Help put new VoteVets TV ad on the Super Bowl

VoteVets, with Americans Against Escalation in Iraq and MoveOn, is leading the charge against the escalation in Iraq with a new TV ad. They’re targeting a number of senators who have not come out in favor of the strongest Senate resolution condemning escalation. Now VoteVets want to put this ad on the air during the Super Bowl in Washington, DC and elsewhere. They need to raise at least $91,000 today to do that. Can you contribute? Complete the form below to contribute. Your contribution will be earmarked for VoteVets Action Fund and efforts to support it through Americans Against Escalation in Iraq.

Source: MoveOn.org Political Action: Democracy in Action

Technorati tags: politics, TV, media, VoteVets, activism

U.S.-Iran tensions could trigger war

and this surprises anyone? 

"If Iran escalates its military action in Iraq to the detriment of our troops and/or innocent Iraqi people, we will respond firmly," Bush told National Public Radio.

Although little evidence has been made public, U.S. officials have long insisted that Iran was supplying weapons and training to Shiite militias in Iraq, including some that have killed American troops.

The No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq told USA Today in an interview published Tuesday that Iran was supplying Iraqi Shiite militias with a variety of powerful weapons, including Katyusha rockets and armor-piercing rocket-propelled grenades.

"We have weapons that we know through serial numbers ... trace back to Iran," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said.

The Air Force is considering more forceful patrols on the Iraqi side of the border with Iran to counter the smuggling of weapons and bomb supplies, the Los Angeles Times reported, citing senior Pentagon officials.

The U.S. is also building up its military presence in the Gulf in what it says is a show of strength directed at Iran. A second aircraft carrier is heading for the region, and Patriot missile batteries are being deployed.

Since Bush announced his new Iraq strategy in early January, Iranian officials have raised the alarm repeatedly that the U.S. intends to attack. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Iran is "ready for anything" in its confrontation with the United States.

A newspaper close to Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei last week threatened retaliation for any U.S. military action — including stopping oil traffic through the Gulf's strategic Hormuz Straits and attacks on U.S. interests. The top editor of the Kayhan daily warned that Iran will turn the Middle East into "hell" for the United States and Israel if America attacks.

Iran expert Ray Takeyh said the risks are all the greater because Tehran has an "unhealthy" disregard for American power, which "enhances the prospect of a miscalculation."

Prof. Gary Sick, a leading authority on Iran, believes the U.S. is seeking to divert world attention from the crisis in Iraq and organize a coalition of Israel and conservative Sunni Arab states to confront Iran.

"I see this as a very dangerous long-term policy because it promotes the idea that Sunnis and Shiites should be distrustful of each other, and I think that could come back and bite us later on," he said.

Source: U.S.-Iran tensions could trigger war - Yahoo! News

 

Technorati tags: politics, Iran, war, Iraq war, opinion, news

"Feingold Justifies Cutting off Bush's War [VIDEO]"

The good folks at PoliticsTV videotaped this Senate Judiciary Hearing on Congress's Constitutional Right to cut off funding for the war on Iraq.

There is no mealy-mouthed, namby-pamby speak here. In the Framers' brilliant design, Feingold says, Congress got the power of the purse, and the president got the power of the sword. They had the foresight to separate the two.

Of Cheney's recent pronouncement that Congress could not stop him and Bush from the War on Iraq, Feingold responded: "In the United States of America the People are sovereign, NOT the president..."

The video is over 7 minutes...

Source: AlterNet: Blogs: Video: Feingold Justifies Cutting off Bush's War [VIDEO]

Technorati tags: videos, media, news Corp, government, Bush, Feingold, war

'Young Marine Dies Of PTSD'

He died earlier this month at the age of 25 -- not in Iraq, but back home, in Minnesota.

He died of wounds received during his seven-month tour of duty in Iraq, wounds different from the ones that earned Schulze two purple hearts. This young man died of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, of wounds to the soul and not the flesh. He died because the government that was there to send him far away to fight in 2004 wasn't there for him when he got home.

Schulze had a harrowing time in Iraq, spending time in the heated battles of Ramadi in April, 2004. While he was there, 35 Marines in his unit were killed, including 17 of them in just 48 hours of combat.

The young Marine was wounded twice in battle but returned home to...

rebuild his life and to cope with the things he had seen, things he had done and friends he had lost. But, by the time he was discharged from the Marines in late 2005, he was deeply troubled with images of combat and violence that he could not get out of his mind.

According to Minnesota press reports, Schulze went to the Veterans Administration (VA) center in Minneapolis on December 14, 2006, met with a psychiatrist and was told that he could only be admitted for treatment four months later, in March.

On January 11, 2007, accompanied by his parents, he went to the VA hospital in St. Cloud, Minnesota and told people at that VA facility that he was thinking of killing himself. They told Schulze that they could not admit him as a patient and sent him on his way.

The next day, January 12, Schulze called the VA, reiterating that he was feeling suicidal. He was told that he was number 26 on the waiting list.

A man who had risked his life in Iraq and done everything that was asked of him by the United States government, was told by that same government that his sacrifice would be repaid by being 26th on a list of Veterans similarly crying out for help.

"Jonathan wanted help so bad," said Marianne Schulze, Jonathan's stepmother. "At the end of the conversation, Jonathan got off the phone so distressed."

On January 16, Schulze called his family and told them that he was going to do it -- he was going to kill himself. His family called the local police, who raced to his house, kicked in his door and found him hanging from an electrical cord.

Attempts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.

(more...)

Source: AlterNet: Blogs: PEEK: Young Marine Dies Of PTSD - And Neglect

Technorati tags: news, soldiers, PTSD, government, war, Iraq war, veteran

a quote about the US...

"The United States is like the guy at the party who gives cocaine to everybody and still nobody likes him." - Jim Samuels - View more Random Quotes...

Source: Random Quotes

Technorati tags: quotes, quotations, random quotes, USA, US, society, humor

"Bush Is Not Above the Law"

LAST August, a federal judge found that the president of the United States broke the law, committed a serious felony and violated the Constitution. Had the president been an ordinary citizen — someone charged with bank robbery or income tax evasion — the wheels of justice would have immediately begun to turn. The F.B.I. would have conducted an investigation, a United States attorney’s office would have impaneled a grand jury and charges would have been brought.

But under the Bush Justice Department, no F.B.I. agents were ever dispatched to padlock White House files or knock on doors and no federal prosecutors ever opened a case.

The ruling was the result of a suit, in which I am one of the plaintiffs, brought against the National Security Agency by the American Civil Liberties Union. It was a response to revelations by this newspaper in December 2005 that the agency had been monitoring the phone calls and e-mail messages of Americans for more than four years without first obtaining warrants from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, as required by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

In the past, even presidents were not above the law. When the F.B.I. turned up evidence during Watergate that Richard Nixon had obstructed justice by trying to cover up his involvement, a special prosecutor was named and a House committee recommended that the president be impeached.

And when an independent counsel found evidence that President Bill Clinton had committed perjury in the Monica Lewinsky case, the impeachment machinery again cranked into gear, with the spectacle of a Senate trial (which ended in acquittal).

Laws are broken, the federal government investigates, and the individuals involved — even if they’re presidents — are tried and, if found guilty, punished. That is the way it is supposed to work under our system of government. But not this time.

more...

Source: Bush Is Not Above the Law - New York Times

Technorati tags: Bush, impeachment, law, news, opinion, politics, government

Young student's documentary leaving audiences stunned

Kiri Davis is a young filmmaker whose high school documentary has left audiences at film festivals across the country stunned -- and has re-ignited a powerful debate over race.

Source: KOMO-TV - Video - Video - Young student's documentary leaving audiences stunned

Technorati tags: media, news, race

The Last Question

by

Isaac Asimov

This is by far my favorite story of all those I have written.

After all, I undertook to tell several trillion years of human history in the space of a short story and I leave it to you as to how well I succeeded. I also undertook another task, but I won't tell you what that was lest l spoil the story for you.

It is a curious fact that innumerable readers have asked me if I wrote this story. They seem never to remember the title of the story or (for sure) the author, except for the vague thought it might be me. But, of course, they never forget the story itself especially the ending. The idea seems to drown out everything -- and I'm satisfied that it should.

continued...

Source: The Last Question

Technorati tags: The Last Question, Isaac Asimov, Asimov, sci-fi, science fiction

Senators warn against war with Iran

The Bush administration has increased rhetorical, diplomatic, military and economic pressure on Iran over the past few months, in response to Iran's alleged deadly help for extremists fighting U.S. troops in Iraq and the long-running dispute over Iran's nuclear program.

Bush said Tuesday the United States "will deal with it" if Iran escalates military action inside Iraq and endangers American forces. But, in an interview with ABC News, Bush emphasized this talk signals no intention of invading Iran itself.

A day earlier, the president acknowledged skepticism concerning U.S. intelligence about Iran, because Washington was wrong in accusing Iraq of harboring weapons of mass destruction before the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. "I'm like a lot of Americans that say, 'Well, if it wasn't right in Iraq, how do you know it's right in Iran,'" the president said.

Source: Senators warn against war with Iran - Yahoo! News

Technorati tags: Iran, war, military, military buildup, news, world news

US strike group transits Suez Canal

The United States has not had two carriers in the Mideast since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The Bataan will join a second amphibious assault ship, the USS Boxer, which was on port visit in Dubai on Tuesday.

Brown said the Pentagon recently extended the tour of duty of the Boxer's US Marine Expeditionary Unit, which is in Iraq.

The Bataan is on a routine six-month deployment to the region to conduct "maritime security operations" which includes boarding and searching ships suspected of carrying terrorists or nuclear components to Iran, the Navy said.

Source: US strike group transits Suez Canal Jerusalem Post

Technorati tags: military, war on terror, military buildup, war, news, opinion, Iran

Congress can stop Iraq war

WASHINGTON, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The U.S. Congress has the power to end the war in Iraq, several high-powered legal experts including a former Bush administration attorney told a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

With many lawmakers poised to confront President George W. Bush by voting disapproval of his war policy in the coming days, four of five experts called before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee said Congress could go further and restrict or stop U.S. involvement if it chose.

"I think the constitutional scheme does give Congress broad authority to terminate a war," said Bradford Berenson, a Washington lawyer who was a White House associate counsel under Bush from 2001 to 2003.

"It is ultimately Congress that decides the size, scope and duration of the use of military force," said Walter Dellinger, former acting solicitor general -- the government's chief advocate before the Supreme Court -- in 1996-97, and an assistant attorney general three years before that.

(more...)

Source: Reuters AlertNet - Congress can stop Iraq war, experts tell lawmakers

Technorati tags: politics, democrats, congress, war, Iraq war

Tell President Bush: Do Not Send More Troops to Iraq Petition

Recently, President Bush had an opportunity to announce that he would begin to bring our troops home. Instead, he made the choice to escalate our involvement in Iraq's civil war by sending in 21,500 more troops.
Our troops and their families have served our nation courageously and sacrificed enough! But with each State of the Union address, Bush announces a major strategic shift for Iraq that is nothing more than the same failed tactics all over again.
President Bush: We The People do not support the plan to escalate the troop levels in Iraq!
The truth is simple: adding additional troops has already been tried and it has already failed. Democrats, Republicans and the bipartisan Iraq Study Group have all offered President Bush a roadmap to turn Iraq over to the Iraqis, begin the phased redeployment of American troops and end our open-ended commitment. There is a better way.

