« James ("The Weasel") Inhofe Strikes | Main | THE PRICE OF INCOMPETENCE »
Magically disappeared
[From DCP blogger Ellen via Ellen's Illinois Tenth Congressional District Blog]
Millions of dollars are missing in Iraq. Turns out that Paul Bremer worked, not for the state department as a diplomat, but for the department of defense. He presided over cash payments made to corporate mercenaries. Some congressional Democrats have asked for an accounting and hearings, but the call has been quieted and the taxpayer dollars are gone, magically disappeared.
In 2000 and 2004 votes for Democrats magically disappeared too. Now, there is an employee of Diebold who is speaking out about the known back door for hackers and the cover-up. But that's so technical, not the type of things Americans are known to ask about, not something good like sex with an intern in the Oval Office, so although bloggers are talking about it, it's unlikely to get much press in the mainstream media. American votes, magically disappeared, and along with them our ability to have real elections in our so-called democracy.
Hundreds of American soldiers are dead in Iraq. The official count is 1900 at this writing, but they are only counting the ones that die on the spot. If one or hundreds get moved to a hospital or sent home before they die, they aren't counted. Some say the real count is about 9000, but that was before this deadly week. The Iraqi dead are not counted at all. They are not deemed relevant enough to bother our leaders' beautiful minds. Young men and women just magically disappeared.
Republicans are saying that there is a silver lining to the Katrina disaster being the loss of the slums, lack of jobs and bad schools. However, they are unwilling to make that silver lining become a reality with good wages, rebuilding a New Orleans for its poor with good schools and improved but affordable housing. Already taxpayer money is pouring into no-bid contracts for friends of the administration and wages have been reduced, illegally and without an end date. The poor will unlikely be able to afford to get back home or even live in the new New Orleans. They will be magically disappeared into the slums of the cities they were unknowingly dropped off in at the height of the crisis, so thirsty, hungry, tired, dirty and confused that they did not have the chance to ask questions. Now that they are asking, they aren't getting answers and folks are paying a lot less attention.
Children are missing from Katrina. We are all seeing them on CNN and other stations, some with pictures and ages, some with no picture or age. They could be anywhere with anybody. After the tsunami, there were concerns about child abusers getting ahold of the lost children. No one is mentioning that here, but I don't see how that is not a concern. The count is being done by several unrelated private organizations. I don't see why the first priority of Bush's great unfunded plan for Katrina relief does not include federal coordination of the missing children databases and matching them up with their families. Maybe Halliburton doesn't have software for that. Looks like there will be hundrens of children magically disappeared.
Speaking of the tsunami. We had a body count almost immediately from places like Thailand and Malaysia. In New Orleans, it's all quiet on the number of dead. Naigin first said 10,000. Some were saying up to 40,000, but suddenly we were told that the numbers were grossly exaggerated and that the count is far less. Then, there was no count. We saw a few pictures of dead in New Orleans. Then, we heard that FEMA had prevented news organizations from taking pictures, then CNN won the ability to broadcast pictures of the dead, but ultimately didn't. The dead in New Orleans magically disappeared.
The American people used to demand accountability from their leaders. Now, its taxpayer dollars, opposition voices, thousands if not millions of children and adults, and an entire American city just magically disappeared and few are asking and no one is ever held accountable. Accountability is scoffed at, Americans are happy to go on their way and be left alone, and its business as usual for the most corrupt government ever seen in this country.
Our money, our children, out communities, our vote and voice, and our desire to understand how this came about, all magically disappeared.
Posted by dwahzon at September 20, 2005 08:27 PM
Good header. I was upset about this very topic a few days ago. No numbers of dead. Then on the last thread there was the story about the private body bagging agency picking up the dead.
Where is the accountability? Who is recording the number of dead? What's being done with the bodies? Is anyone doing DNA testing on the bodies? Are they burying the bodies? Are they cremating the bodies (any large number of bodies can be cremated with no record of numbers). WHY is there no body count on the news in LameStream Media infotainment news??? Poof... like magic, nothing is said about the body count, once again covering the @$$e$ of the Bu$hCo administration.
Is it time to write to all MSM outlets and demand a body count - daily???????
And speaking of the dead... the body count of US military in Iraq went to 1902 today..... :-(
{{{ Sounds like it will take a Dem with more balls than Reid to filibuster.... Sounds like Ben Nelson of NB and Max Baucus of MT are going to vote in favor.... Specter has already said he'll vote yes.}}}
http://news.yahoo.com/fc/us/supreme_court
Sen. Reid Says He'll Vote Against Roberts
AP - 40 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid announced his opposition to Chief Justice-nominee John Roberts on Tuesday, voicing doubts about Roberts' commitment to civil rights and accusing the Bush administration of stonewalling requests for documents that might shed light on his views. At the same time, two other Democrats edged toward expressions of support for Roberts, and Reid signaled he would not support any effort by die-hard critics in his own rank-and-file to block a vote on the nomination.
