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PUSHING THE RAINBOW, PART II
Today at the Rainbow Push conference I witnessed a stunning event that moved me to tears.
I have heard people say progressives have no passion or conviction, but they were NOT present to hear the TRUTH spill forth from Maxine Water's lips. She offered up A COMPLETE INDICTMENT of BUSH and his administration: each and every person within his administration. And after months of listening to the smears of the propaganda networks, this was particularly inspiring.
Congresswoman Waters was asked to speak about the United States' image in the world. She answered MORE than was asked! And she started by talking about the American people. She said, "The American people are not angry enough. They don't understand what this administration has done. I have watched the media worry about the truths that our chairman has said this week, but Howard Dean forgot to tell you--your president is a liar."
She continued, and I wrote as quickly as I could, but I could not keep up with her COMPLETE list of indictments. "YOUR PRESIDENT IS A LIAR. He lied to you about war, he lied to you about weapons of mass destruction. He is willing to send your child off to die in Iraq. He forgot to tell you that Dick Cheney is a thief, that he and Halliburton have ....." ok...I could not keep up with the diatribe that POURED PASSIONATELY FROM HER MOUTH. She said a heck of a lot more and then said, "and he forgot to tell you about Condi.."
Well that is when the place started SCREAMING! "Say it, say it, say it..." So...she said, "Condi will go anywhere and say anything they tell her to say, and have the audacity to do it with a smile."
After she sat down, I ran from the room to find a transcript or video. I was told we may be able to get one by tomorrow morning.
In the meantime, I returned to the auditorium where the forum was continuing. Each of those speakers, aroused by the passion of Congresswoman Waters spoke eloquently and passionately about labor, poverty, and taking back the south!
They were nearly done when the moderator made an announcement that Cindy Sheehan of Gold Star Families for Peace was sitting in attendance. Cindy stood up only two seats in front of me, and I admit that is when I just lost it! The bravery of those two women--Cindy Sheehan and Maxine Waters--holding this irresponsible corrupt and morally empty President accountable for his atrocities was heart wrenching. And I can never explain exactly how or why I was moved to tears by the determination of these two women and by the fact that Cindy was there to witness Congressman Waters' words directly.
I went up to Cindy after the forum, still moved by tears, and handed her our card. I was absolutely unable to speak; all I could do was cry. She and I hugged and I dedicated to her my utter commitment to work on her behalf. I then went up to Congresswoman Waters and thanked her for what she had done.
At that time, we were asked to leave the building and join the drivedemocracy.org bus on the front steps to wish them a safe journey. Cindy went up to the microphone and gave her speech. I will do my best to relay it as I remember, altough this is not a perfect quote. She said,
"I lost my eldest son to the war in Iraq. I worked extremely hard to get John Kerry elected and like so many of you I was extremely depressed by the result. On November 4th, I sent President Bush a letter asking for his resignation and he refused. So I told him I would see to it that he was impeached for the PREMEDITATED MURDER of my son and many others."
I heard those words and once again was moved to tears by the incredible loss and dedication of this women whose son WAS killed by this president in PRE-MEDITATED MURDER. (I will possibly have access to her speech soon and will post it as soon as I can.)
After her speech, there were a few others. And I went on a search and rescue mission for the tape of Maxine Waters' speech. Unsuccessful, temporarily that is, I returned to the front steps of the Rainbow Push Headquarters where Cindy Sheehan was standing watching the speakers. She saw me and so I asked her if I could have a copy of her speech. She told me it wasn't written; it came from her heart. We hugged once again and I promised her that I would, with every ounce of energy, work to help her get her message out and that I would help her every step of the way! I made this dedication and I believe each and everyone of us must do so too.
We MUST blogswarm and get the crowds out to meet this bus at each stop. WE MUST start spreading the word every single place we go. We must discover more and more ways, not just because we don't "like" George Bush but because this man began an illegal war, commit pre-meditated murder and we MUST FIGHT for this corrupt man to be held accountable at long last!
Great reporting, Suz. Loving every minute of it, and I wish it didn't cost a billion dollars to fly there, or my family and I would be with you right now!
Would love to get a pic of Ben with some of my favorite guys!
OT for a moment:
THE FIRST MEETING OF THE YELLOW FEATHER CAMPAIGN WILL BE TONIGHT IN THE IRC AT 7Pm.
Please join us if you can. It wll be 15-20 minutes and we will discuss campaign kick-off, strategy for involvement, tasks and coordination.
Thank you, Tut for the brilliant idea.
In the meantime, I have started to build a website for it. Please go take a look and come to the meeting with any ideas that you would like to see. Remember it is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, and still being built out, so please be kind.
Thank you.
You did it Suz, you conveyed the excitment I heard in your voice!! Thanks so much for taking time away from your family and attending this so you could share other peoples vision with us and tell us we are not alone in our beliefs!!
From the BBC:
Climate row US official resigns
A senior White House official has resigned days after he was criticised for allegedly playing down global warming in US government documents.
The White House said Philip Cooney's sudden departure was totally unrelated to the allegations.
