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Disturbing The War
(Our friend Lori Perdue was arrested on Friday for disrupting Congress. She wrote this explanation/description/analysis of the day and we publish it here in order to have a dialogue about such actions.)
I am, in general, a law-abiding citizen. I pay my taxes. I use my turn signals. I show respect for law enforcement officers, too much sometimes, according to Medea (Benjamin). I am a realistic person and an idealistic soul. The combination makes for an interesting perspective while working on the Hill.
I have been in many, many congressional hearings in the past several months. And yes, I have acted up, spoken up, been moved to stand up in protest, been removed and threatened with arrest.
Lori, after the Code Pink Slip action at the Mayflower Hotel last month
I have confronted legislators in hallways, following press conferences, in their offices, at events and on the streets of D.C. I have lobbied, monitored, and marched into the teeth of opposition. It is true, I have pushed the envelope and been pushed across the line and onto the floors of the House office buildings. That must be expected when one is working with likes of revolutionaries Medea Benjamin and Gael Murphy. I have not, however, been arrested… before Friday, March 23.
Civil disobedience has been something I have supported, and advocated. It is a valuable tool for change in our society, a vital part of Democracy. But I have made a point in many conversations to stress that it would take a very clear issue to motivate me to join the ranks of the activists who so willingly lay their bodies, records and pocketbooks on the line to emphasize a point to their government. Last week, I proudly, but with an overwhelming sadness, added my name to the list of those whose life stories include defying rules and laws to shed light on injustice and express dissent.
Lori, before going into the House chambers, photo: Tyler Westbrook
I spent early Friday morning on the sidewalk between the House office buildings and the Capitol lobbying Members going to and from the Democratic Caucus meeting, stressing that if they buy this war, by funding it, they will own it and will be held responsible for the outcome. I won’t say the effort was wasted, because the experience hardened my resolve. When Members who greeted me on their way to the Caucus meeting wouldn’t look me in the eye upon their return, I understood that our battle for de-funding was facing defeat at the hands of the Democratic leadership. The reality of the betrayal was stark, but not startling.
Move On had ensured that the staunch attitude of “No more money for War” from the Peace Movement contingent was muddled with an invalid poll and millions of dollars applied to pushing Dems to vote for the Supplemental and its millions for programs unrelated to ending the war. The tears started to flow freely when a Democrat finally looked at me, standing on the sidewalk with a poster of an American soldier carrying a dead Iraqi child, and said, “There’s nothing we can do about it. They are going to get their votes. Thank you for trying. Don’t stop.”
After working so hard, for so many weeks, with so many people, to pressure Congressional Democrats to vote “NO” on the Iraq War Supplemental, or for Democrats of principal to support the Lee Amendment that would fund only the safe and orderly withdrawal of troops, I felt I had no choice but to ensure that a voice of dissent was heard in the House.
I entered the Capitol building with Marine Mom Tina Richards, Military Families Speak Out co-founder Nancy Lessin, and two other members of MFSO. I was wearing black, clearly marked with Code Pink – Women for Peace, with stage blood on my hands and face. We waited in line, passed through security, waited inside the Capitol and were finally admitted to the House Gallery. Tina and I were seated in the front row, along the rail, directly behind the Democrats. As Speaker Pelosi addressed Congress Tina produced a photo of her Son, Cloy, bravely held it in front of her face and refused to put it away. She wanted to remind Congress, many of whom had met with her in the previous weeks, that her son could be recalled to active duty and deployed to Iraq, for the third time, if they funded the Supplemental. She was escorted out of the gallery by four plain clothes Capitol Police officers and removed from the building. They did not want to arrest her, told her so, and showed regret at her plight and were kind to her as they ejected her.
As the Speaker wrapped up her address by twisting the Peace Movement’s talking points to her purpose, making it seem as if the interests of American and International Peace Groups were truly being served by the passing of this bill, I felt physically ill. Pelosi was co-opting our truth and besmirching it with her partisan spin. The feeling of betrayal was overwhelming and my heart started to pound with an outrage that rivaled that of the dismay and anger I felt over “Shock and Awe”.