Tell President Bush that we need a real change of course in Iraq!

Click Here to Sign the Petition

Source: Tell President Bush: Do Not Send More Troops to Iraq Petition

Technorati tags: politics, activism, opinion, Iraq, Iraq war, war on terror, war, petition, protests

Freedom To Marry

America is engaged in a crucial conversation, a conversation about basic values of love, commitment, fairness, and freedom. In every state, in many families, good people are thinking and talking about how excluding same-sex couples from marriage harms them, their kids, and our country.

How can you add your voice to this conversation?

Get Started Here

Source: Freedom To Marry

Technorati tags: politics, opinion, marriage rights, glbt, marriage

Poor Are Priced out of Healthful Eating

I'm one of the poor that is priced out of healthful eating. I'm not allotted Food Stamps because my family of 3 makes too much money. Too much money being $1,800 per month to feed, house, and clothe 2 adults and 1 child. So, we are forced to utilize food pantries after spending the $300 dollars (per month) we can afford for food after the rent & bills are paid for.

"A lot of low-income, disabled and seniors end up having Class B food," she said. "I believe organic and very fresh or frozen food would be optimum for me, but I have to make compromises because of the money."

Adam Drewnowski argues that economics is often left out of the equation when people talk about healthful eating.

"When you start looking at the nutritious food that you're told we ought to be eating, they cost a lot of money," said Drewnowski, director of the University of Washington's Center for Public Health Nutrition. "It's just amazing how nutritious food is becoming a luxury item and increasingly inaccessible to an ever larger number of people."

It's cheaper to eat energy-dense foods rich in starch, sugar or fat than it is to eat lean meats, fish and fresh produce, he said.

A Boston Medical Center study in 2005 found that the Thrifty Food Plan cost $27 more a month in Boston than the national average.

But not all numbers point to the Thrifty Food Plan being out of whack with reality. USDA researchers surveyed 34 food retailers in the nation's capital in 2000 and found that the plan averaged $3.19 less than the estimated weekly benefit. And a blogging mom and self-described policy wonk tried eating on the Thrifty Food Plan for a month using the maximum benefit and came in $50 under the monthly limit.

"Overall, I think it's realistic and not time-consuming," said Mark Lino, an economist with the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion of the U.S. Department of Agriculture who helped conduct the Washington, D.C., study. "When people shop on the Thrifty (Food Plan), they have to be more savvy shoppers -- buy in bulk, use coupons when they have them, buy generic versions of food. You have to use shopping skills."

Still, the USDA plans to revise the 1999 Thrifty Food Plan in coming months.

Some researchers, such as Diego Rose, a professor at Tulane University, say the USDA plan fails to take into account the time it takes working families to prepare meals.

Lino disagrees. "It does require some cooking time, but you're not required to stay at the stove for two hours."

Carol Tinkham makes more compromises when she shops ever since she was laid off from her job last summer. Her shopping and eating habits have changed, and she's noticed that she has gained weight.

"Being on a set fund, I couldn't eat the way I was used to eating," she said. "I couldn't afford all the good things I used to buy, like lean meats."

She used to buy locally grown grapes, plums and apples when they were in season, but it's rare if she can afford a red pepper at $1 or $2 apiece. These days, she tends to buy frozen dinners when they're on sale at 10 for $10.

"Normally, I wouldn't buy that, but you could afford to have those," she said.

Instead of buying lean meats, she opts for cheaper-grade hamburger. She knows butter is better than margarine spreads, but the latter is cheaper.

"You just have to watch what you buy," she said.

Source: Poor Are Priced out of Healthful Eating

Technorati tags: politics, society, poverty

Thousands May Be Involuntarily Called for Tours

Thousands may be involuntarily called for tours 28 Jan 2007 Hundreds of thousands of National Guard and Reserve members previously mobilized for tours in Iraq and Afghanistan are exposed anew to involuntary call-up under a policy change unveiled with President [sic] Bush's plan to "surge" forces into Baghdad. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he has rescinded a rule, set in 2002, that barred involuntary mobilization of reserve personnel beyond a "cumulative" 24-month ceiling for a wartime emergency.

Source: Citizens for Legitimate Government - Index

Technorati tags: politics, war on terror, war, troops, soldiers, news

Anti-war Protests Draw Thousands

D.C. antiwar protest draws thousands


Jan. 27: Tens of thousands of Americans — including several celebrities — converged on Washington, D.C., on Saturday to demonstrate against the war in Iraq and urge the U.S. government to bring the troops home. NBC's John Yang reports.

Rosie O'Donnell attacks Bush & asks for his Impeachment

Finally, someone says it out loud...IMPEACH HIM! I have been a long time fan of Rosie O'Donell's. She is not only funny, intelligent and outspoken. But, she isn't afraid of what other people think of her views. I thoroughly agree with Rosie on this one...IMPEACH HIM!

Source: YouTube - Rosie O'Donnell attacks Bush and screams for his Impeachment

Technorati tags: Bush, impeachment, Rosie O'Donell, opinion, politics, news

"Washington rally urges end to war" from Al Jazeera English - Americas

Washington rally urges end to war

Jane Fonda, actress and Vietnam war activist, said that silence over Iraq is no longer an option [AP]

Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters have rallied outside congress chanting "bring our troops home," in an attempt to pressure the government to quit Iraq.

Veterans and military families joined some congressmen, peace groups and actors to urge congress and George Bush, the US president, to stop funding the war and pull troops from Iraq.

"I thought I was serving honourably. Instead, I was sent to war ... for causes that have proved fraudulent," Garett Reppenhagen, a former sniper and Iraq war veteran, said at Saturday's rally.

"We need to put pressure on our elected government and force them to ... bring the troops home."

Tens of thousands of people attended the two-hour rally, according to a police officer.

Demonstrators' message

A group of families of soldiers killed in Iraq stood holding pictures of their loved ones, including one photo of a soldier in full dress uniform lying in a coffin.

Your Views

"Bush's strategy has failed totally in Iraq"

Dimos, Hania-Crete, Greece

Send us your views

Hani Khalil, a member of United for Peace and Justice Group, told Al Jazeera that "demonstrators want to send a message to the new, elected congress that the Americans are against the war in Iraq".

Stephanie, a student from New York, told Al Jazeera’s correspondent: "We never had a good purpose for going to Iraq and it is ridiculous now to send more troops there. American students do not support this."

The protest was one of several expected around the country on Saturday, including a large march scheduled in Los Angeles.

Protesters planned co-ordinated efforts during the week to lobby congressmen to take action against the war.

Civilians killed

Iraq Body Count (IBC), an independent website that uses two media reports as a source for each death, says up to 60,600 civilians have been reported killed.

"I'm so sad we have to do this - that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam war"

Jane Fonda, former actress

Asked about the protests, Gordon Johndroe, a White House national security adviser, said: "Bush understands that Americans want to see a conclusion to the war in Iraq and the new strategy is designed to do just that."

Protesters said they hoped to send Bush and congress a message that Americans did not support the war.

"I'm convinced this is Bush's war. He has his own agenda there," said Anne Chay, holding a sign with a picture of her 19-year-old son, John, who is serving in Iraq. "We're serving no purpose there."

Chay said her son, who has been in Baghdad since last July, said he was proud of her for travelling from Andover, Massachusetts, to take part in the anti-war rally.

'Silence is not an option'

Jane Fonda, a former actress, who was criticised for her opposition to the Vietnam war, drew huge cheers when she addressed the crowd. She noted that she had not spoken at an anti-war rally in 34 years.

"Silence is no longer an option," she said. "I'm so sad we have to do this - that we did not learn from the lessons of the Vietnam war."

John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat and chair of the House Judiciary Committee, said the November 7 election - which gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress - showed Americans want change.

"It takes the ... outrage of the American people to force Washington to do the right thing."

"We've got to hold more of these ... until our government gets the message; 'out if Iraq immediately'. This year. We've got to go."

War dead

Bush's approval ratings stand at one the lowest points of his presidency and polls show a majority of Americans disapprove Bush's plan to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.

More than 3,000 US troops have been killed since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, according to the US Department of Defense.

It has not provided estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths.

The Iraqi health ministry estimates up to 150,000 Iraqis have been killed in the war, based on records from hospitals and morgues.

The Lancet, the UK-based medical journal, has estimated about 655,000 Iraqis have died as a consequence of the war.

Source: Al Jazeera and Agencies

Source: Al Jazeera English - Americas

Technorati tags: anti-war, anti-war protests, protests, activism, politics, news, opinion

Rural America Pays the Price for War in Iraq

American dead of the Iraq and Afghan occupations come disproportionately from rural America.

When we hear about the American dead in Iraq, we normally learn about the circumstances in which they died. January 20 for instance, was, for American troops, the third bloodiest day since the Bush administration launched its invasion in March 2003 -- 27 of them died.

Twelve went down in a Blackhawk helicopter over Diyala Province, probably hit by a shoulder-fired missile. Five died under somewhat surprising and mysterious circumstances. They were attacked in a supposedly secure facility in the Shiite city of Karbala by gunmen who, despite their telltale beards, were dressed to imitate American soldiers and managed to drive through city checkpoints in exceedingly official-looking armored SUVs. They could, of course, have been members of Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army, but were probably Sunni insurgents from a neighboring province. The rest of the Americans in that total died as a result of roadside bombs (IEDs) around Baghdad or fighting with Sunni insurgents, mainly in al-Anbar Province. The Pentagon announcements on which such news is based are usually terse in the extreme. The totals, 29 dead for the weekend (as well as hundreds of Iraqis), did, however, become major TV and front-page news around the country.

(more...)

Source: AlterNet: War on Iraq: Rural America Pays the Price for War in Iraq

Technorati tags: war on terror, Iraq war, war, soldiers, troops

Voters First Pledge - Common Cause

Voters First Pledge Campaign

Common Cause and other reform groups launched the “Voters First” pledge campaign to build public and political support for comprehensive public financing of congressional campaigns. The midterm election on November 7 gave Congress a mandate to act on these reforms and to prevent future corruption and ethical scandals. The Voters First pledge outlines specific policies to make elections fair for all, restore congressional accountability, and protect voters' right-to-know.

Voters elected 109 candidates who either signed the Pledge or were co-sponsors of a federal bill to publicly fund congressional elections. This includes 21 newly-elected members of Congress who signed the Voters First pledge during their campaigns. All told, the number of supporters in the new Congress has easily more than doubled, and voters have made it clear that they want to see an end to the corruption stemming from the influence of big money campaign donors.

With the new Congress about to be sworn in, we're pushing them to heed this call and pass strong new campaign finance reforms. To see the full list of supporters and whether your Rep. and Senator are on board, visit http://www.votersfirstpledge.org/. You can help by writing a letter to the editor of your local paper, and you can learn more below.