Excerpt from the full story (click on title for link to full story):
"The failure of the White House to produce relevant documents is reason enough for any senator to oppose this nomination. The administration cannot treat the Senate with such disrespect without some consequences," Reid said.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/9401768/
Which Democrats will vote 'yes' on Roberts?
Keeping an eye on Clinton, Bayh, and other presidential contenders
{{{ Mark Pryor of AK may vote in favor of Roberts.}}}
I just got a mailer from DSCC asking for contributions, and it had a list of 9 numbers that they wanted me to pass on to anyone I knew. Here they are:
1,841 = American soldiers dead in Iraq (as of 8/12)
$300 billion = money spent on Iraq war as of 8/12
0 = WMD's found in Iraq
4 = the multiple by which North Korea increased its nuclear arsenal while Bush led us into Iraq
$236 billion = surplus Clinton left Bush
$333 billion = current deficit under Bush
1 in 5 = American children below the poverty line, an increase of 13% since Bush took office
5 million = number of people who have lost health insurance since Bush took office
0 = number of mistakes Bush admits to making in his first term
Now, they need to pound away on these facts themselves, gotta have some spine!
And, more about the national shame of torture that Bu$hCo sanctioned at Abu Ghraib:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050920/us_nm/iraq_abuse_dc
Military judge skeptical of Abu Ghraib defense
By Adam Tanner Tue Sep 20
FORT HOOD, Texas (Reuters) - The military judge in the trial of Lynndie England, shown holding an Iraqi inmate on a leash in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal, expressed skepticism on Tuesday about the defense argument that she was too compliant toward authority.
"You are painting a picture of a woman who cannot think for herself in almost all circumstances," Judge Col. James Pohl told lead defense lawyer Capt. Jonathan Crisp.
"She does have to look to the authority figures around her and glean what to do," said Crisp.
. . . . . . . .
Because the Abu Ghraib photos are so widely known, the order barring their release will have a limited impact.
They will not be shown to the public attending the trial, but will be shown on computer screens to the jury.
"They'll be sealed until an appellate court says they won't be sealed," said Capt. Cullen Sheppard, a spokesman for the prosecution. "Many of the photos that are protected are photos that you have seen."
Some photos have not been made public. For example, one charge since dropped against England alleged she had been photographed engaging in fellatio with Graner, the abuse ringleader who is serving a ten-year prison sentence and who has since married a woman who pleaded guilty in the Abu Ghraib scandal.
The prosecution asked for the photos not to be released and the defense agreed with the motion. Pohl's order was aimed at reducing what is released under a 2003 lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union to obtain information on the treatment of U.S.-held detainees.
http://movies.crooksandliars.com/cnn_lt_cafferty_katrina_investigation_050920a.mov
"The gig is up". says Cafferty from CNN.
Excellent thread head
Dont you know, they're talkin' bout a revolution,
And it sounds, like a whisper.
Tracy Chapman
Posted by: Christy at September 20, 2005 02:16 PM
i love that song.
So who wants assignments for this weekend?
Let me know!
Me too Darlin..
Me too.
Can I add my thoughts on last threads subject of group focus...?
There are many noble causes that are worthy of passion. There are many things that will motivate us. Some of us sometimes, most of us at times, a few of us are motivated as a time. we find one subject and others crowd into priorities.
In that gapping of focus we miss the forrest for the trees.
I am about to break out the same old argument so go ahead and feel free to groan now.
When most of us first met on the kerry blog it was because I felt compelled to join for one reason alone. The things I asked you to see al came back to the same thing.
Civil Rights.
It is not A Issue. It is the ONLY issue.
Had a civil rights push been born after the DISENFRANCHISEMENT of SO many minorities trust me what happened in New Orleans would have NEVER had happened.
Thankfully we have the freedom to place DIFFERENT priorities on our OWN beliefs within a group and that is as it should be. But the slippery slope is aviding faction.
The only way to avoid it is to unite under ONE banner. There is ONLY one issue we all agree on.
Civil Rights.
There is only one issue that will bring CHANGE..Civil rights. There is only one reason our country is just, civil rights. There is only one reason EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US would FIGHT for.
Only a focus on that will allow us to unite AS ONE. Our party was FOUNDED on Civil Rights.
Time to strip the rot and rebuild on a sound foundation.
If you focused on Civil Rights, every single one of us would know it was worth it every damn day.
And is that stupid color code advisory system still in effect via DHS? Remember last year (before the elections) how that went off more frequently than blue light specials at K-Mart?
How come we're not at an elevated "fear" status now??? (Rhetorical question - I know the answer...)
MD when you go to DC on the 24th WEAR ORANGE!!!
Its a Citizens Orange Alert
OK...here's the trailer for the new movie about Edward R. Murrow's conflict with Joe McCarthy..."Good Night, and Good Luck"... Great subject, great actors, great timing... It already gets my vote for an Oscar.
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/goodnightandgoodluck.html
"We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home..."
Time to strip the rot and rebuild on a sound foundation.
If you focused on Civil Rights, every single one of us would know it was worth it every damn day.
