Gratitude (Part I)

I wonder if shrub ever gave a pardon besides the National Thanksgiving Turkey. (I'll spare you any turkey jokes set up by my comment)

Gratitude
by Earth, Wind & Fire

Wanna thank you, Wanna thank you
Freedom in stride, love, peace of mind
We just wanna give Gratitude
Got plenty love we wanna give to you
With good music and we're tryin' to say
That the Good Lord's gonna make a way

Open up your heart, let your body find,
Freedom in your stride, love, peace of mind
One more time and we got to say
That the Good Lord's gonna make a way

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) said on Wednesday that 3,709 Iraqi civilians were killed in October, describing it as the highest death toll since the beginning of the US-led occupation of the country in March 2003...
~~~~~~~~
IRAQ: More than 3,700 civilians killed in October, UN reports
Reuters link: http://tinyurl.com/yf383a

aimzz,

I am continually horrified by this war. I urge us all to do whatever we can to bring it to an end and comfort those who are its victims.

Just in about the Aguayo case:

Dear Karen,

Today the judges at the Court of Appeals issued no decision. According to Attorney Peter Goldberger, this is usual. It happens only one out of a hundred times that the judges in appeals issue a decision immediately from the bench (though of course we hoped for that!) We now must wait for their written decision, which might be issued in ten days, but also might first be issued in six months.

My impression was that the judges did not favor one side more than the other and that they are genuinely still undecided. There was a lot of discussion regarding what the remedy should be, if the court finds in favor of Augie regarding the failure of the Army to provide reasons for denying his conscientious objection application. The judges questioned whether the remedy would necessarily be to give Augie an immediate discharge, or whether his case should then be "remanded" to the Army for further review. Attorney Peter Goldberger was able to cite significant precedents in favor of requiring the Army to discharge Augie, if he prevails in his appeal; altogether, Peter did an excellent job!

In any case, since there is so far no decision from the U.S. Court of Appeals, Augie will now need to go through all the military legal procedures brought by the Army against him. First there will be an Article 32 hearing in Germany in early December. Following this hearing, the Army will decide upon the formal charges to be brought. Augie has been told that the charges likely to be brought (desertion to avoid hazardous duty and missing movement) could carry a total maximum jail sentence of up to seven years.

It is possible that in conjunction with the Article 32 hearing, a pre-trial settlement can be agreed upon which sets forth the worst punishment Augie could receive at the court martial, in any event less than the seven years. Then, at the court martial (also in Germany, likely in January), Augie and his attorney could try to "beat the settlement," i.e. obtain an even lesser punishment following examination of the evidence. But obtaining a settlement would likely depend on pleading guilty, and Augie and his attorney need to consult and decide whether this would be a good idea. Augie could also request that the court martial be a jury trial.

Eric Seitz, who also represents Lieutenant Watada, has agreed to represent Agustin in Germany during the legal proceedings with the Army and will likely travel twice to Germany from Hawaii.

As I am sure you can imagine, all of this legal work and the related press work is and has been extremely costly. There will be new significant costs as well, because Augie's family would like to be with him at the court martial in Germany.

Please, whoever can, make a tax-deductible donation to support Agustin Aguayo in his determination not to be forced to participate in war. Please go to www.aguayodefense.org and contribute whatever you can to help this very courageous soldier. It is only because Agustin and other equally brave souls have spoken out that the American people have come to understand that the occupation of Iraq must be ended.

Peace and solidarity,
Elsa

The U.S. military said Wednesday that two U.S. soldiers were killed Tuesday in northern Iraq.

A Task Force Lightning soldier assigned to 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division was killed and three others were wounded when a roadside bomb blew up near their vehicle in Salaheddin province, the military said.

Another soldier from the same unit also was killed Tuesday in a noncombat incident.

The American military death toll in Iraq is 2,869, including seven American civilian contractors of the military. There have been 49 troop deaths during November.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/22/iraq.main/index.html

Posted by: monkey at November 22, 2006 11:55 AM

Yessiree, Monkey, and thank you for the wonderful blessing of that song very suitable for THIS Thanksgiving season.

Posted by: karen at November 22, 2006 01:00 PM

Karen, thanks for posting and keeping us informed about the Aguayo case. It makes my heart just break. I will be sure to send those letters this holiday weekend.

