Rise of Hitler compare to Bush and Co.

The rise and fall of Hitler, includes these details, gleaned from a teacher's guide and other historical sources. Substitute Muslim for the word Jew.

"Once he became head of state by legal means, Hitler consolidated his power by neutralizing all political opponents and democratic institutions. As dictator, he began a campaign of terror to rid Germany of Jewish influence. The Nuremberg Laws negated civil liberties for Germany's Jews, many of whom fled to safer lands.

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
Students will learn:
1. How the Nazis consolidated their power and control of the German government.

2. That dictatorial power can evolve from forces other than through a military or civilian coup d'État.

3. That Hitler rose to power in a democracy which had a structure similar to that of modern democracies.

4. That historical events often trigger political responses and mold public opinion, and that extremist political movements do not suddenly rise to power in a vacuum but do so as a result of latent instability of the society in which they exist."

And here is the discussion question from the teacher's guide (think about it)...

"Discuss what motivated the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act. How jealously does our own Congress guard its rights to pass legislation? Is there an appropriate balance of power between the President and the Congress today? Has this balance changed in the last 40 years? The last 20 years? 5 years? 1 year?"

Another point of interest, by Ben S. Austin: "Please take special note of the similarity between these laws and the Jim Crow Laws which were passed in the United States following the Compromise of 1877, upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in Plessy vs Ferguson (1896) and remained in effect until the court reversed the "separate but equal doctrine in Brown vs the Board of Education of Topeka (1954). It is clear that Hitler used the Jim Crow segregation statutes as his model for defining Jews in the Third Reich."

And still more information, which sounds a lot like what is going on here and now.

"On March 23, 1933, the newly elected members of the German Parliament (the Reichstag) met in the Kroll Opera House in Berlin to consider passing Hitler's Enabling Act. It was officially called the 'Law for Removing the Distress of the People and the Reich.' If passed, it would effectively mean the end of democracy in Germany and establish the legal dictatorship of Adolf Hitler.

The 'distress' had been secretly caused by the Nazis themselves in order to create a crisis atmosphere that would make the law seem necessary to restore order. On February 27, 1933, they had burned the Reichstag building, seat of the German government, causing panic and outrage. The Nazis successfully blamed the fire on the Communists and claimed it marked the beginning of a widespread uprising.

On the day of the vote, Nazi storm troopers gathered in a show of force around the opera house chanting, "Full powers - or else! We want the bill - or fire and murder!!" They also stood inside in the hallways, and even lined the aisles where the vote would take place, glaring menacingly at anyone who might oppose Hitler's will.

Just before the vote, Hitler made a speech to the Reichstag in which he pledged to use restraint."

"The government will make use of these powers only insofar as they are essential for carrying out vitally necessary measures...The number of cases in which an internal necessity exists for having recourse to such a law is in itself a limited one." - Hitler told the Reichstag.

He also promised an end to unemployment and pledged to promote peace with France, Great Britain and the Soviet Union. But in order to do all this, Hitler said, he first needed the Enabling Act.

A two thirds majority was needed, since the law would actually alter the German constitution. Hitler needed 31 non-Nazi votes to pass it. He got those votes from the Center Party after making a false promise to restore some basic rights already taken away by decree."

I am telling you, the worst may yet happen, particularly if the Bush administration changes the Posse Comitatus Act.

Change the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878?

If this doesn't scare you, then you need to re-read some history. Excerpt of report:

"President Bush yesterday said he wants Congress to consider putting the Pentagon, not state and local agencies, in charge of responding to large natural disasters in the future….

That would require a change of law, since the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 forbids the military from performing civilian law enforcement duties. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is investigating possible reforms to the act, which Pentagon officials consider archaic.

[C]ritics are already warning against repeal of Posse Comitatus. "Washington seems poised to embrace further centralization and militarization at home," cautioned Gene Healy, senior editor at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank. "That has the makings of a policy disaster that would dwarf Hurricane Katrina."

Peace March, more photos and stuff

I know that this photo of Sept. 24, 2005 peace marchers must be an early photo because we marched only 1 hrs less than we did at the March for Women's Lives last April, where 1.5 million women marched. photo courtesy of Jerry

The women's march of April 2004 compared to the Million Man March

There were more people present in Washington DC on Sept. 24, 2005, than the media will tell you. However, Stars and Stripes estimated 250,000 people, which is close, but I think it still is an underestimation. Why do I say that? The photo below shows a large contingent of police at 1600 hrs, however, at 0900 hrs there were 3 police officers deployed in this location. I think they were not expecting so many people. Worse yet, they were rude, and not a professional as the police officers in Crawford. The DC police should get lessons from the Crawford police.



The police, I think, did not expect such a crowd. That must be why the train from NY to DC had a "power outage" and those folks had to find another way to get to DC. I am sorry I missed the civil actions on Sunday when folks got arrested, including Cindy Sheehan. Go Cindy!

All in all, it was an amazing and historic experience as we mixed a historic peace march with historic tours....


and just plain fun


and a run in with Oscar the Grouch:

Sept. 24th Peace March

The peace march takes place on Sat. For more information on events, and to read the Code Pink blog link

We're marching because we are distressed over the continued war in Iraq, an unprovoked, unnecessary war that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of Iraqis and nearly 2,000 US soldiers. We grieve for those families who have already lost loved ones in this war, and we want to stop other families from suffering such painful losses.

We're marching because we want to hold George Bush accountable for dragging us into this war on false pretenses. For more reasons

Bush administration appoints a Veterinarian in charge of women's health

Washington, DC — In a curious move today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) named two acting directors to the office of women's health. This morning FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford appointed a man who has spent the majority of his career in the office of veterinary medicine to the position of acting director of the Office of Women's Health. By this afternoon, Dr. Norris Alderson had been replaced with a Ms. Teresa Toigo. Ms. Toigo will replace Dr. Susan Wood, a key women's health expert, who resigned on August 31 in protest of the FDA's handling of the application to make Plan B emergency contraception (EC) available over the counter.

This according to Planned Parenthood

Open letter to Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison

I noted that you asked President Bush to do the following:
“Relax certain McKinney Act restrictions as they relate to the evacuee-students in order to give school districts more flexibility to place them in schools.”
What are those certain restrictions? I have heard that the restrictions you want lifted would allow Katrina refugee children to be placed in separate classrooms from local children; sort of a "separate but equal" throwback to the days of segregation. I think that is totally wrong. These children need to be able to feel normal, and should be mainstreamed.
I lived through a large natural disaster, 40 years ago, when I was 14, and although only one person I know died as a result of that incident, and I was not homeless, it was an emotionally charged experience. I can only imagine how scarred these children will be from this experience. Making them feel different and separating them from their peers will only harm them more.
As a women, and a parent, surely you know these things, and know in your heart that this is really wrong.

Crawford to silence further protests...they think..

NO PARKING' SIGNS TO SILENCE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

WACO, Texas -- Two weeks after Cindy Sheehan left her anti-war
campsite by the road leading to President Bush's ranch, county
commissioners have banned parking along 23 miles of roads in the area.

Before the 4-1 vote Tuesday, McLennan County Commissioner Ray Meadows
said about 80 residents had complained of blocked roads, loud music
and public health and safety concerns during the 26-day protest near
Bush's ranch outside Crawford, about 20 miles west of Waco.

"It's not a First Amendment issue. It's a safety issue," Meadows said,
adding that "no parking" signs could be put up this week."

In progressive grannie's humble opinion, no parking signs won't stop anything. We are much more creative than that!

FEMA's body recovery underlying scam

FEMA brought in SCI (Service Corporation International) for removal of bodies. SCI President is a crony of Bush's, and Bush bailed him out of an investigation into their embalming practices in 1999.
This same firm "is known for its "experience" at hiding and dumping bodies" according to Raw Story

Why FEMA chose to outsource mortuary services to a paid contractor is also mystery to Dan Buckner, co-owner of the Gowen-Smith Chapel in the Gulf area. Buckner had planned to serve with the Disaster Mortuary Operational Responses Team, which reportedly told Buckner's partner, Gary Hicks of Paducah, KY, to expect up to 40,000 deaths from Katrina in Louisiana and Mississippi.

Upon learning of Kenyon’s contract, Buckner expressed puzzlement. He told the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, "Volunteers would have gone at no charge."

Katrina viewed by the world

Oh yeah, democracy really looks more attractive now. Show us your tired, your poor, your hungry...and Katrina showed the world that we don't have streets paved with gold, but US citizens mired in poverty and stranded with no way out, and a government that didn't care. Slate outlines the impact in depth:

"The initial federal and local reactions to Hurricane Katrina, however, have sent the opposite message. The images seen around the world communicated a lack of competence and considerable chaos and suffering. The dominant overseas reaction has been sympathy mixed with shock and horror at what was seen by many as evidence of racism and a reminder of the extreme poverty in which many Americans live.

