Foe News Viewers
HeHe
posted by Christy at 11:56 PM
0 comments
 |
Saturday, July 02, 2005
CrisisPictures.Org Needs Your Help.
I just recieved this in the mail, These guys are SOO IMPORTANT. If you can help them out I will beg you to do so. They are under constant hack attack and unfair server tricks. I truely think they are some of the bravest people ever.
Please Please Please help them with thier unimaginably hard task.
On June 12th, US bombers destroyed several houses in Karbalah.
On June 13th, the US reinstated itâs blockade of Fallujah.
On the 19th of June, Baghdad's water main was destroyed.
On the 22nd of June, there were major combat operations in Baghdad.
On June 27th an Iraqi television director was gunned down at a checkpoint.
Did you see these events?
Did you read about them?
Unless you visit Crisispictures.org, you probably didn't.
Without your help, you won't.
Last Friday, Crisis Pictures lost access to its image server without warning. We are now facing a large, unbudgeted expense at a time when we need to buy more, not less pictures.
Every day Crisis Pictures buys pictures of humanitarian emergencies that traditional media stubbornly refuse to publish.
The effect can be profound. Pictures have the power to communicate distant tragedies as not being about other people, but other people just like me.
We desperately need your help to keep operating. Please, if you can help even with even a small donation, now is the time to help.
You can donate by check or credit card, here: http://crisispictures.org/?page_id=50
Thanks.
Trevor
Director
Crisis Pictures.
http://crisispictures.org
Please Please Please help them with thier unimaginably hard task.
On June 12th, US bombers destroyed several houses in Karbalah.
On June 13th, the US reinstated itâs blockade of Fallujah.
On the 19th of June, Baghdad's water main was destroyed.
On the 22nd of June, there were major combat operations in Baghdad.
On June 27th an Iraqi television director was gunned down at a checkpoint.
Did you see these events?
Did you read about them?
Unless you visit Crisispictures.org, you probably didn't.
Without your help, you won't.
Last Friday, Crisis Pictures lost access to its image server without warning. We are now facing a large, unbudgeted expense at a time when we need to buy more, not less pictures.
Every day Crisis Pictures buys pictures of humanitarian emergencies that traditional media stubbornly refuse to publish.
The effect can be profound. Pictures have the power to communicate distant tragedies as not being about other people, but other people just like me.
We desperately need your help to keep operating. Please, if you can help even with even a small donation, now is the time to help.
You can donate by check or credit card, here: http://crisispictures.org/?page_id=50
Thanks.
Trevor
Director
Crisis Pictures.
http://crisispictures.org
posted by Christy at 11:45 PM
0 comments
120,000 People Who Care.
Via www.truthout.org
Thousands Flock to Poverty March
BBC
Saturday 02 July 2005
Thousands of protesters are taking part in a Make Poverty History march in Edinburgh, as musicians perform in Live 8 concerts around the globe.
Police estimate about 120,000 people are walking through the city centre to highlight their message to G8 leaders meeting at Gleneagles next week.
Organisers say they hope the event will pass off peacefully.
The start was delayed for a short time by the sheer weight of numbers and people turning up late along the route.
Saturday's march is one of a number of events planned in the run-up to Wednesday's G8 summit at Gleneagles, when campaigners hope world leaders will make a commitment to tackle poverty in Africa.
The events also coincide with the series of Live 8 concerts being held on Saturday in cities around the world, including London.
Some 200,000 people are expected in Hyde Park to see performers including U2, Pink Floyd, Madonna, REM and Coldplay.
The concerts will span nearly 24 hours, with the first having started in Tokyo at 0600 BST.
Organised by Live Aid founder Bob Geldof, they will call for more aid for Africa, debt cancellation and fairer trade.
More..Link In Headline
---WOW!!!!!!!! What a Party!!!---
posted by Christy at 11:03 PM
1 comments
For the chickenhawks who hate me...
You Want War? Go Get It.
I DARE YOU.
posted by Christy at 8:43 PM
0 comments
Am I Whats Wrong With America?
I was just told, AGAIN, that I, ME, MYSELF, is to blame for LOWERING THE MORALE of our soldiers.
See because I post images that are being hidden from us all.
I would like to respond PUBLICLY.
I am NOT the one who LIED to put our soldiers into a clusterfuck of DEATH.
I am NOT the one who WALKED AWAY with EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS of Iraqs wealth.
I am NOT the people who made torture LEGALLY JUSTIFIABLE.
I DID NOT conceal pictures of female detainees being GANG RAPED at Abu Gahriab.
I AM NOT THE ONE who ordered the use of NAPALM on innocent Iraqis.
I AM NOT from the two families that PROFITED THE MOST from the MASS MURDER of 3000 innocent AMERICANS.
I am not the one who determined those that die in Germany or enroute to, DONT COUNT.
I AM NOT THE PERSON who let Osama Bin Laden GET AWAY.
I am not the one who leaves AMERICAN SOLDIERS to dig through GARBAGE to uparmor themselves.
I did not borrow your great grandchildren into debt to the Chinese and BANKRUPT my own nation.
I NEVER ONCE COMMITTED TREASON...
( see DOWNING STREET MEMO.)
So..
For those of you who STILL believe 'I am whats wrong with America' ...
I can only tell you what your own little neocon god said...
BRING IT ON.
Bitch.
See because I post images that are being hidden from us all.
I would like to respond PUBLICLY.
I am NOT the one who LIED to put our soldiers into a clusterfuck of DEATH.
I am NOT the one who WALKED AWAY with EIGHT BILLION DOLLARS of Iraqs wealth.
I am NOT the people who made torture LEGALLY JUSTIFIABLE.
I DID NOT conceal pictures of female detainees being GANG RAPED at Abu Gahriab.
I AM NOT THE ONE who ordered the use of NAPALM on innocent Iraqis.
I AM NOT from the two families that PROFITED THE MOST from the MASS MURDER of 3000 innocent AMERICANS.
I am not the one who determined those that die in Germany or enroute to, DONT COUNT.
I AM NOT THE PERSON who let Osama Bin Laden GET AWAY.
I am not the one who leaves AMERICAN SOLDIERS to dig through GARBAGE to uparmor themselves.
I did not borrow your great grandchildren into debt to the Chinese and BANKRUPT my own nation.
I NEVER ONCE COMMITTED TREASON...
( see DOWNING STREET MEMO.)
So..
For those of you who STILL believe 'I am whats wrong with America' ...
I can only tell you what your own little neocon god said...
BRING IT ON.
Bitch.
posted by Christy at 8:17 PM
1 comments
Art For Girls
I learned how to upload images from my dashboard nanananana nanana
YEEHAAWWWW
posted by Christy at 8:10 PM
1 comments
The Wanker, Confronts The Idiot.. (Well, Sort Of )
Arnie tells Bush to face up to global warming
02/07/2005 - 20:04:36
The Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, today sent a robust message to US President George Bush to face up to the reality of global warming.
Climate change is at the top of the agenda for next week’s G8 summit in Gleneagles, but reports suggest that Mr Bush is blocking a deal on action to tackle it, with some commentators even predicting the other seven nations may agree a statement excluding the US rather than leave Scotland without an accord.
Leaked drafts of the proposed communique on climate change appear to suggest that Washington is unwilling even to sign up to a document which states that global warming is occurring or that human activity is responsible for it.
Without mentioning his president by name, Mr Schwarzenegger used an article in tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday to send a clear message of his disagreement with Mr Bush’s stance.
“The debate is over,” wrote the Governor of the US’s largest and most economically powerful state.
“We know the science. We see the threat posed by changes in our climate. And we know the time for action is now.”
---Does me smell a rat named..FACTION..? Gee, whoda thunk it?---
02/07/2005 - 20:04:36
The Republican governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, today sent a robust message to US President George Bush to face up to the reality of global warming.
Climate change is at the top of the agenda for next week’s G8 summit in Gleneagles, but reports suggest that Mr Bush is blocking a deal on action to tackle it, with some commentators even predicting the other seven nations may agree a statement excluding the US rather than leave Scotland without an accord.
Leaked drafts of the proposed communique on climate change appear to suggest that Washington is unwilling even to sign up to a document which states that global warming is occurring or that human activity is responsible for it.
Without mentioning his president by name, Mr Schwarzenegger used an article in tomorrow’s Independent on Sunday to send a clear message of his disagreement with Mr Bush’s stance.
“The debate is over,” wrote the Governor of the US’s largest and most economically powerful state.
“We know the science. We see the threat posed by changes in our climate. And we know the time for action is now.”
---Does me smell a rat named..FACTION..? Gee, whoda thunk it?---
posted by Christy at 7:22 PM
0 comments
Why I Am Proud To Be Liberal
1998 Websters Dictionary
lib-er-al (lib'er al) adj. Characterized by generousity or lavishness in giving: abundant; ample; inclining toward opinions or policies that favor progress or reform, such as religion or politics.
You damn skippy. Not liberal like Jesus. Liberal like Ghandi.
Take That, Neocon Butt-Boys!
And for our Fourth of July, I thought I would just add....
freedom, n. The condition or state of being free; independence; possession of political rights; boldness of expression; liberty; unrestricted access or use.
democracy, n. pl. A form of government exercized either directly by the people, or through their elected representatives; rule by the majority;the practice of legal, political, or social equality.
patriot, n. A person who loves and defends his country.
lib-er-al (lib'er al) adj. Characterized by generousity or lavishness in giving: abundant; ample; inclining toward opinions or policies that favor progress or reform, such as religion or politics.
You damn skippy. Not liberal like Jesus. Liberal like Ghandi.
Take That, Neocon Butt-Boys!
And for our Fourth of July, I thought I would just add....
freedom, n. The condition or state of being free; independence; possession of political rights; boldness of expression; liberty; unrestricted access or use.
democracy, n. pl. A form of government exercized either directly by the people, or through their elected representatives; rule by the majority;the practice of legal, political, or social equality.
patriot, n. A person who loves and defends his country.
posted by Christy at 3:00 PM
0 comments
What British Soldiers In Iraq Do To Pass The Time. For You Pete.
posted by Christy at 2:56 PM
2 comments
More Third Rate Thieves
Ohio Democrats victims of break-in
Thieves grab computer from party headquaters in Columbus
By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS
COLUMBUS — Thieves targeted the Ohio Democratic Party Headquarters this week, stealing a computer and a high-tech communications gadget belonging to party chairman Denny White.
Police said yesterday one or more burglars appeared to have climbed a wall Monday and crawled through an unlocked second-story window overnight at the party headquarters about three blocks from the Statehouse.
The break-in occurs at a time when the Ohio Republican Party is threatened by one of the largest scandals to hit the state’s government in decades.
Some Democrats also say the break-in is eerily similar to a burglary at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters last fall, in which three computers were stolen.
Police, though, said it is unclear if the theft had anything to do with politics, or the investigations into investments at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
“Until we find the person, there’s no way of knowing that,” said Sherry Mercurio, a police spokesman, who said investigators lifted fingerprints at the scene.
Yesterday, posters celebrating John Glenn’s accomplishments still hung on the walls of the headquarters, a portable stereo sat on a desk, and a few Sony Vaio desktop computers with flat panel monitors remained untouched.
The items belonging to Mr. White were a Dell computer valued at $800, a flat-screen monitor valued at $250, and a $250 BlackBerry communications device.
The break-in occurred a week after the Ohio Democratic Party began airing a 30-second TV ad that links Republican office-holders with the state’s failed $50 million rare-coin investment with Tom Noe.
Lawyers for Mr. Noe, a Republican fund-raiser, have told authorities that about $13 million in assets are missing from the coin fund.
Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said the state GOP had nothing to do with the break-in.
“I certainly hope the implication is that this was not politically motivated,” Mr. Mauk said. “I can guarantee from our perspective that this is not the case.”
He added, “It sounds to me like Mayor [Michael] Coleman has a crime problem that they need to address.”
There were two other burglaries nearby on Monday night, both at restaurants.
In one case, someone smashed a window of a restaurant and stole $150 in property.
In another, someone used a piece of concrete to shatter a rear glass door of a restaurant, police said.
Dan Trevas, a spokesman for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said every crime is taken seriously by police, and the burglary will be investigated.
“The Republicans ought to be more concerned about the crimes that are happening in state government,” Mr. Trevas said.
“The Republicans ought not to be throwing stones near the pile of glass that used to be the house that they lived in.”
Mr. Mauk, the Ohio GOP spokesman, said Republican offices were targeted several times by vandals during last year’s election.
“We’ve had our [headquarters] broken into and had our building spray-painted pretty aggressively over the past year,” he said. “We installed security cameras and that seems to have made a difference.”
To some Democrats, this week’s break-in is reminiscent with a burglary in October at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters about three weeks before last year’s election.
In that case, thieves shattered a side window overnight at the headquarters, stealing computers and sensitive campaign information.
Toledo police investigated, but were unable to make any arrests in the case.
Ten days after the break-in, Toledo police said greed — not politics — appeared the be the chief motive for the crime.
Sandy Isenberg, who was chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party at the time of the break-in, said yesterday the latest burglary “sounds more and more like dirty tricks.”
“It’s no different than our break-in, through a window, [they] took three very important computers, and left everything else,” she said. “Come on — How strange is that? I find it extremely peculiar and suspicious.”
The former Lucas County commissioner said the computers nabbed in last fall’s break-in contained “loads and loads of information that could be used in many different ways.”
“I lived through the Nixon era and I’m living through this convoluted mess right now,” she said.
“And it would seem to me that the Republicans will stop at nothing to further their cause. That’s unfortunate because there are many Republicans out there who would and do find this situation that the state of Ohio is in abhorrent of their beliefs and values.”
Roger Sanders, an attorney working on a Democratic voter protection project last year, who had his laptop computer stolen during the break-in at Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters in October, said this week’s burglary “Looks suspicious and it certainly sounds more like Watergate than Coingate.”
In August, thieves broke into the Ohio AFL-CIO headquarters in Columbus, stealing eight desktop computers and two laptop computers, said Kent Darr, an AFL-CIO spokesman.
Police have not made any arrests and the computers were not recovered, Mr. Darr said.
One of the computers contained a letter — which was not backed up — that instructed labor groups around the state on how to properly register voters.
On the eve of the Nov. 2, 2004, presidential election, two Wood County residents filed a lawsuit against Americans Coming Together and three “partner” groups, including the Ohio AFL-CIO.
The lawsuit alleged that their votes would be diluted because ACT and the other three groups had fraudulently registered voters.
Although there are copies of the letter, the AFL-CIO does not have the original that could be submitted in court, Mr. Darr said.
Link in Headline
---HMMMMM---
Thieves grab computer from party headquaters in Columbus
By STEVE EDER and JAMES DREW
BLADE STAFF WRITERS
COLUMBUS — Thieves targeted the Ohio Democratic Party Headquarters this week, stealing a computer and a high-tech communications gadget belonging to party chairman Denny White.
Police said yesterday one or more burglars appeared to have climbed a wall Monday and crawled through an unlocked second-story window overnight at the party headquarters about three blocks from the Statehouse.
The break-in occurs at a time when the Ohio Republican Party is threatened by one of the largest scandals to hit the state’s government in decades.
Some Democrats also say the break-in is eerily similar to a burglary at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters last fall, in which three computers were stolen.
Police, though, said it is unclear if the theft had anything to do with politics, or the investigations into investments at the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation.
“Until we find the person, there’s no way of knowing that,” said Sherry Mercurio, a police spokesman, who said investigators lifted fingerprints at the scene.
Yesterday, posters celebrating John Glenn’s accomplishments still hung on the walls of the headquarters, a portable stereo sat on a desk, and a few Sony Vaio desktop computers with flat panel monitors remained untouched.
The items belonging to Mr. White were a Dell computer valued at $800, a flat-screen monitor valued at $250, and a $250 BlackBerry communications device.
