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Tower Guard
It can get pretty contentious in the peace and justice movement, and the same kinds of tensions exist on the ground and inside-the-beltway as exist within our small community here: incrementalism vs. revolution; support for what might happen vs. holding Members accountable; in-your-face actions that get you arrested and/or fined vs. calm discussions with the powerful wherein everyone is polite and not much changes.
But there is one part of the movement that gives me hope and I want to emphasize it to all of us who despair. That is the Iraq Vets themselves.
The veterans of this unholy war are speaking up and acting out. A few months ago, Geoff Millard and Garrett Repenhegan and a few others put on desert fatigues and took fake rifles and skulked around the Mall, acting out some of what they had done in Iraq. People knew it was theatre, but they made their points.
The effort is not new, as most of us know here, the Vietnam War was, in the end, brought to a halt not because of hippies in the streets, or students and professors on the campuses, or John and Yoko singing "All we are saying...", but because the soldiers began to refuse to fight poor villagers.
The film, Sir, No Sir, is a reminder of what DOES work. "We came to understand that the war would not end until soldiers put down their weapons and refused to fight", the narrator says. Watch the trailer, at least.
This week, on the National Mall, a young Iraq vet has constructed a tower, where he sits 24/7, in a vigil to bring attention to the Stop Loss program. He is garnering publicity and changing hearts and minds.
He even had the chance to speak directly to Alberto Gonzales as Gonzales announced his resignation. According to witnesses, Gonzales stood in front of Evan, while Evan recounted the horrors of the war and the torture program, with his hands folded and his head down.
We all have to listen now.
August 22, 2007
Evan’s Statement for DC Vigil
7-day Tower Guard Vigil, Washington, DC
In Protest of the Immoral and Unethical Policies Perpetrated
Against US Soldiers and My Friends
by Evan Michael Knappenberger, 1st BDE, 4th Infantry Division
I am spending one entire week on a scaffold on the National Mall in the District of Columbia in protest of the US military’s STOP-LOSS and INACTIVE RESERVE (READY RESERVE) policies, which are being used as a substitute for conscription in a political war–under the pretense of a non-existent national emergency–and destroying our military readiness, as well as the lives of our young men and women.
I joined the Army in 2003 at the age of seventeen. I believed at the time that the war in Iraq was necessary, if not morally justified. (Since then, I have learned the hard way that the ends never justify the means.) I served nearly four years as an intelligence analyst in a combat unit, including Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF ‘05-’07). I spent 97 nights on tower guard contemplating the nature of our destructive zeitgeist, which is inspiring the better part of this protest and my other protests this year.
The truth of the matter is that our armed forces are being destroyed by a collective neurosis; something obvious even to President Bush and his staff. The mishandling of post-war Iraq is only one minor symptom of the illness; but what is the cause of this neurosis? I believe that fundamentally conflicting values are being forced onto the institution by a fundamentally conflicted administration. The lack of moral integrity at the head of our government is monadistically infecting all levels of government, military, and culture. Notwithstanding a treatise on the ethics of something political in nature, I argue that, if nothing else, the current administration policy of STOP-LOSS (see note 1) (as well as their call up of the IRR–see note 2) is immoral, destructive, and often overlooked. Not only does it devalue the fragile constitutional legality of the process; it devalues all legality, reason, and sound judgment in general.
STOP-LOSS is being used as a circumvention of the contractual agreements between the federal government and soldiers. The irony of volunteerism-exploitation-politics is not lost on soldiers who signed up fully trusting in the ability of our elected officials to hold accountable the chief executive. If nothing else, those soldiers who have difficulty thinking in terms of moral integrity do understand injustice: they too are victims of egregious moral fraud! Ask any one of them that has been extended to 2030 or beyond.
As actions typically resound louder than words, it is all but obvious that we can add “volunteer conscript” to the oxymoronic vocabulary that has resulted from our conflicted status as liberator-occupiers and freedom-crusaders. It is not, therefore, surprising that soldiers who are treated like slaves (and their ‘contractor’ mercenary counterparts) are able and willing to commit terrible acts of violence on harmless civilians in places like Abu Ghraib prison. These are the acts of humans who have been robbed of their moral judgment by a malicious and harmful few who happen to occupy the seat of power in the federal government.
In short, we must hold it as our duty as responsible citizens to “bring to justice” an administration that has broken the contracts of almost 200,000 young patriots as a way of exploiting a political situation. But more than that, we owe our sons and daughters the moral integrity we would expect in a county founded by Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry. You as a human being with a conscience owe my friends the dignity they deserve in facing the outrageous policy enslaving them on their way back into the maelstrom. Please join me in my efforts to bring STOP-LOSS to an end so we can begin rebuilding a shattered service and halt the suffering of my comrades-at-arms. War cannot and should not be won when the cost is our conscience and integrity, because that is all we have. WE MUST END THE STOP-LOSS AND RESTORE TRUE JUSTICE AT THE RISK OF LOSING EVERYTHING, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
Notes:
1) When a person enlists into the armed forces, (s)he signs a contract stating a specific amount of time which will be served on active duty. The remaining time, the difference that makes eight total years, is spent on what is termed inactive ready reserve (IRR). There is no mention of “stop-loss” in the armed forces contract. Similarly, the contractual connection between stop-loss and the IRR stipulation (paragraph 10A) is non-existent. The Department of Defense has broken the contract of thousands of soldiers whose IRR time has expired, thereby negating this phrase as the basis for STOP-LOSS. Paragraph 9C, which has been claimed as the legal basis for the measure, is flimsy at best and relies upon semantics which the DOD interprets as it pleases. It is one small sentence in 50 pages of fine print, and the Military Entrance Processing and Recruiting Command routinely avoid discussion of it during enlistment.
2) According to U.S.C. 10 § 12301-12305.
More of Evan's writing here
Please share this story across the land. And take hope today; these young people are powerful speakers of truth to power.
monkey: replied to your query about campaign contributions in previous thread.
All the same, I'm putting some money in a pot for every negative post about a Democrat and then I'll contribute it to whoever wins the nomination. I'll plug my nose when I vote, if I have to, but I'll leave it to others to badmouth the candidates during the primary. I am not getting into that battle thi
@@@@@@
I DO NOT WANT TO PLUG MY NOSE A VOTE in 2008 - I did that in 2004 and it didn't work. We can't find a decent, scandal-free, semi-likable candidate????
