Progressive Mews

STOP H8! Campaign

2008-11-10T11:29:00.000-08:00

More info, more details, more FIGHT!

First, the uncounted vote update:

The CA Sec. of State ”semi-official” popular vote now shows that Prop 8 has passed by 494,847 votes (an increase of about 60,000 votes since Nov. 5th). This is due to a few districts that have already reported the outcome of their mail-in and provisional ballots.

However, as of Friday, the tally for unprocessed ballots reported to CA’s Sec. of State is said to be a total of 2,738,695. This is a self-reporting system, so I imagine that there could easily be a pretty large margin of error, but this is the official account of uncounted ballots as of now.

I’m thinking it’s a good idea for all Californians that can, to put in a little volunteer time in our home county, monitoring the process of qualifying these ballots. There have been some really weird reports of problems with ballots that would be worth overseeing for accuracy’s sake too! Numerous reports of broken machines, ballots not being run through, etc... The SoS requires that all of these ballots be counted 28 days after Election Day, and that puts it on Dec. 9th (I believe they said the results would be announced closer to the 15th). There are just a little less than 616 thousand votes still yet to be counted in Los Angeles alone!

Things to sign/sign-up for:

Take this pledge to repeal Prop 8! It is a movement being hosted by the “Courage Campaign” – a progressive grassroots organizing network The pledge simply reads:

“We, the undersigned, are united in our refusal to accept a California where discrimination is enshrined in our state's constitution.

We pledge to repeal Prop 8 and restore marriage equality to California.”

One of the petitions I had posted before (that was to go to the governor) was shut down for some unknown reason, and is no longer taking signatures.
However, the other petition by Equality California to put equality on the ballot (if we don’t win in court) is still going.

About the lawsuits that have been filed:

ACLU filed a lawsuit the day after the election. Their case is based on Prop 8 being invalid as a constitutional revision - not amendment –and therefore cannot be enacted by initiative (unless approved by the Legislature first), according to the CA Constitution. Of course, they are also citing the Equal Protection Clause; which was the basis by which the CA Supreme Court ruling last May, and made same sex marriage legal.

There are two more lawsuits filed essentially citing the same argument, and two of the three have asked the court to prevent the prop from taking effect while the cases are pending. One is being taken up on behalf of a married couple. If I remember correctly, they were the very first gay couple to be married in CA, and were the ones that filed the original case that ruled last May.

Three couples that were denied the right to marry:

Invalidate Prop 8 is a legal funds drive to fight the illegality of it. What I really liked is that your minimal donation of $5 is actually made in the Mormon Church’s president’s name, and sends him a post card ending with these words:

“Given that throughout its history the Mormon Church has been subjected to bigotry, we hope you appreciate the donation in your name to fight religious bigotry here in California.”

TOTALLY HOT!!!

Protests of All Kinds:

GET BUSY GET EQUAL is the ACLU’s action resource center for equality activists. Click on “organize” and get info on how to become effectively involved in any of the various ways to oppose Prop 8!

Obviously there have been numerous street protests in different cities all over the state. Overturn Prop 8 has a rally calendar, and if you know of a rally that you don’t see listed then send it to the email address at the top of the page. I see there are at least another ten scheduled over the next two weeks.

The Californians Against Hate website is dedicated to exposing the individuals and organizations that have financially supported Prop 8. Not solely to pay them the dishonor they deserve, but also in the interest of calling a boycott. Keep in mind that the Prop 8 proponents actually attempted to blackmail the businesses that opposed them, threatening to blacklist them if they didn’t equally contribute to support the prop!

One of the things that has really gotten under my skin is the Dishonor Roll member, Elsa Prince (mother of Blackwater owner); one of the largest individual donors, along with her daughter-in-law, who is married to the “Amway guy.” Erik Prince (Blackwater) is known to be an evangelical Christian, who has so much as said Iraq & Afghanistan was his opportunity to fight a “Holy War” against infidels. If that weren’t already bad enough; now I feel as if their wealth accumulated by way of our tax dollars, via private contracting has been used to strip civil rights from Californians!

And speaking of taxes...for those that didn’t know, there has been an ongoing “Gay Tax Protest” for many years now, starting with the “Defense of Marriage Act” (DOMA) of 1996 (which BTW, Obama has promised to repeal – and we must hold him to that!). Charles Merrill (cousin of the founder of Merrill & Lynch) is one of the latest to protest DOMA this way. The passage of Prop 8 seems to have reignited this type of protest too. I think it’s an excellent idea for the gay population of California to contact the State Tax authorities as well as the IRS to notify them that you will no longer be paying your taxes! As many of the protesters have pointed out, it’s not fair to be paying taxes as a “whole person” when you only receive partial rights as a human being.

Just a couple days ago, Melissa Etheridge announced she was going to stop paying taxes, and instead donate those tax dollars to every legal action that contests Prop 8 as being unconstitutional. Go Melissa!!!

These tax protesters really have it right too! For example, state tax laws require that they not discriminate “based on ace, gender, religion, alienage, or nationality.” I say that this MUST be a two-way street!!! After all, “no taxation without representation” – RIGHT?

Seriously, the gay community contributes an enormous amount of money to the system in CA overall. Hello, Hollywood? San Francisco? Melissa also made mention of the revenues coming into CA by way of travelers from across the nation looking to be married here, and it is an incredibly foolish loss – especially when you consider Arnold is begging the Fed to bail us out of our enormous state debt! I was just speaking to my former roommate in San Francisco, and she said that the gay marriage services (wedding, hotels, parties, etc...) are completely OFF THE HOOK there. I can tell you from my own experience living there as a waitress, the gay community pretty much paid all my bills – while my straight customers were just very thin gravy. So I say, vote with your very powerful dollar, by refusing to pay taxes – it WILL hurt. Let me just say, as a straight person that is likely to be hurt by this strategy, I’m perfectly willing to take that economic punch on your behalf too! I think it’s become clear that many other people feel the same way too, so go for it.
The Mormon Debacle:

Mormons Stole Our Rights is a website that has all kinds of information about the fact that the Mormon Church (or LDS Church) was largely financially responsible for the massive campaign that Yes on 8 launched. Towards the end of their page you will find their petition to revoke the tax-free status for ALL charitable organizations that have or will lobby for state propositions (to be shared with all legal efforts pursuing this issue).

There is another movement to Revoke the LDS Church’s tax-free status based on the violation of financially supporting Prop 8! On this website the tax code that has been violated is there for you to read, as well as instructions on how to address the IRS with your complaint about their violation and request their tax-free status be revoked. There is also a page dedicated to the public reporting of other charitable organizations that have also violated this tax code.

The “Mormons Stole Our Rights” website says this is somewhat of an unclear case because it mentions that “legislation” cannot be financially influenced, and not specifically “propositions” - but because we live in a state where the population can vote on propositions to make them law, or amend the state constitution, then it is clearly the same thing. A linguistic loophole that could very well be closed with the legal actions being taken up based on this law. I actually see this as one of many plusses for Prop 8 passing. I know that sounds weird, but ideally, I’d like to see some of these cases make it all the way to the US Supreme Court. Then perhaps we could have federal law passed, preventing this type of law or amendment from being passed anywhere in the nation!

As noted on the “Revoke LDS Church 501 Status” website, you’ll see this message that is in recognition of the law suits already filed challenging Prop 8’s legitimacy too:

“Whether the proposition was a lawful amendment or a revision that cannot legally be made by a voter initiative remains an open question.”

This petition is for members of the church, asking them to publicly retract their support of Prop 8, based on a part of their own faith:

“We do not believe it just to mingle religious influence with civil government , whereby one religious society is fostered and another proscribed in its spiritual privileges, and the individual rights of its members, as citizens, denied.”
(Doctrine and Covenants 134:9)

You can put add your name to the petition, resign from the church, or write a letter via email here: petitioncomments@gmail.com
And they have posted some letters of resignation from members of the church (I’m sure with the author’s consent), so you can read them too. Signing for Something.org

Lastly, an inspirational and touching announcement from a former “civil union” advocate...

I can’t believe I hadn’t come across this video before, but it’s incredibly moving! Sorry in advance for the quality of the sound; I couldn’t find a better copy, but I can guarantee you it’s well worth a listen. Well over a year ago, the mayor of San Diego, who had campaigned on vetoing same sex marriage, calls a press conference to explain to his constituency why he felt he had to change his stance:

Dancing Around in Glistening Flailure

2008-10-26T14:44:00.001-07:00

If you didn't see McCain's appearance on "Meet the Press" today, you really SHOULD (click on "watch the netcast"). I see quite a few people are circulating some segments, but I think it's well worth watching in whole. It's incredibly telling, IF you watch the entire segment.

When asked about his trailing in the polls, he denied that the numbers presented were correct, "I can show you other polls..." And when asked about his campaign's liberal use of word Socialism in regards to Obama, even when confronted with his own plan to subsidize mortgages, he danced around it and essentially refused to answer the question at all.

Then there was the Flailure, when rejecting the idea that Palin needed to be "defended" in any way - that was when he started to glisten, no joke. He was visibly starting to sweat just after the "glow" began, while reasserting Palin's so called "executive experience." I want to know why I've yet to see a reporter challenge the KIND of experience she has had, instead of pretending or accepting that "any 'ol experience will do." There's the abuse of power issue as state executive. And how in the world can the press ignore the obvious parallel to Bush policy failure? Palin as mayor of Wasilla, also came into office with a large surplus and left those citizens with a GIANT deficit!!!

McCain tried to justify the exorbitant funds spent on her campaign trail threads by saying she was "frugal," as if she needed help. Even though the Palin's tax returns revealed they earned more than twice the average income for a family their size in Alaska, turned Todd's racing winnings of $17,000 into a $9,000 loss, failed to report per diem payments she received for working away from the state capital (of which, we now know these types of "reimbursements" were excessive and abused in numerous ways), and ended up only paying $2,000 in taxes (on $166k gross). And again McCain went on with the clearly desperate impromptu plan (after being busted), of donating the clothes to charity.

Palin aside... McCain continues to steal Obama's platform too. Is it a case of "thievery being the highest form of flattery," or is it just more testament to his tendency to go "which ever way the wind blows" on the issues? perhaps a little of BOTH. The McCamp definitely picked up the change mantra, which started out as "maverick" but the actual word change must have proven effective because they added that to their repertoire. The newer stolen items that stuck out for me in this interview included; the idea that mortgage aid was a "first step" (not full solution) to financial crisis, and his dismissal of scandals about Palin by saying "the people are more interested in the issues."

He tried to justify his flippity-floppity positions on taxes, by saying that different times call for different measures (we're in a crisis). That flopped when it was pointed out to him that even Reagan raised taxes when he entered office after the recession - McCain tried to ignore it, and turned it into an opportunity to praise Reagan's policies. Even his defense of his mortgage bailout plan failed to pass the smell test when he said that the "fundamental" purpose of government is to intervene in times of crisis - WHAT? Brokaw pointed out that McCain's own example of FDR's aid in the depression was called Socialism by the Republicans at that time. What happened to his small government, and government must "get out of the way" position? Well, that's VERY inconvenient for this topic, so he's saving it for another issue, another time... Point is THIS time is, if there's a crisis, then it's not Socialism or "spreading the wealth around" to subsidize mortgages.

Now that I've seen McCain react to the Powell endorsement a few times, it's blatently obvious that he's completely stuck on talking point; "I have have FIVE Secretaries of State that have endorsed me" he said with his hand & five fingers up, like a five year old that has been asked how old they are. He wanted to proudly list them all off, but struggled to name the fifth one. "And one more," he said, then jutted his head at Brokaw as if to say, "SO THERE!"

One thing that I thought was particularly funny was the mention of newspapers that had endorsed either Obama or McCain. When Brokaw said an Iowa paper named Obama as their candidate, Mccain uncontrollably blurted out, "Astonished, shocked, SHOCKED!" - but then when it was said McCain's home state's largest newspaper named him (and I might add, not in a very flattering way), McCain said, "And God bless the Arizona Republic." So the press is only warped, biased towards Obama, and distorting the truth when it's unfavorable for McPalin (wrong when disagreeable, just like the polls); but not biased at all when it's your home state paper that's favorable???? LMFAO!!!

Of course, the interview just wouldn't have been complete without a mentions of "Joe the plumber" and "my friend" too. How sad.

The Power of Your Vote & Making History

2008-06-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan was on the floor of the Senate today with some GREAT signs that accompanied her speech. One read, “75 Republican Filibusters, and counting...” and the other read, “324,000 good-paying American jobs lost since January.”

Senator Stabenow noted that today there are twice as many people looking for jobs, as there are jobs available. She said that as of May there are 1.6 million workers that have been unemployed for 27 weeks or more – meaning they no longer receive aid (unemployment insurance). And one thing that I think never seems to get enough attention is that the fact that the unemployment rates normally given to the public DO NOT include those who no longer receive benefits! Thus, creating this complete LIE that unemployment is going down, when it is actually the number of those that have help getting a job that are going down. Stabenow also points out that for every dollar that goes out in unemployment insurance $1.64 goes back into the economy – making this a worthy investment.

One of the obvious reasons for the bad economy is the rising costs of energy and fuel. The GOP filibustered another measure today; for a windfall profit tax, designed to provide alternative fuel incentives. Yeah, because we wouldn’t want to deny the big oil companies their record breaking profits! After all, they are taking such great initiative all on their own to develop alternative fuels, right? I never understood why we would leave developing alternatives to the biggest competitors, but that’s the Repugnant’s logic hard at work for you!

I hope Americans keep in mind when they go to vote this November that the Republicans’ record-breaking filibusters are all part of their plan. They admitted their plan in 2006, that they would claim that this was a “do nothing Congress” so they could win more seats. It should be known that in reality, this session of congress has been blocked by the GOP at every turn.

Come on people. It’s been far more than twice that we’ve been fooled already, so DON’T BE FOOLED AGAIN! And I will be the first to admit that Democrats are not innocent in the things we deplore, but that means we need to be extra diligent in electing congressional officials this fall!!!

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For those of you that missed Kucinich making history yesterday, as he introduced 35 articles of impeachment for Bush; you can hear it all over again right now on C-SPAN.

Also, if you’d rather read the transcript, you can find the congressional record on C-SPAN, but it’s also on Wexler’s website; Wexler Wants Hearings.com - and he was kind enough to also post Kucinich’s articles of impeachment of Cheney too. I have seen the petition gain nearly a thousand more signatures just this afternoon! So maybe Kucinich has reignited something at least.

If you haven’t signed Wexler’s petition yet, please do. I think you all know as well as I do that there isn’t enough time to impeach before they leave office anymore, but that doesn’t by any stretch of the imagination make this a futile effort! For those of you that don’t completely understand the significance, let me explain it a little...

First, it is possible to impeach a president after they have left office – so it still counts. Second, I believe that one of the main reasons why Kucinich decided this is absolutely necessary now is in order to prevent an unwarranted attack on Iran. You see, by putting into congressional record that Congress is aware of the illegal misleading of Americans into a war by intentionally and knowingly, manipulating Intelligence and the facts to suit the desires of the administration to attack Iraq (a sovereign nation that presented no threat), and overriding Congress to do so; Congress can better prevent the same thing from happening to Iran. It has already been determined by a congressional committee that this is in fact the case, so the natural procession is for hearings and an investigation to follow – so it is in part, just a function of governmental process.

Plus, it’s my understanding that in order to overturn the numerous unconstitutional laws, provisions, directives, and so forth that have been orchestrated by the administration and its subordinates; a case must be made that these things that have passed, were in fact unconstitutional. In other words, it’s the procedural duty needed to get more desired results.

Aside from the principle of the matter (which it seems few are truly concerned about), there’s also the pure practicality of this measure. After all, we certainly don’t want this administration’s actions to act as a precedent, therefore allowing future presidents to do the same unconstitutional things - right? This is definitely a case of “Speak now, or forcibly forever hold your peace.” We cannot stop that which we refuse or neglect to speak out against.

Lastly, for those of you that would truly like to see justice be done, and want to see members of this administration face prison time for war crimes; this investigation would lend more weight to those charges, and could very well prove instrumental in getting this result as well.

So, Kucinich’s bill is up for a vote TOMORROW and that means you need to write your House representative NOW. Call them first things in the morning, and encourage everybody you know to do the same too!

Those of you that have an opportunity to vote your rep out if they fail to comply, tell them you will do exactly that if they don’t support this measure.

Find your House Rep here:
Contacting Congress

Call Speaker Pelosi too, let her know that it is NOT supporting impeachment that will cause Democrats to loose seats – not the other way around!
Demand she get out of the way of justice:
San Francisco Office: 415-556-4862
DC Office: 202-225-4965

Upcoming Vote in Senate on GI Bill

2008-05-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

The new GI Bill passed the House yesterday, YEA! They were just a few votes short of a veto-proof vote…BOO! What's somewhat strange about the whole thing is that MANY Republicans chose to vote "present" which denied the passage of the war funds spending. Hmmm... I had been personally hoping that the Democrats would do that purposefully for many years, as a way of letting the president know that this occupation should end immediately! However, I suspect that it was a measure that would begin bringing troops home 30 days after the passage of the bill that the Republicans were actually protesting.

There was some more good news this week too though: McLame's alternative to the GI Bill, FAILED. It was a total sham anyway, he and Graham had stuck their lame proposal for vet education onto a completely unrelated bill for giving public safety workers the right to unionize. Yep, that's "straight talk" in action for you. This rejection by the Senate is a far better suited scenario for the use of the phrase "cock-block" if you ask me!

So now that the House passed it, it goes onto the Senate nonetheless, and now is the time to contact your Senators about their upcoming vote scheduled for NEXT WEEK. At the moment, the Senate is a mere 3 votes short of it being veto-proof, so lets do all we can to ensure that Bush will not deny our returning troops what they need and deserve any longer!

Because I found it rather difficult to find a list of the Senators that have yet to put their name on this most important bill (sponsor lists can be found everywhere!), I thought it would be helpful to make one. And I have marked the ones that I think are extra important, those that are probably more likely to hear you right now because they are looking for your vote this November.
***Up for reelection this year!!!

Of course I've listed everybody along with their contact info, and here’s a tip: They all receive thousands of emails almost daily, so a call is better, and a letter by snail mail actually holds the most weight. It’s true, most congressional offices consider handwritten letters to be the best gage because of the trouble it takes to send them, compared to emailing. They literally count them as more than one response because of it too.

GET CREATIVE!!!! I just found an opportunity to tell one of the Senators that have yet to support this bill what you think: Senator Enzi posted a blog on The Hill about his support for making higher education more affordable, and here was my response:

Senator Enzi, you seem to have a comprehensive understanding of the challenges Americans face when seeking a higher education. YET, you apparently don't think that this sort of aid should be provided for our returning vets? True that our economy could benefit from making education more affordable, but how about the Americans that truly deserve this help, and may need this sort of help the most? Why won't you support the new GI Bill?

NOT SUPPORTING the GI Bill:

1. ***Alexander, Lamar- (R - TN) (202) 224-4944
455 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

2. (retiring) Allard, Wayne- (R - CO) (202) 224-5941
521 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

3. *** Barrasso, John- (R - WY) (202) 224-6441
307 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

4. Bennett, Robert F.- (R - UT) (202) 224-5444
431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

5. Brownback, Sam- (R - KS) (202) 224-6521
303 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

6. Bunning, Jim- (R - KY) (202) 224-4343
316 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

7. Burr, Richard- (R - NC) (202) 224-3154
217 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

8. Carper, Thomas R.- (D - DE) (202) 224-2441
513 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

9. *** Chambliss, Saxby- (R - GA) (202) 224-3521
416 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

10. Coburn, Tom- (R - OK) (202) 224-5754
172 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

11. *** Cochran, Thad- (R - MS) (202) 224-5054
113 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

12. Conrad, Kent- (D - ND) (202) 224-2043
530 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

13. Corker, Bob- (R - TN) (202) 224-3344
185 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

14. *** Cornyn, John- (R - TX) (202) 224-2934
517 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

15. (retiring) Craig, Larry E.- (R - ID) (202) 224-2752
520 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

16. Crapo, Mike- (R - ID) (202) 224-6142
239 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

17. *** Dole, Elizabeth- (R - NC) (202) 224-6342
555 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

18. DeMint, Jim- (R - SC) (202) 224-6121
340 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

19. Ensign, John- (R - NV) (202) 224-6244
119 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

20. *** Enzi, Michael B.- (R - WY) (202) 224-3424
379A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

21. Feingold, Russell D.- (D - WI) (202) 224-5323
506 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form
It's odd for Feingold not to support this bill, but I did see it noted on DailyKos that his office had replied that his issue with the bill is that it had not been “pay-as-you-go” resolved.