Posted by: Christy at September 20, 2005 10:20 PM
From that issue arises:
1. Equal Voting Rights Act which Jesse Jackson has been pounding.
2. Better wages for the poor and healthcare, etc...
3. Giving DC statehood which has a 96% Black/white ratio and for a hundred years has been paying taxes without representation.
Wonder why Bolton has visited Judith Miller in prison??? Arianna thinks she has the answer...
Plamegate: The John Bolton Connection
I'm now hearing that the investigation may be inching closer to never-confirmed UN Ambassador John Bolton.
According to two sources, Bolton's former chief of staff, Fred Fleitz, was at least one of the sources of the classified information about Valerie Plame that flowed through the Bush administration and eventually made its way into Bob Novak's now infamous column.
--snip--
"I perform liaison function for the [CIA] and Mr. Bolton," Fleitz told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in April 2005 [pdf]. What he would have said if he'd been given truth serum is: "I've kept my CIA portfolio, which made it easier to become an intel-gathering machine for Bolton, who in turn was Cheney's spear-carrier in the State Department -- working tirelessly to undermine Powell and Armitage while, at the same time, feeding the intel to Miller and the New York Times."
--snip--
So what does this all mean to the ongoing Plamegate investigation? Well, another source close to Bolton recently described his management style to me as "Very hands on. Nothing goes by him. His staff does what he wants. He's not the kind of guy to have his staffers freelancing." So, if Fleitz was a key source of the Plame info and Bolton is not the kind of guy to have his staffers freelancing… does this mean Bolton was being less than forthcoming when he told people, in the words of my source, that "the first time he ever heard Valerie Plame's name was when he read it in the newspaper"? Or was he merely sharing talking points with Tim Russert?
So could Ambassador Bolton actually be a target of Pat Fitzgerald's investigation? When considering this question, it's important to keep in mind that he's never been subpoenaed or questioned by the Plamegate grand jury -- and, as a lawyer who does work for the New York Times put it: "The target of a grand jury investigation would not ordinarily be subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury."
Read the rest here ==>
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/plamegate-the-john-bolto_b_7648.html
sparrow at September 20, 2005 10:57 PM
Yes darlin but my point is this, any of those three can be the most important to me as an individual.
Im talking about as a group all of us must unite under ONE common cause. When I say civil rights people automatically try to back away from the phrase itself. In this case history becomes baggage... THAT IS EXACTLY THE PROBLEM.
It is time to put the words back into the correct context and go back to a central and core belief that motivates us all on a basic level.
Once you do that an odd thing will happen, the correct people will suddenly appear at the right place at the right time... the organization will FORTIFY ITSELF from within. The core issue is large enough to asorb faction and render it moot.
And from general to foot soldiers democrats would have only ONE common cause to fight for.
There is no political force on earth that can not be beaten by the MORAL RIGHTNESS of Civil Rights.
One Cause. One Purpose. Unbeatable.
Christy knows! Wise woman.
Think about it for a moment..
The very first act of ANY crime... is a violation of civil rights.
Bush is trying desperately to REMOVE ALL of our civil rights, because it is those very rights that give us OUR power over HIM.
It is time to drop the excess and become a lean mean fighting machine.
They HAD to kill Martin Luther King for two reasons.
They could not defeat his superior argument. And he would not quit arguing it.
Posted by: Christy at September 20, 2005 11:23 PM
Yes, I agree with you that Civil Rights is a powerful refrain. I also believe the words discrimination, hate crimes, and pverty are the others.
But here is my concern Christy, from what I understand, the South is still full of racism and bigotry and I'm not sure "Civil Rights" means anything compared to the preacher's anti-gay and anti-abortion sermons.
Oh baby, see thats where it gets good.
Civil Rights STILL MEANS the EXACT same thing now it meant then.
That is why yall quit using the phrase.The kneejerk reaction it garnered just wasn't worth it after they killed Martin, then Bobby.
The fight was never finished.
The fight is named CIVIL RIGHTS.
That is why none dare speak it lightly.
Posted by: Christy at September 20, 2005 11:40 PM
Christy,
When you read his speeches, they are so powerful! So 'biblical' and so moving. I know Jesse Jackson likes to make himeself in MLK's image but it's not the same.
And I wonder if there is anyone who can touch people the way MLK did. Al Sharpton? Not to me! Jesse Jackson? Jesse Jackson Jr?
Does this person have to be black or white to inspire everyone to be on the same page?
And after Katrina, Civil Rights, racism, Katrina, all seem to fit together like a sad puzzle.
Every single thing we claim to fight for comes down to our basic rights as individuals.
The basic rights that ENSURE our FREEDOM.
Everything we stand for and against can be summed up with those two glorious words
We MUST unite the base, we MUST be so fluid faction is not only allowed but encouraged and called VARIETY.
A noble cause will bond even people that hate each other.
It is not a issue. It is the ONLY issue.
If you give someone thier rights and they know you fought like hell to ensure THIER OWN PERSONAL freedom,... you WILL win thier heart, AND thier minds.
Here is a info flash on Jesse Jackson
And I say this with no disrespect or personal animosity...