2008 SHOULD BE A LANDSLIDE YEAR FOR DEMOCRATS AND LIBERALS. The presidency should be ours - there should be Democrat gains in the House and Senate. But Hillary is already - long before the first primary - screwing it up.
Hillary may even snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, if she really works at it....
Posted by: Ralpheh at August 31, 2007 07:57 AM
HERE WE GO AGAIN:
NBC First Broadcast Network to Highlight Hillary Clinton's Hsu Fundraising Scandal
NBC on Thursday night became the first broadcast network to air a story on the Clinton presidential campaign scandal over donations from Norman Hsu, a fugitive from a grand theft charge who is also suspected of illegally funneling excess donations through another family. While ABC's World News and the CBS Evening News, as well as the NBC Nightly News, found time for a third straight night of coverage of Larry Craig's travails, only NBC caught up with FNC and CNN and highlighted the fundraising irregularities involving Democrats. Lisa Myers noted how Hsu has “given a quarter of a million dollars to a who's who of Democratic candidates in the last three years. But Hsu is also a fugitive, wanted in California in connection with a 1991 fraud case. The Clinton campaign initially defended Hsu, listed on her campaign honor roll as a man of integrity. Today the Senator said she's giving his $23,000 in donations to charity.”
Posted by: Ralpheh at August 31, 2007 08:23 AM
Ok Ralph, we all know hillary sucks, but, do we have to keep talking about how bad?
I mean, it is just so not a hillary morning.
Karen, you know, after tthe Kerry thing, when I wondered into here and saw it was not a 'democratic' site, I remember thinking "Ah. that is interesting". Then I thought 'Whatever'.
I just realized it was truly brilliant not to go there.
The Revolution is no longer about party.
Christy,
The decision was only partly based on what we all saw and came to understand during the 2004 campaign about the parties.
We wanted to be a nonprofit precisely because we wanted to focus on educating people about the serious voting concerns and other issues.
JK himself understood why we did it the way we did it.
As the past four years have unfolded, I think that we and he have been proven right that the solutions to the massive problems we have will not be solved entirely by the electoral process, if at all.
I feel bad about Bubba and Chuck because I think they misunderstand the nature of the discussion here, which is and has always strived to be about listening to what people are deeply concerned about, what we all know, and what we can learn more about.
We can be very helpful to candidates and Members because of the depth of conversation that does take place here, at least at times. Even the contentious conversations teach us all something.
There is no one way, or right way, to solve our problems. Information is important to deciding what paths each of us takes.
How many good dems did you lose because they did not think you were showing proper loyalty to the party?
The DCP has truly become one of the last havens for all of us.
I said a few weeks ago these next months would be a complete test of our faith, faith in our nation, faith in our party and most of all faith in each other.
All we have left is faith, but even that is sapping by the day over the most ridiculous points of conflicting opinion. Everyone is p*ssed and rightly so.
For all of you losing faith, don't worry. Go chill or hit something or whatever.
But if you let them take your faith, then all hope is truly lost.
An additonal thought, in case anyone who has "left" is sneaking back to read:
You know, even Richard and I, who live together and read and talk to the same people, do not always agree on how to proceed. We talk it out.
Ok Ralph, we all know hillary sucks, but, do we have to keep talking about how bad?
I mean, it is just so not a hillary morning.
@@@@@@@
No, I don't think "we" all know that Hillary sucks. The Republicans know this but most Democrats do not know this and the Main Stream media is hiding this fact. How else can you explain HIllary's big lead over everyone else??
Please explain, how a person who everyone knows "sucks", is leading in all the polls??
Please explain, how a person who everyone knows "sucks", is leading in all the polls??
Posted by: Ralpheh at August 31, 2007 09:54 AM
Right now, it's name recognition and longing for Bill. Come fall, we shall see what happens...
Because Raplh, the 'polls' are just as rigged as the votes.
The only one they were not able to rig outright (exit polls) they simply call 'wrong' or 'mistaken'. People understand why and how that happened.
But as I said, she sucks, and frankly hearing how bad in detail is just a waste of time at the moment since 'we' all knows she sucks anyway.
Next year is still a ways off.
In the meantime other dems who are much more instrumental at the moment are babbling about retroactive impeachment while our soldiers are being given orders to massacre women and children and NO has restored habeus corpus yet and we are seriously running out of time to deal with it before it destroys us all.
Yup, that pretty much sums up why I am so freaking sick of hearing about hillary lately. We can deal with her later, when it matters.
Right now...
We are literally in the fight of our lives. FOR our lives. And I would rather stay focused on that.
AND... as Karen points out.. There is currently a very visable cult of personality around the Clinton name.
And just like the republicans, they are no where near as large as they appear to be.
Yup, that pretty much sums it up.
Now, how do we get Blackwater to quit pointing guns at people in New Orleans and barring them from their own homes with automatic weapons...?
Any ideas?
Who is paying these people to do this?
Regarding Hillary... Many people want a woman to run for president who is a serious contender, not just a token woman. Hillary is a contender--like it or not--but it's not just xx chromosomes she's got, she's got brains and a track record too.
Not everything Hillary has done is bad. Yes, she's a driven person. But if push came to shove, I don't think Hillary would be any worse than any other male president had been. Nor is she more corrupt or even as corrupt. She is no different from a male who goes after what he wants. And I think that her popularity stands because people want a woman in the race.
Also, no matter what dopey things B. Clinton did, you have to admit we were better off then. Also, GWB's 2000 election was a result of personal sins not public corruption. And yet it was a backlash against B. Clinton. Now there may be backlash against Bush towards H. Clinton. (Many see it as a strength that she 'stood by her man' and worked through their problems.)
Karen, I wish there were someone like Evan in all our towns.
I actually like her personally. She would probably even make a good president.
But then again, if she only gets there because everyone has to hold their noses and pick the lesser evil, then that is not a good sign.
The fact is, democrats are set to eradicate republicans in the next election because of georgie, no matter who the nominee is. They are all qualified.
The only thing dems have to do now to ensure that blowout is to act as NON REPUBLICAN as possible.
I take us fighting each other as a good sign. Republicans do not allow such dissent.
Republicans do not allow such dissent.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 10:33 AM
Free Thinkers vs. Blind, Obedient, Defer to the Will of Authority Followers
I take us fighting each other as a good sign. Republicans do not allow such dissent.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 10:33 AM
True, but it should be debate, not fight - people need to back up what they say.