22. *** Graham, Lindsey- (R - SC) (202) 224-5972
290 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

23. Grassley, Chuck- (R - IA) (202) 224-3744
135 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

24. Gregg, Judd- (R - NH) (202) 224-3324
393 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

25. Hatch, Orrin G.- (R - UT) (202) 224-5251
104 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

26. Hutchison, Kay Bailey- (R - TX) (202) 224-5922
284 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

27. *** Sen Inhofe, James M. (R-OK) (202) 224-4721
453 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form
2/29/2008 sponsored – BUT his support was withdrawn on 4/29/2008

28. Isakson, Johnny- (R - GA) (202) 224-3643
120 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

29. Kyl, Jon- (R - AZ) (202) 224-4521
730 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

30. Martinez, Mel- (R - FL) (202) 224-3041
356 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

31. McCain, John- (R - AZ) (202) 224-2235 – OR- (703) 418-2008
241 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Campaign Contact form
Tell him that his continued disregard for the needs of our returning troops makes him completely unfit for the presidency!!! And here is his Contact page for the Senate

32. *** McConnell, Mitch- (R - KY) (202) 224-2541
361-A RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

33. Nelson, E. Benjamin- (D - NE) (202) 224-6551
720 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

34. ***Roberts, Pat- (R - KS) (202) 224-4774
109 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

35. ***Sessions, Jeff- (R - AL) (202) 224-4124
335 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

36. Shelby, Richard C.- (R - AL) (202) 224-5744
110 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
E-mail: senator@shelby.senate.gov

37. ***Stevens, Ted- (R - AK) (202) 224-3004
522 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

38. ***Sununu, John E.- (R - NH) (202) 224-2841
111 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

39. Thune, John- (R - SD) (202) 224-2321
493 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

40. Vitter, David- (R - LA) (202) 224-4623
516 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

41. Voinovich, George V.- (R - OH) (202) 224-3353
524 HART SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

42. *** Wicker, Roger F.- (R - MS) (202) 224-6253
487 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510
Web Form

43. STAY TUNNED...one of these buggers managed to escape this list...

A little more emphasis…
Do you know anybody that lives in these states listed below?

These are the states to focus on, because the Senators in these 13 states have yet to sign on and are running for reelection this year - giving constituents extra leverage! The states listed below are ALL Republican incumbents too – surprise, surprise, right? They are extra scared this election cycle because there are 18 of their seats up for grabs in the Senate, and it’s no secret that things aren’t looking good for them. This list shows that there are 15 of the 18 Republicans running this year that have not signed on to sponsor this GI Bill too. Go get ‘em!!!

These key states are:

Alaska – Ted Stevens
Alabama – Jeff Sessions
Georgia – Saxby Chambliss
Kansas – Pat Roberts
Kentucky – Mitch McConnell
Mississippi – Thad Cochran AND Roger Wiker
New Hampshire – John Sununu
Oklahoma – Jim Inhofe
South Carolina – Lindsey Graham
North Carolina – Elizabeth Dole
Tennessee – Lamar Alexandar
Texas – John Cornyn
Wyoming – Michael Enzi AND John Barrasso

With the vote in the Senate scheduled for next week, clearly any energy you exert on this issue should be focused on those that have yet to commit. We really need this to be veto proof!!! However, it is always a good idea to thank your representatives too, and letting them know that you think they did the right thing by you in representing you will probably go a lot further than you’d imagine! And again, I think that paying extra attention to those that are running for reelection is a great way to go. Let these people know that their support of this very important bill is what keeps them in your favor when walking into the voting booth to reelect them this fall! A little thanks really does go a long ways in this case.
* All running for reelection.

With 43 Democrats, 12 Republicans and both Independents sponsoring this bill, it’s pretty safe to say that it has bipartisan support. What’s interesting about the Republicans (to me anyway) is that two of them are retiring this year; so what’s in it for them, except to do the right thing?

I have posted this list as it is on the Senate’s website, with the date they climbed onboard. I thought it would be interesting to leave that on the list because I think it shows who was sincerely in support – as opposed to perhaps just recently joining in because they’re “feeling the heat.” This bill was after all, introduced over a year ago!

IN SUPPORT (57 sponsors):

1. Sen Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI] - 4/10/2008
2. * Sen Baucus, Max [D-MT] - 6/12/2007
3. Sen Bayh, Evan [D-IN] - 12/4/2007
4. * Sen Biden, Joseph R., Jr. [D-DE] - 12/3/2007
5. Sen Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM] - 2/26/2007
6. Sen Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO] - 4/7/2008
7. Sen Boxer, Barbara [D-CA] - 2/26/2007
8. Sen Brown, Sherrod [D-OH] - 5/9/2007
9. Sen Byrd, Robert C. [D-WV] - 3/10/2008
10. Sen Cantwell, Maria [D-WA] - 4/17/2008
11. Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD] - 3/6/2008
12. Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA] - 5/10/2007
13. Sen Clinton, Hillary Rodham [D-NY] - 5/14/2007
14. * Sen Coleman, Norm [R-MN] - 3/11/2008
15. * Sen Collins, Susan M. [R-ME] - 9/24/2007
16. Sen Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT] - 3/11/2008
17. Sen Domenici, Pete V. (retiring) [R-NM] - 2/29/2008
18. Sen Dorgan, Byron L. [D-ND] - 12/3/2007
19. * Sen Durbin, Richard [D-IL] - 3/13/2007
20. Sen Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] - 11/15/2007
21. Sen Hagel, Chuck (retiring) [R-NE] - 10/24/2007
22. * Sen Harkin, Tom [D-IA] - 6/12/2007
23. Sen Inouye, Daniel K. [D-HI] - 9/11/2007
24. * Sen Johnson, Tim [D-SD] - 12/18/2007
25. Sen Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA] - 2/28/2008
26. * Sen Kerry, John F. [D-MA] - 3/1/2007
27. Sen Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN] - 3/6/2008
28. Sen Kohl, Herb [D-WI] - 3/13/2008
29. * Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA] - 5/23/2007
30. * Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. [D-NJ] - 6/13/2007
31. Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT] - 3/3/2008
32. * Sen Levin, Carl [D-MI] - 4/17/2008
33. Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [ID-CT] - 4/3/2008
34. Sen Lincoln, Blanche L. [D-AR] - 1/29/2008
35. Sen Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN] - 2/28/2008
36. Sen McCaskill, Claire [D-MO] - 2/26/2007
37. Sen Menendez, Robert [D-NJ] - 6/27/2007
38. Sen Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD] - 2/16/2007
39. Sen Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK] - 4/14/2008
40. Sen Murray, Patty [D-WA] - 3/5/2008
41. Sen Nelson, Bill [D-FL] - 3/5/2008
42. Sen Obama, Barack [D-IL] - 11/14/2007
43. * Sen Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR] - 1/22/2008
44. * Sen Reed, Jack [D-RI] - 4/28/2008
45. Sen Reid, Harry [D-NV] - 10/22/2007
46. * Sen Rockefeller, John D., IV [R-WV] - 2/25/2008
47. Sen Salazar, Ken [D-CO] - 2/28/2008
48. Sen Sanders, Bernard [I-VT] - 2/16/2007
49. Sen Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] - 2/28/2008
50. * Sen Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR] - 3/5/2008
51. Sen Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME] - 9/12/2007
52. Sen Specter, Arlen [R-PA] - 5/12/2008
53. Sen Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI] - 4/16/2007
54. Sen Tester, Jon [D-MT] - 3/22/2007
55. Sen Warner, John [R-VA] - 2/29/2008
56. Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI] - 6/27/2007
57. Sen Wyden, Ron [D-OR] - 3/19/2007

US Naval Activities in Middle Eastern Waters

2008-04-25T19:46:00.000-07:00

In the item just released by Fox entitled, “Naval-Contracted Vessel Fires Warning Shots on Iranian Boats,” there is a comment that the Iranian Guard is “very unprofessional” and even alludes to calling them sneaky for not using ships that are clearly marked as military vessels:

”Defense officials said that typically the guard behaves in a very unprofessional and aggressive manner, using unmarked boats and uniforms, unlike the Iranian Navy.”

It’s never made clear whether the navy-contracted ship was marked as such or not, but I seriously doubt it because that vessel is reported to be a cargo ship in other accounts. Here is CNN’s far less accusatory version of the same story.

Yet a little less than a month ago our navy was engaged in exactly the same behavior that Fox claims “defense officials” have accused the Iranian Guard of and it ended in an innocent man’s death:

US Navy-contracted ship opens fire on boats in the Suez Canal
March 25, 2008

“The victim worked on the small boats selling cigarettes and other products to ships crossing the canal. These waterborne merchants know not to approach military vessels but the Global Patriot looked like an ordinary freighter, said Abdullah Fouad [brother of victim]. ‘Normally we go nowhere near military ships,’ he said.

Hormoz Shayegan, vice president of Global Container Lines Limited, the New York-based company that owns the Global Patriot, said the ship ‘does not have any markings to suggest it is a military ship or anything like that.’ He said the crew on the vessel was unarmed.

Robertson said the Navy team on board took ‘the appropriate steps to take those measured steps to warn the vessels that were getting too close.’

‘We are very conscious of being in heavily trafficked areas and we as professional mariners try to keep people from getting too close,’ she told The Associated Press by phone from Bahrain."

And there was a brief mention of the confrontation with the Iranian vessel last January:
“On Jan. 6, U.S. Navy ships nearly opened fire on armed Iranian speedboats that repeatedly charged their convoy in the cramped waters of the Persian Gulf's Strait of Hormuz.”

And then, at the very end of the article, there is a small description that is quite telling about just how difficult it is to keep a reasonable amount of distance from other ships within the Strait:

”About 7.5 percent of world sea trade passes through the canal, which at its narrowest is 120 meters (yards) wide and is divided into two 60-meter-wide lanes. The canal is a major source of foreign currency for Egypt.”

Apparently, this is a very common occurrence too, as there was another incident in between these two above (believed to be non-lethal). To give you an idea of just how often this happens nowadays:

“The U.S. Defense Department has said there were three confrontations between the U.S. Navy and Iranian forces in the Persian Gulf from December to January. One ended after a U.S. ship fired warning shots to deter the Iranian vessel.”

What is extra disturbing to me is that Iranian officials have denied that a couple of these incidents have ever happened, and have accused the US of building a case against Iran as aggressors. I would say, considering the giant amount of threatening talk coming from US leaders towards Iran (especially over the last couple years), this is a damn good assessment! Let us not forget that the Iranian troublemakers that have been identified (by Intel) and are suspected to have contributed to violence in Iraq are by in large extremists that have defected from Iran and taken refuge in our allied nation of Pakistan.

March Round-up

2008-03-23T18:11:00.000-07:00

So I think it's been almost a month since I was on here last, and with all that has been going on I’ve certainly been missing reading you all and writing about the currents – that is for SURE! Work has been very, very busy; and good too. So I can’t really complain about much. I came back from my fourth trip in four months almost a week ago, and I’m happy to be here (for once). I’m not really a big fan of LA, but it was enjoyable like never before after coming back from freezing New York!!!

I’m sure you‘re all on top of things as usual, and I doubt that there is much more I could contribute at the moment anyway. I have only heard (in what precious little time I’ve been able to listen to my beloved talk radio) a couple of things that I think have been overlooked.

Again, as we are dwindled down to one candidate on each side, I would like everybody to take notice of it – but REALLY take notice. Notice how there are some states that have finally become viable in the primaries, their vote has actually mattered lately (and even Pennsylvania was thought to be given some say for the first time that I can ever remember). Why must it be in the US that some states get a choice and others have none? Why shouldn’t everybody have a say in whom the Democratic or Republican candidate should be? Why is it that Americans are quite OK with this voting system, which is so obviously UN-democratic? "Hi, I'd like to place an order for Instant Run-Off Voting please...and while you're at it, can you END primaries all together? Thanks."

I just have to ask too, since it was a topic that I have put my two cents in before on…Can anybody tell me why Hillary is still running or hasn’t yet announced she is done when mathematically it’s impossible for her to garner enough elected delegates to win? Even if she won every last one that was left to obtain, it would be enough for her to catch Obama now, so why hasn’t she stepped aside? Unless…she thinks she could still steal the nomination by pandering to the Super Delegates.

I think her out and out lies about Obama “choosing to withdraw” from Michigan were totally disgusting! What it really showed was that she was desperate, and that she was willing to break her own party’s rules in order to get whatever she wants – and why aren’t people talking about how that would translate in a presidential position? Then there was the fear-mongering commercial she ran in Ohio. It just reaffirmed my thoughts on her actually being the establishment candidate, the one that is really just a Republican in disguise. I can’t believe that Democrats didn’t completely wash their hands of her after that stunt. The most disturbing thing to me is, the more she exposes the poisons inside of her, the more support she seems to get! There is yet ANOTHER lie she has been telling completely exposed in the video posted at the end of this blog, and yet nobody seems to really want to call her on it. Hmmmm…let’s see, who else seems to be getting a “free pass” from the press? Oh yeah, McBush…uh, I mean McCain, yeah.

McBush slips right on by with his uneducated statements about Iran and Al Qaeda – even though he said it more than once. Then the press turned the other way as he’s been railing against the lobbyists, even though the ones that are some of the highest officials seated on his campaign board have been exposed as being involved in various scandals. The one that gets to me the most has been talked about the least, and hasn’t even been brought up since, as far as I know – as usual I suppose.

His chief political adviser, Charles R. Black Jr., is chairman of one of Washington's lobbying powerhouses, BKSH and Associates, which has represented AT&T, Alcoa, JPMorgan and U.S. Airways. Black's current clients include General Motors, United Technologies, JPMorgan and AT&T.

United Technologies has put a “hostile bid” on Diebold (voting machines) – meaning that an unsolicited bid was placed on Diebold may actually be forced by the market to sell their voting machines to this company, like it or not! The $3 billion dollar bid they placed on it was the equivalent of $40 a share when placed; when the actual market value was just over $24. Gee, I wonder, why would this company think the voting machines are actually worth almost twice as much as the market says they are, hmmmm….

Hello? Has everybody forgotten the term, “conflict of interest”? Can anybody out there say HYPOCRITE!??!?! How about STOLEN ELECTION - remember what we get when that happens? How about a little screaming, give with some protest people – COME ON!!!

This story broke early this month, and now with the corporate bailouts being handed out for the mortgage companies going on, it sure is interesting to look back on this story now and see JP Morgan on the list of McBush’s campaign-manager’s/lobbyist’s client list. That’s the company that bought Bear Stearns Mortgage Company for pennies on the dollar. JP Morgan got a hell of a deal too! The GIANT discount price of just $2 a share was 93% off of Bear Stearns’ last closing stock price. When was the last time you’ve seen a sale sign that read, “93% OFF”? Seeing as how Bear Stearns also received a corporate bail-out subsidy, don’t you think we should have been offered an option to buy into that too? Hell, I’d go hog-wild at that price! I’d buy myself fifty shares of that for $100!!!!!!! Wouldn’t you at least want to put your lunch money down on that action? Well, yeah…except, those kinds of sales are reserved for the richest – those that don’t even need the bargain price. Don’t despair though; you really did help buy it after all - with your tax dollars! Not that you will getting anything back on that investment you were forced to make. That was perfectly fair, made all the sense in the world, right? Why should we pay for socialized medicine when we can pay for socialized corporate bailouts instead? They need the money more than we do anyway, those poor, poor corporate billionaires, awwww….a little sympathy please, they need your hard-earned dollar to keep their pockets full of million-dollar retirement plans, hedge-fund bonuses, and their mouths full of caviar – have a little compassion, please. And if you don’t like it, then you can pay them to take your job and ship it overseas, OK? Just face it already: Even when it doesn’t work, deregulation is totally awesome – for THEM.

"Hello, I'm calling to add onto my order? Ummm, yeah...I'd like some publicly funded campaigns to go with that Instant Run-off Voting, so I can have a real election please. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!"

This round-up wouldn’t be complete without mention of our fifth year in Iraq. Nealry 4,000 Americans and more than likely over a million Iraqis - are dead. Best estimates say that there are over 3 million Iraqis displaced outside as well as within Iraq, and about a third of them continue to go without clean drinking water or electricity. We have well over 40,000 Iraq vets that aren’t getting the care they have needed for the injuries they’ve acquired in the Middle East, and somewhere between a fourth and a third of America’s homeless population are vets (even more if you include vets from all wars). And the administration has the audacity to celebrate the “successes” and claim it has all been worth it. “Um, Mr. president, and Mr. vice? Get our troops and your private corp-whores the hell OUT of the Middle East NOW - and then, GET BENT!!!”

Just so I can end this on a positive note, I have to say that Obama really came through like I always knew he could – good for him. If you’ve been reading me for more than a year, you would know that I have been listening to him for over two years now. Long before he was ever a presidential contender, I somehow discovered him (I forget how exactly) and had been subscribing to a podcast he used to have. I was just listening because I loved to listen to him speak. It was for various engagements at universities and the like, but I always found him inspirational and encouraging to listen to. When he first announced his candidacy, I was really excited – but then I went to see him live here in LA, and watched a few other campaign speeches he gave. I was really disappointed to say the least, but I figured he was tired of repeating the same thing over and over in different cities, one right after the other… That speech he gave after all the hub-bub about his preacher was truly extraordinary, and I was thrilled to see his true talents return. Not only did he respectfully dismiss the absurd allegations that his preacher’s opinions were his own by association, but he also addressed some very important issues in a way that was incredibly intelligent, and in terms easily understood by all Americans – all races & ages. Simply brilliant Obama. Just listening to you made me proud to be an American again, and to have you as president would be an honor. Thank you.

I think this particular edition of GoLeft.tv below, summed up quite a few things very well. Enjoy

The Shams

2008-01-31T10:48:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday I heard that the new FISA reform bill for the wiretapping program, or so-called "Protect America Act" is being reported as some sort of success. Dodd & Feingold won their right for their amendment against retroactive immunity to require a mere simple majority to pass, yet the devil is definitely in the details! The problem is what rests with all the numerous law suits pending against telecommunication companies, which many a lawyer and legal expert agrees that they've quite a good case. In the latest version of the bill the liability would now rest with the federal government, not the telecom companies. Meaning, that when all those claims are paid-out it will essentially come out of our tax dollars, even though it was the telecom companies that were clearly the ones that violated our rights by complying without the lawful warrants. Talk about a sham! Who ever thought that was a good thing to agree to, or as is reported, to accept as a bargaining chip in order to pass this bill? Doesn't this just nullify the entire purpose of holding those responsible for violating our rights accountable? Where is their due punishment, and why are our representatives jumping up to defend the "good intent" of the telecom companies by way of excusing their actions because they wanted to aid the government for security? If that were the case, then why bother with the immunity at all? I think this is more like setting precedent for a free pass for many other private companies to violate our rights on down the road! Private companies would now be able to violate us and blame it on the government, and we would essentially be suing ourselves for damages - nice. Last I checked the fed didn't say there would be any legal consequences if they didn't comply, and I certainly didn't ask for them to spy on my fellow citizens - did you? While the media as well as some members of Congress are boasting this agreement as some sort of victory, I have to say that I am far more inclined to agree with the skepticism of Glenn Greenwald on this one. I have to commend him for staying on top of this one with his numerous updates too, as nobody else seems to think this is worth reporting much about. This quick fix is sure to be a rotten deal for Americans if it is allowed to pass, and I highly recommend you contact your senators and tell them you don't want them to support it in its current form! Tell them that there should absolutely NOT be any compromise, and that liability being displaced on the federal government is tantamount to granting blanket immunity for telecommunications companies!!! It would be good to act quickly and spread the word like wildfire too, since they are due to vote on t immediately.

Then we have the sham we call, "elections." I can hardly believe what has been happening over the last couple of weeks, the few truly good candidates on the left have apparently thrown in the towel before 90% of the nation has even had a chance to vote in the primaries. Two out the sole four states that have participated thus far have been a total sham too. Michigan had ONLY Hillary & Gravel on the ballot; and because Florida has early voting available, every last vote cast for Kucinich & Edwards just went straight to the garbage. I was only a bit disappointed with Kucinich because he was doing some great things in fighting the media that is hell-bent on choosing our president FOR us, and I thought he was a great voice to hear in the debates - maybe the only one that actually stirred things up or appeared different from the others (well, since the media scrubbed Gravel from the debates anyway). I liked that Kucinich seemed to be getting his ire up, and was even swayed to his camp because I thought he was the only visible peace candidate left. I personally don't need all that cordial crap in a debate like I've recently been seeing - yeish. I really don't care if they can "play nice" because that doesn't seem to be getting us anything but more of the same, and revolution doesn't happen without some friction. Although we enjoyed a fair amount of prosperity with President Clinton, most Americans aren't aware of how many of his policies made while pandering across the aisle are damaging us today. On the other hand, I don't feel the need to see any schoolyard smearing, but I'd like to see some real differences on some positions on the issues pointed out and some substantive discussions going on! Is that really too much to ask?