The global impact[of Katrina on foreign policy]goes beyond impressions. A priority of this administration's foreign policy is to promote democracy around the world. But the attractiveness of the American model, and the ability of the United States to be an effective advocate for more democratic, capitalist societies, which had already been weakened by the disarray in Iraq, is now weaker still as a result of the disarray at home. It will be more difficult to make the case for free markets and more open societies if the results of such reforms come to be associated with the disorder seen in New Orleans." more

Al Gore's speech A Moral Moment
"...This is a moral moment. This is not ultimately about any scientific debate or political dialogue. Ultimately it is about who we are as human beings. It is about our capacity to transcend our own limitations; to rise to this new occasion; to see with our hearts, as well as our heads, the unprecedented response that is now called for; to disenthrall ourselves; to shed the illusions that have been our accomplices in ignoring the warnings that were clearly given; and hearing the ones that are clearly given now.

Where there is no vision, the people perish. And Lincoln said at another moment of supreme challenge that the question facing the people of the United States of America ultimately was whether or not this government, conceived in liberty, dedicated to freedom, of the people, by the people, and for the people -- or any government so conceived -- would perish from this earth.

There is another side to this moral challenge. Where there is vision, the people prosper and flourish, and the natural world recovers, and our communities recover. The good news is we know what to do. The good news is, we have everything we need now to respond to the challenge of global warming. We have all the technologies we need, more are being developed, and as they become available and become more affordable when produced in scale, they will make it easier to respond. But we should not wait, we cannot wait, we must not wait, we have every thing we need -- save perhaps political will. And in our democracy, political will is a renewable resource. [sustained applause]....

We brought down Communism, we brought down apartheid, we have even solved a global environmental crisis before -- the hole in the stratospheric ozone layer -- because we had leadership and because we had vision and because people who exercise moral authority in their local communities empowered our nation's government "of the people by the people and for the people" to take ethical actions even thought they were difficult.

This is another such time. This is your moment. This is the time for those who see and understand and care and are willing to work to say this time the warnings will not be ignored. This time we will prepare. This time we will rise to the occasion. And we will prevail. Thank you. Good luck to you, God bless you. [sustained applause]"

Just relaxing

Just relaxing, originally uploaded by skystone461.

Ok, I chased Mr. S (the kitty) and he got away to the top of the dryer, does this mean I should relax now?

Poverty in America, the truth....

The Economic Policy Institute September 1, 2005,Briefing Paper #165

Working families' incomes often fail to meet living expenses around the U.S.

by Sylvia A. Allegretto

The ability of families to meet their most basic needs is an important measure of economic stability and well-being. While poverty thresholds are used to evaluate the extent of serious economic deprivation in our society, family budgets, that is, the income a family needs to secure safe and decent-yet-modest living standards in the community in which it resides offer a broader measure of economic welfare.1

The family budgets presented in this report take into account differences in both geographic location and family type. In total, this report presents basic budgets for over 400 U.S. communities and six family types (either one or two parents with one, two, or three children). That the budgets differ by location is important, since certain costs, such as housing, vary significantly depending on where one resides. This geographic dimension of family budget measurements offers a comparative advantage over using poverty thresholds, which only use a national baseline in its measurements.

Basic family budget measurements are adjustable by family type because expenses vary considerably depending on the number of children in a family and whether or not a family is headed by a single parent or a married couple.

The second part of this analysis compares data on actual working family incomes and the associated basic family budgets. Such a comparison can show, for example, what percentage of two-parent families with two children in Pittsburgh, Pa., are actually earning enough income to meet basic family budget thresholds.2 These comparisons can also show not only the share of families falling below family budget thresholds, but the number of total people—parents and children—that are affected. Given recent policies that emphasize work as the solution to poverty and economic hardship, this analysis is important because it shows that sometimes work simply isn't enough.

The following are major findings from this analysis:

The range of basic family budgets for a two-parent, two-child family is $31,080 (rural Nebraska) to $64,656 (Boston, Massachusetts). The median family budget of $39,984 is well above the $19,157 poverty threshold for this size family.

Over three times more working families fall below the basic family budget levels as fall below the official poverty line.

Of the six family types examined, over 14 million people (28%) live in families with incomes below the basic family budget thresholds.

The incorporation of cost-of-living differences into basic family budgets makes them advantageous in many ways. For example, when using poverty thresholds, approximately 37% of families fall below "twice poverty" (i.e., double the poverty line), whether they reside in cities or rural areas. But when using family budget measures, which embody the higher cost of living in cities, one finds that 42% of families living in cities and 30% of families residing in rural areas fall short of basic family budget thresholds.

Think of it as being in steerage

The Titanic Of Our Era by Bill Fletcher, Jr.,September 09, 2005.

"The complete failure of the Bush administration—and to a lesser extent state and local authorities on the Gulf Coast— to respond to the devastation of Hurricane Katrina has raised questions about the motives at play. The fact that the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor and black people were thrown up for grabs and that the Bush administration could not mobilize any significant response for five days has led many people to assume that this was an act of planned genocide. How else, one may wonder, could such a thing have been allowed to happen?

There is another way to think about the disaster: the steerage on the Titanic. To refresh your memory, that was the section of the ship that provided the cheapest accommodations and where the poorest were housed. It was also the lowest part of the ship, the least safe and the site of overwhelming death. One may remember, as portrayed in the film Titanic , that the passengers in steerage were literally locked in, trapped like rats such that they could not escape the rising water.

Does this somehow sound familiar?

Did the builders of the Titanic design it in such a way that they aimed to kill the occupants of steerage? Not at all. They did, however, design it so that if anyone was going to die, it would be those in steerage. Their deaths were acceptable for the builders of the Titanic. After all, those in steerage were considered a less-relevant population than the rich on the upper decks.

The capitalism of the contemporary era shares many of the same values informing the builders of the Titanic; the poor are not the responsibility of society at large. The construction of the Titanic was not simply a technological matter. There was a decision that the poor could be sacrificed in order that the rich survive. That is the essence of capitalism in general, but particularly neo-liberal capitalism—the capitalism of this era. There need not have been an intent to wipe out thousands of poor and black people in the Gulf. The assumptions about how money would be spent, what was necessary, etc., meant that in the face of disaster, the poor and the black would be sacrificed, and the rich would have their SUVs [read: life boats]"

Obviously, the middle and poor classes of this country are expendable to the neocons and the Bushites. They now continue to plot to decrease medicaid and medicare benefits, but may concede that they can't remove those benefits from the gulf state residents because it might look bad or unsavory.

DeLay--Katrina kind of fun

"While on the tour of a shelter with top administration officials from Washington, including U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao and U.S. Treasury Secretary John W. Snow, DeLay stopped to chat with three young boys resting on cots.

The congressman likened their stay to being at camp and asked, ``Now tell me the truth boys, is this kind of fun?''

They nodded yes, but looked perplexed."

What in God's green earth is wrong with this man? Does this look like summer camp? How condescending, rude and outrageous! Of course, we already know that DeLay has no ethics, and here is more proof.

To read the entire article Houston Chronicle

Come to Washington DC

Federal restrictions on reporters covering Katrina

"September 7 Reuters article reported that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) "asked the media not to take pictures of those killed by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath" and "refused to take reporters and photographers along on boats seeking victims in flooded areas." FEMA's actions, along with further reports that the government is obstructing journalists in New Orleans, have drawn little attention -- and even less outrage -- from the very media institutions that the agency, part of the Bush administration, seeks to repress. Media Matters for America wonders: What will it take for the media to protest (or at least report) the Bush administration's efforts to control them?...
In a September 8 Philadelphia Inquirer column, television columnist Gail Shister quoted Alex Jones, director of Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy: " 'I think they want to minimize the perception that the government didn't do its job,' says Jones, a former New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize-winner. 'I'm very suspicious of their motives.' " Editor & Publisher also noted FEMA's actions and the reactions of journalist groups in a September 8 article." For more go to media matters

"NBC anchor and managing editor Brian Williams noted in his weblog that journalists are being forcibly prevented from covering certain aspects of the Katrina disaster: The short version is: there won't be any pictures of this particular group of Guard soldiers on our newscast tonight. Rules (or I suspect in this case an order on a whim) like those do not HELP the palpable feeling that this area is somehow separate from the United States.

At that same fire scene, a police officer from out of town raised the muzzle of her weapon and aimed it at members of the media ... obvious members of the media ... armed only with notepads. Her actions (apparently because she thought reporters were encroaching on the scene) were over the top and she was told. ... Someone else points out on television as I post this: the fact that the National Guard now bars entry (by journalists) to the very places where people last week were barred from LEAVING (The Convention Center and Superdome) is a kind of perverse and perfectly backward postscript to this awful chapter in American history."