I have good friends who say "I no longer consider myself a Democrat." & I ask what the plan is then and no one has come up with much.
The "fragmented left" is a holdover from Vietnam era.
Karen,
Thanks for the great story. We need to get these voices out there. This seems to be another one of those things that we all sort of know about, but gets pushed to the back burner because it's either too big for our little selves to handle, or it feels like there is no way to fight big brother on this one. Somehow, I think the Bush Supreme Court would shoot down any attempts.
Let's hope these military guys start standing upin droves!
We need to be out registering new voters.
Kerry got more votes than Gore and the Republicans made up the difference with 11 million new voters.
"True, but it should be debate, not fight - people need to back up what they say."
I have been fighting all my life. Trust me, fighting IS backing up what you say.
And may the best argument win. Amen.
The left fragmented as soon as they took down their Civil Rights banner. They did so because they were afraid of stigma and issues with no easy solutions. Civil rights is the whole damn point, but everyone just kinda got tired of fighting about it.
It is the only thing we all agree on and it is the only time we are all peering out from the same moral high ground.
You want a plan? Restore our rightful banner and march on New Orleans and do not freaking leave until something is accomplished to actually counter this hell we have become.
BTW, Blackwater employees will probably try to shoot you, but don't worry cause thanks to republicans we are all armed.
Backing up what you say is fine, but there always comes a moment to put up or shut up.
The democrats shut up down here a long time ago. No party commands my loyalty, except the ones willing to fight for what is right when it matters.
You know, regarding Hillary and the dems in general, I haven't chosen a horse in the race in part as protest to how early things got started this cycle. And I've been paying fairly little attention to them, other than some debates, and some emails from the candidates, news clips, etc.
Frankly - we've got a pretty rich pack of democratic candidates and I don't think I'd be disappointed with any of them in the White House. Way back when, I thought I'd definitely be voting for Hillary, because I think she'd make a great president, and it would be SO great to have a woman in that office!!
These days, John Edwards is my man, and I have a feeling I'll be sticking with him. I have questions about Hillary's DLC connections, and her move to the center. I also think that perhaps that move is all a big put-on, to get her elected. And if I could know that, I'd be (maybe) OK with that. But because I can't know that for sure, I have questions. But I don't think I'll be sorry if she wins.
I heard an interesting commentary on John & Elizabeth Edwards on msnbc (not sure which show) that basically they are going for broke, because what do they have to lose? Her time is limited, they know it, and they are pulling out all the stops, telling it like it is, without regard to political correctness or appropriateness.
From what I've seen, it's indredibly refreshing and it's working for me.
And Ralpheh - we get it. You hate Hillary. We hear you. We don't all agree, but we hear you.
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Several well-placed GOP sources in Washington and Idaho have told CNN that embattled Republican Sen. Larry Craig is likely to resign soon, possibly as early as Friday.
GOP sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN's Dana Bash that the Republican National Committee was poised to take the extraordinary step of calling on Craig to resign but held off.
The RNC put the move on hold, the sources said, because top party leaders have received indications that Craig himself is preparing to step down.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/08/31/craig.arrest/index.html
RNC in a stall... now THAT'S irony!
Hey if Craig steps down, how is his replacement decided? Is there a chance that Dems could get another seat in the Senate?
In speech, Bush says economy can 'weather any turbulence'
Bush to outline plans to help homeowners
Proposals aimed at helping those with risky mortgages keep their homes
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20524454/
Once again, WhereThe Fuque have you been???
Posted by: monkey at August 31, 2007 11:23 AM
Is this the written on the same paper his promises to NOLA were?
Suz... I wouldn't believe a word from his mouth no matter what he says... he has zero credibility on any topic as far as I'm concerned.
He's created cynics out of virtually everyone except the true believers.
My guess is, whatever this so-called "plan" is to "rescue" homeowners (which he wouldn't do in a million years, cuz the Grover Norquists of the world wont allow the government to help anyone), whatever the "plan", it's gonna benefit the corporate banks... period.
I hope a bird shits on his suit in the Rose Garden.
Ralph,
I will say this again and again, until you get tired of me, then say it more:
Don't fixate on ONE Chinese-American felon who happens to have given to Hillary.
For every such felon, there are several felons in Koreatown and Little Saigon, who give massive amounts to the Republicans, and go unnoticed by the media.
Don't fall into the pit that the not-so-liberal media dug for you. That's their game plan.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 10:49 AM
Don't forget those who say that the REPUBLICANS are the party of true civil rights through hard work and entrepreneurship, and the Dems are the ones who make you lazy through welfare payments.
Civil rights for everyone - not just Republican-leaning minorities.
I have good friends who say "I no longer consider myself a Democrat." & I ask what the plan is then and no one has come up with much.
Posted by: not my president at August 31, 2007 10:37 AM
Sadly this is true. The alternatives are few, and none are really viable, given our system.
That's why I will be voting as a Democrat again, when it's primary time.
And again, Hillary won't be my ideal pick, but if she's the Dems' nominee, she has my support.
Are You Gonna Go My Way?
by Lenny Kravitz
I was born long ago
I am the chosen, I'm the one
I have come to save the day
And I won't leave until I'm done
So that's why we've got to try
We've got to breathe and have some fun
Though I'm not paid I play this game
And I won't stop until I'm done
But what I really want to know is
Are you gonna go my way
Please baby and I got to (please) got to know (I got to know) yeah
Are you gonna go my way
'Cause baby I got to know, yeah
I don't know why we always cry
This we must leave and get undone
We must engage and rearrange
And turn this planet back to one
So tell me why we got to die
And kill each other one by one
We've got to hug and rub-a-dub
We've got to dance and be in love
But what I really wanna know is...
Are you gonna go my way
(Please baby) and I got to, got to know (I got to know)
Are you gonna go my way
'Cause baby I got to know, yeah
The DCP has truly become one of the last havens for all of us.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 09:46 AM
I agree, and that's why I hang out here, and not at more partisan sites like DKos or DU.
DKos and DU are so orthodox and rigid PC that I feel my voice being stifled out there.
military are given propaganda before lawmakers visit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/30/AR2007083001848.html
pre-sliming
Don't forget those who say that the REPUBLICANS are the party of true civil rights through hard work and entrepreneurship, and the Dems are the ones who make you lazy through welfare payments.
