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Déjà vu...
(Ed note: After dealing with all of the strain of the State of the Union Address last night, and the oddity of having Super Tuesday the very next day, I decided we could use a fun thread here at the DCP. So enjoy these links, and remember: when all else fails, music is good for the soul!)
Listen, just listen...
What you're hearing isn't from Air America. It isn't from the the 1970's anti-Vietnam, anti-Nixon era, either. It's from our local rock station, WCSX, which just finished their 17th annual Radiothon.
For those who can't open podcasts, here is a partial transcript with JJ, Lynne, and Graham Nash from the Radiothon. Transcribed by your favorite bird.
(First--just to acclimate you--they're discussing CSNY Déjà Vu at the Sundance Film Festival and then discussing the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young archives that Nash has been maintaining for the last 30-40 years. The next question ties it together.)
JJ: Did any of this archival material come to play when making the Déjà vu. I know this is the latest film about the Freedom of Speech tour. Was there any archival stuff? Did they flash back at all?
GN: Yes, yes indeed. There’s a great flashback of me and Crosby in the dressing room doing the opening bars of Déjà Vu. It’s fabulous. We’re showing ourselves then during the Vietnam War and we’re showing ourselves now. All this movie is… is a slice of the times. You know? I think more and more people in this country are beginning to realize that maybe our emperor doesn’t have any clothes on!
Lynne: You’re no stranger to controversy. You don’t shy from it. You speak up. You say what you mean-mean what you say. You don’t care what anyone else says. It’s what I like about you. It’s what our country is based on: the Freedom of Speech.
GN: That’s what this movie is basically about. You’re going to be shocked about what the people say about us. But we needed to strike a balance between the people who love us and the people who don’t. It was very interesting to see this movie and to see people. But one thing we wanted to make them feel. And I think we accomplished that.
JJ: There’s been talk about it for several years now: The similarities to the late 60’s and the times now.
GN: Yeh. There’s one difference of course—difference is no draft today. I believe if there was a draft the war would be over sooner.
Lynne: I don’t disagree with you there. I have two, so do you JJ. I have a 22 year old and a 25 year old.
GN: I have three in the right age.
Lynne: Watch like a hawk. You are right! If they were all of a sudden pressed into service, they’d go crazy!
GN: Especially for a war like this that we were lied into, manipulated into. You know? They weren’t going to strike us. Are you kidding me? Come on…Get real!
It's almost like a Déjà vu!
If that's not enough to qualify as Déjà vu to you, then take a listen to the podcast with Paul Rogers where he sings his new song Warboys: A Prayer for Peace. (or listen to the song only at Music Remedy.)
This is a huge reminder of why Rock n Roll and protest music has always been a thorn in the side to corrupt governmental officials.
Take a look at the this description of protest music from JWS RockGarden.com:
The antiwar music of the Vietnam era took the children of the 60’s to a different level. Musicians of this generation took the guitar strumming troubadour from the coffee houses, plugged them in, and sent the music and the message into the college dorm rooms and the homes of the youth of America.
This generation was not going to sit idly by while the government lied to the people about what was going on in Vietnam. Moreover, this was the first generation where combat veterans were returning prior to the end of the war and exposing the lies and pretzel logic that put us in Vietnam to begin with. This social climate, plus musicians who became the collective conscience of this generation through their lyrics and music became the foundation of ending a barbaric and unjust war, which the government tried to sweep under the rug by to calling it a 'conflict' or a 'police action'.
As in many movements throughout history, music of the Vietnam era served as a rallying cry and a cause for action. However, it was not necessarily the music but the message. It was a form of communication that served as an uniting factor for a population that felt disenfranchised, much like the blacks during the civil rights movement. The message brought out emotions that made you feel angry. While the war had a numbing effect on everyone under the age of 30, the music would bring out the emotions of fear and anger that brought about the need to do something about it.
We are political animals and are involved in political actions on a daily basis from issues such as civil rights or war to the school or the office. Political messages have been in song forever.
Déjà vu? Oh Yeh!!!
But what brought the reminder to me, was the knowledge that the Radioathon raised 78,419 dollars for the Children's' Leukemia Foundation of Michigan in just 24 hours.
That's a huge chunk of money for charity but it represents a huge listener base, too! Think about how many people heard that same segment you just heard.
Sadly, there are just too many accurate comparisons between Vietnam and Iraq, and yet fortunately there are always artists who speak out too. I'm grateful that people like Graham Nash spoke out in the '70s and still aren't afraid to speak out today. And when people like Paul Rogers sing songs like "Warboys: A Prayer for Peace," it actually makes you think there might be some hope to end the war.
So Rock on, folks! Rock on!
(Ed note: you can still listen to the podcasts here and donate online here.)
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Obama, Edwards, Obama, Edwards, can you feel the change coming on.
Blackwater Trying To Run Democrat Out Of Congressional Race
By Bruce Falconer
January 28, 2008
"They are guns for hire; No more, no less… Private Armies represent the very things we despise as a people. Servants to the highest bidder with true allegiance to no-one."
http://www.motherjones.com/washington_dispatch/2008/01/blackwaters-backyard-showdown.html
Yeah, funny how those liberal pinko commie MUSICIANS always seem to be pushing for such terrible things like peace love & underatanding.
What a bunch of losers! ;-)
Monkey,
Did you play the links? You know I thought of you and Chuck (how you both love your music) when I posted this thread.
Also...did you go vote for the 'O'?
