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A Voice from the 36th Percentile...
The latest in our attempt to heal the flailing, lumpen masses continues with this week’s letter…
Dear Polly:
I see that as usual, there are partisan operatives working to undermine our efforts in Iraq, and make the President look bad. George Bush is the best President ever, and I’m really tired of listening to the criticism of our troops. On Saturday, a bunch of veterans (of all things) went to the White House to protest the war in Iraq. What kind of veteran protests a war? These are not real veterans, they are liberal agents of the radical left, and they do not represent the opinions of real Americans.
I’m sick to death of it, and I am going to work to expose their mission. Consider this letter a warning that I will be writing to you quite frequently from now on.
Pissed Off in Southern Ohio Neighborhood.
Dear Poison:
Thank you for the warning. I will certainly look forward to sharing your letters with my wonderful readers, and pointing out the multi-layered fallacies upon which they are based.
So, grab a Valium and let’s begin.
First of all, in reality, only 37% of Americans now support the continuation of the war in Iraq. Obviously, you are one of them, but you must be vaguely aware, at the edge of your consciousness, that 37% constitutes a vast minority of public opinion.
On Saturday, October 29th, veterans of the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the current war in Iraq, and family members of people serving in Iraq stepped up to microphone in front of the White House and talked about the failure of our current President to effectively lead this nation during a war that he began.
I’d like to ask at this point why it is that you are a real American, while veterans of the last 3 wars and their families are not real Americans. I will look forward to your detailed explanation of this position.
Now, we’re going to have a little ‘story math’ lesson to help you clarify your thoughts. This will be like those train word-problems you had in elementary school, where there were always two trains coming and going from Philadelphia and Chicago. For years I thought trains only ran between Philadelphia and Chicago… But anyway, to reverse the math described in my opening paragraph, the fact that there are only 37 percent of you who continue to support the President’s failed Iraq policy means that 63% of Americans think it’s time to smell the coffee and move on.
You can prove this to yourself by adding 63 and 37. If you add these numbers, you will find that they equal 100, which is a very important number in the science of mathematics.
I’d also like to suggest that it is statistically unlikely that 63% of Americans are “liberal agents of the radical left.” The fact that their opinion differs from yours makes them neither inherently ‘radical’ nor inherently ‘left.’
And lastly but most importantly, POISON, criticism of President George Bush is vastly different from criticism of our troops. I have never heard a single American, in any state, in any circumstance, criticize the service of our outstanding service members. It simply doesn’t happen.
I have heard and continue to hear, a growing chorus of voices who agree that George Bush is not a leader worthy of this nation’s young men and women in uniform. And that the failure of this administration to formulate a realistic plan for success in this mission has cost American lives.
So, in conclusion…
I look forward to your next carefully thought-out missive, and I hope that you will indeed continue to write. The beauty of America is that even the minority deserves a place at the table.
Best wishes,
Polly
Sunday's NY Times to examine 'what President
Bush may or may not have known as CIA leak investigation unfolded,' sources tell Raw...
www.rawstory.com
"...it's desperate poverty that's fueling crime, violence and terrorism. It's not people who are just "haters" or "evildoers."
posted by DiAnne in previous thread.
Be careful, DiAnne. Remember what happened to Patty Murray when she tried to mention the poverty in the middle east in conjunction with the terrorists from Saudi Arabia who attacked us on 9/11?
Regarding Impossible things before breakfast - I have a big poster with the whole quote. Framed it in high school. Got me through a lot of hard times.
Recently, though, I took it down and gave it to the Goodwill. Some impossible things are just ... not possible.
Amy
Yes - no root causes. Just aggravate the symptoms! "Osama Mama" will still have a safe seat - she is one of the most powerful in the Senate as she sits on the Appropriations committee. We need to keep Cantwell in there too.
More local news: Voter suppression in King County. First I get a frantic email about it - then I heard it on NPR. Over a thousand people got letters saying they had registered from somewhere that isn't their address & some of them are hopping mad! Chris Vance & his Republican vigilante sqad have over-reached. So now all these people have to vote & then prove they are who they say they are.
For California - please put a lid on this guy and his Referendums!! Get ready to evict him!