Congress quickly moved for a voice vote on the bill. When the applause faded and legislators moved to cast their electronic votes for the record I recognized that my time had arrived. I quickly stood, held my bloody hands in the air and shouted, “Don’t buy this war.” I was grabbed by the Capitol Officer who had stationed himself next to me, expecting just this type of disturbance, and pulled into the aisle. I continued, “You’re buying it and you own it!” Four more officers surrounded me and lifted me by my elbows up the stairs as I shouted, “Troops Home Now! Troops Home Now! Troops Home Now!” as they carried me from the Gallery. Another Activist, Tighe Barry, picked up the cry from another area in the Gallery as they dragged me out, sustaining the dissent for a few more moments. We were both arrested, searched, cuffed and taken away by police quite efficiently and without violence.
Looking back, I realize that our actions did not change the way the votes fell, but the spirit of true change was recognized in the Capitol. Pelosi and the Blue Dogs got what they wanted legislatively. They got their money, but they also got the message that the cost was much greater than 100 billion dollars. The true cost will be paid in blood and tears. They did not, however, get it quietly, floating their political maneuvering under the radar. Tighe and I made sure they and everyone in the Gallery and maybe those watching at home on C-Span realized that there are those in the public who disagree, that there are Americans that don’t believe that more money for war is supporting the troops. I truly hope that all members of Congress understand that we will continue to mourn and dissent even in the House Chambers, and now in the Senate, until they act responsibly to Bring our Troops Home Now.
Lori Perdue is a native of Indiana, mother of two teenagers, a United States Air Force Veteran and is officially affiliated with Code Pink – Women for Peace, Veterans for Peace and Military Families Speak Out. She has been a full-time Peace Activist for two years.
He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself.
- Thomas Paine
What can I say but Thankyou Lori. And cry.
Thank you to true patriots like Lori. I'm on a road trip with my daughter so she can learn about our country's history & many of its patriots -- the good, the bad, & the ugly.
Bill Maher quoted Mark Twain last week & it seems very a propos:
"Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your country when it deserves it."
And I'm getting it back on the road now
But I'm taking the long way around.
Thanks to all for the kindness re: Julia....
http://www.monkeykrewe.org/julia_oceanchild.html
beautiful evocative writing:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/28/222429/908
And somehow it just fits with Julia's story
gulp.
As I recall Murtha, especially and Pelosi to a lesser extent wanted a stronger bill supplemental with regard to deadlines and benchmarks etc.. The Blue Dog Democrats balked at this proposal, said they had not been consulted by Murtha and refused to go along with the bill - hence the frantic negotiations in the Dem caucus.
Despite all the good efforts of the peace movement, the war is quite popular in many quarters (my city for example - we can't get more than 20 people out to protest war).
The bill which passed the House
Sets A Deadline
Sets Benchmarks
Bush has threatened to veto
Almost ALL Republicans voted against it.
Karen and Lori,
I have to admit, I don't understand why the Representatives didn't pay more attention to the Lee Amendment. The Lee Amendment was a better starting point.
I understand why they feel they can't bring the troops home immediately, but had I been a Repesentative, then I would have included more than Iraq's benchmarks, I would have demanded that Bush and the Generals provide strict guidelines and benchmarks (strategies) for bringing home a specific percent of the troops within specific deadlines. Of course, I would expect and mandate that these strategies be turned over to Congress, much like the Principal in schools view the teacher's lesson plans to make sure they're using them, but I would mandate that they remain TOP SECRET and classified. While I recognise in the days of Republican outing of spies that this is a risky attachment to the Bill, it at least would make it so that the troops don't have to stay there and wait (or die) while waiting for a strategy to be built.
I would mandate that there be a minimum of 3 strategies which could be used or adapted should the Iraqis benchmarks flounder at any time.
Looking forward to reading this in full at lunch time. Got a notification that John Kerry has a diary up at DailyKos about the environment. I'll check that out later too, go bye, say hi, & recommend. Looking forward also to seeing them with their book here in Seattle next Tuesday.