Civil rights for everyone - not just Republican-leaning minorities.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at August 31, 2007 11:46 AM
That was the car I saw yesterday - "Silly Liberal .. Checks are for workers," said the bumper sticker. As if liberals are on welfare and only conservatives are working.
By the way, the car was some type of old beater - mismatched parts like it had been in alot of wrecks. Pissed me off, as I'm a liberal for decades and have been working since I was 11.
Christy
You say "May the best argument win" - that is debate. Then if you have some "fight" behind it, fine.
Posted by: not my president at August 31, 2007 01:04 PM
Silly conservatives, helping those less fortunate than yourselves is one of the pillars of the holy religion insist on perpetrating into our daily lives via the government...
Explain that one, ya friggin hypocrites.
Snow announces departure date
White house press secretary to step down Sept. 14
WASHINGTON - Tony Snow, the highly visible White House press secretary, will leave his job on Sept. 14 and be replaced by his deputy, Dana Perino, an administration official said Friday.
President Bush was to announce the changes during an appearance in the White House briefing room.
Snow, ailing with cancer, had said recently he would leave before the end of Bush’s presidency. The father of three children, Snow said he needs to make more than his White House salary of $168,000. He could earn far more money on the speechmaking circuit.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20531733/
Big dough in lying yer ass off, huh?
‘The Tony Snow Show’
Snow earned his stripes within the White House for his striking popularity around the country, relentlessly good-natured and bright tone, and smooth, snappy repartee with the media during briefings. Reporters, though, grumbled that an emphasis on showmanship too often took precedence over rhetorical precision and careful preparation.
Some senior White House aides referred to his briefings as “The Tony Snow Show.”
(Umm, I didnt know he was so popular around the country, did you?)
Posted by: not my president at August 31, 2007 01:04 PM
It's amazing that those who need the liberals' help the MOST are the most avid conservative voters.
Down here, it's the waitresses in half-demolished Civics who are still proudly displaying the W '04 ovals.
I also remember seeing a beat-up Toyota pickup truck with a red "Hillary for President" sticker - this one also had the communist hammer and sickle as well (in other words, Hillary = commie). Also on that truck was "If 10% is enough for God, then 10% is enough for the government."
Ralph,
I will say this again and again, until you get tired of me, then say it more:
Don't fixate on ONE Chinese-American felon who happens to have given to Hillary.
For every such felon, there are several felons in Koreatown and Little Saigon, who give massive amounts to the Republicans, and go unnoticed by the media.
Don't fall into the pit that the not-so-liberal media dug for you. That's their game plan.
Posted by: Ally McRepuke at August 31, 2007 11:42 AM
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
The Hillary fund-raising scandal is now on the front-page of the New York Times (Thursday's paper):
"CLINTON DONOR UNDER A CLOUD IN FRAUD CASE"
the other major papers covering this story:
The Boston Globe
The Los Angeles Times
So this is not "my fixation" - the big media is now covering it.
BTW: this guy, Shu, wasn't just any old contributor - he was a HillRaiser - helping raise over a million dollars.
IT STINKS and makes all Democrats look bad - when the front-runner, Hillary, is caught with dirty money. And it looks like there is more to this story...
And Ralpheh - we get it. You hate Hillary. We hear you. We don't all agree, but we hear you.
Posted by: Carol at August 31, 2007 10:59 AM
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
Carol,
I hear you. You don't care about Hillary's voting record. You don't care about the scandals. You don't care about the Marc Rich pardon. You don't care about Hillary's high negatives. Let's just do 2004 again... let's turn the voters off, and lose to the mediocre Republican candidate.
So I just see a headline that Tony Snow is quitting - that means Bush ahs gone through THREE Press Secretaries. & Snow is being replaced by Dana Perrino, who is terrible.
Ralpheh
Have you volunteered yet for Dana Perrino's job?
You'd be great. My donation bucket is rapidly filling up.
John Warner isn't going to run again.
How many seats could be picked up in the Senate and House?
Ralph, she never said she did not care about any of those things, she simply disagreed with you on hating her.
BTW that fundraiser has turned himself.
Any of you see this? Totally creepy stuff.
U.S. Troops Given Misleading, Inaccurate Bios Of Democratic Lawmakers Visiting Iraq
This morning, the Washington Post has a story on how lawmakers are being “slimed in the Green Zone” when they travel to Iraq for congressional delegation trips. Reps. James Moran (D-VA), Jon Porter (R-NV), and Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) recently returned from such a trip. While there, Tauscher and Moran noticed sheets of paper that “seemed to be everywhere” in the Green Zone, “distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank.”
The sheets of papers were short, thumbnail biographies of the two lawmakers. ThinkProgress has obtained copies of the bios for Moran and Tauscher. Instead of receiving the official bios readily available on the congressional websites, the U.S. troops were given new ones that cherry-pick the representatives’ “most incendiary” statements:
Snip
ThinkProgress spoke with one of the delegation’s military escorts, Maj. Toby Patterson, who said that he didn’t know who made the bios or why they were created in the first place. He added that his office, the Marine Corps liaison for the U.S. House of Representatives, usually just uses lawmakers’ readily-available bios off of congressionalquarterly.com.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/codel-bios-iraq/
Christy
It's the same story I was talking about
military are given propaganda before lawmakers visit
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/30/AR2007083001848.html
pre-sliming
Posted by: not the president at August 31, 2007 01:02 PM
About Ralpheh -
It's not that I disagree with everything he says about Hillary or even Kerry. It's that he comes on REPEATEDLY at completely unrelated times and repeats and repeats it. It's trollish and highly annoying. Work it into a conversation at least and have a reason besides venom. It gets very old.
NMP, it really make you wonder who IS making those flyers then, eh? The why is pretty obvious.
And as far as Ralphs loving hatred of clinton... I just wish he would hate on someone else for a while.
He is no different from the majority of dems here in the deep south that also hate her, but the singular focus of hating her is what gets old first and fastest.
Hate me for awhile, I can take it.
Monkey... I love you so much, I hate myself for it.
Does that work?
Posted by: Ralpheh at August 31, 2007 02:41 PM
Then you are buying into the media's fixation, Ralph.
They don't want to expose the Koreatown and Little Saigon crooks, and make the REPUBLICANS look bad. They only wanna do it to the Dems.
And you're falling for it.
Same story with Al Gore's energy usage.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 04:44 PM
If you love monkey so much you hate yourself for it then your significant other will hate Monkey enough for both of you.
