and where they could assemble safely. No one wants tragedy to distract world attention from the aims of the campaigners."But Mr Dickinson also moved to placate campaigners in the run-up to the Gleneagles summit by stressing that, unlike at other G8 meetings, protests would not be met with water cannons, CS gas or rubber bullets.

The annual meeting has previously been marred by violence in other host cities, such as Genoa, when an Italian protester was killed during the 2001 summit.Organisers of Live8 are planning a peaceful rally in Edinburgh, 40 miles from the Gleneagles Hotel, but other protests timed for the same day could see more violent action.One extreme group, called the Peoples' Golfing Association, has vowed to disrupt the first day photocall of the G8 leaders by invading the hotel grounds - the same day as the Live8 event.

The PGA, which describes itself as made up of "anarchist golfers", says on its website that the remote location and sprawling grounds of Gleneagles make it "particularly vulnerable" to direct action protests.Another group, Dissent, has called for supporters to blockade roads around the luxury resort on 6 July, while other protesters plan to shut down the nearby Faslane submarine base.
© 2005 Independent Newspapers
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0602-24.htm

Bush Admits He Shovels Out BS

2005-05-27T18:59:00.000-04:00

SHAME ON US for allowing this to continue.

A New Flu Pandemic?

2005-05-27T18:57:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/27/183320/843

Howard Dean On Meet The Press

2005-05-22T16:38:00.000-04:00

My PAC endorsed Chairman Dean for the position of DNC Chair. I believed he was the right man for the job at this time. I also did so believing he would stand up for the anti-Iraq War constituency of the Democratic Party as well.

However, there was nothing mentioned about ending the war by Chairman Dean, nor the condition of our voting process. Those are the two big issues currently for me. How can we even hope to campaign and win elections in 2006, if people do not trust the voting process and corporations still run it?

The issue of touchscreen voting machines is NOT being aggressively pursued by Democratic leaders. What will happen should we lose races in 06 due to fraud, because our leaders refuse to really face getting corporations out of the process and we once again look the other way? It looks like we are screwed whichever way we turn.

I did agree with Chairman Dean about religion being our business, not taking the bullying and lecturing from the hypocritical Republican slimeballs running this government, and working to bring Democratic leaders with principles into positions from top to bottom. I also agreed that pro-choice IS pro -life, and that we need to cut the BS about the semantics of it and get across that what a woman does with her body in regards to her healthcare choices is between her, her doctor, her husband/lover, and her GOD. I actually don't believe it should be used as a political issue by either side either, which it has been. I actually agreed with much of what he had to say on those topics...

I was disappointed however once again, that Chairman Dean made no mention of ending the war in Iraq. I think that is THE issue that the Democratic Party leaders need to be talking about fervently and with conviction now. Of course, since Kerry, Clinton, and a host of others actually voted for it, it does make it a bit hard to do that without looking totally hypocritical, and I didn't like Dean's defending them by saying Bush gave them misinformation ( even though that is true)... Oh, and it's Saddam Hussein, Chairman Dean, not Osama Bin Laden. I notice Russert didn't even try to correct him on that mistake.

Which of course brings me to the Downing Street Memo that was not even discussed in regards to the lies told. I believe Chairman Dean was too soft once again on Bush in that regard. He "thinks it was wrong" of him to lie to the American people? Wow, if that is as outraged as he can get about it, God help us.

It is also your job as a Senator to do your own research and to vote from your heart, not based on politics. I believe Kerry voted for the war because he was hoping to reap big political points from Hussein's capture, and because he was already thinking of running for President. I believe Clinton did it for the same reasons, looking to her own political future. My Senators however, voted against it and they got the same information Kerry and Clinton and every other Senator got, therefore, Chairman Dean's cop out on that was just an excuse to me.

If we don't start vocally reaffirming our morals as a Party by speaking out AGAINST THIS WAR AND FOR ITS END, then anything else we say about our morality will be seen as nothing but more political BS. However, I have to also give credit where it is due, and considering what we had, Dr. Dean is looking better. I simply wish the Iraq issue was now not something he and others were so wimpish about facing. It is THE issue that has led us to deficits and to all of the suffering our people including our children will have to now endure for decades to come.

I truly hope Chairman Dean sees this in the months to come, instead of taking the orders not to piss anyone off about the topic of this illegal war needing to END. We can't afford to continue to acquiesce on the issue of Iraq any longer.

"I Didn't Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier"