Senator Gives Shoutout to Netroots, Will Answer Questions Online This Afternoon
John Kerry (D, MA) posted this over on dKos this morning at http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/28/222429/908
---------------
A quick note this morning –- I'm chairing a Senate Small Business committee business meeting this morning and running around between votes -- but I'll check back in the afternoon to read and respond.
But before I go -- netroots, we need you to meet the ‘new environmentalists.’
Over the last two years, I thought a lot about the political process – about how to make issues voting issues. It’s been a ‘back to basics’ approach for me. I came into politics as an activist –- Earth Day 1970 and then full time in the movement to end the Vietnam War.
And when I thought of the environment, it hit me that even more dangerous about this administration’s assault on the environment is the assumption on which that assault relies: they think people don’t care. They’ve gotten away with dismissing the environmental movement as “elitist” ... or do-gooder ... “tree-hugging.”
[snip]
No doubt, we in politics must work to solve the problems at 30,000 feet -— with bold new ideas for energy independence—but this movement will only succeed if it’s more about you than us -– if Americans get out there to protect the ground beneath their own two feet.
No doubt the right wing is going to pile on. We’ve seen what they‘ve done to our friend Al Gore, and as an old friend of mine used to say “it is what it is.” But I hope you’ll step in and fight their cynicism. This book isn’t about us.
[snip]
---------------
Okay, fair enough. The man says he wants to hear what we say, and he's offering to read & respond to what we post in that thread. (Well, better make that "those threads" instead -- the piece he penned for dKos is also cross-posted on his own blog here as well.)
Sounds like a reasonable offer to me. Senator gives us a shoutout, asks us for a talkback, promises he'll respond. Okay, that works. Let's run with it.
Goddess knows that the more pols who would be willing to do that sort of thing, the better off this country would be in the long run...
what's your net net,
Otter
DCP'rs will appreciate this JibJab review of the news.
http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm?t=m304&f=06/64&p=Entertainment_JibJab&fg=>1=9195
Posted by: Ralpheh at March 29, 2007 10:10 AM
Don't believe that because people aren't protesting that they support the war. Talk to people.
Most people are darn exhausted and working 2-3 jobs and have no time for family, news, or even something elusive called SLEEP!
Hey, is it just me, or does that Kyle Sampson not look like he could be Karl Rove's baby brother?
Spawn Hall
Kyle... Karl...
Sampson... Duhlieluh
Work with me people...
Posted by: Ralpheh at March 29, 2007 10:10 AM
Don't believe that because people aren't protesting that they support the war. Talk to people.
Most people are darn exhausted and working 2-3 jobs and have no time for family, news, or even something elusive called SLEEP!
Posted by: sparrow at March 29, 2007 11:20 AM
@@@@@@
I still see just as many yellow magnetic ribbons on cars (supporting the war) as I did three and four years ago. I don't see any peace signs on cars.
The military is now actively recruiting in our high school; I see the high school kids doing military drills in the school parking lot; in the newspaper, all the comings and the leavings of local military people are announced with great fanfare in the front section; almost nothing is said about the actual situation in Iraq, certainly nothing bad about the situation; in the Neighbors section of the newspaper it lists high school reunions and military reunions....
EPIDEMIC OF LYING AND COVERING-UP:
1) Gonzales lying to the Senate Committee
2) G.S.A. chief Doan saying she can't remember anything about a power-point presentation given by White House folks three months ago (other than cookies were served at the meeting)
3) Goodling saying she will plead the 5th amendment if called to testify in the U.S. attorney firings case
4) Military saying that there false and deceptive statements in three investigations of Pat Tillman's death...
Is Kyle Sampson Rove's son?
http://www.radrobin.com/?p=64
LOL
Ralpheh
I don't know if it's a change but at work more people asked me if I went to the last protest rally, and more knew about it, and today someone offered me a bumper sticker having to do with Bush countdown. It used to be politically incorrect for people to mention politics and now they seek me out, with less fear. It isn't enough of a change, in my mind, but it's something. Now if we actually had more power ..
Posted by: not my president at March 29, 2007 03:57 PM
Bwahaha! So it's apparently NOT just me.
Paging Boys From Brazil, Boys From Brazil, you have a call holding, Red Courtesy Phone ...