Just a few friendly reminders, while filling out your Florida ballot:
Make sure if it's a butterfly ticket that you fully understand where you mark your ballot. If you're not sure of the design, then ask.
If it says, "Pat Buchanon" anywhere near your marker, you have the wrong ticket/wrong spot.
If you push "Obama" on the screen, and it says, "Are you sure you'd like to vote for McCain" then do not push "Ok". Take a photo and go call for help.
If you see a little key hole that looks like your hotel bar key would fit that hole, make sure you notify FOX News so that they can complain that the election was stolen when Huckabee, Romey, or McCain win on the Republican side.
LATEST ON THE WEXLER PETITION:
First Last
e-mail Phone (optional) Zip
218,878
signed up
and counting...
@@@@@@@@@@@@@@
I called Wexler's office yesterday about the progress of the petition ( I also called Kucinich's office to see if they were coordinating with Wexler). Wexler's office said that they had taken out Google ads so that when you search with "impeach" on the right side of the screen will be the Wexler petition.
I also was told that Wexler has 15 Representatives that have signed his letter to Conyers. I am trying to get the list right now...
Gee, a whole 15 reps? By election day, we might be up to 17 or 18 maybe... by the inauguration, there might be 20.
Pathetic.
Keep up the good work, ralpheh.
Rice Meets With Australian Foreign Minister As Relations Go Cold
http://wiredispatch.com/news/?id=22751
Gee, a whole 15 reps? By election day, we might be up to 17 or 18 maybe... by the inauguration, there might be 20.
Pathetic. ?
Is that Delegates Monkey?
218,878
signed up
and counting...
Thanks for update Ralphep, I was looking to update a couple of days ago, but could not find the updated numbers.
Ok. My apologies. Apparently, today isn't super Tuesday. IT's next week.
(Bah hum bah! I want this over with!)
Hey, any Tuesday is a super Tuesday... but then there's always the bestest of all, FAT TUESDAY!!! Which, co-inkeedinkly just happens to be on, yep, Super Tuesday!
Conyers on Impeachment
Monkey,
Are you feeling reassured?
I just voted...
What an "O"! Now I need a smoke.
Except, I don't smoke.
This is good news. Fox's rating suck.
Media Matters for America: Fox News is in for a very rough 2008
by Eric Boehlert
....Fox News years ago made an obvious decision to appeal almost exclusively to Republican viewers. The good news then for Fox News was that it succeeded. The bad news now for Fox News is that it succeeded....The most obvious signs of Fox News' downturn have been the cable ratings for the big primary and caucus votes this year, as well as the high-profile debates....For instance, on the night of the big New Hampshire primary, CNN, which habitually trails behind Fox News in the prime-time race, attracted nearly 250,000 more viewers than its top competitor, marking a changing-of-the-guard of sorts....
***
The problem for Fox News is that it's the Democratic race that's creating most of the excitement, yet Fox News has been forced to mostly watch the race from the sidelines. That's because last winter, after Fox News tried to smear Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) for purportedly attending a radical Muslim school as a child, liberal bloggers launched an initiative to get Democratic candidates to boycott a debate co-sponsored by Fox News and the Nevada Democratic Party. (The boycott, powered by Foxattacks.com, was later extended to any and all Fox News debates.)
The point of the online crusade was not to simply embarrass Fox News or rattle Nevada Democrats for being out of touch with the grassroots masses that distrusted and despised Fox News. The point, instead, was to begin chipping away, in a serious, consistent method, at Fox News' reputation. To spell out that Fox News was nothing more than a Republican mouthpiece and that Democrats need not engage with the News Corp. giant.
The lack of Democratic debates for Fox News has meant a huge setback for the news organization from a ratings perspective. Just look at the grand slam CNN hit last week when, on January 21, it broadcast the much-talked-about Democratic debate from South Carolina. The CNN event not only creamed Fox News in the ratings, nearly tripling its audience that night, but the debate set a new cable news mark for the most viewers ever to watch a primary debate. In fact, of the 10 most-watched debates this election season, Fox has aired just two, compared to CNN's five. Of the 10 most-watched debates, six have featured Democrats; four Republicans. CNN is virtually guaranteed another monster ratings win this week with a pair of high-profile debates staged in California -- the Republicans on Wednesday night and Democrats on Thursday....
***
Sean Hannity serves as Fox News' official ambassador to the Giuliani campaign; a campaign that (Fox News chief Roger) Ailes and Fox News were hoping to ride back into the White House. Yet despite showering Giuliani with all kinds of laudatory coverage, both Hannity and Ailes have been powerless, as they've watched Giuliani's rudderless campaign go nowhere for months....
***
Fox News continues to embarrass itself with a type of journalism that nobody else in the industry would dare call professional....
Rep. Conyers: Impeachment Is Not Off the Table
Posted by Matt Stoller, Open Left on January 29, 2008 at 6:35 AM.
Today at the Progressive Media Summit I managed to catch a conversation between Rob Kall of OpedEdNews and House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers on the potential impeachment of both Bush and Cheney. The video starts in the middle of a sentence, but other than that, it's pretty clear cut. It's an interesting dialogue in which Conyers goes back and forth on his own authority and ability to bring impeachment charges, his political arguments against it, and finally, his firm statement that Bush could do plenty to justify impeachment and that the option is not 'off the table'. You get to see a fascinating and very human interaction between a highly intelligent activist and a sitting Congressman with immense power who is vaguely irritated at having to answer questions, but also intensely interested in answering them.
The transcript is as follows:
John Conyers: Two impeachments rather than one. They've either got to be simultaneous or serie atum.