Can you imagine how much hinges on this case???
If they decide against him, how much anger is that going to provoke now that the people have found out they have a voice in this nation?

They are kind of in a pickle, aren't they? That's what happens when a nation lulled to sleep lets this kind of horror (this war) go on for nothing.

(Writing from my cubby hole at work so bye for now - )

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY!!!

I am thankful for all the blessings of good friends, family, and all the material things I have been blessed with. I have a very good life.
I am SOoooo thankful for each one of you, my virtual family! Thankful for your determination and HARD hard work to bring about change in this country. Blessed indeed.

Enjoy, everybody!!!

Weekly Jobless Claims Climb by 12,000
Forbes link: http://tinyurl.com/ybdbhj

~snip~
The Labor Department reported Wednesday that new applications filed for the work week ending Nov. 18, rose by a seasonally adjusted 12,000 to 321,000. The increase was bigger than many economists were expecting. They were forecasting new claims to clock in at about 310,000...

Major General John Batiste is on Hardball, and is clearly smoking some serious drugs. Matthews is beside himself. Hell, I'm beside myself...

And speaking of gratitude, he segued smoothly, here's a good example of what certain kinds of politicians do quietly and well, but other kinds of politicians don't bother to do at all (which is which being left as an exercise for the reader):

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From today's edition of the Des Moines Register, at http://tinyurl.com/yd7667 :

John Feller is certain the check would have come even if John Kerry hadn't made what might turn out to be the gaffe that dooms his chances to be the Democrats' 2008 presidential nominee.

"Kerry is a good man," said Feller, 79, a veteran who isn't shy about saying the Massachusetts senator is his favorite politician. "Nobody else in politics has come forward to help us out, and believe me, we need help."

Feller is a member of the Beaverdale Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9127 in Des Moines. It's based in a building that sustained serious fire damage last month, and the members are worried about the fact that insurance won't cover the amount of the loss. It's an important place to the men and women of the post, and they asked Iowa's veterans to do what they could to get the place up and running again.

Then came Monday's mail with a nice letter and a $5,000 check signed by Kerry.

It wasn't a personal check, Feller said. It was drawn from the account of "Keeping America's Promise," Kerry's political action committee, which is the repository of donations from around the country sent to support Kerry and used by him to fund campaigns and for political outreach -- such as the donation to the Des Moines VFW post.

The letter, signed by Kerry and addressed to post members, said: "It filled me with sadness to hear of your loss due to the fire on Oct. 28, 2006. And I am honored as a fellow veteran to contribute to the reconstruction to your post. America must support those veterans who showed courage and gave up so much for their country. And that's why it's so important to me that you have your VFW post back as soon as possible. Enclosed you will find a contribution to your fund. Keeping America's Promise would like to continue to be of help to you in the weeks and months ahead ... Thank you again for your passion and your courage."

Feller said he did not solicit the contribution and doesn't know how the senator learned of the fire. He just knows post members were thrilled to receive the contribution.

Feller doesn't speak for them when it comes to politics, but the Merchant Marine and Navy veteran says he absolutely believes the contribution had nothing to do with Kerry's recent attempts to make amends to veterans over Kerry's so-called "botched joke" a few weeks ago.

[snip]

The post has received about $14,000 in contributions, including Kerry's, and another $26,000 or $27,000 is still needed to complete cleanup and repairs.

"Wouldn't it be nice if other politicians did the same thing he did?" Feller asked.

Analysts might see Kerry's donation as a sign that he's still thinking of running for president. It certainly makes it easy for his critics to question his motives. Then again, maybe he did it because it's the right thing to do.

Whatever the reason, the members of a troubled VFW post in Des Moines appreciate the gesture.

-----------------

Oh, yeah, and I almost forgot to include one more paragraph that was in the sidebar to the above article...

People who want to help the veterans restore their building can send contributions to:

Disaster Fund
VFW Post 9127
4029 Urbandale Ave.
Des Moines, IA 50310

because it's the little things that really make a difference sometimes,
Otter

Senator Levin's statement before the Armed Services Committee hearing last week:

@@@@@@@

Last week, the American people delivered a clear — indeed, a dramatic — message to the Administration, to the Congress, and to the Iraqi government that “stay the course” is not a strategy for success in Iraq. It was a message heard around the world.