He was chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
~snip~
"[Mr Cooney] had accumulated many weeks on leave, and so he decided to resign and take the summer off to spend some time with his family," presidential spokeswoman Erin Healy told AFP news agency.
~snip~
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4084724.stm
Republicans Seek to Turn California Into a 'Red' State
GOP Says Special Election Is About Party's Future, Not Just Reform
LOS OLIVOS, Calif. (June 13) - In this picturesque region outside Santa Barbara, most of the local chatter centers on the nearby Michael Jackson trial and the continuing tourist boom wrought by the hit movie ''Sideways.'' But neither pinot noir nor the ''King of Pop'' were on the agenda this weekend at a conference of Republican activists, where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was the focus.
Talk About It
· Chat
On Monday, Schwarzenegger was expected to call for a special election in November to let California voters decide whether to clamp down on spending, change the way electoral districts are drawn and make it harder for teachers to win tenure.
Many attendees characterized the special election as Schwarzenegger's latest move to restore political sanity to the state. But there was little doubt they also view the high-stakes showdown as the best way to strengthen GOP presence in California, where Democrats held every statewide office until Schwarzenegger won the 2003 recall election.
The prospect of a special election and earlier budget proposals by Schwarzenegger already has provoked protests from teachers, public employees and the state's majority Democrats, setting the stage for an expensive partisan battle.
Most controversial of the governor's proposals: the spending cap and a separate ballot measure requiring public employee unions to get members' permission before using dues for political purposes. Both are viewed as a direct attack on Democrats and their labor allies.
''The governor has been reduced to using the office he holds to break the backs of Democrats in the bluest of blue states,'' said state Treasurer Phil Angelides, who plans to run for governor in 2006.
In a conference call with reporters Sunday, Angelides said recent comments from Republican activists suggest the special election is little more than a GOP power grab.
''He's become the leading spear carrier, the leading edge of the Bush agenda,'' Angelides said of Schwarzenegger. ''And he'll end up being the best organizer of Democrats in the state.''
The annual Republican retreat at the wine-country ranch of former state Assemblyman Brooks Firestone is an opportunity for GOP activists to socialize and hear from candidates seeking their support. Most speakers at this year's event concentrated on the special election, saying their party's future and Schwarzenegger's political prospects hinged on the outcome.
''If we all come together, those initiatives will pass, and if those initiatives pass in November, we will have a lot of statewide officeholders the following November in the year 2006,'' said Republican state Sen. Abel Maldonado.
Schwarzenegger has characterized the redistricting measure as a nonpartisan move, often touting the fact that Democratic and Republican lawmakers have expressed misgivings about his plan to put a panel in charge of drawing congressional and state legislative district boundaries.
But even the governor's chief of staff, Pat Clarey, made clear that the success of that initiative is likely to boost Republican power in Sacramento.
''The Legislature that we have right now is skewed to the left to a point where we can't get anything done,'' Clarey said.
AP-NY-06-13-05 0443EDT
The People's Email Network PRIORITY Action ALERT
With all the focus on letters going to the president demanding an investigation of
the Downing Street minutes and its disclosure of the plan to fix the intelligence on
Iraq, it is just as or even MORE IMPORTANT for us to speak out directly to our
members of Congress as well. John Conyers needs every member of Congress with
integrity to sign on to his letter of inquiry, and your pressure on them can make
that a reality
http://www.usalone.com/warlies.htm
What we now know is our president was determined to have his war with Iraq,
justified or not, legal or not, and whether it would actually INCREASE TERRORISM and
the threat to America or not. He conspired with the British government to try to
provoke a military response from Iraq with massive bombings in 2002, and even though
Iraq did not strike back he invaded anyway. He was gambling Iraq would not
cooperate with the weapons inspectors, and in spite of the fact that they were fully
cooperating he invaded anyway. The truth has finally come out that Iraq had no
weapons threatening us with any kind of destruction, and he had every reason to know
that all along.
It's time for us to demand that Congress fulfill its constitutional duty to hold the
president to account. It's time to investigate why WE WERE LIED TO, who was
involved in manufacturing and promoting those lies, and who should now be held
responsible for running our military, our budget, and our respect in the world into
the ground for this illegal, horrific and endless disaster. The action page below
will send your personal message directly to all your members of Congress at once.
http://www.usalone.com/warlies.htm
Take action NOW on this and post and forward this message everywhere you can to
everyone you know.
Dean Slams Fox News as GOP 'Propaganda Machine'
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/061305Z.shtml
No matter what anyone thinks about what Dean says or does, you must admit the press actually covers it. They may allow a response by Cheney and then the followers of each rally round. A certain amount of new people are going to listen to what Dean said and not all are going to be turned off. He is saying true things. They will resonate with somebody and if this is the only way they get onto television and into newspapers, why not!
Posted by: DiAnne/James at June 13, 2005 09:58 AM
And let's remember that this is NOT just a right-wing pipe dream. It can actually happen, and will unless we fight back hard.
The southern half of the state is red already - with the possible exception of West Hollywood, Santa Monica, and Los Angeles - for practical purposes. Most immigrant communities are purple to red, and contrary to common progressive wisdom, the more immigrants we take in, the more conservative and redder we become.