Rob Kall: Serie atum would be the way to do it. First Cheney, then Bush. History teaches us, let's start with Gonzales. We went to Gonzales, and he's gone. They went to Agnew, he left. Then they went to Nixon, and they started doing hearings on him. It never went to a vote in the Senate. And I don't think it ever would. All we need to do is get the hearings opened up where they can't say 'sorry, executive privilege, then you've got the tools, which is what Impeachment is, it's a tool.
John Conyers: You know who's been in more impeachment hearings than anybody in the House or Senate?
Rob Kall: You?
John Conyers: Right.
Rob Kall: And you wrote a book on impeaching Bush, too.
John Conyers: A couple, yes. Well there must be some compelling reason that I'm not doing it right now.
Rob Kall: Pelosi, Pelosi keeps coming to mind.
John Conyers: How could she stop, well, she could stop me because actually it goes through a special committee on the House, but, Pelosi can't stop me from anything, really.
Rush Limbaugh has trouble voting
Count Rush Limbaugh among the voters confused by Palm Beach County’s touch-screen machines.
On his syndicated talk show this afternoon, Limbaugh said he was trying to vote in today’s primary when the screen seemed to freeze or “stick” on the list of presidential candidates.
“I hit ‘Next’ and it didn’t go there,” said Limbaugh, who lives in Palm Beach and often recounts the county’s electoral foibles on his show.
Then he hit the “Back” button and “got my candidate page again with the vote already recorded there. So I said ‘hmmmmm, I wonder if this is going to count twice.”
So he unclicked his favored candidate, clicked that candidate again and hit “Next” a second time - and it worked.
“I don’t know if I voted twice,” he said. “Probably not.”
I don't care who the fat slob voted for or how many times, he is still a piece of garbage.
But gee, I think, "hmmmmmmmmmmm, could THAT have happened in 2000?"
By the way Rush, you SUCK!
Sparrow - great thread - nostalgia! Deja Vu! Thanks. I've sent the audios off to friends.
After the election in November, is it possible to impeach Bush at that point? Between the election and the inauguration?
I don't know woz. If they did it would just be ceremonial. But if they did actually find evidence to convict him of a crime, I think he would have to go to regular court.
They're starting to count the Florida non-votes.
http://us.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#FL
What are non-votes?
woz.
Nonvotes are my nickname for them. Meaning that the Michigan and Florida primaries won't count because the DNC has refused to seat their delegates (votes) at the convention because the legislature put the primary before "Super Tuesday".
So in Michigan Edwards and Obama pulled their names off the ticket.
In Florida, the names were all there but there was no campaigning suppose to happen.
We are so deeply confused in this country.
monkey said:
Hey, any Tuesday is a super Tuesday... but then there's always the bestest of all, FAT TUESDAY!!! Which, co-inkeedinkly just happens to be on, yep, Super Tuesday!
*********
Yeah, that's why they moved up the voting (in this county only) a week - voting is TOMORROW. The rest of AL votes Feb 5th but they figured people would have problems getting to the polls here so they moved up the date.
I've been out knocking on doors, making phone calls, etc...tonight we canvassed before, during, and after a Mardi Gras parade downtown. I think we might have been more popular if we'd handed out beads with the candidate's likeness on them.
Thankyou Karen. I keep thinking that I am never, ever going to be able to understand the political system in America. This is always going to be true, but the simple things like when is the next lot of voting happening? Super Tuesday? Ok. I'll look forward to it. What? Some voting has taken place? Without anyone knowing? So the votes don't actually count? Yet? When will they count? Oh. We don't know. :((
This is an incredibly confused nation. I fear things are likely to get worse before they get better - especially now that McCain has emerged from the pack in the GOP.
Woz
We don't understand the American voting system either.
I guess the Democrats changed the dates of the primaries in some states so they don't get to count the delegates.
& my son, who is a political science major, says that even if a Democrat got all the delegates at Super Tuesday, they still wouldn't have enough for the nomination.
According to what I've read, it could be undecided all the way up to the convention. If Edwards stays in the race, he could be a power broker by deciding who he'll give his delegates to.
We have Kangaroo courts, an inert or impotent Congress, an admitted ex-alcoholic president (who never went to treatment, but supposedly walked along the beach with evangelist Billy Graham, and was "saved," which a new book reveals was a LIE), & then we have a Banana Republic voting system (different in all 50 states) that allowed two stolen elections (aka "bloodless coups").
Well, I went over to the Obama blog because I haven't really spent time at political blogs this time, and I'd worked so intimately with the Kerry blog in 2004. I wanted to know what was different this time.
What it is - it's not like our blog was or like the Dean blog was, because it's networked to the social networking sites rather than the local blogs. Technology has changed that much in just 4 years.
Not only that, there hasn't been a campaign in a long time with this kind of activation of young voters, including the Dean blog. I just saw the statistics. It is important to get out the vote of the young people.
Now people my age, they may vote for Hillary Clinton or Mitt Romney or John McCain. I would vote for Hillary Clinton against Romney or John McCain, no problem.
I would also take the chance on a slightly younger Obama because of his intelligence and the guidance of someone like Ted Kennedy. I just watched the videos of Ted and Caroline Kennedy.
Granted I'm usually a little late, because I really don't watch tv, as I'm constantly saying but in today's America that is an anomaly. It took us 20 minutes to hook up a computer monitor in a fashion to serve as a tv last night.
