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Honoring Our Veterans & Soldiers
Like many of you, for the past four years, I've been active and vocal in my opposition to the war in Iraq. But holidays honoring our veterans mess me up.
I can't watch a parade of marching veterans without getting choked up. I can't pass by collection cans for veterans without giving a donation. I can't visit a national cemetery or pass by a military monument without thinking of those who died for us. And I can't read the daily news about the dead and wounded from the war in Iraq without getting angry and asking "Why?!".
As the descendant of military veterans from the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War I & II, I was raised to believe it my patriotic and familial duty to honor all veterans & soldiers. Yet, on this Memorial Day weekend, in the midst of an unjust and illegal war, I find it very difficult to celebrate a "Happy Memorial Day." What happiness is there in 3455 American lives lost in the last four years and anywhere from 25,000 to 100,000 soldiers wounded? And for what?!
I want to lose the resentment I feel when I see someone in fatigues or full dress uniform. I want to feel more compassion for the sacrifices they're making to fight a war we have no business being in. I want to be able to offer them my solemn gratitude for making those sacrifices as well as my strong commitment to peace.
Every day -- but especially today -- I want to honor our dead & wounded without honoring war.
A must-read for Memorial Day
By JOSEPH L. GALLOWAY
McClatchy Newspapers
It's that time of year again. Memorial Day weekend is the beginning of summer fun for most Americans, and as I've done before in this space, I want to pause to take note of the real reason there is a Memorial Day.
It's meant to honor and pay our respects to those Americans who've given their lives in service to our nation, who stand in an unbroken line from Lexington's rude bridge to Cemetery Ridge to the Argonne Forest to the beaches of Normandy to the frozen Chosin Reservoir to the Ia Drang Valley to the sands of Kuwait to the streets of Baghdad.
Over the last 12 months, 1,042 soldiers, Marines, sailors and Air Force personnel have given their lives in the terrible duty that is war. Thousands more have come home on stretchers, horribly wounded and facing months or years in military hospitals.
This week, I'm turning my space over to a good friend and former roommate, Army Lt. Col. Robert Bateman, who recently completed a yearlong tour of duty in Iraq and is now back at the Pentagon.
Here's Lt. Col. Bateman's account of a little-known ceremony that fills the halls of the Army corridor of the Pentagon with cheers, applause and many tears every Friday morning. It first appeared on May 17 on the Web-log of media critic and pundit Eric Alterman at the Media Matters for America Web site.
---
"It is 110 yards from the "E" ring to the "A" ring of the Pentagon. This section of the Pentagon is newly renovated; the floors shine, the hallway is broad, and the lighting is bright. At this instant the entire length of the corridor is packed with officers, a few sergeants and some civilians, all crammed tightly three and four deep against the walls. There are thousands here.
"This hallway, more than any other, is the `Army' hallway. The G3 offices line one side, G2 the other, G8 is around the corner. All Army. Moderate conversations flow in a low buzz. Friends who may not have seen each other for a few weeks, or a few years, spot each other, cross the way and renew. Everyone shifts to ensure an open path remains down the center. The air conditioning system was not designed for this press of bodies in this area. The temperature is rising already. Nobody cares.
"10:36 hours: The clapping starts at the E-Ring. That is the outermost of the five rings of the Pentagon and it is closest to the entrance to the building. This clapping is low, sustained, hearty. It is applause with a deep emotion behind it as it moves forward in a wave down the length of the hallway.
"A steady rolling wave of sound it is, moving at the pace of the soldier in the wheelchair who marks the forward edge with his presence. He is the first. He is missing the greater part of one leg, and some of his wounds are still suppurating. By his age I expect that he is a private, or perhaps a private first class.
"Captains, majors, lieutenant colonels and colonels meet his gaze and nod as they applaud, soldier to soldier. Three years ago when I described one of these events, those lining the hallways were somewhat different. The applause a little wilder, perhaps in private guilt for not having shared in the burden ... yet.
"Now almost everyone lining the hallway is, like the man in the wheelchair, also a combat veteran. This steadies the applause, but I think deepens the sentiment. We have all been there now. The soldier's chair is pushed by, I believe, a full colonel.
"Behind him, and stretching the length from Rings E to A, come more of his peers, each private, corporal or sergeant assisted as need be by a field grade officer.
"11:00 hours: Twenty-four minutes of steady applause. My hands hurt, and I laugh to myself at how stupid that sounds in my own head. `My hands hurt.' Christ. Shut up and clap. For twenty-four minutes, soldier after soldier has come down this hallway - 20, 25, 30. Fifty-three legs come with them, and perhaps only 52 hands or arms, but down this hall came 30 solid hearts.
"They pass down this corridor of officers and applause, and then meet for a private lunch, at which they are the guests of honor, hosted by the generals. Some are wheeled along. Some insist upon getting out of their chairs, to march as best they can with their chin held up, down this hallway, through this most unique audience. Some are catching handshakes and smiling like a politician at a Fourth of July parade. More than a couple of them seem amazed and are smiling shyly.
"There are families with them as well: the 18-year-old war-bride pushing her 19-year-old husband's wheelchair and not quite understanding why her husband is so affected by this, the boy she grew up with, now a man, who had never shed a tear is crying; the older immigrant Latino parents who have, perhaps more than their wounded mid-20s son, an appreciation for the emotion given on their son's behalf. No man in that hallway, walking or clapping, is ashamed by the silent tears on more than a few cheeks. An Airborne Ranger wipes his eyes only to better see. A couple of the officers in this crowd have themselves been a part of this parade in the past.
"These are our men, broken in body they may be, but they are our brothers, and we welcome them home. This parade has gone on, every single Friday, all year long, for more than four years."
Thanks, Bob, for this Memorial Day gift.
Thanks madamedefarge for this post and for honoring your family's contribution to our nation.
I understand about the choked up part. There's a lot of it going around today.
In memoriam: Buddy 'Doc' Hughie (for Soonergrunt)
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/25/45345/4649
Section 60 by RenaRF
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/27/121728/147
I Got the News Today: Memorial Day 2007 Edition
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/28/756/13566
I Got the News Today: Memorial Day
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/28/11110/7521
And then there's this from Debra Morgan Pardee at TPMCafe, a Marine's mom who posts there regularly:
WANTED: Reasonable People to Participate
http://www.tpmcafe.com/blog/morgan_pardee/2007/may/18/wanted_reasonable_people_to_participate
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
-- Laurence Binyon
I'm still in Chicago, stopping by for a quick check from the Apple Store.
When I get home and have more time, I will definitely check out the McClatchy Newspapers - madame mentioned it during our meeting and I need to follow up.
Everything that's patriotic and military-related is being corrupted by those in power, and I won't stand for it. I won't stand for the conversion of our military into Crusaders either.
At least I'll be flying home tomorrow with warm, fuzzy feelings. Madame and the Chicago progressive community on the streets (as evidenced by Obama '08 and other stickers here and there)have made my trip a fruitful one.
GOP Rivals Embrace Unproven Iraq-9/11 Tie
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052807A.shtml
In defending the Iraq war, leading Republican presidential contenders are increasingly echoing words and phrases used by President Bush in the run-up to the war, reinforcing the misleading impression that Iraq was responsible for the September 11, 2001 attacks.
{{{Georgie and Dickie still believe this, if sound recent bytes are anything to go by. I've seen sound bytes with neoCon candidates saying essentially the same thing at their "debates." Did no one receive the memo that 9/11 and Iraq are NOT connected in any way whatsoever...??? Even when this stuff was first announced with implied connections clear back in 2001, there were a few seconds here and there that refuted that claim (I was still a regular TV snooze viewer, pre-computer days then), so this information WAS out there, even if not dwelt on or explained fully. But it should have been enough to at least set up doubts in people's minds, not the utter crap and lies that have been endlessly repeated otherwise that people have come to believe as 'truth' - er..., well, Georgie's and Dickie's version of 'truth,' that is, filtered through their delusional minds....}}}
Paul Krugman | Trust and Betrayal
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052807D.shtml
"Future historians will shake their heads over how easily America was misled into war. The warning signs, the indications that we had a rogue administration determined to use 9/11 as an excuse for war, were there, for those willing to see them, right from the beginning - even before Mr. Bush began explicitly pushing for war with Iraq," writes Paul Krugman.
