A Little Piece of Peace, Please

Kos diary on this topic here:

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/1/4/8728/39213

recommends and comments are helpful...

Another action:

Stand with Lt. Ehren Watada Against Illegal and Immoral War in Iraq

NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
Feb. 5, 2007 - Lt. Watada Military Court Martial
Rally at the gates of Ft. Lewis, Washington or in your local community
"My fellow soldiers are fighting and dying in Iraq and their families are suffering because of the lies and deceptions crafted by the Bush Administration. The Iraq war is not only a crime against domestic and international law but [it] is a terrible moral injustice against the Iraqi people." Lt. Ehren Watada

As the first Army officer to publicly speak out against the war and refuse deployment to Iraq, Lt Watada will be punished by the U.S. Army with a maximum six years in prison. The military's intention IS to SILENCE VOICES OF RESISTANCE and make an example out of Lt. Watada.

Letter from Carolyn Ho, Mother of Lt Watada

Dear Friends,

On behalf of Lt. Watada and our family, thank you for standing with us during this most difficult time. Because of his refusal to deploy to the illegal and immoral Iraq War, my son now faces a maximum of 6 years in a military prison. The pretrial is scheduled for Jan. 4, 2007. The court martial is calendared for Feb. 5, 2007.

We are just days away from the pretrial and must broaden his support base. Help us mobilize the local, national, and international community through your personal, professional, religious and other networks. Please forward the attached email alert with a brief explanation. Ask people to go to: www.thankyoult.org to learn more about Lt. Watada's case. On the main menu, supporters can click on SIGN PETITION/GET UPDATES AND ALERTS. They will receive weekly email updates that call for actions in support of Lt. Watada's stand.

Encourage your contacts to integrate these actions into the anti-war activism they are already doing. Their voices are critical to building an international public opinion campaign that demands justice and no punishment for Lt. Watada. His voice of resistance to this heinous war cannot be silenced!

In Solidarity,

Carolyn Ho (Lt. Watada's Mother)

5 Actions to Support Lt. Watada

1. Send letters or call Commander Dubik. Urge him to:

Dismiss all charges
Honor Lt. Watada's resignation
Lt. General James Dubik
Commanding General Fort Lewis
1 Corps Building 2025 Stop 1
Fort Lewis, WA 98433
Phone 253-967-1110

2. Spread the word about Feb. 5, 2007. Forward this email and post on blogs, MySpace, student, activist, social justice and media websites. Register for campaign updates.

3. Encourage your organization to endorse the National Day of Action and mobilize on Feb. 5, 2007. Please specify national, state, city, chapter/local, and contact person, and send to action@ltwatada.org.

4. Organize a student walkout, rally or vigil on Feb. 5, 2007. Tell us about your action so we can include your event on our website.

5. Tell folks they can donate online to Lt. Watada's Defense Fund.

website: www.thankyoult.org

Mark Your Calendars

Thurs. Jan 4, 2007
Pre-trial Hearing
Contact Commander Dubik
Rally at the gates of Fort Lewis, 8-11 am, exit 119

January 20-22, 2007
Citizens' Hearings
Evergreen State College, Tacoma campus
Tacoma, WA

February 5, 2007
Court Martial Trial Begins
National Call to Action
more details to come

For more information contact info@ltwatada.org.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_go_co/congress_rdp

Dems set to elect female House speaker

Excerpt from second paragraph:

Democrats also said they would pressure President Bush to bring the troops home from Iraq.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yeah, okay. Pelosi is the first female speaker, kudos, we've known about this for a few months, so it's now old news, and I don't give a big whoop how she started her day. Just swear her in and get to work Congress Critters, because you have all kinds of domestic bills that need passing (and waiting in the wing is the biggest mother of all elephants that needs immediate attention: ending that stupid illegal and unconstitutional war in Iraq). The domestic bills have already been written, you've had time to read them, so if you've read them you as you should have already by now, you should be able to dispense with much of the debate and just pass them.... I notice the first day isn't slated to start until noon, and then there will be speeches. (What speeches, why...? Don't get all gas-baggy, long-winded and tedious and trivialize the business of the people who elected you! If those bills have been well-written the Cons don't need to "amend" the bills!)

BUT, the thing that disturbed me most about the above referenced article was the one sentence that said "Democrats also said they would pressure... bring the troops home from Iraq...." ALSO?!?!? Waddaya mean "ALSO?!?!?" The black hole where more people are being killed daily, the black hole that is Iraq (and Afghanistan) into which more borrowed money that puts us in more debt is being thrown by the second, only gets an afterthought "ALSO" mention in what Congress needs to accomplish during this session??? Surely you jest.

Seriously, people. Get your heads out of your arses (and your lips off the arse of the dictator) and pay attention!!! Iraq is usually mentioned in polls as the #1 concern of most people (because we have consciences and deplore the waste of lives and money), and domestic agendas are considered co-equal with the #1 concern or as #2 on the list of concerns, but Iraq and/or Afghanistan are listed as #1 because of the waste of lives and money, the lies have now been exposed, so we know it's senseless to send more people there to be killed for lies and oil, and we know it's a waste of money on a scale we can't even imagine yet, thanks to the secrecy surrounding the dictator's regime.

The majority of the citizens of this nation want the troops home from Iraq and/or Afghanistan one way or another; some favor immediately (like me), others favor a measured withdrawal, but the majority of the citizens of this nation still want the troops home ASAP (this year, at the very least, preferably within the next six months at the latest), and we do NOT favor a troop 'surge' (aka 'escalation!') so that more people can be killed and more borrowed money can be spent for the sake of someone else's stupid civil war and Georgie's ambition to control Iraq's oil and control the oil pipelines in Afghanistan...!!! Wake up and smell the coffee, Congress Critters!!! Repeal MCA '06, the Patriot Acts, restore our privacy rights and privileges (I note those things are not on your domestic agenda, Pelosi!), AND end those stupid wars..., but DO SOMETHING, and we mean IMMEDIATELY!!! Gas-bag speeches aren't gonna do anything! If you don't know how to multi-task, learn how to do so immediately!

If Congress really is a co-equal branch of government, only Congress (on behalf of the majority of citizens of this nation who want that stupid illegal and unconstitutional war to end ASAP) can stop dictator Georgie from committing more war crimes, only you in Congress can stop funding dictator Georgie's war, only you in Congress can demand that no new troops be sent to their deaths - Congress did not, after all, per the Constitutional dictates of the Founding Fathers, vote in favor of this war - you "only" authorized military force to go after OBL (you didn't authorize Georgie to start a war in Iraq!), and OBL's still running around out there somewhere - and if you want your co-equal status back, you in Congress have to demand it on Constitutional grounds (with our blessing and approval)!!! That goes for both the House and the Senate...!!!

So, put your running shoes on and get busy!

What a lovely tribute, Karen!

I would much rather those handsome and beautiful people pictured on signs were alive and having nice, normal, even boring, lives... not have their lovely faces on placards as a tribute....

My heart is divided today: with you in DC (oh, please, if there's a supreme deity, let the demonstrations be seen by our Congress Critters and let Congress Critters pay attention!), and with Watada and his family....

