War is Not the Path to Peace

Thanks for this post. Just yesterday morning I e-mailed MSNBC news to tell them I have no more desire to listen to descriptions of world affairs always through the eyes of the ever-present "retired General". I asked "What is the ratio of 'Retired Diplomats:Retired Generals' that they have on their program?...Imagine if you had just one half the number of peace activists on your program as you have 'retired generals'".

I am tired of the tired, retired Generals setting the agenda. The title of this post is so true--War is NOT the path to peace. I am having a very hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year, and I think much of it has to do with the fact that "Peace and Good Will to All Men" seems so very far away at this point.

People are dying by the dozens over in Iraq. A bloody Christmas season it is. It is a fine time to renew my committment to be a peace activist.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1673&u_sid=1291331

OFF topic--I"m sorry--Chistine Gregore has an 8 vote lead in Washington.

Marianne:

Just came back from a peace vigil.

I discovered my neighbor's kids are serving in Iraq. I had no idea! He was very distraught to be in a war that shouldn't be happening.

I want him and all families to know I will be praying for their safe return.

Major Michael Davis O’Donnell was an Army helicopter pilot who served in the Vietnam War. This is the poem he wrote three months before he was killed in action on March 24, 1970:

If you are able,
save them a place
inside of you
and save one backward glance
when you are leaving
for the places they can
no longer go.
Be not ashamed to say
you loved them,
though you may
or may not have always.
Take what they have left
and what they have taught you
with their dying
and keep it with your own.
And in that time
when men decide and feel safe
to call the war insane,
take one moment to embrace
those gentle heroes
you left behind

©Copyright January 01, 1970 by Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
Dak To, South Vietnam

We congregate here to reaffirm our Unity…to rethink our strategies, to pool our thoughts, to express our concerns, to LIFT UP our spirits and to ease our tensions and our minds for this has indeed been a historic battle…and yet the Great Battle for OUR Democracy has not been won…and indeed has just begun. We have yet to overcome a much greater discourse in the coming weeks and months…in maintaining the most profound battle of all…the security, protection and preservation of The Constitution and our very Nation.

Where does such uncommon courage and resolve come from within our society…such might…such will…such devotion to the principles and doctrines of The Constitution and belief in the rights and responsibilities of ALL Americans?

We have spoken of this before and it must be repeated from every heart to every hall…from every voice to any and all minds that possess the ears to hear the Truth as we know it…for though we are weary of toil and torment, WE the PEOPLE are the last line of defense for our beloved America and indeed for all of mankind against the slow and malevolent subversion and subjugation of our Rights, our Peace, our Prosperity, our Justice, our Principles and our Freedom! Our opponents have tried to fit us with many labels on previous and numerous occasions…and yet we have evaded the deceptions, cast out the doubts and divisive words holding true as best we could…for we are ALL human in our frailty…but clinging firmly and resoundingly to the TRUTH we do hold so righteously!!! For in every fiber of our being we know beyond a shadow of ANY doubt that we are all, each and every precious one…AMERICANS!!! We who are the children of ALL nations, the bearers of TRUTH, the Stewards of Liberty and Democracy…Justice and Freedom and but for the Grace of God we are ONE PEOPLE in our Heritage and we shall not…we MUST NOT fail in our determination to restore this eternal TRUTH to all of mankind!!!

We. Us. All. Together. E Pluribus Unum…out of many ONE. Americans.

No two people are made of the same cloth…for we are all individuals woven into our rare existence by our Creator…as a Community we come together to share in our most cherished values and beliefs with those of similar heart and like mind, ever thoughtful of the Rights and Freedoms bestowed upon us all as Americans…as a Nation we stand United…bound together within our infinite and priceless diversity by the noble and righteous Constitution…a rich human Tapestry strengthened by our differences, driven by our shared and common goals and principles and forever BLESSED with not only the Right but the Responsibility to protect and preserve as well as to share and improve upon that which we hold most sacred as a species…OUR FREEDOM!!!