Iraq Intelligence Horror Stories Shouldn't Be Old News
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052807E.shtml
Hearing horror stories about the manipulation of Iraq intelligence is like watching "The Exorcist" again and again: Each time, you see something new and laugh at the parts that used to make your hair go up straight.
George Lakoff and Glenn Smith | The Framers Got It Right: Congress Is the Decider
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052707E.shtml
"Critics of Congress's passage this week of the Iraq supplemental spending bill lament a lack of political courage. But Congress would find it easier to act courageously if the public understood the constitutional stakes. And that public understanding requires correct and persistent framing by Congress itself. What needs to have been framed - indeed what still needs to be framed - is Congress's constitutional responsibility and power to set the course on military missions like Iraq," write George Lakoff and Glenn Smith.
{{{I wonder if sending this to any of our Congress Critters would help jog their memories about their constitutional powers...?}}}
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070528/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush
Bush to visit Arlington today
{{{I wonder if anyone can go to Arlington to do a purification rite after DimWit's feet defile the hallowed ground where real military people are buried...?}}}
I have been skeptical about Memorial Day ever since my father came back and had to have electroshock treatment and become a garbage man instead of a teacher - then brought home a box that one of my dead classmates came home from Vietnam in - it said "Head" at one end.
I spent the day pulling "insurgents" out of my garden, so they won't follow me into the house.
I talked at length with some guys I know here and in Mpls who are Vets for Peace, and with vet relatives who now don't support this war. I support their service in that it's not their fault, just as I support my taxpaying because I have no choice, but what voice do we really have against the military-industrial complex?
Even Reagan was not this insane.
Even the cartoons are affected.
OPUS: shows a bunch of white dandelion seeds arranged in rows to look like thousands of military graves
DOONESBURY: shows list of all 2006 deaths since one year ago, an amazingly long list, and it then says "to be continued next week"
I am not happy reading the top two recommended diaries at Kos that I was alerted to - Cindy Sheehan, Greg Palast. There are over 500 comments each and the diaries are disturbing and so are the comments. There is way too much controversy and I think this war is making everyone crazy.
I agree with this expert on the situation in Iraq:
Even some specialists who take a bleak view of trends in Iraq said they doubted that beginning a phased troop withdrawal would prod the Iraqis to reconcile. “Projecting our hopes onto them does not correspond to anything we know about the way Iraqi politics has worked so far,” said Steven N. Simon, an aide on the National Security Council during the Clinton administration and the author of a paper that advocates a military disengagement from Iraq.
Mr. Simon argued that the upheaval that would follow the departure of American troops would stop short of genocide, since Sunni Arabs would have a haven to return to in the western province of Anbar, the Kurds have northern Iraq, and the factions generally lack heavy weapons. He acknowledged that the violent partition of Baghdad neighborhoods was likely, and that there would be sectarian clashes in other cities, but said that there was little the United States could do to stop it if Iraqis were not prepared to compromise.
“It will get ugly,” he said. “There is no question about it. My argument is that it is unavoidable.”
@@@@@@
BTW: the Shiites would have the South, don't forget ( I think it is called partition...)
Or we could take the easy way out and install another dictator.....
More from the Michael Gordon, NY TIMES article which advocates a "stay in Iraq" policy:
To address the issue, The New York Times interviewed more than 40 Iraqi politicians and citizens and consulted recent surveys of public opinion in Iraq. The views of a broad range of senior military officials, American intelligence experts, politicians and independent analysts who have recently returned from Iraq were also solicited.
The somewhat surprising verdict of most Iraqis was clear. For all their distaste for the American occupation, many of them fear that a pullback any time soon would lead to a violent chain reaction that would jeopardize the fitful attempts at political dialogue and risk the collapse of the Iraqi government.
Senior American commanders in Iraq have a similar assessment. A troop drawdown should not occur until security is improved, military commanders say, and even then it should be gradual and carefully engineered. “There will be a time when we will slowly remove ourselves from the Iraqi forces and allow them to take more and more control,” said Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the commander of ground forces in Iraq, who has privately recommended that elevated troop levels be maintained through early 2008. “But this should be done thoughtfully and methodically when conditions permit.”
@@@@@@@@@@@
Needless to say, "Senior American commanders" are merely echoing the Bushie line on Iraq.
It should also be noted that Gordon is based in Washington D.C.
More from Michael Gordon's opus (btw they are still ending up on page 1)
THE REACH OF WAR; Iraqi Official Takes Case to U.S., But Capitol Skeptics Don't Budge
May 9, 2007, Wednesday
By MICHAEL R. GORDON (NYT); Foreign Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 1, Column 1, 1036 words
DISPLAYING ABSTRACT - Iraqi national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie attends series of closed-door meetings with members of Congress to try to persuade them that American pullout would be catastrophic; meetings with Democratic Rep John P Murtha and Sen Carl Levin appear to lead to no fundamental shifts in their positions, but demonstrate Rubaie's willingness to make case face to face with critics who have disdained similar warnings from Bush administration; White House promises to review assessment in September from top American commander in Iraq in considering whether heightened level of forces in Iraq should be continued as Congress debates whether to impose strict deadlines for political progress as part of bill that would provide more than $100 billion in supplemental financing for Iraq and Afghanistan; Rubaie is trying to demonstrate that Iraqi politicians are up to task of stabilizing country, asserting that Parliament will abbreviate its planned two-month summer recess, and take no more than one week off; American lawmakers have argued that Iraqis cannot expect American troops to risk their lives if Iraqi politicians fail to demonstrate sense of urgency; overall message from Rubaie is less sanguine, but still more optimistic than assessment shared by many lawmakers
(This article from 6 months ago sounds just like the article he wrote this week)
THE STRUGGLE FOR IRAQ: MILITARY ANALYSIS; Get Out Now? Not So Fast, Some Experts Say
November 15, 2006, Wednesday
By MICHAEL R. GORDON (NYT); Foreign Desk
Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 1, Column 3, 1147 words
DISPLAYING ABSTRACT - Military analysis on warnings even by sharp critics of Bush administration that any substantial reduction of US forces in Iraq over next few months would more likely accelerate slide to civil war than stop it; Sen Carl Levin and other Democrats want phased withdrawal to force Iraqi government to assume more respnsibility but some experts and former generals like Anthony Zinni and John Batiste, who joined calls for Sec Donald Rumsfeld's resignation, believe Prime Min Nuri al-Maliki is not able to stop sectarian violence; Levin points out that there is no purely military solution, that Iraqis have to reach political compromise on sharing power and resources
Posted by: Ralpheh at May 28, 2007 08:29 PM
Did they speak with Mohammed al-Dynee?
Or any of the Iraqi women who have been over here?
I thought not...
More on Iraqi oil:
Stop the Theft of Iraq's Oil in DC on June 5th
http://afterdowningstreet.org/node/23015
Iraqi Labor Leaders to Tour United States
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org
WHAT: Demonstration against US contractor paid by the US to help write and promote law in Iraq to put most of Iraq's oil under control of multinational oil corporations
Join Faleh Abood Umara, General Secretary of the Iraq Federation of Oil Worker, and Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein, President of the Iraq Electrical Utility Workers Union, to protest BearingPoint's and the US government's efforts to take control of Iraq's greatest natural resource away from the Iraqi people.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 5, 2007, at 5:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Offices of BearingPoint (80 M St., SE, Washington, D.C. - near Navy Yard Metro) with a march to the U.S. Capitol at 5:30 (3/4 mile)
___________
ADDITIONAL EVENTS IN DC:
Public forum with Iraqi Labor Leaders
Launching of US Tour
Wednesday, June 6, 2007, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. ET
Busboys and Poets Restaurant
2021 14th Street, NW
Washington DC
Public Forum with Iraqi Labor Leaders
Concluding US Tour
MC'd by Ron Pinchback of WPFW
Tuesday, June 26, 2007, 7:00 p.m. ET
Westminster Presbyterian Church
400 Eye (I) Street, SW- Waterfront Metro (Green Line)
PDF Flyer:
http://www.afterdowningstreet.org/sites/afterdowningstreet.org/files/laborflyer.pdf
___________
TOUR DATES:
June 7-10 Los Angeles, Calif.
June 10 San Jose and Santa Cruz, Calif.
June 11 Berkeley, Calif.
June 12 San Francisco, Calif.
June 13-16 Boston, Mass.
June 16-19 New York, N.Y.
June 19-20 Philadelphia, Penn.
June 20-21 Milwaukee, Wisc.