The break-in occurred a week after the Ohio Democratic Party began airing a 30-second TV ad that links Republican office-holders with the state’s failed $50 million rare-coin investment with Tom Noe.
Lawyers for Mr. Noe, a Republican fund-raiser, have told authorities that about $13 million in assets are missing from the coin fund.
Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party, said the state GOP had nothing to do with the break-in.
“I certainly hope the implication is that this was not politically motivated,” Mr. Mauk said. “I can guarantee from our perspective that this is not the case.”
He added, “It sounds to me like Mayor [Michael] Coleman has a crime problem that they need to address.”
There were two other burglaries nearby on Monday night, both at restaurants.
In one case, someone smashed a window of a restaurant and stole $150 in property.
In another, someone used a piece of concrete to shatter a rear glass door of a restaurant, police said.
Dan Trevas, a spokesman for Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said every crime is taken seriously by police, and the burglary will be investigated.
“The Republicans ought to be more concerned about the crimes that are happening in state government,” Mr. Trevas said.
“The Republicans ought not to be throwing stones near the pile of glass that used to be the house that they lived in.”
Mr. Mauk, the Ohio GOP spokesman, said Republican offices were targeted several times by vandals during last year’s election.
“We’ve had our [headquarters] broken into and had our building spray-painted pretty aggressively over the past year,” he said. “We installed security cameras and that seems to have made a difference.”
To some Democrats, this week’s break-in is reminiscent with a burglary in October at the Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters about three weeks before last year’s election.
In that case, thieves shattered a side window overnight at the headquarters, stealing computers and sensitive campaign information.
Toledo police investigated, but were unable to make any arrests in the case.
Ten days after the break-in, Toledo police said greed — not politics — appeared the be the chief motive for the crime.
Sandy Isenberg, who was chairman of the Lucas County Democratic Party at the time of the break-in, said yesterday the latest burglary “sounds more and more like dirty tricks.”
“It’s no different than our break-in, through a window, [they] took three very important computers, and left everything else,” she said. “Come on — How strange is that? I find it extremely peculiar and suspicious.”
The former Lucas County commissioner said the computers nabbed in last fall’s break-in contained “loads and loads of information that could be used in many different ways.”
“I lived through the Nixon era and I’m living through this convoluted mess right now,” she said.
“And it would seem to me that the Republicans will stop at nothing to further their cause. That’s unfortunate because there are many Republicans out there who would and do find this situation that the state of Ohio is in abhorrent of their beliefs and values.”
Roger Sanders, an attorney working on a Democratic voter protection project last year, who had his laptop computer stolen during the break-in at Lucas County Democratic Party Headquarters in October, said this week’s burglary “Looks suspicious and it certainly sounds more like Watergate than Coingate.”
In August, thieves broke into the Ohio AFL-CIO headquarters in Columbus, stealing eight desktop computers and two laptop computers, said Kent Darr, an AFL-CIO spokesman.
Police have not made any arrests and the computers were not recovered, Mr. Darr said.
One of the computers contained a letter — which was not backed up — that instructed labor groups around the state on how to properly register voters.
On the eve of the Nov. 2, 2004, presidential election, two Wood County residents filed a lawsuit against Americans Coming Together and three “partner” groups, including the Ohio AFL-CIO.
The lawsuit alleged that their votes would be diluted because ACT and the other three groups had fraudulently registered voters.
Although there are copies of the letter, the AFL-CIO does not have the original that could be submitted in court, Mr. Darr said.
Link in Headline
---HMMMMM---
posted by Christy at 12:02 PM
0 comments
Our Actual Death Toll..7 to 9 THOUSAND
Nearly 9,000 U.S. troops dead?
A NATIONWIDE CALL FOR INFO FROM SURVIVORS.
Author peaceseeker
Date Created 29 Jun 2005
More details...
Date Edited
This work is in the public domain
Has the Bush administration drastically understated the U.S. military death count by redefining "death"? The following article suggests that it has, and it calls for a nationwide campaign to honor deceased service members by naming and counting them.
According to the article: "...DoD lists currently being very quietly circulated indicate almost 9,000 [U.S. military] dead"; this far exceeds the "official" death count of 1,831. How can this be? It's largely because "U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted."
In other words, "death" has been redefined.
WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:
1. If you know (or know of) service members who've died in Bush()'s wars, look for their names on the full, alphabetized "official" Pentagon death list, at www.tbrnews.org/Archives/list.htm . IF THEIR NAMES ARE NOT INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND A REPORT TO: tbrnews@hotmail.com .
You're also encouraged to notify your Congress members, your local newspaper, and other interested parties.
( Note that the alphabetized list is updated regularly at tbrnews.org. It currently includes deaths reported up through early June. )
2. FORWARD THIS WEB PAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO MAY KNOW SERVICE MEMBERS WHO'VE DIED.
3. Forward this web page to veterans' groups, other organizations, responsible journalists and respectable elected officials.
///////////////////////////
"The Bush Butcher’s Bill: Officially, 80 US Military Deaths in Iraq() from 1 through 21 May, 2005 – Official Total of 1,831 US Dead to date (and rising)"
( THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS FROM www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a1682.htm )
U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005. The ongoing, underreporting of the dead in Iraq, is not accurate. The DoD is deliberately reducing the figures. A review of many foreign news sites show that actual deaths are far higher than the newly reduced ones. Iraqi civilian casualties are never reported but International Red Cross, Red Crescent and UN figures indicate that as of 1 January 2005, the numbers are just under 100,000.
by Brian Harring, Domestic Intelligence Reporter
Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources In addition to the evident falsification of the death rolls, at least 5,500 American military personnel have deserted, most in Ireland but more have escaped to Canada and other European countries, none of whom are inclined to cooperate with vengeful American authorities. (See TBR News of 18 February for full coverage on the mass desertions) This means that of the 158,000 U.S. military shipped to Iraq, 26,000 either deserted, were killed or seriously wounded. The DoD lists currently being very quietly circulated indicate almost 9,000 dead, over 16,000 seriously wounded* (See note below. This figure is now over 24,000 Ed) and a large number of suicides, forced hospitalization for ongoing drug usage and sales, murder of Iraqi civilians and fellow soldiers , rapes, courts martial and so on –
I have a copy of the official DoD casualty list. I am alphabetizing it with the reported date of death following. TBR will post this list in sections and when this is circulated widely by veteran groups and other concerned sites, if people who do not see their loved one’s names, are requested to inform their Congressman, their local paper, us and other concerned people as soon as possible.
The government gets away with these huge lies because they claim, falsely, that only soldiers actually killed on the ground in Iraq are reported. The dying and critically wounded are listed as en route to military hospitals outside of the country and not reported on the daily postings. Anyone who dies just as the transport takes off from the Baghdad airport is not listed and neither are those who die in the US military hospitals. Their families are certainly notified that their son, husband, brother or lover was dead and the bodies, or what is left of them (refrigeration is very bad in Iraq what with constant power outages) are shipped home, to Dover AFB. You ought to realize that President Bush personally ordered that no pictures be taken of the coffined and flag-draped dead under any circumstances. He claims that this is to comfort the bereaved relatives but is designed to keep the huge number of arriving bodies secret. Any civilian, or military personnel, taking pictures will be jailed at once and prosecuted.
...This listing program is finished so act accordingly. If there is an actual variance of, say, 10 names, that is acceptable. 50 would indicate sloppiness and anything over 100 a positive sign of lying. As of June 16, TBR has received 32 new, unlisted names
*The latest on the wounded: “Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, is a 150-bed hospital that's already seen over 24,000 wounded military patients from Iraq and Afghanistan since the commencement of hostilities “. Knight Ridder Newspapers June 6, 2005 (Note: The Pentagon refuses to publish accurate lists of any wounded. Ed)
LINK TO FULL, "OFFICIAL" ALPHABETICAL LIST:
www.tbrnews.org/Archives/list.htm
(The list is updated regularly.)
http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10554
A NATIONWIDE CALL FOR INFO FROM SURVIVORS.
Author peaceseeker
Date Created 29 Jun 2005
More details...
Date Edited
This work is in the public domain
Has the Bush administration drastically understated the U.S. military death count by redefining "death"? The following article suggests that it has, and it calls for a nationwide campaign to honor deceased service members by naming and counting them.
According to the article: "...DoD lists currently being very quietly circulated indicate almost 9,000 [U.S. military] dead"; this far exceeds the "official" death count of 1,831. How can this be? It's largely because "U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted."
In other words, "death" has been redefined.
WHAT YOU CAN DO RIGHT NOW:
1. If you know (or know of) service members who've died in Bush()'s wars, look for their names on the full, alphabetized "official" Pentagon death list, at www.tbrnews.org/Archives/list.htm . IF THEIR NAMES ARE NOT INCLUDED, PLEASE SEND A REPORT TO: tbrnews@hotmail.com .
You're also encouraged to notify your Congress members, your local newspaper, and other interested parties.
( Note that the alphabetized list is updated regularly at tbrnews.org. It currently includes deaths reported up through early June. )
2. FORWARD THIS WEB PAGE TO ANYONE YOU KNOW WHO MAY KNOW SERVICE MEMBERS WHO'VE DIED.
3. Forward this web page to veterans' groups, other organizations, responsible journalists and respectable elected officials.
///////////////////////////
"The Bush Butcher’s Bill: Officially, 80 US Military Deaths in Iraq() from 1 through 21 May, 2005 – Official Total of 1,831 US Dead to date (and rising)"
( THE FOLLOWING TEXT IS FROM www.tbrnews.org/Archives/a1682.htm )
U.S. Military Personnel who died in German hospitals or en route to German hospitals have not previously been counted. They total about 6,210 as of 1 January, 2005. The ongoing, underreporting of the dead in Iraq, is not accurate. The DoD is deliberately reducing the figures. A review of many foreign news sites show that actual deaths are far higher than the newly reduced ones. Iraqi civilian casualties are never reported but International Red Cross, Red Crescent and UN figures indicate that as of 1 January 2005, the numbers are just under 100,000.
by Brian Harring, Domestic Intelligence Reporter
Note: There is excellent reason to believe that the Department of Defense is deliberately not reporting a significant number of the dead in Iraq. We have received copies of manifests from the MATS that show far more bodies shipped into Dover AFP than are reported officially. The educated rumor is that the actual death toll is in excess of 7,000. Given the officially acknowledged number of over 15,000 seriously wounded, this elevated death toll is far more realistic than the current 1,400+ now being officially published. When our research is complete, and watertight, we will publish the results along with the sources In addition to the evident falsification of the death rolls, at least 5,500 American military personnel have deserted, most in Ireland but more have escaped to Canada and other European countries, none of whom are inclined to cooperate with vengeful American authorities. (See TBR News of 18 February for full coverage on the mass desertions) This means that of the 158,000 U.S. military shipped to Iraq, 26,000 either deserted, were killed or seriously wounded. The DoD lists currently being very quietly circulated indicate almost 9,000 dead, over 16,000 seriously wounded* (See note below. This figure is now over 24,000 Ed) and a large number of suicides, forced hospitalization for ongoing drug usage and sales, murder of Iraqi civilians and fellow soldiers , rapes, courts martial and so on –
I have a copy of the official DoD casualty list. I am alphabetizing it with the reported date of death following. TBR will post this list in sections and when this is circulated widely by veteran groups and other concerned sites, if people who do not see their loved one’s names, are requested to inform their Congressman, their local paper, us and other concerned people as soon as possible.
The government gets away with these huge lies because they claim, falsely, that only soldiers actually killed on the ground in Iraq are reported. The dying and critically wounded are listed as en route to military hospitals outside of the country and not reported on the daily postings. Anyone who dies just as the transport takes off from the Baghdad airport is not listed and neither are those who die in the US military hospitals. Their families are certainly notified that their son, husband, brother or lover was dead and the bodies, or what is left of them (refrigeration is very bad in Iraq what with constant power outages) are shipped home, to Dover AFB. You ought to realize that President Bush personally ordered that no pictures be taken of the coffined and flag-draped dead under any circumstances. He claims that this is to comfort the bereaved relatives but is designed to keep the huge number of arriving bodies secret. Any civilian, or military personnel, taking pictures will be jailed at once and prosecuted.
...This listing program is finished so act accordingly. If there is an actual variance of, say, 10 names, that is acceptable. 50 would indicate sloppiness and anything over 100 a positive sign of lying. As of June 16, TBR has received 32 new, unlisted names
*The latest on the wounded: “Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, is a 150-bed hospital that's already seen over 24,000 wounded military patients from Iraq and Afghanistan since the commencement of hostilities “. Knight Ridder Newspapers June 6, 2005 (Note: The Pentagon refuses to publish accurate lists of any wounded. Ed)
LINK TO FULL, "OFFICIAL" ALPHABETICAL LIST:
www.tbrnews.org/Archives/list.htm
(The list is updated regularly.)
http://baltimore.indymedia.org/newswire/display/10554
posted by Christy at 3:20 AM
0 comments
Iraq, Still In Chaos
Suicide Bomber Kills 20 in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed 20 people waiting outside a police recruiting center in Iraq's capital on Saturday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
The attacker wore an explosive-laden belt and blew himself up outside the recruiting center in west Baghdad's Yarmouk neighborhood, said police Col. Adnan Abdul Rahman, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Most of those killed were recruits, he said.
The blast occurred at about 9:00 a.m., said police Lt. Majid Zaki. Yarmouk Hospital received at least 17 bodies and treated 21 wounded, Dr. Muhanad Jawad said.
Heavily-armed police arrived at the scene in white pickup trucks, firing warning shots in the air to clear the area. Emergency workers carted bodies away on stretchers More...
Link in Headline
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A suicide bomber strapped with explosives killed 20 people waiting outside a police recruiting center in Iraq's capital on Saturday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.
The attacker wore an explosive-laden belt and blew himself up outside the recruiting center in west Baghdad's Yarmouk neighborhood, said police Col. Adnan Abdul Rahman, an Interior Ministry spokesman. Most of those killed were recruits, he said.
The blast occurred at about 9:00 a.m., said police Lt. Majid Zaki. Yarmouk Hospital received at least 17 bodies and treated 21 wounded, Dr. Muhanad Jawad said.
Heavily-armed police arrived at the scene in white pickup trucks, firing warning shots in the air to clear the area. Emergency workers carted bodies away on stretchers More...
Link in Headline
posted by Christy at 3:02 AM
0 comments
WARNING: The Following Images Are Extremly Disturbing
The Following Images Are From Iraq.
Ali Babbah (The writing on his chest says 'thief '.)
The sourcing for these photos are here ..
http://la.indymedia.org/news/2003/04/54065.php
http://www.robert-fisk.com/iraqwarvictims_page13.htm
http://www.dagbladet.no/nyheter/2003/04/25/367175.html
posted by Christy at 2:01 AM
0 comments
IS THIS A WAR CRIME...?
Covering Up Napalm in Iraq
By Mike Whitney
ZNet
Tuesday 28 June 2005
"You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Robert Duvall, "Apocalypse Now" (1979)
Two weeks ago the UK Independent ran an article which confirmed that the US had "lied to Britain over the use of napalm in Iraq". (6-17-05) Since then, not one American newspaper or TV station has picked up the story even though the Pentagon has verified the claims. This is the extent to which the American "free press" is yoked to the center of power in Washington. As we've seen with the Downing Street memo, (which was reluctantly reported 5 weeks after it appeared in the British press) the air-tight American media ignores any story that doesn't embrace their collective support for the war. The prospect that the US military is using "universally reviled" weapons runs counter to the media-generated narrative that the war was motivated by humanitarian concerns (to topple a brutal dictator) as well as to eliminate the elusive WMDs. We can now say with certainty that the only WMDs in Iraq were those that were introduced by foreign invaders from the US who have used them to subjugate the indigenous people.
