YOU ARE THERE: LiveBlogging Code Pink Prep for the March

The next three-four days are going to be full and awesome. Jodie is telling us that Eve Ensler will be with us in the morning and we will be singing, dancing, and wailing, and expressing ourselves as women who are powerful. We are leaders.

In an hour I will be leading a workshop on moving and drumming.

It's remarkable really.

We are getting media training now--on the message.

WOMEN WANT THIS WAR TO END.

We elected congresspeople with a mandate to end this war and we are here to make sure they get that message.

(Feel free to suggest any messages YOU want delivered!)

Karen and everyone there...

Thanks for what you're doing. I'm glad the media is there. Is it really paying attention? Will there actually be reporting on it this time?

I'm sorry that I couldn't join you this time, but I will certainly be phoning in and faxing on Monday.

I also will be encouraging people to call as well.

Yes, CALL!! We want the phones RINGING OFF THE HOOKS Monday.

Karen,

Please convey to Geoffrey my utmost appreciation for everything he does to get the vet's message out too.

I never heard what happened after the Pentagon arrest during 9-11.

We are talking about the supplemental funding bill and will be addressing concerns Monday when we hit the Hill.

To all who are marching tomorrow in DC, I'm with you in spirit & support.

Be safe. Be strong. Be loud.

madame--We will miss your voice, which I know is LOUD and PROUD.

I will throw in some energy for your great spirit and work too!

Thanks, Karen. And I'll be on the phone all day on Monday, I promise. I can't wait to hound the hell out of my do-nothing weasely representative.

(Feel free to suggest any messages YOU want delivered!)

Posted by: karen at January 26, 2007 07:13 PM

Tell Mark Kirk (IL-10) to schedule open-to-the public (not just republicans) town hall meetings/listening sessions in our district on war or any other issues.

And ask him to come clean about what special intelligence he claims he had RE: WMDs in Iraq in order to justify this f*$#@ing war. He's a fool & a lying fool at that. Just like his liar-in-chief.

And tell everyone on the Hill to stop funding this war!

(Thank you. Namaste.)

We will!

How many demonstrations have you been to against this war? Living here in DC, the old riverrat feels compelled to scutter over for every demo in Lafayette Park. People in DC don't do demos. You can organize your brains out, and you still end up with a few hundred people.

Maybe it's just being too close to the White House. People in New York City talked about a funny smell the other day, although it was probably just some good old mud at low tide, my favorite smell. But the White House! That place stinks so bad, my sensitive nose can just barely stand it. You can even smell it when the guy goes by overhead in his chopper. He barely spends any time here anyway, between Camp David and his "ranch," so much the better for all of us in DC. But I want him out of here for good!

An old muskrat once told me about how in the old days when people got made enough, they'd ride someone out of town on a rail. If only we could shuffle right up to that White House door with our rail, dump a little tar on it, stick him aboard, and dump him at the DC border.

I think people come to DC from out of town, they don't pick up on the smell right away. I remember the miasma slowly seeping over the city in January 2003. My friends down along the Anacostia couldn't figure out what was happening. Had Blue Plains broken down? But the nose knows, and a quick trip uptown through the sewers answered the question: 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

So us riverrats are pulling for lots of out-of-towners to show up. And while you're here, see about putting some gumption into those Congresscritters. They've got the power and every right to send Bush back to the ranch. Hmmmm, while they're at it, they'd better give Cheney the boot too...I bet he'd stick the place up worse than George. Hmmm, again. Two down, wait, who's 3rd in line? Nancy Pelosi?

That would do it. No more stinkin right-wing wingnuts! We can stick our heads out our homes in the riverbank without gagging every morning. To the barricades!

We are playing (and dancing to) YES WE CAN, CAN!!

Karen--please tell anyone from Mi-House 07 district to tell Walberg that it's in the Bible to Love your neighbor not Kill thy neighbor.

Russia Objects to Planned U.S. Anti-Ballistic Missile Base

Russia voiced strong objections to a U.S. plan to deploy ballistic missile intercepters in Eastern Europe and warned Washington of "negative consequences".

Russia slams U.S. missile plans
http://www.thehindu.com/2007/01/27/stories/2007012703171400.htm

irc anyone?

The Pah-Ty's ovah..

http://www.thephoenix.com/article_ektid32333.aspx

C-SPAN 1 will cover the March, starting tomorrow, Saturday 27-Jan-07 at 1:15 EST

link to C-SPAN schedule: http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/schedule.csp

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Blurb):
Anti-War Rally
United for Peace and Justice
Washington, District of Columbia (United States)
ID: 196264 - 01/27/2007 - 2:00 - ns

Fonda, Jane Actress
Waters, Maxine US Representative, D-CA
Woolsey, Lynn US Representative, D-CA
Glover, Danny Actor
Botean, John Michael Bishop, Catholic Church, Eparchy of Saint George's in Canton (OH), Romanian
Kucinich, Dennis US Representative, D-OH
Jackson, Jesse Founder and President, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition
Lee, Barbara US Representative, D-CA

Posted by: sparrow at January 26, 2007 08:23 PM

LOL-- nice tails...