June 21-23 Chicago, Ill.
June 24-27 Washington, D.C.
June 27-28 Atlanta, Ga.
Details here:
http://www.uslaboragainstwar.org/article.php?id=12200
___________
BACKGROUND:
A new oil law in Iraq is set to take control of Iraq's oil out of the hands of its government and give it to international corporations. Since 1972, the Iraqi government has had exclusive control of Iraq's oil wealth, allowing for sizeable increase in the standard of living despite the corruption of Saddam Hussein's
regime. Now, under a new law drafted and promoted by the US, the Iraq National Oil Company will have exclusive control of just 17 of Iraq's 80 known oil fields, leaving two-thirds of known-and all of its as yet undiscovered-reserves open to foreign control.
Foreign companies would have no requirements to invest their earnings in the Iraqi economy, partner with Iraqi companies, hire Iraqi workers or share new technologies. Most of Iraqi's oil would be under foreign control for 20 to 30 years. Foreign companies would not even be subject to Iraqi courts if there were a dispute over their role or operations.
BearingPoint, a Virginia-based contractor, has been paid $240 million by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to draft the law and lobby for it in the Iraqi parliament (in violation of US and Iraqi law). [Do we know if all that was just for drafting the law, or did it cover other services?] The law was first shown to major oil companies and the US government in July of 2006, then to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in September of last year, and only then to the Iraqi Parliament in February of this year.
Five of Iraq's trade union federations, including the oil workers' union, representing hundreds of thousands of workers, released a statement opposing the law and rejecting "the handing of control over oil to foreign companies which would undermine the sovereignty of the state and the dignity of the Iraqi people. " They ask for more time, less pressure and a chance at the democracy they have been promised. They want an opportunity for Iraqi's alone (without outside pressure or interference) to develop the law that will govern development of Iraq's oil resources and industry.
Join two of Iraq's most important union leaders in a protest against BearingPoint and the US government's efforts to take control of their natural resources away from the Iraqi people to enrich already grotesquely wealthy Western oil interests.
The US and other foreign countries should be looking to help the Iraqi people cope with the disaster wrought by the Bush Administration. They should not be exploiting them further. Iraqi oil for the Iraqi people, not for ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, BP and the other oil barons.
Why I Am Leaving the Democratic Party
By Cindy Sheehan
Congratulations Congress, you have bought yourself a few more months of an illegal and immoral bloodbath. And you know you mean to continue it indefinitely so "other presidents" can solve the horrid problem BushCo forced our world into.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article17784.htm
I think Kos site blew a circuit from all the inflamed commentary.
DailyKos is undergoing some maintenance right now.
It'll be back up just as soon as possible.
Thanks for your patience.
Just some momentary downtime. I'm tweaking some mysql settings that I can't do while the server's running. -ct
Why I Am Leaving the Democratic Party
By Cindy Sheehan
@@@@@@@@@@
I have been tempted to do the same - frequently tempted. But I just don't see an alternative party anywhere near capable of beating the Republicans. The Green party does not have a credible party organization, at least not in my state of Michigan.
From what I can see in Michigan there are three groups that are organized on a statewide basis: The Peace and Justice groups - there is a peace group in practically every city of any size in Michigan. Some cities have 2 or more Peace groups . There are in several cities Democracy for America groups - the surviving parts of the Howard Dean campaign from 2004. And then there are various progressive clubs and on-line groups such as the Progressive Dems of America, Move On, Democratic clubs of Michigan (which are separate and independent from the Mich. Dem Party).
If these groups could form an alliance and be a caucus within the old (and failing) Democratic party, basically taking over the party over from within - the Dean people have done this in two counties that I know of - or being a strong voice within the party etc... this would be a wonderful thing...
BTW: Rep. John Conyers is holding an impeachment forum in Detroit tomorrow. Some Dems. are still plugging away (what else can they - and we - do?) at doing the right thing.
UPDATE:
Just in case anyone is interested, the audio link to the Patrick Fitzgerald speech from the previous thread is here:
http://www.amherst.edu/commencement/2007/conversations/index.html
Ralpheh
I have been in the same bind for years - pragmatism vs idealism - it's the system.
I hope you all saw this article this morning. This guy nailed it. He describes the money/power system and how, to some degree, both parties serve unto it. It's a painful reality. I would say General Eisenhower warned us about the military industrial complex and now we are living with the result of being too complacement, and even global warming and war are part of that - interrelated!
Andrew J. Bacevich: I Lost My Son to a War I Oppose
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052807Z.shtml
One other comment:
the fastest growing party: "independent" LOL
(people are leaving the Republican party over Bush's awful reign but they are converting to Democrats...)
Ralpheh
It's the "slow incremental movement back from the right" - it's excruciating. I don't have the patience and it's an awful feeling not to have more influence, being a mere citizen/taxpayer/worker.
Posted by: Ralpheh at May 28, 2007 11:38 PM
Posted by: not my president at May 29, 2007 01:33 AM
I'll never vote for a neoCon, no matter what. The Dems have disappointed me at every turn since 2000. The very, very, very few who occasionally have something to say (for the moment, Kucinich) are rarely heard from. IF Conyers is serious about impeachment this time (a few months ago he sided with Pelosi that impeachment was 'off the table'), he needs to get some publicity. Conyers has blown hot and cold on the subject of impeachment, not kept up a steady drumbeat, so I listen with caution to him now. Kucinich has not wavered from his 2003 stance and the House speech he gave then. I can admire Kucinich for his consistency, if he keeps it up. (My rep originally signed on to Conyers' impeachment, and the last letter I had from him in response to my email shows he's backed off from supporting impeachment, fearful of a "Republican backlash." I've been furious since I got the email.)
Yes, true, Lamestream Media plays its role, and sheeple with no critical thinking skills play their role. Do the 28% actually vote, or do they just spew neoCon talking points and get lots of publicity on the evening snooze while Cons sit around fantasizing that their brainwashing and lying will turn 28% to 82% because of their loudmouth publicity in Lamestream Media?
If a viable third party turned up that favored impeachment and/or signing on to the World Court and getting the current crop of neoCons "leading" this country tried at The Hague for their war crimes (war, torture, prison camps), I'd switch parties. (WHY does a dictator wannabe president have any say-so about whether or not we're signed on to the World Court? Why isn't that a function of a congressional vote...?)
My patience level is gone, just utterly and completely gone, regarding Dems who continue to cave in to the minority and the war criminals "leading" this nation. They have bowed to the minority, kissed butts, given the minority everything they demand (and more!), and catered to corporations to the point that we no longer have a democratic republic.
Our toes are metaphorically hanging over the edge of the abyss into a full-blown dictatorship, and I'm wondering if any Dems have enough backbone to pull us back by simply going back to the clearly worded mandates of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. Dems are in the majority, yet the people we "elected" to represent us, to stop the war, stop the torture, etc., have consistently refused to use their Constitutional powers since they were sworn into office in January to get us back to some semblance of normalcy, which just sets in cement the journey begun with the SCOTUS decision of 2000. Congress Critters are holding us back from impeaching the war criminals - impeachment legislation has passed overwhelmingly in areas that have used Jefferson's handbook to start the proceedings. It's only the Congress Critters who have not listened to the people who elected them, because they continue to talk withdrawal to death and do nothing whatsoever to stop Georgie and Dickie and their evil minions who are hell-bent on stealing Iraq's oil for US oil corporations!!!
Even with demonstrations, only a few large, others small, even if only seen in the background in Congressional hearings some days, plus the emails I know are being sent to Congress Critters, plus knowing what's on reputable blogs (which I would have thought any good campaign manager would be monitoring daily)..., still..., still, there is nothing in Lamestream Media that reflects the extreme discontent of the average Americans in this country who are fed up entirely with the status quo, who want the illegal war ended, who want torture ended, who want our constitutional rights and privileges and responsibilities returned to us, who want the criminals "leading" this country impeached.....
What's wrong with that picture?!?!?
Eight U.S. troops killed in Iraq on Memorial Day
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Eight U.S. troops were killed Monday in an attack in Iraq's Diyala province, a U.S. military official said.
The official said that a Kiowa helicopter was shot down between Baquba and Muqdadiya with small arms, killing the chopper's two pilots.
A quick-reaction force was called in to recover the chopper.
One of the force's vehicles was struck by a roadside bomb, and five more U.S. troops were killed. A second vehicle in the force was hit, killing one soldier.