It used to be politically incorrect for people to mention politics and now they seek me out, with less fear. It isn't enough of a change, in my mind, but it's something. Now if we actually had more power ..
Posted by: not my president at March 29, 2007 03:59 PM
@@@@
O.K. perhaps my city is an anomally with regard to the support of the war. We have two National Guard facities, a VA hospital and a military distribution administrative office. (and numerous VFW and American Legion posts)
For more on Disturbing the War:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/video/2007/03/28/VI2007032801891.html
Our Code Pink friends are speaking up again!
And recommend, if you feel like it:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/3/29/173959/657
IRC alert: we have a newcomer in IRC...
someone else want to come say hello?
Posted by: karen at March 29, 2007 06:34 PM
Just got an email from CodePink regarding the WaPo video.
Go CodePink!
Posted by: Ralpheh at March 29, 2007 04:21 PM
You can count me as one of those who don't actively protest, but still support the peace movement.
Being transgender and NOT having had the surgery yet, I will find every arrest to be an adventure - they will insist on jailing me with the guys. So that rules out civil disobedience for me. (If anyone deserves to go to men's jail, it's Mann Coulter, not me.)
And then there is my immediate neighborhood, where the California property tax revolt and the Reagan Revolution started - and where conservatism rules despite (or rather, because of) Asian immigrants.
See Karl Rove breakdance.
http://www.ilovekarlrove.com
Posted by Karen at March 28, 2007 11:50 PM
If Lori doesn't "get" that we (I, for sure) consider her a true heroine, please tell her, and, if necessary, repeat "You are a heroine!" often enough that she understands that with every fiber of her being. Then please give her a big hug from me....
Everyone who does what Lori has done, in person, so the Congress Critters "get it" is a true hero or heroine. Do you, they, understand the true nature of being a hero nowadays, that we who can't physically be there look up to them with honor and respect?
It's just sad that Congress Critters have not heeded the many emails and phone calls they've received from their constituents and that it's necessary for Lori and others to go to Congress, protest in the halls, and even be arrested, to get our message across.
WE know Bu$hCo committed war crimes for which they should have been impeached years ago. Congress Critters who fund them are accomplices. What's not to understand?
This link has two of the videos from the West Bloomfield protest.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9179150216996697479
I wish I were a skilled cartoon animator and I would make Fat Karl dance to this:
I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan
New York and Japan
And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing
I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I do my little turn on the catwalk
(Right Said Fred, the '90s)
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/kyle-sampson-contradicts-gonzales/
Kyle Sampson Contradicts Gonzales
{Olbermann Video}
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/mn-dfl-headquarters-broken-intoagain/
MN DFL Headquarters Broken Into…Again
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/saudi-king-calls-occupation-in-iraq-illegitimate/
Saudi King Calls Occupation In Iraq “Illegitimate”
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/another-document-dump-another-inconsistency-found/
Another Document Dump, Another Inconsistency Found
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/03/29/eschewing-email-and-accountability/
Eschewing email (and accountability)
Long post for me here.
Just had an argument with my father regarding our family business, during which I found something extremely distasteful.
I just found out that my family business is doing briskly ONLY because Americans are being butchered in Afghanistan and Iraq. Basically, W created these wars, poured money into combat operations, and so forth, in order to create maintenance emergencies to be filled by special setasides for small contractors - that's us and three other companies, two of which aren't even small businesses.
I've just been told that if the Dems get their wish and Americans are withdrawn from the butchering fields in Afghanistan and Iraq, the idling soldiers, not contractors, will be doing the maintenance work. In other words, war must go on, and more Americans must get butchered, in order for us to have a business and make a living.
Needless to say, I am submitting my resignation tomorrow. I refuse to be an angel of death.
My father also says the Dems are NOT going to fund the military in ANY form, squandering money on AFDC payments to single black mothers so that they can go buy Cadillacs. When I pointed out that it was a Reagan fantasy, he told me to stop delving into a dead man's brain.