So we just drummed and danced and SEAN PENN showed up to watch!

Now we are making lots of pink messages...

The US military in Iraq has given new details of an attack last week in which five US soldiers were killed.

Four of them were abducted by militants posing as an American security team.

They travelled in the kind of vehicles often used for US government convoys, Wore US-style uniforms and carried US-style weapons.

Initially the military said all five soldiers were killed repelling an attack on an Iraqi government compound in the Shia holy city of Karbala.

According to the new account, US military officers were attending a meeting in the compound when the convoy of at least five sport utility vehicles impersonating Americans entered and killed one US soldier. ...

US army describes Iraq abductions
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6304645.stm

There was a series of explosions and in the melee, the attackers then set off again with four captured US soldiers.

jeez aimzzz, this is a truly horrific scenario. But still we stay, and risk our children's lives so that the war can go on for generations.

I just saw a pink sash that said "I MISS AMERICA"

Sending all participants warm wishes...

Karen,

Tell them that we don't want one more person to die to protect a President's legacy that already speaks for itself.

And tell them that WE'RE SERIOUS. No more wasted lives in Iraq.

Heard organizer (head of United for Peace and Justice) talking about the rally on NPR. Commentator asked her why the movement had disappeared - she said it had been under the media radar because they don't cover it - with local orgs all over the US showing moving, holding discussions, going door to door. I can vouch for this community. She said now is the time for a surge in the movement, because the people have spoken and Congress needs to be induced to act, since Bush will do nothing constructive due to popular pressure.

Ahh Karen - you are truly amazing! This certainly puts me back in my place. Thankyou and I've circulated and signed a world-wide petition to end this war.

Your media won't be able to hide this lot from the American people and the world. This is brilliant. Thankyou to everyone involved.

Bush's legacy has a voice of it's own. No one should have to die to try to redeem it.

Posted by: aimzzz at January 26, 2007 08:26 PM

Wheee! At least C-SPAN will be covering the demonstration! I suppose it's too much to wish for Lamestream Media covering it, too.... I'll tune in!

Karen - THANK YOU for being there for us who find it physically impossible to be with you. My heart is with you all. Give Geoff a hug for his good videos on TruthOut, please.

If Teddy Kennedy is around, he needs a hug for his impassioned speech to get a minimum wage law through. I've watched the video twice now. Everything he said is right on the mark!

How many people do you think are there now? How many people are expected?

Messages to pass on (MN, if you get to individual senators or reps, but any of them will do because the message is the same - I'll email them - again - with the same message anyway):

STOP THE ILLEGAL AND UNCONSTITUTIONAL IRAQ WAR

CLOSE GITMO

REPEAL MCA '06

REPEAL THE SO-CALLED PATRIOT ACTS

REPEAL AUMF (it never granted Georgie war powers that belong only to Congress)

IMPEACH BUSH & CHENEY!!!

RESTORE THE CONSTITUTION

RESTORE THE BALANCE OF POWER

RESTORE OUR RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES AND PRIVACY TAKEN AWAY SINCE 2000

INVADING IRAQ WAS A WAR CRIME; THERE IS NO 'VICTORY' TO BE HAD IN THE COMMISSION OF A WAR CRIME - CUT OUR LOSSES AND GET OUT - NOW!

CONGRESS: STOP TALKING AND DO SOMETHING!!! ALL TALK AND NO ACTION MEANS MANY PEOPLE WILL GET KILLED BECAUSE OF LIES FOR OIL.

Congress members MUST learn how to multi-task. They've moved fast enough to give Georgie everything he's ever wanted when he demanded swift up or down votes, and Pelosi's 100 hour agenda was completed in record time. If they can't stop Georgie's unconstitutional and illegal war, they can be voted out of office in '08. We WILL be monitoring how they vote....

See if the Dem majority can figure out a way to fund the troops to come home, have proper equipment, but still cut funding to continue Georgie's illegal and unconstitutional war (which gives our money to Georgie's and Dickie's corporate cronies). Cutting off the funding of the war is how the war in Vietman was stopped years ago; our Congress Critters should be able to do the same again. Some crack congressional researcher should be able to look up the previous de-funding of the Vietnam war and use that as a model. But the illegal and unconstitutional war MUST STOP! MUST! At this point (with my youngest nephew in Afghanistan, due home in March, and I don't want his year tour of duty extended for the sake of his two toddlers), I'm desperate and think the only funding Georgie should be granted is for our guard and reserve troops to be put on the next troop transport planes home immediately and regular military to be redeployed anywhere else. Georgie and Dickie and their corporate cronies have gotten enough of our tax money and put us so deeply in debt it will be many years before we can dig ourselves out of that hole - and much of that money has never been accounted for. Those corporations need some deep Congressional investigations....