I've called. Karen thanks for this powerful piece with the pictures.

NonnyO and Suz--thank you for your caring and your actions. My heart is with all who work for peace today, including the very good Members and staffers in Congress who want nothing more than the ability to correct the mighty wrongs of the past six years.

Today is a day of hope and I am off to spread some around.

Karen
Thanks for posting this entry and the Watada event too. Thought of you guys when I read this just now.

Peace Protesters Disrupt Press Conference on Lobbying Reform

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407P.shtml
House Democrats tried to unveil their lobbying reform package today, but their press conference was drowned out by chants from anti-war activists who want Congress to stop funding the Iraq war before taking on other issues. Led by
Cindy Sheehan, the mother of a slain soldier, the protesters chanted "De-escalate, investigate, troops home now" as Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), began outlining the Democrats' plans to ban lobbyist-funded travel and institute other ethics reforms.

Elizabeth, voting integrity activist, asked me to post this:

First, pursuant to 2 USC § 381 et seq., the Federal Contested Elections Act, four election contests have been filed in the U.S. Congress, stemming from four races in Florida (note, there were also problems in other states besides Florida, including but not limited to Ohio). This is unprecedented and is directly related to electronic voting machines.

On January 4, 2007, Congressman Rush Holt will address the issue of the outstanding election contests on the floor of the House of Representatives. Congressman Holt will point out that the seating of the new Congress does not indicate that the House has decided the elections which are being contested.

Congressman Holt is expected to call for bipartisan support for the investigation into the wide-spread problems of under-votes and over-votes in precincts throughout Florida and for election law reforms to ensure that criteria are established to guarantee fair and verifiable elections in the future so that our country remains a representative democracy where our leaders are actually elected by the voters instead of possibly being elected by machine error or illegal manipulation of the vote count.

Second, Thursday’s NYT is reporting that one of the testing labs used at the federal level to test the machines prior to certification has been temporarily barred from this process after federal officials found that it was not following its quality-control procedures and could not document that it was conducting all the required tests. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/04/washington/04voting.html?hp&ex=1167886800&en=363e471aee8b4edc&ei=5094&partner=homepage

This problem has been a major concern of computer scientists and activists for several years, but has been ignored. To read more about the problem read this

article by John Hopkins professor Aviel Rubin: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/avi-rubin/the-dirty-little-secrets-_b_12354.html

Third, what you can do today: see my accompanying email regarding a an urgent letter to Congressman Holt regarding his proposed election reform bill. You can sign on to the letter merely by sending an email to patriotism@earthlink.net. Include your full name, if you represent an organization please include the name of it; and make sure to include your address, city, county, state.

(I didn't send the email - too long - DiAnne
--go to her link above)

More Info:

In Florida, where 18,000 votes were not recorded in a single race, the losing candidate, Democrat Christine Jennings brought a lawsuit contesting the race and seeking to review the voting machine source code. She alleged that the voters tried to vote in the race but their votes were not recorded. Circuit Judge William Gary ruled last week that Christine Jennings' allegations amounted to conjecture and she had no right to violate the trade secrets of the company that made the voting machines, Election Systems & Software, by examining the programming code. (My comment to this ruling: How can we ever be sure that our elections are accurate if no one, not even the candidate, can verify that the software is correctly tallying the votes? An election system using secret software is no different than having a single person record and count the votes with no oversight and no verification. Why must we be forced to accept this type of system?)

To read reports on the issues surrounding electronic voting and counting machines, check out this URL:
http://www.opednews.com/articles/genera_rady_ana_070102_overview_of_major_ex.htm

http://www.freepress.org/columns/display/3/2007/1481
discrepancies in Ohio; high under-vote rates

Elizabeth Walter

"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act. " (George Orwell)

Video!

Watch YouTube video as we tell the democratic leadership what their priority should be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YN4Y4SMXqA"
Lead story on Michael Moore.com
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
New York Times.com
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/01/03/war-protest-mom-upstages-democrats/
FOX news.com
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,241137,00.html

Incredibly sad and sobering pictures today, Karen. Thank you for all your hard work and participation, and for the thread header and pictures.

Interesting that the uncut version of Saddam Hussein's hanging is aired on You Tube. The cleaned up version apparently was shown on tv, but the "uncut" vesion shows the taunting and chaos present at the execution. Mixed reviews, but isn't it nice that with modern technology and the power of truth the world got to see the barbaric actions and attitudes?

back to work......

Thanks for sharing the photos, Karen. It's really sad to see the stories behind these deaths, and even one death is too many - and now we have over 3,000.

I'll try to put something together to send off to my Senators.

CNN: White House counsel Harriet Miers, once President Bush's pick for a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, has resigned, the White House announced today.

In a related story, raccoon season is over ;-)

MSNBC is reportedly broadcasting peace demo speeches from demo across the street from U.S. Senate, starting around 12 noon. Demo ends at 2 pm, followed by march. Peace activists were successful yesterday in disrupting a speech by Rep. Rahm Emmanuel on the Dems' domestic agenda

Pardon the interruption, but....

Rumors swirl about possible Police reunion
Source says talks underway for 2007 tour of U.S., Britain

NEW YORK - Rumors are swirling that the Police will reunite for 2007 dates in England and the United States, which would be the rock trio’s first since disbanding in 1986.

Sources told Billboard.com the reports — in the British press — were legitimate, but they would not publicly comment until final details are nearer to completion.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of “Roxanne,” the single that broke the Police in the United States.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16469727/

:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

Peace On Earth
by U2

Heaven on Earth, we need it now
I'm sick of all of this hanging around
Sick of sorrow, sick of the pain
I'm sick of hearing again and again
That there's gonna be peace on Earth

Where I grew up there weren't many trees
Where there was we'd tear them down
And use them on our enemies
They say that what you mock
Will surely overtake you
And you become a monster
So the monster will not break you

And it's already gone too far
Who said that if you go in hard
You won't get hurt?

Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
Tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
No whos or whys
No one cries like a mother cries
For peace on Earth
She never got to say goodbye
To see the color in his eyes
Now he's in the dirt
Peace on Earth

They're reading names out over the radio
All the folks the rest of us won't get to know
Sean and Julia, Gareth and Ann and Breda
Their lives are bigger than any big idea

Jesus can you take the time
To throw a drowning man a line
Peace on Earth
To tell the ones who hear no sound
Whose sons are living in the ground
Peace on Earth
Jesus sing a song you wrote
The words are sticking in my throat
Peace on Earth
Hear it every Christmas time
But hope and history won't rhyme
So what's it worth
This peace on Earth

Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth
Peace on Earth

SOme good points:

Snip

Lorelei Kelly of The White House Project has noticed the same whiny attitude all over the Republican caucus. She e-mailed me yesterday explaining convenient Republican "amnesia and disproportion (they don't get paid to be reflective)." It's important to place this accusatory caterwauling and self-victimization into the context of 16 years of quasi-fascist Republican rule in Congress which very nearly destroyed our representative democracy.