To learn more about Iraq Veterans Against the War go to www.ivaw.org and to learn more about an action in Congress on Tuesday go to www.AmericaStandsWatch.org.
Hey if Craig steps down, how is his replacement decided? Is there a chance that Dems could get another seat in the Senate?
Posted by: Suz at August 31, 2007 11:22 AM
Not from what I am hearing Suz a republican will be taking the seat, giving whoever a chance for recognition before the 2008 elections.
They are saying that is why Vitter and one of the other Senators which ones I am not to sure, are not being asked to step down, because Democrats would take over their seats. If I am understanding the talk right.
Raw look at Iraq war dominates Venice film fest
A US film exposing the ugly reality of the Iraq war seared the big screen at the Venice film festival Friday, with director Brian De Palma saying he hoped it would help end America's military occupation.
"The pictures are what will stop the war," De Palma told a news conference after the showing of the movie, "Redacted".
The feature, which is based on the actual March 2006 rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi schoolgirl by US soldiers who also slaughtered her family, is a reaction to what he sees as sanitised media accounts of the war seen in the United States.
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Raw_look_at_Iraq_war_dominates_Veni_08312007.html
Why Japan Is Eating America's Lunch On Broadband
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ian-welsh/why-japan-is-eating-ameri_b_62608.html
Justice Department Lawyers Refuse Detainee Cases (quiet rebellion against Gitmo policies)
Some lawyers in the civil appeals division object to the government's policies on Guantánamo Bay
The government's legal arguments justifying the detention of hundreds of people at the Guantánamo Bay naval base have been repudiated three times by the U.S. Supreme Court. But it's not just outsiders who take issue with the U.S. Justice Department strategy: Up to one fourth of the department's own civil appellate staff has recently opted out of handling the government's cases against detainee appeals, two sources familiar with the matter tell U.S. News.
These conscientious objectors—their exact number is not known—have decided not to take part in the government's litigation against the detainees because of disagreements with the legal approach, these sources say. They would not elaborate on the specific reasons for the objections, but critics have long objected to the government's failure to formally charge detainees and have pushed for closing Guantánamo because of allegations of torture and inhumane conditions. Defense lawyers also contend that the government has stymied their cases by withholding documents and curbing client access.
The quiet rebellion has emerged in recent months among the approximately 56 attorneys in the appellate section of the Justice Department's civil division following a court ruling in February that placed the defense of the approximately 130 remaining Guantánamo cases under the responsibility of the appellate lawyers. More than 300 men captured shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 are still being held at Guantánamo over alleged ties to terrorists, although all but a handful have never been formally charged with crimes.
Though the objectors have created some tension among the appellate staff, it's unclear that their opposition has hampered the government's efforts—especially because the court ruling will be reviewed by the Supreme Court this term. But the staff attorneys' objections highlight how dissension has grown even within the department's own ranks.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/national/2007/08/30...
Suz, my man loves me very much, but, you are right, he might knock Monkey out if all my adoration is not reserved for him.
Sorry Monkey, but I will have to end my love affair with you here, lest you are hospitalized.
But don't worry, me and Karen broke up in the 50s and we still get along ok.
And Rossi, I hear that too. If they force vitter the diapered whoremonger out, Blanco will replace him with a dem in an instant.
The republicans already hate her for no reason and she has announced she is not seeking re-election, so she has nothing to lose politically.
I swear I love Think Progress. They rule.
White House ‘e-mail mystery deepens.
’ABC’s The Blotter reports:
The White House will not identify a private company which appears to be involved in the disappearance of millions of White House e-mails.
The company was responsible for reviewing and archiving White House e-mails, a White House official told congressional staff in May, according to a letter yesterday from House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif. Congressional investigators asked then for the name of the company and “have repeatedly requested” the information since then, according to Waxman. […]
According to the White House, at least five million e-mails were not properly archived and may be lost forever, in apparent violation of the Presidential Records Act. The post-Watergate law states that communications relating to official activity in the offices of the president and vice president are owned by the American public and cannot be destroyed.
http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/white-house-e-mail-mystery-deepens/
Whoa.
Abnormality A: Between August and November 2006, DOD started reclassifying “casualties” as “deaths by execution” and suddenly you see a dramatic drop in killings. For example, in March 2006 right after the Samarra Mosque bombings you go from 1,750 “casualties” to 750 “deaths by execution.” Between November 2006 and March 2007 “Deaths by Execution” becomes “Sectarian Murders” but the numbers remain the same.
Abnormality B: Between the March 2007 report and the June 2007 report there was a dramatic change in the number of killings that were reported for the second half of 2006. In both cases the numbers were described as “sectarian murders.” The impact here is that it makes the “pre surge” situation look extraordinarily dire and therefore signals progress thereafter.
Abnormality C: Somehow the reclassification that occurred between the March and June 2007 reports caused the violence numbers in April and May of 2006 to drop dramatically. This was in the months following the Sammara bombings in February 2006 when sectarian violence was escalating.
http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2007/08/more-fuzziness.html
From crooksandliars.
It is time to get a straight answer from all the other candidates: how many troops would you leave behind? For how long?
Campaign ploy? Sure. But it’s an answer that we deserve to have nonetheless. Chris Bowers has more:
"The more I think about this dodge from Clinton, Obama, and Edwards on how many troops they intend to leave in Iraq, the angrier I become. Why is an inquiry into how many troops they intend to leave in Iraq a hypothetical question not worthy of an answer, but inquiries into how much their health care plans will reduce the cost of insurance premiums a hypoethical question worthy of prominently displaying an answer to on your website? [..]
The refusal to provide an estimate for how many troops Clinton, Edwards and Obama has nothing to do with a refusal to engage in hypotheticals. Presidential campaigns are clearly willing to dish out hypothetical numbers all the time on issues like health care and energy costs, or issues like reducing poverty and pollution, as long as their internal hypothetical numbers make them look good. As such, the only conclusions I can draw from repeated unwillingness of these campaigns to estimate how many troops they would leave in Iraq is that they either have no idea how many troops they would leave in Iraq, or the actual estimated figure would make these campaigns look very, very bad to the base. Either conclusion is disturbing should serve as the operating assumptions for every Democratic voter until these leading campaigns provide an actual estimate."
WASHINGTON (CNN) — Karl Rove was nearly overcome with emotion Friday as colleagues privately paid tribute to the political adviser as he leaves the White House, senior officials say.