I have to say that Edwards was a giant disappointment AND he really owes Florida a giant apology too. I can forgive Kucinich far more easily than I can Edwards because Edwards was still visible. Plus, Edwards swore up and down just the day before he quit that he was going to hang in until the end no matter what. It's reminiscent of Kerry campaigning on his need for campaign dollars so he could have the resources for a recount that he swore he would call if it was tight, and then conceding before the final count was even completely done - LAME. Edwards claimed to be the people's candidate and he was my third hopeful because he was at least more focused on the domestic mess we need to attend to, but didn't even think he could count on the people and based that opinion essentially on a two state primary or less than 10% of the population. Again, LAME. Honestly, I truly believed that Edwards was going to be the big surprise, the one that came out from behind once the rest of the nation had a chance to put in their two cents. It has been rumored that he went out the day after he quit to try and secure a position in the future president's cabinet, and that just may be the case - makes sense anyway. Although I don't know that I can completely trust that he will be for the people if he does get that position, not any more.

This media elimination of our candidates is a prime example of why we really need to put an end to primaries all together, and implement something truly democratic, like INSTANT RUN-OFF VOTING!!! Imagine if you didn't have only TWO measly choices in November, or a sole one on your side of the aisle when you stepped up to the ballot box. Just imagine if you actually got to vote your conscious instead of the "lesser of two evils." Remember how it was in school, where everybody ran for whatever student council position, and we all just voted for whomever we wanted for each spot? THAT is what Run-Off Voting would be like, and it produces a true majority. It's even better than that because you get to say who your second and third choice would be too! One of my favorite organizations that is campaigning for Run-off voting is FairVote.org. There are many industrialized nations that use Run-Off Voting, and there is absolutely no reason why we can't too! The only things I think need to be added to this election reform plan would be to have publicly funded campaigns and abolish the electoral college. Then the lobbyists would be out of the picture too; no more dependency on campaign donations from the mighty corporations for candidates, nor need for them to later be beholden to those corporations once seated in office. More on these two topics on another day...

When I first started blogging on the current "election," naturally, it was about Iowa (being that they are the first). I mentioned that such significance given to a state that literally has one-tenth the population size of mine (California) seemed absolutely absurd. I'll admit that I was feeling burned about the fact that Iowa as well as New Hampshire has heaps of attention poured over them by all the candidates too. A friend of mine said that she was upset about all the smears against Iowa because it was implying their vote was worth less. My reply was that I'm not stupid enough to think such a thing, especially since the electoral college makes my vote worth about a tenth as much as their's is worth. Although, since they had eight candidates to choose from, and I'm supposed to think I'm reduced to just two, I'd say my vote is almost plain garbage! Can anybody tell me why a state that accounts for nearly one third of the entire nation's economy, has little to no say at all in our presidential primary? By the time I will get a chance to vote, my second AND my third choice has already dropped out of the race - nice. What an f'in SHAM we have for a "democracy"!!!

Only "my second and third choices" are gone you ask? Why yes, there is still ONE honorable candidate left in the race - but you'd never know it, thanks to the bought-off propaganda machine posing for the news these days. As it turns out, there is just one man aside from the sole two we see out pimping themselves, and he swears he is in it until the end - no matter what - Senator Mike Gravel.

I had the great honor and pleasure of meeting Senator Gravel today too, here in LA. He held a meet & greet at a local gallery where he also did some Q & A. It was perfectly lovely, and even as a long time supporter I learned some more about his policies too. In the first picture below, where he is speaking, I managed to include the sketch of him (just above him). The show was at Circus Gallery (7062 Lexington), also where the meet & greet was, right in the middle of an exhibit of an artist's entire series of all the candidates.

What was really great about this sketch for me was the reference that Senator Gravel made to it, how it seemed representative of his anger expressed at the televised debates. He recounted how although he was nervous and anxious, just like all the others; but he was also upset about how the coordinators had clearly lied to his face when they claimed that the layout of the candidates was by a random "drawing from a hat" so to speak, and that they would all have equal time. Most of us know that neither was true, considering Gravel and Kucinich were placed on either far end of the stage, and both of them had less than 5 minutes as opposed to the 14 or more minutes that the "tops" placed directly in the center got. When Gravel pointed to the sketch above him he said his wife told him not to get so angry, that people might think he's an angry old man. I had my chance to ask Senator Gravel a question, I started out by thanking him for getting angry, because we have SO MUCH to be angry about - it got some pretty huge applause too, I think we all have good reason to be angry about what has happened to our country. Gravel responded that you would have to be dead not to be angry about what is going on these days. It really was refreshing for me to see him there in the debates, without pussyfooting around and calling candidates out on their votes and behaviors. He was keeping things on the up & up if you ask me. I had planned to shout out, "I'm mad as hell! And I'm not going to take it anymore!!!", but the applause drowned me out and caught me off guard a bit. If you're not familiar with this "Network" reference, please watch that film - it's an absolute MUST. When I had seen the press reporting that he was an angry old man, I instantly thought of the main character in that classic film that made that line infamous.

I can't tell you how thrilled I am to have had this picture taken today, this man is seriously a giant American hero! For those of you that don't know; thanks to this man's five month filibuster we haven't had a draft since Vietnam - ALSO, Gravel is the man that worked with the legendary whistle blower, Daniel Ellsberg to put the Pentagon Papers into the congressional record, therefore making the public aware of the corrupt intentions behind the Vietnam war.

Anyway, the questions I asked Senator Gravel were as follows... First, what did he think about Run-Off voting, and without hesitation he basically said that it was a no-brainer, and that he would absolutely support it - that it wasn't the full reform we need, but that he was in favor of it. Second, I asked him to comment on Fair Trade verses "free" trade, adding that I thought the deregulation that started with Reagan is destroying our country. This got a little more interesting reply, and I'm looking forward to reading more about it in his book that was just released! Yes sir, it's aptly called "Citizen Power." What I found interesting about his response to my second question was that he said we needed global governance to achieve true peace, but this is a pretty touchy subject - if not downright unpopular notion - for those of us that are hip to the NWO. However, his version certainly was a different take on it. The main difference he pointed out was that the structure of the current global governance (the UN) is all wrong because of the structure. In order to better understand how this would work, you can explore Gravel's revolutionary proposal to make American citizens the lawmakers, otherwise known as "direct democracy" and technically called, "The National Initiative". His idea for a global governance is based upon the same principle, and would simply be the same for all people everywhere in the interest of all life on earth. There is a pretty good synopsis of the initiative on Gravel's campaign site too, and the title is well put; "A Populist Concept of Democracy"

Essentially it's all about the people conducting the business of lawmaking, in conjunction with an administrative body that we would elect to manage the system (of holding hearings and coordinating voting), and it would include a life-long, permanent voters' registration for all citizens nationwide. The premise is that the real power in a democracy is in lawmaking, and without the ability for citizens to make federal laws we will never be able to make the desired and needed changes. Gravel also pointed out that there are several states that already allow people to make state laws, but that the power to make federal laws are what will eliminate the disparity between demographics and so forth. This IS the truly revolutionary change that we all desire, no joke! As for the nay-sayers that I have run into since I discovered Gravel, their total lack of faith in the people isn't warranted in my opinion. The best way I can explain it is that we are all experts by our own experience, and who better to determine what we need to live than ourselves? Think about it, when somebody in your family is diagnosed with cancer, you suddenly become an expert on cancer treatments - it's human nature to want to do whatever we can about the things that devastate us. If we had that kind of power in decision making, do you really think we would still be in Iraq, or even have gone there in the first place? Honestly, bureaucracy is just a scare tactic designed to keep us out of the process. I'd like to add that almost any parent would agree that when you give responsibilities to a child they tend to behave more responsibly, and when you don't allow children to make decisions they tend to act out - I think adults aren't so different.

So we may have to settle for a bought-out corporate shill that we call president once again, IF all the supporters for the other candidates that have dropped out can't get themselves together to vote Gravel, and imagine how incredible THAT would be, if everybody on the left that lost their chosen candidate got behind Gravel - that could seriously turn out to be an incredible surprise. FYI: If you are as tired as I have become with the warm-fuzzy "debates" that have been going on, know that you have an alternative too! Every time there is a Democratic debate, Senator Gravel holds a congruent "alternative debate" where he watches the broadcast and pauses it occassionally so he can put in his two cents. I like it because at least there is a voice that can be heard that isn't just "politics as usual."

Personally, I'm just very gratful to have the ability to vote my conscious in the primary, because my number one choice isn't a quitter! But no matter what... we still have the power to make real change if we want it, and we don't even need our "elected" officials to agree with us to make it happen either! According to the seventh amendment, we have the power to change the way our system works if we can get over 50 million signatures on that initiative, it will simply BECOME THE LAW OF THE LAND.

It's all about Power to the People!!!

What We Know VS. What the World knows

2008-01-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

Almost a month ago former Prime Minister Bhutto died, and there was a bit of a mess in the press as to what actually happened. In first reports I had heard that it was an assassination. But it wasn’t long before the US press began saying things like, she bumped her head when the explosion went off - and other such BS if you ask me. There was the ONE photo that was a still from video that surfaced for a moment, and even Fox reported on it. Then WHOOSH…the story seemed to disappear for the most part.

Less than 24 hours ago the AP broke the story that two of Bhutto’s assassins were arrested near the Afghani border when a terrorist attack was thwarted in Pakistan. A teenage boy was one of them, and he confessed to being one of five sent to kill her. The guys are said to be related to the very man that Bhutto herself had said was a threat to her too, a militant leader with strong ties to al-Qaida. Although it’s said they are waiting on more testimony from other suspects to collaborate the story before accepting it, the AP article said that both the CIA and the Pakistani administration had concluded shortly after her death that this was what happened and these were the people involved.

When I Google “Bhutto’s assassins” today 89% of all articles written on this new development are foreign periodicals – about three or four out of the first 30 listed. The first to appear is this article form the New York Times, where they are reporting the CIA’s conclusion as brand-new (as do ALL the other US publications I see), and the NYT seems to be questioning the CIA’s motives for such a conclusion more than anything else.

Another interesting report within the AP report was related to Bhutto saying many times that she was for a crack down on Islamic militants in the same region where the arrests took place; and in a small note towards the end of the article it’s said that the head of the Pakistani Intelligence (ISI) for that very region, was recently shot and killed.

The whole article is interesting in how it reports “success” in foiling terrorist plots, and yet also reports there is a great deal of unrest coupled with widespread doubts that the elections can actually be held three weeks from now when they are currently scheduled to happen.

On another note about stories that have seems to all but completely disappear….what about that so-called threatening naval incident in the Straights of Hormuz? Even as the story started to unravel, there were little to no US reports that it wasn’t what it was originally reported to be. Nor did the news that the Pentagon played a hand in spreading those false reports of an Iranian threat ever reach the surface.

It is easy to come to the conclusion that all the posturing against Iran by the Bush administration was for the purpose of starting another war, and I was one to have believed this for quite some time. The fact that it has yet to happen up until now does pose an interesting question though. I still suspect that it would have happened by now given the opportunity to justify it somehow. I have also been thinking that just maybe, members of Congress or other entities have somehow prevented it; or maybe the press did give the issue just enough exposure to rile the public up enough to let our officials and the administration know that we would not tolerate such a thing. MAYBE.

However…what if the real reason for all the posturing against Iran was motivated by something else entirely? What if the numerous false accusations had already accomplished the administration’s goals? This article explores that very question, and I think explains quite a bit. It essentially says that the political position it puts the US in, with allies and “enemies” alike, are the most beneficial things of all to the administration. It points out that it has indeed made for unlikely allies as well as bolstered our relationship with Israel, and there are other powers that are then almost handed over to the US under these circumstances. It makes me think of the fact that sanctions have already been placed on Iran three times now, and that alone could very well very soon another entire country under our thumb by way of desperation - amongst other things. Think about how the naval incident shaped the Middle Eastern tour that Bush took shortly thereafter. More later…

What Happened to THIS Guy???

2007-12-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Simply unbelievable!!!

Dysfunctional Congress Solution

2007-12-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder why the business of Congress hasn't been taken care of since the Democrats have taken the majority? I sure have! I've also suspected that there was some stinky business going on in DC in order to keep the few good reps in Congress down too (blackmail perhaps?). It is just amazing to me that even with the hearings that have taken place, that Congress continues to allow the administration to cut them off and get away with illegal and immoral activities!

Well, one thing is for certain, the leadership is totally inept! I can't understand why the few representatives that were in favor of and openly advocating for impeachment hearings have stopped since the Democrats have taken the majority - unless it's due to the leadership somehow clamping down on them.

I might add that Reid & Peloser have recently decided that they will not even try to remove our troops from Iraq by way of legislation either, and have instead opted to support yet ANOTHER unconditional blank check for Bush's war-profiteering machine!

Below is a petition to remove some of the blockage of justice, please sign it.

Online Petition to Remove Pelosi as Speaker of the House of Representatives
CLICK HERE For The Petition

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Please watch this video of my latest poli-crush ♥ Congressman Wexler - and sign his petition to hold impeachment hearings too. He is determined to do his congressional duty of oversight of the administrative branch, and we need to support his motion! Allow the hearings to determine the truth, and make way for justice to be served as was intended to be in America.

Sign Congressman Wexler's petition.

Criminal Activity Continues to go Unchecked

2007-12-17T10:53:00.000-08:00

I have been hearing this is true for about two years now, but I find it just amazing that the story keeps making it out into the public and yet nothing ever gets done about it. When you hear that Bush wants blanket immunity for telecommunications companies' involvement/compliance in the wiretapping program, it's exactly about this very aspect: wiretapping BEFORE 9/11 or the so-called need to do so for "security reasons." There was no reason to break the law and invade Americans' privacy without probable cause, and there never will be!

AT&T engineer says Bush Administration sought to implement domestic spying within two weeks of taking office
John Byrne
Published: Sunday December 16, 2007
Nearly 1,300 words into Sunday's New York Times article revealing new details of the National Security Agency's domestic eavesdropping program, the lawyer for an AT&T engineer alleges that "within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”

In a New Jersey federal court case, the engineer claims that AT&T sought to create a phone center that would give the NSA access to "all the global phone and e-mail traffic that ran through" a New Jersey network hub.

The former AT&T employee, who spoke on condition of anonymity to the Times said he took part in several discussions with agency officials about the plan.

"The officials, he said, discussed ways to duplicate the Bedminster system in Maryland so the agency “could listen in” with unfettered access to communications that it believed had intelligence value and store them for later review," Times reporters Eric Lichtblau, James Risen and Scott Shane wrote. "There was no discussion of limiting the monitoring to international communications, he said."

“At some point,” he told the paper, “I started feeling something isn’t right.”

"Two other AT&T employees who worked on the proposal discounted his claims, saying in interviews that the project had simply sought to improve the N.S.A.’s internal communications systems and was never designed to allow the agency access to outside communications."

AT&T's spokesman said they didn't comment on national security matters, as did a spokesman for Qwest, which was also approached but apparently rebuffed the plan. The lawyer for the engineer and others in the New Jersey case says AT&T's internal documents would vindicate his clients.

“What he saw,” Bruce Afran, a New Jersey lawyer representing the plaintiffs, told the Times, “was decisive evidence that within two weeks of taking office, the Bush administration was planning a comprehensive effort of spying on Americans’ phone usage.”

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I must add that Qwest was severely sought after by government officials, due to what I believe was revenge for non-compliance to the illegal request to wiretap millions of innocent Americans! The owner of Qwest currently sits in prison for some sort of business fraud charges, that were surely trumped up in order to set an example to other companies that might consider not complying. Tyranny at it's worst.

Are we also going to let the administration bully Congress and the people into giving them a free pass for their illegal activities? Perhaps the legality point could be considered arguable after 9/11, but Congress has absolutely NO EXCUSE for not going after the administration for their egregious actions prior to the attack! This sole act sits near the very top of the long list of impeachable offenses, and I say that's exactly why Congress has proven grossly negligent in their duties of oversight in this case.

Since this article was in today's New York times, this presents the perfect opportunity to remind our congressional members that we will not condone their giving a free pass to the companies that chose to violate our rights! Send them a link to this article, and let them know you have not forgotten about it, nor do you think it is appropriate for them to continue to ignore this serious violation that is clearly known to exist.

Contact Congress

UPDATE: Chris Dodd is filibustering the retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies RIGHT NOW! Support Dodd's filibuster!!! Contact your member of Congress to implore them to support the filibuster.

Busted? Claim Amnesia!

2007-12-08T09:58:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that every time a member of BushCo is about to be busted, they suddenly have a bout of amnesia. Such was the case with the recent discovery of the destroyed torture tapes. Not that much different from the Bush claiming he didn't have the info provided in the NIE report that was being held back for the last year. Why bother blocking the release if you don't know what's in it? And again I ask you, if the president doesn't have access or isn't briefed on Intel reports, then who does and why even have them? This whole thing just defies common sense people!

In light of the recent discovery of the CIA agents that were willing to go to jail if that was what it took to get that NIE released, perhaps we should be thinking about just how close the US was to another unwarranted preemptive attack on a sovereign nation! I can't think of another reason for those agents to go to such extremes, can you?

Below is Olbermann's commentary on this whole Bush fiasco on Iran, and his insistence that Iran is still a threat in spite of the reports. Mind you, it wasn't so long ago that the IAEA report was released, and that report's conclusion wasn't much different from the NIE. What I find most interesting in this clip is the spotlight on the Washington Post article that showed a slight shift in Bush's language, which clearly indicates he had some knowledge of the information in the NIE long before he claims he did. But then, he's so forgetful that we should just chalk it up to that and move along, right? WRONG!

Bush Stands Alone on Iran

2007-12-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

Just a couple weeks ago the IAEA report on Iran was released, and it essentially gave Iran a clean bill...but you wouldn't know it by the way it was reported in the US! The tides turned just a little today in media land, when our own National Intelligence Estimate (NIE)on Iran was released though.

As was well explained in the video below, the US' latest NIE on Iran's nuclear program was released today...ONE YEAR after it was completed!

In this video you will also hear about something that is getting little to no attention whatsoever, but I personally find it VERY disturbing: Wolfowitz may be BACK, as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board (ISAB). The ISAB is the board that advises the president on international proliferation matters, and that would certainly include Iran. Who better to decide whether Iran has weapons than the man that falsely accused Iraq, right? Could the rotten pattern be any more apparent people?!?!? I mean REALLY!!!

When Bush finally came to the press room today (video here), he still asserts that Iran is a threat. I must commend some of the reporters in this clip that kept at Bush too, asking about his credibility in regards to accusing Iran of having WMD. I sincerely hope this means that the media will not allow Bush get away with using the media as his war-tool again! However, Bush answered that line of questioning with praise for the improvements in the Intelligence community - almost taking credit for it too. Since most of the world now knows that the attack on Iraq was based on some very selective cherry picking of Intel info, and NOT due to bad Intel itself, then I would think this praise wasn't taken so kindly by the Intelligence community.

Another interesting point that is being asked about is what Hadley had initially said for Bush (and he reiterated in the press conference); that Bush was not briefed on the NIE until last week. As seen in the video above, Bush had said that Iran had weapons capabilities as recently as six weeks ago, and even used the words "World War Three." What I find fascinating is that if the president of the US doesn't have the benefit of being briefed on Intel reports when completed, then WHO DOES? Why did the Intel community purportedly wait an entire year to brief the president on their findings? Bush also said when asked about it, that he was not ever advised to "tone it down" in light of their findings either. These two things I find incredibly difficult to believe! In fact, it is most unlikely to be the case. I suspect that it was the administration that denied the Intelligence community their release of the report, and that we should be thankful to them for releasing it no matter how late. Perhaps the Intel community felt it was necessary in order to prevent another unnecessary war? THAT seems far more likely to be the case to me!!!

Another frightening thing about the White House press conference today was that Bush uses the same terminology that Hillary has, about "sticks and carrots" having a positive effect in regards to "diplomatic measures." Now if that was meant to harm Hillary or not, nobody really knows I suppose. I tend to think that it's more of a sign that Hillary is VERY like-minded to Bush policies, and there is plenty of evidence prior in my mind. The Democratic debate in Iowa today was just another example of how like-minded she really IS too. She also used the same language as Bush did in his conference today in regards to Iran, about how pressure on Iran has shown results. Since the NIE reported that Iran halted its program in 2003; I would argue that it may have been the attack on Iraq that year, and not the pressure that was applied to Iran long after we invaded Iraq that may have actually influenced their decision to halt their nuclear program.

What do you think?