"Despite persistent rumors of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm" the Pentagon insisted that "US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq." (UK Independent)
The Pentagon lied.
Defense Minister, Adam Ingram, admitted that the US had misled the British high-command about the use of napalm, but he would not comment on the extent of the cover up. The use of firebombs puts the US in breach of the 1980 Convention on Certain Chemical Weapons (CCW) and is a violation the Geneva Protocol against the use of white phosphorous, "since its use causes indiscriminate and extreme injuries especially when deployed in an urban area."
Regrettably, "indiscriminate and extreme injuries" are a vital part of the American terror-campaign in Iraq; a well-coordinated strategy designed to spawn panic through random acts of violence.
It's clear that the military never needed to use napalm in Iraq. Their conventional weaponry and laser-guided technology were already enough to run roughshod over the Iraqi army and seize Baghdad almost unobstructed. Napalm was introduced simply to terrorize the Iraqi people; to pacify through intimidation. Cheney, Rumsfeld and Negroponte are old-hands at terrorism, dating back to their counterinsurgency projects in Nicaragua and El Salvador under the Reagan Administration. They know that the threat of immolation serves as a powerful deterrent and fits seamlessly into their overarching scheme of rule through fear. Terror and deception are the rotating parts of the same axis; the two imperatives of the Bush-Cheney foreign policy strategy. Napalm in Falluja
The US also used napalm in the siege of Falluja as was reported in the UK Mirror ("Falluja Napalmed", 11-28-04) The Mirror said, "President George Bush has sanctioned the use of napalm, a deadly cocktail of polystyrene and jet-fuel banned by the United Nations in 1980, will stun the world.... Reports claim that innocent civilians have died in napalm attacks, which turn victims into human fireballs as the gel bonds flames to flesh...Since the American assault on Falluja there have been reports of 'melted' corpse, which appeared to have napalm injuries."
"Human fireballs" and "melted corpses"; these are the real expressions of Operation Iraqi Freedom not the bland platitudes issuing from the presidential podium.
Dr. Khalid ash-Shaykhli, who was the head of the Iraqi Ministry of Health in Falluja, reported to Al Jazeera (and to the Washington Post, although it was never reported) that "research, prepared by his medical team, prove that the US forces used internationally prohibited substances, including mustard gas, nerve gas, and other burning chemicals in their attacks on the war-torn city."
Dr Shaykhli's claims have been corroborated by numerous eyewitness accounts as well as reports that "all forms of nature were wiped out in Falluja"...as well as "hundreds, of stray dogs, cats, and birds that had perished as a result of those gasses." An unidentified chemical was used in the bombing raids that killed every living creature in certain areas of the city.
As journalist Dahr Jamail reported later in his article "What is the US trying to Hide?", "At least two kilometers of soil were removed......exactly as they did at Baghdad Airport after the heavy battles there during the invasion and the Americans used their special weapons."
A cover up?
So far, none of this has appeared in any American media, nor has the media reported that the United Nations has been rebuffed twice by the Defense Dept. in calling for an independent investigation into what really took place in Falluja. The US simply waves away the international body as a minor nuisance while the media scrupulously omits any mention of the allegations from their coverage.
We can assume that the order to use napalm (as well as the other, unidentified substances) came straight from the office of Donald Rumsfeld. No one else could have issued that order, nor would they have risked their career by unilaterally using banned weapons when their use was entirely gratuitous. Rumsfeld's directive is consistent with other decisions attributed to the Defense Secretary; like the authorizing of torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, the targeting of members of the press, and the rehiring of members of Saddam's Secret Police ( the Mukhabarat) to carry out their brutal activities under new leadership. Rumsfeld's office has been the headwaters for most of the administration's treachery. Napalm simply adds depth to an already prodigious list of war crimes on Rumsfeld's resume'. Co-opting the Media
On June 10, 2005 numerous sources reported that the "US Special Operations Command hired three firms to produce newspaper stories, television broadcasts and Internet web sites to spread American propaganda overseas. The Tampa-based military headquarters, which oversees commandos and psychological warfare, may spend up to $100 million for the media campaign over the next five years." (James Crawley, Media General News Service) It's clear that there's no need for the Defense Dept. to shore up its "strategic information" (propaganda) operations in the US where reliable apparatchiks can be counted on to obfuscate, omit or exaggerate the coverage of the war according to the requirements of the Pentagon. The American press has been as skillful at embellishing the imaginary heroics of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman as they have been in concealing the damning details of the Downing Street Memo or the lack of evidence concerning the alleged WMDs. Should we be surprised that the media has remained silent about the immolation of Iraqis by American firebombs?
The US "free press" is a completely integrated part of the state-information system. Its meticulously managed message has been the most successful part of the entire Iraqi debacle. By providing the requisite cheerleading, diversions and omissions, the media has shown itself to be an invaluable asset to the men in power; perpetuating the deceptions that keep the public acquiescent during a savage colonial war. Given the scope of the media's culpability for the violence in Iraq, it's unlikely that the use of napalm will cause any great crisis of conscience. Their deft coverage has already facilitated the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people; a few more charred Iraqis shouldn't matter.
--Absolutely disgusting and unacceptable---
By Mike Whitney
ZNet
Tuesday 28 June 2005
"You smell that? Do you smell that? Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for twelve hours. When it was all over I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell, the whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Robert Duvall, "Apocalypse Now" (1979)
Two weeks ago the UK Independent ran an article which confirmed that the US had "lied to Britain over the use of napalm in Iraq". (6-17-05) Since then, not one American newspaper or TV station has picked up the story even though the Pentagon has verified the claims. This is the extent to which the American "free press" is yoked to the center of power in Washington. As we've seen with the Downing Street memo, (which was reluctantly reported 5 weeks after it appeared in the British press) the air-tight American media ignores any story that doesn't embrace their collective support for the war. The prospect that the US military is using "universally reviled" weapons runs counter to the media-generated narrative that the war was motivated by humanitarian concerns (to topple a brutal dictator) as well as to eliminate the elusive WMDs. We can now say with certainty that the only WMDs in Iraq were those that were introduced by foreign invaders from the US who have used them to subjugate the indigenous people.
"Despite persistent rumors of injuries among Iraqis consistent with the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm" the Pentagon insisted that "US forces had not used a new generation of incendiary weapons, codenamed MK77, in Iraq." (UK Independent)
The Pentagon lied.
Defense Minister, Adam Ingram, admitted that the US had misled the British high-command about the use of napalm, but he would not comment on the extent of the cover up. The use of firebombs puts the US in breach of the 1980 Convention on Certain Chemical Weapons (CCW) and is a violation the Geneva Protocol against the use of white phosphorous, "since its use causes indiscriminate and extreme injuries especially when deployed in an urban area."
Regrettably, "indiscriminate and extreme injuries" are a vital part of the American terror-campaign in Iraq; a well-coordinated strategy designed to spawn panic through random acts of violence.
It's clear that the military never needed to use napalm in Iraq. Their conventional weaponry and laser-guided technology were already enough to run roughshod over the Iraqi army and seize Baghdad almost unobstructed. Napalm was introduced simply to terrorize the Iraqi people; to pacify through intimidation. Cheney, Rumsfeld and Negroponte are old-hands at terrorism, dating back to their counterinsurgency projects in Nicaragua and El Salvador under the Reagan Administration. They know that the threat of immolation serves as a powerful deterrent and fits seamlessly into their overarching scheme of rule through fear. Terror and deception are the rotating parts of the same axis; the two imperatives of the Bush-Cheney foreign policy strategy. Napalm in Falluja
The US also used napalm in the siege of Falluja as was reported in the UK Mirror ("Falluja Napalmed", 11-28-04) The Mirror said, "President George Bush has sanctioned the use of napalm, a deadly cocktail of polystyrene and jet-fuel banned by the United Nations in 1980, will stun the world.... Reports claim that innocent civilians have died in napalm attacks, which turn victims into human fireballs as the gel bonds flames to flesh...Since the American assault on Falluja there have been reports of 'melted' corpse, which appeared to have napalm injuries."
"Human fireballs" and "melted corpses"; these are the real expressions of Operation Iraqi Freedom not the bland platitudes issuing from the presidential podium.
Dr. Khalid ash-Shaykhli, who was the head of the Iraqi Ministry of Health in Falluja, reported to Al Jazeera (and to the Washington Post, although it was never reported) that "research, prepared by his medical team, prove that the US forces used internationally prohibited substances, including mustard gas, nerve gas, and other burning chemicals in their attacks on the war-torn city."
Dr Shaykhli's claims have been corroborated by numerous eyewitness accounts as well as reports that "all forms of nature were wiped out in Falluja"...as well as "hundreds, of stray dogs, cats, and birds that had perished as a result of those gasses." An unidentified chemical was used in the bombing raids that killed every living creature in certain areas of the city.
As journalist Dahr Jamail reported later in his article "What is the US trying to Hide?", "At least two kilometers of soil were removed......exactly as they did at Baghdad Airport after the heavy battles there during the invasion and the Americans used their special weapons."
A cover up?
So far, none of this has appeared in any American media, nor has the media reported that the United Nations has been rebuffed twice by the Defense Dept. in calling for an independent investigation into what really took place in Falluja. The US simply waves away the international body as a minor nuisance while the media scrupulously omits any mention of the allegations from their coverage.
We can assume that the order to use napalm (as well as the other, unidentified substances) came straight from the office of Donald Rumsfeld. No one else could have issued that order, nor would they have risked their career by unilaterally using banned weapons when their use was entirely gratuitous. Rumsfeld's directive is consistent with other decisions attributed to the Defense Secretary; like the authorizing of torture at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, the targeting of members of the press, and the rehiring of members of Saddam's Secret Police ( the Mukhabarat) to carry out their brutal activities under new leadership. Rumsfeld's office has been the headwaters for most of the administration's treachery. Napalm simply adds depth to an already prodigious list of war crimes on Rumsfeld's resume'. Co-opting the Media
On June 10, 2005 numerous sources reported that the "US Special Operations Command hired three firms to produce newspaper stories, television broadcasts and Internet web sites to spread American propaganda overseas. The Tampa-based military headquarters, which oversees commandos and psychological warfare, may spend up to $100 million for the media campaign over the next five years." (James Crawley, Media General News Service) It's clear that there's no need for the Defense Dept. to shore up its "strategic information" (propaganda) operations in the US where reliable apparatchiks can be counted on to obfuscate, omit or exaggerate the coverage of the war according to the requirements of the Pentagon. The American press has been as skillful at embellishing the imaginary heroics of Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman as they have been in concealing the damning details of the Downing Street Memo or the lack of evidence concerning the alleged WMDs. Should we be surprised that the media has remained silent about the immolation of Iraqis by American firebombs?
The US "free press" is a completely integrated part of the state-information system. Its meticulously managed message has been the most successful part of the entire Iraqi debacle. By providing the requisite cheerleading, diversions and omissions, the media has shown itself to be an invaluable asset to the men in power; perpetuating the deceptions that keep the public acquiescent during a savage colonial war. Given the scope of the media's culpability for the violence in Iraq, it's unlikely that the use of napalm will cause any great crisis of conscience. Their deft coverage has already facilitated the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent people; a few more charred Iraqis shouldn't matter.
--Absolutely disgusting and unacceptable---
posted by Christy at 1:45 AM
0 comments
The Facts Being Fixed, As It Happens
July 1st, 2005 6:31 pm
Army says its desertion numbers were wrong; Stripes takes share of blame
By Patrick Dickson / Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The Army said Friday that desertion numbers it provided for the first half of fiscal 2005, which were reported in Friday editions, are incorrect.
Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd said Friday morning that an improper code was used in the Army’s search through a database. It yielded information that effectively doubled the numbers of deserters for the first six months of fiscal 2005.
“Our source just ran those numbers wrong,” Rudd said. “Until this morning, I didn’t know what the right numbers were.”
In all 12 months of fiscal 2004, the total number of Army deserters was 2,723, according to the information given to Stars and Stripes earlier by Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Pamela Hart.
In Friday’s story, Stripes reported that between Oct. 1, 2004 — the start of fiscal 2005 — and March 30, the Army registered 2,518 deserters.
These figures were given to the reporter via e-mail by Hart and confirmed in a subsequent conversation.
Officials were quoted in the story as acknowledging the “rise” in desertions and commenting on the supposed phenomenon.
But on Friday morning, Rudd called Stripes and said that the actual number of deserters for October 2004 through the end of April 2005, a seven-month period, was 1,432, in line with past years.
She said this was determined by looking at the figures of deserters month by month through the first seven months of the fiscal year.
--- SEEE She put them into CONTEXT FOR YOU..now wasn't that helpful?---
David Mazzarella, editorial director of Stars and Stripes, said: “We reported what we had in good faith. However, with some doubt having been cast on the numbers beforehand, we should have waited longer before publishing.”
Army says its desertion numbers were wrong; Stripes takes share of blame
By Patrick Dickson / Stars and Stripes
WASHINGTON — The Army said Friday that desertion numbers it provided for the first half of fiscal 2005, which were reported in Friday editions, are incorrect.
Army spokeswoman Martha Rudd said Friday morning that an improper code was used in the Army’s search through a database. It yielded information that effectively doubled the numbers of deserters for the first six months of fiscal 2005.
“Our source just ran those numbers wrong,” Rudd said. “Until this morning, I didn’t know what the right numbers were.”
---HMMMMM---
Rudd also said, however, that she sent the Stars and Stripes reporter an e-mail Wednesday saying that the numbers were suspect and officials were rechecking them.In all 12 months of fiscal 2004, the total number of Army deserters was 2,723, according to the information given to Stars and Stripes earlier by Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Pamela Hart.
In Friday’s story, Stripes reported that between Oct. 1, 2004 — the start of fiscal 2005 — and March 30, the Army registered 2,518 deserters.
These figures were given to the reporter via e-mail by Hart and confirmed in a subsequent conversation.
Officials were quoted in the story as acknowledging the “rise” in desertions and commenting on the supposed phenomenon.
But on Friday morning, Rudd called Stripes and said that the actual number of deserters for October 2004 through the end of April 2005, a seven-month period, was 1,432, in line with past years.
She said this was determined by looking at the figures of deserters month by month through the first seven months of the fiscal year.
--- SEEE She put them into CONTEXT FOR YOU..now wasn't that helpful?---
David Mazzarella, editorial director of Stars and Stripes, said: “We reported what we had in good faith. However, with some doubt having been cast on the numbers beforehand, we should have waited longer before publishing.”
posted by Christy at 1:23 AM
0 comments
The Plame Game Continues
MSNBC Analyst Says Cooper Documents Reveal Karl Rove as Source in Plame Case
By E&P Staff
Published: July 01, 2005 11:30 PM ET
NEW YORK Now that Time Inc. has turned over documents to federal court, presumably revealing who its reporter, Matt Cooper, identified as his source in the Valerie Plame/CIA case, speculation runs rampant on the name of that source, and what might happen to him or her. Tonight, on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name--and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove.
Here is the transcript of O'Donnell's remarks:
"What we're going to go to now in the next stage, when Matt Cooper's e-mails, within Time Magazine, are handed over to the grand jury, the ultimate revelation, probably within the week of who his source is.
"And I know I'm going to get pulled into the grand jury for saying this but the source of...for Matt Cooper was Karl Rove, and that will be revealed in this document dump that Time magazine's going to do with the grand jury."
Other panelists then joined in discussing whether, if true, this would suggest a perjury rap for Rove, if he told the grand jury he did not leak to Cooper.