Kucinich on Sept 2nd

Floor Statement of Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich: The Supplemental for
Katrina
Saturday, September 03 2005 @ 08:24 AM PDT
Contributed by: Peggy

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SEPTEMBER 2, 2005
12:20 PM CONTACT: Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Doug Gordon (202) 225-5871

Floor Statement of Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich:
The Supplemental for Hurricane Katrina

WASHINGTON - September 2 - Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich (D-OH) gave the
following speech today on the House floor during a special session to
provide relief money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina:

"This amount of money is only a fraction of what is needed and everyone here
knows it. Let it go forward quickly with heart-felt thanks to those who are
helping to save lives with necessary food, water, shelter, medical care and
security. Congress must also demand accountability with the appropriations.
Because until there are basic changes in the direction of this government,
this tragedy will multiply to apocalyptic proportions.
The Administration yesterday said that no one anticipated the breach of the
levees. Did the Administration not see or care about the 2001 FEMA warning
about the risk of a devastating hurricane hitting the people of New Orleans?
Did it not know or care that civil and army engineers were warning for years
about the consequences of failure to strengthen the flood control system?
Was it aware or did it care that the very same Administration which decries
the plight of the people today, cut from the budget tens of millions needed
for Gulf-area flood control projects?

Countless lives have been lost throughout the South with a cost of hundreds
of billions in ruined homes, businesses, and the destruction of an entire
physical and social infrastructure.

The President said an hour ago that the Gulf Coast looks like it has been
obliterated by a weapon. It has. Indifference is a weapon of mass
destruction.

Our indifferent government is in a crisis of legitimacy. If it continues to
ignore its basic responsibility for the health and welfare of the American
people, will there ever be enough money to clean up after their
indifference?

As our government continues to squander human and monetary resources of this
country on the war, people are beginning to ask, 'Isn't it time we began to
take care of our own people here at home? Isn't it time we rescued our own
citizens? Isn't it time we fed our own people? Isn't it time we sheltered
our own people? Isn't it time we provided physical and economic security for
our own people?' And isn't it time we stopped the oil companies from
profiting from this tragedy?

We have plenty of work to do here at home. It is time for America to come
home and take care of its own people who are drowning in the streets,
suffocating in attics, dying from exposure to the elements, oppressed by
poverty and illness, wracked with despair and hunger and thirst.

The time is NOW to bring back to the United States the 78,000 National Guard
troops currently deployed overseas into the Gulf Coast region.

The time is NOW to bring back to the US the equipment which will be needed
for search and rescue, for clean up and reclamation.

The time is NOW for federal resources, including closed Army bases, to be
used for temporary shelter for those who have been displaced by the
hurricane.

The time is NOW to plan massive public works, with jobs going to the people
of the Gulf Coast states, to build new levees, new roads, bridges,
libraries, schools, colleges and universities and to rebuild all public
institutions, including hospitals. Medicare ought to be extended to
everyone, so every person can get the physical and mental health care they
might need as a result of the disaster.

The time is NOW for the federal government to take seriously the research of
scientists who have warned for years about the dangers of changes in the
global climate, and to prepare other regions of the country for other
possible weather disasters until we change our disastrous energy policies.

The time is NOW for changes in our energy policy, to end the domination of
oil and fossil fuel and to invest heavily in alternative energy, including
wind and solar, geothermal and biofuels.

As bad as this catastrophe will prove to be, it is in fact only a warning.
Our government must change its direction, it must become involved in making
America a better place to live, a place where all may survive and thrive. It
must get off the path of war and seek the path of peace, peace with the
natural environment, peace with other nations, peace with a just economic
system."

my hat is too BIG!

Big hat, originally uploaded by skystone461.

Xavier tries on a hat at the Labor Day parade, while waiting for the KCDC float to take off.

Riders ready to get on the KCDC float

pretty girls, originally uploaded by skystone461.

Lexi and Ariana were ready to ride the float on Labor Day. It did not take them long (with Xavier's help, not pictured)to figure out that throwing candy was fun!

Barbara Bush, on the evacuees...heartless B-----

You know, I was so overwhelmed with anger this past week that I could not add to this blog in any shape or fashion that would have been civil. The Army Nurse in me was so outraged! Now, here comes Barbara Bush, with an outrageous statement! I can't believe it!

Barbara Bush: Things Working Out "Very Well" for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans

By E&P Staff

Published: September 05, 2005 7:25 PM ET updated 8:00 PM

NEW YORK Accompanying her husband, former President George H.W.Bush, on a tour of hurricane relief centers in Houston, Barbara Bush said today, referring to the poor who had lost everything back home and evacuated, "This is working very well for them."

The former First Lady's remarks were aired this evening on National Public Radio's "Marketplace" program.

She was part of a group in Houston today at the Astrodome that included her husband and former President Bill Clinton, who were chosen by her son, the current president, to head fundraising efforts for the recovery. Sen. Hilary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama were also present.

In a segment at the top of the show on the surge of evacuees to the Texas city, Barbara Bush said: "Almost everyone I’ve talked to says we're going to move to Houston."

Then she added: "What I’m hearing is they all want to stay in Texas. Everyone is so overwhelmed by the hospitality.

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this [she chuckles slightly]is working very well for them."

The Shame of the Bush "rescue" effort

From the frameshopisopen
"Despite endless reports and images that tortured the minds of Americans, President Bush’s delivery--his behavior in general--never registered any of the dramatic emotion that fell like a dark cloud on the country. He was and continues to be emotionally empty in the face of the tragic events."

As the failure of the relief effort unfolded, Americans witnessed a startling contrast between a citizenry, press corp, and local leadership who spoke with more and more emotion with each passing moment, and a President, White House and Cabinet that grew more and more stoic.

After a short while, the President’s failure to deliver food and water became linked in the minds of Americans to the absence of emotions in his behavior. And once those two issues were connected, America had effectively lost faith in its leader."

Today as I waited for my phone to be repaired I overheard several people still talking about how Bush did nothing in the early days to help the flood victims. One even said that she used to like Bush, but not anymore because it was obvious he didn't care about people like her.

The anger I feel over how the Bush administration acted, and how they are now spinning the blame, is over the top! I can hardly wait to go to DC in a few weeks, and visit my representative's office in person, to speak about my anger at this poor, poor response. I trained for years and years in NDMS drills with the Army, practicing for just this kind of thing. Did someone forget all the years of work so many of us put into mass casualty situations?

Of course the Bush folks listen to input from only their inner circle, and pay no attention to the experienced folks, who are not of their "clan." Shame on them. Shame on them!

Today's Headlines: Help Finally Rolls In

Finally rolls in...6 days later?????? I have been angry to 6 days, to angry to put it in words. Why couldn't they drop water? Why couldn't they do anything? So it's flooded, so what. Where were the helicopters, the high profile military vehicles, the US Navy, Coast Guard and Marines? Where were the brains in the federal government? Oh, I forget Bush hasn't got a brain, a shred of compassion or common sense, nor do any of his cronies that he put in positions of authority.
I am just so ANGRY! We could drop food in Afghanistan and Iraq faster than we can in our own country! It's outrageous beyond belief!

Crawford Aug. 27 2005

It was a large crowd, gathered together in the 101+ degree heat in Crawford, under a large tent. Just a hint of a breeze, that taunted, but did not cool. A variety of people, from elderly to the young were present. There were few pro-Bush folks around. They drove back and forth on the road, waving huge American flags, and honking their horns. One man, in particular, honked repeatedly as we sang Amazing Grace led by Joan Baez.
One thing I did not understand on any of my visits to Crawford (Aug 6, 13, 27) was the attitude of the pro-Bush folks. They spent a lot of time and energy calling us "un-American, pinkos, commies,: and worse. I can curse a blue streak and will do so at any opportunity, but these folks used words that I would not use or even repeat. They feel strongly about their cause, vut are inarticulate and tend to regurgitate the bullet points of the administration. In today's Express-News, there were 2 letters to the editor that almost word for word regurgitated the Prez's bullet points. What a waste of time. But of course, if we do not educate our children well, they will not become critical thinkers, and will be incapable of determining government fact from fiction.
I just do not understand the value of being "pro-war." The folks that protested in Crawford against the peace movement were called "pro-war" in the media. Why is being PRO WAR a good thing? Why would we want to go to war? Who benefits? Obviously the rich and corporate interests benefit, not the rest of us! Folks, stop drinking the Koolaid....wake up! There is no "good" war. We do not solve world wide terrorism by invading Iraq. It's just one country, and the root of terrorism is deeper than that. Economics and social justice play a part in the entire scenario, but we are too blind to see it.