A healthy representative legislature depends on both informal and formal procedures. In other words, both the spirit of the law (civility, reciprocity, collegiality) and the letter of the law (statutes on the books). Both of these institutions have been altered and damaged over the past 15 years. The following items provide list of institutional process changes brought about by the era of extreme conservative rule: They illustrate a legislature where many of the formal accountability mechanisms of government are missing or broken:
• For the entire 108th Congress, just 28 percent of total bills were open to amendment -- barely more than half of what Democrats allowed in their last session in power in 1993-94.

• The Rules Committee blocked floor votes on legislation opposed by the Bush administration but supported by a majority of the House.

• The majority leadership gave Members 400 page bills with only a few hours to read them. Subsequently light changes in language-- with huge implications-- went undiscovered until the bill has been voted upon.

• Members inserted pork projects into the conference committee bills-- after congressional committee deliberations were finished… hence no chance for oversight.

• Rank-and-file Members had trouble even finding out when the Rules Committee met. This powerful committee frequently decided bills in hastily called, late-night "emergency" sessions, despite House rules requiring that the panel convene during regular business hours and give panel members 48 hours notice. In the 108 th Congress, 54 percent of bills were drawn up in "emergency" sessions.

• Minority members were not allowed into the room when final legislation was written. The majority even went to great extremes to deprive them from participating-- even hiding from them… One Democrat (appointed to the conference) even told of how he was forced to talk to lobbyists to find out what was in the bill since he had been denied entry…

• Little or no debate on security issues: one example, defense authorization… 3 weeks of debate in 1994… two days in 2003.

• the overall number of oversight hearings in the House-- excluding the appropriations committees-- dropped from 782 during the first six months of 1983 to 287 during the first six months of 1997. The falloff in the Senate between 1983 and 1997 is just as striking: from 429 to 175. (Auerbach UCLA research)

And remember, THEY CALLED THE POLICE on the Democrats at one point, for invoking a rule to read aloud a bill (in protest for having been given barely any time to consider it before voting).

http://downwithtyranny.blogspot.com/2007/01/can-you-guess-whos-congress-first.html

Posted by: ruffian at January 4, 2007 02:10 PM

Bullseye... let 'em eat... uh.... cake.

Reality bites.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/linkset/2005/04/11/LI2005041100879.html
Bush Claims Right to Open Mail

The New York Daily News today reports on a signing statement President Bush quietly issued two weeks ago, in which he asserts his right to open mail without a warrant.

http://www.nydailynews.com/01-04-2007/news/story/485535p-408789c.html
W pushes envelope on U.S. spying

And from links embedded in the text of the WaPo article:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.06407:
HR 6407, Title: To reform the postal laws of the United States.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/12/20061220-6.html
Signing statement regarding the bill.

Why did Negroponte change from Intelligence to State Department?

Why is Harriet Miers, long-time counsel to Bush and "pit bull in size 6 shoes" leaving?

Rats leaving sinking ship?

Who knows ..

Posted by: ruffian at January 4, 2007 02:10 PM

Well, today the Dems have indicated they're going to forgive and play nice. (Which is why they've been on the losing end for six years, not to mention their sad record of appeasing W, kissing his arse, etc. You'd think they'd have learned by now that playing nice with psychopaths only gets you taken advantage of more and more and more and more....)

If the Cons are going to act like spoiled brats... well, one can only hope Dems wake up, smell the coffee, and figure out how instant karma could work if they'll let it....

Did somebody say "instant karma"? *ding ding ding*

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you right on the head
You better get yourself together
Pretty soon you're gonna be dead

What in the world you thinking of
Laughing in the face of love
What on earth you tryin' to do
It's up to you, yeah you

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna look you right in the face
Better get yourself together darlin'
Join the human race

How in the world you gonna see
Laughin' at fools like me
Who in the hell d'you think you are
A super star
Well, right you are

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Well we all shine on
Ev'ryone come on

Instant Karma's gonna get you
Gonna knock you off your feet
Better recognize your brothers
Ev'ryone you meet

Why in the world are we here
Surely not to live in pain and fear
Why on earth are you there
When you're ev'rywhere
Come and get your share

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
Come on and on and on on on
Yeah yeah, alright, uh huh, ah

Well we all shine on
Like the moon and the stars and the sun
Yeah we all shine on
On and on and on on and on

all hail marx and lennon,
Otter

I quickly was able to find 11 countries whose media are reporting that United States has its first woman speaker of the House, and a Democrat at that!

First time to feel proud about something in awhile, since we lag for health care, continue to have barbaric capital punishment, spearhead war, consume an inordinate amount of resources, have continued school shootings, won't join World Court or Kyoto etc.

It's about time! Now let's hope they follow with a humane agenda and are able to implement it.

Well, hail Lennon at least... or the Marx Brothers for prat falls (but the Marx Brothers are funnier than frat boy).

William Rivers Pitt | Bush Extends Hand With Fingers Crossed
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407J.shtml
William Rivers Pitt responds to an editorial allegedly penned by Bush in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal: "In the final analysis, we see in this Bush editorial the same fantasies and empty rhetoric that have become the defining realities of this administration. He clings to the belief that we can 'win' in Iraq, even as the violence and chaos unleashed by his invasion makes any talk of victory a laughable exercise in fantasy. The hand he supposedly extends in bipartisan friendship comes with crossed fingers, carrying only the same fistful of failures and lies that inspired the November electorate to push him aside."

Excerpt (The whole article is very good.... Pitt wrote this piece in response to an editorial allegedly written by DimWit, Pitt deconstructed the whole piece, and I particularly like this last paragraph and hope it's true - altho I think Lamestream Media hasn't figured this out yet):

Mr. Bush has finally acknowledged the existence of Democrats. That is, perhaps, all we can expect from a man whose whole world is framed by delusions, deceptions and the stubborn desire to have everything his way. The American people slapped the crown off his head two months ago, but from everything we see in this editorial, he is the only one left who hasn't noticed it is gone.

Ruffian good post. It contained stats that I wasn't fully aware of. For the Republicans who love to use the "big daddy" frame, it rather resembles the three year old crying that his older brother just hit him after the three year old bit the older one first.

Oh well...kids will be kids!!!

Ann Wright | Guantanamo's Cost to Our Humanity
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407N.shtml
"January 11, 2007, will mark the fifth anniversary of the first detainees to be imprisoned in the US military prison at the US Naval Base, Guantanamo, Cuba." Ann Wright asks, "What are the costs to our own humanity when, after five years of imprisonment, only ten of 770 prisoners have been charged by the 'Guantanamo process' and most have suffered abuse at the hands of the American military and CIA?"

US Troops Deployed Near Somalia
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407O.shtml
US forces are deployed near Somalia to block the escape of members of that country's ousted Islamist government with ties to al-Qaeda and other extremists.
{{{Did this info make Lamestream Media evening snooze? }}}

Exxon Mobil Cultivates Global Warming Doubt
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407M.shtml
Energy giant Exxon Mobil borrowed tactics from the tobacco industry to raise doubt about climate change, spending $16 million on groups that question global warming. "Exxon Mobil has manufactured uncertainty about the human causes of global warming just as tobacco companies denied their product caused lung cancer," said Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Posted by: NonnyO at January 4, 2007 04:22 PM

Condo, Cheapo, Zippo, Dicko & Dumbo

Animal Crackers

Rats leaving sinking ship?