I watched Bush for an hour and couldn't take it any more. I fashioned a drawing of him that is an amalgam - he's morphed with Beavis. I listened to NPR this morning and they fact-checked him. A bunch of bullshit came out of his oral sphincter last night.
As Greg Palast points out, his "Pell Grants" for youth are about enough to buy a $20 rock of crack cocaine, whereas the average rich person got a tax break of $338,000. It's a no-brainer that the tax cuts should not be extended any more to the top 1 percent.
Ben Cohen has updated his Oreo cookie illustration where he uses stacks of cookies to show the funding for the Pentagon vs child health care and similar. Imagine a stack of Oreos as tall as your ceiling. That's the Pentagon. The Oreos stacked for child health care - you would probably trip over them.
It's obscene.
nmp does this mean that there will be a convention regardless of who gets most votes/delegates next Tuesday? I guess America is a huge country with votes happening in all kinds of different ways - in individual states. This variation leaves all the gates open to corruption as far as I can see. And there are no real checks for actual voting. Is it too late for a law to be made that on election day, all those who ask for a paper ballot should be allowed that - with the vote recorded in ink, not pencil? Or do the electronic votes still apply whether they are dramatically flawed or not?
nmp said,
Less than that I think, nmp. I'd say there would be simply a few crumbs of one oreo. YES. It is OBSCENE!
Define...Epiphany. HAHA!
Pelosi, mesmerized
This is pretty strong stuff:
The buzz in the speaker's office Monday was not about Bush's address, but about Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy's fiery speech earlier endorsing Democrat Barack Obama.
"Did you ever see anything like that?" asked Pelosi. "Transferring the mantle from John F. Kennedy to Barack Obama. It was the most stunning thing. I mean, I couldn't take my eyes off it. And I didn't have any time to sit there and watch TV, you know — we had a whole schedule. I just was mesmerized by it."
http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0108/Pelosi_mesmerized.html
Did reality finaly catch her attention and sink in for a moment?
Truth as a shiny object to lure Nancy back to earth.
Hey, whatever works.
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani plans to drop out of the presidential race and endorse McCain at an event in California, two GOP sources with direct knowledge of the plans said.
Giuliani was a distant third with the results from Tuesday's voting almost final.
While Giuliani didn't say he was withdrawing from the race, he did speak of his campaign in the past tense at one point.
"I'm proud I ran a positive campaign," he told supporters. "I ran a campaign that was uplifting."
An endorsement would give McCain added momentum heading into a debate Wednesday night -- and the Super Tuesday contests next week.
The remaining GOP White House hopefuls face off Wednesday at a CNN-Los Angeles Times-Politico debate being held at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California.
more...
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/30/fl.primary/index.html
MSNBC BREAKING NEWS: U.S. economy grew just 0.6 percent in Q4 of 2007; annual total worst in 5 years
For Christy
I Was Mesmerized ..
Woz
Yes they would have the convention regardless - in summer in Denver.
It's a big jumble and I agree it's open to corruption. In addition to the uncontrolled variability, there is the matter of the bad energy and bad timing, as well as no real campaign finance reform. It's a big expensive joke on the American people.
My son and I just signed up to help the local effort. We will do what we can. The user interface for volunteering went very smoothly, which is a good sign.
John Edwards to quit '08 race
Former Sen. John Edwards is quitting the Democratic race for president, two sources inside his campaign told CNN Wednesday. He is expected to make the announcement in New Orleans at 1 p.m. ET. Edwards does not plan to endorse either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama at this time, an aide said, but he may do so in the future.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/30/edwards/index.html
Bush Issues Signing Statement On Defense Act, Waiving Ban On Permanent Bases In Iraq
President Bush yesterday signed the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act after initially rejecting Congress’s first version because it would have allegedly opened the Iraqi government to “expensive lawsuits.”
Even though he forced Congress to change its original bill, Bush’s signature yesterday came with a little-noticed signing statement, claiming that provisions in the law “could inhibit the President’s ability to carry out his constitutional obligations.” CQ reports on the provisions Bush plans to disregard:
One such provision sets up a commission to probe contracting fraud in Iraq and Afghanistan. Another expands protections for whistleblowers who work for government contractors. A third requires that U.S. intelligence agencies promptly respond to congressional requests for documents. And a fourth bars funding for permanent bases in Iraq and for any action that exercises U.S. control over Iraq’s oil money.
In his “Memorandum of Justification” for the waiver, Bush cited his Nov. 26 “Declaration of Principles for a Long-Term Relationship of Cooperation and Friendship” between Iraq and the United States. This agreement has been aggressively opposed by both Republicans and Democrats in Congress as not only unprecedented, but also potentially unconstitutional because it was enacted without the agreement of the legislation branch.
Today on CNN, Rep. Bill Delahunt (D-MA) voiced concern that this declaration may indefinitely commit U.S. troops to fighting Iraq’s civil wars:
Involved in those declaration of principles, there is an implicit potential for the United States military forces, years from now, being involved in a full-blown civil war in Iraq. And I don’t believe that’s where the American people want us and I don’t think that’s in the best interest of our national security.
Earlier this month, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced legislation requiring the Bush administration “to consult with Congress before moving forward with any agreement that could lead to long term security arrangements and other major economic and political commitments.”
Throughout his presidency, Bush has issued more than 151 signing statements challenging 1149 provisions of laws.
more...
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/01/29/signing-statement-iraq/
I HATE signing statements!!!
GRRRR.
But then, we shouldn't be surprised. No matter how many times he does it though, it drives me nuts.