Learn more and take action

We need to continue pushing and publicizing this effort, and you can help. Please take a few minutes to write a letter to the editor to support the Voters First reforms. Click here for tips and a sample letter to make it quick and easy.

Read the coalition press release on the election results.

The Voters First Pledge website has a full list of candidates who have signed onto the Pledge pre-election, a copy of the Pledge to view and download, as well as information on how you can become a part of the campaign.

To learn more about Clean Elections, visit our "What is Public Financing?" page. You can also read about the success of Clean Elections in the states here, and read what political leaders and major news publications have to say about Clean Elections here.

Common Cause and other reform groups commissioned a survey of voters to see where the public stands on Clean Elections. You can see the results here.

Source: Voters First Pledge - Common Cause

Technorati tags: vote, voting, petition, elections, politics, Voters First Pledge

Sign the Petition - Get It Straight By 2008

2006 is the third election in a row shadowed by questions about the integrity of voting machines, something most Americans never dreamed could happen. Together we can make the 2006 election the tipping point—the moment when demand for an auditable, verifiable voting system forced Congress to act.
This year, 18,382 votes have been LOST in Sarasota County, Florida, on touch screen voting machines with no paper trail. Without serious reforms, we're headed for a meltdown in 2008.
Urge your Senator to support legislation for paper trails and random audits for ALL electronic ballots.

Source: Sign the Petition - Get It Straight By 2008

Technorati tags: politics, elections, voting, petition

Escalation of US Iran military planning part of six-year Administration push

A project of Raw Story Investigates

(Click here to read the full timeline of the decades-long buildup to Iran)

The escalation of US military planning on Iran is only the latest chess move in a six-year push within the Bush Administration to attack Iran, a RAW STORY investigation has found.

While Iran was named a part of President George W. Bush’s “axis of evil” in 2002, efforts to ignite a confrontation with Iran date back long before the post-9/11 war on terror. Presently, the Administration is trumpeting claims that Iran is closer to a nuclear weapon than the CIA’s own analysis shows and positing Iranian influence in Iraq’s insurgency, but efforts to destabilize Iran have been conducted covertly for years, often using members of Congress or non-government actors in a way reminiscent of the 1980s Iran-Contra scandal.

The motivations for an Iran strike were laid out as far back as 1992. In classified defense planning guidance – written for then-Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney by then-Pentagon staffers I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, World Bank Chief Paul Wolfowitz, and ambassador-nominee to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad – Cheney’s aides called for the United States to assume the position of lone superpower and act preemptively to prevent the emergence of even regional competitors. The draft document was leaked to the New York Times and the Washington Post and caused an uproar among Democrats and many in George H. W. Bush’s Administration.

In September 2000, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC) issued a report titled “Rebuilding America's Defenses,” which espoused similar positions to the 1992 draft and became the basis for the Bush-Cheney Administration's foreign policy. Libby and Wolfowitz were among the participants in this new report; Cheney, former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and other prominent figures in the Bush administration were PNAC members.

“The United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in Gulf regional security,” the report read. “While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein. . . . We cannot allow North Korea, Iran, Iraq or similar states to undermine American leadership, intimidate American allies or threaten the American homeland itself.”

This approach became official US military policy during the current Bush Administration. It was starkly on display yesterday when Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns noted a second aircraft carrier strike force headed for the Persian Gulf, saying, "The Middle East isn't a region to be dominated by Iran. The Gulf isn't a body of water to be controlled by Iran. That's why we've seen the United States station two carrier battle groups in the region."

The Structure

Almost immediately after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, Iran became a focal point of discussion among senior Administration officials. As early as December 2001, then-Deputy National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley and the leadership of the Defense Department, including Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, and Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, allegedly authorized a series of meetings between Defense Department officials and Iranian agents abroad.

The first of these meetings took place in Rome with Pentagon Iran analyst, Larry Franklin, Middle East expert Harold Rhode, and prominent neoconservative Michael Ledeen. Ledeen, who held no official government position, introduced the US officials to Iran-Contra arms dealer Manucher Ghorbanifar. According to both Ghorbanifar and Ledeen, the topic on the table was Iran. Ledeen told RAW STORY last year the discussion concerned allegations that Iranian forces were killing US soldiers in Afghanistan, but Ghorbanifar has claimed the conversation focused on regime change.

(Continued...)

Source: The Raw Story Escalation of US Iran military planning part of six-year Administration push

Technorati tags: Iran, war on terror, war, politics, opinion, world news, news, Bush, Bush Administration

Tens of Thousands Head to Capital to Step Up Anti-War Drive

By Jeff Zeleny and Carl Hulse
The New York Times

Friday 26 January 2007

Washington - Tens of thousands of demonstrators are set to arrive in the capital this weekend for a major Anti-War march, staging the first of several protests intended to persuade the new Democratic-controlled Congress to do more than simply speak against President Bush's Iraq policy.

But do not look for senators to be standing among the protesters on the Mall on Saturday. Despite a consensus building around a Senate resolution to oppose sending more troops to Iraq, even the most liberal Democratic senators do not appear eager to align themselves with a traditional Anti-War protest.

So the groups that are organizing the demonstrations against the president's strategy are also carrying out a sophisticated, well-financed lobbying campaign on Capitol Hill. Their behind-the-scenes efforts are intensifying, relying on tactics deployed in a cutthroat political race.

Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, a coalition of labor unions, MoveOn.org and other groups that have traditionally rallied against wars, has raised $1.5 million since it was formed two weeks ago. The group is singling out Republicans and Democrats who have spoken out against the war, but who have so far declined to pledge support for a resolution denouncing Mr. Bush's plan to increase the number of troops.

Next week, the group intends to fly Iraq veterans to the home states of Republican senators who serve on the Foreign Relations Committee and voted Wednesday against the resolution condemning the administration plan, including Senators Norm Coleman of Minnesota and John E. Sununu of New Hampshire. Television advertisements are scheduled to be shown in some of the same states in an effort to apply pressure before the Senate vote on the resolution in early February.

"The face of Anti-War is not what it was in the '70s," said Jon Soltz, a veteran of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars who is the chairman of a group called VoteVets.

(Continued...)

Source: Tens of Thousands Head to Capital to Step Up Anti-War Drive

Technorati tags: peace, protests, anti-war, war, peace protests

Support Legislation to End the War!

"Non-binding" resolutions are not enough to stop the war plans of a President who apparently doesn't even consider the Constitution to be binding!Please click on the link below - or paste it into your browser - to send your Representative a quick email telling them that the need to support legislation to actually END the war - specifically H.R. 508, the "Bring the Troops Home and Iraqi Sovereignty Act of 2007." These people in Congress have got to hear everyone of us demanding that they not simply "disapprove" of the war - they have to end it, and stop a President who will listen to no one!

H.R. 508, the "Bring the Troops Home and Iraqi Sovereignty Restoration Act of 2007," a bill which Peace Action helped create, is the comprehensive bill we need to end the war. Please take a moment to sign the petition and send an email to your Representative in Washington, demanding that they co-sponsor this important piece of legislation.

I urge you to co-sponsor H.R. 508, the "Bring the Troops Home and Iraqi Sovereignty Act of 2007," introduced by Rep. Lynn Woolsey. This comprehensive bill would provide all necessary funds to bring our troops home (and prohibit permanent U.S. military bases there), while accelerating support for a National Iraqi police force, providing assistance for reconstruction and reconcilliation in Iraq, and guaranteeing adequate health care for all U.S. veterans.

PLEASE NOTE: Current co-sponsors of the bill, along with Reps. Woolsey, Lee and Waters, who introduced it, include Diane Watson (D-CA-33, James McGovern (D-MA-3), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ-7), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH-10), Barney Frank (D-MA-4), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY-22), John Conyers (D-MI-14), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-8), Chaka Fattah (D-PA-2), Bob Filner (D-CA-51), William “Lacy” Clay (D-M0-1), Donald Payne (D-NJ-10), Steve Cohen (D-TN-9), and Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18).

Source: Peace Action

Technorati tags: Bring the Troops Home, government, legislation, Iraq war, war on terror, war

the 'lies inside your head'...

The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head." - Terry Pratchett, A Discworld Novel - View more Random Quotes...

Technorati tags: quotations, quotes, truth, lies, society

Impeachment: The Case in Favor

Elizabeth Holtzman

Public anger at Bush has been mounting. On November 7 voters swept away Republican control of the House and Senate. The President's poll numbers continue to drop.

These facts should signal a propitious moment for impeachment proceedings to start. Yet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has taken impeachment "off the table." (Impeachment proceedings must commence in the House of Representatives.) Her position doesn't mean impeachment is dead; it simply means a different route to it has to be pursued. Congressional investigations must start, and public pressure must build to make the House act.

This is no different from what took place during Watergate. In 1973 impeachment was not "on the table" for many months while President Nixon's cover-up unraveled, even though Democrats controlled the House and Senate. But when Nixon fired the special prosecutor to avoid making his White House tapes public, the American people were outraged and put impeachment on the table, demanding that Congress act. That can happen again.

Congressional and other investigations that previously found serious misconduct in the Nixon White House made the public's angry reaction to the firing of the special prosecutor--and the House response with impeachment proceedings--virtually inevitable. Early in 1973, once it appeared that the cover-up might involve the White House, the Senate created a select committee to investigate. The committee held hearings and uncovered critical evidence, including the existence of a White House taping system that could resolve the issue of presidential complicity. The Senate also forced the Attorney General to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate Watergate. Other committees looked into related matters. None of the investigations were prompted by the idea of impeachment. Still, they laid the groundwork for it--and the evidence they turned up was used by the House impeachment panel to prepare articles of impeachment against Nixon.

The same approach can govern now. Senate and House committees must commence serious investigations that could uncover more evidence to support impeachment. The investigations should ascertain the full extent of the President's deceptions, exaggerations and lies that drove us into the Iraq War. (They can simply in effect resurrect Republican Senator Howard Baker's famous questions about Richard Nixon: "What did the President know and when did he know it?") Congress should also explore the wiretapping that has violated the FISA law, the President's role in mistreatment of detainees and his gross indifference to the catastrophe facing the residents of New Orleans from Katrina.

Investigations should also be conducted into Vice President Cheney's meetings with oil company executives at the outset of the Administration. If divvying up oil contracts in Iraq were discussed, as some suggest, this would help prove that the Iraq War had been contemplated well before 9/11, and that a key motivation was oil. Inquiries into Halliburton's multibillion-dollar no-bid contracts should also be conducted, particularly given Cheney's ties to the company.

White House documents about Katrina that have not already been turned over to Congress should be sought to document further the President's failure to discharge his constitutional duty to help the people of New Orleans.

Our country's Founders provided the power of impeachment to prevent the subversion of the Constitution. President Bush has subverted and defied the Constitution in many ways. His defiance and his subversion continue.