2005-05-20T10:53:00.000-04:00

This song was the #2 best selling piece of sheet music in 1915. Time to dust it off.
~~~

http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/a/a06/a0665/

Ten million soldiers to the war have gone
Who may never return again;
Ten million mothers’ hearts must break
For the ones who died in vain.
Head bowed down in sorrow,
In her lonely years,
I heard a mother murmur through her tears:

Chorus
“I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier
I brought him up to be my pride and joy;
Who dares to place a musket on his shoulder
To shoot some other mother’s darling boy?
Let nations arbitrate their future troubles,
It’s time to lay the sword and gun away;
There’d be no war today,
If mothers all would say,‘
I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier.’ ”

2nd verse
What victory can cheer a mother’s heart
When she looks at her blighted home?
What victory can bring her back
All she cared to call her own?
Let each mother answer
In the years to be,
“Remember that my boy belongs to me!”

Got Hope?

2005-05-15T15:33:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/15/152151/113
By Jan Moore
May 15, 2004

This administration is the most corrupt and morally bankrupt in our history...Yet, it seems that they not only get a free pass in the mainstream media, but a large segment of the American people do not seem to be outraged to the point of calling for justice. And that is truth, no matter what some may say about the "filibuster battle," or other "battles" which I also see being used totally for political purposes. Is there truly any issue currently that isn't being used by both sides for political purposes?

I have not been writing much the last week or more, because as I watch events as they are unfolding in Iraq and elsewhere around the world I have become more and more disillusioned about the future, and for me, a person who has always maintained hope, it is very sad.

I watch daily as the situation in Iraq only deteriorates. I watch as the gap between the poor and the rich in this country widens, and our economy does teeter on the precipice, with countries like China becoming stronger as American jobs are outsourced. I watch our environment being dessimated by amoral bastards who put greed above morality. I watch as the defense budget of this country goes beyond the defense budgets of all countries in this world combined while people starve. I watch while our children are handed a legacy of deficits, war, and uncertainty. And what results are we truly seeing to fight this beyond the talk?

I have listened to countless speeches from Democrats from Kerry to Gore, to Clinton, to Byrd, yet, no real results... And again, that is truth. Of course, those who stand up for the people in word need to be thanked, but once again, to me at this point, it is not strong enough. Perhaps my perception of results is different than that of others, but to me results means truly holding people accountable and seeing them punished, not just speaking in soundbites for groups sympathetic to the speaker, or shying away from the issues like Iraq that really need strong voices in opposition.

Now, Representative Conyers has been instrumental in at least getting some questions going to bring about that moral accountability ( and for that I thank him), but again, how far will it go? Where do we go from here? Why should I have hope? Is there anyone out there who can give me a concrete answer as far as results that will come from all of our talk? I really do need that now.

There is one thing that made me happy today. My PAC will be sending a check for $150.00 next week to Second Harvest to feed hungry children. That may not seem like much to some, or to Senators who deal with groups who raise millions. However, for me it means a lot, because it is something I can do to feel as though all hope is not lost.

I feel as though this country is in a downward spiral that we cannot control, and it is at times so hard to even write about it. I feel betrayed on the whole by those who represent us, and I believe right now that it is so crucial that our voices are raised in opposition, but I don't really hear anything. Is it that my expectations are just too high? Or is it that after seeing five years of usurpations go unchallenged, that all the talk now is just not impressing me?

I know I am not alone, so perhaps someone who can see into the future can tell me that I have good reason to believe that these lying murderers that have hijacked our government and our souls will be brought to justice, and that all the talk is not for naught. Any takers?

Terror Alerts Used As Weapons

2005-05-12T10:44:00.000-04:00

New Evidence:

Terror Alerts Were Used As Electoral Weapons: Combined with what Ridge has said, and the chart linked above, can there be any doubt that the Bush administration was frequently raising the terror alerts to help his election chances and increase his political capital rather than to signal actual threats?

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8814.htm

Testing For The Police State

2005-05-12T10:43:00.000-04:00

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...h/capital_alert

And that is EXACTLY what yesterday was... a TEST for the POLICE STATE coming to America, that is already being implemented in many places around this country already. How gullible will Americans continue to be about all of this? And of course, conveniently, Bush was biking with a high school friend when this happened. I really think I am just not going to be exerting much more energy on these forums trying to make people see what is coming. If you can't see it by now, or worse, do see it but aren't going to get up and do anything about it, you deserve what you get as cruel as that may sound.

Time To Impeach-NOW

2005-05-07T12:40:00.000-04:00

If your representative has not signed the Conyers letter below, please contact them and ask them to do so regardless of their political Party.

See my diary here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/7/101428/5099#20

I call on Al Gore, Howard Dean, John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, and every other Democrat and American of conscience to stop twiddling their thumbs on this and playing it safe by giving safe speeches for groups and taking on issues that are safe that ignore the clear and present danger to our Democracy- GEORGE W. BUSH AND HIS ENTIRE CABINET. There is no more time to lose.

I don't give a damn about the "perception." I don't give a damn that an election is coming. WHAT THE HELL good is it anyway if Democrats and other Americans will only once again roll over and allow them to steal it?

THE EVIDENCE FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ WAS FIXED. Innocent people DIED and are still dying because of this DELIBERATE DECEPTION that is a violation of our constitution, and all human decency. I am sick of watching daily while these people continually get away with sucking the marrow out of this country.

Where is the Democrat and especially REPUBLICAN who will stand up to this HIGH CRIME against the American people and start the ball rolling on the impeachment that MUST BE DONE?

And what is wrong with Americans out here? For all of the talk there is NO WALK. Just what would have to happen to be enough to impeach?

What of our leaders? Is your precious political grandstanding and USING the suffering of people to position yourselves for another Presidential run more important than avenging these crimes?

There is a CLEAR constitutional process that was outlined by our Founding Fathers in cases like this. I cannot see a more necessary use of it, than having an UNELECTED pResident who has used and abused the office of the Presidency for personal gain over the needs and will of the people, and thus LYING to them and willfully deceiving them to get to those ends face accountability and justice. We owe no less to ourselves, our children, and our country, no matter what it takes to see that justice according to the very constitution he has violated is served.

WHERE IS YOUR LOVE FOR THIS COUNTRY?

Representative John Conyers did write a letter asking Bush questions on this very memo (THANK YOU), and 88 members of Congress so far have signed it. ( I will add his posting from dkos here to be seen.) WHERE ARE THE REST OF YOU?http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/6/113947/8072

They steal an election ( perhaps even two) and GET AWAY WITH IT.

They extort our tax dollars for personal use, and THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They obfuscate and refuse to answer questions on the most heinous attack on our country, AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They continute to abuse the constitution for their own purposes, and THEY GET AWAY WITH IT.

They perpetuate war crimes and murder based on fixed evidence to get us into a war, AND THEY GET AWAY WITH IT?

This memo needs to be sent to every media outlet, and Americans need to wake the hell up. Again, I urge Democrats and statesmen like Al Gore, Howard Dean, and others to speak out about this, and to call for justice. Mr. Gore has always been a leader, and has been the one man to call Bush out on his lies. This is no time to be silent. If you all put your country first, THEN THIS IS THE TIME TO SHOW IT.

Impeachment is the only way to go about this, and perhaps to even cause Bush to have to resign. Then he must be put on trial for crimes against the American people and humanity. Oh, and the British people need to get going as well, because Tony Blair is no better. He then must have known the evidence was fixed as well, and must not escape responsibility and accountability for his actions.

This is not a matter of politics, it is a matter of PRINCIPLE. If we as a people allow them to get away with this, there is then no turning back and there is NO REGAINING OUR SOUL as a nation.

Therefore, what say you, those who read this? Is this just something to read to pass your time, or are you really going to get up and do something about these people who have betrayed you and this country?

My Response To Commission On Federal Election Reform

2005-05-04T11:46:00.000-04:00

The note I responded to is below my response. If they think they can soothe this over, they are mistaken. James Baker is not suitable to be co-chair of any commission on election reform. This is an even bigger joke to me than nominating Bolton for UN ambassador!
~~~~
Dr. Pastor;

And you quote:

"The Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University is organizing the Commission with the support of the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation, and the Knight Foundation."

And just how are corporations and political fundraisers involved in this commission? With James Baker on this commission I have no hope that anything of substance will come of it. He was a collaborator of the election theft of 2000 and I will never trust any committee he is on.

He is also aligned with the Carlyle Group and the corporate PNAC agenda of the Bush administration. It is also reported that he was counsel for the Saudi Arabians against the 9.11 families who brought suit against them for accountability for the 9.11 attack. I think that is disgusting.

I also wonder just how many corporations or benefactors involved in the current administration are really running this commission. In other words, Dr.Pastor, James Baker is not a non-partisan pick for this commission and I still protest his being a co-chair of it.

Our faith in this process has been shaken because of the corporate buying of our Democracy and the political ties between the companies who provide this service such as DIEBOLD, and members of the Republican Party. There is no way you will reassure me about this by telling me that, "President Carter is pleased to be working on this commission with James Baker."

I'm not pleased, and neither are many others, and it is we the people out here who have to feel secure. I will never feel secure about voting in this country again until corporations are out of this process, and/or any such machines they manufacture have a paper trail with a copy of my vote that I can keep for my records.

Anything less your commission comes up with is merely for show.I will be monitoring the progress with this commission, and I hope for the sake of our Representative Democracy that something comes out of it to restore faith in this process. However, with James Baker on this commission, I don't hold out much hope for fairness for all.

Thank you,
Jan Moore
Chairperson,
Patriots for Al Gore
http://www.patriotsforgore.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Center for Democracy and Election Management wrote:
Thank you for your recent comments about the need for election reform. The Commission on Federal Election Reform was established to achieve that goal. Common Cause (www.commoncause.org) and the Election Protection Coalition (www.electionprotection2004.com) registered hundreds of thousands of complaints related to the 2004 presidential election. Public confidence in the electoral process is low, and reform is needed. This was underscored by a meeting convened by the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights and other groups in December 2004.

I was invited to testify and remained for the entire day. The audience was deeply concerned about the state of the electoral process, and many advocated change. After the hearing, I spoke with President Carter, who said he would favor establishing a panel to examine U.S. election reform. As you may know, he co-chaired a Commission with President Gerald Ford in 2001 that made recommendations that led to the Help American Vote Act (HAVA). I worked with both of them on that Commission and, indeed, worked with President Carter on election-monitoring projects for seventeen years at The Carter Center. As President Gerald Ford was not able to Co-Chair this panel, we consulted with Republican leaders who spoke with President Bush. They proposed former Secretary of State James A. Baker, III.

President Carter has worked with Mr. Baker many times and is extremely pleased to work with him again. With such highly-respected Co-Chairs, we expect that Congress will take our recommendations seriously. We solicited suggestions for other members of the Commission from a wide range of groups, and the Co-Chairs selected the members. It is comprised in roughly equal numbers among people who have served or were elected as Republicans and Democrats (though none are incumbents), and roughly one-third as non-partisan leaders. We understand the objections that some people have regarding individuals on the Commission, but we believe that the best way to promote real reform is to do so through a group that has broad credibility in Congress. You can read the bios of the members at www.american.edu/Carter-Baker.

The Center for Democracy and Election Management at American University is organizing the Commission with the support of the Carnegie Corporation, the Ford Foundation, and the Knight Foundation. Our current challenge is to look beyond the partisan perspectives and fashion proposals that address the problems in a practical, democratic, and effective manner. We would greatly appreciate your ideas as we carry out this work.

Please send them to cdem@american.edu, or mail them to
3201 New Mexico Avenue, Suite 265,
Washington, DC, 20016.