So, more pictures....to soothe my soul:







I am a lucky Veteran. I served my country in the US Army but my "war" experiences only consist of caring for post Vietnam war Veterans, being active duty for Operation Just Cause at Fort Bragg, and caring for Gulf War veterans with neurological injuries resulting from parachute training accidents at Fort Benning. I have the utmost respect for all our war veterans. I am angry that they do not get the best of medical care. They are continually short-changed by our federal government and used as "cannon fodder" for the rich.
God bless our Veterans.
Be a supporter of our Veterans. Give to the USO; volunteer at a VA Hospital, and question the closure of Walter Reed Army Hospital...which was just getting ready to open an amputee unit. Now, only BAMC will have one.
Do you find it odd that military hospitals and VA clinics are being closed at a time when we have a need to take care of the injured?
Write your legislator!

The very professional police officers in Crawford

Every time I have been up to Crawford, including the first day, Aug. 6, I have been impressed with the professionalism of the police officers. This photo was posted on the blog ellagoes.com and is a good example of how things have been at Camp Casey in contrast to right-wing radio and media reports.

"Regarding the friendly relationship at Camp Casey with the local authorities:
Ella playing with Lt. Sid Franklin this weekend."

I just wonder how things will be this weekend as the right wingers plan their supposed invasion of Camp Casey. Previously it has been a calm, friendly place, with few anti-whatever protesters. However, with the right wing media riling up these people there is no telling what will happen. I am hoping the right wing people will remember that they usually pride themselves on being Christians, and will bring their best Christian behavior with them.

Bush's vacation from his vacation

New York Times
By Maureen Dowd

"W. vacationed so hard in Texas he got bushed. He needed a vacation from his vacation.
The most rested president in American history headed West yesterday to get away from his Western getaway - and the mushrooming Crawford Woodstock - and spend a couple of days at the Tamarack Resort in the rural Idaho mountains.
"I'm kind of hangin' loose, as they say," he told reporters."

Here is a photo of the largest lodgings at Tamarack Resort:
Price per night was not noted. In addition, the website noted that the ENTIRE lodge was closed for the duration of the Prez's visit.
So, what else can our most rested Prez do? How about biking?

Nice that he can "hang loose" while our troops get killed. Nice that he has the most vacation days ever of any sitting President.

Guess his "war" is going just fine, and he just keep trotting out the same old speeches in front of highly screened crowds. Although I must say, the VFW Convention attendees were awesome enought to find a way to protest without the Secret Service catching on! You see the Secret Service won't allow T-shirts, paper, markers, posters, signs, bumper stickers, etc. But these old guys found a way!

Check out the ear....



God bless those Veterans!

Pittsburg police arrest, and tazer women protesters

Sgt. Clint Winkler, a supervisor on duty, told The Associated Press he tried to use pepper spray on one woman who would not leave, but it hit her glasses. She was then subdued with a Taser, Winkler said.
full article

Pepper spray and Tazers to subdue a measly 60 protesters? Outrageous abuse of power. This is still a free country, and this is inexcusable. Period. Of course, did you hear about it on NBC, CBS or ABC? Nope, the news uis canceled, we are fed the pap of celebrity and faux news.

Bush flips off everyone

Go to google, click images, put this in the search box: bush + finger.
Although there are some duplicates, it is obvious that our "frat boy" and bully of a President has no sense of decency, despite labeling himself at "Christian."

George Bush, "getting on with his life."  

Today, Thurday Aug. 18 I have many things on my mind ...

Therefore this post will be a free assocation of thoughts, in no particular order. Just as our world is a less orderly place, so are my thoughts. So many problems in our country, and no solutions, it's frustrating.

First, this letter by Elizabeth Edwards:

"Cindy wants Casey's death to have meant as much as his life -- lived fully -- might have meant. I know this, as does every mother who has ever stood where we stand. And the President says he knows enough, doesn't need to hear from Casey's mother, doesn't need to assure her that Casey's is not one small death in a long and seemingly never-ending drip of deaths, that there is a plan here that will bring our sons and daughters home. He doesn't need to hear from her, he says. He claims he understands how some people feel about the deaths in Iraq.

The President is wrong." complete letter

The right wing bashes Cindy Sheehan:

"Pro-Bush media hit squads are busily spreading the notions that Sheehan is a dupe of radicals, naïve and/or nutty. But the most promising avenue of attack is likely to be the one sketched out by Fox News Channel eminence Bill O’Reilly on Aug. 9, 2005, when he declared that Cindy Sheehan bears some responsibility for “other American families who have lost sons and daughters in Iraq who feel that this kind of behavior borders on treasonous.”
During a typical outburst in early 2003 before the Iraq invasion, Rush Limbaugh told his radio audience: “I want to say something about these anti-war demonstrators. No, let’s not mince words, let’s call them what they are—anti-American demonstrators.” Weeks later, former Congressman Joe Scarborough, a Republican rising through the ranks of national TV hosts, said on MSNBC: “These leftist stooges for anti-American causes are always given a free pass. Isn’t it time to make them stand up and be counted for their views, which could hurt American troop morale?”

Such poisonous sludge is now pouring out of some mass media—and we should expect plenty more in response to a growing anti-war movement."
" more

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart on Bush vs. Cindy. (You gotta love Jon Stewart!)
In a segment titled -- what else? -- "Texas Scold'em," Stewart covers Cindy Sheehan's vigil in his own peculiar way (video here).

Out at "Dude Ranch One," the president steps onto the set of Bonanza to concede that Sheehan does, of course, have the right to say what she believes, as long, Stewart says, as long as that position's a mile away from the BBQ pit!"

And to Bush's statement that he must "go on with my life," Stewart, nearly losing his comic cool, responds: "yes, I've gotta be strong, it's time for me to put this woman's dead son behind me and just move on."


George Bush, "getting on with his life."  

Monday morning in Crawford

huffingtonpost

The ninth day ended in the most awesome way. We were out at Camp Casey and it was sprinkling a little bit and it really looked like the rain was going to start pouring down anytime. We looked over into the next cow pasture and there was a full rainbow. Rainbows are supposedley God's sign of hope. When Casey was killed on 04/04/04, I thought that all of my hope was killed, too. Being involved in the peaceful occupation of Crawford and meeting hundreds of people from all over the world has given me so much hope for the future.

We had a lovely interfaith prayer service this morning. It was truly beautiful and we were all weeping while we were singing "Amazing Grace." But, during the service, one of our neighbors fired off a shot gun. He said he was shooting at birds, but he is tired of us being there and he wants us to leave. I didn't get to talk to him, but I told the media that if he wanted us to leave so badly, why doesn't he tell his other neighbor, George, to talk to me. We are good neighbors and we are cooperating with everyone. By the way, in case I forgot to blog it last night, the Sheriff has requested that I stay down in Crawford during the night, because he is afraid for my safety after he leaves. He said he would "sleep better" himself at night if I came into town to sleep. Judging from the shooting guns, I guess he was right.

Cindy Sheehan's war

"Sheehan herself seems unfazed by the media circus and image-shaping going on around her. In a world where horrors are referred to euphemistically, or limned in politely, or artfully ignored, she does something quite rare -- she calls things by their names as she sees them. She is as blunt and impolite in her mission as the media is circumspect and polite in its job, as most of the opposition to George Bush is in its "opposition." And it was her very bluntness, her ability to shock by calling things by their actual names, by acting as she saw fit, that let her break through and that may help turn a set of unhappy public opinion polls into a full-scale antiwar movement.

What will happen next? Will the President actually attend a funeral? Will Cindy Sheehan force him from his Green-Zone world? Suddenly, almost anything seems possible.

However the media deals with her, she embodies every bind the administration is in. As with Iraq (as well as Iran), the administration can't either make its will felt or sweep her off the landscape. Bush and his officials blinked at a moment when they would certainly have liked to whack her, fearing the power of the mother of a dead son from their war. And then, completely uncharacteristically, they vacillated and flip-flopped. They ignored her, then negotiated. They sent out their attack dogs to flail at her, then expressed sympathy. Officials, who have always known what to do before, had no idea what to do with Cindy Sheehan. The most powerful people in the world, they surely feel trapped and helpless. Somehow, she's taken that magical presidential something out of George and cut him down to size. It's been a remarkable performance so far."

The Tomdispatch article is very insightful, clarifying many historical facts and is well worth the read

Shots fired by Camp Casey!

10:15 a.m.
From Deborah Mathews' report for The Iconoclast: Camp Casey is becoming very organized, with how-to signs placed about. Ann Wright said, "That's what we are trying to do."

Let me read you the schedule posted on a tree: "9:15 camp meeting; 10 a.m. inter-faith service, 10:30 a.m., "Food-Not-Bombs Breakfast at Peace House," and....

"Wait! Someone is firing a gun. (pause). He fired it into the air about five times. He appears to be a local inside the fence line on private property. Now he has thrown what looks like a shotgun into the front seat of a pickup, and he's stomping off out of sight. I wonder where he went.