Pelosi has failed us because she took impeachment off the table, and she's apparently still in Iraq; I don't know what day she's coming back. She needs the impeachment message loud and clear!!! In lieu of that, Conyers should be able to take his former impeachment amendments and blend them with McKinney's, add whatever more recent illegal and unconstitutional activities Bu$hCo has committed, and re-introduce impeachment proceedings. I've a feeling starting impeachment proceedings is the key to unlocking the secrets we need to know in a transparent democratic republic, because then when it comes to an impeachment trial the Senate will then have subpoena power and Georgie and Dickie can't stall on getting information to them without penalties.

Sorry for repeating myself, I know I've written these things before, so it's now a litany.... If I had any voice left (bad cold, sore throat and bronchitis right now), I'd be screaming those same things repeatedly.

Somewhere, somehow, some way, Congressional members MUST listen to their constituents for a change, and not the corporations who have donated so much money to their campaigns....

Privately Over 70 Senators Would Oppose the Bush Escalation
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012607T.shtml
Top White House officials are scrambling to prevent a showdown over the Iraq War that could tear apart the Republican Party and severely undermine President Bush's plan to increase US troop levels.

{{{So, on this side of the pond there's a war of words to tell DimWit: 'Now shame on you. You started a war you didn't need to and many people have been killed in your illegal war because of your lies for oil and we don't approve of bringing troop levels up to where they were when you talked us into illegally and unconstitutionally invading Iraq.' Meanwhile, on the other side of the pond, more people are dying because the Congress Critters are bickering about how tough to get with their NON-binding resolution language. How stupid is that...? Grrrrr.... They're acting like children fighting over the last piece of candy (or the last of their power). I'd like nothing better than to take a piece of lutefisk that's been soaking in water and slap these children upside the head to knock some sense into them. The stench would last for days, and maybe during those smelly days they'd remember to act like adults....}}}

AP: Military Lied About Soldiers' Deaths
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012607R.shtml
Contrary to public statements by the US military, four US soldiers did not die repelling a sneak attack at the governor's office in the Shiite holy city of Karbala last week. New information obtained by The Associated Press shows they were abducted and found dead or dying as far as 25 miles away.

Privately Over 70 Senators Would Oppose the Bush Escalation?

As Hagel points out, if they insist on being so private, and their constituents don't agree with them, they may need to be out of office next time around. They need to take a stand - he did - for which he should be given credit.

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/01/26/the_senate_antiworker_caucus.php
The Senate Anti-Worker Caucus
Excerpt:
Sen. Wayne Allard, R-Colo., offered an amendment that said “an employer shall not be required to pay an employee a wage that is greater than the minimum wage provided for by the law of the State in which the employee is employed and not less than the minimum wage in effect in that State on January 1, 2007.”

An irate Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said that the Allard amendment, which would leave worker wages to the mercies of individual state legislatures, "would effectively eliminate the minimum wage as we know it." Yet, when the amendment came up for a vote, 28 senators voted in favor of it , including Republican Sens. John McCain, Sam Brownback and Chuck Hagel. McCain and Brownback are 2008 presidential contenders, and Hagel is believed to be weighing a bid.

{{{i.e. the three voted for the Allard amendment (wow, what a piece of garbage!).... Kennedy's bill is expected to be voted on this coming Tuesday. I give Hagel kudos for his anti-war stance, but I can't give him kudos for voting for Allard's trash....}}}

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/01/26/beyond_net_neutrality_internet_freedom.php
Beyond Net Neutrality: Internet Freedom
After winning a major battle over Net neutrality, we need to define the new boundaries.
Excerpt:
It was never possible to win a perfect Net neutrality victory at FCC through a merger condition. But the terms of this deal have reshaped the debate over the future of the Internet. The phone companies’ two most prominent arguments against Net neutrality are now dead. They can no longer argue that Net neutrality cannot be defined—because the FCC just did it. Neither can they argue that Net neutrality, network build-out, low-cost high-speed Internet and a profitable company are mutually exclusive. AT&T’s agreement means that in the new Congress, the debate is not about whether Net neutrality should be the law of the land; it’s about how and when Congress will move to make it so.

Once Net neutrality is back on the books, we can set our sights higher than protecting the free and open network we’ve always had. We can start pushing for the big goal: universal access to a world-class broadband network at affordable prices. We need a national broadband policy, not a series of laws designed to prop up the business models of incumbent telephone and cable companies. We want to make the information superhighway a public good, to bring the transformative spirit of free speech and free markets to every community. The organizers of the SavetheInternet.com Coalition recently unveiled the "Internet Freedom Declaration" to pursue these goals.

This is an uphill fight, but the new Congress has leaders in key positions that favor an expansive, public interest broadband policy. In particular, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., now chairs the House subcommittee with jurisdiction over Internet issues. Judging by his speech at the National Conference for Media Reform in Memphis, Markey has a very progressive agenda in mind. Together with Energy & Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., we can expect to see close scrutiny and oversight of FCC activities. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will have to answer for why his commission has watched the United States tumble down the ranks of the world’s leaders in broadband. He will have to answer for why he has consistently opposed Net neutrality and pushed an agenda that is indistinguishable from AT&T’s wish list.