I'll see what kinds of things my cell will be able to do to block this momentum.
Media Comparison:
Subject: Guantanamo is controversial and many have advocated for closing it, but not Cheney.
The text is essentially the same in most, but titles differ. Note whether title implies Cheney's position is controversial, how Guantanamo is referred to, whether Cheney is actually mentioned, etc.
I like to read directly from AP, Reuters etc. and then see how long it takes for stories to hit the newspapers and how they are edited, placed and titled.
Cheney Backs Gitmo Amid Criticism
CBS News
No plan to close Guantanamo prison: Cheney
Sify, India
Guantanamo to stay, says Cheney
BBC News, UK
Cheney: No Plans to Shut Guantanamo Prison
Washington Post, DC
Cheney says Gitmo will not be shut down
Chicago Tribune, IL
Cheney: No plans to shut down Guanatanamo
Aljazeera.com, UK
Cheney: Gitmo prison isn't closing
Chicago Sun-Times, IL
Cheney Says No Plans To Close Guantanamo
Radio Free Europe
Cheney: No plan to close prison at Guantanamo
Indianapolis Star
Pressure to close Guantánamo grows
Seattle Times, WA
VP says no plan to close Cuba jail
Boston Globe, MA
No plan to close down Guantanamo prison: Cheney
Malayala Manorama, India
Cheney Says No to Closing Prison
New York Times, NY
No plans to close Guantanamo Bay, Cheney says
CBC Calgary, Canada
No plans to shut Guantanamo prison
Xinhua, China -
Cheney:US has no plans to close prison
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Cheney says no plan to close Guantanamo prison
People's Daily Online, China
Cheney says no plan to close Guantanamo prison
Xinhua, China
US Not Aiming to Shut Guantanamo Bay Prison
Washington Post, DC
Cheney Deflects Calls to Close Gitmo
San Francisco Chronicle, CA
USVP Cheney Says Torture Facility Will Stay Open
DailyIndia.com, NY
Cheney: No Plans to Close Gitmo
Elites TV, TX
Senators Censure Pentagon Over Guantanamo Torture
Islam Online, Qatar
Cheney says US prison in Cuba will stay open
Kashar News, Pakistan
Cheney Says Guantanamo Prison To Stay Open For Now
Cheney: US not closing Guantanamo prison
Canton Repository , OH
from USA Today:
USA is losing patience on Iraq
• Of those who say the war wasn't worth it, the top reasons cited are fraudulent claims and no weapons of mass destruction found; the number of people killed and wounded; and the belief that Iraq posed no threat to the United States.
• Of the 42% who say the war was worth it, the top reasons cited are the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, the need to stop terrorism and a desire to end the oppression of the Iraqi people.
Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden, the top Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that an "incredible gap between the reality on the ground and the rhetoric back here" is costing Bush support on the war.
On ABC's This Week, Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., an ardent supporter of the invasion, called on Bush for a timetable for withdrawing troops. "I feel that we have done about as much as we can do," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050613/ts_usatoday/pollusaislosingpatienceoniraq
The debate's over: Globe is warming
By Dan Vergano, USA TODAY Jun 13
Don't look now, but the ground has shifted on global warming. After decades of debate over whether the planet is heating and, if so, whose fault it is, divergent groups are joining hands with little fanfare to deal with a problem they say people can no longer avoid.
General Electric is the latest big corporate convert; politicians at the state and national level are looking for solutions; and religious groups are taking philosophical and financial stands to slow the progression of climate change.
continue~
http://news.yahoo.com/s/usatoday/20050613/ts_usatoday/thedebatesoverglobeiswarming
Could memo sink Bush?
By Dave Richardson
Times Herald-Record
What if President Bush lied to Congress and the American people, used those lies to gain congressional approval for military action against Iraq and launched a war that killed 1,700 Americans and tens of thousands of others?
That might have been a hypothetical question a month ago; it might not be hypothetical anymore.
In fact, Rep. Maurice Hinchey, D-Hurley, says the answer to the question could lead to the impeachment of President Bush.
continue~
http://www.recordonline.com/archive/2005/06/13/drhousem.htm
http://www.pej.org/html/index.php & click to read, or try
http://www.pej.org/html/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=2717&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0
"No Exit: A Hand Grenade Over the Shoulder" - the single most comprehensive, "meaty" article on what could happen in Iraq (partitioning, civil war etc) that I have found, from Canadian Peace & Justice site but originally from Asia On-Line. It's referenced on "Google International" today.
"Iraquification" - with comparisons to Algeria, Vietnam & Central America - with Rumsfeld's "special ops" working to make sure the right militias fight each other
Excerpt:
Who gets the oil?
Sunni Arabs and Kurds are virtually on the brink of civil war in northern Iraq: the daily situation in both Kirkuk and Mosul is explosive - ambushes, assassinations, car bombings - but scarce information filters south to Baghdad and to the outside world. Kirkuk is nominally under Kurd control. But what the Kurds want most of all is to control Northern Oil - part of the Iraqi National Oil Co, in charge of the oilfields west of Kirkuk. Sunni Arabs say "over our dead bodies". No wonder the key local battlefield is the oil pipeline crossing Kirkuk province: it was blown up again this Wednesday.