I'm sad that Edwards is forced to drop out, because I think he was the best one of the three.
But it makes my choice easier on Tuesday.
I'm an Obama girl now!
Carol
Same here... I was planning on voting for Edwards in the CA primary (I am nonpartisan, but CA Dems will let nonpartisans vote with a Dem ballot), but now that he's no longer in the running, I'll pick Obama.
MY LOCAL NEWSPAPER -ARTICLE ABOUT IRAQ
Ex-contractor: U.S. in Iraq 'permanently'
Justin A. Hinkley
The Enquirer
The United States likely will have a presence in Iraq forever, a former military contractor told a Battle Creek peace group on Monday.
"There are four or five places over there that are picked out so that we can be there permanently," Wayne Young told 16 people gathered in the basement of First United Methodist Church for a regular Voices of Peace meeting. "That's Wayne's opinion based on meetings Wayne sat in over the last year talking about expansion."
ADVERTISEMENT
Plans for expansion in places such as Al Asad, Tallil and Camp Anaconda point to "long-term residency" for the U.S., Young said during a 90-minute presentation to the antiwar activist group.
"Look at Germany, look at Korea," he said. "We've made our boot print in the Middle East and that's our only one and we're not giving it up. There's not a Democrat in the world that can get us out of there."
Young, 48, a Battle Creek resident, worked from October 2006 until November 2007 primarily in the Al Anbar Province in western Iraq as a deputy project manager with the Houston-based Kellogg, Brown and Root Inc. There, he and his colleagues provided housing, food, waste water removal, laundry, water purification and engineering construction for American military troops "inside the wire," in well-protected safe zones.
Young left KBR after his contract was up in November to come home to his three daughters.
On Monday, Young went through a slide show of photos and maps, describing his experiences in Iraq, including sand storms, small living quarters, and how some of his colleagues were killed by roadside bombs. He showed photos of President Bush's visit to Iraq on Labor Day in 2007, including a photo of two KBR contractors smiling as they emptied the bathroom refuse from Air Force One.
INCENTIVE TO STAY?
Members of the audience grilled Young for his role as a contractor, which many criticize as a "privatization of war," saying that companies making money off the war have incentive to keep the battle going.
Military downsizing during the Clinton administration forced the hiring of private contractors, Young answered, and troops need support.
"(The war) bothers me," he said. "What won't bother me is, if we have soldiers over there, we have to support them."
Young, a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and an Army veteran, said he's been anti-war since he enlisted.
"I can tell you, almost every soldier and Marine is anti-war, because they're the ones out front that are going to lose their lives," he said. "Most soldiers serving know that this is their job; they have to do what their bosses tell them."
"Some people think we need to get out of there as quickly as possible," said audience member Linda Bess of Battle Creek. "His speech made me think that we have to stay aware of the question about what responsibility we have to stay there and fix the mess we made."
If "WE" were going to "fix the mess WE made", then "WE" should have impeached a long time ago.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
U.S. troop reductions in Iraq may slow
Petraeus to counsel Bush this spring on strategy, possible drawdowns
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration is sending strong signals that U.S. troop reductions in Iraq will slow or stop altogether this summer, a move that would jeopardize hopes of relieving strain on the Army and Marine Corps and revive debate over an open-ended U.S. commitment in Iraq.
The indications of a likely slowdown reflect concern by U.S. commanders that the improvement in security in Iraq since June — to a degree few had predicted when President Bush ordered five more Army brigades to Iraq a year ago — is tenuous and could be reversed if the extra troops come out too soon.
One of those extra brigades left in December, and the other four are due to come out by July, leaving 15 brigades, or roughly 130,000 to 135,000 troops — the same number as before Bush sent the reinforcements.
more on...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22903598/
Thes tory I did on Bush's body language SOTU:
http://news.medill.northwestern.edu/washington/news.aspx?id=76195
ralpheh
Korea was EXTREMELY profitable for the Republican Party, both in terms of help to the Republicans and to the Christian Right.
As long as Iraq can become another Korea, the Republicans will NEVER give it up.
Freedom is really on the march in Afghanistan.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7216976.stm
Some death cults do deserve to be exterminated.
ralpheh
I don't believe it. Whenever I visit a military base, it's always "GIVE WAR A CHANCE" or "PEACE SUCKS."
Death cult lunatics are not solely an American phenomenon.
A lunatic pilot forced an Air Canada flight to make an emergency landing in Ireland.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7217977.stm
Thank you, Harper!
Carol,
I am sorry he has withdrawn particularly before the next debate. I think he does make sure that there are more issues discussed. I felt it was wrong how DK got pushed out by the media. And I think it was wrong how after they pushed DK out, they pushed JRE out too.
I think DK is further 'left' than even JRE. I hope that JRE will still be able to push Hillary and Obama on progressive legislations.
FROM CINDY SHEEHAN'S CAMPAIGN WEBSITE:
54% of Americans want Cheney impeached, as do 64% of Vermonters.
Congressman Dennis Kucinich was the first member of Congress to lead the way in April 2007. H. Res. 333, Articles of Impeachment Against Dick Cheney (reintroduced on Nov. 6, 2007, as H Res 799), is sponsored by the following Members of Congress: Jan Schakowsky, Maxine Waters, Hank Johnson, Keith Ellison, Lynn Woolsey, Barbara Lee, Albert Wynn, William Lacy Clay, Dennis Kucinich, Yvette Clarke, Jim McDermott, Jim Moran, Bob Filner, Sam Farr, Robert Brady, Tammy Baldwin, Donald Payne, Steve Cohen, Sheila Jackson Lee, Carolyn Kilpatrick, Ed Towns, Diane Watson, Danny Davis, Raul Grijalva, Gwen Moore. Please thank them and encourage them to whip their colleagues.