We'll also look to Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Senator Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, to put in place a national broadband policy with Net neutrality as its cornerstone. Inouye will be supported by Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, who recently re-introduced their Net neutrality bill. Other important issues for the future of the Internet are also being teed up in the Senate. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., has introduced a bill to press the FCC to open up more of the public airwaves for wireless broadband.

{{{Okay, there are the Senator's names. If Net Neutrality concerns you, too... sic 'em!}}}

California Under Water by 2100?
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012607EA.shtml
The seas have been rising for 18,000 years, but the pace has quickened. While any rise is likely to be gradual and could be modest, especially if greenhouse-gas emissions are curtailed, scientists worry that there will be catastrophic surprises, such as huge ice sheets sliding into the oceans.

{{{So much for the value of beach-front property. If I lived in a coastal state, I'd move inland within the next ten to twenty years. I've a hunch that the seas might rise faster than anyone realizes. The Bu$hCo administration likely has a better estimation of a timeline (and has kept it secret), and that may be why no one in government is moving to help Louisiana and other coastal areas in the south (aside from spending most of our money on Georgie's illegal war). It may be anathema to suggest people move away from New Orleans and other coastal cities and don't even try to rebuild, but rising seas are going to have to be taken into consideration sooner or later on every coastline around the world. If Georgie doesn't get us all blown to smithereens with a 'noo-kew-lur war' that he would start if he could (although who he would hire to drill for oil in deserts covered in nuclear waste products is beyond me), the move to keep from drowning in coastal areas is inevitable at this rate. It most certainly doesn't seem like anyone in this country will give up their gas-guzzlers and develop viable alternative energy soon, so we will hasten the coastal flooding if the polar ice caps totally melt....}}}

Global Unemployment at Historic High Despite Growth
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/012607LB.shtml
The number of people unemployed worldwide remained at a historical high in 2006 despite strong global economic growth.
{{{Which reminds me... the OTHER humongous problem we have that few people mention is a population rate that is soaring around the globe. As much as the religious reich will hate the topic, we have to go back to talking about things like Zero Population Growth AND birth control.... If not, we may face world starvation if/when the earth can no longer grow enough food to sustain all of us. I know; I know. Many people in this country are overweight. But think of how they'll feel if there's something like a world drought from global warming and they start to go hungry, and they don't have a clue about how to grow food for themselves....}}}

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/01/26/manipulating_the_oil_reserve.php
Manipulating the Oil Reserve
Here's how Bush and Cheney pay off their friends in Big Oil at your expense.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070126/ap_en_ot/tv_beck_arabs
Arab groups protest Beck's hiring
Three groups are urging ABC News not to keep CNN Headline News personality Glenn Beck on as a "Good Morning America" commentator because they believe he's biased against Arabs.

{I remembered that Beck was a guest a month or two ago on GMA, but I wasn't aware he'd been hired by ABC. Hmmm... I wonder if Mighty Mouse will back down or not? Hiring Beck only means he can spew his xenophobia via the broader medium of TV, just as Rush McLimpDick does ont he radio, which is not good, and moves this country backward some 100 years or more. Beck is the one who verbally attacked Rep Keith Ellison from MN.}

http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/01/012607_health.html
Today's Cartoon: Health Insurance Change

http://news.yahoo.com/comics/uclickcomics/20070126/cx_crwiz_uc/crwiz20070126
Wizard of Id (Oh, the comparison to Georgie is irresistable!)

Kennedy Blasts Republicans on Minimum Wage
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012607S.shtml
Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), angry about Republican filibustering of the minimum wage increase that easily passed the House of Representatives two weeks ago, erupted on the Senate floor, demanding of the other side of the aisle, "When does the greed stop?"

{{{Two articles relating to the minimum wage bill on this one link.}}}

We just finished up a rollicking and far ranging conversation at our house about the current stories. Everyone is feeling pretty determined. A few of us have been talking about taking over some media locales again....

Tomorrow is going to be a long and exciting day. Several of our JK/DU friends will be joining us, as well as the DC crowd. We will try to report in as we can, and we will be taking photos too.

Meanwhile, good night to all and PEACE OUT.

Thanks to everyone making this incredible effort to right the wrongs of the past years. It can't come a moment too soon for a young Australian father of two.

From ......
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/hicks-in-nightmarish-isolation/2007/01/27/1169788735962.html

"The US military had imposed on the men "a regimen of isolation and cruelty unheard of in penal or military law and unknown to civilised people", said Willett, who visited Guantanamo Bay on January 15 to 18."