Who knows ..

Posted by: DiAnne at January 4, 2007 03:03 PM

CNN: The head of the U.S. nuclear weapons program is leaving his job because of security breakdowns at weapons facilities, The Associated Press reports.

Feel safer, morely?

I don't normally read BuzzFlash very often, but this time the headline looked interesting, so I read this one story, and this one paragraph makes horrible sense:

http://www.buzzflash.com/articles/contributors/677
Larry Beinhart: 2007 - Year of Madness
[Larry Beinhart, author of Wag the Dog, The Librarian, and Fog Facts]

Even if the war remains a quagmire, death and destruction with no end in sight, Bush -- personally -- is better off. American service men and women, Americans who are paying the bills, Iraqis, and the rest of the world, may not be. But he's better off. Because that will force someone else to pull the plug. Bush will then maintain that had we just stuck to it, it would have succeeded eventually. He will then hire an army of payable pundits and whorish historians to churn out books and papers to say so. That's what the half billion dollar presidential library is for.

Animal Crackers
Posted by: monkey at January 4, 2007 04:41 PM

Well, since their heads are hollow, let's bite their heads off first....

Crunch....

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/sc_nm/australia_climate_dc
Climate change faster in Australia: scientists

'Clean sweep': Bush replaces top general in Middle East who opposed troop surge

RAW STORY
Published: Thursday January 4, 2007

In what appears to be a military shakeup surrounding Iraq, President Bush has replaced both the top US general in the Middle East and the top General in Iraq, ABC NEWS is reporting on air.

Admiral William J. Fallon will replace Gen. John Abizaid, US commander in the Middle East, who announced his retirement in December, and was expected to leave the post in March. Abizaid was a critic of Bush's efforts to add more troops to Iraq -- the circumstances of his early departure are unclear.

"The president wants a clean sweep," an official told ABC News.

"Fallon, who is in the Navy, is currently head of Pacific Command; he will be overseeing two ground wars, so the appointment is highly unusual," ABC reports.

According to a Kansas City Star article published Dec. 24, "Commanders have been skeptical of the value of increasing troops. The decision represents a reversal for Casey, the highest-ranking officer in Iraq. Casey and Gen. John P. Abizaid, the top commander in the Middle East, have long resisted adding troops in Iraq,

David Petraeus will replace General George Casey, commander of US forces in Iraq. Casey originally opposed the President's plan to add troops in Iraq, arguing it could delay "the development of Iraqi security forces and increase anger at the United States in the Arab world."

The LA Times recently reported that Abizaid's departure could clear the way for a more aggressive strategy in Iraq.

Excerpts from LA Times article:
http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Bush_replaces_top_general_in_Middle_0104.html

Posted by: monkey at January 4, 2007 04:57 PM

Remembering back to 04 when JK was talking about Gen. Shesheki (sp?) who was fired because he opposed the war but said if they went to war they needed more troops...

Well, that was my introduction to how the Bush administration managed to do what they did while I was sleeping. (Even though I DID watch CNN religiously, I just didn't realize what was happening behind the scenes and the importance of it.)

I guess it's what woke me up. And even though to nonpolitical types to whom a name is just a name, I think what people need to learn about is the pattern that this administration follows.

Posted by: Suz at January 4, 2007 05:07 PM

Oh, you mean the pattern of firing anyone who doesn't agree with NumbNutz, and replacing them with someone who does?

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me everyday for over six years, go Cheney yourself.

Fire. Ready. Aim.

Posted by: monkey at January 4, 2007 05:16 PM

What scares me is that I see the media doing the same thing (excusing) McCain--by referring to him as "maverick" and "Straighttalk" when he's so clearly bought and sold.

It's complete brainwashing! And people don't realize the extent of info being withheld and the pattern of behavior. Take for instance the new campaign campaign manager of dirty tricks that McCain hired to run his presidential campaign. And then keep in mind that my sister and people like her think he has INTEGRITY!

Paleese...if he's got integrity than I've got somegreat land in Florida to sell ya...

McCain was a Maverick 15 years ago, today he's a Pinto... full of beans, and susceptible to explosion when rear-ended.

(... and as for that land in FLA.... I need to sell my house in Florida first!)

Did somebody say "swamp" land in Florida? *ding ding ding*

Now lemme tell you a story
The devil he has a plan
A bag o' bones in his pocket
Got anything you want
No dust and no rocks
The whole thing is over
All these beauties in solid motion
All those beauties, gonna swallow you up

Hi hi hi hi hi,
One time too many
Too far to go
I - we come to take you home

And when they split those atoms
It's hotter than the sun
Blood is a special substance
They gonna pray for that man

So wake up young lovers
The whole thing is over
Watch but touch monkeys
All that blood, gonna swallow you whole

Hi hi hi hi hi
What's that? Who's driving?
Where we goin? Who knows?
I - we come to take you home

How many people do you think I am
Pretend I am somebody else
You can pretend I'm an old millionaire
A millionaire washing his hands
Rattle the bones, dreams that stick out
A medical chart on the wall
Soft violence and hands touch your throat
Everyone wants to explode

And when your hands get dirty
Nobody knows you at all
Don't have a window to slip out of
Lights on, nobody home

Click click - see ya later
Beta beta - no time to rest
Pika pika - risky business
All that blood, will never cover that mess

Hi hi hi hi hi
So soft hard feelings
What's that? Who's driving?
No tricks, let's go
I - we come to take you home
I - we come to take you home
Hi hi hi hi hi

talking heads are better than no heads at all,
Otter

Posted by: Otter at January 4, 2007 06:57 PM

Stop Making Sense, already!

Just remain in light, monkeyman.

hey All,

Sitting in the National Press Club listening to Gore Vidal (via video) speak eloquently about the need for impeachment and ending the war. Just had dinner with a young reporter who initiated a lively conversation about the disruption of the press conference yesterday that I think was informative on all sides. The reporter was looking forward to hearing about the agenda for the new Rules Committee (under Louise Slaughter) and felt the actions were pre-emptive of something GOOD. However he listened carefully when we explained what the sequence of events had been and he was grateful to hear the other side.

Right now John Nichols (The Nation) is speaking about impeachment -- he's fer it.

Ah'm fum Georgia. We put the peach in impeachment.

John Nichols just blew the lid off this very large and crowded room. He spoke about Abraham Lincoln writing about the impeachment of James Polk for the Mexican War. (http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2003/06/09_arvizu_lying.htm)

Now Cindy Sheehan is blowing the lid off and there are so many people here that they just opened up another room to seat the overflow.

Both Cindy and John are saying that impeachment is not a divisive tactic, but a remedy for deep wrongs. There is a lot of invoking of the founding fathers and historical precedents.