Mosul, a big city of almost 1.8 million people on the banks of the Tigris, is still controlled by Sunni Arabs (70% of the population) and remains the epicenter of Arab nationalism and a major guerrilla base. Kurds there maintain the lowest of profiles. Both the guerrillas and the police come from the very powerful Sunni Shammar tribe. The Pentagon favors the Kurds - helplessly, one might say: they are the only US allies. US intelligence in Mosul depends on Kurdish intelligence: one more recipe for civil war. As if this was not enough, most Shi'ites - 60% of Iraq's population - now firmly believe they are facing a Machiavellian plot by the US, the Kurds, the Sunni Arabs or all of the above to rob the Shi'ites of political power.
no one gets to visit bu$h, unless the campaign contribution comes first:
from the Asia Times:
A US ear if the price is right
By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has sent 20,000 troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, got warm words, a press conference and dinner. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, who has sent 3,000 troops to Iraq, got nice words, a photo-op and lunch. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who just reached an agreement that will enable Washington to use Incirlik air base for its Iraq operations indefinitely, got coffee.
And each of them - democratically elected leaders of long-time military allies who have been battered by public opinion at home for defending a close relationship with Washington - got virtually nothing they really wanted (except maybe the sugar) during their respective meetings at the White House last week with US President George W Bush.
Meanwhile, US industries that provided lavish campaign contributions to Bush and other Republican Party candidates in last year's election made out like bandits without even having to show up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, at least not personally.
The tobacco industry, which spent 75% of its nearly US$4 million in campaign contributions last year on Bush and the Republicans, got a really big present this week when the Justice Department reduced its request for damages in a racketeering trial that the government had already won from $130 billion to $10 billion to finance a national anti-smoking campaign over the next 25 years. That's a likely savings of $120 billion. Billion, not million.
Top Justice Department politicos even asked that its own witnesses soft-peddle their testimony so as not to move the judge to impose the larger fine anyway.
The much-larger fossil-fuel industry, which spent 80% of its $25 million in campaign contributions on Bush and the Republicans last year and has profited handsomely already from policies pursued by Bush since he came to office last November, also seems to have benefited in a somewhat unexpected way.
continue~
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GF14Aa04.html
They Won't Go
By Bob Herbert
The New York Times Monday 13 June 2005
George W. Bush is in no danger of being ranked among the nation's pre-eminent commanders in chief. Not only has he been unable thus far to win the war in Iraq, but on his watch significant sectors of the proud U.S. military have been rapidly deteriorating.
The Army reported on Friday that it had fallen short of its recruitment goals for a fourth consecutive month. The Marines managed to meet their recruitment target for May, but that was their first successful month this year.
Scrambling to fill its ranks, the Army is signing up more high school dropouts and lower-scoring applicants.
With the war in Iraq going badly and allegations of abuse by military personnel widespread, young men and women are increasingly deciding that there's no upside to a career choice in which the most important skills might be ducking bullets and dodging roadside bombs.
The primary reason the U.S. went to an all-volunteer military in 1973 was to ensure that those who did not want to fight wouldn't have to. That option is now being overwhelmingly exercised, discretion being the clear choice over valor. Young people and their parents alike are turning their backs on the military in droves.
The Army is so desperate for even lukewarm bodies that it is reluctant to release even problem soldiers, troops who are seriously out of shape, or pregnant, or abusing alcohol or drugs. And it is lowering standards for admission to the junior officer ranks. For example, minor criminal offenses that previously would have been prohibitive can now be overlooked.
At the same time Army recruiters have been chasing high school kids with such reckless abandon that a backlash is developing among parents who, in many cases, want the recruiters kept out of their children's schools.
snip~
The parents of the kids being sought by recruiters to fight this unpopular war are creating a highly vocal and potentially very effective antiwar movement.
In effect, they're saying to their own children: hell no, you won't go.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/061305E.shtml
This is the link for Center for American Progress's blog, to keep up-to-date on latest developments on the information from the Downing Street Memo related story that broke via the Washington Post this last weekend:
http://www.thinkprogress.org/
Does anyone else feel the changing of the tide, or is it just me?
Feels just like it does when the wind changes direction. First, it gets kind of still, then the wind seems to be coming from every direction really strong. Then a big storm or a tornado.
Sensenbrenner implosion.
Seeing the word impeachment in an actual print outlet.
Another British bombshell.
Parents fighting back against military recruiters.
Gold Star Families on the road.
Dean talking loudly.
Red states in question.
Calls to close Guantanamo.
Calls to begin Iraq withdrawal.
The wind is definitely changing, folks. Keep working...
VE,
we have been working/watching 4 & half years for the winds of change to blow, knowing that it was a matter of time that the culture of corruption of the Republican party in power would be exposed...I do believe you are correct, the tipping point has been toppled..
I believe in the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, quote,
"The arc of justice may be long, but it bends toward justice."
Its time for all of America to hold Bu$hINC accountable!
Most immigrant communities are purple to red, and contrary to common progressive wisdom, the more immigrants we take in, the more conservative and redder we become.