The number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq during May is 112, making it one of the deadliest months of the war.
The deadliest months for U.S. troops occurred in 2004 -- 137 in November and 135 in April.
Since the start of the war, 3,454 U.S. service members have died. Seven civilian contractors of the Defense Department also have been killed in the war.
more good news@...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/05/29/iraq.main/index.html
For me, the overriding issue in Iraq is simple: how do we get out as quickly as possible while still winning the war of ideas IN AMERICA?
If the images accompanying our withdrawal from Iraq become UGLY - and this is not Vietnam, these images will be televised, they will be on CNN, MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, Al Jazeera, the BBC, and especially FOX - and if the left is perceived as having prematurely forced the President's hand against the best advice of adults who should have done more to keep the nation out of Iraq in the first place, then we will almost certainly lose that war of ideas in America in 2008 and beyond, and likely restore the same crazies to power. If you want to see militarism run amok, just wait.
We don't control a single cable network, our radio network has little reach, and as Howard Dean learned in January 2004, our ranters don't tend to inspire the confidence of even Democratic primary voters. And while the vaunted netroots could knock off Joe Lieberman in a summer primary, it couldn't touch him in a general election.
My goal would not be to merely to get the US out of Iraq, it would be to get the American people on board with the idea that being hegemonic superpower has a real downside, a downside that could cost us dearly in the years to come.
The greatest withdrawal in military history has come to be seen as a moment of deliverance, and is known by a single word - Dunkirk. The soldiers that came home that week lived to fight another day, in another battle, and eventually triumph.
I believe that the left must do everything in its power to insure that the images and symbolism that accompany our eventual withdrawal from Iraq are perceived in the same light as Dunkirk, rather than Vietnam.
Or if disaster upon our withdrawal is inevitable and unavoidable, then at least be sure that the withdrawal is perceived as being fueled by true bipartisan disgust, and an acceptance that everything that could be feasibly done was done. I think Pelosi and Reid understand this - and understand that winning a war of ideas, and governing, requires a very different approach than spitting into the wind, only to have it land back in your face.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/6699781.stm
US anti-war mother ends protest
Cindy Sheehan, the bereaved mother who became a figurehead for the US anti-war movement, is abandoning her fight after growing disenchanted with the campaign.
{{{After what the Dems just did in helping to refinance Georgie's war, I can't say as I blame her....}}}
Military Likely to Redefine Success in Iraq
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052907K.shtml
US military leaders in Iraq are increasingly convinced that most of the broad political goals President Bush laid out early this year in his announcement of a troop build-up will not be met this summer, and are instead seeking ways to redefine success.
{{{Bu$hSpeak: Huh?!? Shouldn't this be 'how to redefine failure' - since "success" was never an option in the commission of a war crime...?}}}
Wolfowitz blames media for resignation
'It tells us more about the media than about the bank,' he says
LONDON - Departing World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz in a radio interview broadcast Monday blamed an overheated atmosphere at the bank and in the media for forcing him to resign.
Wolfowitz, who has announced he will step down June 30, denied suggestions that his decision to leave was influenced by an apparent lack of support from the bank's employees.
"I think it tells us more about the media than about the bank and I'll leave it at that," he told the British Broadcasting Corp. "People were reacting to a whole string of inaccurate statements and by the time we got to anything approximating accuracy the passions were around the bend."
Wolfowitz said that he was pleased the bank's board accepted that he had acted ethically, and in good faith in his handling of a generous compensation package for his girlfriend and bank employee Shaha Riza in 2005.
"I accept the fact that by the time we got around to that, emotions here were so overheated that I don't think I could have accomplished what I wanted to accomplish for the people I really care about," he said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18909383/
The dog made me eat my homework.
Forget Ethics, Remember Politics
The Bush administration’s never-ending push to turn federal agencies into favor-filled partisan clubhouses has just been confirmed in red-handed detail at the General Services Administration, the government’s main housekeeping agency. Investigators found that Lurita Doan, the Bush appointee running the agency, violated the Hatch Act, which forbids federal workers from politicking on the job.
Last January, Ms. Doan summoned her assistants to a campaign strategy session run by Karl Rove’s White House political operation. Tax-paid employees were treated to a PowerPoint briefing and slide show identifying Democrats marked as “2008 House Targets: Top 20.” Witnesses recalled Ms. Doan asking the gathering how they could “help our candidates” with G.S.A. favors.
More of the same old crap at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/opinion/29tue3.html?th&emc=th
Posted by: madame defarge at May 29, 2007 10:13 AM
Dartmouth alumni elect conservatives to trustee board
Frustrated council members say the petition trustees had almost no involvement with Dartmouth before they were elected and simply want to promote their conservative ideology.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/EDUCATION/05/25/dartmouth.trustees.ap/index.html
From Ivy League to Bush League In a Snap
I believe that the left must do everything in its power to insure that the images and symbolism that accompany our eventual withdrawal from Iraq are perceived in the same light as Dunkirk, rather than Vietnam.
Or if disaster upon our withdrawal is inevitable and unavoidable, then at least be sure that the withdrawal is perceived as being fueled by true bipartisan disgust, and an acceptance that everything that could be feasibly done was done. I think Pelosi and Reid understand this - and understand that winning a war of ideas, and governing, requires a very different approach than spitting into the wind, only to have it land back in your face.
@@@@@@
How about giving the truth to the American people for a change? (instead of image control and management):
1) Bush lied to us and got us into a stupid, awful war
2) Having lied their way into a war, the Bushies proceeded to make every possible blunder they could in the execution of the war
3) There is no simple, easy, pretty solution to the Iraq mess; WE HAVE TO THINK in terms of worst case scenarios in Iraq, not rosy scenarios. There won't be a "democracy" in Iraq; it won't be pro-Israel and pro-American; there will be violence; the country may break apart etc...
Can the American people deal with the cold, hard facts like adults? or do we have to tell them fairy-tales?
The latest Orwellian trick by Mr. Fabulous is to claim that most Americans support his plan for Iraq and only a "handful" of dissenters exist.
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003306.php
Posted by: not my president at May 29, 2007 11:07 AM
That's called "Rovian Math".
http://www.americanprogress.org/cartoons/2007/05/052907_menstruation.html
The mainstream media is starting to report what Cindy Sheehan said on DailyKos. That means things are getting out publicly (attributed to her) that people don't normally say, such as that America is becoming a "fasist corporate wasteland." She also mentions the "egos" in the movement. Too bad she had to be kind of a martyr for "all this," but alot of what she says I, for one, basically agree with. Hope she is/becomes more at peace. She deserves it. When I have travelled, she is known and respected in other countries more than she seems to have been here. I'm sure people like Nelson Mandela were too.
Dare we get our hopes up again??
http://www.speaker.gov/
Speaker Pelosi says that the Authorization of Force will be rescinded by the Congress in her speech after the Great Cave-in. I do not know the details of this move by the Dems or what the practical effect will be or even if it will be successful.... etc...
World's first creationist museum opens in Kentucky
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2090664,00.html
They have dinosaurs but everything coexisted at once, 5000 or less years ago. Since there is no evolution, there can be no mutations and theoretically, the dinosaurs should still be walking around. Or maybe it's just that things go in cycles, like there isn't global warming either. If there isn't evolution, then there aren't mutations, so how to we explain inbreeding? Boggles my mind.
LC Johnson defends Valerie Plame once again against right-wing liars.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/29/113527/983
Robert C. Koehler | Dancing With Fear
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052907E.shtml
Robert C. Koehler writes: "I knew there was a war on against cancer and, oh yeah, drugs,
illiteracy, poverty, crime and, of course, terror, and that many arenas - sports, religion, business and politics, to name a few - are often portrayed as war without the body bags. But I was still surprised to read recently in The New
York Times that we've opened up a fat front."
Tom Engelhardt | The Colossus of Baghdad
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052907F.shtml
Tom Engelhardt considers the new American embassy being built in Baghdad and writes: "As an outpost, this vast compound reeks of one thing: imperial impunity. It was never meant to be an embassy from a democracy that had
liberated an oppressed land. From the first thought, the first sketch, it was to be the sort of imperial control-center suitable for the planet's sole 'hyperpower,' dropped into the middle of the oil heartlands of the globe. It was to be Washington's dream and Kansas City's idea of a palace fit for an embattled American proconsul - or a khan."