``No matter what the outcome of the election, we have to sit down and talk,'' Schwarzenegger said. ``This place is ready to boom. It could be another Gold Rush here. So let's start putting a program together for infrastructure that's really big thinking - like landing a man on the moon kind of vision. Big.''
Mathmatical impossibility is in fact futile.
But writing history is not a set formula. There are many variables, not the least of which is the human imagination. Human will.
We are in an improbable situation. And it is getting worse.
But it is not impossible. Not yet.
And what if Libby knows much more than Plame, and Iraq.???
Remember it was 911 that begat Iraqi war lies that begat Plame.
Iraq was to DISTRACT FROM 911. From Bin Laden.
Fitzgerald said it himself.'You can't send me out to investigate a bank robbery and tell me ONLY to come back if I find WIRE FRAUD specifically.'
Paraphrasing. But he gets it I think.
If not then hell maybe we ARE Argentina.
Some relevant economics - we are somewhere between Norway and Argentina:
While the United States' mean wealth is the highest of any major country and its median income is near the highest in the world, there may be a relatively unequal income distribution. Much of the extra money in the United States is the result of a much wealthier top section of the population.
The United States also has more people below the defined poverty line than 26 other countries; however, the measures used to establish a poverty line are controversial and may not always be comparable among countries. The wealthiest ten percent of Americans are 15 times richer than the bottom ten percent. In Japan, for instance, the ratio is only 4.2:1. Some regard this imbalance as a product of the United States' long policy of having a more free market economy, while other countries are more ready to sacrifice net wealth in favor of equality.
(Wikipedia) Thanks, Reagan - you started this.
Posted at HuffPo:
An open letter to President George W. Bush -
In the light of all that has taken place these last 4 and a half years, your insistence that your staff attend mandatory ethics briefings is appreciated. As a management consultant, though, I am wondering if this training wouldn't have more weight if your staff also understood that you were going to hold them accountable for this training.
The business school I went to (Seattle University - a Jesuit institution that put significant emphasis on ethics) taught that leadership comes, in part, through taking a principled stand and then following through with decisive action. Some would call this, "Walking the talk". Well, the American people are aware the you pledged to fire anyone involved in leaking Valerie Plame's identity. Now that it is clear Vice President Cheney and your advisor Mr. Rove were both involved, the ethical thing for you to do is to fire them both. This will put you squarely on the correct side of the debate, and make it clear to your staff that you mean to operate ethically in the future. This will, in turn, help give your staff the strength and clarity of mind to make ethical choices even when you are not there to guide them.
Thank you for the opportunity to offer advice on this important matter.
Sincerely,
Timothy Hicks
Seattle, WA
cc: presidetn@whitehouse.gov
Amy,
Yes, walk the talk is exactly what we have been missing for 5 years.
He talked about restoring integrity to the White House and the American people instead he destroyed it.
He talked about a compassionate conservative, but instead partied while thousands died a slow-torturous death.
He talked about being uniter and not a divider.
So yes, this goes to Bush but also to all our public servants: 'Walk the talk" or shut up and leave town.
a fun game-name repub in last 6 years now under investigayion or have been subpoenaed
Scooter
Duke Cunningham
Rep Nye
Tomlinson
Delay
Rove
Cheny
Cheny’s staff
Frist
Repubican part for dirty election tricks in NH
Lets be fair- throw in any democrats as well….
Mind Boggling -
Wilkerson Points Finger at Cheney on Torture
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505A.shtml
Colin Powell's former Chief of staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, stated bluntly that it was Vice President Dick Cheney's office which triggered abuse of Iraqi prisoners with word that filtered down to soldiers in the field that interrogations were not providing needed intelligence. Now, Cheney goes one step further, by appealing to Republican senators this week to allow CIA exemptions to a proposed ban on the torture of terror suspects in US custody.
Rich Miles | Where Were They When We Needed Them?
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505C.shtml
Richard Miles criticizes those, news agencies and people, that have frivolously jumped on the anti-Bush band wagon, who were not speaking up when their support was initially needed.
Maureen Dowd | Fashioning Deadly Fiascos
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505E.shtml
Maureen Dowd details the makings of "good intelligence" from the Cheney 'cabal' to Michael Brown's FEMA fashions.