Robert Wexler, Tammy Baldwin, and Luis Gutierrez are urging the initiation of hearings and are joined in this by Anthony Weiner. Mike Michaud has written to Chairman Conyers calling for Cheney impeachment hearings. Tim Mahoney is open to the idea of impeachment hearings.
Hey sparrow,
I was trying to watch at 1:00 but had to go back to work so missed JRE's speech. But Andrea Mitchell was making me sick with her "gee, I wonder why his message never resonated? I wonder why people didn't gravitate to him???"
Hello - maybe because you never covered him? Unreal.
monkey said:
If "WE" were going to "fix the mess WE made", then "WE" should have impeached a long time ago.
Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Janu
@@@@@@@@@
This tells you how weak-minded and weak-willed some people in the so-caled "peace movement are. This woman who was quoted in the article is, as I can tell from previous meetings which I have observed her, completely clueless and utterly confused.
Her current "hobby" is the "Department of Peace" (which of course is going absolutely nowhere). I say hobby because she, despite her very strong verbal support, has refused to take the role of district coordinator for the Depart. Peace lobbying effort. Ergo there is no coordinator and nothing is happening...
BTW guess who did most the "grilling" of this KBR contractor
ME - MOI
I had to restrain my anger and disgust at these greedy contractors. For example, I did not call him a thief!!!!
Carol,
The media is the problem. All of us know it. It hasn't just been JRE who has suffered from the media's lies.
In 2003, John Kerry came out with a media reform bill and not only was it shot down, but it also gave the media more reasons to withhold information, lie, and spin to make sure he wouldn't be elected.
As all of us saw, they have lied their way through everything for the last 10 years or more.
I feel bad for JRE for not getting attention, but just like they lied about Kerry and told us a bunch of b.s., they did it to Kucinich (UFOs), JRE, (hair), Obama, (Muslim, etc...), and so on.
I do feel that Edwards and Kucinich would have gone in and attempted to force Congress to act. I believe that Obama will do the same.
Sometimes, the difference between candidates is merely 'presentation'. Sometimes the difference is more clear.
The media has become interpreters, filters, and protectors of their own self-interests. I'm teaching myself photoshop. To me, the media has photoshopped our news and made it unrecognizable from the original picture.
I love John Edwards message and I truly hope he continues to be a conscious participant in the conversation about the direction of this country. I am glad he did not throw his support to one or the other of the front-runners, because those delegates are his currency.
I want every one of these candidates' ears and hearts open for business 24/7 from here on out.
Pollsters/consultants: STFU.
Million Iraqis dead since invasion: study
A new study estimates that more than 1 million Iraqis have died because of the war in Iraq since the US-led invasion of the country in 2003.
Data compiled by London-based Opinion Research Business (ORB) and its research partner in Iraq, the Independent Institute for Administration and Civil Society Studies (IIACSS) reveals a fifth of Iraqi households lost at least one family member between March 2003 and August 2007 due to the conflict.
The study based its findings on survey work involving the face-to-face questioning of 2,414 Iraqi adults aged 18 or above, and the last complete census in Iraq in 1997, which indicated a total of 4.05 million households.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/01/31/2151041.htm
Woz
If one in five Iraqi households has lost a family member to war, then we are even with the devastation Hitler caused. One in five.
oh gad, nmp - I wasn't even thinking on those lines when I read the article.
If you haven't seen this documentary - made in the UK - I recommend it. More deja vu - nostalgia - and a far greater awareness and understanding of Islam and the paranoia in the US that got Yusuf Islam aka Cat Stevens deported.
Yusuf Islam: A Few Good Songs
A biography telling the story of singer and songwriter, Yusuf Islam, previously known as Cat Stevens. This film reveals the reasons behind Yusuf Islam's decisions for giving up his short, yet prestigious career, and the journey he has been on since then. Over the years, Yusuf's work has been recognised with major awards, and in 2004 he was awarded the Man for Peace award by a committee of Nobel Peace laureates. (note from woz - this was in same year that he was arrested having landed in America for a lecture tour, kept overnight for questioning - and deported back to London the following day -at least he didn't wind up in Guantanamo Bay - I guess they didn't dare go that far.)
Genre: Documentary
Year: 2006
Rating: PG
Other: Closed Captions
Widescreen
Duration: 60 mins
Yes, woz, men (and women) of peace should not be allowed to cross national boundaries. Cause, ya know, that idea might spread...
Nader forms exploratory committee
http://silencedmajority.blogs.com/silenced_majority_portal/
nmp,
IMO, I'd rather send a donation to help purchase a ticket to get Nadar on the next space shuttle than I would ever consider voting for him or donating to him.
Nadar is now a joke against himself.
Schwarzenegger to endorse John McCain
Two share a bond over global warming issues, independent streaks
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will endorse John McCain on Thursday, giving a boost to the Republican presidential front-runner six days before California's high-prize primary.
The two will appear at a news conference after touring a Los Angeles-based solar energy company and the governor will make his endorsement official, his senior aides confirmed.
Schwarzenegger's endorsement of McCain is yet another setback for Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who saw Florida slip from his grasp Tuesday after McCain rolled up the support of that state's two top elected Republicans, Gov. Charlie Crist and Sen. Mel Martinez.