At the closed-door senior staff meeting at 7:30 a.m. in the Roosevelt Room, Rove was surprised with a slide show of photos chronicling his nearly seven years at President Bush's side, through good times and bad.
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow told CNN that Rove was so touched by the tribute that he didn't have any final words for his colleagues. "He was pretty choked up," Snow said.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/31/rove-chokes-up-on-last-day/
BARF
Exit Strategies
As key members of Bush’s inner circle file out, a former White House official suggests Democratic pressure may have helped hasten the departure of Karl Rove.
By Richard Wolffe
Newsweek
Aug. 31, 2007 - That scampering sound you hear is the feet of senior White House officials running for the exits. The summer has left President Bush without three of his closest Texas aides: counselor Dan Bartlett, political guru Karl Rove and longtime lawyer Alberto Gonzales. Now Bush is losing one of the few outsiders who helped improve (a little) the atmosphere of his second term: press secretary Tony Snow.
-snip-
Rove’s departure will have a far bigger impact on the West Wing, starting next week—the first Rove-free day in the building since Bush arrived in January 2001. When it was first announced earlier this month, the exit of Bush’s architect was explained as the result of his desire to spend more time with his family.
In fact, some of Rove’s friends suggest that there are other factors at play, along with his genuine commitment to his family. After the end of the CIA leak investigation, Rove wanted to return to his former White House role and stay at the president’s side until January 2009, according to one source close to Rove, who declined to be named discussing the influential adviser’s plans. Instead, the loss of Congress last year and the determined attack by Democrats left him no room to maneuver. His decision to leave was shaped far more by Democratic pressure than Rove or Bush would ever acknowledge in public.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20535186/site/newsweek/
From Congressman Jim McDermott
HUMPTY DUMPTY A short Floor speech I recited recently.
Bush, Cheney and others had a great call--
Remake Iraq, it will be such a ball.
Now all Bush's troops and all daddy's men
can't put Iraq back together again.
Our soldiers keep dying, day after day.
So why put up with more endless delay?
Let's just acknowledge what everyone knows:
Bush didn't and doesn't have any clothes.
He broke it, can't fix it, doesn't know how;
Mission impossible: out of Iraq now.
House of Representatives
CLOVIS, California (CNN) -- Jeff Hubbard fought back tears as he talked about his boy -- a "great, great young man" who was killed last week in Iraq in a helicopter crash. It's the second time he's had to bury a son killed in the Iraq war.
His third son, also a soldier in Iraq, was immediately on the scene of last week's helicopter crash and watched as soldiers carried the remains of his brother, 21-year-old Army Cpl. Nathan Hubbard, from the crash site.
Nathan's flag-draped coffin arrived in Fresno earlier this week and eventually to his hometown of Clovis. Watch "We love you Nate" »
Hundreds of mourners gathered Friday to remember Nathan at St. Anthony of Padua, the same church where his oldest brother's funeral was held in 2004. Nathan will be laid to rest at Clovis Cemetery, beside his brother, Jared.
Nathan and his other brother entered the military shortly after Jared was killed -- to honor his sacrifice.
"Their decision to join the military was motivated by a love for their brother and a desire to serve their country," the priest told mourners Friday. "The death of Jared touched him deeply. Losing a brother and a friend made a profound impact on him, and brought to his attention the seasons of war and grief and loss."
Jeff Hubbard spoke to reporters Thursday ahead of the funeral, struggling to find words to describe how much his youngest son meant to him and his family.
"I want everybody to remember and celebrate Nate in their own way, the way they want," he said. "We want him honored, remembered and celebrated -- he was a great, great young man. Wonderful young man."
Tragically, the Hubbards have gone through this anguish before.
In 2004 their son, Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Hubbard, was on patrol in Iraq with his best friend and fellow Marine, Jeremiah Baro -- also from Clovis -- when a roadside bomb exploded, killing both.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/08/30/bandofbrothers.iraq/index.html
That's what Humbty Dumbty did...
(Australian) Rudd rebuffs Bush on Iraq
Source: The age.com.au
Michelle Grattan, Adam Morton and Brendan Nicholson
OPPOSITION Leader Kevin Rudd has rebuffed US President George Bush's intervention in domestic politics by refusing to bend on the ALP's commitment to pull troops out of Iraq.
In pointed remarks before his Australian visit, President Bush told reporters he would tell Mr Rudd that an early withdrawal of Australian troops would be disastrous. He said the decision should be made on the basis of conditions on the ground, claiming there were strong signs the US was making headway.
"I'm going to remind him that, one, the stakes in Iraq are very high for peace; that the liberation of a country (and) Iraqi-style democracy in the heart of the Middle East is part of winning this ideological struggle," he said in an interview with journalists from the region.
"And I'll remind him that, as far as I'm concerned, leaving Iraq before the job is done will cause an enemy that attacked us before to become emboldened."
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/rudd-rebuffs-bus...
Community Groups Storm and Take Over New Orleans HUD Office
Source: Press release (nothing on the news yet)
Several community organizations, including Power U Center and the Miami Worker's Center from Miami, took over the US HUD administrative office in New Orleans today, Friday August 31, 2007 at around 12:30pm. The groups are in New Orleans to commemorate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The groups and residents are demanding that HUD open St Bernard's Parish housing project, which serves low-income Black residents. Two years after the area was evacuated in the post-Katrina floods,the housing project remains empty. Residents and groups have been prevented from rehabilitating and filling the vacant units, and the federal government has refused to do so.
US military vehicles, including armed Hummers, have surrounded the 25 people encamped inside, who refused to leave the building unless HUD officials acquiesce to community demands.The community effort to open St. Bernard's Parish is symbolic effort of the dislocated Black community of New Orleans to return to home. Residents such as former public housing residents have been met ignored, criminalized and otherwise excluded from the rebuilding of New Orleans
No link yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I just received this in an email and did a quick google check and came up with nothing, so it is that fresh. RIM
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2973572&mesg_id=2973572
Posted by: rossiann at August 31, 2007 08:33 PM
And I'll remind President Shmuck that, as far as I'm concerned, the enemy that attacked us before was not from, nor in, Iraq.
What a flippin dipwad.
And I'll remind President Shmuck that, as far as I'm concerned, the enemy that attacked us before was not from, nor in, Iraq.
What a flippin dipwad.