---For those of you new to this game, lets focus on Robert Novak.. The dickhead on CNN... Someone calls HIM to leak this name , he obliges, investigation ensues in a grand jury. Robet Novak testifies, records are sealed nothing happens. This is the problem, IF novak DID divulge the source, why is the source not under arrest?..IF he refused, then why is he not in jail for abetting TREASON...? Yeah thats the term for revealing CIAs names publicly....NOW the two reporters who REFUSED to publish the name, they are facing jail time and Time magazine facing a fine for not turning over documents revealing the source. Time is now complying and handing over those documents so thier reporter wont go to jail.
The most INTERESTING question still remains though, WHO did Robert Novak help to commit TREASON?...
If it is Karl Rove... Bush has some explaining to do.
As if there weren't enough questions for him already. ---
By E&P Staff
Published: July 01, 2005 11:30 PM ET
NEW YORK Now that Time Inc. has turned over documents to federal court, presumably revealing who its reporter, Matt Cooper, identified as his source in the Valerie Plame/CIA case, speculation runs rampant on the name of that source, and what might happen to him or her. Tonight, on the syndicated McLaughlin Group political talk show, Lawrence O'Donnell, senior MSNBC political analyst, claimed to know that name--and it is, according to him, top White House mastermind Karl Rove.
Here is the transcript of O'Donnell's remarks:
"What we're going to go to now in the next stage, when Matt Cooper's e-mails, within Time Magazine, are handed over to the grand jury, the ultimate revelation, probably within the week of who his source is.
"And I know I'm going to get pulled into the grand jury for saying this but the source of...for Matt Cooper was Karl Rove, and that will be revealed in this document dump that Time magazine's going to do with the grand jury."
Other panelists then joined in discussing whether, if true, this would suggest a perjury rap for Rove, if he told the grand jury he did not leak to Cooper.
---For those of you new to this game, lets focus on Robert Novak.. The dickhead on CNN... Someone calls HIM to leak this name , he obliges, investigation ensues in a grand jury. Robet Novak testifies, records are sealed nothing happens. This is the problem, IF novak DID divulge the source, why is the source not under arrest?..IF he refused, then why is he not in jail for abetting TREASON...? Yeah thats the term for revealing CIAs names publicly....NOW the two reporters who REFUSED to publish the name, they are facing jail time and Time magazine facing a fine for not turning over documents revealing the source. Time is now complying and handing over those documents so thier reporter wont go to jail.
The most INTERESTING question still remains though, WHO did Robert Novak help to commit TREASON?...
If it is Karl Rove... Bush has some explaining to do.
As if there weren't enough questions for him already. ---
posted by Christy at 12:30 AM
0 comments
Friday, July 01, 2005
U.S. troops missing in Afghanistan after chopper shot down; fighting kills 25
KABUL (AP) - A small team of U.S. soldiers was missing Friday in the same mountains where a special forces helicopter was downed three days ago by "a lucky shot," and a military spokesman said American forces were using "every available asset" to find them. Full Story
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/07/01/1113402-ap.html
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2005/07/01/1113402-ap.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:56 PM
0 comments
Hillarious.
---THE FOLLOWING IS PARODY. As I normally do not post these type of works this one was too damn good to pass up, and I thought I should pass it on. Enjoy!--
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Warblogger enlists in Army, wins argument
PASSAIC, NJ (Rooters) — Jordan Kulundzic, MD, won an argument about the Iraq war today by enlisting in the US Army.
Kulundzic, 34, a resident gastroenterologist at Passiac Beth Israel Hospital, also maintains the conservative blog "I’m All Right" (imallright.blogspot.com).
Yesterday, that blog became the site of a heated political debate when a commenter, identified only the screen name “ihatebush209”, challenged Kulundzic’s support for the US-led invasion of Iraq.
"I wrote this really long essay about why I support the war in Iraq," Kulundzic said. "I thought I had covered every angle, including the need to be absolutely sure that Saddam had no WMD’s, the moral case for liberating the Iraqi people, and the long-term strategic importance of spreading democracy throughout the volatile Middle East."
“But then ihatebush209 just tore my arguments to shreds,” he said.
ihatebush209’s comment read, "Hey, mister Keyboard Kommando, if you like the war so much, why don’t you go and fight it, you little chickenhawk? Buc-buc-buc bu'CAW!!!"
Kulundzic remembers feeling dejected at seeing his efforts so easily dismissed.
"I felt terrible," he said. "That guy had me beat, fair and square. All my well-researched opinions on Iraq were worthless so long as I wasn’t personally fighting there. And those fake chicken noises made his counter-argument all the more effective."
But later that evening, Kulundzic recalls, he realized how he could win the debate. The next day, he enlisted in the Army, announcing his decision on his blog.
"ihatebush209 posted another comment almost immediately," Kulundzic said. “He says that now, since I’ve joined the Army, he realizes I was right about Iraq all along. My own individual decision to enlist completely undermined his entire argument against the war."
Kulundzic’s relatives, friends, and colleagues have all expressed shock at his sudden career change. His wife, Kulundzic says, is upset not only that he will be heading off to war, but also that, on his much lower military salary, the couple will have to put their house up for sale and pull their two children out of private school.
Kulundzic shrugs off her concerns.
“Honestly, it was an easy decision to make,” he said. “Proving myself to Internet trolls is worth any price. And as soon as I step off the plane in Baghdad and head out on patrol, my support for the war will finally become valid."
posted by GaijinBiker at 6/29/2005 10:58:00 PM
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Warblogger enlists in Army, wins argument
PASSAIC, NJ (Rooters) — Jordan Kulundzic, MD, won an argument about the Iraq war today by enlisting in the US Army.
Kulundzic, 34, a resident gastroenterologist at Passiac Beth Israel Hospital, also maintains the conservative blog "I’m All Right" (imallright.blogspot.com).
Yesterday, that blog became the site of a heated political debate when a commenter, identified only the screen name “ihatebush209”, challenged Kulundzic’s support for the US-led invasion of Iraq.
"I wrote this really long essay about why I support the war in Iraq," Kulundzic said. "I thought I had covered every angle, including the need to be absolutely sure that Saddam had no WMD’s, the moral case for liberating the Iraqi people, and the long-term strategic importance of spreading democracy throughout the volatile Middle East."
“But then ihatebush209 just tore my arguments to shreds,” he said.
ihatebush209’s comment read, "Hey, mister Keyboard Kommando, if you like the war so much, why don’t you go and fight it, you little chickenhawk? Buc-buc-buc bu'CAW!!!"
Kulundzic remembers feeling dejected at seeing his efforts so easily dismissed.
"I felt terrible," he said. "That guy had me beat, fair and square. All my well-researched opinions on Iraq were worthless so long as I wasn’t personally fighting there. And those fake chicken noises made his counter-argument all the more effective."
But later that evening, Kulundzic recalls, he realized how he could win the debate. The next day, he enlisted in the Army, announcing his decision on his blog.
"ihatebush209 posted another comment almost immediately," Kulundzic said. “He says that now, since I’ve joined the Army, he realizes I was right about Iraq all along. My own individual decision to enlist completely undermined his entire argument against the war."
Kulundzic’s relatives, friends, and colleagues have all expressed shock at his sudden career change. His wife, Kulundzic says, is upset not only that he will be heading off to war, but also that, on his much lower military salary, the couple will have to put their house up for sale and pull their two children out of private school.
Kulundzic shrugs off her concerns.
“Honestly, it was an easy decision to make,” he said. “Proving myself to Internet trolls is worth any price. And as soon as I step off the plane in Baghdad and head out on patrol, my support for the war will finally become valid."
posted by GaijinBiker at 6/29/2005 10:58:00 PM
posted by Christy at 10:47 PM
0 comments
Retirement sparks US judiciary fight
Julian Borger in Washington
Saturday July 2, 2005The Guardian
A monumental struggle for control of America's judiciary was set in motion yesterday when Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the US supreme court, announced her retirement.
President George Bush quickly emerged into the Rose Garden to say he would announce a successor in time for the next court session in October. He also called for restraint in the emotive battle over her replacement, the first new supreme court justice for 11 years.
"The nation deserves and I will select a supreme court jus tice that Americans can be proud of," he said. "The nation also deserves a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate, characterised by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote."
The departure of Justice O'Connor, 75, will give Mr Bush the opportunity to replace a moderate voice with a more committed conservative, with far-reaching consequences for such issues as abortion rights and stem cell research. >>>>continued
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1519689,00.html
Saturday July 2, 2005The Guardian
A monumental struggle for control of America's judiciary was set in motion yesterday when Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the US supreme court, announced her retirement.
President George Bush quickly emerged into the Rose Garden to say he would announce a successor in time for the next court session in October. He also called for restraint in the emotive battle over her replacement, the first new supreme court justice for 11 years.
"The nation deserves and I will select a supreme court jus tice that Americans can be proud of," he said. "The nation also deserves a dignified process of confirmation in the United States Senate, characterised by fair treatment, a fair hearing and a fair vote."
The departure of Justice O'Connor, 75, will give Mr Bush the opportunity to replace a moderate voice with a more committed conservative, with far-reaching consequences for such issues as abortion rights and stem cell research. >>>>continued
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1519689,00.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:47 PM
0 comments
Bush's Iraq speech draws career-low audience
Posted: 12:08 AEST
President George W Bush's latest address to the nation, urging Americans to stand firm in Iraq, has drawn the smallest television audience of his tenure, Nielsen Media Research has reported.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1403941.htm
President George W Bush's latest address to the nation, urging Americans to stand firm in Iraq, has drawn the smallest television audience of his tenure, Nielsen Media Research has reported.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200506/s1403941.htm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:42 PM
0 comments
Senior U.S. Military official confirms detainee abuse by Iraqi security forces
Iraqi Troop Abuse
(Mosul, Iraq-AP, July 1, 2005 11:05 AM) _ A senior American military official -- apparently for the first time -- is publicly confirming the abuse of detainees and prisoners at the hands of Iraqi security forces.
Major General David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in the area around Mosul, says that in the "last six to eight weeks" there have been approximately "40 or so" cases of abuse.
Rodriguez says U.S. troops have been instructed to intervene immediately when they see physical mistreatment occur. And he says Iraqi troops are being trained more intensively so that their treatment of prisoners conforms "with standards of conduct and discipline in accordance with the internationally accepted rules of law."
Rodriguez says all of the cases of abuse that he is familiar with involve physical mistreatment at the time of arrest or mistreatment during interrogations. He says he is not aware of any deaths connected to the abuse.
Back in January, Human Rights Watch released a report alleging detainee abuse at the hands of Iraqi security forces.
http://www.wtnh.com/global/story.asp?s=3546236&ClientType=Printable
(Mosul, Iraq-AP, July 1, 2005 11:05 AM) _ A senior American military official -- apparently for the first time -- is publicly confirming the abuse of detainees and prisoners at the hands of Iraqi security forces.
Major General David Rodriguez, the commander of U.S. and coalition forces in the area around Mosul, says that in the "last six to eight weeks" there have been approximately "40 or so" cases of abuse.
Rodriguez says U.S. troops have been instructed to intervene immediately when they see physical mistreatment occur. And he says Iraqi troops are being trained more intensively so that their treatment of prisoners conforms "with standards of conduct and discipline in accordance with the internationally accepted rules of law."
Rodriguez says all of the cases of abuse that he is familiar with involve physical mistreatment at the time of arrest or mistreatment during interrogations. He says he is not aware of any deaths connected to the abuse.
Back in January, Human Rights Watch released a report alleging detainee abuse at the hands of Iraqi security forces.
http://www.wtnh.com/global/story.asp?s=3546236&ClientType=Printable
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:37 PM
0 comments
Holy Shit
DOJ WHITEWASHES OHIO ELECTION INVESTIGATION! CONYERS 'FLABBERGASTED' IN REBUTTAL!
Unrequested 'Report' Dismisses, Ignores Evidence of Discrimination, Disenfranchisement!
DoJ Report Also Reveals More than 100,000 Voters NEWLY 'Purged' from Rolls in One Ohio County Alone!
There is almost no other way to put this, but we are simply floored by the report just released by the Department of Justice concerning the Franklin County, OH elections.
If there ever was a report which could be called a whitewash, this would be the very dictionary definition -- with the emphasis on WHITE.
The DoJ four-page report, based on dodgy figures, uninvestigated charges and undocumented information and details, simply concludes that "Franklin County assigned voting machines in a non-discriminatory manner", that "no violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act" was found and they "are thus closing our file."
In truth, a detailed analysis of the flaws in this report, and an unwaivering condemnation of this reprehensible piece of "official documentation" is needed. But as folks are disappearing for the Holiday Weekend, we're afraid any analysis we took the time to compile right now would likely get lost in the holiday newshole. So, for the moment, we're gonna dump these documents here and leave the detailed analysis and shouts of outrage and condemnation to BRAD BLOG readers. If we can follow up a bit more after the holiday, we will.
Essentially, John Conyers' office requested a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice investigation back in January on a number of very troubling matters related to Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election on behalf of the minority members of the Judiciary Committee. (Letter requesting a Special Prosecutor from the DoJ is here [PDF]. Coverage of it by RAW STORY is here, and BRAD BLOG's own reporting at the time, which led to one of the complaints in the letter to the DoJ, is here.)
Amongst the items for which Conyers' January 14, 2005 had requested an investigation at the time -- according to the response to the report Conyers sent on Wednesday -- were "serious charges concerning Voter Intimidation and Misinformation; Improper Purging and other Misconduct; Caging of New Minority Voters; Misuse of HAVA Funds; Tampering of Voting Machinery and Records; Perjury by a County Board of Election Official; and the Misuse of the Great Seal of the United States on Secretary of State Blackwell's Personal Campaign Materials."
While no "substantive response to the many instances of voting irregularities and civil rights violations in the state of Ohio" about which Conyers' submitted evidence has been forthcoming by the DoJ since that January letter, apparently someone within the DoJ took it upon themselves to conduct -- and as we've said WHITEWASH -- an investigation concerning what happened in just one county in Ohio.
The DoJ's resulting four-page report, conducted by "The Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division" and sent to Franklin County officials on Wednesday, is a masterwork of obfuscation, disinformation, misinformation, smoke and mirrors and out and out lies. And remember, it comes directly from your Department of Justice.
As we've said, a more detailed point-by-point analysis of the outrage is called for. But for now, we feel it's important to get the information out as is so folks can see with their own eyes what has "flabbergasted" Conyers' as according to the response he sent in reply to the DoJ yesterday.
There is, however, at least one paragraph which jumped out at us, but that Conyers' reply does not deal with directly (understandbly, frankly, since there is so much to be "flabbergasted" about in this DoJ report!). We feel this one is important to point out as we find it particularly disconcerting for what the future may hold in Ohio [emphasis added]:
A major complicating factor in the appropriate allocation of voting machines was the artificially inflated voter registration rolls in the county. The 845,720 registered voters in 2004 actually exceeded the 2000 total voting age population of Franklin County (800,657) by 45,063 persons. This unsettling disparity resulted from the loss, during preperation for computer system changes in anticipation of the year 2000, of voter history data necessary for purging the voter rolls of ineligible voters as required by the National Voter Registration Act. The County chose to start fresh with new voter histories, with the result that there had been no voter purge since 1999. The County resumed regular purging of its voter list only after the 2004 election, and on June 20, 2005 removed approximately 114,000 ineligible individuals from its voter registration list. The 2005 purge brings the voter registration total well below the 2000 voting age population in the county.
Yes, you read that right. Franklin County's "bi-partisan" Board of Election has just now "purged" 114,000 voters from the rolls! Tee-ing things up nicely, it would seem, for many more thousands of voters to find themselves suddenly ineligable to vote when they show up at the polling place in 2006!