Our duty is not one of leisure and privilege but one of severity and urgency. Our adversaries would question our Faith and our Hope in all that we desire and have the audacity to dream…for they condemn us, ignorantly claiming we do not possess the means to attain what we seek in our noble efforts…but to them we shall protest and proclaim that it is THEY who lack the vision and confidence to overcome such adversity…that it is THEY who live in the shadows of doubt and fear and insecurity and where THEY have failed WE shall SUCCEED beyond expectation…enduring all hardship and sufferance and it is WE who shall land firmly once again upon the Golden Shores of Prosperity, Liberty and Freedom!!!

For We are the Dreamers and the Thinkers…the Movers of the Mountains of Human Indiscretion…the Lords of our Destiny…and within each one of us lives the beating Heart of America. Within each of us sleeps the Dreamer who creates and envisions the Dream…within each of us is the Creativity, the Ingenuity and the Spirit which have made us the envy of the World and the greatest Society of all of Humanity…within each one of us lives the Threads of Hope that create and bind together the Tapestry that is our Strength as a Nation!

We must awaken to our manifest destiny…to this noble calling which has made cowards of kings and created heroes of those possessing the fortitude to speak up, speak out and stand up for and with their fellow citizens to fight! For we are not numbers…our children are not toy soldiers...pawns in their unholy war for personal gain and profit, nor are we cattle to be poked and prodded in any and every which way by the bureaucrats, corporatists and theocrats…We are Americans one and all…and on this common ground within our natural rights we shall not be still…we shall not remain silent nor turn a blind eye to the misdeeds of the immoral and intolerant tyrants who dare to speak of noble causes when they themselves spill the blood of the innocent and condemn future generations of this Nation into servile sacrifice and sufferance in their name.

As we part ways on this day, I leave you with the words of a courageous and heroic individual…a man of great Dignity and Principle…Faith and Hope…a truly GREAT American and Nobel Prize Winner…his belief, encouragement and inspiration…Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.:

“I refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. This is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant."

"I believe that even amid today's motor bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. I believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men."

"I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land."

"And the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid."

"I still believe that we shall overcome."

"This faith can give us courage to face the uncertainties of the future. It will give our tired feet new strength as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom. When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds and our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, we will know that we are living in the creative turmoil of a genuine civilization struggling to be born.”

Sparrow
Thank you! I'm hoping that is without having counted King County yet! I think it goes to state Supreme Court tomorrow. (I mean about Chris Gregoire)

Posted by: Indy | December 22, 2004 12:20 AM

Indy! ...ive always loved what you wrote:
"For We are the Dreamers and the Thinkers…the Movers of the Mountains of Human Indiscretion…the Lords of our Destiny…and within each one of us lives the beating Heart of America." I love that!

also, here's another quote from MLK i really like and think is very fitting for us:

"Human progress never rolls in on wheels of inevitability; it comes through the tireless efforts of men willing to be co-workers with God, and without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the forces of stagnation. We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

Guess who is on http://www.sorryeverybody.com/ ???

My dog! And part of my head, hanging in sorrow!!!

THEY FINALLY POSTED MY CONTRIBUTION!!!!!

http://www.sorryeverybody.com/gallery/single/se28907.jpeg/

Me and Jupiter in mourning...

Native,

Thank you...I mean it! Thanks for the beautiful quote from MLK as well and I agree it is a very good quote for what we now face.

KiK!

Your post was very nice...and beautiful picture of Jupy...and your highlights! LOL! =p

What a fitting post to honor those families and friends who have made the ultimate sacrifice in this war. The news of the 22 dead Americans today knocked the wind out of me--I kept thinking of those wives, mothers, and children and I kept thinking, how are they going to survive Christmas this year?

Indy, thanks for your inspirational words--they helped to lift my spirits and let me know that I am not alone in my quest for a better world, a better place, a better tomorrow. I feel a strong sense of community here--and we are all untied to a single vision--of saving our Democracy.

Yes, we do still have hope and we need to exercise that hope and find our voices in as many ways as possible. On the internet, in our communities, in our homes, and with our friends. We need to find our Dylan and we need to have our own Woodstock--those of us who would have a better world, need to band together and demand it.

kik,
loved the picture--you and your dog are heros--thanks for your message to the world. They need to know just how much many Americans care.

Why more are not signing up.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&...…

U.S. Marines Suffer Most Suicides in Five Years

Tue Dec 21, 6:57 PM ET U.S. National - Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Suicides of U.S. Marines have reached their highest level in five years, prompting a Defense Department effort to encourage Marines to seek mental health services, a Marine Corps spokesman said on Tuesday.