Posted by: AllyMcLesbian at June 13, 2005 10:31 AM
I've noted the same here, Ally. In our rural areas, the Hispanic voters I've met have been Republicans, almost to a one. In the city of Vancouver WA, I came across some who were Dems while canvassing last year. But not so at all in the rural areas.
Interesting...folks over at Washington Note seeking non-partisan 501(c)(4) to assist with heading off Bolton nomination...
http://www.thewashingtonnote.com/archives/000718.html
Oh, yes... definitely a change of wind direction.
Posted by: Amy at June 13, 2005 12:36 PM
==============================
Amy --
I think Democrats have taken minority constituencies for granted for some time...
Hopefully, the loud rescitation of a smarter Progressive agenda, and some real footwork in these communities will bring them into the light.
I think it's very possible.
ok I just got this from a Republican, who said:
"Our overseas image has got to be totally screwed... have you seen this? Knew about minors being held but did not know that they were tortured too. So the US tortures children, how in the hell can that be justified?"
Some Held at Guantánamo Are Minors, Lawyers Say
The New York Times
(link didn't open but TruthOut just put it out)
The wind is definitely changing, folks. Keep working...
Posted by: victoria ellen at June 13, 2005 12:22 PM
Keep working, yes.
But don't expect the wind to change any time soon. notmypres had a good point about Dean, though - at least he's getting exposure.
Still, the media is a long, long way from informing the other 89% of Americans about what is really going on in this country. Sometimes it's hard to imagine the collective ignorance of half the country when one spends a lot of time in cyberspace. But if we took a day, skipped the blogs and watched TV news, we'd most likely be shocked.
Growing number of military experts see no victory in Iraq...
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/world/11879261.htm
If they're writing this in Kansas.........
Britain has 900 troops in Afghanistan and is now asked to send more, despite withdrawals from Iraq. 4 US troops were wounded in a suicide bomb yesterday in this country that we "liberated." Here are some of the questions being asked in Britain. US is not the only place where the wind is gonna change.
"There have been reports in the media this morning that the UK has been asked to provide an additional 5,500 troops for the operations in Afghanistan," he (shadow Defense Minister) wrote. "According to the same reports, 5,500 troops will be pulled out of Iraq within the next 12 months, reducing the British presence there by almost two thirds.
"When was a decision on deploying additional troops to Afghanistan made? What is the exact nature of the deployment? What is the composition of the troops designated for the deployment?
"Has the US approached any other of our allies? Have any other coalition partners indicated that they may want to commit additional troops to Afghanistan?"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/military/story/0,11816,1505512,00.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-5071346,00.html
Poll: Six in 10 Want Troops to Leave Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) - Six in 10 Americans say they think the United States should withdraw some or all of its troops from Iraq - the highest number who have said that in the Gallup poll.
About three in 10 want the U.S. to withdraw all troops now and about three in 10 said some troops should be withdrawn now. A majority, 56 percent, said they would be upset if more troops are sent to Iraq, according to the poll released Monday.
Two-thirds in an ABC-Washington Post poll, also taken in early June, say they think the United States has gotten bogged down in the war in Iraq. Almost six in 10 in both polls said the war was not worth fighting.
The Gallup poll of 1,003 adults was taken June 6-8 and the ABC-Post poll of 1,002 adults was taken June 2-5. Each poll had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
http://www.gallup.com
Hell Freezes Over:
Newt "Contract on America" Gingrich admits Bush administration may be in political trouble (to David Broder, columnnist):
Newt Gingrich, who has been touring the country to promote his new novel, told me this week that he sees "a lot of parallels between the restiveness of European voters," who have handed losses to the ruling parties in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Britain, "and what I feel when I'm on the road.
"If Ford and General Motors are rated as junk bonds and United Airlines can't pay its pensioners," the former Republican speaker said, "people feel there is something wrong. Both parties are hurt, but the governing party is at greater risk."
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002327245_broder12.html
But don't relax .. I relaxed when Clinton was in office & my stocks were rising, my business was good, there were no major wars. Never again.
Proof is in the Memo: Soldiers Died for a Lie
by Beth Quinn
All the world – except America – is buzzing about the fact that George Bush created the WMD threat to justify his war in Iraq.
snip~
What we're talking about here is proof that Bush engineered the war in Iraq – based on a lie.
What we're talking about here is 1,700 dead Americans – based on a lie.
What we're talking about here is Lou Allen of Milford, Pa.; Brian Pavlich of Port Jervis; Eugene Williams of Highland; Irving Medina of Middletown; Doron Chan of Highland; Catalin Dima of White Lake; Brian Parrello of West Milford, N.J.; Kenneth VonRonn of Bloomingburg; Joseph Tremblay of New Windsor.
All dead – based on a lie.
What I can't understand – what's making my head pop off – is that so many Americans are indifferent to this kind of news. Is it because Americans expect presidents to lie, so it's not news when they do (unless it involves sex)?
Is it because this is simply confirmation of what we sort of knew all along anyway and – so what – we got Saddam (even though Osama is still at large)?