Over one hundred thousand voters scrubbed from the voting rolls in just one Ohio County alone by their presumably "bi-partisan" BoE. That, while we have learned over the past several months how these Ohio BoE's are certainly not "bi-partisan" as Blackwell and their other defenders continue to maintain since a) There are "Democrats" on these boards who are specifically plants, in other words, "Democrats" in name only and b) All BoE members serve at the partisan pleasure of the distinctly partisan Secretary of State and Bush/Cheney Co-Chair, J. Kenneth Blackwell, who has routinely threatened BoE members with dismissal if and when they refuse to follow his personal partisan edicts.
But that's just one of the outrages. We'll let Conyers' handle a few more. Here is his response to the DoJ report first, followed by the complete report itself by John Tanner, the Chief of the DoJ's Voting Section. Prepare to be appalled...
Continues at www.bradblog.com
Unrequested 'Report' Dismisses, Ignores Evidence of Discrimination, Disenfranchisement!
DoJ Report Also Reveals More than 100,000 Voters NEWLY 'Purged' from Rolls in One Ohio County Alone!
There is almost no other way to put this, but we are simply floored by the report just released by the Department of Justice concerning the Franklin County, OH elections.
If there ever was a report which could be called a whitewash, this would be the very dictionary definition -- with the emphasis on WHITE.
The DoJ four-page report, based on dodgy figures, uninvestigated charges and undocumented information and details, simply concludes that "Franklin County assigned voting machines in a non-discriminatory manner", that "no violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act" was found and they "are thus closing our file."
In truth, a detailed analysis of the flaws in this report, and an unwaivering condemnation of this reprehensible piece of "official documentation" is needed. But as folks are disappearing for the Holiday Weekend, we're afraid any analysis we took the time to compile right now would likely get lost in the holiday newshole. So, for the moment, we're gonna dump these documents here and leave the detailed analysis and shouts of outrage and condemnation to BRAD BLOG readers. If we can follow up a bit more after the holiday, we will.
Essentially, John Conyers' office requested a criminal investigation by the Department of Justice investigation back in January on a number of very troubling matters related to Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election on behalf of the minority members of the Judiciary Committee. (Letter requesting a Special Prosecutor from the DoJ is here [PDF]. Coverage of it by RAW STORY is here, and BRAD BLOG's own reporting at the time, which led to one of the complaints in the letter to the DoJ, is here.)
Amongst the items for which Conyers' January 14, 2005 had requested an investigation at the time -- according to the response to the report Conyers sent on Wednesday -- were "serious charges concerning Voter Intimidation and Misinformation; Improper Purging and other Misconduct; Caging of New Minority Voters; Misuse of HAVA Funds; Tampering of Voting Machinery and Records; Perjury by a County Board of Election Official; and the Misuse of the Great Seal of the United States on Secretary of State Blackwell's Personal Campaign Materials."
While no "substantive response to the many instances of voting irregularities and civil rights violations in the state of Ohio" about which Conyers' submitted evidence has been forthcoming by the DoJ since that January letter, apparently someone within the DoJ took it upon themselves to conduct -- and as we've said WHITEWASH -- an investigation concerning what happened in just one county in Ohio.
The DoJ's resulting four-page report, conducted by "The Voting Section of the Civil Rights Division" and sent to Franklin County officials on Wednesday, is a masterwork of obfuscation, disinformation, misinformation, smoke and mirrors and out and out lies. And remember, it comes directly from your Department of Justice.
As we've said, a more detailed point-by-point analysis of the outrage is called for. But for now, we feel it's important to get the information out as is so folks can see with their own eyes what has "flabbergasted" Conyers' as according to the response he sent in reply to the DoJ yesterday.
There is, however, at least one paragraph which jumped out at us, but that Conyers' reply does not deal with directly (understandbly, frankly, since there is so much to be "flabbergasted" about in this DoJ report!). We feel this one is important to point out as we find it particularly disconcerting for what the future may hold in Ohio [emphasis added]:
A major complicating factor in the appropriate allocation of voting machines was the artificially inflated voter registration rolls in the county. The 845,720 registered voters in 2004 actually exceeded the 2000 total voting age population of Franklin County (800,657) by 45,063 persons. This unsettling disparity resulted from the loss, during preperation for computer system changes in anticipation of the year 2000, of voter history data necessary for purging the voter rolls of ineligible voters as required by the National Voter Registration Act. The County chose to start fresh with new voter histories, with the result that there had been no voter purge since 1999. The County resumed regular purging of its voter list only after the 2004 election, and on June 20, 2005 removed approximately 114,000 ineligible individuals from its voter registration list. The 2005 purge brings the voter registration total well below the 2000 voting age population in the county.
Yes, you read that right. Franklin County's "bi-partisan" Board of Election has just now "purged" 114,000 voters from the rolls! Tee-ing things up nicely, it would seem, for many more thousands of voters to find themselves suddenly ineligable to vote when they show up at the polling place in 2006!
Over one hundred thousand voters scrubbed from the voting rolls in just one Ohio County alone by their presumably "bi-partisan" BoE. That, while we have learned over the past several months how these Ohio BoE's are certainly not "bi-partisan" as Blackwell and their other defenders continue to maintain since a) There are "Democrats" on these boards who are specifically plants, in other words, "Democrats" in name only and b) All BoE members serve at the partisan pleasure of the distinctly partisan Secretary of State and Bush/Cheney Co-Chair, J. Kenneth Blackwell, who has routinely threatened BoE members with dismissal if and when they refuse to follow his personal partisan edicts.
But that's just one of the outrages. We'll let Conyers' handle a few more. Here is his response to the DoJ report first, followed by the complete report itself by John Tanner, the Chief of the DoJ's Voting Section. Prepare to be appalled...
Continues at www.bradblog.com
posted by Christy at 10:22 PM
0 comments
Democrats snub Dean at Louisiana event
Leading La. Democrats no-shows for Dean
By ADAM NOSSITERAssociated Press Writer
June 30, 2005
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean urged members of his party to "stand up for what you believe in" at a lightly-attended fundraiser Thursday night, but none of Louisiana's leading Democrats was there for the message - not Gov. Kathleen Blanco or Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, or even the chairman of the state party, Jim Bernhard.
Dean afterwards attributed the absences to "schedules," but his selection as DNC chairman earlier this year was opposed by many conservative Democrats, and they continue to express dismay over the Vermont governor's tough words for the party in power.
The no-shows underscored the challenge Dean faces in "red" states - particularly as it concerns what he calls Democrats' "50-state strategy" of fighting for every state, and rebuilding grassroots parties, partly by doling out national funds to the local branches and insisting they hire additional staff. He's already given more than $1 million to the state parties.
In a press release, state Republicans mocked the DNC chairman, welcoming him to Louisiana and saying he was "the best thing to happen to the Republican Party since Jimmy Carter."
Anticipating the Democratic no-shows, party chairman Roger Villere Jr. said in a statement: "I can't understand why Louisiana Democrats would want to be seen with Howard Dean, but I certainly hope they continue to do so."
Dean gave no ground in a brief but fiery speech, pleasing a partisan crowd gathered in an old twine factory here with attacks on President Bush, who he said was "petulant," and "did not tell the truth" on Iraq, and accusing him of turning a deaf ear to those who disagreed with him. >>>continued
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050630/APN/506301290&cachetime=3&template=dateline
By ADAM NOSSITERAssociated Press Writer
June 30, 2005
Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean urged members of his party to "stand up for what you believe in" at a lightly-attended fundraiser Thursday night, but none of Louisiana's leading Democrats was there for the message - not Gov. Kathleen Blanco or Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu, or even the chairman of the state party, Jim Bernhard.
Dean afterwards attributed the absences to "schedules," but his selection as DNC chairman earlier this year was opposed by many conservative Democrats, and they continue to express dismay over the Vermont governor's tough words for the party in power.
The no-shows underscored the challenge Dean faces in "red" states - particularly as it concerns what he calls Democrats' "50-state strategy" of fighting for every state, and rebuilding grassroots parties, partly by doling out national funds to the local branches and insisting they hire additional staff. He's already given more than $1 million to the state parties.
In a press release, state Republicans mocked the DNC chairman, welcoming him to Louisiana and saying he was "the best thing to happen to the Republican Party since Jimmy Carter."
Anticipating the Democratic no-shows, party chairman Roger Villere Jr. said in a statement: "I can't understand why Louisiana Democrats would want to be seen with Howard Dean, but I certainly hope they continue to do so."
Dean gave no ground in a brief but fiery speech, pleasing a partisan crowd gathered in an old twine factory here with attacks on President Bush, who he said was "petulant," and "did not tell the truth" on Iraq, and accusing him of turning a deaf ear to those who disagreed with him. >>>continued
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050630/APN/506301290&cachetime=3&template=dateline
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:21 PM
0 comments
Iraq UN ambassador says US Marines killed cousin
01 Jul 2005 21:12:07
GMTSource: ReutersUNITED NATIONS,
July 1 (Reuters)
- Iraq's U.N. ambassador accused U.S. Marines on Friday of firing at and killing his cousin in cold blood during a house raid near the western town of Haditha on June 25.
Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie, a supporter of the United States, said Mohammed al-Sumaidaie, the son of his first cousin, was shot by Marines during a raid at his father's house in the village of Al-Shaikh Hadid, near a U.S. military base at the Haditha Dam.
"All indications point to a killing of an unarmed innocent civilian -- a cold blooded murder," Sumaidaie said.
Sumaidaie, in a telephone conversation with Reuters and a lengthy written statement, called for an investigation of the killing, saying outrage over the incident could jeopardize public support for the U.S. led reconstruction of Iraq.
The U.S. military said in a statement from Iraq that the events described in the allegations "roughly correspond to an incident involving coalition forces on that day in that general location."
"We take these allegations seriously and will thoroughly investigate this incident to determine what happened," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01401457.htm
GMTSource: ReutersUNITED NATIONS,
July 1 (Reuters)
- Iraq's U.N. ambassador accused U.S. Marines on Friday of firing at and killing his cousin in cold blood during a house raid near the western town of Haditha on June 25.
Ambassador Samir Sumaidaie, a supporter of the United States, said Mohammed al-Sumaidaie, the son of his first cousin, was shot by Marines during a raid at his father's house in the village of Al-Shaikh Hadid, near a U.S. military base at the Haditha Dam.
"All indications point to a killing of an unarmed innocent civilian -- a cold blooded murder," Sumaidaie said.
Sumaidaie, in a telephone conversation with Reuters and a lengthy written statement, called for an investigation of the killing, saying outrage over the incident could jeopardize public support for the U.S. led reconstruction of Iraq.
The U.S. military said in a statement from Iraq that the events described in the allegations "roughly correspond to an incident involving coalition forces on that day in that general location."
"We take these allegations seriously and will thoroughly investigate this incident to determine what happened," said Maj. Gen. Stephen T. Johnson.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01401457.htm
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 10:05 PM
0 comments
Desertions double in U.S. Army
Midway through fiscal year, desertions from Army approach last year's total
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Friday, July 1, 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. — Just six months into the government’s fiscal year, the Army was carrying almost the same number of deserters on its books as the service registered for all of 2004.
War and stop-loss policies, which prevent voluntary separations from the military, are the likely culprits for the increase, according to Army researchers.
While the numbers include active duty and activated reserve components, officials could not provide specifics on soldiers on Rest and Recuperation, or how many deserters were recruits, etc.>>>continued
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30089
By Lisa Burgess, Stars and StripesEuropean edition, Friday, July 1, 2005
ARLINGTON, Va. — Just six months into the government’s fiscal year, the Army was carrying almost the same number of deserters on its books as the service registered for all of 2004.
War and stop-loss policies, which prevent voluntary separations from the military, are the likely culprits for the increase, according to Army researchers.
While the numbers include active duty and activated reserve components, officials could not provide specifics on soldiers on Rest and Recuperation, or how many deserters were recruits, etc.>>>continued
http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=30089
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 9:07 PM
0 comments
Baghdad's mayor complains about crumbling capital
By Patrick Quinn
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:54 p.m. June 30, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Baghdad's mayor decried the capital's crumbling infrastructure and its inability to supply enough clean water to residents, threatening Thursday to resign if the government won't provide more money.
The statement from Mayor Alaa Mahmoud al-Timimi was an indication of the daily misery that Baghdad's 6.45 million people still endure more than two years after the U.S.-led invasion. They are wracked not only by unrelenting bombings and kidnappings, but by serious shortages in water, electricity and fuel.
"It's useless for any official to stay in office without the means to accomplish his job," al-Timimi told reporters.
Efforts to expand Baghdad's water projects were set back earlier this month when insurgents sabotaged a pipeline near Baghdad. Now, some complain the water they do get smells bad, and Hasson acknowledged in some areas, the water gets mixed with sewage. >>>continued
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20050630-1454-iraq.html
ASSOCIATED PRESS
2:54 p.m. June 30, 2005
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Baghdad's mayor decried the capital's crumbling infrastructure and its inability to supply enough clean water to residents, threatening Thursday to resign if the government won't provide more money.
The statement from Mayor Alaa Mahmoud al-Timimi was an indication of the daily misery that Baghdad's 6.45 million people still endure more than two years after the U.S.-led invasion. They are wracked not only by unrelenting bombings and kidnappings, but by serious shortages in water, electricity and fuel.
"It's useless for any official to stay in office without the means to accomplish his job," al-Timimi told reporters.
Efforts to expand Baghdad's water projects were set back earlier this month when insurgents sabotaged a pipeline near Baghdad. Now, some complain the water they do get smells bad, and Hasson acknowledged in some areas, the water gets mixed with sewage. >>>continued
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/iraq/20050630-1454-iraq.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 8:53 PM
0 comments
The Creeping Draft
By Marjorie Cohn t r u t h o u t Perspective
Friday 01 July 2005
A young man in the Delayed Entry Program changed his mind about enlisting. The recruiter said to him that September 11 changed everything - "If you don't report, that's treason and you will be shot." I helped him to obtain a discharge. -- Bill Galvin, Counseling Coordinator, Center on Conscience and War
Like the recruiter trying to get the youth to enlist in the military, George Bush invoked the September 11 terrorist attacks in his June 28 speech - six times. Bush ended his address with a recruiting pitch: "I thank those of you who have re-enlisted in an hour when your country needs you. And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our armed forces."
Although there is not, and never has been, any evidence of a link between the September 11 attacks and Saddam Hussein's regime, Bush desperately uses the September 11 tragedy to pump up support for his increasingly unpopular misadventure in Iraq.
"The president's frequent references to the terrorist attack of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said. "He is willing to exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070105A.shtml
Friday 01 July 2005
A young man in the Delayed Entry Program changed his mind about enlisting. The recruiter said to him that September 11 changed everything - "If you don't report, that's treason and you will be shot." I helped him to obtain a discharge. -- Bill Galvin, Counseling Coordinator, Center on Conscience and War
Like the recruiter trying to get the youth to enlist in the military, George Bush invoked the September 11 terrorist attacks in his June 28 speech - six times. Bush ended his address with a recruiting pitch: "I thank those of you who have re-enlisted in an hour when your country needs you. And to those watching tonight who are considering a military career, there is no higher calling than service in our armed forces."
Although there is not, and never has been, any evidence of a link between the September 11 attacks and Saddam Hussein's regime, Bush desperately uses the September 11 tragedy to pump up support for his increasingly unpopular misadventure in Iraq.
"The president's frequent references to the terrorist attack of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said. "He is willing to exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/070105A.shtml
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 8:47 PM
0 comments
42% favor impeaching Bush
More than "two-in-five voters (42%) say they would favor impeachment proceedings if it is found the President misled the nation about his reasons for going to war with Iraq," according to the latest Zogby Poll.
The poll was taken between June 27 and June 29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%. Following Bush’s nationally-televised speech this week his approval rating dropped again to 43%.
A large majority of Democrats (59%) say that Bush should be impeached if he lied about Iraq and one out of every four Republicans (25%) say that they would favor impeachment under those circumstances, according to the Poll. Forty three percent of independent voters favor impeachment if Bush lied about the Iraq war.