BTW, Daniel Ellsberg just showed up to speak too.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_re_us/church_abuse_spokane
[Spokane] Diocese agrees to settle molest claims

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070104/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/nixon_foreign_service
Nixon vowed to 'ruin Foreign Service'

A Mother Fights for a Soldier Who Said No to War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407C.shtml
Carolyn Ho is a mother on a mission. She came to Washington in mid-December to build support for her son, Army 1st Lt. Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer to publicly refuse deployment to Iraq. Barring some kind of miracle, he will be court-martialed on February 5 at Fort Lewis, Washington, about 45 miles south of Seattle. If convicted, he could be sent to military prison for six years. There will be a pre-trial hearing today.
Excerpt:
To Watada's attorney, Eric Seitz, the situation is more complicated. "The United States talks out of both sides of its mouth," he said. "We've prosecuted soldiers in other countries for following orders to commit war crimes. But God forbid you should use that refusal as a defense in this country."
{{{Two articles on this one link.}}}

Old Guard Back on Iraq Policy
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407D.shtml
Ever since Iraq began spiraling toward chaos, the war's intellectual architects - the so-called neo-conservatives - have found themselves under attack in Washington policy salons and, more important, within the Bush administration. Now, a small but increasingly influential group of neo-cons are again helping to steer Iraq policy. A key part of the new Iraq plan that President Bush is expected to announce next week - a surge in US troops, coupled with a more focused counterinsurgency effort - has been one of the chief recommendations of these neo-cons since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Robert Dreyfuss | Traveling the Planet Neo-Con Road to Baghdad (Again)
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407E.shtml
Robert Dreyfuss writes that "it will be the Iraqis who end the war. It will be the Iraqis who eventually kill enough Americans to break the US political will, and it will be the Iraqis who sweep away the ruins of the Maliki government to replace it with an anti-American, anti-US occupation government in Iraq. That is basically how the war in Vietnam ended, and it wasn't pretty."
{{{Good read....}}}

But It's Thomas Jefferson's Koran!
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407H.shtml
Representative-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he'd take his oath of office on the Koran - especially from Virginia representative Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values. Yet the holy book at tomorrow's ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We've learned that the new congressman - in a savvy bit of political symbolism - will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.

Nicolas Sarkozy | Saddam Hussein's Execution Is a Mistake
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/010407G.shtml
France's interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy - a sort of combined attorney general and head of the Department of Homeland Security and Intelligence - and a clear favorite to win the ruling UMP center-right party's nomination as presidential candidate in the 2007 elections, comments on the Saddam Hussein execution.

Posted by: karen at January 4, 2007 07:48 PM
Posted by: karen at January 4, 2007 07:49 PM

Oooooh... Sounds like you're having a wonderful evening.... :-) Enjoy and wish I were there listening to civil discourse with you...!

Well, impeachment just makes so much SENSE (to me, IMHO)....

Ellsberg:

This is hard to do. He says not to do what he did: Don't wait until the bombs are falling and thousands have died before you blow the whistle. It's not too late to avert the NEXT war -- IRAN. The President is signaling the surge and maybe they are planning to use them to attack al-Sadr and provoke another war OR to hold down Baghdad from Shi'ia uprisings once Bush bombs Iran.

Yikes.

Posted by: NonnyO at January 4, 2007 03:05 PM

I agree with you, NonnyO. There is no playing nice with those types. "Those" types are very manipulative, ruthless, and can suck up faster than a newborn babe at feeding time when on the short end of the stick. The minute they have power again, watch out.

When are they gonna learn?

It won't even buy them a decent length honeymoon.

Now is the time to expose 'em, and pin them to the proverbial mat.

Ellsberg just invoked Eren Watada and said he is a hero.

Ellsberg sharing historical perspective on Nixon and impeachment. Apparently Nixon knew he would be impeached or knew it was a strong possibility in May 1973. At any rate he could not veto the CUTTING OFF OF FUNDS for the Vietnam War because of this and he talked with Gerald Ford about it at that time. John Dean was talking to the prosecutors at that time and so he did not institute the order to begin bombing again.

Ellsberg says: pressure on Congress and investigation of torture etc. The White House stonewalls; even Congress will respond because they are not getting anything from the WH. Then the vote to cut off funds happens and then the President has to work to NOT be impeached. It keeps him from undermining Congress.

To FAIL to go after impeachment is to accept that the President is above the law, as his lawyers have told him.

Michael Ratner of the Center for Constitutional Rights is about to speak and I also added some new photos above.

Ratner is also part of a suit filed in Germany against Donald Rumsfield.

Posted by: NonnyO at January 4, 2007 02:57 PM

The man is a paranoid psychopath. Why on earth hasn't he been straight-jacketed and locked in a padded cell with his obsessed mind for company? This is the most powerful man on the planet! How ever did we come to this?

Interesting Karen. Thanks for sharing.

Ratner just came back from Germany, got Hans Litton Award, anti-fascist lawyer who put Hitler on the witness stand for two hours, arrested on night of Reistag Fire, tortured for five years, finally died. When mother went to Germans asking for a lawyer, the Army said he was under "protective custody."

Woke up this morning, made usual mistake and read the NY Times. Reading articles about Dems taking over reminded me of Nero fiddles while Rome burns. Our Democratic Congress is fiddling around. Not taking up issues of ultimate concern, the Constitution, torutre, Iraq, spying, putting heads in sand.

Dems have no program. Waiting for Bush to react. And what are reactions. Carl Levin on surge: "We're considering, just so it's tied to milestones." Harry Reid: "We'll consider supporting a short term increase..." What are we talking about? What has happened to language? It means more troops, not ending the war.

In Vietnam, they didn't end the funding until the troops were out of Vietnam.

Ethics overhaul, 100 hours, minimum wage, not unimportant bills, but very safe bills. No a word about the war, torture, civil liberties.

We know that Congress is going to fiddle. Need to push Congress to the wall, time to impeach this president, end the war, end torture, end warrantless wiretapping.

When you look into the articles of impeachment in our book, "high crimes and misdeamors" doesn't mean crimes, not carrying out what the president is supposed to do, subverting the constitution. Not an issue about whether there are H&M: it's a slam dunk.
A. Iraq WAr: 1. lies into war; 2. war of aggression, the penultimate crime after Nurenburg. This war is no different from other wars of aggression.
B. National Security Warantless Wiretapping. Bush asked for more power, but he was already doing it.
C. Torture--the law about torture is fundamental human rights law; can't be changed. We have a convention against torture. It's a criminal law, go to jail to life for torture. Can be prosecuted under War Crimes.
D. Signing statements. If you want to talk about a person becoming a tyrant, the crucial piece in which he openly and publicly says it. His SS on McCain, I don't care what the court tells me.

Ratner: We're going in the direction of the orange jumpsuits. Or we could follow the British model of giving up empire. US on the Athens/Roman road, militarization of everything, dictatorship at home.

Frederick Douglas: power concedes nothing without a demand, it never has and it never will.
[Standing ovation.]

Either we're a country of laws, or we're not.

Either Presidents SWEAR on their family Bibles to uphold those laws and PROTECT the the Constitution, or they don't.