His strategy in tatters, Romney plans to offer himself as the conservative alternative to McCain as he pushes ahead in hopes of winning enough delegates to topple the Arizona senator when 21 states vote in the Republican contest on Tuesday.
more...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22930218/
Romney is too "gurly" for da gubbernaytah.
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Shaima, a 29-year-old artist, proudly displays her latest work in progress. White streaks stand out against a bright, burnt orange background -- an abstract painting that she says signifies the reality of life in Baghdad for the last five years.
"I am trying to show scattered body parts flying around," she says.
Dressed in a sleek gray shirt and spiked heels, Shaima looks like she belongs at an art gallery in Paris, not a run-down studio with no power in Baghdad.
Her art used to be as lively as her persona, but since the U.S.-led war began, she only expresses tragedy. It's the reality inside her, the death and destruction she has witnessed firsthand.
"Ruins of a city, a memory of a city only," the artist says as she describes what she sees when she looks at the streets of Baghdad. "I only see it full of sorrow -- the city that had such a busy past -- but now it's just a memory."
Shaima could have left Iraq, but she chose to stay out of love for her homeland. She's fighting to keep going, opening a small studio with two friends.
She says her paintings are not meant to be political -- just a reflection of the mood in Baghdad.
"We see the violence daily, the killing, the conflict among the people. It's affected me and my students, especially the students when they see their colleagues kidnapped or killed."
The increase in U.S. troops in Baghdad over the last year has sharply reduced such violence. But the effects of the war on ordinary Iraqis go on and on. They're still haunted by the violence of the past, and almost everyone knows someone -- a family member or friend -- who has been killed or kidnapped.
Almost all of the Baghdad residents who spoke to CNN said the surge has reduced violence, but they also said their capital is barely recognizable. Baghdad is largely chopped into sectarian blocks, each guarded by its own armed force, most supported by the United States. And many Iraqis still don't dare cross sectarian lines.
The power across Baghdad in many neighborhoods only stays on for one to four hours a day, with many residents saying it's worse now than ever before.
At a home in central Baghdad, the mere mention of electricity angers a 65-year-old grandmother named Nawal.
"Don't even get me started about the electricity," she says. "I went yesterday to get gas. I was freezing, shaking, and I hadn't slept. I went to the gas station, and I said just give me 5 liters of gas. They refused and yelled at me to get out." Watch this family's struggles »
She adds, "Why would they say this? I am an old woman. Respect me."
Nawal eventually bought gas from a person who was hawking it for triple the price.
Nearby, her 16-year-old granddaughter, Ahad, speaks with a maturity beyond her years. She has known nothing but war since elementary school.
"Here, there are no guarantees that you will be alive in the future, whether you are old or young," she says.
Huddled on the bed with her two older siblings and her little cousin, Ahad says the war has created a layer of nightmares, each different from the next.
"It's impacted our psychological state," she says. The children's room is kept warm by a space heater running off the family's generator; they only get city power for about an hour a day.
Another family member -- Mohammed, Nawal's son-in-law -- will never shake the memory of four friends who were killed in a two-week period in 2006. "Two, we found hanging from power poles. One was found with three bullets to his head. The other had his eyes gouged out."
Although Mohammed acknowledges that security is getting better, he has no faith that Iraq's current government can do anything to capitalize on the hard-earned military gains.
"This isn't a government," he says, his voice shaking with anger. "It's a mob that came to govern a palace called the Green Zone, and it can't even govern that."
The lack of basic services isn't just impacting Baghdad's households. At the capital's Yarmouk Hospital, Dr. Mohammed, a surgeon, says he has seen improvements in some areas, but he believes the government puts "us last on the list."
The bulk of Baghdad's casualties come through the doors of the hospital's emergency room. These days, he says, they aren't treating as many emergency cases, but the lull in violence hasn't translated into the basic equipment and medicine the hospital needs. Watch health care hopes in Iraq »
And, he adds, it's too soon for the hospital staff to begin to hope that the worst is behind them.
"We always tell our people that you must always be ready for a flare-up in the situation," says Dr. Hakki, the hospital director. He says the problems are being dealt with by the Ministry of Health, but he'd like to see improvements made more quickly.
"I told my friends once that we must all go to heaven -- us Iraqis -- because we have already been to hell," Dr. Mohammed adds.
Back at the art studio, Shaima says she longs for the vibrancy of Baghdad's past, but knows that'll never happen. "Even if it does return, the spirit and the memories of the past have all changed."
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/01/30/iraq.reallife/index.html
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Vice President Dick Cheney touted the president's economic stimulus plan during an appearance in Charlotte, saying it will spur growth and minimize the country's economic downturn.
Cheney made a quick stop in Charlotte on Thursday to speak to about 150 people at the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.
Cheney said the country rests on a "solid platform" of economic growth because of policies established by President Bush during his eight years in office.
Cheney said it's now time to take wise and vital steps to revive the nation's economy.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22934926
So, tell me again why we're in such a terrible downturn, and why the Fed is in crisis mode, and why we even NEED an "economic stimulus package", if the policies established by Bush during his tenure have put us on a solid platform?
What a friggin DOUCHEBAG!
What a friggin DOUCHEBAG!
monkey said, January 31, 2008 1:07 PM
Monkey,
This is suppose to be your vacation, isn't it?
Maybe you need to turn of the computer or stick to only news about Britney Spears while you're on vacation. (Keep reading the press and political newswire, and you'll be as wired as Britney is!)