Is it because no one really cares what happens to our troops – even those of you with those stupid, yellow "Support Our Troops" magnets on your cars? Tell me, what have you done to support our troops other than put a stupid, yellow magnet on your car?
If you really want to support our troops, I have a suggestion: Demand a confession from George Bush.
Last week, 89 members of Congress signed a petition authored by Democratic Rep. John Conyers doing just that. They want answers. You should, too.
Before all our heads pop off, let's add our names to Conyers' petition. Let's start acting like Americans again. Let's force Bush to act like one, too.
And then, if it turns out he lied, as the Downing Street Memo most surely suggests, let's impeach him.
That's what we do to presidents who lie, remember?
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0613-25.htm
I think Democrats have taken minority constituencies for granted for some time...
Hopefully, the loud rescitation of a smarter Progressive agenda, and some real footwork in these communities will bring them into the light.
Posted by: KerryOn62 at June 13, 2005 12:47 PM
Specifically, the minorities - especially immigrant communities - must be made to understand that their support of the Republican gay witch hunt will only come back to hurt THEM in the long run. Being good ol' Christians will NOT save them here.
I do have to say that some groups like the Miami Cubans and the Los Angeles Koreans are too much in the grip of the neocons to see the light... (and I am NOT afraid to say it) so we must work on saving the swing groups like the Mexicans and the Chinese first.
Posted by: Amy at June 13, 2005 12:49 PM
============================
Amy --
I think it is changing... If 89% of Americans are still completely ignorant of the reality of the Iraq war, then apparently they are not being polled. Recent polls are showing substantially less than half the country still believes the Iraq war has made us safer at home, and that it was worth fighting.
So, that tells me that it is changing. I wouldn't have said that a few months ago, but I believe the American people are reaching critical mass with the results of the mistakes and lying of this administration.
Not because the media says it, but because they can see it themselves.
We're a country of varied opinions, but we don't all have a learning disability.
Now, you've actually got military commanders acknowledging that there's no end in sight to the insurgency. That's going to move people faster than anything.
This is where Progressives can really stand up and offer alternative leadership. It's a remarkable window created by the utter debacle of this pathetic administration.
I hope Progressivees grab the opportunity.
Posted by: on.to.victory4Dems at June 13, 2005 11:20 AM
And sadly they still refuse to drop their "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" crap. If they dropped it, they could relieve quite a bit of the recruit shortage by having Jeff Gannon types sign up.
Another proof that it's homophobia, not homosexuality, that's anti-American.
Not very uplifting, hopefully hacked somehow..
Do you approve of the way the U.S. has treated Guantanamo detainees?
No 53%
Yes 47%
Should the prison close?
No 54%
Yes 46%
Total Votes: 42,503
What is up with some of our fellow Americans?
from NYT international news:
As Iraqi Army Trains, Word in the Field Is It May Take Years
Despite the Bush administration's insistent optimism, Americans working with the Iraqis in the field believe that it could be several years, at least, before the new Iraqi forces will be ready to stand alone against the insurgents.
continue~
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/13/international/middleeast/13training.html
Posted by: AllyMcLesbian at June 13, 2005 01:05 PM
====================
Ally --
Really, I think part of the reason some minorities have turned to Conservatives is that Conservatives have been the ones talking to them.
When that changes, I think a large percentage will respond to the Progressive agenda.
MSNBC Question of the day::
Should there be an end date for U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq?
current result:
YES 77%
NO 23%
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3080261/
From the WaPo
If discontent expressed by respondents in last week's Washington Post-ABC News survey holds, the GOP may be in for a tough mid-term election next year.
Nearly 60 percent of the people polled said congressional Republicans are not concentrating on issues that are personally important to them. Of course, 53 percent said the same of Democrats. But while respondents didn't view Democrats as saviors, the minority party posted more favorable numbers across the board.
The poll found waning support for President Bush on his signature issue, the campaign against terrorism, and the majority of respondents continued to say that the war in Iraq was not worth fighting. On the domestic front, Bush has failed to gain any traction for his Social Security plan after months of high-profile stumping.
A president with a popularity problem can be a wet blanket for a party. In his column on Sunday, The Post's David S. Broder wrote: "Five months into his second term, the storm signals are clearly flying. Were this the Clinton Administration, it would be safe to assume that the man in the Oval Office would be badgering his political advisers for ideas on how to halt the decline. But Bush prides himself on pushing ahead, whatever the obstacles, and there are no signals that he is about to change course on any of his major policies."
Post columnist Jim Hoagland wrote: "Polls are snapshots that change quickly, as White House aides quickly pointed out. But this one reflects my own anecdotal sense of a shift that I have been hearing about from politicians and activists in the nation's capital and elsewhere over the past six weeks. This survey should be treated by the White House as a serious warning."
WHAT DOES IT SOUND LIKE WHEN ONE'S CONSCIENCE IS AWAKENED?
Lawmaker of 'freedom fries' fame turns against Iraq war Sun Jun 12, 5:31 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AFP) - A prominent lawmaker who prompted cafeterias in the US Congress to change the name of their french fries to "freedom fries" in anger over France's opposition to the Iraq war, has now turned against the conflict and wants a firm schedule on the withdrawal of US troops.