Sincerely, Dr. Robert Pastor
Executive Director,
Commission on Federal Election Reform
-------------------------------------------------------------
Center for Democracy & Election Management
3201 New Mexico Avenue,
NW Suite 265
Washington, DC 20016-8026
Email: cdem@american.edu
Website: http://www.american.edu/internationalaffairs/cdem/
~~~
Also here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/4/101956/3019#8

Frontpage Magazine Should Apologize

2005-05-01T09:18:00.000-04:00

The link that is below is to an article written about Marla Ruzicka, and it is plain nasty. I have never seen such naked hatred for fellow Americans as I have seen from Right-Wing dirtbags in this country.

http://frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=17823

The "author" of this piece of crap, Debbie Schlussel, has the nerve to intimate that Ms. Ruzicka's death was "poetic justice" and justified, and claims that she was a terrorist enabler who badmouthed our troops by actually caring for them. She actually applauds the death of a fellow American. How evil is that?

But of course, this blonde haired from the bottle, fake boob job, Stepford clone of Ann Coulter, couldn't say that to Ms. Ruzicka's face. Oh no... She is doing it after the woman was brutally murdered in Iraq and cannot defend her work. This hack obviously then hasn't read Ms. Ruzicka's letters, nor does she have any idea about the work still being done to help innocent people caught up in this hell created by people just like her. Marla Ruzicka had more courage in her big toe than this shrew could ever hope to have as she sits behind a modem, spewing acid about an issue she obviously knows nothing about.

It would not matter to me if Marla Ruzicka had been a Democrat or a Republican. It does to Ms. Schlussel, however, and I can tell you that if Marla Ruzicka were a card carrying RW bimbo like her, instead of a smart, compassionate American, she would be praising her. This is why the RW in America is truly insignificant. That is because they are clearly and obviously only in this for themselves, and there is no low in human decency they won't go to in order to serve their own hateful intolerant agenda.

I also wouldn't care if Ms. Ruzucka had voted for Bush, Kerry, Gore, or not at all. I wouldn't care what political groups she belonged to. She was an American, and firstly a good human being, and she cared about those who are forgotten in a time of war, INCLUDING OUR TROOPS. Ms. Ruzicka also wrote about many troops there helped her regarding giving out much needed aid to the innocent victims of this war, especially the children.

Ms. Schlussel however, must then believe that innocent children are our enemy and should be murdered as long as their skin is brown. Hmmm, then what separates her from a Bin Laden? My my, you can cut the RW hypocrisy with a machete and still not get through it all. And just what is supporting our troops to this RW bimbo? Killing them too while lying to them?

I am absolutely sick of the hateful, spiteful, ignorant BS coming out of our media today. From where I sit, it is a total antithesis to what America stands for. I then dare Ms. Schlussel to get her ass over to Iraq and do even one half of what people like Marla Ruzicka hoped to do... Walk through Fallujah or down the main highway in Baghdad, and see how far you get. This magazine also owes an apology to Ms. Ruzicka's family for their disrespect of her, and for disrespecting all Americans of all politics who have consciences. Of course, we know that won't happen, but I think people need to know that there are Americans with morals in this country who call out the phonies and hacks, especially when they go way beyond the pale.

It is obvious this author doesn't have a conscience or a true moral base. Shame on you, Debbie Schlussel. Taking on a dead woman to deliberately demean her good works out of partisan hatred? You are below a coward in my book, and since I am a Christian woman, I will refrain from calling you here what I really think of you.

Al Gore On C-Span Tonight

2005-04-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp

Al Gore's speech on the GOP attempts to gut the Senate filibuster, will be broadcast on C-Span2 at 8:05 PM Eastern time. I 've been looking at this all day, and knew it would be posted here sooner or later. I think the mails and calls worked this time. I hope many on Dkos wrote, and if so, THANK YOU!

Why Do Liberals Listen To Limbaugh?

2005-04-23T09:56:00.000-04:00

As an intelligent Democrat who actually considers myself more moderate to liberal, I could never understand the big furor over Rush Limbaugh and those of his ilk, and why so many people froth at the mouth over these people. Perhaps someone can explain it to me...

Ann Coulter is on the cover of TIME this week. Rush Limbaugh continues his attacks on radio, and Sean Hannity continues to be the darling of FOX NEWS. And you know what I really say to all of that? We helped get them there.

That's right. I do believe it is in part because of the attention paid to these screedmongers by Liberals and others that have catapulted these media frauds into such high profile positions, and I would really like to know why. Because if you think they don't enjoy it, and don't absolutely love being hit with pies, I think you are mistaken.

And in all honesty, I am embarrassed about that. Sure, Limbaugh is a hateful propaganda monger. Coulter is a skinny bag of hate, and Sean Hannity is the poster boy for the Fatherland. However, in my view, giving them such overt attention has done nothing but put the spotlight on them. Now, whether it has hurt or helped the cause of right to do this, is the question I think we need to be asking at this point. I've asked it to myself, and I think it is hurting us.

I don't know how many times I have read about someone calling their shows and being called a "Hero" for it. "Hero?" For calling the radio show of someone who doesn't even rate on the scale of humanity? What is so heroic about that? What is really accomplished by it? Is that what we have been reduced to in order to believe we are doing something? If so, that is truly sad. I hear this and I ask myself: Is it about the issues and about fighting for what is truly good, or is this all merely now a show to see who can get to who? More of a competition of wills rather than a truly meaningful fight to right the wrongs these people have perpetrated by their lies?

I would really be interested in knowing how many Democrats from this community tune into Limbaugh or Hannity everyday to help boost their ratings. I would like to know this, because if we had a definitive number and could collect even five dollars from every one, we could probably buy our own radio or TV conglomerate with it that would be for the people. And it could be a station that would give the truth and the views of all sane and intelligent people across the political spectrum. I think that is how you counter the propaganda and take up the fight for truth. It has to be the people who take their airwaves back.

It is not by calling their stations or giving them such attention that it draws more people to them. Even Air America for all the good it does with a few of its shows, still plays that game of making it look more like a competition with them. Air America was spawned with the idea of being the "anti-Rush" instead of the station "for the people." Was it not? Has that truly helped in the furtherance of truth?

I have lost all faith in the media in this country. It is now to me simply one giant behemoth corporately owned subsidiary of the government, and I will be damned if I will ever turn the dial to listen to any of those who dare to think their baseless and wreckless hate has any meaning to me. I would much rather spend that time talking to people out here and telling them how it is, because they don't hear it from our media, and those who listen to people the likes of a Hannity or a Coulter aren't listening to us or giving a damn about what we say anyway.

Therefore, if you are a Democrat and you do still listen to Limbaugh or Hannity, how about boycotting them? It is ratings keeping these people afloat, and people who give their hatred credence by constantly turning their dials to them everyday. What we need in this country is a truly innovative movement that goes beyond even tv and radio.

Too bad we can't have a mobile movement of Americans that travels around the country going into the small towns that don't get Air America or other shows, but only hears the shows the big conglomerates push through. You know, like the town criers of old. A 24 hour travelling road show of American truth that never mentions the names Coulter, Hannity, or Limbaugh, but defers to people like Jefferson, Franklin, and Paine... I can dream.

It's A Sad Earth Day For Me

2005-04-22T13:21:00.000-04:00

Remember the commercial in the seventies, that had an Indian man standing on a shoreline covered in garbage, with one teardrop coming out from his eye? That is how I feel today...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/15/145621/806

I wrote this diary a week ago and I poured my heart out about the love I feel for this Earth. Today, I weep for this planet. Today, I mourn for the loss of the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge. Today, Earth Day, a day when we should celebrate Mother Earth and reflect on what we have accomplished and what we still need to do, we have the most corrupt and environmentally destructive administration in the history of this country sucking her dry. I cannot feel happy today when I look at the blatant disrespect so many people have for this planet, and the level of acrimony those who say they love this country carry for her in their hearts based on their actions.

Yesterday, the House passed an energy bill that will give 12 BILLION dollars in subsidies to energy companies and will continue to allow MTBE to be added to our gas, thus contaminating our waterways. They are paying corporations to pollute this planet. They are rewarding them for their insensitivity and greed. They don't then truly care about the world our children will live in. Those who voted for this bill ( including 40 Democrats) are then morally bankrupt in my view, and cannot even think of toting their "faith" line in my face.The God whom I pray to and love and whom I believe is in all the beauty we see from the highest cloud to the smallest and most fragile flower, did not create this Earth for us to have dominion over it this way.