We know that Bush lied about Iraq war. We know that he should be impeached. It is because of the work of everyone, and the support of those who are promoting impeachment, that this movement can become an irresistible force in the months ahead. The ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org campaign is taking the next steps in the coming months. We are launching a nationwide campaign so that every Congressional representative is flooded with calls for impeachment.
Let’s all pledge to tell everyone we know to be in Washington DC on September 24 for the massive ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org contingent. The bright yellow and black banners that say Impeach Bush will dominate the visual landscape around the White House on September 24. This is something historic. Please ask everyone to do their part to make it a big success.
If you can make a donation to help this movement get stronger there is no better time than right now. We are a grassroots movement. Corporate America finances Bush but the ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org movement depends on the commitment and sacrifice of the people. Click here for access to the online donation form and the secure server, where you can also get information to write a check.
The poll was taken between June 27 and June 29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.3%. Following Bush’s nationally-televised speech this week his approval rating dropped again to 43%.
A large majority of Democrats (59%) say that Bush should be impeached if he lied about Iraq and one out of every four Republicans (25%) say that they would favor impeachment under those circumstances, according to the Poll. Forty three percent of independent voters favor impeachment if Bush lied about the Iraq war.
We know that Bush lied about Iraq war. We know that he should be impeached. It is because of the work of everyone, and the support of those who are promoting impeachment, that this movement can become an irresistible force in the months ahead. The ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org campaign is taking the next steps in the coming months. We are launching a nationwide campaign so that every Congressional representative is flooded with calls for impeachment.
Let’s all pledge to tell everyone we know to be in Washington DC on September 24 for the massive ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org contingent. The bright yellow and black banners that say Impeach Bush will dominate the visual landscape around the White House on September 24. This is something historic. Please ask everyone to do their part to make it a big success.
If you can make a donation to help this movement get stronger there is no better time than right now. We are a grassroots movement. Corporate America finances Bush but the ImpeachBush/VoteToImpeach.org movement depends on the commitment and sacrifice of the people. Click here for access to the online donation form and the secure server, where you can also get information to write a check.
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 8:43 PM
0 comments
John Kerry
The Fourth of July is a time for family, fun and fireworks.
But something happened today that ought to remind everyone what this holiday really symbolizes -- the freedom that makes America great.
That's exactly what hangs in the balance now that Sandra Day O'Connor has resigned from the Supreme Court.
This is no small deal. Over and over, she was the Justice who cast the critical vote in 5-4 cases deciding the most important issues in our nation.
Here's our bottom line for the johnkerry.com community heading into the holiday weekend: we can never let her be replaced by a Justice who does not respect the right to privacy and Roe v. Wade, and who doesn't understand the freedoms protected in our Constitution.
So, this weekend, as you enjoy the Fourth -- take a minute to think about what it means, and come back on Tuesday morning ready to fight for our freedom. It's all at stake now, and we need to come together more than ever.
Get ready,
John Kerry
But something happened today that ought to remind everyone what this holiday really symbolizes -- the freedom that makes America great.
That's exactly what hangs in the balance now that Sandra Day O'Connor has resigned from the Supreme Court.
This is no small deal. Over and over, she was the Justice who cast the critical vote in 5-4 cases deciding the most important issues in our nation.
Here's our bottom line for the johnkerry.com community heading into the holiday weekend: we can never let her be replaced by a Justice who does not respect the right to privacy and Roe v. Wade, and who doesn't understand the freedoms protected in our Constitution.
So, this weekend, as you enjoy the Fourth -- take a minute to think about what it means, and come back on Tuesday morning ready to fight for our freedom. It's all at stake now, and we need to come together more than ever.
Get ready,
John Kerry
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 7:45 PM
0 comments
America Held Hostage
By PAUL KRUGMAN
Published: July 1, 2005
A majority of Americans now realize that President Bush deliberately misled the nation to promote a war in Iraq. But Mr. Bush's speech on Tuesday contained a chilling message: America has been taken hostage by his martial dreams. According to Mr. Bush, the nation now has no choice except to keep fighting the war he wanted to fight.
Never mind that Iraq posed no threat before we invaded. Now it's a "central front in the war on terror," Mr. Bush says, quoting Osama bin Laden as an authority. And since a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would, Mr. Bush claims, be a victory for Al Qaeda, Americans have to support this war - and that means supporting him. After all, you wage war with the president you have, not the president you want.
But America doesn't have to let itself be taken hostage. The country missed the chance to say no before this war started, but it can still say no to Mr. Bush's open-ended commitment, and demand a timetable for getting out.
I know that this argument will be hard to sell. Despite everything that has happened, many Americans still want to believe that this war can and should be seen through to victory. But it's time to face up to three realities. First, the war is helping, not hurting, the terrorists. Second, the kind of clear victory the hawks promised is no longer possible, if it ever was. Third, a time limit on our commitment will do more good than harm.
Before the war, opponents warned that it would strengthen, not weaken, terrorism. And so it has: a recent C.I.A. report warns that since the U.S. invasion, Iraq has become what Afghanistan was under the Soviet occupation, only more so: a magnet and training ground for Islamic extremists, who will eventually threaten other countries.
And the situation in Iraq isn't improving. "The White House is completely disconnected from reality," said Senator Chuck Hagel, referring to upbeat assessments of progress. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."
Mr. Hagel claims to believe that we can still win, but it's hard to see how.
More troops might help, but pretty much the whole U.S. Army is already in Iraq, on its way back from Iraq or getting ready to go to Iraq. And the coalition of the willing is shrinking.
Helping Iraqis rebuild their country could help win hearts and minds. But for all the talk of newly painted schools, the fact is that reconstruction, originally stalled by incompetence and corruption, is now stalled by the lack of security. When Ibrahim al-Jafaari, the Iraqi prime minister, visited Washington, he was accompanied by Iraqi journalists. One of them asked Mr. Bush, "When will you begin the reconstruction in Iraq?"
Meanwhile, time is running out for America's volunteer military, which is cracking under the strain of a war it was never designed to fight.
So what would happen if the United States gave up its open-ended commitment to Iraq and set a timetable for withdrawal?
Mr. Bush claims that such a step would "send the wrong signal to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission." But what the troops need to know is that their country won't demand more than they can give. He also claims that it would encourage the insurgents, who will "know that all they have to do is to wait us out." But the insurgents don't seem to need encouragement.
It's far more likely that if the Iraqi government knew that our support had an expiration date, it would both look to its own defenses and, more important, try harder to find a political solution to the insurgency.
The Iraq that emerges once U.S. forces are gone won't bear much resemblance to the free-market, pro-American, Israel-friendly democracy the neocons promised. But it will pose less of a terrorist threat than the Iraq we have now.
Remember, Iraq wasn't a breeding ground for terrorists before we went there. All indications are that the foreign terrorists now infesting Iraq are there on the sufferance of a homegrown insurgency that finds them useful for the moment but that, brutal as it is, isn't interested in an apocalyptic confrontation with the Western world. Once we're no longer targets, the foreign terrorists won't be welcome.
The point is that the presence of American forces in Iraq is making our country less safe. So it's time to start winding down the war.
E-mail: krugman@nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/opinion/01krugman.html?
Published: July 1, 2005
A majority of Americans now realize that President Bush deliberately misled the nation to promote a war in Iraq. But Mr. Bush's speech on Tuesday contained a chilling message: America has been taken hostage by his martial dreams. According to Mr. Bush, the nation now has no choice except to keep fighting the war he wanted to fight.
Never mind that Iraq posed no threat before we invaded. Now it's a "central front in the war on terror," Mr. Bush says, quoting Osama bin Laden as an authority. And since a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would, Mr. Bush claims, be a victory for Al Qaeda, Americans have to support this war - and that means supporting him. After all, you wage war with the president you have, not the president you want.
But America doesn't have to let itself be taken hostage. The country missed the chance to say no before this war started, but it can still say no to Mr. Bush's open-ended commitment, and demand a timetable for getting out.
I know that this argument will be hard to sell. Despite everything that has happened, many Americans still want to believe that this war can and should be seen through to victory. But it's time to face up to three realities. First, the war is helping, not hurting, the terrorists. Second, the kind of clear victory the hawks promised is no longer possible, if it ever was. Third, a time limit on our commitment will do more good than harm.
Before the war, opponents warned that it would strengthen, not weaken, terrorism. And so it has: a recent C.I.A. report warns that since the U.S. invasion, Iraq has become what Afghanistan was under the Soviet occupation, only more so: a magnet and training ground for Islamic extremists, who will eventually threaten other countries.
And the situation in Iraq isn't improving. "The White House is completely disconnected from reality," said Senator Chuck Hagel, referring to upbeat assessments of progress. "It's like they're just making it up as they go along. The reality is that we're losing in Iraq."
Mr. Hagel claims to believe that we can still win, but it's hard to see how.
More troops might help, but pretty much the whole U.S. Army is already in Iraq, on its way back from Iraq or getting ready to go to Iraq. And the coalition of the willing is shrinking.
Helping Iraqis rebuild their country could help win hearts and minds. But for all the talk of newly painted schools, the fact is that reconstruction, originally stalled by incompetence and corruption, is now stalled by the lack of security. When Ibrahim al-Jafaari, the Iraqi prime minister, visited Washington, he was accompanied by Iraqi journalists. One of them asked Mr. Bush, "When will you begin the reconstruction in Iraq?"
Meanwhile, time is running out for America's volunteer military, which is cracking under the strain of a war it was never designed to fight.
So what would happen if the United States gave up its open-ended commitment to Iraq and set a timetable for withdrawal?
Mr. Bush claims that such a step would "send the wrong signal to our troops, who need to know that we are serious about completing the mission." But what the troops need to know is that their country won't demand more than they can give. He also claims that it would encourage the insurgents, who will "know that all they have to do is to wait us out." But the insurgents don't seem to need encouragement.
It's far more likely that if the Iraqi government knew that our support had an expiration date, it would both look to its own defenses and, more important, try harder to find a political solution to the insurgency.
The Iraq that emerges once U.S. forces are gone won't bear much resemblance to the free-market, pro-American, Israel-friendly democracy the neocons promised. But it will pose less of a terrorist threat than the Iraq we have now.
Remember, Iraq wasn't a breeding ground for terrorists before we went there. All indications are that the foreign terrorists now infesting Iraq are there on the sufferance of a homegrown insurgency that finds them useful for the moment but that, brutal as it is, isn't interested in an apocalyptic confrontation with the Western world. Once we're no longer targets, the foreign terrorists won't be welcome.
The point is that the presence of American forces in Iraq is making our country less safe. So it's time to start winding down the war.
E-mail: krugman@nytimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/opinion/01krugman.html?
posted by Christy at 7:41 PM
0 comments
Time Will Surrender Reporter's Notes
Time magazine yielded to a court order yesterday and agreed to turn over documents that identify a confidential source, a rare move by a major news organization that Time said it hopes will keep one of its reporters out of jail.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/30/AR2005063002111.html?referrer=email
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/30/AR2005063002111.html?referrer=email
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 7:39 PM
0 comments
Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman Supreme Court justice and a decisive swing vote for a quarter-century on virtually all the major legal issues of our time, announced her resignation today.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070100653.html?referrer=email
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/01/AR2005070100653.html?referrer=email
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 7:37 PM
0 comments
I warned you Pete I would steal you work, better get over here quick
Defense secretary's remark to troops fuels conspiracy theories
Pentagon: Rumsfeld misspoke on Flight 93 crashWASHINGTON (CNN) -- A comment Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made during a Christmas Eve address to U.S. troops in Baghdad has sparked new conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.In the speech, Rumsfeld made a passing reference to United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to stop al Qaeda hijackers.But in his remarks, Rumsfeld referred to the "the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania."A Pentagon spokesman insisted that Rumsfeld simply misspoke, but Internet conspiracy theorists seized on the reference to the plane having been shot down.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/27/rumsfeld.flt93/index.html
=======
Bush's Conspiracy Theory
Saudi Arabian highjackers used boxcutters to take control of four planes. Though they had never flown airliners before, they piloted them into the the World Trade Tower I and II and the Pentagon in kamikaze attacks. No planes were able to intercept them.Osama bin Laden masterminded the plot. Who is Osama?Osama requires a kidney dialysis machine.The bin Ladens are an extremely wealthy Saudi family who owns a construction business.The CIA trained and equipped Osama to fight the Russians in Afghanistan.The Bushes and the bin Ladens have been friends for many decades. Bush 41 was business partners with Osama's father. Both were board members of the Carlyle Group. The family financed Bush 43's early oil ventures
.http://mindprod.com/politics/bush911bushstory.html
=====
Freedom of press under attack?
The police seizure this week of a computer server belonging to alternative network Indymedia is not the first time the organisation has been targeted. Last time the FBI was involved - on behalf of the Italian and Swiss authorities.On Monday, British Transport Police carried out a raid in Bristol after complaints about a posting on the site relating to an act of rail vandalism.Two linked computers were removed as officers wanted the IP address of the poster, which is something Indymedia did not want to hand over, as a point of principle.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4634479.stm
=====
The Bush Conspiracy by Atlas
During Bush seniors term in office he held an accomplishment of sorts in liberating Kuwait from Iraq, but due to a "cowboy" like ego, he believed the Job was not finished. After the eight year term of president Clinton Bush Sr. uses the Orange Agency to put his son George W. Bush into office. To wake the sleeping dog of patriotism the Bush hierarchy hired Arab nationals to hijack planes and create a lack of security for the American people.
http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/institutional_analysis/166205.html
complements from http://www.petespartypalace.blogspot.com/
Pentagon: Rumsfeld misspoke on Flight 93 crashWASHINGTON (CNN) -- A comment Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made during a Christmas Eve address to U.S. troops in Baghdad has sparked new conspiracy theories about the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.In the speech, Rumsfeld made a passing reference to United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to stop al Qaeda hijackers.But in his remarks, Rumsfeld referred to the "the people who attacked the United States in New York, shot down the plane over Pennsylvania."A Pentagon spokesman insisted that Rumsfeld simply misspoke, but Internet conspiracy theorists seized on the reference to the plane having been shot down.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/12/27/rumsfeld.flt93/index.html
=======
Bush's Conspiracy Theory
Saudi Arabian highjackers used boxcutters to take control of four planes. Though they had never flown airliners before, they piloted them into the the World Trade Tower I and II and the Pentagon in kamikaze attacks. No planes were able to intercept them.Osama bin Laden masterminded the plot. Who is Osama?Osama requires a kidney dialysis machine.The bin Ladens are an extremely wealthy Saudi family who owns a construction business.The CIA trained and equipped Osama to fight the Russians in Afghanistan.The Bushes and the bin Ladens have been friends for many decades. Bush 41 was business partners with Osama's father. Both were board members of the Carlyle Group. The family financed Bush 43's early oil ventures
.http://mindprod.com/politics/bush911bushstory.html
=====
Freedom of press under attack?
The police seizure this week of a computer server belonging to alternative network Indymedia is not the first time the organisation has been targeted. Last time the FBI was involved - on behalf of the Italian and Swiss authorities.On Monday, British Transport Police carried out a raid in Bristol after complaints about a posting on the site relating to an act of rail vandalism.Two linked computers were removed as officers wanted the IP address of the poster, which is something Indymedia did not want to hand over, as a point of principle.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4634479.stm
=====
The Bush Conspiracy by Atlas
During Bush seniors term in office he held an accomplishment of sorts in liberating Kuwait from Iraq, but due to a "cowboy" like ego, he believed the Job was not finished. After the eight year term of president Clinton Bush Sr. uses the Orange Agency to put his son George W. Bush into office. To wake the sleeping dog of patriotism the Bush hierarchy hired Arab nationals to hijack planes and create a lack of security for the American people.
http://www.totse.com/en/conspiracy/institutional_analysis/166205.html
complements from http://www.petespartypalace.blogspot.com/
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 3:56 PM
0 comments
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Its hard work you know sending the troops, to be killed because of our lies,
hard hard work
http://www.theillustrateddailyscribble.com/daily.scribble.pages.05/06.29.05.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 4:28 PM
0 comments
Big wet forces thousands to flee
Lismore will be declared a natural disaster zone today as Sydney recorded its longest wet period since 2003.