"Now he's coming back out. I'm out here standing on the road. He's got a no parking sign in his hand, walking toward his fence. I'm going to go try to talk to him. I've got to hang up."

The man is Larry Mattlage, who says he is on his property and just posted a no-parking sign.

"We're going to start doing our war and it's going to be underneath the law," he told me. "Whatever it takes. So y'all go find another place to do whatever you do. 'Cause this is our front yard and back yard."

It was from behind this vehicle that shots were fired. Note the box of shells on the tailgate of this pickup.


As he hung a “No Parking” sign on his fence, he said:

“We’re gonna’ start doing our war, but we’re gonna’ do it underneath the law, or whatever it takes. So you all go find you another place to do whatever you’re gonna’ do, because this is our front yard and back yard.”

I asked him, “When you say you all, do you mean the protestors?”

He answered, “I’m talking this whole damn country is neighbors and friends and this is our country. And if this group says that they are so much in Jesus and neighbors' rights and all that they pretend to be, why don’t they show it. You gotta’ live it. You gotta’ live Jesus Christ. And this is not Jesus Christ . . .

Another reporter walked up and asked, “Are you Mr. Mattlage?”

“I sure as hell am,” he answered. “Well, I want to get on the Letterman Show. I want to get on Jay Leno. This is a joke out here. You done your right and I believe in ??. This ain’t about Democrats and this ain’t about Republicans. This is about my rights and these people’s rights as American citizens who live here. You done your deal. You done your show. Now move on. I’m asking that as an American citizen and a taxpaying citizen, because I pay taxes to the middle of this road, and I mow it, and I keep it clean, and all I got now is trespassers. If that ain’t right, it ain’t right, but I want the whole world to know what they’ve done. They started out doing right and now they are doing wrong. When they first got here, I understood their cause and I appreciate it. I don’t like the war no more than anybody else, but right here we got war . . right on my front yard. Everybody here is sick of it. If everybody will leave now, everybody will go home a winner. Then the president can enjoy his vacation like everybody else and these farmers and ranchers can go check their cattle without having to go through a campsite.”

Deborah: Are any of them prevented from getting to their cattle now?

Mr. Mattlage: Ma’am, who wants to wade through all these people walking around there. What this is a war of porta-potties and the one with the most porta-potties is gonna’ win and you know who that is don’t you. You all got started out going to the bathroom in a five gallon bucket. Now, I see three porta-potties. How many more porta-potties are we going to have to put up with? Now, George Bush has more porta-potties than you all, so if I was a bettin’ man, I’d say he’s gonna win. So let’s don’t make this a little more ridiculous than it is now. Everybody go back a winner. You’ve made your point. I’m proud of you. God bless all of you.

Reporter: Did you fire a shotgun?

Mr. Mattlage: Yes I did! I got a right to fire up in the air. I am getting ready for dove season and you all are messing up my dove huntin’, so if you all could please leave and go somewhere else, this whole community would be behind you.
em>[Note: Central Zone Texas Dove Season 2005; Sept 1 to Oct 30 & Dec 26 to Jan 4]

Reporter: How many acres do you have?

Mr. Mattlage: It don’t make any difference. That don’t have nothing to do with it. I pay taxes to the middle of this road and that person over there (he said as he pointed across the road to the opposite side) pays taxes to the middle of that road.

Reporter: So this is your land right here?

Mr. Mattlage: This is my land right here. We’ve been here for 125 years, okay. And this group ain’t running us out. Our family’s fought in wars, drought—grew up without any water—we’re pretty tough folks. We will survive this. This group is like Frosty the Snowman here. It’s gonna’ melt and they’ll be back another day. We are just waiting for Frosty to melt. We’ve got one group over here that’s not gonna’ give up and we’ve got one group over here won’t give up and we right here in the middle. Do you understand? This ain’t New York and it ain’t California and it ain’t Washington. I’m not political. I’m just a taxpaying citizen that wants my rights. That’s all I got to say. Thank you. And I will be back here all night long and I’ll be shootin’ at doves in the air, so anybody that camps here better get ready for some gunfire. If we don’t hit anything, I want every redneck in Texas to come on my property and this property here and we gonna’ really have a show. Thank You."

Now shooting and being called traitors, does lynching come next? Is the truth about Bush that scary that his followers, like the members of a religious cult, must follow and support their leader no matter what, regardless of facts?
Great thanks to the Lone Star Iconoclast, catch them and Cindy watch here They are the best, most complete and unbiased news source there is! and audio links are here

This story embodies some of what is going on at Camp Casey

Annie and the man in the pick up truck

As everyone was going about their business, waiting for the counter protesters to arrive, a man drove up in a huge diesel pickup truck. You know the kind, with the big doolie wheels and such. He parked right in the center of the triangle – right in the space no one from Camp is supposed to be. He parked in such a way that the front end of his truck was facing directly towards the tents where Cindy and the other military families sleep – and where all the crosses of fallen soldiers have been erected.

The man sat in his truck for quite some time while our people looked on and waited to see what he intended. After a while, one of the vets from Camp Casey walked up to the man’s truck and informed him that no one was allowed to park in the triangle. The gentleman identified himself as the father of a fallen soldier. Anne Wright walked up to this man’s truck and began speaking with him through his rolled down window. He told her that he did not support what Cindy and the others are doing at Camp Casey, but he wanted to come and see if his son’s name was on one of the crosses. Anne invited him to come walk the crosses with her. The man got out of his truck and went with Anne to move up and down the rows of crosses, looking together for his son’s name. When they found it, they sat down in front of it, wrapped their arms around each other and cried together.

The entire Camp was affected by this event. I suspect that there were few dry eyes in our little corner of Crawford yesterday afternoon. I know that even as Annie related this story to me, I was choking up and having a very difficult time typing as she spoke, her voice cracking as she related the tale. Much has been said on both sides of this issue about what is “right” and what is “good” and what is “honorable.” If you ask me, the interaction between Anne and “The Man In The Truck” is the perfect representation of what we are trying to accomplish – Peaceful coexistence among people of different beliefs, politics and ideologies. I don’t know who “the man in the truck” is, but should he ever read this, I want him to know how much his story touched me. I want him to know that I honor him, and I honor his child, and I honor the sacrifice his family has made in pursuit of their ideals. To you, Sir, I bow my head in respect.

Camp Casey, Crawford Texas August 13, 2005

A pissed off rancher's sign on the property adjacent to Camp Casey 


One point of view from progressivegrannie and husband:

We drove up to Crawford for the second time, just to lend our support. There was a large crowd of folks, numbering in the hundreds. There was a smaller crowd of anti protesters, although it was hard to figure out what they were anti about. They bristled with flag strewn shirts, do-rags, and angry expressions. The anti people held a rally near the stadium, and had signs stating "american zone" like those of us who have not drunk the koolaid are traitors and worse. At Camp Casey some anti people, a handful, held signs saying, "don't be Michael Moore's puppets; stay the course; if we don't fight them over there..."

For both of us our experience at Camp Casey was a very moving experience. The lives that have been lost for this war of lies and deceit, is part of a tragedy that it is overwhelming. Standing and looking at the line of crosses is heartbreaking. So many parents gave their treasure, their children, in this war of lies. Then you see Cindy and the other Gold Star mothers and wonder how they can be so strong after such a loss. God bless Cindy, the mouse that roared!



See more photos below.

Many carried signs at Camp Casey

A sign at Camp Casey 

Cindy Sheehan speaking at Camp Casey 

The crowd forms at Camp Casey

A shot of another part of the crowd at Campy Casey 

Another part of the crowd at Camp Casey

Partial shot of the crowd at Camp Casey; a HUGE crowd I might add at least 500 people  

In support of Cindy Sheehan we went to Crawford. 

Some of Texas' finest, keeping us in line. Note, nobody is out of the grass. We loved the ditch. We stayed in the ditch, fire ants be damned. 

Cindy Sheehan giving an interview from where she was stopped outside the Bush ranch near Crawford, Texas 

March to Crawford on Aug. 6, 2005

  To view photos larger, right click and click open link.

I was there today, roasting my brains out with Ms. Sheehan and company. We were told that we could walk to a designated point, but we had to walk in the ditch because otherwise we would be on private property and would be arrested. Hmmm it was a county road, that's private? So we were walking in a ditch with tall weeds, steep sides, fire ants and possibly snakes. The chant? Bush makes Veterans walk in the ditch. Many folks had fire ant bites, including myself so we did walk on the very, very edge of the road due to these problems. In addition, we were told before hand that we could not go any farther than the bend in the road where we were stopped. Unlike the newsyahoo.com report, which stated that we were stopped because we refused to obey the police officers, where we stopped had nothing to do with us not "obeying" the police officers, it was a pre-determined stopping point set by the police before we even started walking. The average age of the march particpants was 40-50, how unruly do you think we would be? How did the police handle this? Simply, they were stationed at the bend in the road where we could go no further and behind us where we were allowed to park the bus and our cars. If anyone walked back to their cars to get water (it must have been at least 100 degrees)or to bring some back to others, they were allowed to walk to their vehicles and then told they could not come back. I guess the plan was to cause attrition by heat stroke. I do hope Cindy Sheehan can manage to stay until Bush or a representative speaks with her, but it doesn't look promising. I have a feeling they won't allow food, water or potty breaks to her. Ratio of police offices to protesters: 15 officers for 100 to 150 protesters, plus the obvious secret service guys trying to blend in. All in all, I am glad I went, but the lack of coverage by the media and the sham stories they have made up, really upsets me.
This is about our young people dying for Bush and Co.'s lies, and wanting the world to hear the stories and LISTEN. Will it ever happen? I don't know.