But spokesman Bryan Driver said there was no evidence linking the higher suicide rate with the long tours of duty and frontline fighting Marines have engaged in Iraq.

There have been 32 confirmed or probable suicides among 178,000 Marines this year, surpassing the 28 who killed themselves in 2001 as the United States invaded Afghanistan (news - web sites), Driver said.

Latina you've got it!

Lookit:

"Dare To Create A Better World"

Democracy Cell Project T-Shirt...

See, pitbulls aren't all bad. Being the oppressed bunch that they are, they usually vote Democrat. Oh, and Indy, those highlights are no more....

I'll be a somber brunette until 2008.

An hopefully NO longer.

Indy,

I love it--we do have to DARE and I can't help but think of all the commonalities during Vietnam and when the country was in the WRONG WAR--We the People--had to speak out and change the course, change the direction, and make it better. We had to have our Dylan, our Kent State, and our Dylan--and we are heading in the same direction.

The faces of war are many and none of them are pretty--the pain and suffering we are inflicting on others, is horrendous.

To Cell or Not To Cell...

Hamlet

To be or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep;
No more; and, by a sleep to say we end
The heartache and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, 'tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish'd. To die, sleep;
To sleep perchance to dream: Ay, there's the rub;
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There's the respect
That makes calamity of so long life;
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time
The oppressor's wrong, the proud man's contumely,
The pangs of dispriz'd love, the law's delay.
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death,
The undiscover'd country from whose bourn
No traveler returns, puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscious does make cowards of us all;
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action.

William Shakespeare, 1603

Indy,

Love Hamlet--and especially love this siloquy, is says it all about why we are where ae are today.

We need to Stop the Maddness.

Some Good News to Brighten Our Day

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_HOS...…

Dec 21, 9:56 PM EST

France Rejoices at Release of Hostages

By JAMEY KEATEN Associated Press Writer

PARIS (AP) — Joy swept France with the release Tuesday in Iraq of two French reporters held hostage for four months. The government said Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot should be home for Christmas.

France's upper house of parliament erupted with applause when Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin told the senators the militant Islamic Army in Iraq had freed the reporters.

"It's the best Christmas present we could get," said Chesnot's brother, Thierry, adding that the two men were in good health.

"Until now, our life was murky. I didn't stop crying - and my husband, too," Malbrunot's mother, Andree, told The Associated Press. "I am really happy," she added, sobbing.

The Many Faces of War

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20041...…

U.S. soldiers tend to the wounded after an apparent insurgent mortar attack on a dining facility during lunchtime on FOB Marez in Mosul, Iraq on Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2004.

One Heart.

One Mind.

One Dream.

One Victory at a Time.

Dare To Create A Better World.

Dare To Be...

Posted by: Indy | December 22, 2004 02:14 AM

Indy,

You wax poetic tonight--thanks for the inspiration. This is a perfect poem for our Cell--the community we have created on line is wonderful and I fee as if we are on to something big here.

Posted from Kos--The WORST PRESIDENT EVER!!

Man, it's bad enough that Bush won the election. But it makes me angrier that he won the election when people don't even like the guy.

Not even two months after the election, Bush is poised to be the most unpopular president at his inaugaration.
Since his 3-percentage-point win over Sen. John Kerry, Bush has experienced a complete lack of bounce in the polls. In fact, in at least one national survey, Fox News' Opinion Dynamics poll, conducted Dec. 14-15, Bush's approval rating has fallen five points in the last month, to 48 percent. In other polls, including Washington Post-ABC, NBC/Wall Street Journal, Pew Research Center, Associated Press-Ipsos, Zogby, and Gallup, Bush's already soft approval numbers have flat-lined since the election. That phenomenon stands in sharp contrast to U.S. history, when presidents voted into office for a second term, even after close elections, routinely have received robust approval ratings.

According to an analysis posted on the Gallup Web site in mid-November, Bush's current 53 percent approval rating "is actually the lowest of any of the last seven presidents who won a second term in the first poll conducted after their re-election." Right after securing their second terms, Bill Clinton received a 58 percent approval rating, Ronald Reagan 61 percent, Richard Nixon 62 percent, Lyndon Johnson 70 percent, Dwight Eisenhower 75 percent, and Harry Truman 69 percent.