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002419.php
Leahy to Admin: Explain Arar Stance
Senate Judiciary Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) dressed down Attorney General Alberto Gonzales last week over the case of Maher Arar, the Canadian citizen whom the U.S. seized and sent to Syria where he was tortured.
{Embedded link for audio of Leahy verbally 'dressing down' Godzilla. I've seen it on video, but, oh, I do so love what Leahy said to Godzilla...! I just had to listen to the audio again.}
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/002418.php
Canadian PM to Apologize to Arar
http://www.thenextagenda.ca/story/2006/9/20/1959/82161
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/9/20/01627/5989
{These links all relate to the same story.}

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-scahill25jan25,0,7395303.story
Our mercenaries in Iraq
The president relies on thousands of private soldiers with little oversight, a disturbing example of the military-industrial complex.
~~~~
Now, Blackwater is back in the news, providing a reminder of just how privatized the war has become. On Tuesday, one of the company's helicopters was brought down in one of Baghdad's most violent areas. The men who were killed were providing diplomatic security under Blackwater's $300-million State Department contract, which dates to 2003 and the company's initial no-bid contract to guard administrator L. Paul Bremer III in Iraq. Current U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, who is also protected by Blackwater, said he had gone to the morgue to view the men's bodies, asserting the circumstances of their deaths were unclear because of "the fog of war."

Bush made no mention of the downing of the helicopter during his State of the Union speech. But he did address the very issue that has made the war's privatization a linchpin of his Iraq policy — the need for more troops. The president called on Congress to authorize an increase of about 92,000 active-duty troops over the next five years. He then slipped in a mention of a major initiative that would represent a significant development in the U.S. disaster response/reconstruction/war machine: a Civilian Reserve Corps.

"Such a corps would function much like our military Reserve. It would ease the burden on the armed forces by allowing us to hire civilians with critical skills to serve on missions abroad when America needs them," Bush declared. This is precisely what the administration has already done, largely behind the backs of the American people and with little congressional input, with its revolution in military affairs. Bush and his political allies are using taxpayer dollars to run an outsourcing laboratory. Iraq is its Frankenstein monster.

Already, private contractors constitute the second-largest "force" in Iraq. At last count, there were about 100,000 contractors in Iraq, of which 48,000 work as private soldiers, according to a Government Accountability Office report. These soldiers have operated with almost no oversight or effective legal constraints and are an undeclared expansion of the scope of the occupation. Many of these contractors make up to $1,000 a day, far more than active-duty soldiers. What's more, these forces are politically expedient, as contractor deaths go uncounted in the official toll.

The president's proposed Civilian Reserve Corps was not his idea alone. A privatized version of it was floated two years ago by Erik Prince, the secretive, mega-millionaire, conservative owner of Blackwater USA and a man who for years has served as the Pied Piper of a campaign to repackage mercenaries as legitimate forces. In early 2005, Prince — a major bankroller of the president and his allies — pitched the idea at a military conference of a "contractor brigade" to supplement the official military. "There's consternation in the [Pentagon] about increasing the permanent size of the Army," Prince declared. Officials "want to add 30,000 people, and they talked about costs of anywhere from $3.6 billion to $4 billion to do that. Well, by my math, that comes out to about $135,000 per soldier." He added: "We could do it certainly cheaper."

And Prince is not just a man with an idea; he is a man with his own army. Blackwater began in 1996 with a private military training camp "to fulfill the anticipated demand for government outsourcing." Today, its contacts run from deep inside the military and intelligence agencies to the upper echelons of the White House. It has secured a status as the elite Praetorian Guard for the global war on terror, with the largest private military base in the world, a fleet of 20 aircraft and 20,000 soldiers at the ready.

From Iraq and Afghanistan to the hurricane-ravaged streets of New Orleans to meetings with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger about responding to disasters in California, Blackwater now envisions itself as the FedEx of defense and homeland security operations. Such power in the hands of one company, run by a neo-crusader bankroller of the president, embodies the "military-industrial complex" President Eisenhower warned against in 1961.

Further privatizing the country's war machine — or inventing new back doors for military expansion with fancy names like the Civilian Reserve Corps — will represent a devastating blow to the future of American democracy.

{{{I wondered if anyone else caught that throw-away line about a "Civilian Reserve Corps." I remember mentioning it on the blog the day after the SOTU speech (it was the only sentence part that I actually remembered, so I looked it up to get the exact quote). I see Halliburton's DynCorp and KBR and ties to Chinkster aren't mentioned in this article, however, nor are other mercenary groups.... IMHO, the lack of long lines at recruiting offices after 9/11 warmongering talk told me volumes; I believe most young people caught enough of the few mentions of differing opinions in Lamestream Media in those early days to know something didn't sound right, that the whole basis for the illegal Iraq invasion was a pack of lies.... (I have to believe that; otherwise I have to believe too many are too selfish to care.)}}}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_iraq

Gates: Iraq resolution 'emboldens' enemy

{More on link. Gates most assuredly imbibed way too much kool-aid...! He can't even come up with any original words of his own to say essentially the same thing that Georgie and Dickie and their ilk have been repeating for years and years and years.... He's following the same brainwashing script verbatim (he must have found old speeches by Rummy laying around his office).... Seriously. One would think they could think of new script lines after all these years....}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_go_co/pelosi_in_iraq

Analysis: Pelosi Iraq trip is symbolic
WASHINGTON - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record)'s visit to Iraq is a clear sign the newly empowered Democratic Congress is not going to abide by the notion that foreign policy is the sole province of the White House.

While President Bush met with military leaders in the Oval Office Friday, she and anti-war Rep. Jack Murtha turned up in Baghdad.

The timing of the trip, from the Bush administration's point of view, couldn't have been worse. It came just days after the president asked Congress in his State of the Union address to give his revised Iraq strategy a chance to work.

It also provided for dueling photo ops: Bush at the White House with his commanders and Pelosi and her congressional delegation in the heavily fortified Green Zone with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The lawmakers also visited U.S. troops on what they billed as a fact-finding mission and one to "thank our troops."

While the administration did not take issue with the visit by Pelosi and Murtha, Bush on Friday had a message for congressional opponents who want to stop his plan to increase U.S. troop strength in Iraq. "I'm the decision-maker" on the war effort, he said.

An increasingly assertive Congress is signaling that it, too, wants a part in those decisions.
~~~~~
Pelosi's group was also going to Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to officials in the region. The dates were not announced.