Full report Rain comes down, but dams refuse to be quenched Your flood photos
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/06/30/1119724757181.html
Full report Rain comes down, but dams refuse to be quenched Your flood photos
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2005/06/30/1119724757181.html
posted by Kangaroo Brisbane Australia at 4:04 PM
0 comments
Look what that bastard has done!
Front Page Wasgington Post.
Bush Approves Spy Agency Changes
By Dan Eggen and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, June 30, 2005; Page A01
President Bush ordered another shake-up of the nation's intelligence services yesterday, forming new national security divisions within both the FBI and the Justice Department and, for the first time, putting a broad swath of the FBI under the authority of the nation's spy chief.
Building on previous changes required by Congress, the reorganization cements the authority of the new director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, over most of the FBI's $3 billion intelligence budget. It also gives him clear authority to approve the hiring of the FBI's top national security official and, through that official, to communicate with FBI agents and analysts in the field on intelligence matters.
The plan represents a particularly sharp rebuke to the historically independent FBI, which has struggled to remake itself into a counterterrorism agency since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has been the target of withering reviews from both inside and outside the government. The moves also mark a victory for the CIA, which has endured its own blistering critiques but has successfully fought off proposals to cede some of its authority to the Pentagon.
Civil liberties advocates immediately criticized the changes at the FBI, arguing that they represent a radical step toward the creation of a secret police force in the United States. Many Justice prosecutors and FBI agents had also fiercely opposed the changes but were overruled by Bush's homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, officials said.
"Spies and cops play different roles and operate under different rules for a reason," said Timothy Edgar, national security counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "The FBI is effectively being taken over by a spymaster who reports directly to the White House. . . . It's alarming that the same person who oversees foreign spying will now oversee domestic spying, too."
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III played down such concerns. Although Bush's memo gives Negroponte's office authority over the FBI's intelligence program, they said, he will not exercise authority over traditional criminal investigations conducted by the bureau.
"They're not going to be directing law enforcement," Gonzales said at a news conference. "Every law enforcement official within the FBI is going to remain under the supervision and authority of the FBI director and, ultimately, the attorney general."
Continues, link in headline..
---Under the control of the Attorney General of the US. That mean Alberto 'The Electrode ' Gonzalez... YOU KNOW...The same sick son of a bitch who found a way to LEGALLY justify TORTURE...Hence= Abu Ghraib. Are you awake yet?---
Bush Approves Spy Agency Changes
By Dan Eggen and Walter Pincus
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, June 30, 2005; Page A01
President Bush ordered another shake-up of the nation's intelligence services yesterday, forming new national security divisions within both the FBI and the Justice Department and, for the first time, putting a broad swath of the FBI under the authority of the nation's spy chief.
Building on previous changes required by Congress, the reorganization cements the authority of the new director of national intelligence, John D. Negroponte, over most of the FBI's $3 billion intelligence budget. It also gives him clear authority to approve the hiring of the FBI's top national security official and, through that official, to communicate with FBI agents and analysts in the field on intelligence matters.
The plan represents a particularly sharp rebuke to the historically independent FBI, which has struggled to remake itself into a counterterrorism agency since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and has been the target of withering reviews from both inside and outside the government. The moves also mark a victory for the CIA, which has endured its own blistering critiques but has successfully fought off proposals to cede some of its authority to the Pentagon.
Civil liberties advocates immediately criticized the changes at the FBI, arguing that they represent a radical step toward the creation of a secret police force in the United States. Many Justice prosecutors and FBI agents had also fiercely opposed the changes but were overruled by Bush's homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, officials said.
"Spies and cops play different roles and operate under different rules for a reason," said Timothy Edgar, national security counsel for the American Civil Liberties Union. "The FBI is effectively being taken over by a spymaster who reports directly to the White House. . . . It's alarming that the same person who oversees foreign spying will now oversee domestic spying, too."
Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III played down such concerns. Although Bush's memo gives Negroponte's office authority over the FBI's intelligence program, they said, he will not exercise authority over traditional criminal investigations conducted by the bureau.
"They're not going to be directing law enforcement," Gonzales said at a news conference. "Every law enforcement official within the FBI is going to remain under the supervision and authority of the FBI director and, ultimately, the attorney general."
Continues, link in headline..
---Under the control of the Attorney General of the US. That mean Alberto 'The Electrode ' Gonzalez... YOU KNOW...The same sick son of a bitch who found a way to LEGALLY justify TORTURE...Hence= Abu Ghraib. Are you awake yet?---
posted by Christy at 3:47 PM
0 comments
OHHHH REALLY..?
Did Bush lie to Congress about use of force?
The U.S. quietly shifted policy towards Iraq to allow for surgical, pre-emptive airstrikes months before any attempt to seek UN or Congressional approval for the use of force, RAW STORY can reveal.
The discovery, made by investigative blogger Ron Brynaert, raises questions of whether Britain and the United States violated a UN resolution to provide for the security of Iraqi citizenry in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War.
The change meant that the U.S. began systematically bombing air defense systems and other buildings, even beyond the No-Fly Zones established in the wake of the Gulf War. The U.S. justified these pre-emptive airstrikes under a 1991 UN Security Council resolution which says that Iraq must “remove the threat to international peace and security in the region.”
The resolution, however, never specifically called for the use of force. Nor did it authorize the no-fly zones, a joint venture of the British and U.S. governments.
Some suggest the change indicates President George W. Bush lied to the nation when he declared in October 2002 upon signing the Congressional authorization on the use of force, "I have not ordered the use of force. I hope the use of force will not become necessary."
Other U.S. commanders have admitted to “spikes of activity,” a phrase employed by both British and American officials when discussing bombings before the push for Congressional or UN approval.
“I directed it,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters at a Sept. 16, 2002 Pentagon press briefing in response to questions about the rising tide of Iraq airstrikes in 2002. "I don't like the idea of our planes being shot at. We're there implementing U.N. resolutions... And the idea that our planes go out and get shot at with impunity bothers me."
After repeated questioning about when the change was made, Rumsfeld was hesitant, and according to the transcript, reporters laughed.
"Less than a year -- less than a year and more than a week," the transcript records, “(Laughter.) I think less than six months and more than a month."
In his autobiography, American Soldier, retired U.S. General Tommy Franks, who led the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invoked the “ spikes” phrase—as far back as 2001.
"I'm thinking in terms of spikes, Mr. Secretary,” he wrote, referencing a conversation with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in December 2001, “spurts of activity followed by periods of inactivity. We want the Iraqis to become accustomed to military expansion, and then apparent contraction."
"As Phase I is completed, we could flow steadily for the next sixty days, while continuing spikes of activity to lend credence to our deception,” he added. “During the sixty days we would increase kinetic strikes in the no-fly zones to weaken Iraq's integrated air defenses."
The Downing Street minutes indicate the change had been made by July 2002, when British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon was quoted as saying, "the U.S. had already begun 'spikes of activity' to put pressure on the regime."
John Pike, director of the defense analysis firm GlobalSecurity.org, says the increased bombings indicate the decision for war had already been made. “It was no big secret at the time,” Pike said. “It was apparent to us at the time that they were doing it and why they were doing it, and that was part of the reason why we were convinced that a decision to go to war had already been made, because the war had already started.”
Continues, if you can stomache it. Link in headline.
The U.S. quietly shifted policy towards Iraq to allow for surgical, pre-emptive airstrikes months before any attempt to seek UN or Congressional approval for the use of force, RAW STORY can reveal.
The discovery, made by investigative blogger Ron Brynaert, raises questions of whether Britain and the United States violated a UN resolution to provide for the security of Iraqi citizenry in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War.
The change meant that the U.S. began systematically bombing air defense systems and other buildings, even beyond the No-Fly Zones established in the wake of the Gulf War. The U.S. justified these pre-emptive airstrikes under a 1991 UN Security Council resolution which says that Iraq must “remove the threat to international peace and security in the region.”
The resolution, however, never specifically called for the use of force. Nor did it authorize the no-fly zones, a joint venture of the British and U.S. governments.
Some suggest the change indicates President George W. Bush lied to the nation when he declared in October 2002 upon signing the Congressional authorization on the use of force, "I have not ordered the use of force. I hope the use of force will not become necessary."
Other U.S. commanders have admitted to “spikes of activity,” a phrase employed by both British and American officials when discussing bombings before the push for Congressional or UN approval.
“I directed it,” Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told reporters at a Sept. 16, 2002 Pentagon press briefing in response to questions about the rising tide of Iraq airstrikes in 2002. "I don't like the idea of our planes being shot at. We're there implementing U.N. resolutions... And the idea that our planes go out and get shot at with impunity bothers me."
After repeated questioning about when the change was made, Rumsfeld was hesitant, and according to the transcript, reporters laughed.
"Less than a year -- less than a year and more than a week," the transcript records, “(Laughter.) I think less than six months and more than a month."
In his autobiography, American Soldier, retired U.S. General Tommy Franks, who led the 2003 invasion of Iraq, invoked the “ spikes” phrase—as far back as 2001.
"I'm thinking in terms of spikes, Mr. Secretary,” he wrote, referencing a conversation with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld in December 2001, “spurts of activity followed by periods of inactivity. We want the Iraqis to become accustomed to military expansion, and then apparent contraction."
"As Phase I is completed, we could flow steadily for the next sixty days, while continuing spikes of activity to lend credence to our deception,” he added. “During the sixty days we would increase kinetic strikes in the no-fly zones to weaken Iraq's integrated air defenses."
The Downing Street minutes indicate the change had been made by July 2002, when British Defense Secretary Geoff Hoon was quoted as saying, "the U.S. had already begun 'spikes of activity' to put pressure on the regime."
John Pike, director of the defense analysis firm GlobalSecurity.org, says the increased bombings indicate the decision for war had already been made. “It was no big secret at the time,” Pike said. “It was apparent to us at the time that they were doing it and why they were doing it, and that was part of the reason why we were convinced that a decision to go to war had already been made, because the war had already started.”
Continues, if you can stomache it. Link in headline.
posted by Christy at 3:32 PM
0 comments
52 House members file FOIA request seeking documents related to Downing Street minutes
RAW STORY
Conyers and 51 Members File FOIA Request on Downing Street Minutes; Members Formally Seek Hearings in House
Representative John Conyers, Jr., (D-MI) House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, along with 51 other Members today submitted a broad and comprehensive FOIA request to the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State seeking any and all documents and materials concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the lead up to the Iraq war, RAW STORY has learned.
In addition, the Members also formally requested that the House Committees on Judiciary, Armed Services, International Relations, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence commence hearings on the Downing Street Minutes.
"This is the next stage of the Downing Street investigation and brings the investigation to a new more and more aggressive stage," one Democratic Judiciary aide said.
Following is the FOIA request, obtained by RAW STORY.
Continues, link in headline.
Conyers and 51 Members File FOIA Request on Downing Street Minutes; Members Formally Seek Hearings in House
Representative John Conyers, Jr., (D-MI) House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member, along with 51 other Members today submitted a broad and comprehensive FOIA request to the White House, the Department of Defense, and the Department of State seeking any and all documents and materials concerning the Downing Street Minutes and the lead up to the Iraq war, RAW STORY has learned.
In addition, the Members also formally requested that the House Committees on Judiciary, Armed Services, International Relations, and the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence commence hearings on the Downing Street Minutes.
"This is the next stage of the Downing Street investigation and brings the investigation to a new more and more aggressive stage," one Democratic Judiciary aide said.
Following is the FOIA request, obtained by RAW STORY.
Continues, link in headline.
posted by Christy at 3:19 PM
0 comments
Peace In The Rubble
Did you applaud as they burned?
Did you?
When bush lied to you and said lofty words like FREEDOM, and LIBERTY and WMD, did you FEEL SO PROUD? So powerful?
Did you?
Peace, Pretty Baby Boy, I truely hope you find it.
posted by Christy at 12:39 PM
1 comments
DON'T YOU DARE TURN AWAY!
Don't Even Blink.
You wanted WAR...THIS IS THAT WAR.
IS THIS THE TERRORIST YOU FEAR AMERICA...?
It is the terrorist I fear, because IF that baby lived she may just want revenge one day. Guess who will pay the price in flesh?
MY CHILDREN...YOUR GRAND CHILDREN!!
DO you REALLY think this will just be FORGIVEN...?
Goddamn the MONSTERS who MADE this happen.
AND FOR WHAT?
YES, IM PISSED. Children starving to death BEFORE OUR EYES tends to do that to me.
WHAT DID IT DO FOR YOU AMERICA?
posted by Christy at 11:56 AM
0 comments
AND FOR WHAT....?
Iraq: 8,000 killed in 6 months
Thursday, June 30, 2005 Posted: 1635 GMT (0035 HKT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgent attacks in the last six months have killed more than 8,000 Iraqi civilians, police and troops, according to Iraq's interior minister.
Meanwhile Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said the Iraqi insurgency had probably reached its "high water mark" over the past 12 months.
In an interview with CNN, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Jabbur said "terrorists" had killed 8,175 people and wounded another 12,000 since January 2005.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there have been 307 U.S. fatalities in combat during the same period.
Jabbur said he was optimistic about the recent strides made by Iraqi security forces and predicted victory in the war against insurgents.
"We have a plan, and I think we need some months and we can get results ... We are surrounding the insurgency," he said.
Unofficial estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths during the Iraq war range from about 22,000 -- according to the Web site iraqbodycount.net -- to about 100,000 -- from an independent survey reported in The Washington Post. The Pentagon does not give numbers for civilian deaths in Iraq.
Jabbur said he believed the U.S. has enough troops deployed in Iraq. He said Wednesday the focus needed to remain on the training of more Iraqi troops and police.
Jabbur said the Iraqi-led counterinsurgency operation dubbed "Operation Lightning" has so far yielded 1,500 arrests of suspected insurgents around Baghdad. Of those, 500 have been released, Interior Ministry officials said.
He said Iraqi and American troops were poised to start a second phase of the operation, extending the reach of the campaign to a 60-kilometer (38-mile) radius around Baghdad.
Jabbur's office is in charge of Iraq's police force, which he said now numbers about 67,000.
The ministry hopes to recruit a total of 200,000, but financial restraints are complicating efforts to outfit them with weapons and equipment, he said.
Political progress
On Thursday, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen Donald Alston said he believed fighters remained a potent, adaptive force and the lethal car bombings that have plagued Baghdad and other places in recent weeks, "will continue in Iraq for a period of time."
"The payoff that the enemy gets for this particular weapons system is still attractive. And our ability to adapt and challenge him has continued to improve and we're seeing some success," Alston said.
Speaking in a news conference, Alston reminded reporters that Iraq on Tuesday entered its first year of sovereignty and said the country has made political progress and strides in developing security forces.
The questions he fielded largely dealt with the strength of the insurgency and the ability of the Iraqis to build forces to counter the tenacious rebellion, which went into full swing not long after U.S. President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003 declared an end to the major phase of the war in Iraq.
Asked to make comparisons about the insurgency's effectiveness between last June and this June, he said he thought "there was a serious ebbing and flowing of the insurgency over the course of year."
"We found an insurgency that was aggressive in several cities, frankly culminating in Falluja back in November," he said, referring to the U.S.-led offensive in November that destroyed the insurgency safe haven in the Anbar city.