Saw that Latina...

I guess Bush is just a Lame Duck...but he still has his "Man Date" with Karl Rove to look forward to...

ROFLMAO!!!

Night Latina and thanks...

...but the inspiration is within you...

We all choose to let it out in our own way.

Protests Planned for Bush Inauguration

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,142235,00.html

Marianne

It's good to see others are getting the Peace bug. I hope that some will be inspired to do this on a regular basis.

Take pictures... http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/blog/default.asp?view=day&blogDate=12/6/2004

[For any who missed last Friday's NOW, Moyers interviewed Romero. Please note below, and other references on the complete story on the link: "PRESIDENT BUSH ISSUED AN EXECUTIVE ORDER...." I don't remember hearing anything in mainstream media TV news about an Executive Order shrubbie signed when the Abu Ghraib scandal first broke, or in connection with Gitmo.... Where are responsible investigative journalists who could have jumped all over this story BEFORE the election so that voters could have been better informed before voting???????]

FBI E-Mail Refers to Presidential Order Authorizing Torture
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122204X.shtml

Excerpt:
NEW YORK - A document released for the first time today by the American Civil Liberties Union suggests that President Bush issued an Executive Order authorizing the use of inhumane interrogation methods against detainees in Iraq. Also released by the ACLU today are a slew of other records including a December 2003 FBI e-mail that characterizes methods used by the Defense Department as "torture" and a June 2004 "Urgent Report" to the Director of the FBI that raises concerns that abuse of detainees is being covered up.
"These documents raise grave questions about where the blame for widespread detainee abuse ultimately rests," said ACLU Executive Director Anthony D. Romero. "Top government officials can no longer hide from public scrutiny by pointing the finger at a few low-ranking soldiers."
The documents referenced above can be found at:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/released/fbi.html
More on the lawsuit can be found at:
http://www.aclu.org/torturefoia/

Posted by: NonnyO | December 22, 2004 03:14 AM

NonnyO

Likewise, it's too bad the ACLU did not have this before the election!

Thankfully it is out now and the larger newspapers are covering it. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

U.S. using chemical weapons against civilians: Iraqi leader :
"The Americans are losing the war in Iraq and in their frustration have started using chemical weapons and napalm bombs on civilian populations," alleges Khudur al-Azawi of the Iraq National Democratic Party.
http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/21/stories/2004122104311200.htm
http://snipurl.com/biu0

[MM's F-9/11 made reference to the US using napalm against Iraqi citizens, too.... How, pray tell, does using chemical weapons against Iraqi citizens make us any better than Saddam Hussein??????? GWB and his minions in the administration owe the American people and the world truthful explanations for their actions!!!!!]

FBI Agents Complained of Prisoner Abuse, Records Say:
The FBI complained that military interrogators had gone beyond the restrictions of the Geneva Convention that prohibit torture; the agents cited Bush administration guidelines that permit the use of dogs and other techniques to harass prisoners.
http://207.44.245.159/article7530.htm

Washington foresees prisoner abuse probe:
The White House says it expects a full investigation of prisoner abuses in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, after new FBI memos described detainees facing beatings and having lit cigarettes placed in their ears.
http://207.44.245.159/article7525.htm

["THE WHITE HOUSE SAYS IT EXPECTS A FULL INVESTIGATION...." The White House?!?!? The dates of the FBI memos pre-date the revelation of the Abu Ghraib scandal.... the FBI didn't like it one bit, and the torture was all against FBI regulations....]

{{Madame Spekulata is gazing into her crystal ball to see the future..... she forsees that in spite of the Executive Order GWB signed authorizing torture, the "White House" will blame everyone and anyone.... except the man who signed the Executive Order that authorized the torture of prisoners at Gitmo and/or Abu Ghraib and/or Afghanistan and/or any other "secret" POW camps besides the one we've recently heard about near Gitmo....}}

Torture's Path Has Alberto Gonzalez's Footprints
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/122204B.shtml
[Interesting that by the end paragraph the buck is passed....]