US Should Repay Millions to Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505F.shtml
An auditing board sponsored by the United Nations recommended yesterday that the United States repay as much as $208 million to the Iraqi government for contracting work in 2003 and 2004 assigned to Kellogg, Brown & Root, a Halliburton subsidiary.
Ex-British Ambassador: Iraq War 'Fueled Terrorism'
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505X.shtml
Britain's involvement in the Iraq war has "partly radicalized and fueled" the rise of home-grown terrorism, London's former ambassador to Washington, Sir Christopher Meyer, says.
9 Nights of Rage
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505Y.shtml
Nearly 900 vehicles were torched and 250-plus people arrested as French police desperately battled the country's worst rioting for decades, which has now raged for nine consecutive nights.
Rioting Erupts as Bush Visits Argentina
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/110505Z.shtml
A hemispheric summit meant to help create jobs and spread democracy throughout the region opened yesterday with large-scale anti-US demonstrations and deep divisions among participating nations about the Bush administration's expanded free-trade agenda.
Posted by: mkh at November 5, 2005 05:59 PM
Noe? (coingate)
must they be elected officials, or can they be just prominent members of the party?
Prominent memebrs accepted
Off Topic-- Question for Diane:
Hi Dianne,
I'm planning a trip to Paris and vaguely remember Andree mentioning something about offering cuilinary tours there-- do you know how I can get in touch with her about that?
Hmmm...what does BUSH know?
http://tinyurl.com/bzrhw
Fiona
I have answered you via email!
All hell will be breaking loose by monday morning.
More breakdown on the Times article.
Via http://www.thinkprogress.org/
Bush, Cheney, and Powell Repeatedly Pushed False Evidence To Justify War
The New York Times reveals that the Bush administration was warned in February 2002 that its source of knowledge for the claim that Iraq was training al Qaeda in chemical and biological weapons was “was intentionally misleading the debriefers.”
Beginning in February 2002 and continuing into 2004, the Bush administration repeatedly used this false evidence to justify the war against Iraq. Here are some examples:
Powell: “Al-Qaeda continues to have a deep interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. As with the story of Zarqawi and his network, I can trace the story of a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these weapons to al-Qaeda. Fortunately, this operative is now detained and he has told his story. I will relate it to you now as he, himself, described it…The support that this detainee describes included Iraq offering chemical or biological weapons training for two al-Qaeda associates beginning in December 2000.” [Powell remarks to UN, 2/5/03]
Bush: “Senior members of Iraqi intelligence and al Qaeda have met at least eight times since the early 1990s. Iraq has sent bomb-making and document forgery experts to work with al Qaeda. Iraq has also provided al Qaeda with chemical and biological weapons training.”
Posted by: Christy at November 5, 2005 09:18 PM
ARGGG!!!
Why isn't this October 2004?!!!
This story brought a big smile to my face and as the photo shows to JK's face as well. 1. Seeing JK up on the political stage helping to defeat this turncoat Mayor Kelly who forced JK to waste valuable time and resources last Nov to carry a reliably Democratic state;
and 2. Retribution against anyone stupid enough to call themselves a Bush Democrat whatever the h*** that means. Why in the world would we ever tolerate such duplicity by a Democratic elected official? Never again. JK. may be winning back the hearts of Democrats.
"A Bush Democrat May Lose His Way
By Peter Slevin and Chris Cillizza
Sunday, November 6, 2005; Page A05
"It was just one little endorsement of the president of the United States by the mayor of a heartland city. The year was 2004 and the race was close. The mayor embraced President Bush and even did a little campaigning for him.
Trouble was, Mayor Randy Kelly was the Democratic mayor of overwhelmingly Democratic St. Paul, Minn. And has it caused problems for his reelection campaign.
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), left, campaigned recently with Chris Coleman, a Democrat running against the mayor of St. Paul, Minn. Other national party figures have also supported Coleman. (By Elizabeth Flores -- Star Tribune Via Associated Press)
One national Democratic politician after another has waved a flag for his opponent, fellow Democrat and former city council member Chris Coleman. Several flew to St. Paul to deliver the defeat-Kelly message in person, among them Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), who carried Minnesota but lost the nation last year.