Giving Thanks

2007-11-17T15:51:00.002-08:00

Normally during this holiday, I write to remind Americans of our history of genocide that we founded our nation upon. It was most likely, the largest genocide of a single race in human history. However, as of this year I have discovered fellow bloggers that also refresh our memories of this atrocity, and so I will defer to them once they've posted. I decided to take another path this year for a change, and actually give thanks for something other than the Native American's ability to forgive us such trespasses (or at least, for their lack of vengeful response to it). I am still quite thankful for that, but wanted to share some other things I'm thankful for this year as well.

There are people within our community that bless us with their charity and good will towards humanity regularly, and Thanksgiving is the perfect opportunity to give them thanks. Rarely do they get their just recognition, but I'm happy to say that a dear friend of mine has received exactly that. I'm thankful that she was not only recognized, but she was empowered to continue her mission as well.

Wendi is actually my oldest friend, and I have known her for almost twenty years now. Since the moment I met her I thought she was very talented, and her skills with a paintbrush and color quite remarkable. As a person that grew up with a painter for a mother, I think I've had more exposure to art than most in the US - so I dare say that my opinion of Wendi's work carries some weight. I clearly recall art and music gradually leaving public education and my mother's concern about that. She sent my brother and I to art camps in the summertime because she firmly believed that the arts were an important part of education, regardless of whether or not we pursued it career wise - and I'd agree. When Wendi was in college she had an assignment that I believe was centered around bring art awareness. And although I can't remember the exact assignment, I will never forget what she did with it. She decided that since she had to go without art education in elementary school (we attended in different states, and she's a bit younger than I), that she would set about getting it into school somehow. She found out that teachers have a small amount of funds that they can work with, to take the kids on field trips or other activities they thought relevant or necessary. So she arranged a meeting with several teachers from a particular school and offered them an art class. All the teachers had to do was provide the art supplies, and Wendi went in there on a weekly basis to teach things as simple as the color wheel and how to mix colors. She made sure that the funds went far, and that they could get a fairly practical education in the arts as well - keeping in mind that it may be the only one they would ever have. Maybe I'm wrong, but I seriously doubt there was anybody in Wendi's class that dedicated that much time or put that kind of thoughtful effort into their assignments. The kids were grateful and had a great time with it. I thought it was pure brilliance, and a priceless gift. Now fast forward a few years...

Last year Wendi told me she was going to start her own charity called "The Giving Tree" - yep, after the book. When she told me that it was going to involve art, I was thrilled because I'd been wishing that her life would simply revolve around her talents for quite a while. I didn't understand it thoroughly at that time, but it's pretty diverse (and too much for me to keep up with!). It evolved out of a job she held with a charity just prior, where she created artistic projects for disabled and/or disadvantaged people (young and old). What I do understand about it is that she was empowering homeless graffiti-artists to turn their work into a career. She arranged art shows that would feature a known artist to draw a decent crowd, then helped the kids get their works together to show with that artist in the same gallery. That way they can share the success of having their work seen by the public, while having an opportunity to meet a real working artist. It not only helps bolster their self-esteem; but it also lets them see for themselves that using the talents they already have, they can create a legitimate career for themselves. Wendi is providing inspiration and hope by setting an example for these kids, while giving them the education and tools they need to make it actually happen.

Just a couple weeks ago, Wendi wrote to tell me about an award her charity had received. She won a bit of funds to further her cause, which was a relief after practically going into poverty in order to get it up and running. Better yet, she has gotten quite a bit of publicity on a local level, and we are hoping that will help too. There is a great organization in Portland Oregon (where she lives) that is dedicated to helping these types of charities along through recognition, and that is exactly who gave her the award. Part of what they do is give all kinds of incentives to the public to donate to the various organizations they represent. As an extension of the award that Wendi has received, came an extra bonus; if she can receive enough donations via this organization by the end of the year, she will be rewarded with even more funds for her charity. There is a list of things we can win when we donate that is practically endless too, most are for people living in Portland Oregon where she lives, but as you will see in her letter (below) she has figured out a beautiful way to give thanks to those that live outside Oregon as well:

Hi Everyone!

My name is Wendi, and I run a nonprofit organization here in Portland, Oregon called The Giving Tree. The Giving Tree was born out of my job at a property management company working with low-income housing residents. When I saw that there was a steep drop off in services once an individual was housed off the streets and provided with the basic necessities to survive, I knew that I had to take action. You and I wouldn't be happy sitting in a tiny room wearing second-hand clothes and eating a can of peaches from a food box. Nobody would. Just because people are poor does not mean they can't lead rich lives. The Giving Tree helps people lead fuller lives by bringing them direct access to the arts (through trips to galleries, conversations with artists, and art classes), education (we run after school homework clubs at two low-income housing sites and a computer lab that is open to everyone), and recreation (imagine taking a group of kids from the city camping for the first time in their lives!).

I'm very excited to announce that on November 9 I was awarded the 2007 Skidmore Prize in the Community category for my work through The Giving Tree. As part of the prize, The Giving Tree is featured in this year's Willamette Week Give! Guide, which offers a number of incentives to donors. This is a huge opportunity for us, as we are a very new organization and are just now building our capacity and raising awareness about our programs.

It would be so wonderful if you could help me help others by donating to The Giving Tree through the Give! Guide. Donations can be as small as $10, and any donation of $25 and above will be handsomely rewarded with fabulous gifts and coupons. And, if you are capable of donating $250 or more (you rule!), there are even more delights in store. You can read about all of the sweet incentives at the Give! Guide website.

Your generous contribution through the Give! Guide will go toward our purchase of a 15 passenger van, which we will use for fun activities such as taking our young clients to Mt. Hood to go sledding (some of them for their very first time!), and our older clients to the Japanese Gardens to experience the cherry blossoms in the springtime. Even if you can only donate $25, if you can get three friends to each also donate the same amount, that's $100 toward enriching people's lives in ways they've never even dreamed of. That's pretty powerful.

As an added bonus to us, if we raise the most money we get an extra thousand dollars straight from the folks at Willamette Week There’s also $500 for the group in second place, and $300 and $200 for third and fourth, respectively. The same holds true if we are the organization that raises the greatest number of donations from people 35 and under! How awesome is that? So you win because you know you donated to an awesome cause and you get a fantastic packages of prizes in return, we win because we get the funds we need to run our programs, and our clients win because they get to participate in more creative, fun, educational activities!

If money is tight and you can't spare even $10 to help, please pass the word along to your friends and family by talking about The Giving Tree and the Give! Guide with them, emailing them and posting bulletins and blogs about us, and introducing as many people as you can to the work that I am doing through family newsletters etc. If you can reach just one person and influence them to give to the Giving Tree, you’ve made a positive impact!

Thanks so much for all of your help! You rock.

Wendi Anderson
President and Founder
The Giving Tree
PS - I've come up with a cool incentive for out of state donors, too, since they probably won't really care much about all of those Portland-centric coupons. Any out of state folks who donate over $50 will be entered into a drawing to win art by amazing Portlanders such as Kim Hutchins (to view her work please go to http://www.genuineimitation.com/past.html), Barry Mack, and Troy Briggs. So go ahead and pass this on to your old college roommate in Moosejaw or your sister in Kalamazoo, because they too can be in the running for sweet prizes!
Sites you can access to learn more about The Giving Tree and to DONATE!
The Giving Tree website
Give! Guide website: www.wweek.com/giveguide
Give! Guide donation page

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With every new day we are given an opportunity to right our wrongs, and it's good to give thanks to those that help make that possible, encourage us, or enable us to do so in some way. One of the greatest examples I know of on how just one person can make a real difference is the story of Cole Miller, who founded the non-profit "No More Victims.org" If you go to the "about Us page you won't see his name, but scroll all the way to the bottom and you will find a YouTube video where he introduces himself. The premise is so simple, yet very powerful and meaningful. Please visit the site to be inspired and maybe even take action yourself, that is precisely what this organization can help you do.

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Another thing that I'm grateful for is the recent increase in service members that have decided to go AWOL, rather than serve a never ending and illegal war (IMO). Of course I cannot speak to their individual reasons, but I'm thankful nonetheless.

I wanted to refresh people's memory about a truly great patriot, one that we should be sincerely thankful for for. Please read about Lt. Ehren Watada's story if you are not already familiar with it.

Towards the end of this video below, Lt. Watada tells us we are needed by those that have chosen to refuse further service, and exactly how we can support them too; so I hope you will listen to his entire speech here.

On the same website I provided to read about this incredible patriot's story (above), they give an email address where you can write him a letter of thanks. I did just that, as I did last year. I invite you to read my letter below, and I hope it inspires you to do the same.

My letter to Lt. Watada:

Subject: Most honorable Lt. Ehren Watada...

Body: ...you have held my attention since you took your stance against the war. I'm hopeful that in light of the current reports of steep increases in AWOLs, that your fellow service members and Americans alike will turn to your story for strength if and when they have moments of weakness. Surely this is no easy task, no matter how right. I'm thankful that your story is there for all to turn to when faced with such difficult decisions, and the even more difficult challenge to follow through with them as honorably as you have. As having only lived a civilian life myself, I look to those with military experience to inform me. I know you are far from alone when it comes to officers that felt the need to leave their military career in order to get their message to us. I want you to know that I'm listening, and that I believe you have provided endless inspiration for all of us in this time of need.

Bless you for being a true leader; not as one that served under obligation, but with a real sense of duty to the troops that looked to you for leadership they knew they could trust. The fact that you were so close to being released from your contractual duties and chose this path instead, says volumes to me. To know that you would sooner spend six years in prison than bring dishonor to your service and leadership is just incredible. You have my deepest respects. Not only was your service distinguished, but your personal integrity is rare and practically unheard of within our civilian leadership in America today. I understand and know how you do your family proud too (all parents should be so lucky).
Person to person, you are simply my hero!

I think of you often, and I'm so grateful for your patriotism and your fearless fight for what is right. This Thanksgiving I give thanks for people like you; who provide honorable leadership, and have shown limitless conviction, strength and bravery when standing up for what you believe to be truly right. Most people learn best when solid examples are set, and I'm very thankful for the one you have set for our nation and for those looking to the US from abroad. When it comes to the appreciation that I have for your ability to speak so clearly about the illegality and unconstitutionality of the war, I just can't thank you enough. I have like-minded thoughts that I express and fight for regularly, but it would almost be meaningless or powerless if I didn't have people like you to point to with your kind of experience, expertise and excellence.

Thank you Lt. Ehren Watada.

I hope you have just as much to be thankful for (if not more) over the holidays. May you be blessed with the honor and justice you deserve.

Forgotten About Burma Already?

2007-11-05T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm not so surprised, it was mainly brought forward as a smoke-screen for the real issues that needed your attention anyway, however...

If you are seriously interested in the issue, and have little knowledge about it (like me), then go get your comprehensive education here:

Part One "Burma? What About Burma?"

Part Two "Some Basics"

Part Three "History 1"

Part Four "History 2"

Part Five "Colonial Rule, Buddhist Monks, and World War"

Part Six "Democratic Republic"

Thanks to my friend Maggie that has done a tremendous job at putting this very informative series together. Bravo Maggie Mou!!!

Ha Ha Ha America

2007-10-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Ha Ha Ha America

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Accountability for Contractors - And YOU?

2007-10-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

So something finally happened, there's a chance at some accountability for private contractors' actions in Iraq - at last. We still have to wait and see if it actually isn't abolished with a veto, but I'm hopeful that Congress will be insistent nonetheless. It's important to note that this bill, commonly known as the "Blackwater Bill" actually applies to ALL contractors. Which is great since apparently some of the contractors have even been firing at US troops!!!

Another way we could stop the war profiteering is to remove the members of Congress that are appropriating unethically in their OWN FAVOR! Take Senator Dianne Feinstein for example. Not only has she voted in favor of no-bid contracts for her husband's company (working in Iraq & Afghanistan, just to name a few places), but she is also sitting on the Ethics Committee now, where she can legally ensure her immoral deeds remain "ethical" in the eyes of Congress. She may have quit the appropriations committee that gave the contracts, but...come on southern California, are you seriously going to continue to allow that war-profiteering criminal to also be her OWN police enforcement too? GET HER OUTA THERE! As well as the many, many others in Congress that have clearly chosen profiteering over precious life. I'm a giant advocate for contacting Congress for any reason; whether it be to express dismay over lack of support or bad vote, as well as congratulating on a good vote (the latter is not as often done, but just as important!). We cannot depend on the next president alone to fix this giant mess, and I implore you to keep an eye on Congress before casting congressional votes in '08 for this reason too.

What has happened with the contractors in Iraq is just one of MANY things that happens in unfettered and radically free markets. In fact, Iraq was a dream guinea pig for the radical free market yea-sayers, implemented by Paul Bremer, and based upon an economic plan that was originally born out of a desire to put an end to The New Deal. Naomi Klein has dubbed it: THE SHOCK DOCTRINE, but it's more commonly known as "Economic Shock Treatment" or as the "Chicago School of Economics." It has been followed by people such as Rumsfeld, and the economic puppets for Pinochet - who were trained to do their part by the same (and probably most notorious) economist who had created this theory, Milton Friedman. The premise stems from the CIA's use of shock, as a means of reducing prisoners to a child-like state so they may wield power over them. Friedman wanted free markets in a time that they were very unpopular, and he realized the same practice the CIA was using could be applied to the masses in cases of natural disaster, war, or any other shocking event. Today we see the Shock Doctrine in play here in the US, after the attacks on 9/11 where Bush manipulated our shock to get all kinds of policies we would otherwise be opposed to into law, as he promised to protect us. There is a short film about the whole concept that is very well done on Naomi's website as well.

i think they are perpetuating the fear and shock with the endless war, and the supposed "threats" from Iran. In order for the Shock Doctrine to keep its grip, people must remain paralyzed by fear, and Iran is just the next tool for these means. A reminder that Iran poses NO THREAT (a short, narrated by Arron Russo):

Since there is so little real understanding in the US of the Iranian people, I think it's important that we make an effort to go beyond what we are force-fed or limited to by our media. I don't think it is any accident that the media has made this war faceless and that we have not heard reports on any individual Iraqis since the war began; because if we do not feel connected to the human lives there, then it's easier for us to support their deaths - so I want to put a face and real people in the place we have labeled "our enemies." In this video below you will see what everyday life is like for Iranians; it's produced by the BBC. I think most will be surprised and even intrigued, as I was. It's beautifully done and focuses solely on their culture, different areas of Tehran, various lifestyles there, and simply based on the people overall - no politicians were interviewed for this piece.

Now, every time somebody ventures into a discussion on Iran in the US, it invariably leads to Israel, and then to accusations of Antisemitism. So I want to remind everybody (as I so frequently do), that the cabal seeking to squash Iran are the Zionists, NOT Jews. Sure, some Zionists are Jews (but certainly not all), there are also Christian Zionists, and other organizations that work in concert with them; but the fact remains that it's so far from just being Jewish people behind the Zionist movement.

It's of vast importance to differentiate between the two in order to understand what is behind, and truly motivates this verbal attack on Iran. We must not allow the Zionists hide behind their accusations of prejudice! I recently discovered this great website via the picture above on another website, the website I'm speaking of is on the sign the Rabbis are holding in the picture above. Within that site you'll find this insightful article about their visit with the Iranian president, and the following counter-protests they held in response to the ones against Ahmadinejad's visit to the US. The press release at the bottom of this article includes a speech given the night before that meeting, and it explains extremely well why Jews are opposed to Zionism. I will gladly give numerous resources to anybody that wants to read more about this too, just ask. To accept this vicious rhetoric about antisemitism, is to allow these immoral wars to continue. For those of you that still think it's a good idea to attack Iran, I ask you to please seriously consider this:

Also, this is just one tragedy that awaits our attack. Another (in brief) is that Iran could simply chose to shut-down the Straights of Hormuz by whatever means necessary; and that would seriously and so easily crush America. Not only by way of our troops, but also because it's the passage that MUCH of our energy resources travel though - amongst other things. Honestly, Iran is NOT a war the US has ANY chance of "winning."

It's not my intention to condone any beliefs held by Iranians here that are considered controversial; but I think it's important to recognize that judging another country's religion, beliefs, or lifestyle is no place for a democracy! To consider ourselves the world's "cultural police" or the ones on some sort of "moral high-ground" is a very dangerous position to take; and it's in fact, quite the opposite action of said intentions behind this stance. Please consider how long it took for you to understand your own faith, and that most devout followers of any religion believe that they may never fully understand their God or It's divine intent. So how can people be so comfortable judging another's faith with so little understanding? Almost all faiths preach that it is only for God to judge, and teach love and respect for all life. Sadly it seems that many faithful have forgotten, or chosen to ignore these very valuable principles. Most faiths believe that if you life by good example, there will be no reason to seek converting anybody because they will desire what you have and ask of you what led you there; and I suggest that to developing a desire for democracy, will work in like fashion. We as Americans are for the most part, not setting a good example in either arena.

On our side of the border, we can continue to blame the administration, and that wouldn't be so far off base, however...When are we the people going to stand up against what we know is wrong, and have known has gone on for so long?

This is a democracy after all, meaning that everything this administration does is ultimately on our hands. It's sad to hear anybody say that they still believe Bush actually intends to protect Americans from harm, especially when there seems to be evidence to the contrary popping up almost everyday! Bush's promises of protection are empty, and he's not listening to commanders on the ground, or anybody else but himself. It's time we forgive those that were blinded by shock, and time for all of us to come out of our shock so we can make way for some badly needed change! I'm thinking that perhaps what I've thought up until now was just apathy, was really just a result of shock; and I have The Shock Doctrine to thank for opening my eyes to that possibility. I really want to forgive too, so we can move on from that stand-still. As Naomi Klein surmised from her research, it's only when we are aware of what is happening to us, and when we have access to knowledge that we can resist the power that shock has over us. Part of informing ourselves involves taking responsibility for all that has passed, and actually doing something to change it.

In this New York Times OP-ED piece that was published yesterday, it so precisely lays out as to how we the people are now equally responsible for the atrocities that have followed the criminality and negligence that the administration, the media, and the Congress were initially responsible for. I was glad to see such an accurate account of so many of the things we've been told about listed in one place and yet, not resolved even one of those things - it should shame the best of us to recall it. I recommend you "get it while it's hot" too (this OP-ED article), since this publication archives fairly quick and then you have to be a member to access it. That is why I have posted it in full below. However, there are several great links within the original article, so PLEASE go read it now.

I wonder when Americans are going to stop allowing these entities to hold the power of shock over us, to let the press turn the page for us so that we forget without resolving anything, and to accept their reasoning for turning a blind eye to profiteering and violations of our rights and freedoms, and all in the name of hate?
I know now, that it will only happen, and we will only be able to have some peace, when we decide not to allow ourselves to remain in a state of shock.

PS - I'd like to thank numerous friends that are also dedicated to spreading information and offering truth. There are truly too many to name here but I think you know who you are, and I wanted to let you know that I cannot do this sort of thing without you. You also work very hard to shake-off the shock! Thank you.
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OP-ED COLUMNIST

The ‘Good Germans’ Among Us

By FRANK RICH
Published: October 14, 2007

“BUSH lies” doesn’t cut it anymore. It’s time to confront the darker reality that we are lying to ourselves.

Ten days ago The Times unearthed yet another round of secret Department of Justice memos countenancing torture. President Bush gave his standard response: “This government does not torture people.” Of course, it all depends on what the meaning of “torture” is. The whole point of these memos is to repeatedly recalibrate the definition so Mr. Bush can keep pleading innocent.

By any legal standards except those rubber-stamped by Alberto Gonzales, we are practicing torture, and we have known we are doing so ever since photographic proof emerged from Abu Ghraib more than three years ago. As Andrew Sullivan, once a Bush cheerleader, observed last weekend in The Sunday Times of London, America’s “enhanced interrogation” techniques have a grotesque provenance: “Verschärfte Vernehmung, enhanced or intensified interrogation, was the exact term innovated by the Gestapo to describe what became known as the ‘third degree.’ It left no marks. It included hypothermia, stress positions and long-time sleep deprivation.”

Still, the drill remains the same. The administration gives its alibi (Abu Ghraib was just a few bad apples). A few members of Congress squawk. The debate is labeled “politics.” We turn the page.

There has been scarcely more response to the similarly recurrent story of apparent war crimes committed by our contractors in Iraq. Call me cynical, but when Laura Bush spoke up last week about the human rights atrocities in Burma, it seemed less an act of selfless humanitarianism than another administration maneuver to change the subject from its own abuses.