This Earth, our only home, is our lifeblood. Its water is our air, the sun is our blood, and the wind that blows, our hope. What we as human beings have done to betray the trust of God is unconscienable. This Earth so rich in nutrients is here for our sustinence not for our selfishness. It is here to nourish us, to embrace us, and to forever be that part of our souls which gives us spiritual fulfillment. It is the face of God and we are spitting in it. So while today I will remember all the great strides made for our environment thanks to people in all walks of life including our Native American brothers and sisters who were the first environmentalists, and remember people like Rachel Carson, Al Gore, and others who have advocated so sincerely for her, I am very sad today and I weep for what our Earth will become unless we realize fast that morality is not just a word you use at election time. It is a word you live every day of your life.

To our Native American friends I offer great thanks and respect for your respect for this Earth, and I also offer my apologies for those who think they represent this planet and us by killing her, for they do not. I think this Earth Day would then be a good day to consider getting back to what our first inhabitants believed and putting those practices into action. Our actions today do shape our tomorrows. My son helped plant trees last week and clean up garbage along our shoreline. He was so proud of how he helped to shape the future for himself and for others, and I was proud of him. It may sound trite, but each one of us alone is capable of doing great things if we all join together to conserve and to be more aware of our actions daily. If we love our home we will do that. It is as simple as that.

So to Mother Earth today I say, thank you. Thank you for your sustinence, your love, and for your patience.

You are not forgotten:
Fools Crow, Ceremonial Chief of the Teton Sioux

The survival of the world depends upon our sharing what we have and working together. if we don't, the whole world will die. First the planet, and next the people."

Qwatsinas [Hereditary Chief Edward Moody], Nuxalk Nation

"We must protect the forests for our children, grandchildren and children yet to be born. We must protect the forests for those who can't speak for themselves such as the birds, animals, fish and trees."Chief Luther Standing Bear - Lakota Sioux:"I am going to venture that the man who sat on the ground in his tipi meditating on life and its meaning, accepting the kinship of all creatures, and acknowledging unity with the universe of things, was infusing into his being the true essence of civilization."
"The elders were wise. They knew that man's heart, away from nature, becomes hard; they knew that lack of respect for growing, living things, soon led to lack of respect for humans, too."

Ancient Indian Proverb

"Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."

Sioux Indian

"Even sticks and stones have a spiritual essence, a manifestation of the mysterious power that fills the Universe."

Crazy Horse

"One does not sell the land people walk on."

Luther Standing Bear Oglala Sioux, 1868-1937

"The American Indian is of the soil, whether it be the region of forests, plains, pueblos, or mesas. He fits into the landscape, for the hand that fashioned the continent also fashioned the man for his surroundings. He once grew as naturally as the wild sunflowers, he belongs just as the buffalo belonged...."Chief Joseph, Nez Perce"All men were made brothers. The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it. You might as well expect the rivers to run backward as that any man who was born free should be content when penned up and denied liberty to go where he pleases."

Black Elk Oglala Sioux Holy Man, 1863-1950

"You have noticed that everything as Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round..... The Sky is round, and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars. The wind, in its greatest power, whirls. Birds make their nest in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours...Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were. The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves." Crowfoot, Blackfoot warrior and orator"What is life? It is the flash of a firefly in the night. It is the breath of a buffalo in the wintertime. It is the little shadow which runs across the grass and loses itself in the sunset."

Mourning Dove Salish, 1888-1936

"...... everything on the earth has a purpose, every disease an herb to cure it, and every person a mission. This is the Indian theory of existence."

Lone Man (Isna-la-wica) Teton Sioux

"... I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself."

Resolution of the Fifth Annual Meetings of the Traditional Elders Circle, 1980

"There are many things to be shared with the Four Colors of humanity in our common destiny as one with our Mother the Earth. It is this sharing that must be considered with great care by the Elders and the medicine people who carry the Sacred Trusts, so that no harm may come to people through ignorance and misuse of these powerful forces."

Tom Brown, Jr., The Tracker

"We learned to be patient observers like the owl. We learned cleverness from the crow, and courage from the jay, who will attack an owl ten times its size to drive it off its territory. But above all of them ranked the chickadee because of its indomitable energy for life."

Wintu Woman, 19th Century

"When we Indians kill meat, we eat it all up. When we dig roots, we make little holes. When we build houses, we make little holes. When we burn grass for grasshoppers, we don't ruin things. We shake down acorns and pine nuts. We don't chop down the trees. We only use dead wood."Unknown Speaker addressing the National Congress of American Indians in the mid 1960's"In early days we were close to nature. We judged time, weather conditions, and many things by the elements--the good earth, the blue sky, the flying of geese, and the changing winds. We looked to these for guidance and answers. Our prayers and thanksgiving were said to the four winds--to the East, from whence the new day was born; to the South, which sent the warm breeze which gave a feeling of comfort; to the West, which ended the day and brought rest; and to the North, the Mother of winter whose sharp air awakened a time of preparation for the long days ahead. We lived by God's hand through nature and evaluated the changing winds to tell us or warn us of what was ahead. Today we are again evaluating the changing winds. May we be strong in spirit and equal to our Fathers of another day in reading the signs accurately and interpreting them wisely."

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/22/121218/015

Drilling In The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Is A Moral Issue

2005-04-15T15:14:00.000-04:00

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/4/15/145621/806

Begging For Food In America

2005-04-10T19:02:00.000-04:00

I find it unconscienable that any American living in this country has to wait on line to get a meal. The Democratic Party leaders think that by getting more "conservative" regarding abortion, that they are somehow going to win some sort of contest with the Republican Party regarding morals. I have an idea for them...

Take a look at all the people already born who are suffering. Then take that and point out that from a moral standpoint, that the Republican Party has no morals in allowing the number of Americans who must live on the edge to rise, while our tax dollars go to build military bases in oil rich countries while sending our children to die for them.

It is literally true that we are all basically one paycheck away from having to wait on a line ourselves. It isn't as removed from any of us as we might think, and I truly am saddened that issues like this are not given more attention. These are Americans who have to literally beg for food, while politicians tout this as being the richest country in the world. Richest in what? Complacency?

There is no issue that truly touches me more than seeing people in this country having to live this way, save for the way they are treated in our prisons. And now as we see they are also in prisons even though they may not be behind bars. It saddens me, it brings me to tears, and it angers me. So many people who are also working, still cannot afford to feed their children. And what do we care about? Political soundbites meant to win elections.

Well, friends, feeding people is more important than that. Giving them hope is more important than that. I have to honestly say, that the more I read about what is going on in this country, and the more I read about both parties and the political grandstanding they are still doing, the more fed up I become with all of them.

Bush and this administration have shit on the poor, shit on workers, shit on women, shit on children, and will continue to do so until the Democratic Party gets back to its roots in standing up for these people. From where I sit, that is a winning proposition.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8492.htm

Does this describe you? Your family? Almost 60% of Americans who work in this country are considered "working poor," and on average pay more taxes than those in larger tax brackets, when you also add in payroll taxes for Social Security, that people like Bush want to take away from them after doing nothing to see them have a decent wage in the first place. "Working poor", what an oxymoron.

No one who works in this country should be poor. But these are the Americans that people like Bush really look down on. These are the people, "Dominionists" believe were not looked down upon by God because of their lot in life, so therefore they don't require any help nor do they deserve it.

These are the people the elite thumb their noses at as unworthy of opportunity, or any type of programs to give then a helping hand. And I repeat, helping hand, not a hand out. People who work, sweat, sacrifice, and try. These are the very people those at the top in many instances want to hold back. Many try to be politically correct and not come right out and say there is class warfare in this country. Well, I'm not politically correct on that score, and imo there damn well is class warfare in this country. Just look around you.

The first link is an indepth interview about the book with the author, and the second link is about the book.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainme...poor_04-01.html

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/037...3646445-9655009

Climate Change Becoming A Matter of Life And Death In Africa

2005-04-08T19:32:00.000-04:00

Is it now too late to stop it? Does anyone really care? Seems Africa is a continent forgotten by many on many fronts.
~~~~
Africa: Climate Change Becoming a Matter of Life And Death
UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
April 4, 2005
Posted to the web April 4, 2005
Johanneburg