The American people don’t accept the president’s recent assessment that, “absolutely, we’re winning” in Iraq. Nor should we.

The American people have said, forcefully, that they are impatient with Iraqi leaders who will not make the political compromises required to blunt the sectarian violence and unite the Iraqi people. They are impatient with Iraqi government leaders who have not disbanded the militias and death squads that are a plague on Iraqi society. And they have lost patience with the Iraqi leaders who won’t condemn Sunni-Shia enmity, tribal rivalries, and ethnic hatred.

America has given the Iraqi people the opportunity to build a new nation at the cost of nearly 3,000 American lives and over 20,000 wounded. But the American people do not want our valiant troops to get caught in a crossfire between Iraqis, if the Iraqis insist on squandering that opportunity through civil war and sectarian strife.

We were assured by the president over a year ago that, “As Iraqis stand up, we will stand down.” Even though the Pentagon claims that almost 90 percent of the Iraqi Security Forces are now trained and equipped, our troop level remains about the same. We were momentarily hopeful when the Iraqi leaders signed a four-point agreement on October 2 to end the sectarian violence. That turned out to be another false hope.

Recently, Ambassador Khalilzad announced that Iraqi officials had agreed to a timeline for reaching benchmarks to confront the sectarian militias, to implement a reconciliation program, to share oil revenues, and to recommend changes to the constitution. Prime Minister Maliki repudiated that timeline the next day, providing additional evidence that the Iraqi political leaders do not understand that there is a limit to the blood and treasure that Americans are willing to spend, given the unwillingness of the Iraqis themselves to put their political house in order.

Our uniformed military leaders have repeatedly told us that there’s no military solution to the violence in Iraq and that a political agreement between the Iraqi sectarian factions themselves is the only way to end the violence. Just last month, at his October 25th press conference, President Bush said that, “In the end, the Iraqi people and their government will have to make the difficult decisions necessary to solve these problems.” In the end? We are three and one-half years into a conflict which has already lasted longer than the Korean conflict and almost as long as World War II. We should put the responsibility for Iraq’s future squarely where it belongs: on the Iraqis. We cannot save the Iraqis from themselves.

The only way for Iraqi leaders to squarely face that reality is for President Bush to tell them that the United States will begin a phased redeployment of our forces within four to six months. That is not precipitous. It is a responsible way to change the dynamic in Iraq, to stop the march down the path to full-blown civil war on which the Iraqis are now embarked. Yes, some U.S. troops would need to remain in Iraq for the limited missions of counterterrorism and training of Iraqi security forces and to provide logistical support and force protection. And, yes, we should also convene an international conference to support a political settlement and to provide resources for Iraq’s reconstruction.

We are grateful to our witnesses for their service to our nation. We are especially grateful and united in support of the brave troops who are serving us in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere.

IMPEACHMENT ACTIVITIES

The case for impeaching Bush and Cheney is overwhelming, and 51% of Americans think Democrats should investigate and impeach them.

But Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi insists impeachment is "off the table."

We can put it back "on the table" by mobilizing the 51% majority that supports impeachment into a powerful grassroots lobbying force.

Here is our plan:

________________

Collect 1 Million Signatures on our Impeachment Petition

In the first 3 days we have collected over 6,000 signatures on our?Petition to Impeach Bush and Cheney.

Please?sign here

http://www.democrats.com/peoplesemailnetwork/88
and forward the petition to your friends.

Then print?copies of our simplified impeachment petitionhttp://www.afterdowningstreet.org/downloads/petition-4.pdf
and collect signatures from friends, co-workers,?and neighbors.
When you're finished collecting, keypunch the email addresses into our form to ask the signers to complete the full petition online
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/petition

________________

Form 435?Congressional District Impeachment Committees (CDIC)

There are 435 Congressional Districts for the House of Representatives, and we'd like to form Impeachment Committees in each one.