Posted by: monkey at August 31, 2007 08:43 PM
You do that monkey, and we will keep helping you, remind the freak
Bush seeks immunity for companies in spy case
Verizon, AT&T face privacy suits for helping White House eavesdrop
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration wants the power to grant legal immunity to telecommunications companies that are slapped with privacy suits for cooperating with the White House’s controversial warrantless eavesdropping program.
The authority would effectively shut down dozens of lawsuits filed against telecommunications companies accused of helping set up the program.
The vaguely worded proposal would shield any person who allegedly provided information, infrastructure or “any other form of assistance” to the intelligence agencies after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. It covers any classified communications activity intended to protect the country from terrorism.
Republicans say immunity is necessary to protect the companies that responded to legal presidential orders to thwart terrorists in the years after 9/11. Yet some Democrats fear the administration’s proposal would do much more than advertised, potentially protecting anyone who gave broad categories of aid to the government as part of a spy program that monitors communications.
Because the administration does not want to identify which companies participated in the operations, it is asking Congress to let the attorney general intervene on behalf of any person or company accused of participating in the surveillance work, whether or not they actually did, two senior Justice Department officials said.
More than a dozen government officials interviewed for this story spoke on condition they not be identified because sensitive negotiations with Congress are ongoing.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20535385/
I swear I love Think Progress. They rule.
Posted by: Christy at August 31, 2007 06:41 PM
Did you see this?
U.S. Military Censors ThinkProgress
ThinkProgress is now banned from the U.S. military network in Baghdad.
Recently, an avid ThinkProgress reader — a U.S. soldier serving his second tour in Iraq — wrote to us and said that he can no longer access ThinkProgress.org.
snip -
The ban began sometime shortly after Aug. 22, when Ret. Maj. Gen. John Batiste was our guest blogger on ThinkProgress. He posted an op-ed that was strongly critical of the President’s policies and advocated a “responsible and deliberate redeployment from Iraq.
full story: http://thinkprogress.org/2007/08/31/military-censors/
Ooops - hat tip to rawstory on that last one.
Ah, cencorship, the cornerstone of any great,free democracy. I'm sure that's what our troops are fighting for...
Knot Z's
Damn typos!
Censorship!
on the drive home .. car in front of me had one of those
bumper stickers with the date of Bush's last day in office
(if not impeached, resigning or otherwise somehow fails to
complete term)
Friday evening chuckle...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHzdsFiBbFc
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, and the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron.'
- Dwight David Eisenhower, April 16, 1953.
(Thanks to Congressman McDermott)
Formula industry was in cahoots with govt to "tone down" breastfeeding ads
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/30/AR2007083002198.html?hpid=topnews
Bush among top 'mass murderers of all time'
Want to get the news the media buries? Get Raw's headline feed.
President Bush's apparent plans for a preemptive nuclear strike on Iran will only add to the civilian death toll as a result of US intervention that has placed the president "high on the list of mass murders of all time," a former aide in President Ronald Reagan's administration known for strident anti-Bush rhetoric said Friday.
"Bush is too self-righteous to see the dark humor in his denunciations of Iran for threatening 'the security of nations everywhere' and of the Iraqi resistance for 'a vision that rejects tolerance, crushes all dissent, and justifies the murder of innocent men, women, and children in the pursuit of political power,'" writes Paul Craig Roberts, a former assistant secretary of the Treasury. "Those are precisely the words that most of the world applies to Bush and his Brownshirt administration."
Roberts, who has emerged as a fierce critic of Bush's war policies, accused the president of ignoring habeas corpus and the Geneva Conventions, justifying torture and demonizing critics as anti-American.
"Bush ... is responsible, according to Information Clearing House, for over one million deaths of Iraqi civilians, which puts Bush high on the list of mass murderers of all time," Roberts writes in a column published Friday on antiwar.com. "The vast majority of 'kills' by the US military in Iraq and Afghanistan are civilians."
A report last month found that US and NATO troops killed more Afghan civilians in the first half of this year than the Taliban.
http://rawstory.com//news/2007/Former_Reagan_aide_Brownshirt_Bush_among_0831.html
No Wonder Georgies in the White House
No child left behind?
Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina answers a question
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww
Bush Gets Mounting Reports of Iraq Woes
By ROBERT BURNS and PAULINE JELINEK
Associated Press Writers
WASHINGTON (AP) - Awaiting a visit Friday by President Bush to discuss the war, the Pentagon defended its efforts to rid the Iraqi national police of sectarian bias and corruption, even as an independent review found the force too tainted to continue.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,,-6888643,00.html
About Ralpheh -
It's not that I disagree with everything he says about Hillary or even Kerry. It's that he comes on REPEATEDLY at completely unrelated times and repeats and repeats it. It's trollish and highly annoying. Work it into a conversation at least and have a reason besides venom. It gets very old.
Posted by: not my president at August 31, 2007 03:54 PM
Ralpheh
Have you volunteered yet for Dana Perrino's job?
You'd be great. My donation bucket is rapidly filling up.
Posted by: not my president at August 31, 2007 03:00 PM
@@@@@@@@
My advice at this point, if Hillary continues on her assent ably assisted by big donors, the compliant, corporate and lazy media and undiscerning Democrats, is to keep filling your bucket and holding your nose.
For myself, I am tired of the Democratic party that:
1) can't tell the truth about Bush or his opposition party
2) can't tell the truth about the war in Iraq
3) for two elections in row 2004 and 2008, assuming HIllary gets the nomination, will have backed pro-war presidential candidates.
This is disgusting and frightening.
WTF is going on in New Orleans?
And Yup, Carol, I saw that. It did not surprise me one bit they censored ThinkProgress.
Of all the news sites that are dangerous to them, that one is a downright menace.
Posted by: Christy at September 1, 2007 06:56 AM
Nuthin good...
A week before the Haditha massacre, that same Sgt. killed 5 unarmed men.
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2007-09-01T010433Z_01_N31270252_RTRUKOC_0_US-USA-MARINE-HADITHA.xml
You are up early on a saturday Monkey.
Did you also get woke up by the brainsplitting buzz of my alarm clock at 4 am ?
E.Ghad. I should still be asleep. So should you.
Update from New Orleans, Times Picayune has picked it up
http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/08/protesters_enter_hano_offices.html
You are right, don't sound good at all.
". In June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would demolish the city's four largest developments: St. Bernard, Lafitte, C.J. Peete and the B.W. Cooper, which is partially reoccupied."
They announced Whawhawhawhat?
The Lafitte projects are intact. What in the hell are they doing?