"Obviously, Senator Kerry had something of a score to settle," said Andrew O'Leary, executive director of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
Kerry held a fundraiser and a rally last month for Coleman. Former presidential candidate Wesley C. Clark campaigned for him, as did New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) sent an e-mail to Minnesota supporters seeking money and votes, said Coleman staffer Bob Hume, who reported that former Kerry running mate John Edwards drafted a favorable piece of literature.
"I am one charming guy," Coleman said with a laugh. "We said from the beginning that this race has national importance, both in terms of partnerships between the federal government and cities, and setting a tone for 2006."
A substantial percentage of likely voters in St. Paul have told pollsters that Kelly's curious endorsement of Bush makes them more likely to back Coleman in Tuesday's general election. Coleman already finished ahead of Kelly in the September primary.
Ears burning, Kelly called a Sept. 29 news conference. His campaign sent out a news release promising a "major address on the status of the St. Paul's mayor's race." Some wondered if he would drop out or maybe become a Republican.
His purpose, it turned out, was to apologize to the Democratic faithful -- though not to recant. "I've heard your anger," he said. "I respect it. I understand it."
Kelly called himself "an unwavering Democrat." He vowed he would not "backtrack." Asking his followers to move on, he said, "Voting against me won't bring the troops home. It won't stick it to George Bush."
Maybe not, but voters seem ready to stick it to Kelly. In two recent polls, the mayor was trailing by more than 30 percentage points."
Campaign Finance Reform is broken & we haven't fixed it. There are still dynasties & people still buy their way in. Got this from a friend who is emigrating from Florida to Canada for political reasons.
Interesting:
Canada, starting with the federal election of 2004, has strictly limited political donations by corporations and unions; in particular, corporations and unions may not make donations to registered political parties or to candidates for the leadership of a party, and their maximum contribution to a candidate for member of parliament is limited to $1,000. In addition, the political campaigns of all parties which obtain certain percentages of the vote receive public campaign funding, so the influence of corporate and union money is further diminished. In previous elections the influence of corporate and union donations was still less than in American elections, because of the much smaller cost of campaigning.
In the United States, however, campaign contributions remain paramount, and the potential for influence by large campaign contributors is much greater. The American political dynasty – a family which has either used its wealth to produce generations of influential politicians or become wealthy through politics and produced generations of influential politicians – has no real equivalent in Canada, since great wealth offers fewer electoral advantages (Belinda Stronach 's campaign for the Conservative leadership is an example of how ineffective great wealth is in Canadian politics, although going from political neophyte to second place in a major leadership race, shadow-cabinet prominence and a full-fledged cabinet post after defecting to the governing Liberals could be considered achievements in themselves).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_and_American_politics_compared
Monday night, mere hours before Virginia voters, and especially undecided moderate voters go to sleep, the last image they will have of Republican candidate for governor Jerry Kilgore, will be Kilgore arm and arm with President Bush on stage in Richmond Virginia. It will be interesting, to say the least what Virginia voters truly think of a Republican candidate desperately turning to the President to salvage Kilgores' floundering campaign.
Hopefully that photo will show up in every northern Virgina newspaper Tuesday morning as voters go to the polls reminding Virginia voters why they really don't want to elect Jerry Kilgore, an Allen/Gilmore clone.
Lets see how that one turns out I think we now have a shot of retaining a Democratic southern governor in Virginia.
This post is to remind all Virginia bloggers to make sure that they contact their friends, neighbors, family and working associates and remind them that they need to vote for Tim Kaine for governor next Tuesday in Virginia to retain the Mark Warner legacy.
It may very well be a very close election and a relatively small off year election turn out.
As we recall from Washington State, a hand full of votes may very well make the difference.
I saw Camilo Meija, the Iraq soldier who served a year prison sentence for desertion for refusing to return to Iraq for a second tour. He made a strong case for his actions --- he is one smart and articulate person. I recorded his speech, which was awsome, but it didn't come out. I did something wrong and there was nothing on my recorder.
I did get a pic. Around 300 persons turned out for his talk.