Murtha, D-Pa., who chairs the Appropriations subcommittee for defense, will have a big say in future spending decisions on Iraq. A one-time hawk on military issues, Murtha for more than a year has been one the most outspoken war critics.

A key piece of Bush's new Iraq strategy is increasing reconstruction efforts, with the U.S. pledging an additional $1.2 billion. Also, Bush is expected to send Congress next month a Pentagon request for about $100 billion more for Iraq and Afghanistan.

While Congress has constitutional pursestrings control over war spending, most lawmakers seem hesitant to support a cutoff of funds that might endanger troops now in Iraq.

{"SYMBOLIC?!?" Why 'symbolic?' Because she's a 'widdle woman' whom DimWit deems incapable of meddling in the Dictator-in-Chief's affairs in his headlong rush to world war and a declared dictatorship, complete with martial law...? Or was that particularly dismissive headline dreamt up by a male chauvinst pig? The headline belies the rest of the story.}}}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070127/pl_afp/iraq
Pelosi urges political reconciliation in suprise Iraq visit

{{{Interesting. My take on this article is that Pelosi is urging a military solution for Maliki to rule 'his country' with threatening undertones of 'better not hurt many more Americans.' What about concentrating on rebuilding Iraq? Isn't it Pelosi's husband who is gaining a fine profit off the Iraq war? Or is that Boxer's husband? The husband of one of them is, but I forget which one. Pelosi isn't going to advocate an immediate withdrawal if her family profits from Georgie's war. Is that why she took impeachment 'off the table?' Quid pro quo... "support the troops" means Georgie and his corporate cronies get their money and so does Pelosi, and he gets to be the dictator for two more years for sure? I've always thought Pelosi was just too, too adamant about 'impeachment off the table' and the statement smacks of a backroom deal....}

http://news.yahoo.com/s/bloomberg/20070126/pl_bloomberg/aqsr8rpvtsxk_1
Democrats Seek to Ease Cuba Embargo as Castro's Health Fails

{{{??? I've not formed an opinion about Cuba yet, but I have wondered what would happen at some point when Castro dies. As you read, you'll see money is the motivator (of course). The vultures (shaped like dollar signs) are circling in the air, and so are the lobbyists from below in the sea, like sharks smelling blood.... The names of prominent legislators are sprinkled throughout the article.}}}

http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/01/26/delayed-nie-report-hurts-escalation-cause/
Delayed NIE Report Hurts Escalation Cause
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/01/25/rehm-iraq-nie/
NPR’s Rehm: Delayed Iraq NIE Will Undermine Case For Escalation

{Hmmmmmmmmm..... NIE report is delayed. Aren't there a whole lot of reports that have been promised to various committees through the years but have never been delivered for one excuse or another...? How 'bout trying some of the same tactics as Georgie: Blackmail or outright quid pro quo coercion. The administration MUST turn over the backlog of reports or else: Congress won't pass any legislation funding for Georgie's war... and Congress Critters MUST actually read those past-due reports before they even think of maybe..., possibly..., funding Georgie's illegal war.... IF there's any truth in any of those reports, there should be additional grounds for impeachment, and grounds to deny funding for Georgie's unconstitutional and illegal war.... If the Dems don't do a smackdown over all of this, as well as the NON-binding resolution, then they'll just prove they don't have the interests of their constituents at heart.... And, I'd still like to see some kind of binding legislation that only provides for funds for the trip home for our troops....}

Karen and/or Dick and/or other lovely demonstrators...:

This is a reposting from Jan. 16. If you have contact with any politicians who have been in DC for many years, or who were at least old enough to remember the Nam years, remind them of this please:

http://www.tompaine.com/articles/2007/01/16/how_to_defund_the_escalation.php

How To De-Fund The Escalation

Excerpts:

The Democrats’ real problem appears to be political rather than constitutional: They have convinced themselves that they cannot cut off funds without being accused of failing to keep faith with U.S. troops in Iraq.