Mount Kilimanjaro is drying up. Climate change, coupled with widespread deforestation of the slopes, is melting the ice and snow that has crowned Africa's highest peak for more than 11,000 years, dramatically altering the surrounding ecosystem. Scientists warn most of the glaciers may be gone by 2020.

"The situation on Kilimanjaro is only one of the situations around the world that will only get worse unless we take concerted action in the next five to 10 years," said Jim Walker, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Climate Group, a leadership coalition of governments and companies committed to addressing climate change.Shifts in the world's climate can often have dramatic results. Walker said scientists have already started seeing a decrease in the amount of water supply to the remote lowland areas around Kilimanjaro, which will likely generate a whole range of impacts on rural communities.

"The burning of fossil fuels is happening in the developed world; the areas that are going to bear the brunt are the areas that are the least responsible for the problem," Walker told IRIN.The startling environmental shift on Kilimanjaro, which straddles Kenya and Tanzania, illustrates Africa's marked vulnerability to climate change. African economies are overwhelmingly agriculture-based, and highly susceptible even to minute variations in temperature and rainfall.For example, while farmers in the developed world can often make up for short rainy seasons by using man-made water sources, Africa's farmers often labour without the most basic of irrigation systems. Burdened by decades of underdevelopment and impoverishment, the agricultural industry so crucial to African economies is now increasingly crippled by periodic droughts."What would be a handleable problem in the United States of America simply wouldn't be a handleable problem if it happens in Rwanda," said Bob Scholes, a global change researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in Pretoria, South Africa.In addition to its high environmental impact, climate change in Africa is made even more dire by the continent's limited resources. The capacity of most African nations to respond to rapid environmental changes is diminished by infrastructures and budgets already strained by a multitude of competing challenges.

"Climate change does not act in isolation in Africa but, instead, is just one additional stressor, because we are already contending with a lot of problems, including poverty, food insecurity, civil wars and conflicts," said Dr Anthony Nyong, professor of environmental science at the University of Jos in Nigeria.Global warming is caused by increased atmospheric levels of so-called 'greenhouse gasses', such as carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. Industrialisation and human activity - including the burning of oil, gasoline and coal - push the concentration of these gasses to artificially high levels.

As a result, the average temperature of the earth's surface has risen by 0.6 degrees Celsius over the past 100 years, and will climb by another 1.4 to 5.8 degrees in the next century, according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.Experts estimate that a warming of two degrees in Africa would represent a loss of several percentage points of GDP. Projected warming will be greatest in the Sahel region and central southern Africa, accompanied by more extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods.The world's most developed countries are the leading producers of greenhouse gasses - the United States pumps out about 25 percent of all greenhouse emissions, while the G8 nations together are responsible for about half the world's total output. By comparison, the entire African continent produces only about five percent.British Prime Minister Tony Blair has pledged to make global climate change and alleviating poverty in Africa the focus of Britain's presidency of both the G8 and European Union this year.

The Kyoto Protocol also came into effect in February, establishing binding targets for many developed countries to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to on average 5.2 percent below 1990 levels.But even with significant reductions, global warming has already created changes that will effect many generations - meaning that warm areas will tend to get warmer and wet areas wetter. Africa's location in relation to the equator means that its arid and semi-arid areas will get dryer."In agriculture, that's particularly bad news," Scholes said. "If it gets wetter, you may have to change your crops, but you may be able to sustain production; but if it gets warmer in dryer areas, it's almost impossible to have increased production."Scholes also said public health crises - most notably waterborne and insect-borne diseases - tended to increase as water became more scarce."Under conditions of poor sanitation and poor water supply, people end up taking their water from the same puddles," said Scholes.

Insect-borne diseases, such as malaria, may become more widespread in areas that experience greater rainfall, as mosquitoes are able to breed more times in each wetter and warmer season. As sea levels rise, Africa's populous river deltas, particularly in Egypt and in West Africa, will also be at risk.Because of the far-reaching effects of climate change on the developing world, two leading aid agencies recently called for greater investment in the developing world's capacity to mitigate the effects of global warming and natural disasters.A study by the United Kingdom's Department For International Development (DFID), the government agency that oversees aid to poor countries, predicted that global warming would make natural disasters, such as floods and droughts, increasingly common. At the same time, the International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent (IFRC) highlighted the cumulative impact of disasters and severe weather fronts on lives and livelihoods in the developing world.

Professor Nyong urged that the developed world take the lead not only in reducing emissions, but in providing greater assistance to communities and ecosystems already struggling to cope with climate change."Even if you have a mouth full of golden teeth, and one tooth that is decaying, it still has a negative effect on the mouth," said Nyong."Africa's problem sooner or later becomes everyone's problem; people who are contributing to the problem have to bear the brunt of the problem - in Africa we don't have the financial resources, the educational system, the skills, and the technology to do it," he said.Nyong noted that the solution was not to simply "dump money" by increasing aid to developing countries, but to provide more practical assistance, such as technology transfer, to help local communities cope with the impact of climate change.For example, he said, rainy seasons have become notably shorter over the last 25 years in West Africa's semi-arid Sahel region, which borders the Sahara Desert. Because of the decreased rainfall, local communities who harvest rainwater for their daily needs are struggling.

"How can we help these communities improve on their rainwater harvesting practices? There should be a way ... Those are the kinds of things I am looking for. Not money."Unless these kinds of initiatives are undertaken, climate change threatens to undo decades of development efforts, Nyong said.
[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations ]

Shame On Them

2005-04-08T14:21:00.000-04:00

I thought I read that the Vatican said there was only room for a five person contingent of delegates from the US to Rome, which is why President Carter was snubbed. Why then was Andrew Card there? He is more important than President Carter? What a disgrace. And Bush, lower your head in shame. After all of the innocent people you slaughtered, it's no wonder you were booed today at the Pope's funeral.

From AP today:

"When Bush's face appeared on giant screen TVs showing the ceremony, many in the crowds outside St. Peter's Square booed and whistled."
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2005-04...sh_x.htm?csp=34

The DLC Sucks

2005-04-08T14:01:00.000-04:00

Just sent to the DLC after reading their latest whine:

Hey, DLC, why don't you all just merge into the Republican Party and take your BS with you. Being against this PREEMPTIVE ILLEGAL war in Iraq is FOR FIGHTING AGAINST TERRORISM. This war in Iraq MADE US LESS SAFE and brought terrorism to Iraq! Do you people get your marching orders from Karl Rove too? You cannot bomb terrorism from the world.

Please, do all of us REAL Democrats and Americans a favor and just move to the Bush Party and take Bayh, Lieberman, and the rest of them with you. You've lost us enough elections, and the fact that you people won't even admit it, proves all the more what "Republicans" you really are. If you think you too are going to shut people against this war up, THINK AGAIN.