20 Marines from same town killed this week in Iraq

A roadside bomb killed 14 marines on patrol near the Syrian border on Wednesday. Insurgents killed six other marines on sniper duty northwest of Baghdad on Monday.

The 20 marines were members of the 3rd Battalion, based in Brook Park, a town of 21,000 just southwest of Cleveland. From the CBC News

As I heard this, my eyes filled with tears. So many young people losing their lives for lies, lies and more lies. My heart goes out to the folks in Brookpark, Ohio, and to all the other family members of ALL our troops that have died and been maimed.

14,000 young people have been maimed in this war, 14,000 and rising. This war has the highest amputee rate of any war we have ever fought. So what does our repugnant Republican government do? Cut VA funding, cut combat pay, and this week they cut housing allowances for our military.

Bush and Co. your priorities are so skewed. This is not morally right.

Inouye: GOP not doing enough for troops

There is absolutely no excuse to short change our troops. Lord knows Bush makes it sound like we are supporting them, but he lies. More news on fund cutting the troops...from the AP:

Inouye: GOP Not Doing Enough for Troops

Sat Jul 30,11:07 AM ET

Sen. Daniel Inouye (news, bio, voting record), D-Hawaii, an Army veteran who lost his right arm in World War II, criticized Republicans on Saturday for not doing enough to help troops fighting in or returning from Iraq.

In the Democrats' weekly radio address, Inouye said Senate Republicans were focusing on legislation sought by the gun lobby while ignoring the needs of troops.

On Tuesday, the Senate put off completion of a $491 billion defense bill to act on the National Rifle Association's top priority: shielding gun manufacturers and dealers from liability suits stemming from gun crimes.

"For years, we've heard the president and congressional Republicans speak eloquently about honoring our troops," Inouye said. "But this week — when push came to shove — their priorities were different."

The senator added: "Our men and women who have served should not worry about funding for health care year after year, and our soldiers on the front lines should get the resources they need. Our Congress could consider our men and our women in uniform as our nation's top priority."

The gun bill cleared the Senate 65-31 Friday, with Inouye in opposition.

Standing up to Roberts

by: Paul Rogat Loeb
August 01, 2005
This paragraph concisely stated the most salient facts about Roberts:
"How has a seemingly nice man like Roberts supported a politics of contempt for the voice of anyone but the wealthy and powerful? In a time when the Bush administration acts as if granted the divine right of kings, it's troubling that Roberts defended Cheney's right to refuse to name the corporate participants in his secret energy policy meeting. He advised Jeb Bush on the 2000 election, and denied being a member of the ultra-conservative Federalist Society, then turned up on the Society's Washington steering committee. He's argued that the Voting Rights Act can only be violated by intentional discrimination, saying laws that incidentally discriminate are OK. Most damning, Roberts just ruled that if this administration wishes to exempt someone from the Geneva Convention and international law, they have the absolute right to do so. The belief that a president can do whatever he chooses links this nomination, the Downing Street Memo and Plamegate in a common matrix of unaccountable power."
link to article

Where is Joseph Wilson mentioned in the 9/11 commission report?

I searched the PDF file and got 2 references to Wilson: Wilson Lowery and Thomas Wilson. Meanwhile Mehlman spins and dances and side-steps the facts. He even referenced the 9-11 Commission report noting it stated that Ambassador Wilson was sent by his wife to Niger. I looked but could not find Wilson's name anywhere. Go look for yourself the 9-11 Report and use the search tool. You won't find Wilson in that report.

Prevaricators R Us, Scottie McClelland...

See the press gaggle question Scottie boy and watch him squirm.
link to video
Gosh is the sky blue today although yesterday you said it was red? When is the truth the truth, and when is a lie a lie? And for heavens sake, what woke up the Washington media? They came out of their collective comas, not because Bush lied to the American people, but because McClelland lied to them. What skewed priorities!

Edgware Road attack in the heart of Arab London

AN ATTACK ON ARAB LONDON

. News reports are in about the location of the Tube bombs, and the stations picked for the horrific rush-hour assaults are especially chilling. These attacks were not just attacks on our closest ally, but on the very idea of Arab and Muslim integration into the West. Among the targets in the worst attack on London since World War II was the Edgware Road station, located in the heart of wealthy, assimilated Arab London. Middle Easterners of a variety of religions and South Asian Muslims are a substantial minority of the population in London, and the Edgware Road area is the pre-eminent Arab neighborhood in the city, with a fantastic variety of Lebanese coffee shops, Saudi grocery stores, and Persian restaurants. Some even call it "Little Lebanon," though the residents and shop clients come from all over the Middle East and North Africa, and the area especially attracts a young, hip crowd that compares it to Amman or Dubai. Edgware Road is Arab London's main street.
Though we have no idea yet whether the stations or train lines that were bombed were specifically targeted, it's hard to imagine that whatever terrorist organization or cell was behind the attacks failed to consider the symbolic power of an attack on Edgware Road.

Furthermore, the timing of the attacks and their location along the arc of the Metropolitan and Circle lines spreading along in time and space from East London -- where 60 percent of London Muslims reside -- suggests a specific intention with regard to targets. After all, the Circle line can just as easily take riders to Westminster's collection of government buildings as to Edgware Road. And Al-Qaeda has a history of engaging in symbolically significant attacks against financial centers, banks, military installations, and government buildings. Why not against Arab allies of the West, as well?

The New York Times is now reporting that the other underground bombs appear to have detonated close to the Liverpool and King's Cross stations, which are transportation hubs connecting overland trains to the underground. But Edgware Road is not a hub in the same way.

In recent months we've seen Islamic jihadists increasingly going after targets in the Arab and Muslim world who have allied themselves with the west. The victims of the bombing attacks and terrorist incidents in Iraq are overwhelmingly Arab Muslims. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has just claimed that it killed the Egyptian envoy to Iraq, after condemning him as "the ambassador of the infidels." When the casualty count is in, I suspect some fraction of the victims of today's henious attacks will be Arab or Muslim, as well.

--Garance Franke-Ruta

Posted at 03:50 PM

Right wing on London bombing

If this does not make your blood boil! Idiots, morons, right wing scare mongers all. Do they not realize that aid to Africa and other developing nations is a key to preventing terrorism? Debt relief gives a country the opportunity to provide a free education to children, something now being done in Medrassas, the breeding ground of the newest jihadists. People with jobs, food and a positive future are much less likely to be terrorists. And, terrorists are made, not born.

From mediamatters.org: Fox News' Brian Kilmeade: London terror attack near G8 summit "works to ... Western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together" »
"And he [British Prime Minister Tony Blair] made the statement, clearly shaken, but clearly determined. This is his second address in the last hour. First to the people of London, and now at the G8 summit, where their topic Number 1 --believe it or not-- was global warming, the second was African aid. And that was the first time since 9-11 when they should know, and they do know now, that terrorism should be Number 1. But it's important for them all to be together. I think that works to our advantage, in the Western world's advantage, for people to experience something like this together, just 500 miles from where the attacks have happened."

Not Dominion, But Liberty

Reflection on this Independence Day, from The Nation
...America was founded in opposition to empire. The Declaration of Independence was a manifesto against colonialism. And the founding generations abhorred imperialism.

Their opposition to empire was not merely rooted in their own bitter experience. It was, as well, rooted in a faith that American freedoms and democracy would suffer in the nation embarked upon a career of empire.

So, while Bush suggests that other lands must be occupied to preserve liberty at home, the patriots of our time recall will do well to recall words spoken on another July 4. ..on Independence Day, 1821, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams appeared before the US House of Representatives:

She has, in the lapse of nearly half a century, without a single exception, respected the independence of other nations while asserting and maintaining her own.

She has abstained from interference in the concerns of others, even when conflict has been for principles to which she clings, as to the last vital drop that visits the heart.

She has seen that probably for centuries to come, all the contests of that Aceldama the European world, will be contests of inveterate power, and emerging right.

Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be.

But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.

She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all.