But this is a false dilemma. Congress can force Bush’s hand without being vulnerable to the charge of stranding U.S. troops simplyby setting a date beyond which no funds can be used for U.S. military presence in Iraq. As long as the date provides a reasonable time for those troops to be “redeployed” from Iraq, the burden falls on the executive branch to adjust its policy to the congressional requirement by taking them out of the war zone.
~~~~
The McGovern-Hatfield legislative approach to ending the U.S. war in Iraq—setting date for complete withdrawal after which no more funds can be used to carry on the war—is the weapon on the wall for American democracy. The American people are waiting for Congress to use it. And as George McGovern himself observed before the Progressive Caucus last week, if George Bush refused to carry out its provisions, that would clearly constitute an impeachable offense.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070127/ap_on_re_us/abu_ghraib

Abu Ghraib officer to be court-martialed

HAGERSTOWN, Md. - The only U.S. military officer charged with a crime in the Abu Ghraib scandal will be court-martialed on eight charges, including cruelty and maltreatment of prisoners, the Army said Friday.

{More on link. Bush/Cheney and their ilk brought this horror and shame into our lives.}

This is a repost from several days ago. Geoff in the above photo in the thread header is interviewing military personnel in the video online (some still active-duty) who have signed the 'appeal for redress' (link embedded in the article), most have served at least one tour of duty in Iraq.

Active-Duty Military Petition Congress to End War
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/012307B.shtml
Military members opposed to the US involvement in Iraq gathered on January 15 to demand the withdrawal of American troops and prepared to present their appeal to Congress. More than 20 active-duty service members and about 100 supporters appeared at an event for Appeal for Redress, which calls for Congress to end the war. More than 1,000 military members have added their names to the appeal's list.

This is the web site for the appeal for redress from the embedded link in the above article.
http://www.appealforredress.org/

~~~~~~~~~~

I admire these service personnel for recognizing this particular war was based entirely on lies, that lies are not worth dying for (much like Watada). The unjustified invasion of Iraq itself was a war crime under the Nuremberg judgment and under the Geneva Conventions. I applaud the military personnel for being honorable people, for having the courage of their convictions, for following the dictates of the Nuremberg judgment ('I was only following orders' is not a just defense for committing war crimes), and whether they realize it or not, for refusing to participate in the war crimes of the Bush administration. I believe that is ethical and moral and honorable and patriotic. It is a soldier's moral obligation to refuse to follow immoral or illegal orders. The appeal for redress is their right. Following legal and moral orders is also an obligation, but Bush's Iraq war was a war crime from its inception through to the actual invasion.
IMHO (your opinions likely vary and I'll defend to the death your right to hold your own opinions), if we had been attacked by an organized military representing any country on 9/11, then I'd feel differently, that fighting in defense of our country would be a 'justified' reason for war (the last "justified" war we were involved with was WWII; everything after that has not been "justified" - again, IMHO, but then I'm prejudiced because I lost dear friends from high school in that stupid war - relatives served, but luckily they came home alive). Bush's Iraq war based on lies for oil is most certainly NOT a "justified" war. The whole world knows the Iraq invasion was a war crime under both the Nuremberg judgment and the Geneva Conventions. Bush/Chaney and their ilk have brought dishonor to all of us, and death to thousands. So much for his delusional dream of being a 'war president.'

9/11 was a criminal act committed by airline hijackers; the criminals died with their victims, there was no one to prosecute for their crimes. Tragedy, most assuredly. But criminal acts are not a justifiable reason for war (and besides, none were Iraqis; most were from Saudi Arabia, home of the Bin Laden family that the Bush family is so close to!) Anyone who might have been associated with the hijackers or aided them would be a criminal who should be tracked down, proper evidence gathered, a proper trial held in a proper court of law (WITH habeas corpus!). Bush's over-reaction to a criminal act (and many, many lies, and plans for the Iraq invasion made even before the 2000 fiasco of an 'election'!) led to Bush's illegally and unconstitutionally ordering the invasion of Iraq. Starting a war based on lies because of the criminal acts by 19 men is dramatic overkill, to say the very least. Law enforcement personnel from around the world should have gone after any others who might have had any role in planning the hijackings. Starting a war was sheer folly, on top of the fact that it is unconstitutional and illegal and a war crime.

To add insult to injury, Bush opened up a prison camp at the US military base at Guantanamo and is illegally detaining innocent people who have never been charged with any crimes (ten out of hundreds have been charged with anything, and evidence gathered under torture is inadmissable in a fully functioning court of law, habeas corpus intact. I've still never found out for sure which laws apply at US military bases (US military code, yes, but what about US civil laws and how do they apply on base?).... Gitmo can't be a no-man's land with no laws if the US leases that land. Anyone who leases or rents private property is liable for any criminal acts s/he might have perpetrated on that property. Bush sanctioned torture in our names, and that shames us all beyond my ability to express. I may never get over feeling dirty and ashamed that a "leader" of this country actually, horrifically, sanctions torture. No person possessing a conscience would actually condone torture or tell so many lies with a straight face to start a war for ego gratification to best his father, for personal profit and/or the profit of his family or corporate cronies. I can only conclude that Georgie has no conscience.