Failure to impeach Bush would condone his actions. It would allow him to assume he can simply continue to violate the laws on wiretapping and torture and violate other laws as well without fear of punishment. He could keep the Iraq War going or expand it even further than he just has on the basis of more lies, deceptions and exaggerations. Remember, as recently as October 26, Bush said, "Absolutely, we are winning" the war in Iraq--a blatant falsehood. Worse still, if Congress fails to act, Bush might be emboldened to believe he may start another war, perhaps against Iran, again on the basis of lies, deceptions and exaggerations.

There is no remedy short of impeachment to protect us from this President, whose ability to cause damage in the next two years is enormous. If we do not act against Bush, we send a terrible message of impunity to him and to future Presidents and mark a clear path to despotism and tyranny. Succeeding generations of Americans will never forgive us for lacking the nerve to protect our democracy.

Source: Impeachment: The Case in Favor

Technorati tags: impeachment, bush, politics, opinion

Bush: 'I'm the decision-maker' in Iraq troops

Ummmmm...so when are we going to impeach him?

WASHINGTON - President Bush, on a collision course with Congress over Iraq, said Friday “I’m the decision-maker” about sending more troops to the war. He challenged skeptical lawmakers not to prematurely condemn his buildup.

“I’ve picked the plan that I think is most likely to succeed,” Bush said in an Oval Office meeting with senior military advisers.

The president had strong words for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who are lining up to support resolutions opposing his decision to send 21,500 troops to Iraq. He challenged them to put up their own ideas.

“I know there is skepticism and pessimism and that some are condemning a plan before it’s even had a chance to work,” the president said. “They have an obligation and a serious responsibility therefore to put up their own plan as to what would work.”

Despite doubts in Congress and among the public about his strategy, Bush said lawmakers agree that failure in Iraq would be a disaster and that he chose a strategy that he and his advisers thought would help turn the tide in Iraq.

Source: Bush: 'I'm the decision-maker' in Iraq troops - Politics - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: Impeachment, Iraq, Iraq war, news, opinion, war on terror, war

Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq

The Bush administration has authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq as part of an aggressive new strategy to weaken Tehran's influence across the Middle East and compel it to give up its nuclear program, according to government and counterterrorism officials with direct knowledge of the effort.

For more than a year, U.S. forces in Iraq have secretly detained dozens of suspected Iranian agents, holding them for three to four days at a time. The "catch and release" policy was designed to avoid escalating tensions with Iran and yet intimidate its emissaries. U.S. forces collected DNA samples from some of the Iranians without their knowledge, subjected others to retina scans, and fingerprinted and photographed all of them before letting them go.

Last summer, however, senior administration officials decided that a more confrontational approach was necessary, as Iran's regional influence grew and U.S. efforts to isolate Tehran appeared to be failing. The country's nuclear work was advancing, U.S. allies were resisting robust sanctions against the Tehran government, and Iran was aggravating sectarian violence in Iraq.

"There were no costs for the Iranians," said one senior administration official. "They are hurting our mission in Iraq, and we were bending over backwards not to fight back."

Three officials said that about 150 Iranian intelligence officers, plus members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Command, are believed to be active inside Iraq at any given time. There is no evidence the Iranians have directly attacked U.S. troops in Iraq, intelligence officials said.

Source: Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq - washingtonpost.com

Technorati tags: world news, Iran, Iraq, Iraq war, US, war on terror, war, news

ONE Quote on Poverty

"Poverty is the worst form of violence."

- Mahatma Gandhi -

Source: The ONE Campaign FrontPage

Technorati tags: poverty, ONE.org, The ONE Campaign, quotations, quotes

Help Fight Poverty

Hey,

I just took action with the ONE Campaign to ask President Bush to fund poverty fighting programs in 2008. You can help by writing the president here:
http://action.one.org/dia/organizationsONE/one/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1299

Check out this e-mail from Josh Peck at ONE for more info:


From: Josh Peck, ONE.org
Date: Thursday, January 25, 2007
Subject: National Priorities

Dear ONE Member,

Last night, the president not only highlighted extreme poverty as a national priority, but also invited Dikembe Matombo, NBA star and ONE member, as his special guest.

We've come a long way.

In the past, presidents have sometimes failed to even mention the fight against extreme poverty. In part, because of your work over the last year, President Bush reaffirmed his commitment to the fight against extreme poverty and global AIDS. Now we need to make sure that the White House takes the next step for this bold vision by fully funding poverty-focused development assistance in his 2008 budget request.

Send a letter to President Bush asking him to fully fund the fight against extreme poverty and global disease in his budget request to Congress.
http://action.one.org/dia/organizationsONE/one/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1299&t=OneColumn.dwt

As Congress and the president work together in the coming year, we have an opportunity to make real progress. Both parties agree that development assistance is one of the most cost-effective and powerful tools we have to create a better, safer world. Yet, the United States is ranked next to last amongst wealthy countries in terms of how much we spend on lifting up developing nations. The amount of money it takes to save lives and help developing countries is tiny -- just an additional 1% -- compared to our massive 2.8 trillion dollar federal budget.

This is one of our best opportunities to change that. When the president submits his budget request to Congress in the next two weeks, it will shape the conversation for the coming year. At this moment, a letter from you means so much more, because the president so rarely hears from constituents about global poverty.

Send a letter to President Bush asking him to fully fund poverty-focused development assistance in his 2008 budget request.
http://action.one.org/dia/organizationsONE/one/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1299&t=OneColumn.dwt

We have come a long way in the last two years, imagine what we can achieve in two more.

Thank you for your voice,

Josh Peck, ONE.org


Take action now at http://action.one.org/one/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=1299&t=OneColumn.dwt

Military, media divide grows

While I was waiting to manifest on the flight to Fallujah, CNN played a news segment of President Bush announcing there would be no "graceful exit" from Iraq and that we'd stay until the mission was complete. Two sergeants in the room cheered. Loudly. They then scoffed at the reports from Baghdad, and jeered the balcony reporting.

In nearly every conversation, the soldiers, Marines and contractors expressed that they were upset with the coverage of the war in Iraq in general and the public perception of the daily situation on the ground. They felt the media was there to sensationalize the news, and several stated some reporters were only interested in "blood and guts."

Yet, they freely admitted the obstacles in front of them in Iraq.

Most recognized that while we are winning the war on the battlefield, albeit with difficulties in some areas, we are losing the information war. They felt the media had abandoned them.

During each conversation, I was left in the awkward situation of having to explain that while, yes, I am wearing a press badge--I'm not "one of them." I used descriptions like "independent journalist" or "blogger"--in an attempt to separate myself from the pack.

This isn't the first time I've encountered this sentiment from the troops. I experienced this attitude from the Marines while I was in western Iraq last year, and the soldiers in the Canadian Army in Afghanistan also expressed frustration with the media's presentation of the war.

I've always said that the hardest thing about embedding (besides leaving my family) is wearing the badge that says "PRESS." That hasn't changed. I hide the badge whenever I can get away with it.

Bill is currently embedded in Iraq and writes at billroggio.com

Source: The Raw Story Raw introduces Iraq correspondent as military, media divide grows

Technorati tags: Iraq, Iraq war, blogs, bloggers, news, opinion

Is Chavez Becoming Castro?

Hugo Chavez has gone through more chiefs of staff than Venezuela has had Miss Universes — which is quite a few. So when the Venezuelan President tapped his older brother Adan for the job last year, few outside Miraflores Palace took notice. They should have. Adan, since then appointed education minister, is Hugo's chief Marxist consultant — and a driving force behind Chavez's harder-than-usual left turn since his re-election last month. Chavez has announced plans to shut down an opposition-run TV network and nationalize Venezuela's largest telephone and electricity firms, while pushing his rubber-stamp Congress to allow him to run for re-election indefinitely and rule by decree well into 2008. It's no wonder Chavez watchers compare Adan to Latin America's other conspicuous First Brother, Raul Castro, who would succeed Fidel.

To many in Washington, the emergence of Adan is one more reminder of Chavez's autocratic urges — and of the possibility that Chavez himself is Fidel Castro's real successor in Latin America. His nationalization scheme evokes the seizure of private businesses in Cuba after Castro's 1959 communist revolution: it ousts U.S.-based companies like Verizon, part-owner of the Venezuelan telecom giant CANTV, and the AES Corporation, which controls Venezuela's main power utility. Chavez asserted this week that while he'll compensate both U.S. firms, he won't pay them a market rate. And when the Bush Administration raised concerns about his burgeoning presidential powers, Chavez replied, in his usual charming fashion, "Go to hell, gringos!"

Yet, by objective standards, Chavez is still not Castro. Says one Chavez official, "We're a hell of a long way from a [Castro-style] regime." Chavez gushingly admires and subsidizes Castro. But many officials in Caracas, especially younger ones, wince when you equate the two. They insist their democratically elected commandante is hardly poised to snuff out free speech and free enterprise or stoke armed revolution abroad. Chavez may control the hemisphere's largest oil reserves, but they believe he can't afford to squander a more valuable commodity — his democratic legitimacy, something Castro never had and which gives Chavez the ability to blunt U.S. efforts to cast him as the Caribbean's new communist caudillo.

Source: Is Chavez Becoming Castro? -- Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007 -- Page 1 -- TIME

Technorati tags: Hugo Chavez, Venezuela, politics, world news, news, opinion

Bloggers in Print

For bloggers who yearn to see their words printed offline, Adam Bellow, a 20-year book publishing veteran (and son of novelist Saul Bellow), is now giving them the chance. Bellow's new project, the New Pamphleteer (TNP), aspires to be the publisher of choice for online pundits. The company doesn't intend to simply recycle old blog posts, but will also commission new work from popular bloggers that is not available online. For now, the print runs are small, in the hundreds, but Bellow hopes it's only the beginning.

Bellow and his business partner, David Bernstein, also an experienced publishing hand, are betting that these bite-sized books are the perfect way to capture the best voices of the blogosphere in an easy-to-read format. Says Bellow: "Pamphlets are the ideal form for the needs of the intelligent reader in our fast-paced, media-saturated, ADD culture." The average TNP pamphlet averages 40 to 80 pages. Small enough to cart around easily (4x6 inches), they run $4 apiece on TNP's website.

But who will read them? "The community of people who blog and read blogs, in specific areas of interest ranging from politics to food and from fashion to philosophy," says Bellow. "Beyond that, I have in mind the much larger audience of people who know that blogs exist but lack the time or inclination to sift through the enormous flow of verbiage to find the best that has been thought and said online."

Source: Bloggers in Print -- Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007 -- Page 1 -- TIME

Technorati tags: blogs, bloggers, media, publishing

a quote on tolerance

"When you make a world tolerable for yourself, you make a world tolerable for others." - Anais Nin - View more Random Quotes...

Source: ::uncomfortably numb::

Technorati tags: quotations, quotes, famous quotes

State of the Resolution 1/24/06

Source: State of the Resolution 1/24/06

Technorati tags: political cartoon, cartoons, political satire, satire, politics, Mark Fiore, animations

Bush funnies

Link to source: Prez, Sir!