Congressional District Impeachment Committees will:
1. Collect petitions (see above)
2. Write letters and op-eds to local papers
3. Meet directly with Representatives to persuade them to support impeachment
4. Organize Town Hall meetings (see below)

Check to see if someone has already created a CDIC in your Congressional District, otherwise start one yourself
http://www.democrats.com/cdic

________________

Hold Impeachment Events on December 10: Human Rights and Impeachment Day

December 10 is Human Rights Day, and this year we're making it Human Rights and Impeachment Day. Slogan: "Putting Impeachment on the Table."

We encourage you to organize a town hall forum or rally on this day for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney.

You can create a public listing of your eventhere. You will be able to communicate with the people who sign up for your event, and toedit the listing for your event, changing or filling in details later.

You can view existing events and sign up to attend onehere.

Here is a list ofavailable speakers with their contact info.

Be sure also to invite your Congress Member or newly elected future Congress Member to speak.

Here areresources that will make your event easy and effective.
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/december10

________________

Pass State and Local Resolutions

Pass impeachment resolutions in your town or city, state, political party, or labor union. Use the petitioning (above) to build a list of local supporters:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resolutions

________________

Be a Media Activist
Work the media for impeachment:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/media

________________

Talking Points and Other Resources to Assist You
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/resourcecenter

________________

Audio and Video from Launch of ImpeachForChange in Philadelphia on Veterans Day

Our event was a great success, with outstanding speakers and bloggers.

Here is video: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyvideo

Here is audio: http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/phillyaudio

________________

We Now Have Shirts With Long Sleeves http://www.wavelengthclothing.com/impeach_bush.html

________________

Invite the Bush Chain Gang to Your Town
Reduce fear and roadside trash: put them to work. http://backbonecampaign.org/chaingang.cfm

Happy Thanksgivings are what you make of them.

These people know.

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FROM PROJECTS TO PENTHOUSE, IT'S ONE FAMILY
NY Times, 11/23 -- http://tinyurl.com/ym4vnn

The weather was as unlike today’s as can be imagined: summer, sweaty, a humid evening on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. Teenagers played pickup baseball on the steamy blacktop in Tompkins Square Park, sharing the water fountain with homeless men washing themselves.

A couple and their two sons watched through the fence. They were white and lived in five-level penthouse in an upscale building on Avenue B that overlooked the park and the projects. The players, black and Latino boys, were from those projects.

The couple were Michael Rosen and Leslie Gruss, with their sons, Ripton and Morgan. Ripton wanted to join the game; the boys on the blacktop let him play right field.

When the game was over, everyone laughing and drenched in sweat, Ripton invited his new friends over to play video games. His parents were surprised by the invitation, but the players quickly accepted, and soon this crew of raucous boys filed past a wary doorman and into an elevator in the ritziest building in the neighborhood.

The 'PH' button was pressed and the elevator lifted the young ballplayers up to the top, where they gazed down upon their shabby brick buildings.

That was 1998. The group of five black and Latino boys — Carlos, Philippe, William, Kindu and Juan-Carlos — would return to that penthouse thousands of times over the next eight years. They would undergo an unlikely assimilation into the Rosen family, beginning a pairing that would traverse the gaping divides of race, class, culture and wealth that exist in a single neighborhood.

And today, as families of all types across the city and the country sit down for Thanksgiving dinner, the Rosen Family Extended will give thanks to that serendipitous meeting on a blacktop ball field.

[snip]

Today should be a typically chaotic day at the penthouse. With staggered visits from friends, relatives and the sons that joined their team after a pickup baseball game one summer, there is no single sit-down time for dinner. Instead, turkey is served throughout the day: typical protocol for the Rosen Family Extended.

"We’re not very conventional about it," Ms. Gruss said.

-----------------

On this annual day of thanks, we can all be grateful and we can all count ourselves lucky that there are people like the Rosen family in this world.

And that there are people like the families who were touched by these special folks' open-hearted generosity and all-inclusive spirit.

And that there people like you who are reading this post, too. Like the Rosen family, this small but special DCP community touches many more people than we realize... and it does so every day.

So... thank you. Thank me. Thank them. Thank us all.