As Mrs. Bush spoke, two women, both Armenian Christians, were gunned down in Baghdad by contractors underwritten by American taxpayers. On this matter, the White House has been silent. That incident followed the Sept. 16 massacre in Baghdad’s Nisour Square, where 17 Iraqis were killed by security forces from Blackwater USA, which had already been implicated in nearly 200 other shooting incidents since 2005. There has been no accountability. The State Department, Blackwater’s sugar daddy for most of its billion dollars in contracts, won’t even share its investigative findings with the United States military and the Iraqi government, both of which have deemed the killings criminal.

The gunmen who mowed down the two Christian women worked for a Dubai-based company managed by Australians, registered in Singapore and enlisted as a subcontractor by an American contractor headquartered in North Carolina. This is a plot out of “Syriana” by way of “Chinatown.” There will be no trial. We will never find out what happened. A new bill passed by the House to regulate contractor behavior will have little effect, even if it becomes law in its current form.

We can continue to blame the Bush administration for the horrors of Iraq — and should. Paul Bremer, our post-invasion viceroy and the recipient of a Presidential Medal of Freedom for his efforts, issued the order that allows contractors to elude Iraqi law, a folly second only to his disbanding of the Iraqi Army. But we must also examine our own responsibility for the hideous acts committed in our name in a war where we have now fought longer than we did in the one that put Verschärfte Vernehmung on the map.

I have always maintained that the American public was the least culpable of the players during the run-up to Iraq. The war was sold by a brilliant and fear-fueled White House propaganda campaign designed to stampede a nation still shellshocked by 9/11. Both Congress and the press — the powerful institutions that should have provided the checks, balances and due diligence of the administration’s case — failed to do their job. Had they done so, more Americans might have raised more objections. This perfect storm of democratic failure began at the top.

As the war has dragged on, it is hard to give Americans en masse a pass. We are too slow to notice, let alone protest, the calamities that have followed the original sin.

In April 2004, Stars and Stripes first reported that our troops were using makeshift vehicle armor fashioned out of sandbags, yet when a soldier complained to Donald Rumsfeld at a town meeting in Kuwait eight months later, he was successfully pilloried by the right. Proper armor procurement lagged for months more to come. Not until early this year, four years after the war’s first casualties, did a Washington Post investigation finally focus the country’s attention on the shoddy treatment of veterans, many of them victims of inadequate armor, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other military hospitals.

We first learned of the use of contractors as mercenaries when four Blackwater employees were strung up in Falluja in March 2004, just weeks before the first torture photos emerged from Abu Ghraib. We asked few questions. When reports surfaced early this summer that our contractors in Iraq (180,000, of whom some 48,000 are believed to be security personnel) now outnumber our postsurge troop strength, we yawned. Contractor casualties and contractor-inflicted casualties are kept off the books.

It was always the White House’s plan to coax us into a blissful ignorance about the war. Part of this was achieved with the usual Bush-Cheney secretiveness, from the torture memos to the prohibition of photos of military coffins. But the administration also invited our passive complicity by requiring no shared sacrifice. A country that knows there’s no such thing as a free lunch was all too easily persuaded there could be a free war.

Instead of taxing us for Iraq, the White House bought us off with tax cuts.

Instead of mobilizing the needed troops, it kept a draft off the table by quietly purchasing its auxiliary army of contractors to finesse the overstretched military’s holes. With the war’s entire weight falling on a small voluntary force, amounting to less than 1 percent of the population, the rest of us were free to look the other way at whatever went down in Iraq.

We ignored the contractor scandal to our own peril. Ever since Falluja this auxiliary army has been a leading indicator of every element of the war’s failure: not only our inadequate troop strength but also our alienation of Iraqi hearts and minds and our rampant outsourcing to contractors rife with Bush-Cheney cronies and campaign contributors. Contractors remain a bellwether of the war’s progress today. When Blackwater was briefly suspended after the Nisour Square catastrophe, American diplomats were flatly forbidden from leaving the fortified Green Zone. So much for the surge’s great “success” in bringing security to Baghdad.

Last week Paul Rieckhoff, an Iraq war combat veteran who directs Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, sketched for me the apocalypse to come. Should Baghdad implode, our contractors, not having to answer to the military chain of command, can simply “drop their guns and go home.” Vulnerable American troops could be deserted by those “who deliver their bullets and beans.”

This potential scenario is just one example of why it’s in our national self-interest to attend to Iraq policy the White House counts on us to ignore. Our national character is on the line too. The extralegal contractors are both a slap at the sovereignty of the self-governing Iraq we supposedly support and an insult to those in uniform receiving as little as one-sixth the pay. Yet it took mass death in Nisour Square to fix even our fleeting attention on this long-metastasizing cancer in our battle plan.

Similarly, it took until December 2005, two and a half years after “Mission Accomplished,” for Mr. Bush to feel sufficient public pressure to acknowledge the large number of Iraqi casualties in the war. Even now, despite his repeated declaration that “America will not abandon the Iraqi people,” he has yet to address or intervene decisively in the tragedy of four million-plus Iraqi refugees, a disproportionate number of them children. He feels no pressure from the American public to do so, but hey, he pays lip service to Darfur.

Our moral trajectory over the Bush years could not be better dramatized than it was by a reunion of an elite group of two dozen World War II veterans in Washington this month. They were participants in a top-secret operation to interrogate some 4,000 Nazi prisoners of war. Until now, they have kept silent, but America’s recent record prompted them to talk to The Washington Post.

“We got more information out of a German general with a game of chess or Ping-Pong than they do today, with their torture,” said Henry Kolm, 90, an M.I.T. physicist whose interrogation of Rudolf Hess, Hitler’s deputy, took place over a chessboard. George Frenkel, 87, recalled that he “never laid hands on anyone” in his many interrogations, adding, “I’m proud to say I never compromised my humanity.”

Our humanity has been compromised by those who use Gestapo tactics in our war. The longer we stand idly by while they do so, the more we resemble those “good Germans” who professed ignorance of their own Gestapo. It’s up to us to wake up our somnambulant Congress to challenge administration policy every day. Let the war’s last supporters filibuster all night if they want to. There is nothing left to lose except whatever remains of our country’s good name.

Terrorists, Terrorists EVERYWHERE!

2007-09-29T08:49:00.000-07:00

With the recent vote in the Senate that passed overwhelmingly (76-22), to label the Iranian military a terrorist group; we must ask ourselves, where do we draw the line? Senator Webb aptly pointed out that this was the first time in American history that we have labeled an entire country's military a terrorist organization, and this measure was a defacto authorization for use of force against Iran. I mean really, who is NOT a terrorist anymore? I fear that this term has been overused and almost replaced the word enemy in order to insight fear and garner support for just about anything. It's liberally applied to any entity that seeks to undermine the administration's goal of force-feeding freedom and dictating democracies for all! Is America seriously willing to repeat the mistake we made with Iraq? Our own estimates and those of the IAEA have BOTH determined that Iran is at least ten years away from being a real threat, and yet the administration keeps suggesting it's not true. Those WMD have GOT to be somewhere, right Bush? "Ooops, they're not over here...maybe over here? heh heh heh..."

In the Democratic debates that were recently on MSNBC, Senator Mike Gravel, Rep. Kucinich, as well as Senator Edwards called out those that voted in favor of the amendment against Iran. I think Edwards may have said it best when he offered that he learned a very different lesson about giving this administration any wiggle-room whatsoever for war - that they can't be trusted. The way Hillary laughed when Senator Gravel said she should be ashamed of her vote (video below), and it should have made it very clear to everybody exactly why she is the darling of Israel and has the support of the largest lobbyist in the US, AIPAC (also an Israeli entity). Her excuse for allowing the administration a crack to squeeze through and attack Iran? So that we can sanction them. Must I really point out that we have already sanctioned Iran TWICE in the last eight months, without ever passing any such resolution? Sanctions before diplomacy huh? Am I the only one that hasn't forgotten that the sanctions placed on Iraq killed over 1.5 million Iraqis, and that half a million of those were children, due to lack of clean drinking water? Even though the sanctions clearly "worked" to keep Saddam from obtaining WMD, that didn't stop us from initiating a war with them and occupying Iraq in the end - so what's the purpose of the sanctions again?!?!?

Hillary's assertion that Iran is responsible for US troops deaths is also absurd. All NIE and other Intel reports indicate that whether it be by weapons support or insurgent, Iranian involvement accounts for less than 5% of US troop deaths. The same reports indicate that the threats coming from outside Iraq, the ones that are MOST responsible for US troop deaths, are the Saudi Arabians. But hey, if we're going to look the other way when we knew their citizens were 90% of those responsible for 9/11, then why would we come after them now? The other country that is reported to be enabling terrorism and largely contributing to US troop deaths in the Middle East, is our other ally, Pakistan!

Must every day be "Opposite Day" with this administration at the helm? For Bush, the friend of our enemy, is also our friend! The enemy of our enemy is again, our friend; and if they are a signatory of the non-proliferation act, that may disqualify them from being an ally too (i.e. India & Israel: get lots of weaponry, and are not signatories). And if a country isn't a dictatorship, a theocracy, nor refuses to suppress a nation of peoples...then they are most likely NOT our friends (i.e. France). So why get your feathers ruffled-up when one of our largest military contractors (Halliburton), relocates their headquarters to Dubai, of the United Arab Emirates? Just because they were the ones that allowed all the funding for 9/11 to be transfered through their government owned banks and into the hands of the terrorists in the US, then refused to allow us to follow the money...and just because they are the ONLY country in the region that allows flights from Afghanistan to land, which enables the Taliban to travel...well, those things shouldn't be any cause for alarm - right? Hell no, those things suggest friendship to our president; because war is quite profitable, and business is GOOD! "Money trumps peace...sometimes" - right Shrub? I think he could have left the "sometimes" out, in an effort for him to be truly honest...

However, without the ability to throw the terrorist label around so liberally, there wouldn't be any good targets for the Military Industrial Complex, and business wouldn't be so good. The word terrorist has been used so often and inappropriately so many times, that I seriously doubt anybody knows what the true meaning of the word is anymore. That's why I was especially pleased to see one of our finest, a marine in the al Anbar province, author this article about this very issue. Apparently, our troops are concerned about our understanding of what a terrorist actually is, and suspect that there are political aims behind such sloppy use of the word as well. I was compelled to write him and thank him for doing this, since there really is no better authority on the matter and he aptly points out that we should be careful when applying this term to people because, "Words still mean things."

Even if Bush can't annunciate or spell them, I think he also knows that words mean something. Which is why I feel compelled to remind you all that he has essentially given himself the absolute authority to label anybody a terrorist, or label almost any event (domestic or international) a threat to national security or an act of terrorism; and then lock whomever he deems responsible away indefinitely, without ever giving them their day in court - even Americans. However, this directive (NSPD 51 or HSPD 20) basically castrates congressional powers and will allow Bush to attack Iran anyway, no matter what our Congress does or doesn't vote for.

Let's pretend for a moment, that Bush won't attack Iran before he leaves office: With Hillary admitting that she doesn't want to guarantee that our troops will be out of Iraq by 2013, and her recent vote in favor of labeling Iran's military a terrorist group; what makes you think that if she becomes president that she wouldn't use that directive to attack Iran herself?

Murdering Our Troops

2007-09-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

First, I wanted to make a small mention of what terrorism actually is. My own observation is that almost anything and everything can be labeled such by this administration, their definition I find far too broad and it's most likely no mistake on their part. After all, what's a "War on Terror" without terrorists, right? Most of the groups and people they paint with their extremely broad terrorist brush are just tools for our administration's intent to remain in Iraq as long as possible, and even to garner support to attack Iran. Bush appears to be willing to villanize just about anybody and any country, just to get his war on. When I'd heard that a large portion of our military is still under the notion that Saddam had something to do with 9/11, well, let's just say; case and point. I've heard on several occasions from several different sources that our troops' exposure to news is quite limited, and so I was also concerned with their ability to obtain enough real information, and if they are able to correctly identify "the terrorists." They may not be able to identify individuals with their limited access to interpretors and honest envoys, but fortunately I've discovered that they in fact have a very clear definition of terrorists, by way of their military training. I wanted to share my discovery with you here. It's an article on this very topic, authored by a marine serving in the al Anbar province. I wrote this man to thank him for clearing the smoke for us civilians as well, since I'm sure that I wasn't alone in my confusion as to whom it is that they actually consider enemy combatants.

Those of you that have been reading me know that I have been on a mission to shut-down private contractors for some time now. Those of you that are new readers, I invite you to take a look at some of my prior entries here on the subject, which includes some very telling videos as well. perhaps the best known and well done film on the subject is called, "Iraq for Sale" and you can find a link to the full length film viewable online in my links-list, just to your right--->
Prior blogs here include; Privatized War and To the "Victor" Goes the Spoils....
I've also touched on the topic in the following articles (as well as many others) within my column on "Who is Isabella?": Profits Trump Rights (half way down this page), and in my very first article there in August 2005, "Heroes Treated Badly".

With the latest Blackwater scandal, I take small comfort in that a little light was shed on this LONG TIME problem. The only thing that I find disturbing is that Americans are not more outraged. How could America forget so quickly about the private contractors that were hung from the bridge in Iraq? Are we really stupid enough to think that was without provocation?!?!? How is it that people here seem to have little to no understanding whatsoever that these kinds of lawless and immoral activities that private contractors are engaged in are endangering our troops? The Iraqis can't tell the difference between the contractors and our troops; and even if they can, they see them as part of the same force. When they do bad things, they do them in the name of the US. For our "leaders" not to have reacted to this incident immediately and properly, is an extremely bad reflection on the US as well. Removing Blackwater from Iraq is a minimal move, that should be followed by the removal of ALL private contractors in Iraq.

Last year there was a privately contracted security member that decided to kill a security guard for an Iraqi official, mainly because he was drunk while having an argument with the guy - but also just because he could! He even announced he was going out to kill somebody to his drinking buddies, just before he did it. What happened to him? Nothing; he was sent home, and faced no punishment whatsoever for committing that senseless murder. It's no wonder that after this latest episode of killing at least 11 Iraqi civilians - without provocation - that the Iraqi officials want these guys removed from their country. If we won't hold these guys accountable for such deplorable actions, and the Iraqis are unable to do it, then we should expect this evil crap to continue. The fact that the Iraqi parliament is trying to ban Blackwater and revoke their license, by utilizing their newly formed democracy, and our administration is basically telling them to "stick it" is vile! "HERE! Have a democracy, US style...just don't USE it!!!" Bush says we're there to give them the power and freedom that a democracy affords; but when they use it for what they consider to be best in their best interests, Bush practically laughs in their face by sending Blackwater right back in to work, against their will. I guess if Bush allowed their democracy to function and get the results they're entitled to, then it would expose our democracy for the SHAM it's been over the last several years - and we can't have THAT, now can we?

Since Congress can't even mange to vote in favor of our troops having proper recuperation time in between multiple tours in the Middle East, then I think the least we can do is encourage volunteers to enlist in the service - instead of signing up with the contractors. The contractors pay multitudes more for the very same jobs, and are taking away from our reenlistment potential as well. Not only are they better paid, but it's our volunteer army that is put into the most dangerous positions, without proper armaments, nor end in sight for their service. I just don't understand how those that say they support the troops are OK with all this preference given to contractors! After all, BOTH contractors and the military are paid for by our tax dollars. Which would you rather be paying for? Neither I'm sure and I don't want to be paying for an occupation either, but since we haven't the choice to end it (yet), I'd rather our money didn't go to the immoral, indiscriminate, unaccountable, completely lawless, murderers - especially not when it's at such a great cost to our troops! They are literally getting our military killed.

Thanks to a friend of a friend on My Space, Jesus †J for putting this together!!!

Top ten war profiteers (annotated)

1. AEGIS

2.BEARING POINT

3.BECHTEL

4. BKSH & ASSOCIATES

5. CACI AND TITAN

6. CUSTER BATTLES

7. HALLIBURTON

8. LOCKHEED MARTIN

9. LORAL SATELLITE

10. QUALCOMM

Here lies 33 days of research. Here you have every location, all executives, lobbyists and profiles of the top ten war profiteers. We must shut them down, let them know they are not welcome in our country, state, county, city or town.

We will discuss all legal tactics for doing this elsewhere. This is strictly a directory containing links to all applicable information that I deemed necessary in shutting them down and taking our country and army back from these corporations.

Notice: profit incline exactly the same as soldier's deaths!

Figures are much higher now

Congress at "Work"

2007-09-21T12:16:00.000-07:00

What has Congress been doing this week? One might think their job is to do "the will of the people," but Congress clearly disagrees...

A vote came up to restore Habeas Corpus, but that didn't pass - forget about treating human beings with such dignity. Our representatives apparently think that imprisoning people without them knowing why, for indefinite periods of time without ever telling them why, nor giving them a chance to refute it, that's plenty OK by them. What's in a name? Well, if the name is "terrorist," what's in it is; guilty without an opportunity to prove innocence.

A vote came up for our troops to have equal time at home as they serve overseas, but that didn't pass either. Congress thinks that redeploying our troops for multiple tours in the Middle East, one after the other, without a recuperative break, that's perfectly fine by them. They don't care if it undermines the effectiveness of their work, nor if it means a continuation of the highest rates of divorce and suicide our military has ever seen. They don't care if repetitive tours dramatically increases their chances of being killed. What's apparently far more important to Congress is that they can keep the bodies there like Bush wants - far beyond his presidency. Congress wants Bush to have his occupation at all costs; no matter that the mission isn't defined, regardless of the fact that there is absolutely NO PLAN for them to ever leave, and even though it spits in the face of the newly formed democracy in Iraq (they have voted against continued presence, and in favor of US troops withdrawal). We don't really have a democracy anymore, so why should Iraqis enjoy one?

What DID pass a congressional vote this week? Condemnation of Free Speech! Yes sir, Congress doesn't think that the three million Americans (including many vets & their loved ones) have the right to express their concerns about our military leadership in the New York Times. Countless smear campaigns for Democrats and those that want an end to the occupation, that's perfectly fine; just don't share your disagreement with Bush and his cabal, or you will cause Congress to spend their time & efforts condemning you (in a "time of war" nonetheless). If this isn't clear evidence that dissent and freedom of speech has become illegal in the US, then I don't know what is!

To say that I'm dismayed at our current session of Congress' inability to do the people's will, and honor the very reason why they were put into office in the first place (to end the war), is a severely gross understatement. I hope America will join me in a campaign to flush-out our halls of Congress and rid ourselves of these anti-patriotic, inhumane, spineless losers in the next election! In the meantime, call your representatives to ask them things like, "Did you vote FOR or AGAINST freedom of speech?" Or, "Why do you think detainees should be locked away indefinitely, assumed guilty, and without explanation?" And, "Why don't you want our troops to be able to hold their marriages together, nor be capable of effectively doing their job in the Middle East?"
Contact Congress

Bye, Bye Civil Liberty Pie...

2007-09-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to see that the story about the Tasored student has been blasted through media outlets. However, I think that the vast majority of Americans have no idea how often this sort of thing has been happening, nor that it's been happening for several years now too. On the other hand, I imagine that the majority of those reading me here are quite aware of this fact, and I thought I'd lend a little info to back this assertion when discussing this matter with nay-sayers. I'm personally shocked at the amount of people I've seen spread across the internet that have said "the guy deserved it," or attempting to justify it by saying he was resisting arrest. REALLY? What exactly was the legal premise upon which he was arrested for the first place?!?!? As far as the argument for resisting arrest goes, I suggest these people read the Supreme Court rulings on unlawful arrest:

"An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery." State v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260

"Citizens may resist unlawful arrest to the point of taking an arresting officer's life if necessary." Plummer v. State, 136 Ind. 306."

Being obnoxious is not a crime, and over zealousness is not legally punishable by brute-force or law. Therefore, I post again the quote from Albert Einstein that I think is most pertinent to this matter:

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

My man told me that if he'd been there, he'd most likely have been keeping that guy company in jail that night. Neither one of us could live with ourselves, allowing that to happen right in front of us and I certainly would've ended up in jail with them both. We are by no stretch of the imagination violent people, but when it comes to police brutality that violates constitutional rights - forget about it, we hate bullies! It's seriously shameful and even frightening how the people there not only allowed, but actually cheered this fascist reaction right before their eyes. No matter what "side" you're on politically, this should have been seen as a total affront to our freedom of speech. The Constitution and our First Amendment right is far from a partisan issue! If we don't defend everybody's right, then soon enough we'll find that NOBODY will be able to exorcise it. You can't support the right to be extended ONLY to those you agree with - that's 100% anti-patriotic. Whatever happened to "Sticks & stones..." people?
Remember, "First they came for the Jews..." and I seriously doubt that any American wants to find themselves with nobody left to speak out for them, when they want to express themselves - WAKE UP SHEEPLE!