This is the Bottom line:
He was seeing Iraqi civilians killed, he was responsible for torturing prisoners (they were called "detainees" rather than prisoners so there was no need to have Red Cross & other oversights unless they were officially prisoners) and he decided that this was not simply a political difference -- in good conscience he couldn't continue, especially give that the iraq war was based on lies about WMD. To continue went against his moral values.
So instead of returning to Iraq, he went to prison.
His examples of abuse in iraq were graphic and compelling. He will not suffer the nightmares of his comrades in Iraq years from now. He is at peace with himself for what he did and what he continues to do to spread the truth,
Carmillo Meija:
http://photos.imageevent.com/kayakbiker/eyeswideopen/websize/Camilo%20Meija%2002.jpg
The crowd:
http://photos.imageevent.com/kayakbiker/eyeswideopen/websize/Crowd.jpg
from Alan (humor):
http://priceless420.com/Pr100103fingercloud.jpg HEH GEORGE! GOD DOESN'T LIKE YOU EITHER!!!
From Alan (serious):
Guardsman Re-enlists - Pentagon Kills Bonus
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/247264_guardx05.html LIES ON LIES.......
Argentinian antiBush protest turns violent
Pirates attack a cruise ship
Cars burn in France
Soldiers die
There are violent acts, but we need a
War on Poverty more than a War on Terror
Poverty spawns desperation which explodes into violence
Even if the ideology becomes misdirected hate & anger, the root cause is poverty
Terror is the symptom
Address the root cause
Warren Beatty/Annette Bening Crash Anold Rally. This looks like the beginning of the '06 California Guvoernor's race.
Reading stories on the Sacramento Bee site regarding their vote on Prop 73 on Tuesday it is amazing how mature and savy 15 year old girls can be when discussing this sensitive issue. Those interviewed for their story say many young girls will self abort rather than tell their parents or cross the border to Oregon where parental notification will not be required, but both have added dangers for these young girls. Its amazing that the right thinks these young kids are stupid?
"Beatty tries to crash Schwarzenegger rally
By MICHAEL R. BLOOD, Associated Press Writer
Last Updated 8:09 pm PST Saturday, November 5, 2005
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Actors Warren Beatty and wife Annette Bening tried to crash a campaign appearance Saturday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as the governor sought to drum up last-minute support for a group of statewide ballot measures.
The Hollywood couple strode side-by-side to the entrance of an airport hangar where several hundred of the governor's supporters had gathered.
A Schwarzenegger aide told the "Bulworth" star he was not on the guest list and did not have the appropriate wristband to get inside.
"You have to have a wristband to listen to the governor?" Bening asked. "He represents all of us, right?"
The couple's appearance caused momentary confusion. Just before the governor took the stage, the hangar door was closed - literally in their faces. It was later reopened as Schwarzenegger spoke.
Inside, Schwarzenegger told cheering supporters that his slate of four ballot proposals on Tuesday's ballot would "reform the broken system."
Beatty planned to shadow Schwarzenegger throughout the day as the governor campaigned. He has been repeatedly mentioned as a possible challenger to Schwarzenegger, but he said Saturday that he would not be a candidate in next year's gubernatorial race.
"To me, this is an abuse of the initiative process," Beatty said of Schwarzenegger's campaigning for the ballot measures."
Terminate Arnold's tenure
Chuck in Doha on a Break Checking in:
I wanted to bring the following LA Times article to everyone's attention:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-rove6nov06,0,7623243.story?coll=la-home-headlines
This article spells out a lot of important facts about the nature of security clearances and their relation th assessing whether or not an administration employee is suitable for a given job. It is quite clear that Karl Rove's job requires top security clearances. It is also quite clear that Karl Rove's actions have gone way beyond the sort of thing that should trigger pulling a security clearance. It would be nice to archive this article somehow. I think there is absolutely no way Karl Rove should be allowed to continue in his current position.
Chuck in Doha
I love coming here early on Sunday and seeing that we are still paying attention and still trying to wake people up.
Good points, Polly. Great work, Bert et al. Carmen Mejillo is another hero emerging from this long debacle. There are many, but we need many many more to stand up and speak out.
Big week coming up, everyone. Keep the pencils sharpened...