Your misrepresentations that only "Liberals" are against this war crime also show you all for what you really are. Is Scott Ritter a Liberal Democrat? Anthony Zinni? Norman Schwartzkopf? The blood is now on your hands as well, and no amount of backtracking and fingerpointing at those in this country who were RIGHT about this will change that.

~~~
Published on Monday, April 4, 2005 by the Washington Times

Centrist Democrats Warn Liberals
by Donald Lambro

The Democrats' postelection war about what they should stand for is heating up again, with centrists challenging liberals to "real fights" within the party about staking out a tougher position against terrorism. ...this time, they say, it will take a divisive, all-out political civil war to scrub the anti-war orthodoxy out of the party's agenda.. In an attack on the party's dominant left wing, anti-war base, and a warning for new Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean "to do no harm," the centrist-leaning Democratic Leadership Council said it is "a delusion to think that if we just turned out our voters, we could win national elections." Instead, the DLC called on the party to dramatically change its message to "recapture the muscular progressive internationalism of Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy and convince voters that national security is our first priority."

"To win back the White House in 2008, our party must change. We must be willing to discard political strategies that may make us feel good but that keep falling short. We must finally reject the false choice between exciting our base and expanding our appeal, because unless we both motivate and persuade, we'll lose every time," said DLC founder Al From and President Bruce Reed in a new manifesto for their party.

Their criticism has been heard many times during the past two decades in their continuing battle against the party's liberal establishment. But this time, they say, it will take a divisive, all-out political civil war to scrub the anti-war orthodoxy out of the party's agenda. "Shoring up our weakness will not come without real debate -- even real fights -- over national security and domestic priorities," they said in the DLC's Blueprint magazine. The sooner these fights take place, the better, they said. "We should not shy away from them. It's far less important that Democrats come together now than on Election Day. And we are far more likely to be together on Election Day if we battle out our differences now."

In an "open letter" to their party last month, 17 DLC members led by Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana said Democrats had "to make clear to the American people that winning the war on jihadist extremism will be the Democratic Party's first priority this year and every year until the danger recedes." Although they acknowledged that for many anti-war Democrats "Iraq remains a difficult issue," they said, "It is essential that partisan enmity not obscure America's vital interest in helping the newly elected Iraqi government succeed." But party liberals last week dismissed the DLC's advice as warmed-over Republicanism. "I can't tell the difference between the positions the DLC puts forward and Republican policy," said Jack Blum, counsel for the liberal Americans for Democratic Action. "I've read this before and I am not carried away by it. Nobody in the Democratic Party, and that most especially includes the liberals in the Americans for Democratic Action, opposes fighting the terrorists." © 2005 News World Communications, Inc.
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0404-06.htm
~~~~
Patooie.

Indoctrinating Iraq

2005-04-08T13:57:00.000-04:00

They're not leaving Iraq, they're indoctrinating Iraqis. Democracy doesn't mean, "Americanization." Shameful.

They control the media and call it Democracy. I wonder when they will start broadcasting the 700 club? I find it hard to then believe they aren't also working night and day to convert everyone to their RW Christianity as well. I wonder how many times the phrase, "Jesus liberated you" has been spoken to Iraqis? Hmmm, are those in prisons there then those who won't conform to their Christian/American indoctrination? I suppose we will never know, because our own media is the same.

This just proves they have NO CLUE to what Democracy means! They prove by their actions that they believe it is only American in nature and not universal. This is not Democracy, this is Fascism. They made sure they had the media running, and yet, people are still starving, without clean water, electricity, jobs, or security. I am ashamed to be an American now, and I will keep saying that until Bush and his criminal cohorts are run out of our White House on a rail.

And this is exactly why we are hated in the world...The total disconnect these people have with other parts of the world, and their desire to occupy not just the land, but the minds of those who live on it. Their subtle way of propaganda is also very obvious.

I don't even watch the crap this blog listed as being on their tv screens. To me, this is a disgrace. The brainwashing of America moves to Iraq. Hopefully these people will not fall for it like a majority of the American people have which has turned them into complacent sheep. I like the reality show suggested here, however... only mine has orange jumpsuits and handcuffs in it.~~~~~~~
Excerpts from the blog :
Sunday, April 03, 2005
American Media...

"You wake up in the morning. Brush your teeth. Splash the sleep out of your eyes and head for the kitchen for a cup of coffee or tea and whatever is available for breakfast.
You wander to the living room and search for the remote control. It is in its usual place- stuck inexplicably between the sofa cushions. You turn on the television and stand there flipping from one channel to the other, looking for a news brief or something that will sum up what happened during those six hours you slept. You finally settle on the pleasant face on the screen- the big hair, bright power suit, capped teeth and colorful talons- blandly reading the news. The anchoress is Julie Chan. The program is CBS's The Early Show (Live from Fifth Avenue!).
Guess the nationality of the viewer above. Three guesses. American? No. Canadian? No. British? Japanese? Australian? No, no and no. The viewer is Iraqi... or Jordanian... or Lebanese... or Syrian... or Saudi... or Kuwaiti... or... but you get the picture.
Two years ago, the major part of the war in Iraq was all about bombarding us with smart bombs and high-tech missiles. Now there's a different sort of war- or perhaps it's just another phase of the same war. Now we're being assailed with American media. It's everywhere all at once."
"With satellite access we are constantly listening to American music and watching American sitcoms and movies. To be fair- it's not just Iraq that is being targeted- it's the whole region and it's all being done very cleverly."

"Our new "national" channels are a joke. One of the most amusing, in a gruesome sort of way, is Al-Iraqiya. It's said to be American sponsored but the attitude is decidedly pro-Iran, anti-Sunni. There's a program where they parade `terrorists' on screen for us to see in an attempt to show us that our National Guard are not only good at raiding homes and harassing people in the streets. The funny thing about the terrorists is that the majority of them have "Sunni" names like Omar and Othman, etc. They admit to doing things such as having sexual intercourse in mosques and raping women and the whole show is disgusting. Iraqis don't believe it because it's so obviously produced to support the American definition of the Iraqi, Sunni, Islamic fanatic that it is embarrassing. Couldn't the PSYOPS people come up with anything more subtle?"

"The first time I saw 60 Minutes on MBC 4, it didn't occur to me that something was wrong. I can't remember what the discussion was, but I remember being vaguely interested and somewhat mystified at why we were getting 60 Minutes. I soon found out that it wasn't just 60 Minutes at night: It was Good Morning, America in the morning, 20/20 in the evening, 60 Minutes, 48-Hours, Inside Edition, The Early Show... it was a constant barrage of American media. The chipper voice in Arabic tells us, "So you can watch what they watch!" They apparently being millions of Americans.

The schedule on MBC's Channel 4 goes something like this:
9 am - CBS Evening News9:30 am - CBS The Early Show10:45 am - The Days of Our Lives11:20 am - Wheel of Fortune11:45 am - Jeopardy12:05 pm - A re-run of whatever was on the night before - 20/20, Inside Edition, etc.
And the programming continues..."

"I've been enchanted with the shows these last few weeks. The thing that strikes me most is the fact that the news is so... clean. It's like hospital food. It's all organized and disinfected."

"We sat there watching like we were a part of another world, in another galaxy. I've always sensed from the various websites that American mainstream news is far-removed from reality- I just didn't know how far. Everything is so tame and simplified. Everyone is so sincere."

"I have a suggestion of my own for a reality show. Take 15 Bush supporters and throw them in a house in the suburbs of, say, Falloojeh for at least 14 days. We could watch them cope with the water problems, the lack of electricity, the check points, the raids, the Iraqi National Guard, the bombings, and- oh yeah- the `insurgents'. We could watch their house bombed to the ground and their few belongings crushed under the weight of cement and brick or simply burned or riddled with bullets. We could see them try to rebuild their life with their bare hands (and the equivalent of $150)... I'd not only watch that reality show, I'd tape every episode."

http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/

Giving Youth A Forum

2005-04-05T09:20:00.000-04:00

Al Gore and Joel Hyatt Unveil Current ...

Set to Launch August 1, Independent Venture Will Be First National TelevisionNetwork Created For, By and With an 18-34 Year-Old Audience;
Google Zeitgeist Data Used to Produce News Feature, 'Google Current 'SAN FRANCISCO, April 4 /PRNewswire/ --

Offering a glimpse of the independent network first announced at last year's National Cable &Telecommunications Association convention, former Vice President Al Gore and entrepreneur Joel Hyatt, joined by executives and on-air talent, revealed this morning that the name of the new venture, formerly known as INdTV, will be Current. The unveiling of the much-anticipated network's positioning, logo and prototype programming reel took place at a press conference in Current's San Francisco headquarters during NCTA '05. The first national network created by, for and with an 18-34 year-old audience, Current will offer 24 hours of programming in a unique, short-form content format when it premieres August 1.