Bush speech received favorably overall according to CNN

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Overall, President Bush's State of the Union was received favorably by a sample of speech watchers interviewed by CNN and Opinion Research Corporation immediately after his 50-minute address to a joint session of Congress.
But the poll showed that Bush registered his lowest "very positive" post-State of the Union reaction of his presidency. Bush reached a high water mark of a 60% "very positive" response immediately following his 2005 speech. In 2006, 48% of speech watchers described his address as "very positive."
As for Tuesday night's speech, only 20% of those polled had a "negative" reaction to Bush's speech, while 41% walked away with a "very positive" feeling about the speech and 37% had a "somewhat positive" reaction.
A bare majority of Americans who watched the speech said they were confident that the U.S. would achieve its goals in Iraq; 46% were not confident. Compare that to the 2004 State of the Union, less than a year after the start of the Iraq war, when 71% of people who watched that speech expressed confidence about Iraq.
On the issue of bipartisanship, 53% of speech watchers said Bush's remarks were more likely to lead to cooperation between Democrats and the White House, while 43% did not think the address would help bridge the political differences.
The CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll interviewed 370 adult Americans -- 32% Republican, 31% Democrat and 36% Independent -- who watched Bush's speech.
Full poll results: http://i.a.cnn.net/cnn/2007/images/01/23/top3.pdf

-- CNN Polling Director Keating Holland and CNN Political Editor Mark Preston

Source: CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker

Technorati tags: polls, politics, Bush, news, government

Israeli President faces sexual assault charges...

Unfortunately, this is all too true...

by Steve O @ 9:56 am

I guess it’s true, killing millions of innocent people will not get you impeached or arrested but don’t you dare commit an unfavorable sexual act while in office.

At least Clinton’s stuff was consentual!

Source: Bring it On! » Blog Archive » Israeli President faces sexual assault charges

Technorati tags: politics, world news, news, opinion, Israel

Bush challenges foes of Iraq troop plan - Yahoo! News

WASHINGTON - A politically weakened President Bush implored a skeptical Congress Tuesday night to embrace his unpopular plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq, saying it represents the best hope in a war America must not lose. "Give it a chance to work," he said.

Source: Bush challenges foes of Iraq troop plan - Yahoo! News

U.S. warns Iran to back down - Yahoo! News

"The Middle East isn't a region to be dominated by Iran. The Gulf isn't a body of water to be controlled by Iran. That's why we've seen the United States station two carrier battle groups in the region," Burns said in an address to the Dubai-based Gulf Research Center, an influential think-tank.

"Iran is going to have to understand that the United States will protect its interests if Iran seeks to confront us," Burns continued.

Source: U.S. warns Iran to back down - Yahoo! News

a quotation on protesting...

"Who can protest and does not, is an accomplice in the act." - The Talmud -
View more Random Quotes...

Democratic Presidential Candidates Scorecard on Iraq | Democrats.com

The 2008 campaign has begun, and the Democratic presidential candidates are competing for the support of the anti-war majority - that's us, folks!

It's extremely rare for progressives to be courted by Democratic leaders, so let's make them really compete for our votes by making our position clear:

1. Deny all funds for Bush's escalation
2. Support immediate redeployment of U.S. troops, to be completed by the end of 2007 using the funds already appropriated
3. Oppose the $100 billion "Supplemental" appropriation in March and any other bills to extend the U.S. occupation of Iraq

We will track the candidates' positions below. Please help us by contacting the campaigns (click on their names for the contact form). Ask them to state their position on the 3 issues above - simply copy/paste into their contact form after this introduction: "As a member of Democrats.com, I support these positions on Iraq. Do you?"

Source: Democratic Presidential Candidates Scorecard on Iraq Democrats.com

Technorati tags: politics, opinion, democrats, democratic presidential candidates

IRAQ FOR SALE: The War Profiteers

IRAQ FOR SALE: The War Profiteers

Technorati tags: politics, war, society, Iraq, Iraq war, opinion, media

Please Join Me in the Virtual March on Washington to End the Iraq War | Democrats.com

Please join me in protesting the Iraq War through the Virtual March on Washington:
http://democrats.com/outofiraq

It only takes 1 minute - just email your Representatives in Congress:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/90

You will be joining hundreds of thousands of patriotic Americans who are marching against the Iraq War in Washington DC and in cities and towns across America.

After four disastrous years, Americans oppose George Bush's escalation of the Iraq War by 68%-26%. But Bush still adamantly refuses to listen to us, and Congress is moving too slowly to stop him.

Imagine the impact if every American who opposes the war - 153 million of us - participated in the Virtual March!
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/90

George Bush and our Representatives in Congress know the vast majority of Americans oppose the Iraq War, but they don't know how strongly we feel. That's why it's essential for each of us to email our Representatives and tell them exactly how we feel.

We all know the devastating costs of the war:

• 3,056 American troops killed with 47,657 U.S. casualties
• Possibly 655,000 innocent Iraqi civilians killed
• $378 billion of our tax dollars thrown away, with a total estimated cost of $1-2 trillion
• Al Qaeda terrorists flocking to Iraq to learn how to kill more Americans
• Our military stretched past the breaking point with repeated redeployments
• America's international alliances and credibility in ruins

That's why we want to start bringing our troops home now.

I hope you'll take 1 minute to email your Representatives in Congress:
http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/90

And tell all your friends to join the Virtual March on Washington:
http://democrats.com/outofiraq

Thank you!!!

Source: Please Join Me in the Virtual March on Washington to End the Iraq War Democrats.com

Technorati tags: activism, war, Iraq war, peace

Peace of Mind

Source: Peace of Mind

Technorati tags: political cartoon, political satire, cartoons, humour, satire

Iraq Veterans Memorial

Gold Star Families Speak Out · Military Families Speak Out · Iraq Veterans Against the War
North Texas Vets · Veterans for Peace · Soldiers of Today and Yesterday
GI Special · United for Peace and Justice · Brave New Foundation

Inspired by the AIDS Quilt, the Vietnam memorial, and the New York Times biographies of the 9/11 victims, Robert Greenwald and Brave New Foundation, in partnership with numerous Iraq veterans groups, are creating a living online memorial to U.S. soldiers killed during the Iraq war. The Iraq Veterans Memorial will bear witness with the video testimonies of family, friends, co-workers, and military colleagues of those lost.

It will be unveiled on March 19th, 2007 all across the internet.

Contribute your video testimonial Host video memorial on your site March 19th

A project of the Brave New Foundation / Email: info@iraqmemorial.org

Source: Iraq Veterans Memorial

Technorati tags: Iraq, Iraq war, soldiers, troops, memorial

AlterNet: Barack Obama Needs to Fill in the Blanks

But, as has been the case since speculation heated up about a run by the freshman senator from Illinois, Obama was long on personal appeal and short on policy specifics.

The seriousness with which he approaches the task of defining his politics between now and February 10 will go a long way toward deciding whether Obama wins his party's nomination. If he's going to secure the critical support of grassroots Democrats in key early caucus and primary states, these coming weeks must be less about celebrity and more about policy.

To be sure, Obama is a superstar, which allows him to leap over many of the hurdles erected by the overseers of the political process. Even before his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, he was the most prominent state legislator in the nation.

After his speech, favorably received by delegates and by most of the political and media class, he secured his Senate seat and arrived in Washington accompanied by some of the highest expectations ever attached to a new member of Congress.

Predictably, Obama failed to meet those inflated expectations. His relative caution on the big-picture issues of Iraq and domestic civil liberties, combined with some disappointing votes on consumer and economic issues, alienated many activists. As Obama made the rounds of state party conventions, fundraising events and rallies during the 2006 Congressional election season, however, grassroots Democrats remembered his inspired convention speech rather than his uninspired votes in Washington. And they gave the Senate's only black member a welcome that most politicians can only dream of. The message from the party faithful was clear: New York Senator Hillary Clinton, the presumed frontrunner, had not closed the deal. There was an opening for another first-tier contender in the race, and Obama could take it.

Can Obama catch up with Clinton and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards, both of whom are far ahead in putting together the multistate campaign apparatus needed for a fast-paced presidential campaign? Yes, but only if the grassroots Democrats who have been so enthusiastic about the prospect of his candidacy now turn that enthusiasm into practical commitments in states like Iowa (where the first caucuses will be held a year from now) Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina.

That transition will have something to do with Obama's star power, of course, but it will have much more to do with the intensity and effectiveness of his calls for ending the war in Iraq, restoring civil liberties protections at home and undoing the Bush Administration's misguided economic policies.

As he attempts that task, there will be a good deal of media discussion about how Obama must compete with Clinton, but that's not the right test. If she runs, Clinton will do so as what she is: a cautious centrist with lots of money and prominent support but with dubious appeal to the activists who define the early stages of the nomination process. Obama's more serious challenge will be to make sure he compares favorably with Edwards. The 2004 Democratic nominee for Vice President has done a good job of identifying himself as the Democrat who wants to bring the troops home from Iraq -- most recently in a speech at New York's Riverside Church, where he recalled the antiwar rhetoric of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and called for Congressional Democrats to refuse to fund the Iraq "surge."

On the home front Edwards has advocated tax fairness, universal healthcare and living-wage protections. And he has spent a lot of time talking about those issues with activists with the power to make or break candidates. Edwards is attracting endorsements -- particularly from labor union leaders and members -- and the volunteer support that is required in high-maintenance states like Iowa and Nevada.

There's no question that Democrats like Barack Obama. But they don't necessarily know why. If Obama can fill in the blanks, he could trump Clinton and Edwards. If he can't, he'll likely join the long list of Presidents who might have been.

Source: AlterNet: Barack Obama Needs to Fill in the Blanks

Technorati tags: Barack Obama, democrats, politics, news, opinion

Digg Story: Police slash tents of homeless people (Video)

St. Petersburg, Florida - Police officers with box cutters showed up where St. Pete's tent city residents had moved to and set up. They slashed their tents to the ground as residents watched in shock.
+1,586 people dugg this story

Ten Safety Tips Every Parent Should Know

Prevent tragedy from striking your family by being proactive about your children's safety. Former FBI agent Clint Van Zandt has 10 things every parents should know about keeping their kids secure.

1. The key is communication. It is important to talk openly with your children about all safety issues, including what to do in a potential abduction situation.
2. Knowledge is power. Talk to your children about the rules pertaining to strangers. Let them know that a stranger or predator looks just like any other person and will use several ways to lure a child.
3. Learn the common predator lures: pretending to look for a lost pet, asking the child for directions, giving or promising candy and/or money if the child will go to their car, and threatening to hurt family members if the child does not comply.
4. Never label clothing, backpacks or other personal items with your child's name. A predator will use this information to try to gain your child's trust.
5. Give your children instructions on what to do if they get separated from you in a mall, supermarket or any other public place. Tell them to first find a mother with children, or any woman, and let them know they are lost. Also, they can go to a checkout counter, information desk or to a police officer.
6. Make sure your child knows his or her full name, address and phone number, and the phone number where you work or how to contact you. They also need to know how to dial 911, make collect calls and dial the operator on a pay phone.
7. Know where your children are at all times, and keep a list of their friends' addresses and phone numbers.
8. Remember to update your children's records, including a photo every 6–12 months.
9. Practice, practice, practice. Going over this information once with your children is not enough! You must continue to rehearse and "role play" to make the learning permanent so your child can react properly under pressure.
10. If your child is missing, try not to panic. First check everywhere in the house, then check with your neighbors and your child's friends. If you still cannot locate them, call the police immediately. Remember: There is no waiting period required to report a missing child to the police.