I sit in the middle of the black deep south and I do not know one black person that likes him.
They all say the exact same thing... Media Whore.
Trust me, keep jesse as far away as possible. They do not trust him and his bad attempts at sounding poetically biblical is just sickening
Actually Al Sharpton is more trusted as a rule, AND Al has SERIOUSLY calmed down and by gawd sounds down right... rightious..lately..
He has his history but shit who doesnt?
Most whites do not trust him because they feel he is rash..maybe that is true once but to listen to the man lately Id swear someone stole poor Al and replaced him with a duplicate who is a real statesman.
I'll say this for Al Sharpton...He speaks truth to power.
I saw him at the interfaith service at Camp Casey and I was amazed. Very powerful words, very articulate man. I never paid any attention to him before that...But now I will.
Do yall know who I personally hope yall send to win the south?
John Edwards and Barrak Obama.
If they came down here with the intention of digging in, i predict they could deliver the entire deep south to the dems within two years.
Especially if I could write some of thier speeches but they seem to do ok without me.
Those two down here would be unstoppable.
Just make sure when they come, they come in a fighting mood. Oh, with kevlar.
They wont just give it all back. We need Generals ready to spar, not polticians waiting to pick the pockets of our dead.
I just listened to a couple of different weather forecasts that talked about Hurricane Rita.
Allegedly, the path could take it to the coast of Texas, which means our bloggers there could be in danger (I think Ira mentioned Galveston-Houston area for his residence), so I'm hoping Ira and his wife have gotten cages for their cats, packed their photos and other family treasures in their vehicle and are ready to head to safer areas. I don't know if Rita would affect where Indy lives except his area might get dumped on with a lot of rain for sure, if Rita hits the TX coast.
IF - IF - Rita hits TX and does not change direction toward New Orleans, MS or AL, the outer edges of the hurricane could still produce enough rain to break levees again. One of the weather forecasters said as little as three inches of rain could flood the city all over again because the levees are not sufficiently repaired to withstand any rain. I'm hoping everyone heeds the early warnings this time and gets the hell out of the city. I understand the governor of LA has already asked for aid and busses are already lined up by the dome to take people out of the city, and that people do not wait until the very last minute to leave.
I just want everyone to be safe(er) this time....
And can someone PLEASE put Nagin on the stage.
????
That is one fine ass straight talkin black man.
Him too, tell him its about CIVIL RIGHTS. He will lead his people there.
Damn he just has some pretty lips.
Yummy
Does this person have to be black or white to inspire everyone to be on the same page?
Posted by: sparrow at September 20, 2005 11:44 PM
Neither. Barak Obama came to mind during the conversation as I read the posts. I noted what Christy said about John Edwards and Barak Obama. My question is this; it seems that John Edwards was not as popular in his home state, and I wonder why his own constituents didn't accept his message? Barak Obama, on the other hand, received glowing accolades after his speech at the Democratic National Convention. His "unique" background, I believe, makes him an excellent candidate to carry the critical civil rights message forward.
Oh and BTW about my statement about my nieghbors opinions of Jesse Jackson.. It is NOT a guess, I KNOW how they feel about him because I ask them.
They are not really thrilled with the congressional black caucas either, those that understand what thier role in congress is.
I have lots of political discussions with my nieghbors. They are actually quite interested in politics as a group. The problem is no one engaging them. I am easily accepted into thier lives, thier families. I find them constantly fascinating. They think Im nuts but they love my engaging them. they seek me out for news, they WANT to know.
The hardest part for me, when I realized how the rest of this nation abandoned us, the worst part is I see how beautiful, and smart and patriotic these people are.
Where they saw looters I saw the beauty of children left to die. They saw black people, I saw how fierce and alive thier eyes are. I can not believe yall forgot how beautiful they are.
It is so hard for me to know what has happened and not weep. But if any good can come of this I really do hope we can atleast give them back the dignity of thier rights to NOT be forgotten, to NOT be ignored.
Thier right to NOT be left behind to die.
My question is this; it seems that John Edwards was not as popular in his home state, and I wonder why his own constituents didn't accept his message?
Posted by: oncall at September 21, 2005 12:17 AM
Ok first off there was some DISSASSEMBLING going on in our reaction to Edwards
And then there was the problem he was NOT HERE.
The dissasembling was them telling you our reaction was lukewarm. It was not. Not at ALL.
On Edwards something quite remarkable occurred even before the primaries...
The deep south fell in love with John Edwards.. Yall did not notice. I do not know not one single person around me that WOULD NOT have voted for John Edwards.
Let me put that as clearly as possible. Every single resident I know in Louisiana, black, white, young, old, democrat, and YES even REPUBLICAN...all of them would have voted for Edwards. I am not joking nor am I exaggerating.
Then he teamed with Kerry. They STILL would have voted for EDWARDS ALONE even with a blue blood yankee on the ticket. Then something funny happened. The news got blacked out completely and they were not HERE.
Thy breezed through what 4 times TOTAL . They left us to fight alone. The repells rigged it again. Ohio was not the only state with probs on Election Day 2004.