'We' doesn't :
In March 2003, I was ordered to go to Iraq to "be all I can be" and fight for my country like other soldiers in the U.S. Army. Besides being in Iraq for one year for no reason, there was another thing that annoyed my fellow soldiers and me. That was the way President Bush used the word "we" when he talked about the sacrifices that soldiers are making, extending our stay in wartime and the reason we were there.
http://www.syracuse.com/opinion/poststandard/letters/index.ssf?/base/opinion-4/1103535394177972.xml
http://snipurl.com/biu4
[This is a letter to the editor of a Syracuse, NY, newspaper from an Iraq vet.... He has valid points!!!]

Axing the International Criminal Court :
Outrageous details of Congress's bloated spending bill for next year keep surfacing. The latest: An amendment on page 219 that prevents $2.5 billion in US foreign aid from reaching countries who have joined the International Criminal Court (ICC), but refused to specifically exempt US soldiers from the court's jurisdiction.
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/outrage?bid=13&pid=2079
[I see the Nethercutt Amendment as a way for GWB to cover his own @$$.]

Richard Vigurie and the Destruction of America:
Bush's behavior has not only made enemies of the Arab and Muslim populaces, but as the neo-cons anger Russia and threaten North Korea and China in the areas of their hegemony, Bush may trigger a larger conflagration that will lead to a major attack on our mainland that will make 9/11 and Pearl Harbor look like child’s play.
http://207.44.245.159/article7526.htm
[This is a critique of Vigurie and the Moyers interview last Friday night. While I don't agree with the author's ending comments about Moyers, I do agree with his assessment of Vigurie and his ilk.... and I fear that the author of this piece is right about our fate....]

I need to correct an error about a quote I posted a thread or two back from Proverbs.... I misquoted from an old memory some 43-44 yrs. old. I said "Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction." That's wrong. Mea Culpa....

The correct quote is:

"Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall."
Proverbs 16:18

Thank you Bob Evans for catching my error and letting me know the exact quote!!! :-) I appreciate it!!! :-)

My source is Bartleby.com, King James version. The heading for that chapter is "Proverbs Concerning Life and Conduct." Interesting quote when taken in context with the rest of the chapter....

From this morning's WaPo headlines... An Excerpt:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18204-2004Dec21.html?nav=rss_politics
Wash. Recount Puts Gregoire on Top
By Rebecca Cook
Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, December 22, 2004; 1:16 AM

"OLYMPIA, Wash. -- The head of the state Democratic Party said late Tuesday that recount results from King County give Democrat Christine Gregoire an eight-vote victory in the closest governor's race in state history.

Neither King County nor the Republican party could confirm the hand recount results on Tuesday night. But if the Democrats' analysis is correct, it's a stunning reversal in the gubernatorial race, which has been hotly contested ever since election day. "

"Berendt's contention that the race had been decided came one day before the state Supreme Court was to hear arguments on whether King County -- which is solidly Democratic -- should be allowed to add to its recount 723 ballots that weren't counted originally because of mistakes made by county election workers.

A Pierce County judge on Friday granted the state Republican Party's motion for a temporary restraining order to stop King County from counting those newly discovered ballots, which were not included in the hand recount. However, the case may be moot if it proves true that Gregoire holds a lead -- and that lead stands."

Thanks for this piece, Marianne--and Matt for the earlier one on religion.

Today my friend the Christian Republican is stopping by. So I also went back almost a month to re-read George Lakoff http://www.rockridgeinstitute.org/research/lakoff/howtorespond

Jackie is one of my oldest friends and she is my son's Godmother. Of course, God help her if she ever has to argue theology with him--he has explored Buddhism and Wicca lately and decided that organized religion is not the way to go under any circumstances!

At any rate, she is the person who gave me chills befroe the election, when she described Bush as "standing in the light of Christ" at the RNC. I could not help myself at that moment; I said, "Amber gels! He has amber gels on him! It's THEATRE!"

She and I were looking at the same event and seeing the same components, but describing them quite differently. It's all in the interpretation, right?

Jackie is a sweetheart; a very good person, and a good friend. I do not know how our conversation will go today. But I will talk about this project and why we are so committed to it. Her interpretation of it will be interesting.