July1 Press Conference, soldiers getting all they need

An excerpt, McClellan responding to reporters:

"The President was honored to meet with the wounded and their families. They are courageous and brave souls. And it's a moving experience to see the spirit that some of the wounded have. It's an amazing spirit. I mean, there was one individual, I remember, who had lost one of his legs and he struggled to stand up so he could stand at attention and salute the President. There was another who was laying in his bed and had both his left arm and right arm, I think he'd had some sort of surgery and they were both wrapped up past their elbows. And the soldier did everything he could just to raise his right arm all the way up to his head, in full salute to the President. The President looked at him and said, "You got it. You got it." And their spirit and bravery is just amazing to see.

The President asked them if they're getting everything they need, and asked their family members if they're getting everything they need. He talks about how proud he is of them and how honored he is to see them. And --

Q He's a very emotional man. He has cried before. Did you see any tears well up, or did you see tears running down today?"

Ok so Bush asked if they were getting everything they needed...the reporter never got McClellan to expand on that...a big missed opportunity. These guys at Walter Reed may be getting everything they need, but what happens when they are discharged from the military? Then they have to wait in line for a VA appt. The VA with funding cuts, the VA that has lost many facilities. Do you know how far a Veteran has to travel to VA care in some areas? In Texas, it's far.

VA Medical Centers: Amarillo, Big Spring,Bonham,Dallas, Houston, Marlin, San Antonio, Temple.

VA Outpatient Clinics: Austin, Beaumont, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Fort Worth, Laredo, Lufkin, Lubbock, McAllen, San Antonio, Victoria

Community based clinics: Abilene, Aledo, San Diego, Beeville, Bridgeport, Brownsville, Brownwood, College Station, Childress, Denton, Fort Stockton, Galveston, Greenville, Harlingen, San Diego, Longview, Marlin, Odessa, Palestine,
Paris, San Angelo,(closed for remodeling),Stamford, Stratford, Texarkana, Arkansas, Texas City, Tyler, Waxahachie, Wichita Falls. Some of these clinics are only open 3 days per week.

Now, according to the VA, "The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are the most sustained combat operations since the Vietnam War. A wealth of research has shown convincingly that the frequency and intensity of exposure to combat experiences is strongly associated with the risk of chronic posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; APA, 1994) and related impairment (Kaylor, King, & King, 1987). As a result, there is good reason to be more concerned about the long-term mental health toll associated with these new wars" article link

So, do our soldiers and their families really have everything they need? Is it really within reach of every veteran? Sure if you can afford a good car and time to wait, and wait and wait.

Protesters at the funeral of a soldier

What is the world coming to? I read this on my Texas Democratic Veterans email and I was totally apalled. There is absolutely no excuse for this behavior. Wonder how many of these hippocrites have support your troops magnets on their cars? Idiots.

Protesters To Disrupt Soldier's Funeral Mon Jun 27,12:19 PM ET

A Marblehead soldier who was killed in Afghanistan is scheduled to be laid to rest Monday, but a church group from Kansas is expected to try to disrupt the services and police are on alert for any problems.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that Staff Sgt. Christoper Piper, 43, served in both Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded a bronze star for his combat service. The Green Beret died when his convoy was bombed June 3 in Afghanistan and a right-wing Protestant Christian church group from Topeka, Kansas is planning to demonstrate at Piper's funeral services at the Old North Church. They claim U.S. soldiers like Piper are dying because the country is being punished for its tolerance of what they see as immoral behavior, such as homosexuality.

The group, from the Westboro Baptist Church, protested several weeks ago in Dracut and Lexington, Mass., carrying signs depicting homosexual sex, with slogans such as "Pope In Hell" and "God Hates Fags," and "God Hates The U.S." Police called in extra officers to handle the demonstrations.

"I had 30 motor units, I had 12 to 14 mountain bike officers, plus I had a complement of 37 of my officers," Lexington Police Chief Kevin Richardson said.

There were no serious problems. Police plan to escort the Kansas group to the funeral services at 9:30 a.m., and will escort them away again. The police said they are protecting the group's free speech rights.

Social Security Surplus????

OFF TO THE RACES
Surplus? What Surplus?

By Charlie Cook
Tuesday, June 28, 2005

For those of you who might have been on vacation or otherwise distracted last week, House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Thomas, R-Calif., and a number of other House Republicans proposed the creation of private investment accounts to be funded out of the Social Security surplus.

Hello, a Social Security surplus?

Last time I checked, President Bush had given an impassioned State of the Union speech trying to persuade Congress and the country that the Social Security system was headed toward insolvency.

Indeed, the debate wasn't about if Social Security was going to go belly-up, it was about when. Now Thomas and some of his fellow House Republicans want to fund a program out of the Social Security surplus?

Anyone who thinks that you can sell members of a typical Rotary or Kiwanis Club, or American Legion or VFW Post, or just about any other reasonably intelligent adult that there is enough of a Social Security surplus to buy a vente skim latte at Starbucks has been in Washington way too long. It boggles the mind to think that anyone believes that Republicans could sell this country the idea that there is a Social Security surplus.

Someone with massive long-term financial obligations but with a positive balance in checking and savings accounts does not necessarily have a surplus. A surplus is money over and above needs and obligations, and long-term Social Security obligations dwarf current and expected balances.

It goes without saying that there isn't an account in the U.S. Treasury where this money actually sits. And, it's true that the Social Security Trust Fund is used to make the deficit look smaller. But, what are they smoking at the Ways and Means Committee, and does the Drug Enforcement Administration know?

Like every other credible independent political analyst I know, I think it is very, very unlikely that Democrats can retake control of the House or Senate next year. Yes, I know it is a second-term, mid-term election, and that in five out of the six such "six-year-itch" elections, the party holding the White House incurred devastating losses. In fact, the average outcome in those six elections was a loss of 36 House and six Senate seats, enough to turn over control of both chambers if just an average outcome occurred.

But we keep reminding ourselves that the scarcity of vulnerable Republican seats in the House and Senate makes it almost impossible for the GOP to lose control.

Having said that, I don't think anyone has figured into the equation that Republicans would begin engaging in profoundly stupid and potentially suicidal actions that might prove us wrong and put them back into minority status.

There are two words that should give House Republicans pause before they take a leap aboard Thomas' proposal --- Rahm Emanuel. I am sure that Emanuel, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, is kind and loving to his wife and children and others in his immediate family.

But having known and watched the guy for almost 20 years, he does not strike me as an overly nice person. In fact, I'd lay odds that he would use a Louisville Slugger and treat like a piñata any Republican foolish enough to sign onto this thing. The murder scene in "Fargo" will look like patty-cake compared to what Emanuel will do to those guys.

It does not take a particularly creative mind to conjure up the television ads Democrats would air to harpoon the suggestion of a surplus. Some of the better ones would probably include Bush's own words warning of an impending Social Security crisis. Even the least creative media consultant could successfully handle this job.

Just because there does not appear to be enough vulnerable Republican seats for the GOP to lose control of the House does not mean the party is free to do whatever it wants without regard to electoral consequences. If a party tries hard enough, it can succeed in blowing its majorities. History holds many examples of this.

The thinking that led to this proposal is a consequence of having members in safe seats who have not met a swing voter in years. Don't get me wrong; Democrats have an equal share of members whose actions make one wonder what planet they live on.

That said, it should not come as a big surprise that drawing such safe districts means that it takes mind-boggling misbehavior to even draw a credible opponent. Add a campaign finance system that is so imbalanced that incumbents typically face opponents spending less than $50,000 for the entire cycle, and members become insulated from having to wonder what an average Joe or Jane Citizen would think about a given solution.

While there are a number of factors that have led to the paucity of competitive districts, this episode makes California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's case for him -- recalibrating districts would help to recalibrate Congress. If there were fewer slam-dunk districts for each party, then each side would have to look over its shoulder a bit more.

As someone who loves to see competition and wants to see more hot congressional races, regardless of who ends up winning, I say bring it on!

Source:
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Charlie Cook's "Off To The Races" is published each Tuesday by National Journal Group Inc. For more information about National Journal Group's publications, go to
http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/

Clash of the Titans

A post from the Democracy for America blog, link here
Holy moly — who put their Halliburton into my Gitmo?!

A Halliburton Co. unit will build a new $30 million detention facility and security fence at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the United States is holding about 520 foreign terrorism suspects, the Defense Department announced on Thursday.

The announcement comes the same week that Vice President Dick Cheney and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended the jail after U.S. lawmakers said it had created an image problem for the United States.

Critics have decried the indefinite detention of Guantanamo detainees, whom the United States has denied rights accorded under the Geneva Conventions to prisoners of war. The prison was called "the gulag of our times" in a recent Amnesty International report.

An air-conditioned two-story prison, known as Detention Camp #6, will be built at Guantanamo to house 220 men. It will include exercise areas, medical and dental spaces as well as a security control room, the contract announcement said.