Like I said in Preaching to the Chior. We can not reach what don't want to touch us.
If you want the south. your going to have to come take it. Taking it with you on your way out dont help.
And that is how the relationship between the deep south and John Edwards stands to this day.
We sure love him, hope he visits soon.
His "unique" background, I believe, makes him an excellent candidate to carry the critical civil rights message forward.
You damn right unique indeed. Do you know why I say Obama...??
1 He is a Constitutional and civil rights Lawyer. expert even.
2. He is not bloody likely to back down from ANYONE.
3. He speaks with poetry, and passion. People are mezmorized by him.
4. He is BOTH black and white. He can heal two histories and teach them how to blend both elegantly.
5. He honestly cares, and you can feel it.
Oh and it don't hurt that he is ALSO a fine fine example of eye candy.
Damn.. him and Nagin on stage together may actually just become a personal fantasy of mine.
You have no idea how proud I am to be from Illinois. It was just a set of quirky circumstances during the election season, that helped Obama get to where he is today. But thank God those quirks happened.
I sure hope the Dems realize that they are in power. They may be the minority, but they are in power. And that means thumbs down to John Roberts.
A friend wrote that to me today. We need to carry THAT message as well. Roberts has stood against Civil Rights given any opportunity he could find. We are the power now. We can't let it slip away. We know that Roberts will do anything he can to lessen the Civil Rights of all Americans unless they are super rich or from the priviledged class.
Our money, our children, out communities, our vote and voice, and our desire to understand how this came about, all magically disappeared.
Posted by dwahzon at September 20, 2005 08:27 PM
It's late here, which means it's middle of the night where you are, but I just have to comment on that last sentence.
Our money, except for the tax dollars, hasn't disappeared, it's gone to Katrina relief. Our childern we can teach, so that they understand the real issues, not just what is parroted to them. Our communities can still hear our voices, and will over this weekend! Our vote, made stronger by our voices, will grow to such a margin that fraud isn't possible. Our desire to understand will only grow as we learn.. from each other, and our own study. We are truly on the cusp of change, but only if we hold on. I live in such a quiet little corner of the world, yet even here I sense the change coming. Out of all storms comes cleansing..
and these storms have not yet finished passing.
Our money, except for the tax dollars, hasn't disappeared, it's gone to Katrina relief.
Posted by: Ladytechie at September 21, 2005 12:51 AM
What Money? What relief...?
People are still waiting for FEMA to even SHOW UP.
Bush said 200 billion you can bet your ass 199 billion of that will be stolen by THEM...That is EXACTLY why he put ROVE in charge.
They have NO INTENTION of rebuilding anything not in thier image.
5 days is DELIBERATE. This mass scattering of her population is DELIBERATE.
Everyone keeps saying oh bush he screwwed up, oh bush he bungled
How is it that every single 'mistake', 'misunderstanding' ,' miscalculation' IMEDIATELY makes bush and friends richer and richer and yet STILL it be a "series of unfortunate fuckups...'
They know EXACTLY what they are doing. They left tens of thousands of people behind to die for DAYS AND DAYS. ONLY outrage is what got them finally off thier pompass asses.
They have NO INTENTION of rebuilding New Orleans...
Maybe 'New', but definately not 'Orleans'
Think about that for a moment.
ONLY outrage is what got the bush administration to allow rescue.
Imagine if everyone had just stayed quiet...?
Ask yourself, would they have REALLY let those people just starve to death right before our eyes???
They DID TRY to do exactly that.
Civil rights? Great idea, we must push it.
The problem is, different groups within our civil rights tent are bickering over each other.
You know that I am absolutely fed up with the homophobia I see in certain immigrant communities.
In fact, I have a feeling that some Korean b*stard has talked Blogger into shutting down my main blog, it's been down for hours. If true, this is unforgivable. I have ZERO tolerance for Asians who pretend to be whites - and act racist/sexist/homophobic to back it up.
My judgment error - looks like all large blogs at Blogger are down; I've tested a few of my favorites, not just mine. Sorry.
Christy, just to clarify, I was refering to the money that many of us here on the blog used for direct aid.. You and Indy and Ira and even the money to ship grandaughters stuffed animals ( and it still amuses me that UPS could truck when the post office couldn't or wouldn't) I didn't mean FEMA dollars, or even Red Cross dollars..
Karen, so que pasa for this weekend. When the march is over, should we join your table?
I don't know who I'll be with, but end of day Dave, wherever he'll be, will also want to join your table.
Is orange the dress code? What activities are DCP planning for Saturday, or just schmoozing?
Thanks
How is it that every single 'mistake', 'misunderstanding' ,' miscalculation' IMEDIATELY makes bush and friends richer and richer and yet STILL it be a "series of unfortunate fuckups...'
Posted by: Christy at September 21, 2005 01:01 AM
That reminds me of something else...
Every time they cut taxes, they cut the most at the top brackets, especially the cream of the crop at the top 1%. And every time they raise taxes (and soon they will, to cover the Bush deficits), EVERYONE has to pay up.