As our very pagan Christmas draws near, I am thinking about this community, the Bloggers and the Crew, as our family gathering. We have a common purpose and Pamela and Sandy described it best with the name of their website: to light up the darkness. Light comes through many modalities: candles, fires in the fireplace, torches, a flick of a switch, a lighting up of a child's face, a clasp of hands (as in our logo), illumination, revelation, truth.

The solstice is past, the sun is returning our way. Together, we will sing true.

Nonny... ya mean counting all the votes is still something that is done in this country?

It IS the season of miracles.

Imagine that.

Michigan Congressman Seeks Exit Poll Data

AP

NEW YORK (Dec. 21) - The top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee has asked The Associated Press and five broadcast networks to turn over raw exit poll data collected on Election Day so that any discrepancies between the data and the certified election results can be investigated.

Rep. John Conyers Jr. of Michigan said in a letter released Tuesday in Washington that the polling firms that conducted the polls on behalf of the news organizations, Mitofsky International and Edison Media Research, had declined to share the information with the committee.

"Without the raw data, the committee will be severely handicapped in its efforts to show the need for serious election reform in the United States," Conyers said in the letter.

The AP and the five television outlets - ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox - formed a consortium called the National Election Pool to conduct exit polls for this year's election after disbanding a previous exit poll group called the Voter News Service, which had problems in both the 2000 and 2002 elections.

Edie Emery, a spokeswoman for the National Election Pool and a CNN employee, said the poll data were still being analyzed and that the group's board would decide how to release a full report on the data early next year. "To release any information now would be incomplete," she said.

Several Web logs carried accounts on the afternoon of Nov. 2 of what they said were leaked information from the exit polls showing that Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, was leading Bush in several battleground states, including Ohio, and poised for victory.

But Bush, a Republican, beat Kerry by about 119,000 votes in Ohio, winning that state's 20 electoral votes and putting him over the top in the race. Bush won re-election with 286 electoral votes to Kerry's 252.

Conyers' letter said the exit poll information could help determine whether there is evidence "of voting irregularities that occurred as a result of poor election practices and intentional voter disenfranchisement."

The exit polling was conducted for the AP and for ABC, a unit of The Walt Disney Co.; CBS, a unit of Viacom Inc.; NBC, a unit of General Electric Co.; CNN, a unit of Time Warner Inc.; and Fox News, owned by News Corp.

"Like Congressman Conyers, we believe the American people deserve answers," said Jack Stokes, a spokesman for the AP. "We want exit polling information to be made public as soon as it is available, as we intended. At this time, the data is still being evaluated for a final report to the National Election Pool."

Officials from ABC and NBC referred calls for comment to the National Election Pool, where CNN's Emery responded for the group. A CBS spokeswoman declined to comment, and officials at Fox could not be reached.

Earlier this month Kerry asked county election officials in Ohio to allow his witnesses to inspect the 92,000 ballots cast in the state in which no vote for president was recorded.

Despite improvements since 2000, when the presidential outcome was delayed for weeks by problems counting ballots in Florida, the nation's voting system remains a locally administered patchwork whose lack of national uniformity distinguishes the United States from many other democracies.

Most complaints have come from Democrats and third-party candidates, but Republicans and bipartisan groups have acknowledged problems. The Government Accountability Office is investigating election problems. Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio and chairman of the House Administration Committee, will oversee an inquiry next year.

The U.S. Election Assistance Commission, created in 2002, is also scrutinizing the outcome. It plans to publish in January the government's first report on the voting, which will serve as the basis for congressional recommendations and reforms.

a local columnist in the pittsburgh papers made me smile a bit. thought some of you might enjoy both the humor and the truth.

http://postgazette.com/pg/04356/430040.stm

Washington Democrats Claim Recount Victory

Say Gregoire Leads by Eight Votes in Governor Tally AP

Democrats are saying that Christine Gregoire has beaten Dino Rossi in a hand recount.

OLYMPIA, Wash. (Dec. 22) - The head of the state Democratic Party said late Tuesday that recount results from King County give Democrat Christine Gregoire an eight-vote victory in the closest governor's race in state history.

Neither King County nor the Republican party could confirm the hand recount results on Tuesday night. But if the Democrats' analysis is correct, it's a stunning reversal in the gubernatorial race, which has been hotly contested ever since election day.