Maureen Dowd | Bush's Fleurs du Mal
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/052907H.shtml
Maureen Dowd writes: "Now the Bushadministration finds itself at that same hour of shame. It knows the surge is not working. Iraq is in a civil war, with a gruesome bonus of terrorists mixed in. April was the worst month this year for the American military with 104 soldiers killed, and there have been about 90 killed thus far in May. The democracy's not jelling, as Iraqi lawmakers get ready to slouch off for a two-month vacation, leaving our kids to be blown up."
Posted by: Matthew Carnicelli at May 29, 2007 09:09 AM
Very well said, and I agree - as much as I would like to see us be able to withdraw and come home today.
I still have faith in several Dems, and I think they are astute enough to see the picture down the road.....they have to think many moves ahead, as the neoCons certainly have.
I just heard that a friend's son has just been called for his third tour of duty in Iraq.
Posted by: karen at May 28, 2007 08:54 PM
Reading that just made me sick to my stomach. The MSM was reporting last week that billions of gallons of oil have gone missing and unaccounted for in Iraq.
What does anyone know about Libertarians? Pros and cons?
(Yes, I come here to learn.)
Posted by: not my president at May 29, 2007 02:13 PM
Sorry, in equal disbelief, I gotta post this snip....
Lawrence Krauss, an author and physicist at Cleveland's Case Western Reserve University, decided to view the museum first-hand.
"It's really impressive, and it really gives the impression that they're talking about science at some point," said Mr Krauss.
Awarding marks out of five, "I'd give it a four for technology, five for propaganda. As for content, I'd give it a negative five," he said.
The museum features hi-tech exhibits designed by former theme-park artist Patrick Marsh, including animatronic dinosaurs and a wooden ark at least two stories tall, plus a special effects theatre and planetarium.
Some exhibits show dinosaurs aboard Noah's ark and assert that all animals were vegetarians until Adam committed the first sin in the garden of Eden.
When Mr Marsh was asked to explain the existence of fossilised remains of man's ancestors, he replied: "There are no such things.
"Humans are basically as you see them today. Those skeletons they've found, what's the word? They could have been deformed, diseased or something.
"I've seen people like that running round the streets of New York."
Construction of the complex began with a prayer meeting for workers, all of whom signed a contract saying they agreed with creationism.
Ken Ham, the museum's Australian director, is equally defiant.
He revealed he had "skipped through" a copy of Richard Dawkins' latest book, but he said: "The thing is, Dawkins does not have infinite knowledge or understanding himself.
"He's got a position, too, it's just a different one from ours. The Bible makes sense and is overwhelmingly confirmed by observable science. It does not confirm the belief in evolution."
WOW! Got monkey?
The MSM was reporting last week that billions of gallons of oil have gone missing and unaccounted for in Iraq.
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at May 29, 2007 02:46 PM
Wow, that's like so totally NOT shocking. Two so-called oil-men at the helm of a runaway governemnt, that has invaded an oil rich nation, while oil companies in this country continue to grim reap corporate profits never before seen in American history, while arguing that prices are up because there are less refineries et al.... it's criminal collusion peeps, and we're takin it in the tailpipe while they laugh all the way to Hell.
Where on God's (formerly) green Earth do you suppose all that unaccounted plunder went to. Oh where... oh where???
Pray/Tell
Programs! Get Yer Pre-Crony Programs here!!!!...
Bush’s selection must be approved by the World Bank’s board.
Former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who was Bush’s former trade chief, has emerged as a top candidate for the post. He is now an executive at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs. When he was the U.S. trade representative, Zoellick, who has strong contacts around the globe, played a key role in negotiations to bring China and Taiwan into the World Trade Organization.
Another candidate getting a close look is Robert Kimmitt, the No. 2 official at the Treasury Department. He has served as senior international counsel in the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, and was an executive vice president for global public policy at Time Warner Inc. He was ambassador to Germany from 1991 to 1993, when Bush’s father was president, and speaks fluent German.
Other names mentioned for the post include Stanley Fischer, who once worked at the International Monetary Fund and is now with the Bank of Israel; and former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker.
Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist — whose name also had been floated — has told administration officials he did not want to be considered for the top job at the bank, citing his desire to take a break from government work. Frist, a Tennessee Republican, served two terms in the U.S. Senate, where he was a close ally to President Bush.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18920097/from/RS.2/
Posted by: monkey at May 29, 2007 03:00 PM
I know. I was talking with my father last night about it all, and he sounded depressed and resigned. He's 90, still sharp as a tack, but it is hard for him even at his age to know that he will be leaving this world in such condition. He is also very aware that even as a WWII vet there is nothing he can do about it now. It really disturbs him and makes him VERY angry about who will be NOT laughing in hell. He said so last night.
You know I live in a supposedly very red area. Everyone I know except the few holdouts are disgusted with our leadership. I have to tell you a funny story though.
A gal I work with has a husband who has Rush Limbaugh on every day, and he watches the 700 club every day on schedule, and they have all the red bumperstickers on their vehicle. I was very cautious about talking about anything political around her until one day I had just had it with the corruption and greed and I mentioned a bit of it to her.
She is a CLOSET Democrat!!!! Cracked me up.
I asked her one day where she thought all that oil and money went. Her answer? "To a Swiss bank account."
(We did NOT discuss this at work, ahem.)
Posted by: Ralpheh at May 29, 2007 01:32 PM
Hillary has also recommended that the AUMF be repealed. I saw a sound byte (think on PBS???) a few weeks ago where she recommended that.
Hope? Hmmm... Looks like a four-letter word to me nowadays. I've given up on the emotion. I'm not sure my personal lexicon still has the word in it any longer. Certain words have been purged, such as 'trust.'
IF - IF- IF anything is accomplished by the current crop of Congress Critters who talk much and DO nothing (except give Georgie whatever the hell he wants) while our kids die for lies and oil in Iraq, and people get tortured and are held for no reason whatsoever in Gitmo and elsewhere, I'll believe it if/when it's actually accomplished..., but not one single second before that.
Since that awful rushed SCOTUS decision of 2000, I notice Georgie and Dickie get everything they want in record time on up-or-down votes rushed through Congress, little or no debate, and that's resulted in our rights and privileges and responsibilities taken away from us, and Congress has abdicated their responsibility as the third branch of our government. There are no more checks and balances, as near as I can tell.
Too bad when things matter most that Congress Critters can't act as fast....
Romney pledges salary to charity if elected president
DOVER, New Hampshire (AP) -- Republican Mitt Romney, conceding that his business career helped him make more money than he expected, said Tuesday he would likely give his presidential salary -- and more -- to charity.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/29/romney.wealth.ap/index.html
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.
Posted by: monkey at May 29, 2007 04:41 PM
So how does this work... We pay taxes to pay his salary. He donates his salary to charity & takes the tax deduction on OUR money.
If he's elected, we get screwed...in more ways than one.
What does anyone know about Libertarians? Pros and cons?
(Yes, I come here to learn.)
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at May 29, 2007 02:48 PM
"Libertarians" (the real name is NEOLIBERALS, as they are known in the rest of the world) claim to be for less government intrusion both on economic and social/personal matters.
The so-called libertarians I've actually seen are closet Republicans - they are rabidly anti-choice, for example, and support overturning Roe v. Wade.
Posted by: monkey at May 29, 2007 04:41 PM
I'd presume religious charities. I am not liking the sound of this...
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at May 29, 2007 03:16 PM
Something similar happened while I was in Chicago.
I was waiting to go up the John Hancock tower, and waiting with me was an old woman from San Diego - a very red part of California (as I know so well).
We started talking (along with a Romanian exchange student), and since we were in a skyscraper, the topic switched to the WTC in NYC - and their destruction on 9/11.
The San Diego woman became very livid at that point, because she was utterly fed up with W's wasting of resources on the Iraq war, which really has nothing to do with 9/11.
We had a very good chat during the wait, and once on top of the tower. Was glad to see someone who knew the facts - from my bleeding red portion of my state.