The biggest losers in the whole deal are medium-income singles (read: me). I am bearing a heavier and heavier share of a government that will not even give me basic healthcare while bending over backwards for the likes of Ken Lay of Enron.
Posted by: Marjorie G at September 21, 2005 01:28 AM
And I'd be very interested in the Sunday timetable as well, as I won't be in town until very late Saturday night.
I do look forward to meeting everyone.
Oh, wonderful, lovely to meet you as well, Ally.
I can't sleep:
Here is an interesting link:
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/issues/alert/?content_dir=ua_congressorg&alertid=8042531
So who is gunning for next Supreme Court nomination? Read this and find out.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/19/AR2005091901570_pf.html
The hardest part for me, when I realized how the rest of this nation abandoned us, the worst part is I see how beautiful, and smart and patriotic these people are.
Where they saw looters I saw the beauty of children left to die. They saw black people, I saw how fierce and alive thier eyes are. I can not believe yall forgot how beautiful they are.
It is so hard for me to know what has happened and not weep. But if any good can come of this I really do hope we can atleast give them back the dignity of thier rights to NOT be forgotten, to NOT be ignored.
Thier right to NOT be left behind to die.
Posted by: Christy at September 21, 2005 12:19 AM
Christy,
Once again girl, you got me tearing up.
I am so glad you are here. We need your voice. This nation needs your voice.
Christy, you say you cannot believe we forgot how beautiful they all are. No we haven't, hon.
We haven't.
Nor are we not aware of how Bush and his cronies fall into a pile of $h*+ and come out smelling like a rose. Financially.
But the country is catching on. Leaders are beginning to step forward. All it takes is one more screw up and they could be run out of Washington. (or am I hallucinating?)
I think the ones who were wise are already past the point of no return, and the rest of the nation is slowly coming out of it's deep sleep.
Everything regarding it's service and stewardship to it's very own people has been inept. It is inevitable that screw-ups are going to start popping up all over the place, more so even than they are now. You reap what you sow. What goes around comes around. For every action there is a reaction. For some reason truth is reaching up and slapping these greedy criminals in the pants about three years sooner than they hoped it would.
Nice, isn't it? You like this? Wait for Act II.
Christy, we have not forgotten you, nor your people. They sound so delightful. You have your work cut out for you for '06 now don't you.
We love you, and remember, if you need something, you know where we (and I) are.
I can't sleep:
Here is an interesting link:
Posted by: oncall at September 21, 2005 01:49 AM
Oncall is excited about going to D.C.!!!
oncall 1:52 am
just a snip from the end of the piece:
At the FBI's field office, spokeswoman Debra Weierman expressed disappointment that some of her colleagues find grist for humor in the new campaign. "The adult obscenity squad . . . stems from an attorney general mandate, funded by Congress," she said. "The personnel assigned to this initiative take the responsibility of this assignment very seriously and are dedicated to the success of this program."
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
and my last comment for the night.. I'm sure they are.. I'm sure they are..
Night..
recd this in an email-what a lady!!!!!!
No thanks, there's just something about regimes of blood...
Award-winning poet Sharon Olds declined an invitation from the first lady to
read at the National Book Festival in DC this weekend. Not that Olds is hard
up for cash or recognition but poets don't often get the chance to read
before 85,000 people -- especially poets whose poems don't rhyme.
Olds writes: "The possibility of finding new readers is exciting for a poet
in personal terms, and in terms of the desire that poetry serve its
constituents--all of us who need the pleasure, and the inner and outer news,
it delivers."
She then delivers this powerful condemnation that I wouldn't excerpt if you
begged me to:
I thought that I could try to find a way, even as your guest, with
respect, to speak about my deep feeling that we should not have invaded
Iraq, and to declare my belief that the wish to invade another culture and
another country--with the resultant loss of life and limb for our brave
soldiers, and for the noncombatants in their home terrain--did not come out
of our democracy but was instead a decision made "at the top" and forced on
the people by distorted language, and by untruths. I hoped to express the
fear that we have begun to live in the shadows of tyranny and religious
chauvinism--the opposites of the liberty, tolerance and diversity our nation
aspires to.
I tried to see my way clear to attend the festival in order to bear
witness--as an American who loves her country and its principles and its
writing--against this undeclared and devastating war.
But I could not face the idea of breaking bread with you. I knew that if I
sat down to eat with you, it would feel to me as if I were condoning what I
see to be the wild, highhanded actions of the Bush Administration.
What kept coming to the fore of my mind was that I would be taking food
from the hand of the First Lady who represents the Administration that
unleashed this war and that wills its continuation, even to the extent of
permitting "extraordinary rendition": flying people to other countries where
they will be tortured for us.
So many Americans who had felt pride in our country now feel anguish and
shame, for the current regime of blood, wounds and fire. I thought of the
clean linens at your table, the shining knives and the flames of the
candles, and I could not stomach it.
(The Nation)
Amazing pice, mkh.