The contract announcement did not specify whether the new prison would also hold foreign terror suspects.

Under the deal with the Norfolk, Virginia-based U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command, Atlantic, the work is to be wrapped up by July 2006. It is part of a larger contract that could be worth up to $500 million if all options are exercised, the Defense Department said.

Ahhhhh, yes: yet another hard-fought competitive success for Vice President Dick Cheney's favorite company. Must have been a ree-e-e-e-e-e-ally tough bidding process.

Seriously, guys — we can't make this stuff up. It's like truth has so far outpaced fiction that it's lapped it and passed it in the outside lane.

Posted by Greg Greene at 08:32 AM

Speeches on Downing Street memo

Several Democratic congressmembers, led by ranking House Judiciary member John Conyers (D-MI), have opted to move planned Downing Street memo-related speeches on the House floor Tuesday evening to Thursday, RAW STORY has learned.

The handful of members were forced to delay their plans after the Republican leadership scheduled several late-night votes, Conyers press secretary Dena Graziano told RAW STORY. They now plan speeches Thursday evening, though they could be thwarted again if votes are scheduled or Congress is adjourned.

Among those who have expressed interest in speaking are Democratic Reps. John Conyers, Sheila Jackson Lee, Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, John Lewis, Jay Inslee, Julia Carson, Louise Slaughter, Major Owens and Barney Frank, aides say.

Bush's speech tonight

While listening to the President's speech this evening there were many things that just ticked me off. I have learned, however, to listen to his speech with a piece of paper on which I develop a score card.
Here is the score from tonight's speech on the key words he used (without checking his transcript for accuracy)
Sept. 11 - 6
freedom/free - 25
terrorists/terror - 21
enemy - 8
security - 8
democracy - 7
difficult/hard 4
killers - 2
peace - 1
So, that means his speech was about what? Hmmmm...freedom, terrorists, enemy, security and democracy.But don't you forget about 9-11, as he again tried to tie Iraq to 9-11. They aren't related ! ! :thumbsdown:

Then, I began to notice the audience at Ft. Bragg. I served at Ft. Bragg in the U.S. Army. When looking at the audience I noted that I had never saw so many white people in the Army in one place in my life. So I wonder, how did they handpick this audience? It appeared to be officers only, first of all, and there were very few minorities. After all African Americans make up 1/4 of the US Army population, but the audience for Bush's speech certainly did not reflect that.
So Bush again hand picks his audience...and of course soldiers must attend, must be attentive and must applaud, under orders. So, of course he has a responsive audience.
This audience at Ft. Bragg was a bit different. They have been deployed, they know about Iraq, and there was no spontaneous applause nor roaring ovation at the end of the speech. Notice that? These people know, they know....
Bush spoke many lies tonight. How can he say he supports the troops while cutting their healthcare benefits and not equipping them appropriately? Who pays for their costs to stay at Fisher Houses across this nation while they go back day after day for physical therapy and occupational therapy and other treatments? Nobody. It's about $50 per day to stay at Fisher House. On a private's pay that is alot. Bush and Co. are totally off base, and out of touch.
The speech was total B.S.!

Congressman Putnam, wrong!

Meet Congressman Adam Putnam

Florida Congressman Adam Putnam's [R] misreprsentation of a voice vote during the hearings of
United Airline's default on their pensioners, thus leaving the American tax-payers to foot the bill. audio available here

Listen to the audio and you can hear Congressman Putnam over turn a yes vote. He said the no's had it. WRONG!

If this does not send chills down your spine, you must be numb, or stupid. Our country is really going to heck in a handbasket.

Outrageous fund cuts for Veterans

The administrations programmed budget cuts in 2006 will mean reduced health care services for veterans. The current VA budget only takes into account the cost of taking care of the current veterans, but did not take into account our newest veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. As of July 2004, approximately 25,000 Iraq and Afghanistatn war veterans sought healthcare from the VA. Think of the thousands of veterans we have added since 2004, not to mention the current number of wounded (which we never see, and rarely hear about).
It is unconscionable to wage a war, and not take care of the veterans.

Bush won't spell out time table

To quote the Prez: "I'm not giving up on the mission. We're doing the right thing." Well, if he is so absolutely confident that we are doing the right thing, perhaps he should encourage his unemployed daughters to enlist in the Army. They can help do the thing that their daddy thinks is so right.

New bills looking much like old ones

Dysfunctional Texas politics at its best:
the link

"Texas lawmakers began to reassemble the broken pieces of school finance and tax reform Wednesday largely by crafting bills similar to ones that crumbled in disagreement last month.

"We could very well have a train wreck," said Rep. Al Edwards, D-Houston, House Ways and Means Committee member.

The committee is pushing the same tax bill that the Senate refused to swallow last month."

"I am optimistic, Pollyanna, I guess, because we have come a long way," Senate Education Chairwoman Florence Shapiro, R-Plano, said.

"Today our funding system ties all schools together," Sen. Todd Staples, R-Palestine, said. "The problem I see with (the House plan) it is that we are creating two classes."

Or, as Van de Putte described it: "The big dogs are getting real fat under the House version."

Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio, Ways and Means vice chairman, said he is concerned with the proposed tax reform measure. "I came here to fund excellence in schools, and this bill does not do that," he said.

Perry's plan helps rich at others' expense
A Chronicle analysis shows wealthy would save, but renters would pay more. Gov. Rick Perry's plan for property tax relief would provide a windfall for the wealthiest families in Texas, but for lower-income renters the governor's plan would be a financial drain on the family budget, a Houston Chronicle analysis showed. And after more than a year of legislative wrangling over property tax relief, the tax savings for the median family in Texas would amount to about $150 a year under Perry's plan — a savings of about $12.75 a month.

The real winner of the school property tax cuts would be business, which pays about 54 percent of all the school property taxes in Texas."

The reality of the situation, IMHO, teachers and poor school districts will lose. The poor will pay the brunt of the cost and no real improvement will be made in our schools. What we need is a state income tax to get our schools improved.

Get involved in local politics

Computer down until today, had to say this....

Ok, this is our 33rd wedding anniversary and here I am blogging. Why? Because Karl Rove and Co. totally pissed me off. Then there was the whining caller on the Randi Rhodes show, who whined about where our country was going, but did not understand the fact that the only way to make change is to work for it.
So my friends, work for change. To quote Howard Dean, "run for office, if you can't run for office, help someone else run for office." Get out there and get busy, 2006 mid term elections are not far off.
Help John Courage and David Van Os, or run yourself. Don't know how to set up a campaign? Ask me. I just attended root camp at Democracy Fest and will be glad to share what I learned.
Go...get involved....now.

Gays should wear warning labels, a Christian lobby leader notes

According to 365gay.com, the leader of a conservative Christian lobby group appears to suggest that gays should be required to wear warning labels, although he denies that was his intention.

However, here is the quote from Rev. Bill Banuchi:
"We put warning labels on cigarette packs because we know that smoking takes one to two years off the average life span, yet we 'celebrate' a lifestyle that we know spreads every kind of sexually transmitted disease and takes at least 20 years off the average life span according to the 2005 issue of the revered scientific journal Psychological Reports," Rev. Bill Banuchi, executive director of the New York Christian Coalition told the Mid Hudson News.

Despite using the analogy of cigarette labels, Banuchi tells 365Gay.com that he is not advocating gays specifically be labeled. Banuchi also alleges that he has received hate mail since his remarks were published. The issue of labels is particularly sensitive to gays. In Nazi Germany they were forced to wear the pink triangle to differentiate them from other internees at concentration camps."

Speaking of sexually transmitted diseases, why is it that the only place I have ever seen miles and miles of billboards advertising sex shops and nudie dancers was in the Bible belt, specifically Arkansas, Alabama and Georgia. You don't get STD's from those kind of places? Oh...wait, they only "look." Yeah that works about as well as teaching abstinence! Hypocrites all of them.

Ok, not as important as real news, but

The Brawnyman paper towel ads drive me crazy. Who cares if the Brawny paper towel man is sexy and cleans the kitchen? I don't. It is not sexy if a man cleans up behind himself, it's just plain considerate. Remember manners? We all should clean up behind ourselves and not wait for the sexy Brawnyman. Gag. So, if the ad drives you as crazy as it does me,
tell the company

Rush Limbaugh is truly an idiot!

Rush stated:
From the June 2 edition of The Rush Limbaugh Show:

LIMBAUGH: The two to three big opportunities so far mentioned by Howard Dean -- pension portability and changes to election laws. ... So portability of pensions. What's the second one? Oh, yeah, Election Day a holiday. And well, you know -- I don't know why they need to do that. Most of their voters don't work anyway, so I don't know how that's going to help them that much. At least in a percentage basis.

Ok Rush, now I know that you are totally disconnected from reality. Have some more Vicodin, idiot.