If they violate said laws, should they NOT be held accountable, and if not, what kind of message does that send to it's citizens, and the citizens of the world?

I axe you...

To FAIL to go after impeachment is to accept that the President is above the law, as his lawyers have told him.
Posted by: karen at January 4, 2007 08:07 PM

PRECISELY....

Sunsara Taylor from World Can't Wait: fresh from an appearance this afternoon on Bill O'Reilly

Right now, we have to drive out Bush regime before 2008 as a generational legacy.
Will we be remindered for allowing destruction of Iraqis, torture, end of habeas corpus, acceptance of govt surveilliance, signing statements, no fly lists,....

Will history be rewritten to excuse slavery, Indian genocide, etc.

Contempt: book by Katherine Crier---a movement that would like to see US under biblical law. These people are still on the move, not derailed by 2006 election. No ads of Iraqi dead children, or immediate withdrawal, or photos of Abu Graib.
A yawning chasm between what people want and what they got.

What has political initiative today? John Conyers has come out and said impeachment is off the table. Covered in Metro Times on Dec. 20th: Conyers argued instead of focusing on impeachment we should concentrate on getting a Dem Pres in 2008. Argued that we should not tie up Congerss with impeachment hearings instead of getting out of Iraq. Argued that impeachment had little hope of success.

Sunsara: this logic leaves political agenda to Bush and religious right. We have to change these terms.

Nixon's impeachment forced from below.

Ford's pardon now upheld as model of national unity.

World Can't Wait want to launch 100 teach-ins at college campuses. People were out in orange jumpsuits all over the country. People do not understand what is going on. We have to challenge the youth of today. Students have to step out.

And if the psychopathic little worm thinks he's above the law and the law can't touch him, then he's no better than Hitler, no better than Saddam, the man he just had hung....

And, BTW, where IS Osama Been Forgotten...?

The detour to Iraq for lies and oil has cost us more dearly than we even know at this point (thanks to all those secrets), and Watada IS a hero, yes, for the simple reason he has followed the law, followed the Nuremberg judgment and refused to follow an illegal and immoral order, he has refused to commit war crimes for the sake of lies and oil. That (refusing to commit war crimes) makes Watada a hero - at least in my book.

Thanks for all your comments and opinions. This has been an amazing day--full of hope and full of rage. We all know what we have to do, don't we?

There will be no future for our children if we do not continue to be vigilant and clear. This is a mantle that has fallen on all of us and we must continue our work.

Whats the mood there?

Posted by: monkey at January 4, 2007 04:42 PM

Now this really does scare me. It doesn't surprise me. It scares the wits out of me.

Karen -

I watched BBC evening news, their lead story was Pelosi, of course, but it also showed footage of the peace demonstrators out in front of the WH today....

Way to go, Karen and friends! :-) Thank you!

PS: Don't know if news of the demonstrations were aired in Lamestream Media or not, but I thought it was pretty nifty that at least one international media organization mentioned it....

Mood is angry and jubilant at the same time! Occasionally raucous and often moving. I cannot say what is coming; nor do I have a sense of *history* about this day. I am just full of feeling.

I don't know how to say this: it is a terrible and beautiful challenge to be here.

Wow.
I am glad that you are there~that all of you there, are there.

For all of us.

John Nicholls speaking about the media now--he is saying we must "BE the media". Hey that's US!

Would impeachment prevent Bush from making more outrageous decisions about extra troops and all that goes with it? If it would.... then, for crying out loud ......... get it started!!

There is no doubt that the net and hard work out in the streets and doing whatever we can to point out the reality has made a differnce. We are not blindly hopeful though...

Posted by: karen at January 4, 2007 09:10 PM

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it ws the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness; it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair; we had everything before us, we had nothing before us; we were all going directly to Heaven, we were all going the other way."
-- Charles Dickens

Karen ......... you have been amazing! Thanks so much for all the information. Yes, it is positive. But I believe that you do need to remind Pelosi why she's there. Get the biggest things cleaned up - Iraq - Iran war - these things are poisoning the very air that you are breathing. Get them finished. Get your troops home. And then work on the other reforms. Hopefully with your awful leader locked away where he can't make anyone kill, maim and torture more.

"I believe that people become trusworthy only by being trusted.....I'm infinitely more trustworthy because of my wife's faith in me... When we fall as we always do, we pick ourselves up and start again. And when our trust is betrayed the only response that is not destructive is to trust again. Not stupidly you understand, but fully aware of the facts, we still have to trust. "
(The Young Unicorns, 170-171)

Madeline L'Engle

There is a tension in that...

Jeebus, when even the Tazzies are crying for his head, maybe Shrub really oughtta get perp-marched out the door after all.

shrubiana delenda est,
Otter

I'm infinitely more trustworthy because of my wife's faith in me...

Posted by: mkh at January 4, 2007 09:36 PM

Truer words have seldom been uttered... awesome quote.

The Bride of Monkeystein

I am optimistic that America has sent a message to Washington with all of the new representatives. I am also hopeful that we have, at least for now, taken the first steps to take back America.

Hey John! Long time, no speak... sending you and your lovely the very best for '07.

And right back atcha to you & yours ! Things are just now starting to settle down here - hopefully back at 100% soon.

W will open your first-class mail without warrant:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16472777/

It's official now. The Korean-American community, led by Reverend Moon, has anointed W into the American version of their long-dead fascist dictator, Park Chung Hee, whose reign of terror lasted 18 years.

Oy!

NOT another 10 years of Chimpy McFlightsuit !

Say it ain't so, Ally !

Posted by: abqjohn at January 4, 2007 10:30 PM

With regards to Park, only an assassination cut his reign short. But he was soon replaced by a Reagan puppet who ruled for another 7 years.

The best you can do is to boycott Samsung, a relic from that era (it's the Wal-Mart of Asia as far as labor practices are concerned).

How are you and Linda doing, btw?

Hey, our buddy GlobalVillage just put up a new video she built in honor of the departing 109th Congress -- you can check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48viQV4qjXA -- it really kicks asterisk, you should make a point of checking it out & sharing it with your friends and especially with your democracy-resistant rethug relatives, ahem.

otter gives it two paws up,
Otter

Back home after this day--tired and happy and hopeful and determined!

The last two days have been a regathering of the peace movement here in DC--everyone we have worked with--the World Can't Wait to the Progressive Dems to Camp Democracy--was here and supporting each other. There are great new Members and the agenda to change the rules back to fairness and equal access is clearly ongoing. But the big questions are still about the war and criminal behavior.

The POTENTIAL is amazing. What the reality will be is up to us, it seems. What do we want and when do we want it?

We will be vigilant and active; aware and powerful. Who's IN?

Posted by: Ally McRepuke at January 4, 2007 10:36 PM

Hey Ally - Hope you are doing ok. I am the same and Linda is having good and bad days. My two sons moved out here in December and that was a major adjustment that we are still going through.

But now we have more folks for the progress of America.

Posted by: karen at January 4, 2007 09:10 PM

I was jubilant about the Dem majorities....