So here are a few examples of how our rights to peacefully assemble and speak our minds are being violated by our system and it's officials:

Last year posted on You Tube, another student being Tasered inside the UCLA library. The main difference between what happened a few days ago and this episode from last year is that the students witnessing this atrocity were vigilant citizens. They asked for badge numbers and tried to ask why this was happening. How did we go from that to now? Is it really just a matter of it happening in California as opposed to happening in Florida? Or is it a result of another year since, of desensitization and growing acceptance of such treatment of Americans?

In an effort to lawfully post notice of the march protesting the occupation, set for September 15th, police came to arrest and harass the people from the ANSWER coalition. Say what you will about the organization itself; I've worked with them and they are extremely careful to obey all laws and regulations. Watch the video, there was no violence or even civil disobedience going on. Of the 192 people arrested at the occupation protest on the 15th, only five or so still remain in jail (in correlation to prior charges). Can anybody tell me why they needed to be arrested in the first place? Crossing the police lines was the official explanation, but that obviously didn't hold water or I'd think they would've remained in jail or been released on bail until trial - but no, they were simply released. Eerily this echoes of the thousands of "terror suspects" released without any explanation from Guantanamo, doesn't it? Even more disturbing was that a few people were sprayed with chemicals, and that detail is barely visible or rarely reported in the news.

During the Petraeus hearing, a Reverend was jumped on and forced to the ground by at least five officers and thrown to the ground so hard that his f'in leg was broken! Come on, you can't tell me that a clergyman was so out of line, or doing something so offensive in the halls of Congress that it warranted arrest and putting him in the hospital. This is completely obscene. Here is the Reverend Yearwood telling his side of that story.

Almost a year ago one of Code Pink's members was banned from DC for an entire year, or she faced six months jail time. This is just another ludicrous absurdity! At least the incident with the student a couple days ago got one of the co-founders of Code Pink into the mainstream!

If you are unaware of the abuses and incredible acts of brutality perpetrated on the victims of Katrina, then you need only Google it to get thousands of results for that as well.

There is a great book that was released last spring that chronicles the rights violations that have occurred to ordinary people since 9/11, some for the most benign acts. It's called, "You Have No Rights; Stories of America in an Age of Repression" by Mathew Rothschild.

So where does this end, and how?
I say it ends in fascism if we don't act to prevent it from continuing, and that it can only be cured by exorcising the rights afforded us by our beloved Constitution. The ability to exorcise our civil rights is literally the foundation that our democracy depends upon for its very existence.

Bush Crony & Economic Hit Men

2007-09-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

In regards to the oil sharing plan, that the Iraqi parliament has voted against BTW (some respect we're showing for their new democracy), what's interesting is what's going on surrounding the Kurdish region. The Kurds having enjoyed security via the US ever since Desert Storm and occupying land that is incredibly oil-rich in comparison to the rest of Iraq, feels perfectly fine with selling-off shares of what they consider to be solely theirs. They may be the only region that has been a proponent for the "sharing" plan, that's really just a sell-out to foreign interests. Low and behold, earlier this month they sold shares to one of Bush's close confidants and a prominent figure in the Intelligence community as well as in US politics - owner of the Texas based, Hunt Oil; plus, the Kurds had already signed five production sharing agreements before that to other foreign companies as well.

Now being that almost all Iraqi oil is in the northern (Kurdistan) and southern regions, I guess it's fairly safe to assume that they'd rather sell it off than share the profits with their fellow Iraqis.

I personally think it's completely ludicrous to force Iraq to sell one of the only forms of revenue they have to fund their own reconstruction. To say that this is a "benchmark" for them to meet or face being abandoned by the US, and to use their compliance as a measure of their success - that's absolutely F*@CKED UP.

To pinch Iraqis and put them in a corner that they are helpless to get out of on their own, this reminds me of the book called, "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man." The premise is exactly about how the US has forced countries to sell-off their revenues to US companies for their interests (without any real benefit to the countries they are stealing from) and the only real difference is this one is being played-out right under our noses, as opposed to in coordination with Black-Ops (or covert missions). Worse yet, these hit men pretend as if they are doing these desperate people some kind of favor, while typically giving them no other choice.

It totally sickens me that US politicians have become these hit men, by threatening to abandon all efforts to repair damage done if Iraqis don't comply to selling their only hope to the ones that raped them in the first place.

(Kudos to a family member that tipped me off about Hunt Oil Inc., and to a fellow blogger that inspired me to write about this)

Welcome to Amerika - PAPERS PLEASE!

2007-09-18T15:14:00.001-07:00

"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
~ Albert Einstein

On another scary Gestapo-like note...
The protest against the Iraq war/occupation last Saturday, there were 190 people arrested and chemical spray was used on a few people too! As I searched for a link that included the mention of the chemical spray, MANY articles that came up in Google have since been erased - nor was there even a single large publication still running that part of the story. I bet you're just as shocked as I am about the lack of accurate media coverage...NOT. If you are surprised, I suppose no flags went up for you about Fox censoring the celebrities that attended the Emmy's and commented on the occupation the other night either. Fox? Censor? NO WAY!!!

I guess free speech is crime, unless you parrot Bush that is. Is it absolutely clear now that the peace movement is considered a serious threat to this administration?

God help us; She may be the only one left that can save our right to free speech.

"First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me."
Pastor Martin Niemöller

If Bush said what was REALLY on his mind...

2007-09-16T10:39:00.000-07:00

Yeah! What He Said! - NO! What WE Say!!!

2007-09-14T01:03:00.000-07:00

Tightening the screws, and applying harsh-enough pressure to get desired results...

After all, those Iranians should have some freedom too!

Maybe we just need to speak his "lingo" in order for him to hear us loud and clear?

BUMS FOR BUSH!

2007-09-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

I thought I couldn't possibly become any sicker with nausea from the embarrassment welling-up in me over the news of Bush telling security officials in Australia that we're "kickin' ass" in Iraq. Then my blood started to boil after hearing his comment on his buddy Osama's mention of Iraq, and reasserting the ludicrous idea that "the fight against Islamic extremists" is some sort of legitimate reason for the US occupation of Iraq. Not only did Bush demonstrate (once again) that even when he's cherry-picking the info he WANTS he misinterprets it, but also that he's in this chicken & egg quandary about which came first; Al Qaeda or Iraq. What's even weirder is that the terrorist makes more sense than the president, and yet we're supposed to believe the one that has killed two hundred times as many people? Yeah, that's right, call ME the terrorist for pointing out the obvious.

But then again, in the words of Senator Gravel (recently on Bill Maher), "What do you expect when you have a mental midget for a president?" Napoleon complex? Perhaps...

Still, I wasn't feeling well at all the last few days, and then I was hipped to this bit of news from Australia about the Bums for Bush:

BLESS THOSE BUMS!!!

Target Iran

2007-09-01T13:42:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I'm stealing this title from the most definitive book on the subject by the same name: "Target Iran" by Scott Ritter - which I highly recommend.

However, time is of the essence in this matter, as there is about to be a GIANT propaganda effort taking-off. No time to read books before attending to this matter, we already know we don't want to go to war with Iran!

If you've been reading me, you know I have been expecting this to happen for quite some time now, and I'm still a little leery about an attack on US soil being within our immediate future. Now I think that the administration is backed into the corner far enough that if they are going to do this (as they've wanted to since the beginning), now is about the only chance they have left to pull it off. There's extra pressure to get it started quick too; with the progress report for the surge being due on September 11 (even though the White House was able to edit it), and the vast majority of Americans now agree that it's time to end US involvement in Iraq - we're weary from war & occupation already! So this effort for public support of another war won't be as easy as it was the first time.

The problem is that the warmongers don't care if they are able to gain as little as 30-40% support from the public, because that's plenty enough to go ahead with it in their book. Our only hope of preventing this catastrophe is by pushing for the legislation already introduced against funding for an attack on Iran, and let's not forget that this administration doesn't think they need congressional approval to do it - so passing a law forbidding funds for military action against Iran is absolutely necessary for prevention. Unfortunately, even if everybody is successful in doing these things, it may only hold it off temporarily - but that could be enough time to take other preventative measures thereafter.

Please everybody, do your part to end this mindless destruction of life everywhere, just for the sake of financial profit - it has got to end!

May we all take action, and may the powers that be have mercy on us all...

Idahomopobic Freak

2007-08-31T15:34:00.001-07:00

Craig has just unofficially announced his resignation moments ago, when he announced the official resignation announcement will be tomorrow. I guess he needs another gay, I mean day, to get his story straight.

I'm plenty good with the gay part, it's the self-loathing hypocrisy that I find most disturbing.

How Would you Feel If...

2007-08-31T03:26:00.000-07:00

If you HAD to leave your home and stay far away for a while in order to survive, and then a year later you finally make it back, only to be met by police preventing you from getting into your house? What if you still found yourself homeless after two years, with your kids too? You might expect to hear this story coming out of Iraq (not that it's any more acceptable), but this story is about Americans - from New Orleans.

Once again' Palast has aptly identified the target of such inhumanities, as people who are guilty of being just two things: poor & black.

This problem is nothing short of outrageous insanity, and this vile treatment of human life is absolutely shameful (if not criminal).

Still think it's more important for our National Guard to be in Iraq; as opposed to in the US, attending to natural disaster relief efforts? Between the multiplying infrastructure failures across the nation and the increasing intensity of damaging storms and other freaks of nature, we are in for some serious suffering as it is. "Not in America," right? Wrong. Without a proper security infrastructure at home, we have far more pressing issues than terrorism on our plate. Just because you may not be black or poor, don't fool yourself into thinking that it won't happen to you. The vast majority that are hurting (and will be hurting)come from our middle class - the largest growing demographic sinking into poverty.

I never thought this would be the situation in New Orleans two years after Katrina hit. It's almost too unbelievable for me, but it should be a screaming signal for Americans everywhere to get mad as hell! Which reminds me...

Across the nation, at every Federal Building of every city, during the lunch hour (12-1), on the 19th of every month: Bring some pots & pans and...

RAISE HELL FOR MOLLY IVINS!!!

The only purpose of this gathering is to let our representatives hear first-hand that we want an end to the war/occupation - NOW. Pure and simple. Brilliant journalist Molly Ivins, passed away a about six months ago. In her last article she talked about Bush's "surge plan." Ivins said that Bush claiming that as an actual plan should've had Americans out in the streets mad as hell, banging pots & pans, and demanding that the war come to an end right now. In loving memory...

No End in Sight

2007-08-27T22:57:00.001-07:00

Our Thorns Removed Themselves!

2007-08-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Two of the biggest thorns in America's side have removed themselves from office, within two weeks of each other, and during the congressional recess...I smell recess appointment burning on the hot-plate... To see Rove & Gonzales resign tells me that their were indictments were (or are), just around the corner. This administration's chosen-ones also have a habit of disappearing just before the sh*t hits the fan. That way they can at least say that they aren't working within government by the time it hits. You can bet your sweet booty that not a single one of them would have left if there wasn't something dark looming over these ego-maniacs' heads too!

When Gonzales announced he wasn't going to resign he said he needed to get about his business of "good work," and claimed the courts were impeding him to do so. All the sudden, I think he realized that he was merely a "common mortal" and it was only getting caught in criminal/immoral activities that revealed this harsh reality to himself - nauseatingly pathetic. Then there's Rove, leaving to supposedly "spend time with his family" does he really have one? That just creeps me out... I expect that they'll be seen very soon at the pulpit, giving their public confessional. You know, the one where they lay all their sins in God's lap? If it weren't for confession, I doubt any of Bush's cronies would ever know what it feels like to be "clean," not even momentarily.

Of course, Bush will just open his back-door for another crony to be seated without question. I heard that Homeland Security Dept. failure, Michael Chertoff may be in line for Gonzales' seat. People are already talking about Chertoff's recess appointment meaning he will remain until the end of 2007 (without congressional questioning/confirmation required). How disgusting is it that because of the administration's repeated and abusive pattern of recess appointments, that before it even happens people are just expecting it? What was once fairly rare, became the norm and nobody in Congress has ever really said much about it, if anything at all. Bush the a back-door man, adores his recess appointments and opens the back-door wide for cronies that wouldn't be able to pass the congressional sniff-test. I would be all for Chertoff's appointment - IF it meant we had an opportunity to get him under oath about his disastrous Katrina-recovery "efforts"!

Bush said that Gonzales was "impeding from doing good work" - and even though he meant impeded, he spoke more truth than he will ever understand (which might bring his total less than ten times that he did tell the truth about anything...inadvertently). Bush also claimed that Gonzales' name was being "dragged through the mud...over politics," but I'd say that Gonzales had clearly decided to bathe in mud regularly, and all on his own. After all, nothing besmirches reputation or name as effectively as just being a liar does!

I obviously wanted these two thorns removed, but I have to admit that allowing them to work in stealth is more concerning in some regards. Just look at Rumsfeld: He proved to be a miserable failure, and he may have resigned; but he was never held accountable for anything whatsoever, and then he was given his very own little staff as a consultant, for the Pentagon. Just because he isn't Sec. of Defense anymore doesn't mean he stopped applying his failing policies to our military. On the contrary, Rumsfeld now has a kind of immunity and anonymity to hide behind while doing it.

Just because we no longer see the thorns in our sides, doesn't mean they aren't still there. Keep your eyes on these guys, they will not be disappearing anytime soon. Don't let "out of sight" become "out of mind."

Will the US be Duped into Another War?

2007-08-26T19:10:00.000-07:00

Sign the open letter for media intervention.

As far as the media goes, I firmly believe that when it comes to every single thing we suffer, struggle against and try to overcome as Americans; there are TWO sole causes that lead us to those problems: Corporate Interests & the Media - they are the poisonous partners that make it all possible. The press is the ONLY corporation protected by the Constitution - and for good reason. They have a constitutional duty to serve the people's educational interests, not other corporations' interests. That media thing, is OURS - and I want it back!

A Man with the Right Experience

2007-08-11T13:10:00.000-07:00

You want to end the war/occupation, right?

Lebanese Intelligence takes their lead from CIA

2007-08-10T11:07:00.001-07:00

This victim said that the Lebanese Intelligence treatment was far worse than what his enemies would have done to him. Isn't this essentially what the US did with Iraqis and Abu Ghraib?

Watch it While You Can

2007-08-07T03:29:00.000-07:00

Zeitgeist

The Patriot's Way

2007-07-26T14:28:00.001-07:00

Fearings, nothing more than fearings...

2007-07-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

First Chertoff's "gut feeling" tells him that there is a high risk of the US being attacked again. Then his gut gave him a more specific detail later, where he told some university students that; dirty-bombs will hit LA & San Francisco simultaneously (and watch, if it does happen; the administration will say that it was our own fault because we were warned but didn't leave - then they'll call to order the buses to "rescue" us).

About ten days ago, Bush started getting busy with the business of blurring the line between Osama's Al Qaeda, and Iraq's Al Qaeda (who thought it would be best to use a name with some notoriety), whose correct name is Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia". At first, he mentioned it with somewhat careful vocabulary, calling them Al Qaeda without clarifying. Then today I heard a clip on the radio from Bush speaking at a university, and he flat-out said that the one in Iraq is exactly the same as Osama's Al Qaeda.

Boy, they sure do like to dish it out to the college students! That's where they can get crazy with the lies, and take a lesser chance of it actually going public.

Speaking of liars...Gonzales was on the stand today, doing it again to Congress. First he said that he did not approach Ashcroft at his ICU-bedside in order to discuss the surveillance program renewal. Then he turned around and said that the documents he had in his hands that night (which just happened to be the night before the renewal was due), he said they were the renewal documents! Hello perjury? Obstruction of justice? Furthering conspiracy? Enough already.

At any rate, I have been watching the fear-machine crank-it-up ever since the all-nighter that the Senate pulled, and it just keeps repeating more frequently and feverishly. I expect plenty more of it, and I honestly wouldn't be surprised if there was a big announcement very soon about how they caught the terrorist before he could strike. Fearings...nothing more than fearings...

Fear the Inable, Support the Unstable

2007-07-21T16:58:00.000-07:00

Chertoff's "gut feeling" has reportedly given him some specifics all the sudden. While speaking at a university yesterday, he said that LA and San Francisco will be simultaneously hit by dirty bombs.

Now that the fear has been put back into us, thanks to our current Faith-Based Intelligence, I guess we can consider ourselves safe, and all go shopping! As for the rest of us, expect the worst and suspect it ALL. It's not that I doubt there may be an attack on American soil. It's just that I doubt it will come from those that our government will blame, and I doubt that it will be the "unpreventable event" I expect they will present it as (if it does happen). Brace yourself for a whole lot more "fight them over there" rhetoric to come, especially since it will be reported that the surge hasn't even had a chance to work yet (as we can see they have already begun to do).

It's just amazing to me that there aren't more Americans waking-up to the fear-mongering tactic this administration utilizes to manipulate the public. Fool them once...and they will gobble up all the rest of the fear served-up for years to come! I think it may be largely due to not wanting to admit they were ever wrong. A little unsolicited advice for those people: Pride looks better on honesty, than it does on stubbornness. (i.e. You look worse in your willingness to defend fear and LIES, than you ever will by admitting the war was wrong!)

This so-called "war on terror" has nothing to do with holding any terrorists accountable for their actions. If it was about terrorism, the US would be mainly in Afghanistan, not Iraq; we would also be keeping a better eye on, and working closer with Pakistan (instead of planning to attack our "ally"). It's not like we've ever retaliated against the Saudis; not for their involvement in 9/11, nor do I expect they'll ever be even chastised for their current attacks on US troops in Iraq.

Why won't Bush hold the Saudis accountable for anything? It's as clear and as simple as a song.

US Oil in Iraqi Soil

2007-07-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

One of the 18 key benchmarks to be met in September is to have the oil divisions settled in Iraq. Apparently, our administration is using their interests as a measurement of success in Iraq's progress. According to a recent Intelligence report that benchmark won't be met, and it goes on to say that no foreign company would be able to invest in 2008 - unless the US government backs it. Good news for the Corprotacracy; they will monopolize Iraqi oil!

I thought the Iraqi Parliament had already voted against selling-off oil to foreign interests (in lieu of their state's interests), as well as the US-authored plan to divide the population up. Perhaps they are still voting on the division issue, on creating provinces. However, I think that even just doing that, would better serve the oil companies to "divide and conquer." What if the oil was divided amongst the Iraqis? If each province actually owned a certain portion of the oil, then wouldn't they also have the right to sell-off any part of their share to foreign interests?

All You Need 2 Know 2-Day

2007-07-20T13:17:00.000-07:00

Bush just expanded his "unitary executive powers" to include denying the Congress' constitutional right to work with the Judicial Branch/Grand Jury when he claims executive privilege.

In other words, Bush claimed today that if he wants to keep something a secret, not even our justice system can decide differently. If Congress subpoenas somebody for an investigation, but Bush doesn't want them to talk, Bush thinks he can decide that they won't, even without a legal basis.

"If the government has nothing to hide...why are they hiding everything?"

Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Lt. Col., USAF ret.
* Dr. Robert M. Bowman, Lt. Col., USAF, ret. is President of the Institute for Space and Security Studies, Executive Vice President of Millennium III Corporation, and retired Presiding Archbishop of the United Catholic Church. He flew 101 combat missions in Vietnam and directed all the “Star Wars” programs under Presidents Ford and Carter. He is the recipient of the Eisenhower Medal, the George F. Kennan Peace Prize, the President’s Medal of Veterans for Peace, the Society of Military Engineers' ROTC Award of Merit (twice), six Air Medals, and dozens of other awards and honors. His Ph.D. is in Aeronautics and Nuclear Engineering from Caltech. He chaired 8 major international conferences, and is one of the country’s foremost experts on National Security.

New Classified Cover-ups by Our Rogue Exec. Office

2007-07-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

What do you do when you're a nation at war, several of your officials are about to be busted on a variety of felonies, and the secrecy-card is about to expire?
When is doubt...VACATION-IT-OUT!!!
va-ca-tion...all I ever wanted...va-ca-tion, GOT to get away...
Yep, since everything is going soooo well in Iraq, it's time to put it on the back burner and let it simmer. Our entire Congress and the Rogue Executive branch are going to do exactly what the Iraqi Parliament is going to do about the war - go on vacation for the entire month of August! It's beyond me how our government has the nerve to scold the Iraqi Parliament for not meeting benchmarks and going on vacation, when our Congress intends to do the very same thing! Not that the move is shocking, or strays at all from the hypocritical M.O. of this administration or anything...

Packing everything up over the last week, to try to take it with them and possibly disappear-it all with public forgetfulness?...
Here are just some of the things they have in their classified suitcase:

---1) Despite Cheney's assertion that his office doesn't require oversight in the handling of classified documents, a second person has been convicted of passing classified info (originally pleaded guilty). He sent strategic information to the Philippines, to a group that was planning a political-coup to over-throw their president. The classified documents were sent by one of Dick's former aides, via Dick's office phone/fax. He worked as a military aide for both Gore and Cheney, then was an intelligence analyst for the FBI - he was just sentenced to prison for ten years.