I told him to instead be ashamed of being the most primitive, barbaric race in American society - the Koreans. They brought us Reverend Moon, they brought us primitive fundamentalist Christianity, they brought us honor murder-suicides that are so common here in Los Angeles, and they brought to America untold amounts of racism, sexism, and homophobia. Perhaps when we withdraw from Iraq, we need to send our troops to the Korean Peninsula to teach them a lesson in civilization. Needless to say, as I stated before, I've bought my last Samsung and Hyundai.
I will be in touch with my Senators (not my Congressman, who is a puppet of the Koreans) to again ask for a total ban on further Korean immigration. If banning a specific nationality is not possible, then NO MORE immigration of any nationality, period. The Koreans have done too much damage to the American society and given too much help to the reactionary elements, and if banning EVERYONE is the only way to get them banned, so be it.
And did I mention that the Koreans, led by John Yoo, are responsible for the concept of Unitary Executive, as we know it today in America?
Unforgivable.
Posted by: not my president at March 29, 2007 11:52 PM
And I'm too much of a peacenik for Koreatown.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2007/03/30/notes033007.DTL&nl=fix
Let's All Go To Rehab!
A national detox might be just the thing. Can someone bring coffee? Like, Amy Winehouse?
By Mark Morford
Ally
You've got to get out of there soon! You've kept your head but you can't really stop them from what they're doing but now you know what it is. You have your conscience and your smarts. You can do more from the outside. People who know at least two realms are valuable. Good luck!
From Adam McKay's blog, reported at HuffPo
Re Rove breakdancing, with media tie in:
Now I have to admit I perked up when the story came on. Like a dog barking at the TV when another dog does tricks on America's Most Intriguing Pet Tricks or whatever, I leaned forward a bit. "Bald evil guy dance and and act like he's not white" I'm sure the reptilian part of my brain thought. It was yet another example of how good the corporate Repubs are at manipulating people. You can imagine how the meeting went down...
Bush: We're dying here. Somebody do something or I'll never get to be commissioner of baseball!
Cheney: I think everything's fine. We just have to be patient.
Bush: You listen to me, you half dead meat golem, I don't care if you get Rove to break dance and rap, I want a distraction so I can exercise and nap in peace!
Cheney: Wait! Say that again...
Bush: What?
Cheney: Say what you just said again!
Bush: I already forgot what I said.
Cheney: You said something about Rove rapping...etc. etc.
And there you have it. Let's face it, the reason these criminals get elected and hold office is because they know how to master the spectacle -- the events that hit you in the repro organs, not the brain. I'm talking war, gayness, affairs, crime... This is the ground that Rove, Bush and Cheney walk on. Because if they were telling us what they want to do -- and have done -- using logic, they would never have gotten elected host of a book club. "As President, I will lead us into war because it gives me more centralized power and lets me give huge payouts to corporations that are headed by all my buddies!! Are you with me?" Smash cut to find he's speaking to an empty auditorium with a janitor played by the late Scatman Crothers sweeping up: Mister, you're crazy...
So instead they give us the good stuff. And I'm not just talking about Rove break dancing, though that is definitely an example of "good stuff." They also give us Britney with no panties and missing co-eds in Aruba and visions of ethnic gangs wanting to invade our homes. They give us nerdy liberals who can't make a decision and want to quit and leaders who wear cowboy hats and American Idol. This is really, really good shit.
And if you're asking how Bush and the big money Repubs gave us Britney with no underwear, well just look at who owns all the TV stations: GE, Disney, Viacom. And then watch Fox News when Bush is in the middle of a big scandal and notice how much Anna Nicole Smith coverage there is.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-mckay/patriotic-trash_b_44574.html
Ex-DOJ Official: Bush's Long History of Tilting Justice
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/033007J.shtml
Joseph D. Rich, a former Justice Department official, writes: "The scandal unfolding around the firing of eight US attorneys compels the conclusion that the Bush administration has rewarded loyalty over all else. A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest."
{{{VERY interesting, especially the voting stuff....}}}
The New York Times | Legislating Leadership on Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/033007O.shtml
The New York Times weighs in on Iraq: "This week it was the Senate's turn. Like the House last week and the voters last November, the Senate made clear Tuesday that Americans expect to see the disaster in Iraq brought to an early and responsible end. President Bush's reaction was instantaneous, familiar in its contempt for views that do not follow his in lockstep, and depressing in its lack of contact with reality."