From today's Five Minutes (front page):
Today’s Five Minutes for Democracy is: BEGIN THE CAMPAIGN
Topics: MOBILIZING AND MESSAGING
For the next few days, our job is to inform. Many people do not know what is happening in DC this weekend and we need to tell them that a huge mobilization is commencing, and we will not stop speaking out, or standing up, or asking questions, or demanding that this government listen to the will of the people--
WE WILL NOT STOP. WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN.
Gather the copious amounts of information you have. We all know so much more truth than the average American citizen, beacuse of our shared learning here at the DCP and elsewhere. We are blessed with community and good researchers.
Put it all together in your own brief but clear message to those around you. Send it in. Write a letter to the editor pointing out what is about to happen to the Bush administration and do remind them that, as the media, they might want to illuminate the truth for their readers and viewers.
Over the weekend we will be sending in stories, photos, and maybe even some video. Our purpose is to get the messages out there quickly. Please contact us to take on a particular blog or msm channel.
We can do this. Let's get going.
My question to the fundies... who is God mad at in Texas?
KEY LARGO, Florida (CNN) -- Hurricane Rita picked up strength Wednesday as it churned toward the Texas Gulf Coast and was upgraded to a Category 4 storm with winds topping 135 mph.
At 8 a.m. ET, Rita centered was about 195 miles west of Key West, Florida, and 790 miles east-southeast of Corpus Christi, Texas.
The latest extended forecast from the hurricane center has Rita gathering strength before the eye makes landfall near Galveston, Texas, late Friday or early Saturday. That would place Rita about midway between New Orleans and Brownsville, Texas.
am hearing about the other hurricane
ltd computer access et wierd keyboard; impatient friends, so catch y all later
xo
Cheney to Spend a Month Above Ground
Will expose himself to sunlight to boost White House approval ratings
By Andy Borowitz
Newsweek
Sept. 20, 2005
Sept. 20, 2005 - Vice President Dick Cheney said today that in an effort to pump up the White House's anemic approval ratings he would remain above ground for an entire month and would not return to his secure, undisclosed location until November.
The vice president, who emerged from his underground lair two weeks ago for a series of high-profile photo opportunities, made the surprising announcement at a press briefing in the White House. "I'm untanned, but I'm rested and ready," said Mr. Cheney, squinting at the daylight as he spoke to the White House press corps.
According to one of the vice president's aides, Mr. Cheney's decision to climb out of his subterranean hideout for the entire month of October would mean his longest visit to the earth's surface since 2001. "Dick Cheney is willing to do everything he can to help the White House's numbers, even if it means exposing himself to the ultraviolet rays of the sun," the aide said.
But according to Dr. Lars Krenzel, a scientist who studies the habitats and migration patterns of vice presidents for the University of Minnesota, Dick Cheney's extended visit to the earth's surface means "a journey into the unknown." "There is no way of predicting how Dick Cheney will respond to the earth's atmosphere," said Dr. Krenzel. "One thing is certain, however: whether he is above ground or below ground, his Halliburton stock will continue to rise."
Elsewhere, NASA said it would return to the moon by 2018, and FEMA said it would return its phone calls by 2020.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
Posted by: monkey at September 21, 2005 08:28 AM
Headed for Crawford, by any chance??? Or will it be DeLayed?
September 21, 2005
Deep Flaws, and Little Justice, in China's Court System
By JOSEPH KAHN
ANYANG, China - For three days and three nights, the police wrenched Qin Yanhong's arms high above his back, jammed his knees into a sharp metal frame, and kicked his gut whenever he fell asleep. The pain was so intense that he watched sweat pour off his face and form puddles on the floor.
On the fourth day, he broke down. "What color were her pants?" they demanded. "Black," he gasped, and felt a whack on the back of his head. "Red," he cried, and got another punch. "Blue," he ventured. The beating stopped.
This is how Mr. Qin, a 35-year-old steel mill worker in Henan Province in central China, recalled groping in the darkness of a interrogation room to deduce the "correct" details of a rape and murder, end his torture and give the police the confession they required to close a nettlesome case.
On the strength of his coerced confession alone, prosecutors indicted Mr. Qin. A panel of judges then convicted him and sentenced him to death. He is alive today only because of a rare twist of fate that proved his innocence and forced the authorities to let him go, though not before a final push to have him executed anyway.
Justice in China is swift but not sure. Criminal investigations nearly always end in guilty pleas. Prosecutors almost never lose cases brought to trial. But recent disclosures of wrongful convictions like Mr. Qin's have exposed deep flaws in a judicial system that often answers more to political leaders than the law.
"Our public security system is the product of a dictatorship," Mr. Qin wrote his family when he was on death row. "Police use dictatorial measures on anyone who resists them. Ordinary people have no way to defend themselves."
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/international/asia/21confess.html
A bit more evidence against the Fundies claim of only 1-3% of the population being "gay":
September 21, 2005
A Sex Stop on the Way Home
By COREY KILGANNON
There is a narrow parking lot in Cunningham Park in Queens surrounded by playing fields for adult softball and youth soccer and baseball. At one end of the lot, retirees arrive to practice their golf and mothers in minivans gather to wait for their Little Leaguers.