Get the ten safety tips every child should know.

Source: Ten Safety Tips Every Parent Should Know

Technorati tags: children, child safety tips, Oprah, news, opinion

What Sylvia Browne told the Hornbeck Family...

Of the many horrors Shawn Hornbeck's parents and loved ones faced during the four years their son was missing, some news they received early on -- just four months into the ordeal -- perhaps was the cruelest ... perhaps.

PAM: Is he still with us?
BROWNE: No.
CRAIG: Do you see the bicycle anywhere?
BROWNE: I think the -- see, here's what's strange. I think the--the--the bicycle is in another state in a dump.
In other words, Sylvia Browne was telling his parents the worst possible news -- that Shawn was dead, and that his body was in a rocky, forested area within 20 miles of their home. For the next three weeks, the search reportedly focused on finding Shawn's body in that prescribed area.
Of course, they failed to find the body because last week -- four years after he went missing -- Shawn Hornbeck turned up very much alive.
We wanted to talk to Sylvia Browne about her responsibilities and about delivering that kind of information to a desperate and vulnerable family, but she chose not to speak with us in person. In a written statement, her publicist said, "She cannot possibly be 100 percent correct in each and every one of her predictions. She has, during a career of over 50 years, helped literally tens of thousands of people."
All this is a lot to think about, especially if you are family desperate to find your missing child. What do you think? It's something Anderson will discuss with a number of experts on tonight's show.

Source: CNN.com - Anderson Cooper 360° Blog

Technorati tags: Shawn Hornbeck, news, society, opnion

Republican Rejection of Iraq War

Republican rejection of Iraq war

Congressional opposition to President Bush’s plan to escalate the war by sending over 20,000 more troops to Iraq is growing in both parties. Two key Republican Senators joined Democrats yesterday in co-sponsoring a measure criticizing the escalation and more could soon join them.

We expect other votes later in the year when Congress considers bills funding the war.

It is important to support this measure as a first step in a process to bring the disastrous war in Iraq to an end this year by withdrawing American troops from that country.

» Read more

Source: Council for a Livable World

Technorati tags: Iraq, Iraq war, war on terror, war, news, politics

When are we going to impeach the president?

Jan. 20, 2007 - When President George W. Bush declared earlier this month that the only way to quell sectarian violence in Iraq was to send more than 20,000 additional American troops, he probably knew the move would be unpopular. Indeed, the latest NEWSWEEK poll finds that Bush’s call for a “surge” in troops is opposed by two-thirds (68 percent) of Americans and supported by only a quarter (26 percent). Almost half of all respondents (46 percent) want to see American troops pulled out “as soon as possible.”

Source: NEWSWEEK Poll: Bush Unpopular, Congress Does Better - Newsweek Politics - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: politics, Impeachment, Iraq, Iraq war, war on terror

Has Bush Ordered Secret War on Iran? - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

Jan. 22, 2007 issue - Has George W. Bush ordered up a "secret war" against Iran and Syria? Some administration opponents on Capitol Hill began asking this question after U.S. forces in recent weeks arrested two groups of Iranian government representatives inside Iraq. Bush particularly alarmed critics when, in announcing his new Iraq policy, he pledged to "interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria" and to "seek out and destroy the networks." Sen. Joseph Biden, now Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman (and a Dem presidential contender), sent a letter to Bush after a question-and-answer confrontation with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. Biden said Rice had been evasive on whether Bush's statements meant that U.S. military personnel could cross into Iran or Syria in pursuit of insurgent support networks. He also asked whether the administration believes the president could order such action without first seeking explicit congressional approval—as Biden thinks he must. A White House aide declined to comment on Biden's letter. But the tough approach stunned even America's firmest Iraqi allies, the Kurds. Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, a Kurd, told NEWSWEEK that one of the U.S. Special Forces raids on Iranians working in Iraq "caught everyone by surprise. We should have been alerted and informed."

Source: Has Bush Ordered Secret War on Iran? - Newsweek Periscope - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: Iran, war on terror, politics, war

King of OppositeLand 1/17/06

King of OppositeLand 1/17/06

by

Mark Fiore

Technorati tags: Mark Fiore, political cartoon, political satire, cartoons, animation

Can we all leave Shawn Hornbeck alone?

Finally, someone sticks up for this young man with what prosecutor John Rupp seemed to imply with his statement;

Meanwhile, Wednesday afternoon prosecutors announced Devlin has been charged with two counts of kidnapping, which carry a maximum of 15 years each, and armed criminal action, which carries a minimum of three years. (Watch a law enforcement officer say Shawn Hornbeck was abducted at gunpoint )

The latter charge stems from an allegation that Devlin kidnapped Shawn at gunpoint, said Washington County Sheriff Kevin Schroeder.

Addressing reporters Wednesday, prosecutor John Rupp said there is no question that Shawn was kidnapped and was not with Devlin voluntarily.

"Shawn was abducted against his will. Period. End of the story," Rupp said.

So now can everyone leave this poor wounded young man alone and let him heal from the wounds that a very evil Micheal Devlin perpetrated against him? Let's all stop blaming the victim!

Source: Pizza manager's links to 1991 abduction investigated - CNN.com

Technorati tags: Shawn Hornbeck, news, opinion, Micheal Devlin

Allies expected to grant Chavez expanded powers...

Hugo Chavez is an interesting leader to say the least. I just hope that the lack of opposition isn't indicative of something more ominous...

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- Venezuela's National Assembly, filled entirely with allies of President Hugo Chavez, opened debate Thursday on a measure to grant the leftist leader sweeping powers -- a key moment in Chavez's drive to turn Venezuela into a socialist state.

Lawmakers are expected to approve quickly Chavez's request for the power to enact laws by decree for a period of 1 1/2 years -- what the fiery leader known for his criticism of Washington called the "mother law of revolutionary laws."

"This process is unstoppable," lawmaker Juan Montenegro Nunez told the National Assembly during the first discussion on the proposal Thursday morning. "This process is a historic necessity."

but, when he says and does things like capping government salaries that feeling of foreboding disappears...

Among various new laws, Chavez promised to push through a law capping government salaries and urged some public employees to volunteer to have their pay cut before then -- or step down.

"We're going to impose a cap because really it seems an exaggeration and an obscenity to me that a person, for all that he may work, earns 20 million bolivares [$9,300] a month," he said, calling such salaries "customs of a capitalist, bourgeois state" that must be destroyed.

Source: Allies expected to grant Chavez expanded powers - CNN.com

Technorati tags: politics, world news, news, opinion, Hugo Chavez, Venezuela

Vintage Vinyl:Steal This Book by Abbie Hoffman

a little something from Abbie Hoffman...

Be clever using section two; clever as a snake. Dig the spirit of the struggle. Don't get hung up on a sacrifice trip. Revolution is not about suicide, it is about life. With your fingers probe the holiness of your body and see that it was meant to live. Your body is just one in a mass of cuddly humanity. Become an internationalist and learn to respect all life. Make war on machines, and in particular the sterile machines of corporate death and the robots that guard them. The duty of a revolutionary is to make love and that means staying alive and free. That doesn't allow for cop-outs. Smoking dope and hanging up Che's picture is no more a commitment than drinking milk and collecting postage stamps. A revolution in consciousness is an empty high without a revolution in the distribution of power. We are not interested in the greening of Amerika except for the grass that will cover its grave.

Source: Vintage Vinyl:Steal This Book

Technorati tags: Abbie Hoffman, book, sixties, revolution, revolutionary

Obama Exploratory Committee

As most of you have already heard Barack Obama has formed an Exploratory Committee for a possible run for President in 2008. I like Barack Obama so far. I just keep hoping we've found the presidential candidate that will speak for the people...he says he does...he seems to.

But, I worry about how well he will hold up under the scrutiny of the republican party? I wonder if the CIA and the FBI are spying on him for the repubs? They can make roses smell like shit. I just hope the people hear him and he becomes the next President of the United States...

Running for President may be a step that I take, but it is a journey I cannot hope to complete without the energy and talents of people like you. A glance across history and my own past as a community organizer on the streets of Chicago has taught me that sweeping change never comes from one person or program, but always from the will and passion of countless voices, working and fighting and marching towards that better place.

This is your chance to lead that change, and I encourage you to participate and ask others to join our effort.

Source: Thank You for your support Obama Exploratory Committee

Technorati tags: Barack Obama, Obama, Obama for President, politics, elections, news, opinion

Escalation Is Not The Answer by Barack Obama

Escalation Is Not The Answer

As the New Year approaches, we are told that the President is considering the deployment of tens of thousands of additional troops to Iraq in the desperate hope of subduing the burgeoning civil war there.

This is a chilling prospect that threatens to compound the tragic mistakes he has already made over the last four years.

In 2002, I strongly opposed the invasion of Iraq because I felt it was an ill-conceived venture which I warned would "require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undermined cost, with undetermined consequences." I said then that an invasion without strong international support could drain our military, distract us from the war with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and further destabilize the Middle East.

Sadly, all of those concerns have been borne out.

Today, nearly three thousand brave young Americans are dead, and tens of thousands more have been wounded. Rather than welcomed "liberators," our troops have become targets of the exploding sectarian violence in Iraq. Our military has been strained to the limits. The cost to American taxpayers is approaching $400 billion.

Source: Escalation Is Not The Answer BarackObama.com

Technorati tags: war on terror, war, news, politics, opinion, Barack Obama

Dick Cheney's uPhone

Link to Dick Cheney's uPhone

Technorati tags: political cartoon, Dick Cheney, political satire, cartoons

Iraqis angry at accidental beheading

“There is no way a head would be ripped off the body during a hanging. I’m sure they mutilated the bodies after they hanged them,” said Ahmed Mustafa, a 30-year-old student in the northern city of Mosul, accusing Iraq’s Shiite-led government of “sucking the blood of the people”.

Clearly conscious of the uproar over sectarian taunts during the illicitly filmed hanging of the ousted Sunni Arab president two weeks ago, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh insisted there was “no violation of procedure”.

Reference works on judicial killing do assert that decapitation is a possibility during hanging. But the admission that Barzan suffered such a fate sparked suspicion and anger, especially in Tikrit.

“People are resentful for the way that Barzan has been executed, the tearing of his head from his body,” said Abdullah al-Jubara, deputy governor of Salahaddin province around Tikrit.

Justice?
Firas Abdullah, 30, a civil servant, said the executions underlined how unfair the legal proceedings had been.

“The court is illegal, it’s a toy in the hands of the Americans and Iran,” he said, in a reference to perceived links between Iraq’s Shiite majority and neighboring Shiite Iran.

Some Shiites too, however, were troubled by the hanging.