and may goddess bless us every one,
Otter

War resisters...thank you. And my thoughts are with you on this Thanksgiving day:
http://www.ivaw.org/warresisters

To all our military in Iraq and Afghanistan and around the world, I'm thinking about you as well on this Thanksgiving day.

To all the people here at the DCP, I am grateful to have been with you these last few years. You've helped keep me whole in the darkness while I've watched my own family or inlaws behave like strangers. On this Thanksgiving as it seems like we're coming out of the darkness and into the light, I'm grateful for all you've done and for all you've helped me learn.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Thaniful for all the special people at DCP - thanks for hanging in there, with everyone jumping in (and out) at the right time with such marvelous timing! You wordsmiths, you fine-hearted friends! Here's a toast to all!

Bush Daughter Purse Snatching the Talk of Argentina

http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/americas/11/22/bush.purse.reut/

slow news night but security breach nontheless - remember when a partially dressesd man got into Buckingham Palace, wasn't it? Embarrassments.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Still working on the stuffing (long day). Everything seems to be turning out OK -- cranberry sauce seems about right, the giblet gravy worked great (I nailed the roux), but I think I over-boiled the yams.

All the Best!

Chuck in Houston

PS: I know it's late. Been a long day, too much coffee....

One of my hobbies is watching foreign elections. Tonight ti's the Dutch (while listening to Radio head as background, for realism(. A far right leader has to share a coalition with animal rights people and a Maoist among other oddities. That must be a real circus to watch, assuming they have something on the order of C Span for Dutch political junkies who like irony.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/23/world/europe/23dutch.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Hey DiAnne:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Chuck in Houston

I'm a bit burned-out on irony myself.

Chuck in Houston

Don't wanna work on the railroad.
Don't wanna work on the farm.
Just lay around the shack till the mail train comes back
And roll in my sweet baby's arms!

Chuck in Houston

Chuck in Houston

We;re actually listening to Costello "The Hoover Factory" - brings back memories. Saw Costello for $1 at The Paramoun in Portland in 1979.

The Paramount -- wow.... Seems like a few lifetimes away.

What's so funny 'bout peace love and understanding?

Chuck in Houston

Chuck
Now we're listening to Leonard Cohen sing "Hallelujah"

I got polled by Zogby and I feel that I answered as accurately as I would without drinking Mango daquiries then Red Stripe plus indulging in green curry egg rolls, crab cakes, kaffir lime and chili cashews and deep-fried pea pods and then chocolate cookies.

Zogby asked me his first essay quetions.

Why are you a less optimistic person today as compared to five years ago?

I wrote "because we had to waste all this time on such madness"
- I guess I was a little vague

We've come a long way through tribulations (and we all wish the trials would start for certain individuals), the insanity of illegal war for oil based on lies that's ongoing (and wouldn't we all be dancing in the streets in gratitude if it would stop?), unconstitutional legislation, and a myriad of other ugly and disgusting and inane and unreasonable things, not the least of which is enduring the "leaders" of this formerly great nation that used to live up to its public relations hyperbole most of the time.

We've reached a potential turning point.

We have a long way to go yet before peace and balance and order and constitutional laws reign again, instead of madmen and wannabe dictators.

We've earned a few hours of respite.

Be well, my friends.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/uclickcomics/20061123/cx_nq_uc/nq20061123
Non Sequitur
A little humor this day....

Chuck:

Karla Bonoff knows.

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Traveling at night
The headlights were bright
And we'd been up many an hour
And all through my brain
Came the refrain
Of home and its warming fire

And home sings me of sweet things
My life there has its own wings
To fly over the mountain
Though I'm standing still

The people I've seen
They come in between
The cities of tiring life
The trains come and go
But inside you know
The struggle will soon be a fight

And home sings me of sweet things
My life there has its own wings
To fly over the mountains
Though I'm standing still

Traveling at night
The headlights were bright
But soon the sun came through the trees
Around the next bend
The flowers will send
The sweet scene of home in the breeze

And home sings me of sweet things
My life there has its own wings
To fly over the mountain
Though I'm standing still

-------------------

blessed be, y'all,
Otter

Another funny.
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/ettahulme

laughter
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/jerryholbert

ironic
http://news.yahoo.com/edcartoons/mikeluckovich

:-)