Representative Walter Jones (news, bio, voting record), a North Carolina Republican, has written more than 1,300 letters of condolence to the families of soldiers killed in Iraq and will introduce legislation this week calling for a firm timetable on the withdrawal of US troops, ABC's "This Week" said Sunday.
"This is what I believe is the right thing to do for our military first; and secondly, I think we are doing everything we can do in Iraq to give them an opportunity to have a democracy, to defend themselves," Jones told ABC.
President George W. Bush's administration has refused to set a timetable on withdrawing its forces from the war-torn country.
Asked about his change of heart on the war, Jones said he had attended two years ago the funeral of soldier, a married father of three, who was killed in Iraq. "That really has been on my mind and my heart ever since."
He added: "When I look at the number of men and women who have been killed -- it's almost 1,700 now, in addition to close to 12,000 have been severely wounded -- and I just feel that the reason of going in for weapons of mass destruction, the ability of the Iraqis to make a nuclear weapon, that's all been proven that it was never there."
"And my heart aches, quite frankly," Jones told ABC.
In March 2003, just before the US-led invasion in Iraq, Representative Bob Ney (news, bio, voting record), chairman of the committee on House Administration, ordered that the term "french fries" be removed from all restaurant menus in the three House office buildings and replaced with freedom fries.
Jones joined Ney in taking the action, issuing a joint statement saying: "This action today is a small, but symbolic effort to show the strong displeasure of many on Capitol Hill with the actions of our so-called ally, France."
Posted by: Casey Morris at June 13, 2005 09:06 AM
In the meantime, I have started to build a website for it. Please go take a look and come to the meeting with any ideas that you would like to see. Remember it is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, and still being built out, so please be kind.
--
Casey,
How do we access that Yellowfeather website?
Roll Call's Mark Preston looks at the . . . somewhat intemperate remarks Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) made to the Heritage Foundation recently regarding why he thinks lawmakers should hang up their careers on the Hill by age 68 —
I am sure there are plenty of 68 year old Republicans Coburn can be talking to.
Why is Senator Landieu allowing George Allen the stage on today's anti lynching legislation. Allen could care less about minority rights.
The older members are the ones who still value the Senate rules. The younger members are more viscious, and willing to do whatever it takes to get their way.
SIGNS OF LIFE...
Republican Sen. Mel Martinez suggests shutting down Guantanamo Bay prison
Associated Press
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/06/11/build/nation/63-martinez-gitmo.inc
KEY WEST, Fla. - Sen. Mel Martinez said the Bush administration should consider closing the Guantanamo Bay prison for terrorism suspects - the
first high-profile Republican to make the suggestion.
"It's become an icon for bad stories and at some point you wonder the cost-benefit ratio," Martinez said Friday. "How much do you get out of
having that facility there? Is it serving all the purposes you thought it would serve when initially you began it, or can this be done some
other way a little better?"
Martinez, who served in President Bush's first cabinet and is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, made his comments after
Democratic Sen. Joseph Biden's suggested that the prison in Cuba be shut down.
President Bush said Wednesday that his administration was "exploring all alternatives" for detaining the prisoners.
Human rights groups and former detainees say prisoners at Guantanamo have been mistreated. The Pentagon said last week that some U.S. personnel there mishandled prisoners' copies of the Quran, the Muslim holy book.
That disclosure followed a report in Newsweek, later retracted, that U.S. investigators had confirmed that a guard had flushed a prisoner's
Quran in a toilet. The White House blamed that report for violent protests in Muslim nations.
Amnesty International called the facility "the gulag of our time." Former President Carter has also said Guantanamo should be closed.
Martinez, who strongly supported Bush's efforts in Iraq during his campaign last year, also expressed concerns about progress in the war.
"I am discouraged by how long it has taken for us to begin to draw down some forces," Martinez, R-Fla., said at the annual Florida Society of
Newspaper Editors/Florida Press Association convention.
He said he has had to write many condolence letters to the families of Floridians killed in Iraq.
"It brings home the importance of the decision to send men and women to go to war," he said. "It has become a foreign fighters' war against us
there and the progress seems slow and difficult."
Great News!
Jackson verdict to be read at 4:45 pm EDT.
2,200 media types available afterwards to investigate Downing Street Memo.
CNN poll as of 4:33 EDT
Created: Sunday, June 12, 2005, at 18:46:34 EDT
What do you think of the Guantanamo Bay detention center?
It's vital to U.S. national security ........45% .... 63324 votes
It harms U.S.'s human rights record ...55% .... 78913 votes
Total: 142237 votes
June 13, 2005 latimes.com
Support for Guantanamo Eroding in Bush's Circle
Some think preserving the prison for suspected terrorists isn't worth the bad public relations over reports of abuse, a GOP lawmaker says.
By Paul Richter, Times Staff Writer
WASHINGTON — Some Bush administration officials have come to believe the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, should be closed because reports of abuse have created a public relations problem, a senior Republican lawmaker said Sunday.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the administration was divided on the issue, with some officials taking the view that if the facility was shut down, "you shorten the [news] stories, you shorten the heated debate, and you get it off the table and you move on."