“They deserved to be hanged. Justice has taken its course,” said Issam Abdullah, a 27-year-old teacher in Safwan in the overwhelmingly Shiite south of Iraq.

“But the state has to explain what happened during Barzan’s execution, especially the ripping off of his head,” he added.

Source: Iraqis angry at accidental beheading - Conflict in Iraq - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: Iraq, executions, war on terror

Happy Martin Luther King Day

WASHINGTON, D.C.—At the climax of his “I Have A Dream” speech, King raises his arm on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and calls out for deliverance with the electrifying words of an old Negro spiritual hymn, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” 1963.

Source: Magnum Photos - Slate

Technorati tags: Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream speech, freedom

A quote by John F. Kennedy...

"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy

Source: ::uncomfortably numb::

Technorati tags: John F Kennedy, quotes, quotations, famous quotes

Al Jazeera English - Americas

US 'will deal' with Iran in Iraq

Five Iranians were detained during a US raid in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil last week [AFP]

George Bush, the US president, has warned Tehran that if any Iranians are caught in Iraq "we will deal with them".
His comments came after the US military confirmed the arrest of five Iranians that it said were providing weapons to Iraqi fighters.

Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, has asked the US to release the group.

Asked if he agreed with US military officers that Iranian agents were killing US troops in Iraq, Bush said: "I think what they're saying ... is that the Iranians are providing equipment that is killing Americans, and therefore, either way it's unacceptable."

The five Iranians were detained during a raid in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil last week.

The US military says the men are linked to Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
Release demanded
Tehran insists the detainees are consular officials and has demanded their release.
Zebari told CNN that the Iranians were not working out of an official consulate but a "liaison office" that Baghdad and the Kurdish regional government were aware of.
"We have communicated with the US embassy and the command of the multinational forces seeking their release if they are found not guilty," Zebari said.
He also stressed that Iraq was "not a party" to the investigation of the detainees by US forces.

Zebari said the detainees were members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which "is part of the Iranian political system" and "very effective and very influential in running [Iran's] foreign policy. That is the reality of Iranian politics".
Iranian "meddling"

The US administration has stepped up the rhetoric against Iran and has repeatedly accused it of "meddling" in Iraq.

"If we catch your people inside [Iraq] harming US citizens or Iraqi citizens you know we will deal with them."
George Bush,
the US president

Bush told CBS television's '60 minutes' programme on Sunday that Iran would be empowered if the US was defeated in Iraq, and that world peace would be threatened.
He issued a warning to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Iranian President, saying: "If we catch your people inside [Iraq] harming US citizens or Iraqi citizens you know we will deal with them."
Dick Cheney, the US vice president, earlier told the Fox television network that Iran should "keep their folks at home" and not try to destabilise Iraq.
Ahmadinejad, who is currently visiting south America, said the US is trying to hide its failures in Iraq by accusing his country of funding Iraqi fighters.
Troop deployment

Bush also used the CBS interview to defend, for the second time this week, his plan to send 21,500 extra troops to Iraq.

The president has said he will go ahead with deployment no matter how much opposition he faces from the US Congress.
"I fully understand they could try to stop me," Bush said. "But I've made my decision, and we're going forward."
Barack Obama, a Democratic Senator and possible presidential candidate in 2008, said: "We need to look at what options we have available to constrain the president."
Democrats are wary of appearing unsupportive of American troops but are considering cutting off funding for sending additional soldiers to Iraq.
It is unclear, however, how any effort by Congress could affect Bush's plan.
Stephen Hadley, the US national security adviser, said the White House already has money appropriated by Congress to move the troops to Iraq.

Source: Al Jazeera English - Americas

Technorati tags: Al Jazeera, Iran, Iraq, war on terror, war, news, Bush

I have a dream speech

(1) Martin Luther King, speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom (28th August, 1963)
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we've come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the "unalienable Rights of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness." It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked "insufficient funds."
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. [Applause] There will be neither rest nor tranquillity in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: in the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. [Applause] We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force. The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?"
We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro’s basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for whites only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair.
I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal."
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of "interposition" and "nullification," one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.
This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country, ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!

Source: I have a dream speech

Technorati tags: Martin Luther King Jr, I have a dream speech, freedom

War on Iran?

Coming from Gates, it sounded technical rather than slick. "We are beginning to move aggressively to try and identify and root out the networks that are involved in helping to bring Iranian-supplied [bombs] into Iraq," Gates said. If you can't solve Iraq, enlarge it. While you were sleeping, the war with Iran might have begun.

Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., spotted it. At the end of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Biden looked sternly at the secretary and made one last point: "If the president concluded he had to invade Iran … or Syria in pursuit of these networks, I believe the present authorization granted the president to use force in Iraq does not cover that and he does need congressional authority to do that. … I just want to set that marker."

Source: Did we just declare war on Iran? - By Shmuel Rosner - Slate Magazine

Technorati tags: politics, Iran, Syria, news, opinion

Bush says 'no matter what Congress wants' surge is on...

Bush vows to 60 Minutes that 'no matter what Congress wants' surge is on

Raw Story
Saturday, January 13, 2007

In an interview set to air on this Sunday's 60 Minutes, President George W. Bush vows to send an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq "no matter what" the Democratic-controlled Congress tries to do.

"Do you believe as Commander in Chief you have the authority to put the troops in there no matter what the Congress wants to do," 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley asks Bush in the short clip uploaded to the CBS News web site Friday night.

"I think I've got, in this situation, I do, yeah," Bush said.

"Now I fully understand they will," Bush continued, "they could try to stop me from doing it, but, uh, I've made my decision and we're going forward."

In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Bush announced his new plan which calls for an increase in US troops to end ongoing violence in the country, which many believe is either at - or approaching "civil war," with Iraqi civilian deaths tripling at the end of 2006, according to one report.

The plan, nicknamed "surge" by the administration but referred to as an "escalation" to most Democrats has drawn fire from both parties, and Congressional members have threatened to cut funding - though not for the troops that are already there.

"Rep. John Murtha, a Pennsylvania Democrat who oversees military funding, said he will propose tying congressional approval of war funds to shutting the Guantanamo Bay military prison in Cuba," the Associated Press reports. "Other conditions he said he is considering include not extending troop deployments and giving soldiers and Marines more time to train between deployments."

Source: Bush vows to 60 Minutes that 'no matter what Congress wants' surge is on

Technorati tags: war on terror, Bush quotes, Bush, surge, troops, war, Iraq

Infamous quotations about Bush & Co...

I found these at Citizens for Legitimate Government...

"There ought to be limits to freedom." --George W. Bush, Dictator, commenting on the GWBush.com website, May 21, 1999 Link

"Let's save the human race, let's finish off the U.S. empire." --President Hugo Chavez 30 Jul 2006 Link

"Life Sucks, Then You Get Sodomized in a Bush Political Prison Camp." --Anonymous, 27 Jun 2006

"As long as there is an occupation and an illegitimate government, the resistance and insurgency will continue." --A senior resistance commander authorised to speak on behalf of other groups warned that they would continue to fight in Iraq (This applies to us in the U.S., as well). 25 Jun 2006 Link

"We will see you in the next civil war." --Michael Rectenwald and Lori Price, September 24, 2004 [Comments made in response to a Freeper's letter to CLG]

"You have nothing on me, senator, except my name on lists of names from Iraq, many of which have been drawn up after the installation of your puppet government in Baghdad." George Galloway, Respect MP for Bethnal Green and Bow, delivered this statement to US Senators 17 May 2005 who have accused him of corruption. Link to full transcript of Galloway's testimony.

"To discuss tolerance in such a society [as ours at present] means to re-examine the distinction between violent and non-violent action. The discussion should not, from the beginning, be clouded by ideologies which serve the perpetuation of violence...But to refrain from violence in the face of vastly superior [socially sanctioned] violence is one thing, to renounce a priori violence against violence, on ethical or psychological grounds is another. Non-violence is normally not only preached to but exacted from the weak--it is a necessity rather than a virtue, and normally it does not seriously harm the case of the strong. (Is the case of India an exception? There...passive resistance [was] no longer passive--it cease[d] to be non-violent)...In historical terms of historical function, there is a difference between revolutionary and reactionary violence, between violence practiced by the oppressed and by the oppressors. In terms of ethics, both forms of violence are inhuman and evil--but since when is history made in accordance with ethical standards? To start applying them at the point where the oppressed rebel against the oppressors, the have-nots against the haves, is serving the cause of actual violence by weakening the protest against it." --Herbert Marcuse, "Repressive Tolerance" (1965)

Source: Citizens for Legitimate Government, Bush Election Coup 2000 2K anti political action liberties peace activist

Technorati tags: quotes, politics, bush quotes, political quotations

Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney

I can think of more than ten...can't you?

I ask Congress to impeach President Bush and Vice President Cheney for the following reasons:

1. Violating the United Nations Charter by launching an illegal "War of Aggression" against Iraq without cause, using fraud to sell the war to Congress and the public, misusing government funds to begin bombing without Congressional authorization, and subjecting our military personnel to unnecessary harm, debilitating injuries, and deaths.

2. Violating U.S. and international law by authorizing the torture of thousands of captives, resulting in dozens of deaths, and keeping prisoners hidden from the International Committee of the Red Cross.

3. Violating the Constitution by arbitrarily detaining Americans, legal residents, and non-Americans, without due process, without charge, and without access to counsel.

4. Violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians, journalists, hospitals, and ambulances, and using illegal weapons, including white phosphorous, depleted uranium, and a new type of napalm.

5. Violating U.S. law and the Constitution through widespread wiretapping of the phone calls and emails of Americans without a warrant.

6. Violating the Constitution by using "signing statements" to defy hundreds of laws passed by Congress.

7. Violating U.S. and state law by obstructing honest elections in 2000, 2002, 2004, and 2006.

8. Violating U.S. law by using paid propaganda and disinformation, selectively and misleadingly leaking classified information, and exposing the identity of a covert CIA operative working on sensitive WMD proliferation for political retribution.

9. Subverting the Constitution and abusing Presidential power by asserting a "Unitary Executive Theory" giving unlimited powers to the President, by obstructing efforts by Congress and the Courts to review and restrict Presidential actions, and by promoting and signing legislation negating the Bill of Rights and the Writ of Habeas Corpus.

10. Gross negligence in failing to assist New Orleans residents after Hurricane Katrina, in ignoring urgent warnings of an Al Qaeda attack prior to Sept. 11, 2001, and in increasing air pollution causing global warming.