Bush's Monica Problem
-snip-
Goodling's testimony last week was a soft sell. She did not seem like a cold-blooded commissar. On her Regent Law School Web site (class of '99), she comes across as sweetly naive, hoping to make the world "a better place" and urging everyone to "smile." Under oath (and given immunity from prosecution), she seemed shy and a little overwhelmed, more Rosemary Woods than Madame Defarge, although she never got rattled or resorted to histrionics. Wringing her hands beneath the witness table, she acknowledged that she may have improperly used political considerations to choose career prosecutors. "I crossed the line," she said, taking a deep breath, a Christian girl who succumbed to temptation. Carefully prepared by a shrewd lawyer, John Dowd, she suggested, almost in passing, that Gonzales may have crossed another line by discussing with her his account of how the U.S. attorneys were fired. The implication was that Gonzales had been subtly trying to coach her testimony. "I just thought maybe we shouldn't have that conversation," she said.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18881810/site/newsweek/page/2/
Madame!
Posted by: monkey at May 29, 2007 05:27 PM
Damn. There goes my reputation.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at May 29, 2007 05:18 PM
Glad you made it home safely & enjoyed this great city. ;-)
Re Libertarisns - my son says "They are people who like to smoke pot but hate poor people."
tsp
From Wikipedia - I agree that there are quite a range - you can be Libertarian-leaning whether left or right, depending on what areas you think the government should not be involved in
Libertarianism is a political philosophy maintaining that all persons are the absolute owners of their own lives, and should be free to do whatever they wish with their persons or property, provided they allow others the same liberty and avoid abusing their liberty. Broadly speaking, there are two types of libertarians: consequentialists and rights theorists.[1] Rights theorists hold that it is morally imperative that all human interaction, including government interaction with private individuals, should be voluntary and consentual. They maintain that the initiation of force by any person or government, against another person or their property — with "force" meaning the use of physical force, the threat of it, or the commission of fraud against someone — who has not initiated physical force, threat, or fraud, is a violation of that principle. This form of libertarianism is associated with Objectivists, as well as with individualist anarchists who believe opposition to the State (i.e, government in general) is consistent with this principle.
Consequentialist libertarians do not have a moral prohibition against "initiation of force," but believe that allowing a very large scope of political and economic liberty results in the maximum well-being or efficiency for a society - even if protecting this liberty involves some initiation of force by government. However, such governmental actions are limited in the free society consequentialists envision. This type of libertarianism is associated with Milton Friedman, Ludwig von Mises, and Friedrich Hayek. Some writers who have been called libertarians have also been referred to as classical liberals, by others or themselves. Also, some use the phrase "the freedom philosophy" to refer to libertarianism, classical liberalism, or both.
Libertarians generally do not oppose force used in response to initiatory aggressions such as violence, fraud or trespassing. Libertarians favor an ethic of self-responsibility and strongly oppose conscription and the welfare state, because they believe coercing someone to provide charity and military service is ethically wrong, ultimately counter-productive, or both. Apart from some very basic principles favoring personal freedom and free markets, there is not a canon of "official" libertarian beliefs. Libertarians may disagree with other libertarians over specific issues.
Polls show that 10 to 20 percent of voting-age Americans are libertarian
Posted by: monkey at May 29, 2007 05:27 PM
When I first heard of Goodling and her dilemma I read also that she was a Christian. I remember posting here that day that she probably didn't want to lie, thus the pleading of the fifth.
And for me, that is one of the biggest parts of this whole mess that has always galled me.
Using sincere naive people toward political ends for power and greed.
I have to deal with it every day. I was talking to someone earlier today and I said that talking to the peeps that close their ears to anything they don't hear on Faux Snooze is frustrating. I have explained things to them, sent them emails, told them facts and where to find them, and if I step away from them for a couple of weeks Faux Snooze has them back at square one the next time I see them. I finally told them "My responsibility was to tell you. It's on your head and hands what you do with it." Sometimes they have tried to goad me into a "peeing" match, but I don't bite the bait.
NMP posted once that 98% of the people who watch Faux Snooze vote Republican. So this leads us back to a very good point Matthew Carnicelli has made several times. It is a media problem that is huge, and it is piped into homes every day. That means all the rural people get is propaganda from Faux Snooze and Rove found a way to infiltrate the churches, so they hear it reinforced when they go to church, and in these tiny towns (whose added votes can overtake metropolitan votes in numbers) that is about all there is to do - tv, church, or the bar.
Instead of the love Christ taught about being shared, the followers of His teachings are being used and abused and propagandized into spewing narrow minded words and thoughts, then voting them.
That's why I think we need to have some faith and patience with the process in Washington at this time.
Those folks are playing chess with the devil himself. And, if you don't believe in the devil, you still have to know that it is very evil.
And, it's not just the "fundies". It's the Catholics, Mormans, and any and every country or small town person whether they go to church or not.
IT'S THE MEDIA, and it CAN and DOES drown out grassroots movements.
Posted by: not my president at May 29, 2007 05:58 PM
Thanks NMP.
Ally, glad you had a good time and made it home safe. Glad to hear you had a good conversation with someone from red southern California. I think alot of people know the truth but feel powerless to do anything about it.
Posted by: Ralpheh at May 29, 2007 01:32 PM
Hillary has also recommended that the AUMF be repealed. I saw a sound byte (think on PBS???) a few weeks ago where she recommended that.
Hope? Hmmm... Looks like a four-letter word to me nowadays. I've given up on the emotion. I'm not sure my personal lexicon still has the word in it any longer. Certain words have been purged, such as 'trust.'
IF - IF- IF anything is accomplished by the current crop of Congress Critters who talk much and DO nothing (except
@@@@@@@
I don't know what to believe from the Dems anymore..... Today, I called my Senator, Carl Levin, who has been pushing a timeline/phased withdrawal and benchmarks for months now (and he came up completely dry with the supplemental bill that passed).
I asked Levin's Washington office, in complete frustration and bewilderment, "What's next? What is the game plan.. the exit strategy? etc...." The young woman listened (sometimes they don't even want to listen, they just want to get rid of your call - this is mostly with the Republicans although onetime I did get into a surprising expansive conversation with a staffer for rightwinger Rep. Walberg - to my amazement)
This person in Levin staff said that there will be - in a few weeks - a new military appropriations bill. She said that Levin would offer an amendment to the bill calling for a timetable. I was doubtful - I asked what if Bush threatens a veto of this new appropriation? How will this amendment and bill have any better chance of passing than this last supplemental?
I asked if Levin's amendment was written down on his website - she said "not yet".
I am not sure what to believe - Sen. Levin has been much stronger in his opposition to the war than my other Dem Senator Stabenow who seems just to be taking a back seat to everything....
Am hoping to see Congressman McDermott tomorrow night and ask him what the hell is going on
Posted by: Truth Shall Prevail at May 29, 2007 06:31 PM
Great post.
WASHINGTON - Robert Zoellick, a nimble negotiator who has crisscrossed the globe as President Bush’s trade chief and as the country’s No. 2 diplomat, is the White House’s choice to be the next World Bank president.
Bush will announce the decision on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official.
Zoellick, 53, a seasoned veteran of politics both inside the Beltway and on the international stage, has a knack for mastering intricate subject matter and translating it into policies. He is known for pulling facts and figures off the top of his head. He also has a reputation for being a demanding boss.
-snip-
Bush’s selection of Zoellick must be approved by the World Bank’s 24-member board.
The White House expects Zoellick to gain the board’s acceptance. The senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in advance of Bush’s announcement, said so far other nations have had a positive reaction.
Zoellick announced last June that he was leaving his post as deputy secretary of state to join a Wall Street firm and work to develop investment markets around the world.
At the time, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Zoellick had served as her “alter ego” in the department. He was widely believed to be have been interested in getting a promotion and becoming Treasury Secretary. But that job went to Goldman Sachs chief Henry Paulson.
If ultimately approved as World Bank chief, Zoellick will need to regain trust, rebuild credibility and mend frayed relations inside the institution as well as with its member countries around the world.
All of those things are critical for the bank’s new leader, who will have to persuade countries to contribute close to $30 billion over the next few years to fund a centerpiece bank program that provides interest-free loans to the poorest countries.
Zoellick has built strong contacts around the globe over the years.
He is now an executive at Wall Street giant Goldman Sachs. As Bush’s deputy secretary of state he focused on a range of diplomatic duties from the Sudan peace talks to strategic discussions with China.
Before that, as U.S. Trade Representative, Zoellick played a key role in negotiations to bring China into the World Trade Organization. He forged free trade deals between the United States and other countries, including Singapore, Chile, Austrailia and Morocco. And, he had helped to launch global trade talks in Doha, Qatar.
Under Bush’s father’s administration, Zoellick worked closely with then-Secretary of State James Baker on policies pertaining to the end of the Cold War. He also had worked on negotiations on German unification.