The other end is popular with another set with a much lower profile in this suburban setting: gay men cruising for sex. Their playing field is the parking lot itself and the goal is a sexual encounter, usually quick and anonymous.
Manhattan may have its gay bars and such traditional pickup spots as the woods of the Ramble in Central Park and the piers of the West Village. But in the less-accepting climate of the suburbs and the boroughs outside Manhattan, gay men often resort to courting one another from the relative safety and privacy of their cars. They troll remote parking lots that become de facto pickup spots well known in gay circles but not to the general public.
Long Island spots include Two Mile Hollow Beach in East Hampton, the Field 6 parking lot at Jones Beach, a rest stop near Exit 52 on the Long Island Expressway and the park-and-ride lot on Route 110 in Melville. Each has its own culture and often its own set of protocols, ranging from parking position to the flashing of headlights or blinkers as mating calls.
The parking lot in Queens seems to be especially popular with men who lead ostensibly heterosexual lives but show up for sex because it is quick, easy to get and secretive, regulars say. The lot, along Hollis Hills Terrace just south of 73rd Avenue in Queens Village, is close to several major parkways, and its location helps make it popular with men who commute between New York City and the suburbs, where they often have a house, a mortgage, a wife and children.
"The vast majority of men who come here are married," said one longtime parking lot user, who like the other men interviewed there recently would not tell his name because of concerns ranging from embarrassment to fears of gay-bashing.
"I can't tell you how many guys I've had here who were wearing wedding bands, with baby seats in the car and all kinds of kids' toys on the floor. It's on their way home and they don't have to get involved in a relationship or any gay lifestyle or social circles. They don't even have to buy anyone a drink or be seen in a gay bar. They just tell the wife, 'Honey, I'll be home an hour late tonight.' "
Regulars say that the married men enjoy the risk and recklessness of semipublic sex, which usually means receiving oral sex in their cars or having other sexual encounters in the woods nearby.
"Some aren't getting it at home," the man added. "Some say, 'I'm not even gay. I'm just bored.'"
- more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/21/nyregion/21cruise.html
Coincidence???
In 1 year, Halliburton's stock doubles as troop deaths double
http://halliburtonwatch.org/news/stock_troop2.html
Posted by: madame defarge at September 21, 2005 09:10 AM
"Crossfire"
by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
Day by day, night after night
Blinded by the neon light
Hurry here, hustling there
No one's got the time to spare
Money's tight, nothing free
Won't somebody come and rescue me
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
Stranded, caught in the crossfire
Tooth for tooth, eye for an eye
Sell your soul just to bop on by
Beggin' for a dollar, stealin' a dime
Come on can't you see that I'm
Stranded, caught in the crossfire
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
I need some, kind of kindness
Some kind of sympathy, oh no
Save the strong, lose the weak
Never turning the other cheek
Trust nobody, don't be no fool
Whatever happened to the golden rule?
I am stranded, caught in the crossfire
Stranded, caught in the crossfire
Karen - you've got mail.
And just in case she's not here, anyone have any idea what the plans are for Sunday in DC? I'm trying to arrange my flight out of there and want to know what I might miss.
Thanks!
Sorry to stop you in the middle of your American, American topics, but yesterday night I had the most beautiful DEM dinner at my place, in Paris.
DiAnne was there with her husband Ken, as Amy ("Amyinvancouver" on the old old blog) witht her husband Andrew.; together with my daughters who started to learn English at the age of 3. Which means, that in a French home, everybody spoke English...
With different accents. My second daughter has a Californian accent, the third one has a Texan accent (she spent all her summer holidays in Houston, and the accent got mild because she is French, but don't say a word about Texas, she just loves them, except she never ever followed their praying stuff,) and the eldest, who was was not there, has a New-York accent.
That's how the wordl goes on. What about your children? What do you teach them?
I just have one thing to say : THANK YOU JOHN KERRY, because we all met thanks to you.
VIVE LA DÉMOCRATIE!
Indy,
Nowadays, this is the equivalent to your
"VIVE LA RÉVOLUTION"
If you want to make a revolution take democracy back. That's the best hope we have for you.
And for heavensake never, ever forget that the world is not America. I f you ever understand that some day, you'll be saved.
Sorry to be tough to you, but I love you dearly.
WHEN IN THE COURSE OF HUMAN EVENTS
IT BECOMES NECESSARY for the PEOPLE of the United States
TO ALTER or ABOLISH the United States Government
as it exists in the year 2001 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06
Using the Authority, Law, and Intentions of the Constitution
and the Declaration of Independence.
And Now the People Step Forward
and Charge High Treason,
and Show that Democracy in its roots today,
is Corrupt.
And that the Constitution has been Altered and Betrayed
in Favor of A Small Group of Millionaires,
Over Another...
the Governed,
the People of the United States.
And that the Election Process is UN-fair
and has been Overwhelmed
and Monopolized
by Millionaires
and their millions of dollars
Continued at www.RogerART.com
Scroll Down till You see Yellow link to
( Re-Written ) Declaration of Independence
Thank You, Roger@RogerART.com