A destructive pattern of partisan political actions at the Justice Department started long before this incident, however, as those of us who worked in its civil rights division can attest."
Posted by: NonnyO at March 30, 2007 09:42 AM
Once again, for the 8 billionth time, is ANYBODY shocked at any of this behavior from the Bushies, across the board, like they didn't either A) see it coming, or B) didn't know it was going on as a matter of policy?
March... Comes in like a lion, goes out like an idiot.
Bush not racing to defend Gonzales
White House says attorney general has to go to Capitol and fix his problem
NBC News and news services
Updated: 24 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - President Bush isn't rushing to the rescue of his old Texas friend, Alberto Gonzales, after the attorney general's one-time lieutenant undercut his old boss' account of the firings of eight federal prosecutors.
Rather than merely signing off on the firings, as Gonzales has repeatedly stated, his former chief of staff says the attorney general was in the middle of things from the beginning.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17868754/
So much for Dubya honoring loyalty... damn, his only remaining "virtue", now gone too.
... and let's hear it for that tight Bush/Saudi relationship...
Saudis on U.S. in Iraq: 'illegitimate foreign occupation'
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- King Abdullah's harsh -- and unexpected -- attack on the U.S. military presence in Iraq could be a Saudi attempt to signal to Washington its anger over the situation in Iraq and build credibility among fellow Arabs.
The White House, in a rare public retort Thursday, rejected the king's characterization of U.S. troops in Iraq as an "illegitimate foreign occupation," saying the United States was not in Iraq illegally.
"The United States and Saudi Arabia have a close and cooperative relationship on a wide range of issues," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said. "And when it comes to the coalition forces being in Iraq, we are there under the U.N. Security Council resolutions and at the invitation of the Iraqi people."
"We disagree with them," Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns told senators. "We were a little surprised to see those remarks."
The king made his remarks Wednesday at the opening session of the two-day Arab summit his country hosted in Riyadh. It was believed to be the first time the king publicly expressed that opinion.
"In beloved Iraq, blood is flowing between brothers, in the shadow of an illegitimate foreign occupation, and abhorrent sectarianism threatens a civil war," said Abdullah, whose country is a U.S. ally that quietly aided the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/29/saudi.criticism.ap/index.html
HOW GEORGE HW BUSH HELPED SADDAM HUSSEIN PREVENT AN IRAQI UPRISING
By Barry Lando, AlterNet
This devastating passage from Barry Lando's book on the history of American and British imperial lies about Iraq exposes the efforts that the first Bush president made to keep Hussein in power after the Gulf War.
http://www.alternet.org/waroniraq/49864/
OLBERMANN: BUSH CITES BLOGGERS TO MAKE CASE FOR IRAQ [VIDEO]
By Evan Derkacz
Gen McCaffrey brings the dire reality home to McCain/Bush...
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/49901/
Once again, for the 8 billionth time, is ANYBODY shocked at any of this behavior from the Bushies, across the board, like they didn't either A) see it coming, or B) didn't know it was going on as a matter of policy?
March... Comes in like a lion, goes out like an idiot.
Posted by: monkey at March 30, 2007 09:51 AM
Nope, people with an IQ above a rock who have kept themselves informed (that does not mean the 29% who still approved of DimWit on the last poll I saw - and I notice polls are no longer cited, so that may even be lower now) are not shocked by anything coming out of this administration.
I'm at a point of dang near yawning every time I hear about a new "scandal" that we could see coming months or years ago, knew about months or years ago (but never made it to Lamestream Media).
Feels like old news to me....
Next?
When will Lamestream Media, polilticians, and people on the street start to openly talk about IMPEACHMENT proceedings, and demonstrating at Pelosi's office to force her to put IMPEACHMENT back on the table?
IF ever the Sunday morning bobble-heads start talking IMPEACHMENT, let me know. I want to see/hear that discussed by politicians, even if it's an eleventh hour IMPEACHMENT brought to the table in 2008 by idiotic Congress Critters who have been urged to IMPEACH the bam dastards all these years....