Republican Dino Rossi won the first count by 261 votes and won a machine recount by 42 votes, out of 2.9 million ballots cast. The hand recount did not include the 700-plus ballots cast in heavily Democratic King County that could widen any Gregoire lead if the state Supreme Court allows them to be counted.

"We're confident Christine Gregoire has been elected the governor of the state of Washington,'' Democratic Chairman Paul Berendt said. "I believe Dino Rossi should concede.''

Berendt and Democratic party officials reached their conclusion after crunching numbers supplied by King County. The county has finished tallying its 900,000 ballots, but election officials said they still need to reconcile differences in the precinct totals.

"We are not releasing our results until tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.,'' said King County Elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan, who confirmed that both parties received the recount data Tuesday.

Rossi spokeswoman Mary Lane said Republicans are also looking at the data but had not drawn any conclusions. "It's just too close to call,'' she said.

The Rossi camp has said that if it lost the third count it might challenge the election in court, and Republicans were already preparing for a possible legal challenge. Gregoire had promised to concede if she lost the recount.

Berendt's contention that the race had been decided came one day before the state Supreme Court was to hear arguments on whether King County - which is solidly Democratic - should be allowed to add to its recount 723 ballots that weren't counted originally because of mistakes made by county election workers.

A Pierce County judge on Friday granted the state Republican Party's motion for a temporary restraining order to stop King County from counting those newly discovered ballots, which were not included in the hand recount. However, the case may be moot if it proves true that Gregoire holds a lead - and that lead stands.

Seven justices will hear the case, which was brought before the court by King County, the state Democratic Party and the Secretary of State. Three of the regular nine justices are out of town on previously scheduled trips, and one temporary judge will join the court.

About 350 people gathered Tuesday in front of the Supreme Court to show support for Rossi at a rally sponsored by KVI-AM, a conservative talk-radio station.

The crowd chanted "No new votes!'' and "No more fraud!'' They held signs saying "Welcome to Ukraine'' and wore orange, a tribute to the signature color of demonstrators in Ukraine who protested a fraud-marred election there.

Precision of base attack worries experts
Insurgents sharpening their tactics against U.S.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6743845/

-snip-
If anti-American violence does hit a new level, pressure is likely to increase on the Bush administration to either boost the U.S. military presence in Iraq or find a fast way to get out.

(Gosh, I wonder which one the genius will choose? I see a "stay the course" in our future... or some other really lame, empty, meaningless cliche)

It would be impossible to overstate the importance of this battle. It is nothing less than a fight for the soul of our democracy — for what kind of country we want to live in.

SNIP

President Bush is pulling on his oversized Stetson and gearing up for battle. And here, unlike Iraq, he's making sure his political troops have all the armor they need. The Democrats need to pre-emptively launch an all-out campaign to educate the American people about what will be at stake during the coming assault on our democratic values.

http://www.ariannaonline.com/columns/column.php?id=750

Title: Will the GOP Nuke the Constitution? Worth reading.

You can find local peace vigils and events at http://pax.protest.net. And some good fliers here, http://www.warresisters.org/demo_flyers.htm. Some other sites that have local protests and marches. or other groups to get involved with, are here http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/events.htm. The whole country should be marching about the way we're treating these vets, we didn't learn anything at all from Vietnam. Somebody said cable news was asking for donations to Walter Reed, did anybody else here that? I still want to see signs that challenge the 51ers to go sign up.

Marc-
My money is on this scenario: after we pump Iraq dry of a majority of its oil (not all, we don't want to look too obvious), we'll find a way to get out fast and then blame the Iraqi people for our sudden withdrawal with something trite like "they did not want freedom bad enough." Just watch, when Big Oil decides they have depleted the majority of Iraq's oil, it'll be time to withdraw. I don't know how long that will take, but however long it does, that's the length of our occupation. The only way we leave sooner is if Shrub's popularity nosedives to the low 20s and his immediate legacy is in jeopardy if he doesn't bring the troops home.

Posted by: Sandy | December 22, 2004 01:01 PM

Just noticed that Sandy's link does not owrk (the period got stuck in the link), so here's one that does:
http://www.lightupthedarkness.org/events.htm