Current will invite audiences to move beyond their roles as viewers to become active collaborators, encouraging them to help shape the network's content and fulfill its mission -- to serve as a TV platform where the voices of young adults can be heard."The Internet opened a floodgate for young people whose passions are finally being heard, but TV hasn't followed suit. Young adults have a powerful voice, but you can't hear that voice on television ... yet," saidGore, who serves as the network's chairman of the board. "We intend to change that with Current, giving those who crave the empowerment of the Web the same opportunity for expression on television. We want to transform the television medium itself, giving a national platform to those who are hungry to help create the TV they want to watch."

The participatory model of Current marks a giant leap in seven decades of television. "Until now, the notion of viewer participation has been limited to sending a tape to 'America's Funniest Home Videos,' calling an interview show, taking part in an instant poll, or voting someone off an island," added Gore. "We're creating a powerful new brand of television that doesn't treat audiences as merely viewers, but as collaborators." Promising a slate of programming that's smart, fun and fearless (as a truly independent network), Current seeks to cater to the Internet generation's need for choice and control. Reflective of its name, it will serve up the most current information on the people, places and happenings of interest to viewers 18-34, a demographic that no longer relates to traditional news.

Taking its cues from their media consumption habits, Current will offer short-form programming in the TV equivalent of an iPod shuffle. Its "pods"will be 15-second to five-minute segments that range from the hottest trends in technology, fashion, television, music and videogames, to pressing issues such as the environment, relationships, spirituality, finance, politics and parenting, subjects that young adults can rarely find on television. Pod segments include "Current Playlist" (music for the digital generation),"Current Parent" (advice to first-timers), "Current Gigs" (career guidance) and "Current Soul" (trends in spiritual awakening). Drawing from audience submissions are such pods as "Current Courage" (profiles of heroism and altruism), "Current Video" (video clips from the next Spielbergs or Spike Jonzes) and "Current Rant" (inviting viewers to let off steam)."Google Current," built using samplings of popular Google search data, including from Google Zeitgeist, complements the free-flowing pod format with news updates each half-hour. Thirty seconds to three minutes in length, these segments buck conventional news practices by reporting not on what mediaeditors decide is "news," but on the topics people are actually searching forright now. So news isn't what the network thinks you should know, but what the world is searching to learn."

We're pleased to collaborate with the entire Current team to help this network make the world's information more accessible," said Sergey Brin, Google's co-founder and president of Technology. "Current is an exciting new direction for TV programming that enables any viewer to have the opportunityto broadcast their video to the world," said Larry Page, Google's co-founder and president of Products. Guided by young hosts set in a club-like atmosphere, Current's free-flowing programming will include both professionally produced segments and viewer-created content. Current viewers will be able to easily upload their own segments through the network's online "Current Studio," available through the website (http://www.current.tv). These submissions will be assessed and ranked by other viewers, potentially voting the best ones onto the air. To facilitate their participation, Current also plans to launch a comprehensive online training program developed by some of the best young creatives in the industry. It will provide expert-led modules on storytelling, shooting and editing, effectively teaching anyone with a digital video camera and computer how to produce segments. Through this first-of-its-kind online training program, the network seeks to cultivate a national, and eventually global, coterie of "Current Journalists" (CJs).

In May 2004, Current laid the foundation for its national presence when the company's founders acquired Newsworld International (NWI), a 24-hour channel dedicated to global news produced by The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Current will build on NWI's reach into nearly 20 million subscriber households in the U.S. with carriage agreements on DirecTV's "TotalChoice" tier, Time Warner Cable's basic digital tier, and Comcast systems in key markets. Current is led by a talented executive team with deep experience in television news, entertainment, business, finance, advertising sales, marketing and youth culture. They include: Al Gore (Chairman of the Board), the former two-term Vice President who brings a lifetime of experience in public policy, technology and media to the network, leading Administration policies on telecommunications and actively championing causes such as the growth of the Internet; Joel Hyatt (Chief Executive Officer), recognized byBusiness Week as one of the top 50 business leaders in the country for his entrepreneurial ventures Hyatt Legal Services, which provided low-cost services to families, and Hyatt Legal Plans, which became America's largest provider of employer-sponsored group legal plans (acquired by Met Life in1997); Mark Goldman (Chief Operating Officer), a former MCA Television executive recruited by News Corp. to launch Sky Latin America Partners, overseeing branding and programming strategies, the construction of its digital broadcast facility and over $700 million of financing transactions; David Neuman (President, Programming), a former NBC executive in charge of comedy including "The Cosby Show," "Cheers" and "Family Ties," subsequently president of programming for Channel One, president of Walt Disney Television and Touchstone Television and, most recently, chief programming officer at CNN, spearheading the revamping of the network's primetime strategy and the hiring of Anderson Cooper, Soledad O'Brien and Paula Zahn; Anne Kallin Zehren (President, Sales and Marketing), who as launch publisher of the award-winning Teen People built it into the fastest-ever magazine to reach profitability and one of the fastest growing magazines of all time, previously serving asassociate publisher of marketing of Glamour, director of marketing atNewsweek, and director of corporate/employee communications at NBC; and Joanna Drake Earl (Senior VP, Online Studio), who advised the heads of Hollywood's leading studios and Silicon Valley's most powerful tech firms as a management consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton, also serving as vice president of media partnerships for a broadband startup and heading the content strategy group for the digital entertainment systems company MOXI, now Digeo.mong.

Current's young on-air talent is Gotham Chopra (host of "CurrentSoul," an exploration of spirituality from a young perspective), a formerChannel One News anchor who has reported from around the world and interviewed leaders including Bill Clinton and the Dalai Lama, wrote three published works including the comic book Bulletproof Monk (serving as executive producer of the film adaptation), and was called one of the "most powerful andinfluential" South Asians worth watching by Newsweek; Conor Knighton (host &associate producer of Google Current), who, while pursuing a degree in filmstudies and writing from Yale, wrote for the books division of the Yale DailyNews and created much-ballyhooed sketch comedy, subsequently heading to L.A. to pursue a career in television, acting in various film and TV roles, working as a freelance writer and proving his esoteric knowledge by winning $13,400 on the game show "Pyramid"; and Laura Ling (news producer and on-air host), an award-winning producer whose work for Channel One News took her to more than two-dozen, sometimes war-torn countries (receiving unprecedented access from the Chinese government to look at China's growing AIDS epidemic), also serving as co-creator of the MTV issue-oriented documentary series "Breaking It Down,"and producing other hard-hitting segments for ABC's "Nightline," NBC, the WBand PBS.

Given its innovative mission to breed a new species of TV, network co-founder Joel Hyatt recognizes the wisdom of Orson Welles, who once said,"Don't give them what you think they want. Give them what they never thought was possible." Hyatt adds, "Young people believe it isn't possible to participate in the creation of television because the medium is not accessible to them. And traditional TV networks aren't willing or able to empower their viewers. Current is unleashing the creativity of young people, enabling their voice to be heard and their stories to be shared. What's possible just got alot more exciting."
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories....03329271&EDATE= SOURCE Current

Also see:
http://online.wsj.com/article_email/0,,SB1...GbqmEm5,00.html

Elections Of Fear Are Not Free

2005-04-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

Mugabe did what he had to do in order to ensure his 2/3 majority so he can change the constitution to gain complete control and pack the government with his cronies. He also dismisses any sort of fraud, and says it is nonsense. And even though 70 percent of the people in his country live in poverty, they expect us to believe they voted for his candidates. Sounds just like the events as played out in our last election...

People voting against their own best interests just because they feared gay marriage more than government lies and deception, unemployment, not having healthcare, losing our children in an illegal war, and living in a country that is really not much safer than it was the day before 9.11 happened. "Free and fair" obviously then has different meanings depending on whether you are a Fascist peddling fear to the masses, or a true believer in Democratic representation proclaiming truth.