THEN Pelosi took "impeachment off the table..." And there was more warmongering rhetoric by Dems that are part of the usual echo chamber in Georgie's bubble. There was no dissent among the Dems, must to my inordinate frustration and annoyance.

Congress Critters MUST learn to multitask!!! True, domestic changes need to be made. BUT, at the risk of repeating myself, the #1 topic is still how to end that stupid war in Iraq, stop the torture, close Gitmo, restore our lost rights and responsibilities (bad laws NEED to be repealed because they counter the Constitution and Bill of Rights and Geneva Conventions and US law), none of which I heard Pelosi mention except the usual bandwagon patriotism regarding the troops (echoing Georgie).

While demonstrations and dissent don't make Lamestream Media evening snooze, one of those links posted above made mention of a Rep who has been inundated with demands for impeachment. Someone in Congress KNOWS that's why there is a Dem majority. We want those lying criminals OUT of office; we KNOW they LIED about Chimpy McFlightSuit's Iraq war, we KNOW the invasion was a war crime (and unconstitutional since AUMF only authorized DimWit to go after OBL, not start an illegal war. There ARE grounds for impeachment, and if our Congress Critters don't KNOW that, they need to resign now and seek employment elsewhere!!!

Too many lives have been needlessly lost, too much money has been wasted on that illegal, unconstitutional, unethical, immoral, dishonorable war based on LIES....

If our Congress Critters can't multitask, they need to resign and/or be replaced by others with more intelligence, someone who will listen to the people who put them in office....

Er... can they block someone if their inboxes are inundated daily by the same people who consistently ask for impeachment and an end to this bloody awful war...?

otter gives it two paws up,
Otter

Posted by: Otter at January 4, 2007 10:38 PM

Thanks for sharing! Good one.

Very telling was the photo of the Vietnamese-American Republican who threatened Latino voters.

It seems that some immigrants come to America not to enjoy our freedoms, but to replace it with the fascism they had back home. And strangely, all the "nativist" organizations are silent on these crooks.

Posted by: abqjohn at January 4, 2007 10:44 PM

John, hope your adjustment is going well! I hope for a better year for Linda.

I'm doing okay - rang in the new year with the CodePink folks.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- President Bush said Thursday that he wished Saddam Hussein's execution had "gone in a more dignified way."

The remark was Bush's first on-camera response to the chaotic scene captured in a cell-phone recording of the former Iraqi dictator's hanging.

"But nevertheless, he was given justice," the president added during a news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "The thousands of people he killed were not."

Bush said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki had assured him during a two-hour conversation earlier in the day that the execution and its recording would be investigated.

"One thing is for certain," Bush said. "A horrific chapter in Iraqi history has been closed."

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/01/04/iraq.main/index.html

And a new one was opened, more like an encyclopedia, by YOU, and that is equally for certain.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070105/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/nuclear_dismissal

Nuclear agency head dismissed for lapses

Excerpt (click on link for much more):

Linton Brooks said he would leave in two weeks to three weeks as head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, a post he held since May 2003.

Bodman said the nuclear agency under Brooks, a former ambassador and arms control negotiator, had not adequately fixed security problems. "I have decided it is time for new leadership at the NNSA," Bodman said.

Brooks told agency workers in a statement, "This is not a decision that I would have preferred ... (but) I accept the decision and you need to do likewise."

He characterized the demand for his resignation as "based on the principle of accountability that should govern all public service."

Brooks was reprimanded in June for failing to report to Bodman a security breach of computers at an agency facility in Albuquerque, N.M., that resulted in the theft of files containing Social Security numbers and other personal data for 1,500 workers.

The theft did not become generally known, nor was Bodman made aware of it, for eight months.

One comment about Congress - in the Senate, often at least 60 votes are needed - so that means double digits from Republicans. The House may be easier.

Ally
Thanks for posting that about Bush's signing statement on the Postal bill, so our mail can be opened (in addition to no-fly orders, intercepted phone and email etc).

Also, have you been hearing about how companies like Walmart are going to staff according to number of customers? So there will be no guarantees of number of hours per week. What do they want workers to do? Sleep in a trailer behind the store with a beeper on, to come into work on demand?

Boycott Walmart always.

NonnyO
Amazing to read the Sarkozy story - I agree with him that the death penalty is wrong, but the rest confirmed some French friends suspicion that some European countries are going down a neocon-like path, and Bush met with another one of that type today (Merkel). I've been chastised before when I said anything negative about someone else's leader but people do it all the time when it's PC (ie. when they are agreeing with Bush). Glad we still (sort of) have free speech, and am not at all offended when those from other countries "critique" our leaders.

Karen
Loved hearing about Ellsworth etc and seeing all the new pictures. Would have loved to have been there and was in spirit.

Jan. 27 nationwide antiwar demonstration

Yes, come on down for the Jan. 27th *messaging*

As we pass out, I will share the latest Borowitz Report (a friend sends these so I don't have a link):

Breaking News



Bush to Announce Exit Strategy from Reality

Plans Complete Withdrawal from His Senses by Year End

President George W. Bush has been working around the clock to put the finishing touches on a speech to the American people in which he will announce a comprehensive exit strategy from reality, White House aides confirmed today.

When reports emerged that the president was considering deploying an additional “surge” of troops in Iraq against the advice of military experts and overwhelming public sentiment, many in Washington suspected that the move was part of a larger plan to withdraw from reality entirely.

But not until spokesperson Tony Snow addressed reporters today did the White House officially confirm that the president was about to announce an exit strategy from the land of rational thought.

“The president never intended to occupy the world of reality indefinitely,” Mr. Snow told reporters. “He is planning a new way forward, and that way forward is a one-way ticket to fantasyland.”

Moments after Mr. Snow announced Mr. Bush’s plan to unveil an exit strategy from reality, members of the press corps started peppering him with questions about a deadline by which the president will have totally taken leave of his senses.

The White House spokesperson said that the president refused to set a formal timetable for his withdrawal from reality, but added that it was realistic assume that Mr. Bush’s exit from the real world would be complete by year’s end: “It helps that he’s ninety percent of the way there already.”

Karen.....
Wouldn't this be wonderful! Sadly, those who've lost grasp of reality don't have a clue that it's gone!

Two articles. Both from the Melbourne Age. Both written by Bob Ellis, Australian author and commentator. This one was published today:

Rattled America will find it can't spin itself out of this one

Bob Ellis
January 5, 2007

GEORGE Bush will be hard put persuading three, four or five thousand American soldiers, marines and reservists who have already been there to go back to Iraq this year, to face 4 million Sunnis displeased by the Saddam hanging. Hard put too to persuade Nuri al-Maliki to stay in office, and stay alive, till they get there.

More:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/01/04/1167777215118.html

And then, on looking for information about Bob Ellis, I found this article published on May 2nd, 2005, ending with the words, "You see if I am right." Well?

Condi: the toothless tigress
By Bob Ellis
May 2, 2005

Who does Condoleezza scare? Not Putin. Not Sharon. Not Musharraf. Not Mubarak. Not Koizumi. Not Kim Jong-il. Not Castro. Not Chavez. Not Kofi Annan.