---2) Not only has Cheney refused oversight from the Intelligence Security Office since 2002 and suggested having it abolished. but now the Justice Department admitted that the oversight board responsible for identifying intelligence abuses didn't report a single thing for the first five and a half years of this administration! They literally ignored hundreds of claims from the FBI, determining nothing about the validity of the alleged abuses. Their first report was filed last year and I haven't looked to see if they covered anything more than 2005, but I doubt it.

---3) Cheney's Energy Task Force: There was finally some coverage of the notorious meetings; however, it was severely played-down by the negligent press. The press has generally taken the position that there was nothing to be so secretive about. The press made the release trivial, reporting; Cheney met with the environmental agencies for consultation (that he said he had) after the policy-making meetings. Instead, he consulted in at least 40 meetings with energy producers' special interest groups. I don't think the public is as concerned with the environmental groups (that Cheney didn't even bother to show up for), at least not as concerned as we are with having information as to who his consulting team consisted of, and what was said in those 40 other meetings. The press pretended that the people involved were pretty non-sequential, burying the names way in the back of articles - when it should have been front-page, screaming headline, NEWS!

As it turns out, Cheney's Energy Task Force was made-up of some lobbyists, and oil baron-types, some who later cashed-out as environmental agency workers (Dept. of the Interior), and they all helped author the US energy policy. Three of them have already been convicted in the Abramoff case, and this is the detail that Cheney is REALLY hiding. Three convicted officials that Cheney consulted with to legislate national energy policies, now convicted felons serving time for taking bribes.
PRESS: "There you go, secret revealed, strange that they fought so hard to cover this up...Move along! Nothing to see here!"

---4) While the Democrats in the Senate were holding an all-night session to get some sort of benchmark for troops withdrawal into the Iraq plan, the Republicans and pundits were busy misconstruing it as "political theater" and a "stunt." The fact that people are actually believing this, just goes to show how invested Americans are in this war/occupation; not at all. An all-night Senate session is the very least of which can be sacrificed for our troops! To call an attempt to do the will of the growing-majority of the people, and to get the business of wartime dealt with in a timely manner (as should be)...to call this a "stunt" shows absolutely no understanding of how Congress works (or is at least, a show of the belief that viewers don't understand). The press was also reporting that "Democrats couldn't achieve a simple majority"; an out-right LIE. The Republicans' filibuster required MORE than a simple majority to have it passed, and had there not been the filibuster the closure vote would have passed. The vote that didn't pass was to blocked an "up or down" VOTE, it was just a vote to end the debate; not an actual vote on the measure itself. We obviously need more action in Congress in order to get anything done thee days, and I can't understand why anybody would be so reluctant to support Congress. that amendment was far from spectacular, but it would have been the first real legislation for an exit-strategy!

Let the records show: Republican Senators have absolutely no intentions whatsoever to even allow a vote on a plan to bring the troops home.

---5) Harriet Miers (former council to Bush) is currently in contempt of Congress' subpoena in regards to the US Attorney purge scandal - on Bush's dime. Bush has not officially asserted his executive privilege - yet - nor have the documents been specified as to what may or may not be released (according to Bush). Regardless, her required testimony is being contested by Bush on this basis. Miers will be cited in contempt if things don't change soon. Chairman Conyers of the Judiciary Committee sent/released a letter today addressed to Bush's attorney to inform them that their claims of executive privilege have been deemed invalid and the committee insists upon Miers appearing - as well as the requested documents.

---6) The same judge that ruled Cheney could keep his Energy Task Force meetings secret, has now dismissed a civil suit against Cheney, filed by former covert CIA agent Valerie Plame. Plame's attorney is going to appeal the judgment of course, and I hope she looks to recuse the judge that dismissed the case on a prejudicial basis!

It seems to me that the ruling that has kept those energy meetings classified was the precedent that created the path to secrecy in which this administration has depended upon so heavily.

---7) The Executive branch found yet another opportunity to use its executive privilege, in the "friendly-fire" case of Corporal Pat Tillman; the story of how fratricide was first showcased by the government as a great American hero's sacrifice for his country, only to discover that the Pentagon knew what happened all along and had attempted to completely bury the story.

If you are unfamiliar with Tillman's story, there is a really great 7-part expose that is authored by a military man that has done several interviews with Tillman's mother. There has been some speculation that the Pentagon had decided to capitalize on Tillman's service and death, to encourage enlistments and bolster American support for the war. Some say it may have even been the purpose for his murder in the first place. That is the only thing that could possibly explain why the rest of his records are being held secret under executive privilege now. In response to a committee's request for all documents and records concerning Tillman, they received "10,000 pages" - of newspaper clippings. Upon reasserting the request for military records etc...they were refused on the basis of executive privilege, and told, "We already gave you ten thousands pages worth of documents!" Seriously, what other possible reason could Bush have for covering-up and obstructing the investigation into Corporal Tillman's tragic death?

---8) Cheney will most likely claim executive privilege AGAIN for his involvement in the illegal wiretapping program (despite his recent claims not to actually be part of the Executive Branch). Cheney's legal advisers asked for the same extension given to Bush for complying to subpoenas for documentation, and it was granted. The only real problem with the extension was that there was no rescheduled mandatory date for compliance.

WOOO HOOO! Only this administration gets ALL of the powers with NONE of the responsibilities! Well, and the next one will too, and the next...but only if we let them get away with it this time.

In the words of Lt. Col. Bob Bowman:

"If the government has nothing to hide, why is it hiding everything?"

Iraq "Progress" Impeders Punished

2007-07-18T12:40:00.000-07:00

Dissenters Beware

The Republicans in the Senate had filibustered a vote; apparently, it's NOT so "outrageous" for them anymore. The all-night session there last night was called because of the filibuster, that was blocking a (formerly demanded) "simple up or down vote." the vote was for an actual plan to leave Iraq by next spring. I hope all the Senators that have been saying they are for an end but didn't vote that way last night are catching-it GOOD from their constituents today...Yesterday while the Senate was preparing for a long night, Bush was busy making a law to strip anybody of all their money and property if an attempt is made to disrupt or impede his stay-the-course mission in Iraq.

According to the Executive Order signed yesterday, anybody that is considered to be, "threatening the peace or stability of Iraq or the Government of Iraq" may have ALL their property and assets seized! Come on, by this standard Bush should have everything taken from him for undermining the Iraqi Parliament's legislation to begin removing foreign troops and another refusing to sell their oil!

If you read this order carefully, you'll notice there aren't many specific qualifying factors (numerous loop-holes to reach anybody anywhere); it's just a generalization that could easily include protesters, peace organizations, unions, and any other entity or organization that seeks to end the occupation of Iraq. It will be determined by the three the Secretaries; of State, Treasury, & Defense. Here are some of the ways a person could be implicated; "materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, logistical, or technical support for, or goods or services in support of,..." It barely provides for the protection of humanitarian efforts, but if they show any discord that is a considered a political view on how to maintain "peace or stability," then I suppose they may be subject to losing everything as well. I shudder to think how this will be abused abroad...

Now combine yesterday's constitutional-atrocity, with the two following things that have already been passed;

1) National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 51 / AKA: HSPD 20 on 5/9/7.

2) The Military Commissions Act (MCA) 2006 , just before the midterm elections.

1) The NSPD 51 or HSPD 20, was passed two months ago (May 9th).

This directive basically gives Bush the responsibility to manage everything in cases of "catastrophic emergency," and to declare things as such. It claims its purpose is to make everything as efficient as possible under these circumstances, but actually puts all our response agencies (such as FEMA) ultimately under the thumb and management of the president (the new shadow-government structure!).

Here are some of the more disturbing pieces of NSPD 51:

A) Definition 2b) - "Catastrophic Emergency" means any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions;"
* It clearly says that any location qualifies, so it could be nationally, or internationally. Meaning that any of these things could be considered "effecting the US": an earthquake in the Middle East, another Katrina or other natural disaster, a stock-market crash, another metro-bombing in London, or a protest that distracted Congress or blocked traffic in a major city. Added under another definition, the following are listed as emergencies; "...including localized acts of nature, accidents, and technological or attack-related emergencies;"

B) When you circle your around to get through definitions 2c, 2d & 2h you come to understand that the president works in concert with Congress & the Judicial Branch - only as a courtesy ("comity"), because he is the ultimate Decider in all major emergencies.
* The Decider also gets to decide what is and is not, a "Catastrophic Emergency."

2) It was about eight months ago when the Military Commissions Act passed (9/27/6). Inside you find that anybody labeled an "enemy combatant" can loose their right to habeas corpus. An enemy combatant status can be given to anyone considered a threat, at the sole discretion or determination of the president (and a few other select high-ranking officials).

Some say that it's "debatable" as to whether or not the right to habeas corpus that is usually accompanied by indefinite imprisonment without a trial, can be or may not be applicable to Americans (who can, of course, be considered "enemy combatants"). I'd say this makes it completely plausible, and it hasn't been defined otherwise or more clearly since it passed. Honestly, today, I'm disgusted that I'm able to say I wouldn't be surprised if somebody told me there are Americans that have already disappeared as "enemy combatants."

As we well know by example now, Bush considers almost anybody with a differing opinion a threat. Some of the examples we have of his arrogant righteous dominance shown are; firing people (we're up to our 6th or 7th Commander on the Ground, also 9 US Attorneys removed), imprisoned dissenters (many conscientious objectors, i.e. Lieutenant Watada), put lives in danger (Plame, the CIA, Americans, & Middle Easterners), severely diminished capabilities needed for security (CIA, FBI, FEMA), disembodied or disenfranchised bodies of government (Congress and Judicial Branch), or just plain ignored them (70%+ Americans that want out of Iraq, Intelligence reports). There is no prejudice when it comes to Bush dispelling a person or entity, they only have one thing in common; dissent, a disagreement that amounts to disloyalty in Bush's mind.

Many of the people that were willing accomplices, the Yea-sayers have also been willing scapegoats, and they were sent on their way with a Medal of Freedom, freedom from prosecution, or other "rewards" for their kicked-dog loyalty. Bush is not prejudice in this regard either; even if you are a complete failure or totally destructive and disastrous you can be promoted (or further your career otherwise), financially rewarded, awarded, and sheltered beyond the reach of the law...so far anyway... Anything goes as long as you exhibit your loyalty as a consistent Yea-sayer, and an occasional scapegoat.

Libby was the last straw, because it was an act of over-riding the Judicial Branch - it was so obviously unequal, self-serving "justice." And the Republicans have the nerve to balk about "activist judges" and be mute now! That happened the same week the Executive Branch refused to recognize Congress' subpoenas.

America, WAKE UP! We have a Rogue Branch of Government on our hands!

It's not "us against them" anymore, it's "us against HIM" (or those two). I have certainly been no fan of all the ridiculous, tiring, partisan-crap but this is not even a matter of party, far from it. If we can't all come together for the sake of what is constitutionally correct, then we have nothing left to come together on. The bottom line is that I don't care exactly who it is that's violating, rewriting and dismembering our Constitution currently; I want it to stop, and I don't want anybody to do it ever again! It doesn't matter who you allow to power-grab & abuse, it would get to just about anyone and damage everyone. Imagine if your candidates' "arch enemy" got into office and had this kind of dictator-like power. If that bothers you, then you should also consider protecting your candidate from potential corruption by removing the temptation. We are all only human after all. Aside from all the other temptations (campaign funds, etc...), the only difference between our representatives and ourselves, is that they all swore an oath to protect the Constitution and we are only assumed we would do the same (even though it's technically our duty).

Calling all PATRIOTS for DUTY! IMPEACH THEM NOW!!!
Join over a million Americans; sign the petition that will deliver your message of impeachment on July 23rd.

Bush Admits Treason

2007-07-16T17:28:00.000-07:00

Bush is asked what his position on the the fact that a covert agent's name was released by a member of the administration. Bush says he is aware of treasonous officials in his office, but he thinks it's a waste of time and money to pursue it, or even talk to anybody about it.

BusHitler’s New Data Base

2007-07-14T17:35:00.000-07:00

Smokin’ ‘em outa their caves, with a tekniclogical hit list!

Invading our own neighbors too.

Meanwhile, right here at home, they are creating a privatized police state by way of labeling pot-growers terrorists. They have 17 different "agencies" working on this effort.

Lest We Forget he said...

2007-07-12T14:15:00.000-07:00

"Stop throwing the Constitution in my face," Bush screamed back. "It's just a goddamned piece of paper!"
--- George W. Bush Nov. 2005:
While meeting with GOP congressional leaders about the renewal of the Patriot Act; in response to somebody stating there was a valid case that the [new] provisions undermine the Constitution.
*Capitol Hill Blue article, 12/09/05 "Bush on the Constitution"

I've had a bit of "writers' block" since the Libby commutation, due to my freshly-renewed serious concern for that "piece of paper"...

Privitized War

2007-07-05T01:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official:
There are now more private contractors in Iraq than there are members of our military.

US Military: 160,000+
Private Contractors: 180,000+

The film below is about Blackwater (possibly the number one US private contractor), but the film, "Iraq for Sale" is one of the most comprehensive films on the topic overall.

Online Videos by Veoh.com

To the "Victor" Goes the Spoils...

2007-07-05T01:04:00.000-07:00

2007-06-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

Update on Cheney's Rogue Nation:

On the 21st, the House Oversight Committee wrote Cheney a letter about his illegal evasion of the Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO). They noted that when Gonzales was asked last January to verify if Cheney's exemption claim was valid, Cheney's response was to recommend an amendment to the presidential order that would abolish the ISOO instead.

Here are some of the other highlights:

"Your decision to exempt your office from the President's order is problematic because it could place national security secrets at risk. It is also hard to understand given the history of security breaches involving officials in your office."

and:

"To my knowledge, this was the first time in the nearly 30-year history of the Information Security Oversight Office that a request for access to conduct a security inspection was denied by a White House office."

also:

"In 2001 and 2002, your office had provided the...data...as required by the executive order. Your office ceased to provide this information in 2003, and has refused to provide it in each year since. No rational for this change in policy was provided..."

and lastly:

"Your office may have the worst record in the executive branch for safeguarding classified information."

This last tid-bit quoted above is followed by descriptions of security breaches out of the VP's office; plus numerous attempts by the ISOO communicating their need to fulfill their duty to conduct oversight, with their requests for explanation as to why they had been denied being ignored.

Dick has been on the run for a long time, but he may not be able to hide his illegal activities that he uses to cover his illegal activities anymore.

Dick flippity-flopped yesterday on his "legal" (however unconstitutional) 4th branch position, and reclaimed the executive branch just before being faced with the possibility of his rogue nation's funds being cut off (almost $5 million per yr.). As Rahm Emanuel had said he would earlier this week, he entered an amendment to stop the Cheney's portion of the appropriations normally alloted to the executive branch. In Rep. Emanuel's floor speech today, he essentially said that there's no 4th branch of government called Cheney; but even if there was, it's not above the law - NO branch of government is exempt from oversight.

Cheney's was office subpoenaed, and since he has since decided (in spite of his own recent claim), that he is part of the executive branch again, he claimed executive privilege.

It appears that Cheney won't be able to "work, though, sort of the dark side" for much longer, if you will...

While this is all very amusing, I found something that disgusted me even more (as if that was possible) about Fred Thompson. As it turns out, not only is he a slimy lobbyists posing as a harmless "good 'ol boy," (Dubya's 200 ploy) but he's also got strong ties to the Bush crime family - AND - he has an election fraud (voter disenfranchisement) criminal for an employee (Tim Griffin).

Cheney: A Rogue Nation

2007-06-22T12:50:00.000-07:00

According to representatives of Cheney's office, he is not bound by the executive order requiring reports on the handling of classified material, and he has not complied since 2002. Despite the Constitution's definition of the Vice President, they believe that Cheney is not part of the executive branch. They try to explain it by saying he has both executive and legislative powers, as if to suggest that each power exempts him from oversight of the other. So how the hell is Cheney able to invoke "executive privilege" every time he or his records have been subpoenaed? Which is it Dick? As Olbermann points out (June 21: Cheney in Charge), if Cheney is not part of the executive branch, nor part of the legislative branch, then he can only be one thing: A Rogue Nation. Olbermann's resolution for this problem is just as apt: "Invade him, in order to establish a free and democratic Dick Cheney."

Hmmm...what exactly would Cheney be so keen on hiding since 2002? After all, in his own words, if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about - right? Or as LT. Col. Robert Bowman (former director of Advance Space Programs Development for the U.S. Air Force in the Ford and Carter administrations, founder of the Institute for Space and Security Studies) stated, "If the government has nothing to hide, why is it hiding everything?"

Let's take a look at just a few of the issues Cheney is believed to have abused the intelligence department over:
Cheney's Energy Task Force Meetings
Classifying Documents at an Unprecedented Rate, as soon as he set foot in office
Forcing Evidence to Materialize in order to build a case against Iraq.
Outing of a covert CIA agent Valerie Plame
Manipulating Congress to protect CIA, so they can be exempt from bill baring torture of detainees.
Cheney even admitted that he spends more time with the Director of the CIA, than the director does with his own family. Yet historically, visits with the CIA have almost always been with the president, not the vice - and Cheney has made an unprecedented, enormous amount of visits.

This secret nation of Cheney is destroying the US, and nobody has described the dangers of secret government better than JFK. (speech in video below, in the previous blog)

UPDATE (6-25-7): Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois (chairman of the Democratic Caucus) is planning to put Cheney's assertion to the test this week. He is proposing that in the Executive Branch appropriations bill, a cut-off of funding for Cheney's non-Exec. Branch office be enforced. WOO HOO!

JFK on Secrecy Destroying Freedom

2007-06-21T16:46:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe that JFK felt a need to talk about this so clearly then, whereas so few (if any) of our leaders now have the nerve - yet we have such a clear NEED to hear and heed this warning.

Olbermann on Freedom, Fascism, and Dissent

2007-06-21T16:43:00.000-07:00

Former War Criminal, Peace Envoy Candidate

2007-06-20T20:32:00.000-07:00

Bush has asked his partner in war-crimes, to be our new peace envoy for the Middle East:
Hot off the Stinkin' Presses @ Yahoo! Lap it up little doggie!

Tell the Senate you want them to Support the Fair Elections Now Act TODAY

2007-06-20T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Fair Elections Now Act is making progress in Congress in a Senate hearing scheduled for - TODAY - Wednesday, June 20, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. EST – the first congressional hearing in more than a decade on publicly funded elections.

Ordinary voters are being drowned out by corporate and wealthy special interests that co-opt our elected officials and raid the treasury for earmarks and tax breaks. The result is policy for Big Pharma, Big Oil and Wall Street. We can change all that.

The Fair Elections Now Act would:

* Break the nexus between big money and our elected officials that drains taxpayer money from the Treasury.
* Level the playing field - allowing good candidates of modest means to run to serve in the Senate.
* Make it possible for candidates to run and win on the quality of their ideas, instead of the size of their campaign war chests.
* Free candidates from the money chase so that they can focus on talking with and working for voters, not dialing for dollars or cocktails with lobbyists.

It is important that your senators hear from you. If one of your senators sits on the Senate Rules Committee, be sure to send a strong message of support now:

Dianne Feinstein (Chair)------------------- California
Robert Byrd---------------------------------- West Virginia
Daniel Inouye-------------------------------– Hawaii
Christopher J. Dodd ---------------------– Connecticut
Charles Schumer--------------------------- New York
Richard Durbin (Co-sponsor)--------------– Illinois
Ben Nelson-----------------------------------– Nebraska
Harry Reid-------------------------------------– Nevada
Patty Murray-------------------------------– Washington
Mark Pryor-----------------------------------– Arkansas
Robert Bennett (Ranking Minority) -------– Utah
Ted Stevens------------------------------------- Alaska
Mitch McConnell -------------------------------– Kentucky
Thad Cochran -------------------------------– Mississippi
Trent Lott ------------------------------------– Mississippi
Saxby Chambliss ---------------------------– Georgia
Kay Bailey Hutchison -------------------------– Texas
Chuck Hagel -------------------------------– Nebraska
Lamar Alexander ----------------------------- Tennessee

Please take a minute to contact your senators using the form below.
CleanUpWashington.org
You could call them too.
Tell them you think public funding of elections is a bargain for American taxpayers. Tell them you’d rather have a few of your tax dollars support clean and fair elections than continuing to pay almost $500 a year to wealthy special interests in earmarks and tax breaks.