During a visit in 2005 to a Chinese panda preserve, the severe, often demanding Zoellick was photographed nuzzling a panda cub and looking delighted.
Rice said she had given Zoellick tough assignments that required him to travel often and fill in for her in Washington, “and occasionally even hug a panda.” The photo was printed around the world.
moron...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18920097/
Man, this guy is John Boltons Mini-Me
So how does this work... We pay taxes to pay his salary. He donates his salary to charity & takes the tax deduction on OUR money.
If he's elected, we get screwed...in more ways than one.
Posted by: madame defarge at May 29, 2007 04:57 PM
Ahh, but he can tell himself that he's not working for the people - they just donate the value of his salary each week/month to charity. And therefore, why should he listen to what they want at any time during his reign/dictatorship?
An excellent interview.
Antony Beevor discusses parallels between past and current wars
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 30/05/2007
Reporter: Kerry O'Brien
Antony Beevor, one of the most respected military historians in the world, will deliver a lecture to the Australian Defence Force Academy on Monday in which he describes the Iraq invasion as perhaps the biggest disaster of modern warfare. Beevor, whose award-winning books on the battles for Stalingrad and Berlin have sold nearly 2.5 million copies worldwide, draws on historical parallels with Iraq, where he says bad decisions were made after intelligence was manipulated to feed an ideological bias. Antony Beevor is in Australia for the Sydney Writers Festival and speaks with Kerry O'Brien.
Available at:
http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2007/s1938211.htm
The Missing Terrorist
The Bush administration once proudly trumpeted its capture of terrorist leader Ibn al-Shakyh al-Libi—a key source for the assertion that Iraq helped train Al Qaeda in biochem weapons. His story has since been discredited. Where is he now?
By Michael Isikoff
Newsweek
May 29, 2007 - A group of House members is pressing the White House to provide answers for the first time to one of the biggest mysteries of the debate over pre-Iraq War intelligence: what really happened to captured terrorist leader Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi—once considered one of the U.S. military’s most prized catches in the war on terror?
Al-Libi, who ran one of Al Qaeda’s biggest training camps, was the principle source for former secretary of State Colin Powell’s claim to the U.N. Security Council that Saddam Hussein’s regime had helped train Al Qaeda in chemical and biological weapons. But as first reported by NEWSWEEK three years ago, al-Libi later recanted his story about Iraqi weapons training, forcing the CIA to withdraw all its reporting based on his assertions.
A newly updated edition of the book, “Hubris: The Inside Story of Spin, Scandal and the Selling of the Iraq War”—co-written by the author of this article and David Corn and published this week in paperback—quotes from declassified CIA operational cables that suggest that al-Libi had been brutally tortured by the Egyptian intelligence service and coerced into making his claims about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction training for Al Qaeda.
The cables indicate that al-Libi told agency debriefers in February 2004 that he “fabricated” his story about the weapons training only after his Egyptian interrogators crammed him into a tiny box for 17 hours. His account appears to be the first public description of a controversial “aggressive” interrogation technique called a “mock burial,” in which interrogators make their subjects believe they are being buried alive in a bid to elicit information.
In a May 24 letter to President Bush, the House members pushed for answers. “We are deeply concerned that an important facet of your administration’s case that Saddam posed an imminent threat to the United States, which has been demonstrated as false, rested upon information extracted through torture by a foreign intelligence service,” wrote Democratic Reps. Ed Markey and William Delahunt of Massachusetts and Jerrold Nadler of New York. Markey is sponsor of a bill to halt the CIA’s practice of “rendering” suspects to foreign countries for interrogation; Delahunt is chairman of a House Foreign Affairs Oversight subcommittee that is investigating the rendition issue.
read on...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18924256/site/newsweek/
If ya can't beat em, beat em.
American al-Qaida member threatens U.S.
New videotape calls for U.S. to leave Muslim lands or face another attack
Updated: 39 minutes ago
CAIRO, Egypt (AP)- An American member of al-Qaida warned President Bush on Tuesday to end U.S. involvement in all Muslim lands or face an attack worse than the Sept. 11 suicide assault, according to a new videotape.
Wearing a white robe and a turban, Adam Yehiye Gadahn, who also goes by the name Azzam al-Amriki, said al-Qaida would not negotiate on its demands.
“Your failure to heed our demands ... means that you and your people will ... experience things which will make you forget all about the horrors of September 11th, Afghanistan and Iraq and Virginia Tech,” he said in the seven-minute video.
Gadahn, who has been charged in a U.S. treason indictment with aiding al-Qaida, spoke in English and the video carried Arabic subtitles. The video appeared on a Web site often used by Islamic militants and carried the logo of al-Qaida’s media wing, as-Sahab.
Gadahn, who appeared in an al-Qaida video last September in which he called on Americans to convert to Islam, demanded that Bush remove all U.S. military and spies from Islamic countries, free all Muslims from U.S. prisons and end support for Israel. He said a withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq alone would not satisfy al-Qaida.
Ben Venzke at IntelCenter, a U.S. government contractor that monitors al-Qaida messages, said the group likely did not believe any of its demands would be met.
“It essentially allows al-Qaida to say that it has provided fair warning and is thus no longer responsible for the outcome,” Venzke said in a statement.
Gadahn, a California native, is the first American to be charged with treason in more than 50 years and could face the death penalty if convicted. He also was indicted on a charge of providing material support to terrorists.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18932764/
From Scott Bronstein
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Claims of terrorism represented less than 0.01 percent of charges filed in recent years in immigration courts by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to a report issued Sunday by an independent research group.
This comes despite the fact the Bush administration has repeatedly asserted that fighting terrorism is the central mission of DHS.
The Transactional Records Action Clearinghouse said it analyzed millions of previously undisclosed records obtained from the immigration courts under the Freedom of Information Act.
Of the 814,073 people charged by DHS in immigration courts during the past three years, 12 faced charges of terrorism, TRAC said.
Those 12 cases represent 0.0015 percent of the total number of cases filed.
"The DHS claims it is focused on terrorism. Well that's just not true," said David Burnham, a TRAC spokesman. "Either there's no terrorism, or they're terrible at catching them. Either way it's bad for all of us."
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/05/27/homeland.security.record/index.html
Operation Failsafe
Am hoping to see Congressman McDermott tomorrow night and ask him what the hell is going on
Posted by: not my president at May 29, 2007 07:55 PM
PLEASE get a straight answer in plain English from him...! As in, words a non-politician would say for or against the crap that's been going on in the Beltway Bubble....
The last two emails I had from my Dem Congress Critters were political bu!!$h!te (Rep Oberstar has withdrawn his support of impeachment because he, like Pelosi, fear 'Republican backlash' - whatever that means; Sen Klobuchar's rhetoric was a bunch of indefinite political-speak about 'supporting the troops'). I could deconstruct their mean-nothing-or-everything sentences without even thinking hard. Each was worthy of the political propaganda that comes out of the White House. They each replied to my emails just before the Mem Day break.
I have been in a remarkably foul mood since getting their emails (more foul mood than normal about the political situation, that is; I expected Dems to grow some spines when we got a Dem majority last fall). Oberstar has been in the House for a very long time; perhaps it's time someone else was elected in his place - it's too easy for him to go with the prevailing winds of the current becalmed sea because so many Congress Critters have abdicated their political power to DimWit since 2000. Sen Klobuchar is new and her pre-election rhetoric sounded pretty good, although too middle-of-the-road fence sitting for my tastes. So far, she's off to a very bad start. Slimebag Coleman did not vote on that last bit of claptrap that gave Georgie what he wanted. I suspect that's a "strategic" move on his part for the '08 re-election campaign coming up so he can tailor his campaign speeches to indicate he did or did not favor funding, even though he didn't even vote. He may get a "boost" in the ratings next year because the RNC is going to be held in MN in '08, but right now he's still way down in state polls.
Al Franken has announced his candidacy for Coleman's senate seat, and Franken's been all over the state, so I'm hoping he wins the primaries and takes the Senate seat from idiot Coleman. True, Franken has celebrity status, but that's not enough for the traditional stoic voter here who demands plain-speaking; we need to know our political representatives stand for something so they don't fall for anything. The one thing Franken has going for him is that he speaks clearly and distinctly and so far his political rhetoric has not (yet) been tainted with statements that could mean anything to those alleged 'undecided' fence sitters.