Gonzales' Fall Guy Fires Back
By MASSIMO CALABRESI/WASHINGTON
As bad as the last couple of weeks of the unfolding U.S. Attorneys firings scandal has been, Thursday's hearing on Capitol Hill made for an even worse day for the Bush administration.
The White House's hope had been that former Justice Department Chief of Staff D. Kyle Sampson would catch all the spears hurled by angry Senators in their investigation. And he caught plenty, admitting to all kinds of mistakes, like not keeping records, poorly preparing colleagues for Congressional testimony and most of all, once suggesting that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald should be included on the list of prosecutors to be fired even as Fitzgerald was investigating Karl Rove and other White House officials in the Valerie Plame leak case. "It was a lapse and I regretted it as soon as I said it," Sampson said.
But in the process of all that spear-catching, Sampson managed to wound the two biggest targets of the Democratic Senators' interest as well: his former boss, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, and Rove himself.
more...
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1604977,00.html?cnn=yes
IF ever the Sunday morning bobble-heads start talking IMPEACHMENT, let me know....
Posted by: NonnyO at March 30, 2007 10:22 AM
Something tells me with the hours you keep, you'll let us know first ;-)
Nonnypalooza
Posted by: monkey at March 30, 2007 10:31 AM
Actually, most of the time I'm sleeping on Sun. mornings when the bobble heads are talking and I catch the (ad-free) online videos on C & L. I'd be willing to set an alarm clock to at least start taping the show if the bobble heads ever started talking about impeachment. Heck, for that I'd force myself to stay awake and listen!
;-)
Posted by: NonnyO at March 30, 2007 10:22 AM
Not just the impeachment, but the LSM are also ignoring a sneaky Free Trade Agreement that we're about to sign with the Korean barbarians.
I oppose that FTA precisely for that reason - because Americans are being kept in the dark about it. This is bigger than CAFTA and the biggest since NAFTA, and I have to dig BBC and other foreign media to find out about this disaster.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/opinion/30fri1.html
Editorial
Story Time in the Senate
Excerpt:
It is no wonder that the White House is trying to stop Congress from questioning Mr. Rove, Harriet Miers, the former White House counsel, and other top officials in public, under oath and with a transcript. The more the administration tries to spin the prosecutor purge, the worse it looks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/30/opinion/30intro.html
Pork Goes to War
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/29/AR2007032901967.html
A Slow Leak in the Senate Judiciary Committee
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Posted by: Ally McRepuke at March 30, 2007 11:48 AM
Americans are being kept in the dark about dang near everything that isn't infotainment snooze....
Posted by: not my president at March 30, 2007 08:51 AM
Now the question is finding a worthy nonprofit that will accept a warmongering death angel barbarian like me.
It'll be difficult.
Ally,
What about Code Pink??
Posted by: karen at March 30, 2007 12:44 PM
Karen, I know Gayle Brandeis of CodePink very well, (and she's only 30 minutes from me), but I am not about to pester her with anything beyond my novel writing stuff.
I'll keep thinking. For logistical reasons, I'd probably have to get my own place first before hooking up with CodePink or other women-only groups.
Thanks though...
My point is that Code Pink has a house here in DC, and they have some needs for expertise. The house is not free, but it is cheap.
Midge Potts is there too. Think about it.
Yeah Ally, Think Hard.
eek eek
Sit In Underway at Pelosi's Office in DC
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/node/20680
By David Swanson
Nancy Pelosi is on her way to Lebanon, but her staff may want to get her on the phone. Or then again, maybe not. There is a sit-in underway in her Capitol Hill office today, Friday, March 30th, with military families and Iraq vets requesting to schedule an appointment to talk to her. They've been asking for four months now for her to agree to meet with gold star and military families, veterans for peace, Iraq vets, and active duty troops. Pelosi proposed a meeting with military mom Tina Richards after a video came out showing Rep. David Obey yelling at her in the hallway, but once the video had made the news in a major way Pelosi apparently decided it was too late to head it off and lost interest in meeting with Richards.