If you have not done so yet, become a citizen co-sponsor of the Fair Elections Now Act, and be sure to tell your friends about this landmark opportunity to transform our elections and return our government to the people.

You can also watch the hearing on the Fair Elections Now Act live on Wednesday, June 20 at 10:00 a.m. - Link at CleanUpWashington.org, where you can also learn more about how Fair Elections works.

Last Week's Edition, Published Here

2007-06-10T02:27:00.000-07:00

Due to a publishing glitch, last week's article wasn't posted, so I'm posting it here. The current edition will be published on Monday as usual, and the subject of it is FEAR. But take heart...because, in part...

The Jig is UP!
June 2, 2007

There have been some truly incredible developments in the US Attorney purge scandal, and if you haven’t been keeping up you can read all about it in my last two most recent articles:
Gonzo-Wolf Gate; A Neocon Nightmare
There is also more information in last weeks article:
Patriots and Pragmatists

Again I ask; what was the purpose of the scandal? Voter disenfranchisement - that’s it, plain and simple. Remember all the missing emails that the Judiciary Committee had sequestered? Of what was received, much of it was redacted, and much was suspected of missing because one of the emails coming from Rove appeared to have come from an external server (external to the White House, and from the RNC server to be exact). Anyway, the RNC claimed that they were "mistakenly" erased. Then they admitted that in order to be in keeping with the Presidential Records Act, they disabled the ability to erase emails. Rove however, had found a way around that, and he had to be given a talking to about it. Hmmm...what kind of nefarious things do you suppose he was up to? Well, you don't have to guess, because now we KNOW.

Like I'd mentioned it was all about voter disenfranchisement, and more specifically, the "caging lists" that were used to do so. Palast has an article all about caging, so I will save my breath explaining it. This isn't what's NEW though, he has been on this case for several years now...

What's new is that there has finally been some notice taken of the situation by the House Judiciary Committee! Chairman Conyers met with Palast on Thursday night and he turned over all the emails that he had intercepted straight over to Conyers. Most humorous was that these caging lists were accidentally sent to a friends of Palast's that host a site called "GeorgeWBush.org" (the official is .com), so they sent out their evil plan to deny tens of thousands of Democratic voters their right to vote.

Best of all, there was an immediate reaction to that meeting that points to certain guilt. One of the US Attorneys (Tim Griffin) was put in office to replace one of those that wouldn't comply with the evil plan, and had been fingered in Goodling's testimony last week. Griffin resigned the very next day after Palast met with Conyers. Better than that, Griffin was one of Rove's protégés and I expect we will soon hear him squealing like a little piggy before we know it!!! Let's just hope that this new and incredibly consistent Republican-policy of resigning before being successfully prosecuted before the public, doesn't deny us a proper investigation into why we really need to repeal the provision in the latest version of the Patriot Act that allowed Griffin to be seated without congressional approval in the first place. I’m also quite excited about the prospects of resolving these fraudulent election practices with plenty of time to spare (if they move on it NOW) before the 2008 elections!

There was also some nefarious behavior (or MORE I should say) on behalf of Cheney last week too. Apparently Cheney is anticipating the need to cover his ass, as he asked for his records to be destroyed. But just in case that doesn’t do the trick, he also has his lawyer arguing that revealing Plame's identity is included in his immunity as an official. Really? Do officials get immunity from treason too? Anybody want to place bets on a date for Cheney’s resignation?

There was another interesting resignation turned in on Friday as well, that of Bush’s longest serving personal aides. Dan Bartlett has been with Bush since his gubernatorial race in Texas, and had even worked for Rove before that. Bartlett merely announced his departure, but isn’t planning to leave until next month. There was no reason really given as to why he has decided to leave. He’s only 36; yet he vows not to write any books, take another government job, nor even back a candidate for the 2008 election.

Speaking of presidential candidates, there was an interesting development last week as well. Without really examining why there was a need to do it, Edwards retracted his statement that he had read the NIE before voting to authorize the war. Then Clinton Hillary did exactly the same thing. I’m assuming it’s because now that the public has now been able to take a look at those NIEs that were released the week before, that it doesn’t look right to Americans. If you actually read them it’s hard to believe that anybody in their right mind would vote in favor of that! Just as the NIEs were released at the end of the day on the Friday leading into the Memorial Day weekend, so were these statements made. Why did they wait a week? So as not to attract attention to the connection between the reports and their decision? To bury this correction in yet another weekend report, when most Americans aren’t paying attention? Yes, and yes. They were both on the Intelligence Committee, so they both had access to those reports – which means the rhetoric about how “If I knew then what I know now…”-crap doesn’t hold water. What I really think this retraction or “correction” was about actually goes much further than the media would lead you to believe. You see, there is one Democratic presidential candidate that has dealt with exactly the same scenario but had gone an entirely different direction…

Senator Mike Gravel is famous for reading the Pentagon papers in 1971' aloud on the floor of Congress, so they would be entered into the record and revealed to the public. That led Nixon to take Gravel all the way to the Supreme Court; but Gravel won his case, and therefore, the right to have done so. So what excuse does Hillary and Edwards have since Gravel had set precedent 30 years prior, for not telling the public that they knew the administration was lying to America? NONE. Senator Gravel is right, any presidential candidate that had voted for the war isn’t fit to be president – but especially those that had access to this kind of information beforehand!

What kind of reaction can we expect from Bush in such trying times? Well, if his last press conference in the Rose Garden is any indication, then I say we shouldn’t expect the fear-mongering to stop. We could also expect him to continue to lie to Americans since he went on to say that we were in Iraq “at the invitation of their government officials”; who incidentally, have already voted that we should set timetables to LEAVE, and as soon as possible! Bush added that if Iraqis had requested we leave, we would – but that’s a blatant lie. I’d say that continued crony loyalist practices are a given (even if his pals are proving to be the criminals many of us have suspected them to be), considering he is still determined to express his “total confidence” in Gonzales. Although, what I see coming down the pike as his buddies are resigning left and right is a total breakdown and there has been evidence of it happening. Two times within the last month, Bush has lashed out in idiocy at two different people that were questioning his handling of the occupation of Iraq. The most recent was a fabulous display that could only be compared to a spoiled brat that isn’t getting his way. While meeting with friends in Texas, a wild-eyed Bush thumped his chest and repeated over and over, “I am the president!” So now the Texans (and everybody) that took offense to the Dixie Chics saying they were ashamed of Bush being from Texas (their home state) should own up to feeling the same way about him being president, or get on the megaphone to try and defend that! Don’t attempt to tell me that’s something we shouldn’t be ashamed of.

Lastly, a word about Cindy Sheehan quitting the peace movement: Honestly, I don’t think she will ever completely stop, it just isn’t in here nature. I think she meant exactly what she said, that she realized that once she held the Democrats up to the same standards as the Republicans in regards to Iraq, she received the same sort of slander from the left. As a growing percentage of Americans are, she is disenchanted with the system – and frankly worn out. I know that thousands of her supporters are sad about http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2007/05/sheehan_steps_o.html”>her announcement, but truth be told, she has done more than her fair share. I had the excellent fortune as to have crossed paths with her several times, and I can honestly say that her heart is squarely in the right place. The first thought I ever had about her upon discovering what she was doing was that no matter what comes of it, she has set an excellent example for us all. She had proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that one person CAN make a difference. For that reason alone, I have to disagree with Cindy on one thing; her son did not die for nothing because she empowered thousands of Americans to stand up against the war and occupation of Iraq. It’s a painful price to pay in order to mobilize the nation, but I have to say that I can’t thank her enough for everything that she and her son had done for us all. She is exactly right to say that it’s up to us now…but then, it always has been. The war is over, and the jig is up – if you want it to be.

Who are we so afraid of?

2007-06-09T12:29:00.000-07:00

Fear Fuels All Evils

2007-06-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

So here we are, one week into the tuberculosis scare, and it seems to be working. Forget that on the very first day they reported that he wasn't contagious. The real scare should have been about our lack of national security. He was on the no-fly lists, but was able to drive right in across the border, legally? Not that I'm at all surprised, ALL the terrorists from 9/11 entered the US legally. That's why the latest immigration bill is ineffective when it comes to preventing terrorism. It's not about higher security measures being taken, it's about enabling a slave-labor class in the US - so the Corprotocracy can enjoy the benefits of cheap labor. It's hard to believe that Americans really want yet another class of impoverished Americans to be developed; but people will actually argue that it's better than immigrants "stealing jobs" from them, or paying a higher price for anything (which would mean the people that worked to produce it weren't working in inhumane conditions). NOPE! Cheap goods, slave labor, and plenty of encouragement for corporations to outsource or move abroad so they can compete instead. This is just another example of how Americans will support bad policy, merely because they have sucked-up the fear and eaten it whole.

Going back to the tuberculosis thing... Yesterday, there was a bioterrorism drill in LA. Of course, there have been emergency drills going on for decades, but there has been a surge in bioterrorism drills since 9/11. I think the tuberculosis scare provided the perfect opportunity to conduct this test, make it public, and further scare the public into thinking about the "ever looming threat." This is no doubt how Americans have become so willing to give up our civil rights, and those of everybody around us along with them. I was shocked when it seemed apparent that the majority of Americans didn't care about the rights of detainees' right to habeas corpus; don't they understand that even by a grave mistake that they could end up in their position without the ability to even know why they are being detained? Worse yet, there are CIA secret detention centers where there are innocents being held captive, and at least 39 of which are know to have gone missing! In regard to the ongoing rhetoric about bioterrorism goes, I find the latest Presidential Directive especially disturbing. It enables Bush to claim anything he wants an emergency, domestically OR internationally, and completely shut down the authority of congress - essentially calling Marshall Law into effect, and have the entire country at the mercy of White House rule (under the new shadow government defined within this same directive)! I find this new authority that Bush has given himself far more horrific than the "threat" these inept "plots" or even tuberculosis poses (we only need look at the example the government set when they abandoned the health care needs for Katrina victims and 9/11 NYFD to know that there will be no help for us).

I found this well done synopsis of the latest Democratic debates, and it demonstrates what I had said before about how convenient the JFK so-called "terrorism plot" story arrived just in time to try and point the "weak on terrorism" finger right at Democrats once again.

Come on America, stop allowing yourself to be compelled by fear when it comes to making decisions to support policies or when forming opinions. Fear only begets hate, and it always results in hasty and poor decision making, if not down right racism. Not to mention, that it's been the main reason why our beautiful democracy and our civil rights have been allowed to be dismantled piece by piece.

JFK Threat a Farce

2007-06-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

I knew it was a farce the moment I heard it reported that it was an FBI infiltrator that "busted" the plan. It has happened all too often; and I'm betting that, as usual, there will soon be reports of how the infiltrators were the ones that actually instigated or initiated the plan in the first place. It was the same thing with the so-called foiled plan to attack Fort Dix. No real evidence, no real ability to carry out the plan they said to have had, "there was no clear ringleader," and best yet, the arrests began when the suspects went to, "buy assault weapons, which had been supplied and disabled by the FBI." Get real people, these are no geniuses with a serious plan - they were first identified because they sent a a jihadist training DVD to a local store to be copied! It wasn't until a full year had passed after that, that they even became as UNable as they were by the time they were arrested.

In this more recent assertion that there was another attack thwarted, there is plenty of evidence that they were equally unable of carrying this "plot" to fruition...and much more to the story...

In this article about the alleged plot, JFK Plot Foiled - and Flawed, they seem to share my skepticism as to whether all these "thwarted attacks" are legitimate:

"All the plots were apparently closely monitored by intelligence agencies, almost from their inception, and all were stopped long before they were capable of implementing them. In many cases, the suspects are alleged to have expressed an intention to attack targets, but lacked the financing, training and means to do so."
Of course, you have to go to a foreign newspaper to get this kind of info...

Then again, we are lucky enough to have a few diligent bloggers that can connect the dots! Check out the this post that pulls this farce together with much more nefarious intent than was presented to the public:
by Cannonfire

A CIA False Flag Operation?

Scary Connection between Libby and Edmonds

2007-06-06T12:40:00.000-07:00

What do Scooter Libby and Sibel Edmonds have in common? Not much; one's a criminal the other is not, one is a liar and the other is not. One is a patriot and the other is NOT. What they DO have in common is this: they both may have their cases dismissed because they both have the right to recuse their common judge, Judge Reggie Walton, who has been protecting government officials by gagging Edmonds and locking up Libby. According to this article by Raw Story, in March of 2006, Edmonds filed a motion for Judge Walton's recusal from her case (pending at that time) on the basis that he is guilty of having a "secrecy bias." Apparently he redacted his financial disclosure, and that is in violation of the "Ethics in Government Act."

As far as Libby's trial goes, I think that if there is any REAL grounds for an appeal, it may lay within Judge Walton's resume. It's in brief at the end of Edmonds' release for the recusal movement, as follows:

"Judge Reggie Walton was nominated to his position as a United States District Court of Columbia Judge in October 2001 by President George W. Bush. He served as President George H. W. Bush’s Associate Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy in the Executive Office of the President and as President Bush’s Senior White House advisor for Crime."

I'd say that having been Bush's WH advisor, and protecting the very same administration from prosecution, that could be conflictive. I don't think that Libby's attorneys wouldn't be stupid enough to go this route, but who knows, they have been screaming "scapegoat" at the top of their lungs...does this mean that Libby may roll on those he has lied for? We'll see. If not, I think he has a case based on the very same basis that Edmonds took in 2006 - a judge with a secrecy bias cannot be making rulings on whether or not Libby was lying, especially in a case that surrounds the leaking of top secret information! Don't get me wrong, that treasonous liar should ROT for all that he did. I think Bush will let it ride until the appeal. fails, or he is near leaving office before he pardons Libby.

Unfortunately for Edmonds, Judge Walton was promoted to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA court) last month. So I imagine she will have to fight his participation again in the future, IF her request for Chairman Waxman to hold an open hearing is successful. Vist my post, Let the Whistleblower Speak! for more information, and how to contact Waxman to get the hearing we deserve on this incredibly important matter.

What I find extra incredible is the public support for pardoning Libby. Those people are just as treasonous as Libby! Aiding a treasonous criminal. Why would any red-blooded American want this guy to get-off free on this? He had his chance to give up others involved, and he had a chance to bargain I'm sure. Let him appeal, let him have his case retried, or better yet, let the investigation begin again! When are Americans going to finally stand up for each other? When are patriots going to be treated like heroes again?

Media-opoly - School House Rock Style!

2007-06-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

Let the Whistleblower speak!

2007-06-05T12:44:00.000-07:00

Sibel Edmonds is often referred to as "the most gagged citizen in US history." This former FBI translator exposed spies that had infiltrated the FBI, but was rebuked and gaged by everybody from her superiors (who fired her), to Congressional reps (who neglected to investigate), all the way to Ashcroft (former US Attorney General), who put a very broad gag on her for the sake of "national security." Quite ironic, since she is blowing the whistle for the sake of national security!

When Sibel went to Congress the Republicans were in the majority, and Rep. Waxman claimed that they couldn't investigate because a vote would never pass. Now that Waxman is the chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he certainly can have the investigation that is owed Sibel and the American public. Sibel is willing to testify again, but she also explains that since she has already given testimony behind closed doors and they already have the information they need; she only wants to testify in an open hearing because she says it's our turn, the public, to hear the truth. Sibel has also said that she has several witnesses from the FBI that are willing to testify with her. Which means that she wants YOU to contact Waxman and ask that there be an open hearing, with everybody involved under oath.

Contact Chairman Henry Waxman by calling (202) 225-3976 or writing to 2204 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515.

If you are in the LA area, call (818) 878-7400 or write to 8436 West Third Street, Suite 600, Los Angeles, CA 90048.

Call and say, "When is there going to be hearing for the Sibel Edmonds case? I want it to be public and I want everyone to testify under oath."

That's all you have to say.

Here is a link to a video of Sibel; it isn't as well produced, but this is the one where she asks the public to demand that Waxman hold the Congressional investigation he promised.

Here is one of the best videos of Sibel called, "Kill the Messenger":
UPDATE (7/22/7): As "shocking" as it might seem, this video has gone missing from it's host. This truly brilliant film was produced by CANAL+ (France's national TV station), the directors said they made it because nobody in the US would or did. On Sibel's own website there is a preview clip and outline of the film. OpEdNews has a great article about it. Sibel is also the founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition, and here is that website's page for the film - the organization is well worth checking out as well. "Kill the Messenger" was screened in DC last February, and here is her speech that she gave afterwards.

Sibel's official website

Our "Fair and Balanced" media coverage...

2007-06-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

HA!

(Originally generated by Dodd's campaign: http://chrisdodd.com/node/1377)

We Had an Answer in 1978

2007-06-03T00:35:00.000-07:00

I certainly don't remember this, but I was stunned to see Jack Nicholson propose a solution just as pertinent to the present. Seeing this reminded me of the film, "Who killed the Electric Car?"

How Much Further Can They Stretch it?

2007-06-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

OK, the tuberculosis-guy story is REALLY getting old! The very first night this "story" broke (just after I posted last time), I had seen on the news that he wasn't even contagious. Since then I have heard it ALL: What kind of selfish... His new father in-law is one of the US' top tuberculosis experts... They're not actually married... WHO CARES? Obviously far too many people care to even be believed, and I think this is also exhibiting the public's increasing lemming-nature to consume whatever our media sources deem to be "news."

Meanwhile, the real news escapes the the attention of the vast majority of the public again. Which is why I ask; how long do they really expect to stretch this story to cover-up the real news? Well, as we know, there is always more FLUFF where that came from!!! Don't try to tell me that the media doesn't bury the things that are of real importance either - just look at how they released two NIEs from January 2003 that read like pure premonition as far as what would happen upon and prior to invading Iraq, released on the Friday that started off the Memorial Day weekend. What? Didn't hear about that because you were busy driving out of town or preparing for your BBQ? Hmmm...what a shocker!

The REAL News:
There have been some truly incredible developments in the US Attorney purge scandal, and if you don't know what I'm talking about you can see one of my recent articles:
Gonzo-Wolf Gate; A Neocon Nightmare
There is also more information in last weeks article:
Patriots and Pragmatists

I plan to continue with this topic in my next edition (posted this Monday), even though it's not normal practice to cover the same topic week after week. There is just too much going on to do that, but in this case there has been some thing so BIG happening that I just can't wait to write about Gonzo-Gate again! You see, there's one thing about the purge scandal that is actually the very purpose of the entire operation - yet has gone almost completely unnoticed by the public...until NOW. What was the purpose of the scandal? Voter disenfranchisement, plain and simple. Something that was talked about amongst those that have been ever diligent (noticing that many of the problems surrounded the Civil Rights division of the Justice Department, and that almost ALL of the attorneys replaced were in states considered tight election races), or perhaps they were aware just because fans of the investigative journalist, Greg Palast.

As of Friday it was known far and wide within these circles that something really meaningful has finally hnappened, and that there may be some justice had in this fiasco after all. Remember all the missing emails that the Judiciary Committee had sequestered? Of what was received, much of it was redacted, and much was suspected of missing because one of the emails coming from Rove appeared to have come from an external server (external to the White House - the RNC server to be exact). Anyway, the RNC claimed that they were "mistakenly" erased. Then they admitted that in order to be in keeping with the Presidential Records Act, they disabled the ability to erase emails - but Rove had found a way around that, and he had to be given a talking to abou it. Hmmm...what kind of nafarious things do you suppose he was up to? Well, you don't have to guess, because now we KNOW.

Like I'd mentioned it was all about voter disenfranchisement, and more specifically, the "caging lists" that were used to do so. Palast has an article all about caging, so I will save my breath explaining it. This isn't what's NEW though, he has been on this case for several years now...

What's new is that there has finally been some notice taken of the cituation by the House Judiciary Committee! Chairman Conyers met with Palast on Thursday night and he turned over all the emails that he had intercepted straight over to Conyers. Most humorous about the story is that these caging lists were accidentally sent to a friends of Palast's that hosts a site called "GeorgeWBush.org" - the orginal is .com - so they sent out their evil plan to disallow tens of thousands of Democratic voters to the wrong person.

The best news of all is that there has been a sign of knowing guilt that should say it all. One of the US Attorneys (Tim Griffin) that were put in office to replace those that wouldn't comply with the evil plan, and had been fingered in Goodling's testimony last week, and he resigned the day after Palast met with Conyers. Better than that, Griffin was one of Rove's protoges and I expect we will soon hear him sqealing like a little piggy before we know it!!! Let's just hope that this new and incredibly consistent policy of resigning before being successfully prosecuted doesn't deny us a proper investigation into why we really need to repeal the provision in the Patriot Act that allowed Griffin to be seated without congressional approval.

I don't think the tuberculosis scare is going to be cover enough for what is about to happen. Any calls on what the next fluff-spotlight will be?