Source: Ten Reasons to Impeach George Bush and Dick Cheney Democrats.com

Technorati tags: impeachment, Bush, Cheney, politics

The Way Out Petition

To: US and UK Governments

The Way Out

* US forces must negotiate an immediate withdrawal with the Iraqi resistance

* The American people must hold their leaders responsible for the crime of aggressive war

In the November 2006 congressional elections, the American people expressed their clear rejection of the Bush administration's war in Iraq. However, a broad movement of opinion is needed to force U.S. leaders to heed the will of their own people and, still more, the people of Iraq.
U.S. military leaders admit that their invasion and occupation of Iraq have produced "chaos". The logical conclusion is that the U.S. presence itself, based on criminal aggression and multiple crimes against humanity, is responsible for such chaos, and that to bring about stability, the United States should withdraw immediately.
However, U.S. leaders continue to claim that they must remain in Iraq in order to achieve "stability". To this end, they speak of creating an American-trained puppet Iraqi army to fight the resistance, and of enticing foreign powers to aid in ending the resistance.
This implies fostering both civil war and more foreign intervention, attempting to take from the Iraqi people the sovereign right of deciding their own future.
Meanwhile, Iraq is being destroyed. The infrastructure has been ruined. People are dying in the hundreds of thousands or fleeing abroad. It is urgent to end this massive crime and return Iraq to its own people.
To this end, we call on world public opinion to make two demands:
* Negotiate with the Resistance!
The United States invasion was a clear violation of international law. In contrast, international law recognizes the legitimacy of armed resistance to foreign invasion and occupation. These principles cannot be negated by the fact that the United States was able to use its immense influence to persuade the UN Security Council to recognize its presence, as being requested by a government that is nothing but a Washington-installed puppet regime.
Armed resistance expresses the legitimate desire of the vast majority of Iraqi people to free their land from foreign occupation. The national popular resistance in Iraq is the only legitimate and effective force able to defend popular sovereignty and determine the future of liberated Iraq.
Instead of negotiating with neighbouring regional powers in the hope of bringing the resistance under foreign control, the United States should negotiate directly with the resistance itself.
* Punish the crimes!
We support all efforts by the American people to initiate a thorough investigation of all the officials, from the highest level on down, who deliberately spun a web of lies and deceptions in order to create the pretext for the criminal invasion of Iraq. We believe that such an investigation would provide ample grounds for impeachment of both President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney.
Such a repudiation of criminal leadership would be a first step toward full reconciliation with the martyred people of Iraq, setting the stage for a peace agreement including reparations to the war-torn country.
We fully recognize that, despite the recent U.S. election results, these demands require a strong mobilization of world public opinion and reactivation of the peace movement, notably in the United States.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

Source: The Way Out Petition

Technorati tags: Iraq, war on terror, war, Iraq war, petition

I can finally use the 'new' Blogger...

I've been dying to use the 'new' Blogger for ages and finally today Blogger let my blog ::uncomfortably numb:: transition to it's new version. I like it alot...so far. But, that is going to mean alot of reconstruction for me.
So we're under construction for a tiny bit as we adjust...

The Escalator

The Escalator

By Signe Wilkinson
© Cartoonist Group, 2006

Source: The Escalator

Technorati tags: politics, war on terror, Iraq, war, political cartoon, political satire

Martin Luther King Jr. quote

Source: GoComics-Editorial Cartoons, Comics, Political Cartoons

Technorati tags: Martin Luther King Jr, quotations, politics

Warming of Mass Destruction 1/10/06

Link to Warming of Mass Destruction 1/10/06

Technorati tags: politics, political cartoon, political humor, cartoons, animation, Mark Fiore

NO More Troops in Iraq

President Bush is calling for more troops in Iraq. But the
American people elected a new Congress to start bringing troops
home. We're launching a massive set of actions to let Washington
know -- loud and clear -- that Americans DO NOT want more troops
in Iraq. It's all starting this week with protest events across
the country and culminating with a huge March on Washington at
the end of the month where TrueMajorityACTION will deliver the
Mandate for Peace petition, calling on Congress to make the
right steps in Iraq.

Be part of it all by signing the Mandate for Peace petition like
I did. TrueMajorityACTION will deliver our signatures along with
tens of thousands of others at the March on Washington at the
end of the month.

So be sure to sign, and then let all of your friends and family
know about it too.
Click here to sign

TrueMajorityACTION.org

I just discovered this site today and I'm not only having a blast playing Operation on Bush and the Cabinet...but, I like Ben Cohen's message...

Link to TrueMajorityACTION.org

Technorati tags: politics, humor, activism

Ann Telnaes - Online Comics, Editorial Cartoons, Email Comics, Political Cartoons...

Link to Welcome to goComics Web Site featuring Ann Telnaes - Online Comics, Editorial Cartoons, Email Comics, Political Cartoons

Technorati tags: politics, news, Iraq, Bush, cartoons, political cartoons

U.S. airstrike targets al-Qaida in Africa

WASHINGTON - A U.S. helicopter gunship conducted a strike against two suspected al-Qaida operatives in southern Somalia, but it was not known whether the mission was successful, CBS News reported on Monday.

The U.S. Air Force helicopter, operated by the Special Operations Command, flew from its base in Djibouti to the southern tip of Somalia, where the al-Qaida suspects were believed to have fled from the capital, Mogadishu, the network reported.

A Pentagon spokesman said he had no information on the report.

Source: Report: U.S. airstrike targets al-Qaida in Africa - International Terrorism - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: war on terror, somalia, al-Qaida, terrorism

Stem cells found in amniotic fluid...

Hey, does that mean the religious right will let scientist do their research? I hope so...

Stem cell researchers reacted with enthusiasm and reservations to a report that scientists have found stem cells in amniotic fluid, a discovery that would allow them to sidestep the controversy over destroying embryos for research.

Researchers at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported Sunday that the stem cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much the same promise as embryonic stem cells.

They reported they were able to extract the stem cells from the fluid, which cushions babies in the womb, without harm to mother or fetus and turn their discovery into several different tissue cell types, including brain, liver and bone

Source: Stem cells found in amniotic fluid - Stem Cell Research - MSNBC.com

Technorati tags: stem cells, stem cell research, poltics, health, news

List of states with nuclear weapons...

I thought this was extremely interesting...

This is a list of states with nuclear weapons. There are currently eight states that have successfully detonated nuclear weapons. Five are considered to be "nuclear weapons states", an internationally recognized status conferred by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). In order of acquisition of nuclear weapons these are: the United States of America, Russia (successor state to the Soviet Union), the United Kingdom, France and China. Since the formulation of the NPT, three non-signatory states of the NPT have conducted nuclear tests: India, Pakistan, and purportedly North Korea. Additionally, Israel is also strongly suspected to have an arsenal of nuclear weapons though it has refused to confirm or deny this, and there have been reports that over 200 nuclear weapons might be in its inventory. This status is not formally recognized by international bodies as none of these four countries are currently signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Iran has been developing uranium enrichment technology and stands accused by the United States of doing so for weapons uses. Iran insists that its intentions are limited to domestic nuclear power generation, despite plutonium traces being detected. As of February 4, 2006, the International Atomic Energy Agency referred Iran to the United Nations Security Council in response to concerns on their possible nuclear programs.

World map with nuclear weapons development status represented by color.

██ Five "nuclear weapons states" from the NPT

██ Other known nuclear powers

██ States formerly possessing nuclear weapons

██ States suspected of being in the process of developing nuclear weapons and/or nuclear programs

██ States which at one point had nuclear weapons and/or nuclear weapons research programs

██ States claiming to possess nuclear weapons

██ States without nuclear weapons

Source: List of states with nuclear weapons - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Technorati tags: nuclear weapons, lists, list of nuclear weapons, nuclear proliferation, politics

Oppose Iraq Troop Surge...

Oppose military escalation in Iraq!

While promising a new strategy for Iraq, President Bush and his neo-conservative advisors are expected to make a bad situation worse by pouring more troops into Iraq.

We urge you to vigorously oppose any military escalation in Iraq.

The war has already resulted in the deaths of more than 3,000 Americans, the wounding of an additional 22,000 soldiers, and taken the lives of tens of thousands of Iraqis. The U.S. position in the Middle East and around the world has sunk to an all-time low.

In the November elections, the American people made a clear statement that we need a change of course in Iraq. A major escalation of U.S. troops is not the new course we need.

Rather than support a troop increase, it is time to admit a tragic mistake and bring American soldiers home.

Members of Congress from both political parties need to raise their voices in opposition to this proposed escalation.

Source: Council for a Livable World: Iraq Troop Surge

Technorati tags: politics, war on terror, war, news, opinion, Iraq, Iraq war

Iraq: No Blank Check

On Wednesday, President Bush is expected to deliver a national address announcing an escalation of tens of thousands of U.S. forces in Iraq. A Pentagon official admitted to NBC News last week that the escalation is “more of a political decision than a military one,” favored because Bush “has few other dramatic options available to signal U.S. determination in Iraq.” U.S. troops should not be ordered into the deadliest hot spots of Iraq’s civil war so that President Bush can send a “signal.” Congress must hold Bush accountable to ensure that U.S. forces are deployed for the right reasons. Yesterday, Pelosi pledged that Congress not issue Bush a blank check. “If the president wants to add to this mission, he is going to have to justify it,” Pelosi said.

• President Bush is not listening to the military’s views on escalation. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who publicly declared in December that he does not support escalation, “is caustic in private about the proposed ‘surge,’” Robert Novak reports. “Powell noted that the recent congressional delegation to Iraq headed by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) heard from combat officers that they wanted more troops. ‘The colonels will always say they need more troops,’ the retired general says. ‘That’s why we have generals.’” For their part, the highest-ranking U.S. generals are still opposed to escalation. CBS News reported that commanders have told the White House they are prepared to execute a troop escalation of just 9,000 soldiers and Marines into Iraq, “with another 10,000 on alert in Kuwait and the U.S.”
• What is really needed in Iraq is a diplomatic surge. There is overwhelming agreement that no military solution exists for the problems in Iraq. “You could put a soldier or a Marine on every street corner in Baghdad,” former Reagan assistant defense secretary and American Progress Senior Fellow Lawrence Korb said yesterday on CNN. “But until [Iraqi officials] make the tough political decisions that balance the power of the central government and the provinces, distributes the oil revenues, protects minority rights, until you do that, I don’t think it will make a difference.” For this reason, the Center for American Progress argued in a memo last month that “the United States should undertake a fundamental strategic shift centered on a political and diplomatic surge aimed at resolving Iraq’s civil war and stabilizing other parts of the Middle East.” (Korb and American Progress Senior Fellow Brian Katulis explain the diplomatic surge in more detail here.)
• McCain’s numbers game doesn’t add up. Though Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is the most prominent advocate of escalation, his position on the issue is extremely hazy. In October, McCain declared that “another 20,000 troops in Iraq” were necessary to stem the violence. Five weeks later, that number shot up five times. “We must have more troops over there, maybe 20,000 more Marines, and 80,000 Army,” McCain said. “One month after that, McCain’s recommendation had dropped back down. “I would advocate two additional combat units in the Anbar Province, four in Baghdad with one in reserve. That’s about 30,000,” he told NBC News. On Jan. 4, during a Today Show appearance, McCain was asked, “Will 20,000 do the job in your opinion?” He responded, “I’m not sure. ... To make it of short duration and small size would be the worst of all options to exercise, in my opinion.”

Daily Talking Points is a product of the American Progress Action Fund.

Source: Talking Points Archive - Center for American Progress Action Fund

Technorati tags: Iraq, war, politics, government, troops

Holocaust in Darfur: What ever happened to 'never again"?

The situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate. Women