Fear is the tool used by the Bush administration in the last campaign. They are no different than Robert Mugabe on that score, as they strut themselves around pretending to be for "Democracy" when all accounts of vote fraud in this country are summarilly dismissed by them without debate and are called nonsense by them. Was it not also Cheney who intimated that if people voted for Kerry we would be hit by terrorists?

Now they will even dare to say anything about this election? Sure, it was stolen. Mugabe is a tyrant... But they don't give a damn that he has used fear, intimidation, and starvation against this own people for decades. There is no talk of, "regime change" in Zimbabwe because of his treachery. There is no," axis of evil" label placed on Zimbabwe for the blatant attacks against dissent. However, Mugabe doesn't sit on a stash of the world's second largest oil reserves, so I suppose he's safe.

I submit to you then that Rice, Cheney, Bush, and the lot of them are Fascists themselves, and say what they say about other elections clearly based on the fact that to do anything else would expose them for what they really are. How utterly shameful to live in a country where our election process is really at this stage not much more reliable than a country run by a dictator. So, to Condosleeza Rice regarding her two faced remarks here, I also say, LOOK IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD.

Elections of fear are not free, so therefore, Bush is no more legititmate in my eyes than Mugabe or his Parliament.
~~~~~~~
Opposition Rejects Zimbabwe Vote Results
1 hour, 35 minutes ago World - AP Africa
By NICOLE ITANO, Associated Press Writer
HARARE, Zimbabwe -

President Robert Mugabe's ruling party won a two-thirds majority in Zimbabwe's disputed parliamentary elections, according to interim results released Saturday, but the opposition refused to accept the results, saying the vote was flawed. The opposition Movement for Democratic Change did not say how it might contest the vote, but police set up checkpoints on the roads leading to Harare to contain any trouble. "This is a moment of victory for my party and the victory of my party translates itself, naturally, into a victory for our country," a jubilant Mugabe declared as the final votes were being counted.

His ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front won 74 seats, compared with 40 for the MDC. One seat went to an independent candidate -- former Information Minister Jonathan Moyo, architect of Zimbabwe's repressive media laws -- and five were still to be determined. Mugabe's sister, Sabrina, and two nephews won seats. Under Zimbabwean law, 120 lawmakers are elected and Mugabe has the power to appoint the other 30 himself.

Mugabe, 81, has long aimed for a two-thirds majority to enable him to amend the constitution without having to seek approval in a referendum. Voters rejected his plans in a 2000 referendum.

He hopes to set up a Senate representing traditional chiefs, retired politicians and other eminent Zimbabweans. But critics charge the autocrat wants to pack the chamber with his cronies to maintain his influence as he heads toward retirement. He also wants to be able to pick a successor without having to hold interim elections.

The MDC -- which fell short of the 57 seats it won in 2000 parliamentary elections -- held crisis talks but came up with no clear plan of action. "Today the world has seen the extent to which Mugabe is determined to hold on to power without due regard to the people," MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai said. "This election cannot be accepted as a reflection of Zimbabwe's will." Tsvangirai stopped short of urging mass protests, given the government's violent suppression of previous actions.

A few angry MDC supporters kicked the cars of ruling-party supporters, but otherwise there were no signs of demonstrations. Streets bustled with people shopping and going to work, reflecting a mood of widespread weariness with politics in a nation beset with crippling unemployment and inflation.

Zimbabwe's economy has shrunk 50 percent during the past five years, and the unemployment rate is at least 70 percent. Agriculture -- the country's economic base -- has collapsed, and at least 70 percent of the population live in poverty.
Mugabe tried to rally support after the opposition's strong showing in 2000 with a land reform program aimed at righting racial imbalances in ownership inherited from British rule. Thousands of white-owned commercial farms were redistributed to black Zimbabweans in an often violent campaign that has crippled the economy.

Norbert Ncube, a roadside vendor of cigarettes and phone cards, said the election results did not seem credible since the number of votes recorded in certain areas seemed higher than the number of voters.

ZANU-PF, as the ruling party is known, "had a majority in parliament in the past five years, but during that time we have seen factories shut down, jobs disappear and economic hardships increase. It will be worse now that they have more than the two-thirds majority," Ncube said. Stella Nasasa, a 31-year-old municipal worker, disagreed.

"It was free and fair. By that I mean there was no rigging and I am very happy," Nasasa said as she removed election posters in a post-campaign cleanup. Mugabe, one of Africa's longest-serving leaders, had hoped Thursday's poll would give a stamp of legitimacy to his increasingly isolated and repressive regime. But Western diplomats and independent rights groups said it was skewed by Mugabe's long history of violence.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice criticized the elections as "heavily tilted in the government's favor." She estimated that more than 10 percent of would-be voters were turned away from polling stations due to irregularities with voter registration rolls.

"The independent press was muzzled, freedom of assembly was constrained, food was used as a weapon to sway hungry voters and millions of Zimbabweans who have been forced by the nation's economic collapse to emigrate were disenfranchised," Rice said Friday. The estimated 3.4 million Zimbabweans who live abroad -- more than 20 percent of the population -- have been barred from voting.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...abwe_election_3

Say No To Torture In American Prisons

2005-04-01T15:42:00.000-05:00

"We all know these things, and we need not reassure ourselves and should not congratulate ourselves that our society is less cruel than some others, although it is worth noting that there are many that are less cruel than ours. And this searing revelation at Abu Ghraib should lead us to examine more thoroughly the routine horrors in our domestic prison system." Al Gore, May 26th, NYU

Please sign our petition at this link:

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/notorture

The latest statistics on the American prison system:

200,000+ children are in juvenile detention centers and jails.

2 Million Americans are currently incarcerated in our prison system ( that is approximately the size of the entire city of Soweto, South Africa)

1 out of every 75 men is currently incarcerated.

Sixty percent of all incarcerated for drug related crimes are first offenders.

We also have the highest prison population in the world.

And 100% of those incarcerated are also at risk of being tortured in violation of the Eighth Amendment to the United States constitution, and many have been and are still victims of a brutal prison system, it's tactics being implemented from Georgia, to California, to Abu Ghraib, Afghanistan, and Guantanamo.

The moral degradation and torture that occurred at Abu Ghraib prison and others in this "war on terror" (led by many who were and are also affiliated with the American prison system) at the hands of the U.S. military and the Pentagon is not new to the American prison system, nor should it be a shock to those who have researched this topic. This inhumane and unconstitutional treatment has been normal practice in the American prison system for decades.

Read the rest at the petition link above.

http://www.patriotsforgore.com

Wolfowitz Named World Bank President

2005-04-01T15:40:00.000-05:00

Can you imagine this? Someone who was the architect of shock and awe and murdering babies, thus bringing on the conditions they live in now, is now President of the World Bank... Don't tell me there isn't some network working all of this from behind the scenes, because I don't believe it. Well, I'm sure Israel is happy. That is really why everything that is done is now done. Not to please the international community... Not to work to truly eradicate the very poverty the policies of this government help create... It is to please Israel... To give them a leg up in the Middle East, and now Wolfowitz can really put the squeeze on all those they occupy to either cooperate with them, or starve. Bolton and Wolfowitz... I am truly appalled.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/a...tz_050401070223

No Draft

2005-04-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

http://www.nodraftnoway.org/petition.shtml

If you oppose the draft, please sign this petition. I contacted my representatives yesterday to tell them there is no way a draft would ever be a reality now, and that mothers and fathers will stand up to save their children from being killed for oil. Please do the same. We can stop this.

Now look at the talk coming out in the news that supposedly attacks on US troops in Iraq has dropped... watch how "suddenly" the violence is quelled just like it is all for show, so that troops can come home for a respite before being sent to Iran!

You must watch the events as the big picture, and watch their timing. These reports of attacks lessoning (which is great if true) were timed to coincide exactly with this push against the draft. Again, vigilance is something we must have as citizens to protect ourselves and our children.