Regarding your statement, "So, tell me again why we're in such a terrible downturn, and why the Fed is in crisis mode, and why we even NEED an "economic stimulus package", if the policies established by Bush during his tenure have put us on a solid platform?," couldn't the responsibility for this downturn be attributed to Bill Clinton's original NAFTA policies as well as his failure to stop media consolidation?
Maybe it's another reason to avoid Bush, Clinton, Clinton, Bush, Bush,...Clinton x 2
That too.
The difference is that the everyday people of the US got to debate NAFTA, thanks to ample media coverage. That's no longer true. Most trade pacts with sleazy foreign countries today are NOT covered by the US media, and are approved without the knowledge and approval of the American people.
monkey
The neocons live in an alternate reality/world. No wonder their SUVs all have those annoying "NOTW" (not of this world) decals.
Good point Ally.... but hmmm, I had virtually no problem with our economy or the direction we were heading as a nation in general under Bill Clinton... til he dropped trow.
The "Blame Clinton" mantra for the mess the Bush regime has clearly caused sounds a lot like the ultra-righties anthem of choice.
Woops, maybe 'choice' wasn't the best word to describe right wingers.
Roe, Roe, Roe yer bloat.
So was NAFTA more abused under Bush than under Clinton?
I'm asking a serious question trying to get past any partisanship.
What happened?
Oh. And when NAFTA passed, did we have tax code that charged them taxes for reimportation?
On a different note, I want to know, has anyone ever noticed that other than Paul, there's been no other Republicans going against the Iraq war. I just wonder what kind of hold they have on those people that all of them echo more of "Stay the course" than, "Let's get our people out of Iraq, let's make the world right, let's stop torture, let's fix the economy."
Instead we just see different faces, with small differences, echoing Bush!
RAY MCGOVERN AND JOHN CONYERS FACE OFF ON IMPEACHMENT (from last month, I believe)
sparrow
W has been very vocal about getting free trade agreements passed, with as many nations as possible. Clinton pushed NAFTA in the interest of strengthening the economy of both the US and the rest of North America. W pushes his FTAs only to strengthen his cronies and puppet states, not the average American.
Singapore and Peru already have FTAs with W. Central America and South Korea can have FTAs anytime now.
Of course, the media never reports, so you never get to hear about any of these FTAs until too late. So much for "we report, you decide."
Can't answer your question about reimportation taxes, sorry!
monkey
Bill Clinton was a much better prez than W ever was, no denying about that. BUT... he wasn't perfect, and we do need to remember where he stumbled, so that hopefully future presidents will learn from it.
Hillary is certainly less of a free trader than Bill. Same with other Dems running for President.
sparrow
The Republicans are caught in the same mindset as their Vietnamese-American puppets, so numerous here in SoCal:
- We should've fought a little harder in Vietnam, then South Vietnam would still exist today. Instead, the US got taken over by those antiwar Commies like Jane Fonda.
- Fight a little harder, and we can save Iraq and prevent the Vietnam mistakes.
Never mind that it was LBJ who sent Americans to Vietnam, and Nixon who pulled them out - something the Vietnamese-Americans have completely forgotten.
Here, the Vietnam War is still considered a noble struggle by South Vietnam against the Communist Forces, as opposed to Vietnam's struggle against American influence that everyone else takes it as.
Thanks, Ally.
That makes sense now. :-)
Berkeley gives Marines the boot
Source: Oakland Tribune
BERKELEY — Hey-hey, ho-ho, the Marines in Berkeley have got to go.
That's the message from the Berkeley City Council, which voted 8-1 to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station "is not welcome in the city, and if recruiters choose to stay, they do so as uninvited and unwelcome intruders."
In addition, the council voted to explore enforcing its law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation against the Marines because of the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy. And it officially encouraged the women's peace group Code Pink to impede the work of the Marines in the city by protesting in front of the station.
In a separate item, the council voted 8-1 to give Code Pink a designated parking space in front of the recruiting station once a week for six months and a free sound permit for protesting once a week from noon to 4 p.m.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/oaklandtribune/ci_8127493
I will be watching the Demfest two-step tonight for the French press.
Viva la revolution.
More FACTS on a Human CATASTROPHY
Again, when am working I have the radio one, an Arabic channel broadcasting from Europe.
And this is the latest. An NGO, could not catch the name, it had "relief" in it, just came out with a report from Iraq.
- 2 MILLION WIDOWS
- 47% of Iraqis live in ABJECT POVERTY.
- 4 MILLION Iraqis are in urgent need of FOOD ASSISTANCE NOW
- 2/3 of Iraqi children have NO ACCESS to DRINKING WATER.
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m40716&hd=&size=1&l=e
Libyan Detainee Infected with AIDS
Horror at Guantánamo
ANDY WORTHINGTON
It really doesn't get any worse than this. Candace Gorman, lawyer for Abdul Hamid al-Ghizzawi, a Libyan detainee at Guantánamo, reports that her client has been infected with AIDS. Mr. al-Ghizzawi explained to his lawyer in a letter that he was told about his infection by a doctor at Guantánamo, adding that he believes that the infection took place in 2004, when he was given a blood test, which "resulted in alarm amongst the hospital staff," although he was not given any explanation for the alarm at the time.mOn January 28, Candace Gorman filed an emergency motion with the US Supreme Court, asking for the US military to provide urgent medical treatment to Mr. al-Ghizzawi, and also asking for access to her client's medical records. Yesterday morning, however, Chief Justice John Roberts denied the motion...
http://www.uruknet.de/?p=m40718&hd=&size=1&l=e
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