"At that time, the attack levels were in the 900s per week. There was some ability of the insurgency and the terrorists to surge for the elections because of just how much that loss was going to mean to them.
"We have seen nothing like those levels of attacks to date since that time frame. So I think that the ability of the enemy to sustain high-volume attacks is just something that we haven't seen them to be able to reconstitute."
Alston noted the insurgents' reliance on a car bombing strategy lately, what he calls a "distinctive shift." That began when the new transitional government was announced at the end of May.
"We have seen this spring a move toward car bombs because of the high payoffs," said Alston.
Alston also pointed out that the insurgents "don't score every time they employ" a car bombing or a suicide car bombing, noting efficient procedures to interdict such strikes, detaining suspected bombmakers, and poor bomb-production quality.
Tal Afar attacks
A police officer and three civilians died on Wednesday in two insurgent attacks in northern Iraq, the U.S. military in Mosul said Thursday.
Gunmen dressed as Iraqi soldiers fatally shot a police officer and two of his family members at his home in central Mosul.
In Tal Afar, a civilian died and five other people were wounded in a mortar strike.
There has been other deadly violence in Tal Afar this week, the military said.
On Wednesday, soldiers killed two armed insurgents during a patrol. On Tuesday, a child and three other civilians died and 21 others were wounded in a Tal Afar mortar attack.
And on Monday, five insurgents and an Iraqi soldier died in a firefight that began when insurgents in a mosque machine-gunned an Iraqi army convoy. Two insurgents and two soldiers were wounded.
Thursday, June 30, 2005 Posted: 1635 GMT (0035 HKT)
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Insurgent attacks in the last six months have killed more than 8,000 Iraqi civilians, police and troops, according to Iraq's interior minister.
Meanwhile Thursday, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said the Iraqi insurgency had probably reached its "high water mark" over the past 12 months.
In an interview with CNN, Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Jabbur said "terrorists" had killed 8,175 people and wounded another 12,000 since January 2005.
According to the U.S. Department of Defense, there have been 307 U.S. fatalities in combat during the same period.
Jabbur said he was optimistic about the recent strides made by Iraqi security forces and predicted victory in the war against insurgents.
"We have a plan, and I think we need some months and we can get results ... We are surrounding the insurgency," he said.
Unofficial estimates of Iraqi civilian deaths during the Iraq war range from about 22,000 -- according to the Web site iraqbodycount.net -- to about 100,000 -- from an independent survey reported in The Washington Post. The Pentagon does not give numbers for civilian deaths in Iraq.
Jabbur said he believed the U.S. has enough troops deployed in Iraq. He said Wednesday the focus needed to remain on the training of more Iraqi troops and police.
Jabbur said the Iraqi-led counterinsurgency operation dubbed "Operation Lightning" has so far yielded 1,500 arrests of suspected insurgents around Baghdad. Of those, 500 have been released, Interior Ministry officials said.
He said Iraqi and American troops were poised to start a second phase of the operation, extending the reach of the campaign to a 60-kilometer (38-mile) radius around Baghdad.
Jabbur's office is in charge of Iraq's police force, which he said now numbers about 67,000.
The ministry hopes to recruit a total of 200,000, but financial restraints are complicating efforts to outfit them with weapons and equipment, he said.
Political progress
On Thursday, U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen Donald Alston said he believed fighters remained a potent, adaptive force and the lethal car bombings that have plagued Baghdad and other places in recent weeks, "will continue in Iraq for a period of time."
"The payoff that the enemy gets for this particular weapons system is still attractive. And our ability to adapt and challenge him has continued to improve and we're seeing some success," Alston said.
Speaking in a news conference, Alston reminded reporters that Iraq on Tuesday entered its first year of sovereignty and said the country has made political progress and strides in developing security forces.
The questions he fielded largely dealt with the strength of the insurgency and the ability of the Iraqis to build forces to counter the tenacious rebellion, which went into full swing not long after U.S. President George W. Bush on May 1, 2003 declared an end to the major phase of the war in Iraq.
Asked to make comparisons about the insurgency's effectiveness between last June and this June, he said he thought "there was a serious ebbing and flowing of the insurgency over the course of year."
"We found an insurgency that was aggressive in several cities, frankly culminating in Falluja back in November," he said, referring to the U.S.-led offensive in November that destroyed the insurgency safe haven in the Anbar city.
"At that time, the attack levels were in the 900s per week. There was some ability of the insurgency and the terrorists to surge for the elections because of just how much that loss was going to mean to them.
"We have seen nothing like those levels of attacks to date since that time frame. So I think that the ability of the enemy to sustain high-volume attacks is just something that we haven't seen them to be able to reconstitute."
Alston noted the insurgents' reliance on a car bombing strategy lately, what he calls a "distinctive shift." That began when the new transitional government was announced at the end of May.
"We have seen this spring a move toward car bombs because of the high payoffs," said Alston.
Alston also pointed out that the insurgents "don't score every time they employ" a car bombing or a suicide car bombing, noting efficient procedures to interdict such strikes, detaining suspected bombmakers, and poor bomb-production quality.
Tal Afar attacks
A police officer and three civilians died on Wednesday in two insurgent attacks in northern Iraq, the U.S. military in Mosul said Thursday.
Gunmen dressed as Iraqi soldiers fatally shot a police officer and two of his family members at his home in central Mosul.
In Tal Afar, a civilian died and five other people were wounded in a mortar strike.
There has been other deadly violence in Tal Afar this week, the military said.
On Wednesday, soldiers killed two armed insurgents during a patrol. On Tuesday, a child and three other civilians died and 21 others were wounded in a Tal Afar mortar attack.
And on Monday, five insurgents and an Iraqi soldier died in a firefight that began when insurgents in a mosque machine-gunned an Iraqi army convoy. Two insurgents and two soldiers were wounded.
posted by Christy at 11:49 AM
0 comments
Very, Very Interesting.
Backing for Bush on Iraq is gone, local veterans say
Published June 29, 2005
HOLLYWOOD · The televisions at VFW Post 2500 in Hollywood were tuned to President Bush on Tuesday, but his words weren't getting rapt attention.
About 30 people were around the bar drinking, chatting, smoking as the president talked. "Does it have to be so loud?" asked Barbara Flint as she sat next to Jerry Giblock, a visiting Vietnam veteran.
"He's running scared," said Giblock, 63, a former Post 2500 member who lives in Anchorage, Ala. "His poll numbers are so low, he's got to say something, but the support is gone. It's gone. I don't think there's anybody in here who's behind him."
Tuesday was spaghetti dinner night at the hall on Dixie Highway, where $4 got you a nice plate with meatballs and garlic bread. Post commander Richard McDonald pointed to a sign hanging above the bar: "It's not the price you paid to join. It's the price you paid to be eligible."
These veterans have fought in foreign wars and struggled after them, which makes them more than eligible to comment on the ongoing war in Iraq.
The view inside the faded lounge wasn't optimistic.
From Charlie Nessl, 89, who fought in World War II at the battle of Midway: "I don't think we should be there."
From Bob Artman, 79, a World War II veteran: "I got a bad taste in my mouth. Every time I read about a guy getting killed, I tear up. I didn't feel this way at the beginning, but now I just don't see an end to it."
From Ted Anderson, 73, a Korean War veteran and former police chief in New Jersey: "We still have thousands of troops in the [demilitarized zone] in Korea 50 years after the fact. It's going to be the same thing 50 years from now in Iraq."
The last time I came around here, in May 2004, President Bush was about to give a speech about Iraq, and the veterans' feelings were mixed. Some thought the war justified. Others had nagging feelings of doubt.
But this time, as Bush once again spoke to the nation, there was nothing but skepticism about the war's necessity, and worry about a staying the course.
"When you got people who are willing to strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves up, that's a hard war to win," said McDonald, 71, a Korean War vet who voted for the president last year. "I think Bush had the right idea, but now it's turned into a religious war for some people there. And that's the worst kind of war to be in.
"The thing is, Bush is committed, so he's got to stick to his guns. But at some point he's got to come up with a plan to get out of there because we're never going to be able to get rid of 100 percent of the terrorists. He's going to have to pull out, just like Vietnam."
Said Artman: "I'm a registered Democrat, but even people in his party are now questioning things. They don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. ... So many people in this country need things: People are starving, people need health care and medicine. But here we are taking care of people all over the world. How about starting at home?"
Howard Fay, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, ladled meatballs in the kitchen.
"I don't like this war at all," he said. "Saddam wasn't doing anything to us. The one we should have been going after with everything is Osama bin Laden."
Bush invoked bin Laden and Sept. 11 in his speech, stressing the non-Iraqi "terrorists" who have congregated in Iraq to make the country "a central front in the war on terror."
Said Anderson, who spent nine years in the Navy and Marines: "They just play up on the fear. It used to be the domino theory and stopping communism. There was a picture, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming. Now it's `The Terrorists are Coming, The Terrorists are Coming.' After 9-11, I think we overreacted a little bit. We're not using our heads."
These veterans know war is never simple or easy, and they say this president, who never saw combat, overlooked these things in his rush to invade Iraq and install democracy.
"I have no respect for this president," said Bud Lynch of Hallandale, a Korean War veteran. "He's just trying to finish Daddy's job. That's all this was about. There was no nuclear [expletive] or WMDs to begin with ... If it were my son who was being sent over there, I wouldn't let him go."
---Amen Soldier. You tell them Daddy-O!---
Published June 29, 2005
HOLLYWOOD · The televisions at VFW Post 2500 in Hollywood were tuned to President Bush on Tuesday, but his words weren't getting rapt attention.
About 30 people were around the bar drinking, chatting, smoking as the president talked. "Does it have to be so loud?" asked Barbara Flint as she sat next to Jerry Giblock, a visiting Vietnam veteran.
"He's running scared," said Giblock, 63, a former Post 2500 member who lives in Anchorage, Ala. "His poll numbers are so low, he's got to say something, but the support is gone. It's gone. I don't think there's anybody in here who's behind him."
Tuesday was spaghetti dinner night at the hall on Dixie Highway, where $4 got you a nice plate with meatballs and garlic bread. Post commander Richard McDonald pointed to a sign hanging above the bar: "It's not the price you paid to join. It's the price you paid to be eligible."
These veterans have fought in foreign wars and struggled after them, which makes them more than eligible to comment on the ongoing war in Iraq.
The view inside the faded lounge wasn't optimistic.
From Charlie Nessl, 89, who fought in World War II at the battle of Midway: "I don't think we should be there."
From Bob Artman, 79, a World War II veteran: "I got a bad taste in my mouth. Every time I read about a guy getting killed, I tear up. I didn't feel this way at the beginning, but now I just don't see an end to it."
From Ted Anderson, 73, a Korean War veteran and former police chief in New Jersey: "We still have thousands of troops in the [demilitarized zone] in Korea 50 years after the fact. It's going to be the same thing 50 years from now in Iraq."
The last time I came around here, in May 2004, President Bush was about to give a speech about Iraq, and the veterans' feelings were mixed. Some thought the war justified. Others had nagging feelings of doubt.
But this time, as Bush once again spoke to the nation, there was nothing but skepticism about the war's necessity, and worry about a staying the course.
"When you got people who are willing to strap bombs to themselves and blow themselves up, that's a hard war to win," said McDonald, 71, a Korean War vet who voted for the president last year. "I think Bush had the right idea, but now it's turned into a religious war for some people there. And that's the worst kind of war to be in.
"The thing is, Bush is committed, so he's got to stick to his guns. But at some point he's got to come up with a plan to get out of there because we're never going to be able to get rid of 100 percent of the terrorists. He's going to have to pull out, just like Vietnam."
Said Artman: "I'm a registered Democrat, but even people in his party are now questioning things. They don't see the light at the end of the tunnel. ... So many people in this country need things: People are starving, people need health care and medicine. But here we are taking care of people all over the world. How about starting at home?"
Howard Fay, a former prisoner of war in Vietnam, ladled meatballs in the kitchen.
"I don't like this war at all," he said. "Saddam wasn't doing anything to us. The one we should have been going after with everything is Osama bin Laden."
Bush invoked bin Laden and Sept. 11 in his speech, stressing the non-Iraqi "terrorists" who have congregated in Iraq to make the country "a central front in the war on terror."
Said Anderson, who spent nine years in the Navy and Marines: "They just play up on the fear. It used to be the domino theory and stopping communism. There was a picture, The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming. Now it's `The Terrorists are Coming, The Terrorists are Coming.' After 9-11, I think we overreacted a little bit. We're not using our heads."
These veterans know war is never simple or easy, and they say this president, who never saw combat, overlooked these things in his rush to invade Iraq and install democracy.
"I have no respect for this president," said Bud Lynch of Hallandale, a Korean War veteran. "He's just trying to finish Daddy's job. That's all this was about. There was no nuclear [expletive] or WMDs to begin with ... If it were my son who was being sent over there, I wouldn't let him go."
---Amen Soldier. You tell them Daddy-O!---
posted by Christy at 10:54 AM
0 comments
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- 06/28/2009 - 07/05/2009
- 07/05/2009 - 07/12/2009
- 07/12/2009 - 07/19/2009
- 07/19/2009 - 07/26/2009
- 07/26/2009 - 08/02/2009
- 08/02/2009 - 08/09/2009
- 08/09/2009 - 08/16/2009
- 08/16/2009 - 08/23/2009
- 08/23/2009 - 08/30/2009
- 08/30/2009 - 09/06/2009
- 09/06/2009 - 09/13/2009
- 09/13/2009 - 09/20/2009
- 09/20/2009 - 09/27/2009
- 09/27/2009 - 10/04/2009
- 10/04/2009 - 10/11/2009
- 10/11/2009 - 10/18/2009
- 10/18/2009 - 10/25/2009
- 10/25/2009 - 11/01/2009
- 11/01/2009 - 11/08/2009
- 11/08/2009 - 11/15/2009
- 11/15/2009 - 11/22/2009
- 11/22/2009 - 11/29/2009
- 11/29/2009 - 12/06/2009
- 12/06/2009 - 12/13/2009
- 12/13/2009 - 12/20/2009
- 12/20/2009 - 12/27/2009
- 12/27/2009 - 01/03/2010
- 01/03/2010 - 01/10/2010
- 01/10/2010 - 01/17/2010
- 01/17/2010 - 01/24/2010
- 01/24/2010 - 01/31/2010
- 01/31/2010 - 02/07/2010
- 02/07/2010 - 02/14/2010
- 02/14/2010 - 02/21/2010
- 02/21/2010 - 02/28/2010
- 02/28/2010 - 03/07/2010
- 03/07/2010 - 03/14/2010
- 03/14/2010 - 03/21/2010
- 03/21/2010 - 03/28/2010
- 03/28/2010 - 04/04/2010
- 04/04/2010 - 04/11/2010
- 04/11/2010 - 04/18/2010
- 04/18/2010 - 04/25/2010
- 04/25/2010 - 05/02/2010
- 05/02/2010 - 05/09/2010
- 05/09/2010 - 05/16/2010
- 05/16/2010 - 05/23/2010
- 05/23/2010 - 05/30/2010
- 05/30/2010 - 06/06/2010
- 06/06/2010 - 06/13/2010
- 06/13/2010 - 06/20/2010
- 06/20/2010 - 06/27/2010
- 06/27/2010 - 07/04/2010
- 07/04/2010 - 07/11/2010
- 07/11/2010 - 07/18/2010
- 07/18/2010 - 07/25/2010
- 07/25/2010 - 08/01/2010
- 08/22/2010 - 08/29/2010
- 08/29/2010 - 09/05/2010
- 09/05/2010 - 09/12/2010
- 10/17/2010 - 10/24/2010
- 10/31/2010 - 11/07/2010
- 11/07/2010 - 11/14/2010
- 12/05/2010 - 12/12/2010
- 01/09/2011 - 01/16/2011