I hope the fence-sitters that most political rhetoric is aimed at get their butts full of spinters! Anyone "undecided" about Georgie's endless illegal, immoral, unethical, and dishonorable war need their heads examined!
IMHO, the only way one can LOGICALLY "support the troops" (politician or non-politician) is to support funding to put the guard and reserve troops on the next troop transport planes home and redeploy the regular troops out of Iraq!!! Summer hurricane and tornado season is here, there are areas that already have or have had forest fires because of the drought conditions in some states (this one being one of them, but I know about GA and FL and other areas, too), and yet other areas have been hit with flooding. The guard and reserve troops are needed here at home so they can help the people in their home states or neighboring states. In Iraq they're just cannon fodder for Georgie's illegal war and occupation, and following Georgie's and Dickie's orders only makes them accessories to Georgie's and Dickie's war crimes (technically, the CIC is more of a figurehead position, as described in the constitution; the power to declare and fund wars and END wars belongs to Congress, although they've given up their constitutional powers since Georgie was installed). When guard and reserve troops stay at home where they belong they can be everyday heroes for helping their neighbors in any crisis that occurs, although with control of each state's guard troops in the hands of DimWit and not in the control of each state's governors, that may be a moot point for now. That bad legislative decision is on the list of things that need repealing.
Sorry for the rant, but if you get a straight answer out of McDermott, let us know what it is, please.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/gate/archive/2007/05/30/notes053007.DTL&nl=fix
Bush Declares Self 'Mega Decider'
New documents ensure Dubya will rule America, should calamity strike. Free balloons!
By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
It's just one of those obscure little unreported-upon conspiracy theory-ready hunks of floating White House detritus, a couple of odd, sticky, foul-smelling documents no one really wants to touch and no one knows quite what to make of, probably means nothing, probably being misread anyway, all a bit overblown and strange and not all that important and not all that different than the way things are now.
Unless, you know, it's not. Unless the violent twinge of queasy paranoia crossed with that uncontrolled bout of colon-clenching sighing you experience is deadly accurate and your radar for all things sinister and Rovean is right on target as you read about the delightfully titled National Security Presidential Directive/NSPD 51 and the Homeland Security Presidential Directive/HSPD-20, wherein it is calmly and furtively revealed that, in essence, George W. Bush owns your sorry ass.
Or, to put it another way, it looks like the Bumbling One just gave himself ever more power. Power to control and dictate the entire government, power to really spread the gospel of happy GOP incompetence, power to command the entire wobbly American universe should some sort of epic -- or not so epic, as the case may be -- calamity strike the homeland.
It goes something like this: Should any "decapitating event" occur in American that somehow incapacitates the D.C. power structure, should "any incident, regardless of location, that results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the U.S. population, infrastructure, environment, economy, or government functions" take place, well then, all power and decision making would devolve to the White House, which would then attempt to orchestrate our very survival and oversee all essential governmental functions with none other than the president himself as, well, Super-Mega Lord Decider. With extra crayons.
You know, a dictator.
{{{More on link.}}}
I've read about the latest pretzelnitwit directive in news stories, but, as usual, the satirists deal with these things more succinctly.
Couple this (above article) with today's news where "terrorists" are "threatening" to strike the US again on a scale as large as 9/11, plus the past legislative f***-ups involved with the Military Commissions Act of 2006 and the so-called Patriot Acts and the legislation that gave control of the guard and reserve troops to Georgie (and not the governors any longer)... and voila! Georgie becomes official dictator.
What's the worst that could happen if criminals committed another crime on the scale of 9/11? Homeland Security would prove their inefficiency all over again (that white elephant behemoth should never have been created!) on a scale even grander than after hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The guard and reserve troops still at home are now under Georgie's control (not the governors any longer), so their effectiveness is limited because a lot of their equipment is in Iraq and/or Afghanistan (and besides which, they are subject to being sent to Iraq or Afghanistan on a moment's notice now), so we don't even know if they'd be allowed to help their fellow citizens. The citizens of this nation would do the same as they've done in the recent past: organize on the web and in person and help each other... all in spite of the ineffective criminal war-mongers 'leading' this country and getting free publicity in Lamestream Media for their war-mongering. Throughout history, whenever there is any major disaster (man-made or natural), we cry for a bit if we have to bury the dead, help the injured, and we may even weep for the loss of photos and possessions that have sentimental meaning..., then we stoically move on to clean up the messes, rebuild, and assist each other. It's what we do to keep our species viable.
I'm wondering if Georgie and Dickie are working in collusion with the "terrorists" they keep scaring sheeple to death about with fear-mongering rhetoric. *Technically* the so-called 'terrorists' are criminals who do NOT represent any country or organized army for any country, criminals whose ranks have now grown larger, thanks to Georgie's war crimes involved with illegally invading Iraq; criminals who have not been arrested by law enforcement agencies and dealt with through court systems - starting a war over criminal events is over-kill. We're already a de facto dictatorship; Georgie is just praying for any kind of event where he can declare himself the official dictator (?and helping 'terrorists' behind the scenes so his war- and fear-mongering rhetoric sounds 'logical' to sheeple who are too dumb to deconstruct the lies and don't want to see the criminal activities they've already committed?), and that's exactly where we're headed - unless Congress Critters grow some spines and balls and start to use their brains for something logical (for a change!) and not turn into the quivering mass of cowardice that they've become since the SCOTUS decision of 2000.
These "terrorist" videos and statements seem to magically appear whenever Georgie is trying hard to overcome his very low poll ratings and keep his temporary residence permanent. It was just this past week when Osama Been Forgotten was mentioned for the first time in years. Too convenient that today's "terrorist" snooze hits the air waves. Dare I watch morning TV snooze anchors and listen to their voices catch in ultra-dramatic fear as they announce the latest "terrorist threat"...? It would be amusing to watch and listen to the drama queens if I knew their theatrics didn't play straight into Georgie's grubby power plays to get his poll ratings up. Lamestream Media is culpable in spreading the fear of the unknown, which is how Georgie and Dickie keep their power without being impeached.
Between the thought of Georgie becoming dictator-in-fact with a "potential threat" (ONLY a "threat") of a "terrorist" event... the fear of Georgie as a dictator is far more terrifying....
So, when will this Reign of Fear end...? When will Congress Critters wake up and impeach the fear- and war-mongers, and repeal the bad legislation that put them in power....?
This one should make your day...
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/29/213138/152
HEY NEOCON WATCHERS:
Full Page in Wall Street Journal: I Pray That Bush Bombs Iran
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/5/30/83136/1842
No Regrets (says Richard Perle)
http://books.guardian.co.uk/hay2007/story/0,,2090085,00.html
Bush's New Middle East
http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/1688/1/
Seymour Hersh stated that, Fatah al-Islam — the group of Sunni extremists inside the camp (Lebanon)— were getting material support from the Saudis, the Bush administration and members of the Lebanese political establishment.
As Jerome a Paris (at Kos) states, "We don't have to wait til September."
According to CREW, and the NYT's, Cheney is trying to hide the logs of who visited the VP's House.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/30/washington/30cheney.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
I got a log I'd like to unload on the Vice Presideath.
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers -
The Last DJ
Well you can't turn him into a company man
You can't turn him into a whore
And the boys upstairs just don't understand anymore
Well the top brass don't like him talking so much
And he won't play what they say to play
And he don't want to change what don't need to change
And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
There goes the last DJ
Well some folks say they're gonna hang him so high
Because you just can't do what he did
There's some things you just can't put in the minds of those kids
As we celebrate mediocrity all the boys upstairs want to see
How much you'll pay for what you used to get for free
And there goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
And there goes the last DJ
(Musical Interlude)
Well he got him a station down in Mexico
And sometimes it will kinda come in
And I'll bust a move and remember how it was back then
There goes the last DJ
Who plays what he wants to play
And says what he wants to say
Hey, hey, hey
And there goes your freedom of choice
There goes the last human voice
And there goes the last DJ
New thread...
same as it ever was, same as it ever was, same as it ever was.....
Just so, mon ami de singe.
Plus c'est la meme chose, plus ça change.
Q: How did I get here?
A: Water flowing underground.
Posted by: dwahzon at May 30, 2007 09:18 AM
That one was GREAT!!! Thanks!!!!
What can I say?
Law and Order tough man eyes presidential role
June 1, 2007
AMERICANS w