And now it seems Bush and Cheney are goading Iran into acting foolishly so they can dream up a duplicate scenario of lies to "justify" invading Iran...? I can only hope Amadinidjad (sp?) doesn't fall for their baiting the trap they are setting, and that the American people are on to their series of lies to try to get us to allow their war crimes to escalate to invading yet another country.

If ever any president and vice-president (appointed and questionably 'elected') ever deserved our condemnation and impeachment for their long list of crimes and war crimes, those two and many members of their administration are it. We know Lamestream Media faithfully broadcast their propaganda and lies, so they are partly culpable for the war crimes and for the fact that those criminals are still in office long beyond the time they should have been impeached and tried at The Hague for war crimes. We've had quite enough of brainwashing propaganda! I, for one, am bored senseless with the fearmongering and the warmongering rhetoric.

Pelosi owes us an explanation for why she's saying 'impeachment is off the table' - and so do the reps who agree with her. WE THE PEOPLE are demanding Bush and Cheney be impeached for high crimes and misdemeanors and lies (and we want the rest of that viper's nest evicted from their offices, too). If Congressional members don't realize that by now, after all these years, they haven't been paying attention to their emails and phone calls! What "hold" do Bush/Cheney have over all those Congressional members that keep them in a position of appeasing them?!? We need answers - right now!

Congressional members who are still caving in to blackmail and name-calling by Bush and Cheney owe us many explanations for their bad voting records since 2000 - and they NEED to repeal MCA '06, the so-called Patriot Acts, and the rest of the BS legislation that have given the "leaders" of this country dictatorial power. We NEED our Constitutional rights and privileges and responsibilities back. We NEED the balance of power provided for in the Constitution restored.

Und zo. My heart will be with all of the people in DC this weekend, and with any other demonstrators around this country who are demanding that our duly elected representatives and senators stand up for the people who elected them for a change! (And, yes; we can and would and could vote the unwise ones blindly devoted to Bush/Cheney and the neoCon agenda out of office in '08...! Just make sure we have paper ballots so the voting isn't rigged by e-voting machines so we can have our voting power back!)

If any of you get to talk with legislators, please find out if any of them have a logical reason for their delay in not starting impeachment proceedings - in ten words or less. Vague answers that meander on for twenty minutes and say nothing will not be accepted or tolerated.

Hugs to all of you, and pass on the hugs to the other people there... you represent all of us who can't be there in person....

Posted by: NonnyO at January 26, 2007 10:54 PM

o_O

Front page ageonline.com.au this morning. Well done everyone. You can't be ignored this time.

Thousands join Iraq protest

Jane Fonda addresses protesters as tens of thousands mass to demand that Congress cut off funds for the Iraq war.
Photo: AFP

January 28, 2007 - 10:40AM
Protesters energised by fresh congressional scepticism about the Iraq war demanded a withdrawal of US troops in a demonstration today that drew tens of thousands and brought actress Jane Fonda back to the streets.

Cont ....
http://www.theage.com.au/news/world/thousands-join-iraq-protest/2007/01/28/1169919197781.html

Law school heads push Canberra on detention
Liz Porter
January 28, 2007

The heads of four Victorian university law schools have called for the Federal Government to intervene immediately and have David Hicks brought before a non-military court - or be brought home.

Professor Gordon Walker, head of La Trobe University's law school, said the Government should be running a "habeas corpus" action in the United States on behalf of Hicks.

"They should have done this on day one. What does an Australian passport mean? If you or I were incarcerated by the US Government without charge for five years, we would expect our government to run a habeas corpus action on our behalf."

Cont ......
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/law-school-heads-push-canberra-on-detention/2007/01/27/1169788743212.html

U.S. to Report on Israel Cluster Bombs

Sunday January 28, 2007 3:16 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department has completed a preliminary report on whether Israel misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said Saturday the report will be forwarded to Congress on Monday, but declined to disclose the findings, emphasizing that they are preliminary.

``We take our obligations under the Arms Control Act seriously,'' said Cooper. ``Our forwarding to Congress of a preliminary assessment is an indication of that.

Cont ......
U.S. to Report on Israel Cluster Bombs

Sunday January 28, 2007 3:16 AM

WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department has completed a preliminary report on whether Israel misused American-made cluster bombs in civilian areas of Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said Saturday the report will be forwarded to Congress on Monday, but declined to disclose the findings, emphasizing that they are preliminary.

``We take our obligations under the Arms Control Act seriously,'' said Cooper. ``Our forwarding to Congress of a preliminary assessment is an indication of that.