Nevermind. I know exactly what they are doing. I was just living in a world where I hoped it was not real.
Oh my God.
From the Miami Harold... They are reporting the protest broke up around 3 am. But look.....
Perry said the protesters are demanding the reopening of St. Bernard, one of the city's largest public-housing projects, which has been shuttered since Hurricane Katrina struck two years ago.
She said the project's 1,500 units are in ''perfect condition,'' but the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that HUD is planning to demolish it.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking_news/story/221774.html
Posted by: Christy at September 1, 2007 07:16 AM
Christy, did you read all the comments left on that story? This country is so completely fuqued up, it boggles my mind.
A bunch of ultra right wing thugs whose only response to this tragedy is, "GET A JOB", "PAY YER OWN RENT", "THE GOVT NEER GUARANTEED YOU HOUSING", blah blah frickin blah.
Wow. The total and complete lack of compassion by the citizens of this country, most of whom have NEVER lost their homes, or even experienced what its like to lie thru something like this, is absolutely astounding.
One dude says the solution to poverty is work.
I really and truly have developed an intense dislike for the people of this nation.
Monkey here is the real bitch.
Here INSIDE Louisiana, I here that crap from white people almost every freaking day about New Orleans.
I told my cousin to go f*ck herself because she just couldn't resist blaming all her troubles on those damn poor black people. I told her to never return to my house ever again until. I won't miss them.
Me too, I am so mad right now I just wanna freaking kick something. So damn sick of it with no damn clue how to deal with it.
Posted by: Christy at September 1, 2007 07:45 AM
well, I just posted to that blog... they can all bleaux me.
Do you know my own sister REFUSED to sit on my couch once because a black person sat on it before her.
She sat in MY FLOOR.
She isn't allowed back either. We no longer speak.
On days like this, I truly feel it was totally worth it.
Oh, the humanity.... or lack thereof.
... and yeah Christy, I'm up early, I never sleep anymore... who can sleep when the country is coming apart at the seams and my childrens future are completely FUQUED?
All because an idiot was ALLOWED to steal, cheat, and lie us all into a rathole with no way out.
Breaking Point
Performed by Eric Clapton
writeen by Jerry Lynn Williams and Marty Grebb
Well I just don't get it
Can't make the pieces fit
I might just as well forget it
But my heart won't let me quit
You say it's only a part of love
That's right
But I get a little worried sometimes
When I start to lose
Tired of holding it together
When I know I'm going to blow another fuse
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
Well you're never gonna get it
If you don't get up and try
Try and spread those wings around me
Honey let me see you fly
You say it's only a part of love
That's right
But I get a little worried sometimes
When I start to lose
Tired of holding it together
When I know I'm going to blow another fuse
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
Maybe someday you'll recover
I can see it in your eyes
One more thing that you'll discover
That you'll finally realize
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
I'm at my breaking point
My breaking point
Posted by: monkey at September 1, 2007 07:35 AM
Reading those comments shows me just how evil people can be.
Yeah, who knew it was possible to become a born again, batsh*t insane, fundamentalist christian without ever once renouncing any racist tendencies...?
Go figure.
Reading those comments shows me just how evil people can be.
Posted by: Suz at September 1, 2007 08:07 AM
You should come down and look them in the eye when they say it. The extent of such evil can never truly be described by words alone.
Posted by: Christy at September 1, 2007 08:12 AM
I always hated the fact that I'd LOVE to live down south where the weather is warmer and I really just need the longer days too. But I don't think I'd fit in since I'm half Jew and half Christian and ALL nonpracticing of either anymore. Also, I wouldn't fit in where bigotry is woven into accepted values.
--new thread--much like the old thread...
Ralpheh
I feel your pain about alot of that but Democrats were even in power during the Vietnam war part of the time. The war actually stopped under a Republican, though it certainly was in spite of him not because of him.
I wish taking Hillary down would solve the problem but it won't so it's even more wasted effort than my nose plugging and jar stuffing. We actually had smaller wars under both Clinton (Democrat) and Reagan (Republican), though we can still go on the record as the country with the most wars involved in during modern times. I think now we can compete with the Ottomans or Romans and that we have our own Napolean.
Christy
I took the Greyhound from South Dakota to Toronto via Chicago when I was 15 and I was sitting next to a black Army Seargant on leave from Vietnam. He was telling me that he had encountered less racism as a black in Europe than in US. (Though nowdays there is alot of racism toward immigrant Africans. American blacks have said for a long time that they are well received in France and I've seen it, though that may be more in urban areas like Paris where there is a long-standing cultural appreciation.)
Anyway, two guys from Tennessee came on the bus and told me to move away from the guy because he "would mess me up." I didn't do it, and in fact, corresponded with the guy for awhile. I can still hear them to this day, with the hate in their voice for someone they didn't even know, who had been defending their freedom of speech ("interests" such as oil, actually - the party line then was that we were being defended from Commies.)
I have been slumming on wingnut sites and keep coming across comparisons of Islam and Christianity where people are absolutely inflamed at any implication that Islam is not fundamentally warlike and Christianity peaceful. Actually they are both a mixed bag with many authors of their "good books" and it's far more complex than your average Biblical literalist can comprehend. The three main religions actually spring from one root, which still exists and practices!
Posted by: monkey at September 1, 2007 07:35 AM
What took you so long???
Actually, Monkey, you dislike the uneducated, bigoted, red-necked, or rich people in this country who cannot and do not WANT to identify with the common working middle class. It's not that they don't know they are there, and that they are struggling, they just think they are better than common people.
I am in the middle of red-neck country, but I only know of a few in an entire town who would vote Bush again. Everyone is worried. They just don't know what to do about it.
Now, for a little story that should make your day (I know it did mine).....
When I was married to the rich Republican and we were living in our mansion, my son brought home a black man. Husband's mother was sitting on the couch in the living room, and she turned white, and grabbed her purse and shut herself in the guest room.
My son said "What's up?" and invited the black man to join him in the hot tub while sharing hubby's "hot tub wine".
That was probably the beginning of the end of that marriage (ya think??? :-D ) but I still
get so tickled every time I think of that. That and when Mr. Republican Better-Than-Thou and Thou's Children came home an hour and a half later and they were still in the hot tub. Oh yeah.
Moments like that? Priceless.
(And yes, my son acted like he was home cuz he was living with us. I taught my kids to share. Still cracks me up.)