Hunter's comments on "Fox News Sunday" were the latest sign that the White House was considering a step that would require it to find other accommodations for about 520 detainees.
After former President Carter urged the closure of the camp and Amnesty International referred to it as a "gulag for our time," President Bush and his aides indicated last week that they were weighing options.
Bush said in a television interview Wednesday that "we're exploring all alternatives as to how best to do the main objective." At the same time, he warned that "what we don't want to do is let somebody out that comes back and harms us."
On Friday, Sen. Mel Martinez of Florida became the first prominent Republican to urge the facility's closing, saying, "It's become an icon for bad stories, and at some point you wonder the cost-benefit ratio: … Is it serving the purposes you thought it would serve when initially you began it?"
Vice President Dick Cheney, in an interview to be broadcast today on Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes," said there was "no plan" to close the detention facility but noted that options were reviewed on a continual basis.
"The important thing to understand is that the people that are in Guantanamo are bad people," he said.
In addition to human rights groups, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the FBI have cited abuses at the prison. Most people held there were captured in Afghanistan and sent to Cuba in hopes that they would provide information about Al Qaeda. Some have been held for three years without being charged with a crime.
In a statement Sunday, the Defense Department said interrogations at the facility had "undoubtedly produced information that has saved the lives of U.S. and coalition forces in the field as well as thwarted threats posed to innocent citizens in this country and abroad."
Hunter said there was "good reason to push back" against proposals to close the detention facility because "we haven't been abusing prisoners."
To illustrate that those housed at Guantanamo have been well treated, Hunter read from a menu indicating that on Sunday, the detainees were to be fed orange-glazed chicken, fresh fruit, steamed peas and mushrooms, and rice pilaf.
"We treat them very well," he said.
But Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees, said on CNN's "Late Edition" that Guantanamo was one reason the United States was "losing the image war" around the world.
"It's identifiable with, for right or wrong, a part of America that people in the world believe is a power, an empire that pushes people around: We do it our way; we don't live up to our commitments to multilateral institutions," Hagel said.
He said Pentagon leaders had failed to take responsibility for the situation, including for harsh interrogation techniques and the treatment of prisoners.
The suggestions to close the Guantanamo camp echo arguments last year after abuse reports at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. But critics pointed out that if the prison was torn down, taxpayers would need to spend millions to build a replacement.
Meanwhile, Time magazine described the Guantanamo interrogation of a man suspected of trying to take part in the Sept. 11 plot.
Quoting interrogation records, Time said interrogators tried to get information from Mohammed Al-Qahtani by making him bark like a dog, by hanging pictures of scantily clad women around his neck, by forcing him to briefly stand nude and by pouring bottles of water on his head.
During interrogations late at night, they sought to keep him awake by playing Christina Aguilera songs, the magazine said.
Al-Qahtani, who authorities say was supposed to be the 20th hijacker on Sept. 11, tried and failed to enter the United States in August 2001. The next year, U.S. authorities picked him up on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The Pentagon statement Sunday said the techniques used on Al-Qahtani were "approved and monitored" and that Al-Qahtani had acknowledged his connection with Al Qaeda as a result of the interrogation.
Really, I think part of the reason some minorities have turned to Conservatives is that Conservatives have been the ones talking to them.
When that changes, I think a large percentage will respond to the Progressive agenda.
Posted by: KerryOn62 at June 13, 2005 02:35 PM
You got the point... It's especially true of the Cuban, Korean, and Vietnamese communities (the right wing OWNS these communities by listening to their concerns all the time), but in general we have gotten lazy at talking to the minority communities. African Americans always complain that the Dems take them for granted, and that is not acceptable. We must earn their support legitimately through action.
Watched the latest "Meet the Press" 6/12/05, with
Joe Biden, Gwen Ifel, Judy Woodruff and others. A TOTAL CHANGE in attitude, I must say! They discussed in detail the Prezes current poll numbers, and, to say they aren't good is an understatement. He is hitting 30% on some of them. They discussed how Washington Republicans are starting to distance themselves from Bush, and all in all it was a very telling program. Ifel and Woodruff surprised me and showed they are more in tune with what is really happening than they ever showed in their own anchor chairs.
Give it a look see, and I think you will be encouraged.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/8130648/
I have little use for Judy Woodruff after hearing he r repeatedly claim Kerry "voted for the war" while covering his statements critical of Bush's policies during the election.
Posted by: Ron Chusid at June 13, 2005 06:54 PM
Ron, I agree. In my opinion, she was heartless and cruel and unrelenting during that entire campaign.
That's why I was a bit hopeful seeing her on Meet The Press, because she was showing her true colors: She does have a brain and knows how to use it. Now that she is no longer an anchor chair at CNN, she is singing a different, more realistic tune. I agree with you, I myself, don't respect her. Even a little.
Kerry voted for a process, which could have led to war but could have easily led to the discovery that Saddam was sans WMD.
John voted for a process, not a result. Dubya started out with with an end result in mind, and use every means at his disposal to see that result come into being.
If Judy Woodruff doesn't understand the difference, then she needs her head examined. I have no clue how Al Hunt even puts up with her.