What then is the good of her? On her watch, Putin has muscled into the Middle East, Chalabi has made a comeback in Iraq, Mugabe has "won" an election, the Saudis have jibbed on the oil price, world depression has neared. Chavez has defied her. Italy, the Netherlands and Poland have left, or are leaving Iraq.

And yet the legend is being printed. Her nervy self-important high-school graduation fustian has been heard out, her stupidity in South America praised, her failure to stave off a new Cold War with Russia ignored.

The fact that she is black, female and beautiful, a sort of Foggy Bottom Cinderella, has concealed from the world a larger truth. This is that George Bush and his confederates no longer have much power. Their threats to Iran ring hollow. No nation but Australia would join a war on Syria or North Korea. No South American nation would join a war on Cuba. They can't get their chosen crazed bully into the UN. They can't persuade two Florida doctors to not kill Terri Schiavo. And even Donald Rumsfeld has said of Iraq: "It's not about winning."

Power is a curious thing. It exists only if it's not used. When America used its power and bombed, bunker-busted and killed 150,000 Iraqis and pulled down a statue, but still couldn't guarantee a safe street, a day's electricity or a justly administered prison, it showed itself so impotent as to be a kind of big, bellowing, murderous joke.

And though it isn't headlines yet, this impotence is the new reality. Bush's popularity is the lowest it has been. The John Bolton appointment and the looming oil-price depression on top of his record half-trillion-dollar deficit will show him to be the most economically incompetent US leader since Hoover.

And his friendship with Condoleezza won't do her much good at all. Colin Powell, who had run and won a war and had been wounded in battle, had clout, charisma, visible conscience and shrewdness. She has none of these things. She poses as Bush's Million Dollar Baby, but she can't throw a punch.

It may be years before this is realised. But the fact is that Condoleezza's tenure has coincided with, or caused, the end for a while of American power.

You see if I am right.

http://www.theage.com.au/news/Opinion/Condi-the-toothless-tigress/2005/05/01/1114886247114.html

Children die mimicking Saddam hanging

January 5, 2007 - 12:41PM

Two boys have died while reportedly mimicking Saddam Hussein's execution, while a 15-year-old girl has committed suicide in response to the Iraqi dictator's hanging.

Police and family of the Indian girl, from the town of Kharda, said she had become depressed after seeing reports of Saddam's execution at the weekend.

"She said they had hanged a patriot," the girl's father, Manmohan Karmakar, told AFP by phone from the town of Kharda.

"We didn't take her seriously when she told us that she wanted to feel the pain Saddam did during the execution."

He said his daughter, called Moon Moon, had become extremely depressed after watching Saddam's execution on television.

"She kept watching the scene over and again and didn't take food on Saturday and Sunday to protest against the hanging," he said.

Police superintendent Pravin Kumar confirmed the suicide, saying the girl had strung herself up from a ceiling fan and was found dead early on Wednesday.

The communist-ruled state of West Bengal has condemned Saturday's execution of Saddam, with thousands of people taking to the streets.

A 10-year-old boy in the US accidentally hanged himself while apparently mimicking the execution of Saddam Hussein.

Sergio Pelico had watched a TV report about the former Iraqi President's death which included footage of the noose being placed around his neck.

The youngster, from Houston, Texas, was found dead in his room on New Year's Eve, having tied a slipknot around his neck while on a bunk bed.

Police said the death appeared to be accidental and that Sergio, described by relatives as a happy child who was very curious, had been "experimenting".

The day before, he had watched the news of Saddam's execution on TV with an uncle and asked why he was killed.

Another uncle, Julio Gustavo, told the Houston Chronicle: "His uncle told him it was because Saddam was real bad.

"He (Sergio) said 'OK'. And that was it."

He added: "I don't think he thought it was real.

"They showed them putting the noose around his neck and everything.

"Why show that on TV?"

Police Lieutenant Tom Claunch said: "It appears to be accidental.

"Our gut reaction is that he was experimenting."

California-based clinical psychologist Edward Bischof told the newspaper the boy might have been "modelling" or mimicking behaviour he saw on TV that he found interesting or exciting.

"I would think maybe this kid is trying something that he thinks fun to act out without having the emotional and psychological maturity to think the thing through before he acts on it," he said.

"Saddam Hussein was (shown) standing there with a noose around his neck probably a dozen times in an hour.

"This is a real case where TV appears to be a stimulant."

In Pakistan, another child, a nine-year-old boy, also reportedly died trying to copy the scenes from Saddam's execution video.

Mubashar Ali, helped by his 10-year-old sister, tied a rope to a ceiling fan and his neck.

Their father said the children had been watching the footage of the execution on TV.

Agencies

I'm the only one here and still I forget.

Above article ref:

http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/children-die-mimicking-saddam-hanging/2007/01/05/1167777259671.html

Good articles Woz.

Irc this morning anyone?

Well, I'm out of the irc now. Anyone wishing to join an irc chat tonight? What about 7pm est?

Thanks for the great rundown of events. I was wondering, anyone talked to Bonifaz lately? Does he have any thoughts on further legal action on behalf of the soldier's families?

Why is one who should be fired busy hiring and firing - putting a Navy guy in charge of two ground wars & a spy in 2nd in charge under diplomacy? & the philosophy in Iraq will no longer be "transition" to Iraqis being in charge, but to "us" restoring some order - which means staying - & does it restore order to keep a country occupied? It defies reason.

Business report said employment was up despite housing slowdown, because of job creation in the service sector. What they failed to say is that this happens every year. Construction slows down at the holidays and temporary seasonal workers are put into the malls then let go.

Woz
good article from the Age - it's patently obvious except for those who watch US media

(US is no longer a superpower - check out the dollar)

Posted by: woz at January 5, 2007 05:21 AM

CNN here in the states did a piece where a reporter went out onto the streets of a metropolitan city and asked people if they watched the uncut version of Hussiens's hanging, and got mixed reviews.

A couple men said "Yah, that's what he deserved."
Women and younger people said they now had to rethink their stance on execution and that they felt guilty for watching, and that it disturbed them.

When my brother and I were little kids my mom and dad discovered a rope burn around his neck. Upon further questioning him, he told them he had gone outside in some acreage on our ranch and experimented with the hanging deal. He was quite small, and we were lucky he made it out o.k.

Posted by: woz at January 5, 2007 01:32 AM

WOZ,

Good statements and article. I think most of us here know she is a yes person for the powers that be.

I have a good friend who says he's certain "she's in on it".

I just kind of chalked her up to being an airhead, and he reminded me that "She's not an airhead, she's very smart, bright, and accomplished." I didn't mean that kind of an airhead, I meant another kind of airhead.

He thinks she's a culprit.

Hey, DCPers,

THE IMPORTANCE OF BLOGS

I just had a funny kind of call. A person from the neighborhood just called and asked me if I had seen the news on tv yesterday. I told her no, and said I was on my way to work and would call her back.

She said very excitedly "Well when you get home tonight check your internet news because according to tv it looks like our President could get shafted. Check it out on the internet then call me back tonight."

Ahhhhhhh. To have made a difference in red America.