Today Tina Richards is sitting in Pelosi's office, commited to not leaving unless she is arrested. She has never been arrested before. Tina and Lori Perdue just phoned in a report. There are 11 people there at the moment as part of the sit-in. They had 22 earlier, but half left to go recruit more people. They're planning to pack the office by 4 or 5 p.m.They expect it to close around 5 or 6 p.m.
They say that all they're asking for is an appointment for a meeting. Tina's son is a Marine who has struggled to get any sort of health care out of the military. He recently thought he had finally succeeded in that effort, but the military has decided to prosecute him for wearing part of his uniform in a march on the Pentagon, meaning that he faces the loss of medical benefits and possible imprisonment.
Investigations heating up. This one on Niger documents.
http://rawstory.com/news/2007/Democratic_Committee_requests_deposition_from_Secretary_0330.html
** new thread **
I have to add one more comment to this thread, because it is related to it. Yesterday at Daily Kos, the Code Pink video on the WaPo site (link above at 6:34 pm yesterday) brought some of the nastier comments I've seen over there; people were really getting upset with Code Pink and saying that the Dems are doing all they can to end the war.
I can see that (at least for a FEW Dems--others have a long way to go!) but then I go and read items like this one, from Riverbend:
"Let me clear it up for any moron with lingering doubts: It’s worse. It’s over. You lost. You lost the day your tanks rolled into Baghdad to the cheers of your imported, American-trained monkeys. You lost every single family whose home your soldiers violated. You lost every sane, red-blooded Iraqi when the Abu Ghraib pictures came out and verified your atrocities behind prison walls as well as the ones we see in our streets. You lost when you brought murderers, looters, gangsters and militia heads to power and hailed them as Iraq’s first democratic government. You lost when a gruesome execution was dubbed your biggest accomplishment. You lost the respect and reputation you once had. You lost more than 3000 troops. That is what you lost America. I hope the oil, at least, made it worthwhile."
http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
The Rape of Sabrine...
and I know I will support and join in with Code Pink every chance I get.
March 23 Deadline for Condi to turn over (Condi apparently ignored this deadline–see her upcoming date with Waxman below)
March 30 (today!) House and Senate [correction–DOJ wanted joint interviews, but it appears only the House Judiciary is involved at this point] Judiciary Committees begin to interview [in private interviews –so don't look for it on CSPAN] 7 current and former DOJ employees on the USA purge; interviewees include:
Paul McNulty
William Moschella
Michael Elston
William Mercer
David Margolis
Monica "Five for Freedom" Goodling
Michael Battle
March 30 (today!) Deadline for State Department to turn over information on problems with the DynCorp contract to train Iraqi police
April 5 [House Oversight] Deadline for Fred Fielding to turn over information on the gwb43 and other non-governmental email practices (with interviews to occur the week of April 2)
April 5 [House Oversight] Susan Ralston scheduled to give deposition on the White House role in the Jack Abramoff scandal; this will include questions on the gwb43 email server
April 6 [House Oversight] Deadline for Josh Bolten to turn over all paperwork on MZM's contract to install furniture sanitize the mail in OVP
April 7 [House Oversight] Deadline for information related to DOJ interference in tobacco settlement
April 10 [Closed SSCI hearing] CIA detention
April 12 [Closed SSCI hearing] National Security Letters
April 13 [House Oversight] Deadline for Karl Rove to answer questions regarding the PowerPoint targeting Democrats and potential Hatch Act violations
April 17 Soon to be former AG Alberto Gonzales testifies before Senate Judiciary Committee
April 17 [Closed SSCI hearing] Telecom liability act
April 18 [House Oversight] Condi visits (ha!) Waxman's committee to answer questions on the Niger intelligence and all the other things Condi ignored from 16 letters Waxman wrote her before he got his gavel
April 19 [Closed SSCI hearing] FISA Modernization Legislation
May 17 hearing on the Wilson's lawsuit
June 5 Libby's sentencing hearing
http://www.firedoglake.com/2007/03/30/oversight-the-coming-attractions
HAPPY EASTER!!
"I was once asked why I don't participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I'll be there."
-- Mother Theresa