What Bush said in March 2003

A group called Supaclean took the CSNY song “OHIO” and built on it, back in early 2004. They included, towards the end of the song, a recording of what Bush had to say to the Iraqi people before our troops went in there.

Bush: “All Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning. In any conflict, your fate will depend on your actions. Do not destroy oil wells.”

Here’s the song

But, when Bush says “your fate will depend on your actions” I think of the baby in the following story. This baby had the good sense to be thrown clear of the building she was in when a bomb hit (this building was her home) but the rest of her family did not have that good sense. The baby landed in a puddle in a neighbor’s yard and was found the next day. Wounded, but she survived. The rest of her immediate family was killed. I guess, in Bush world, they did not take the right actions, which in this case would mean not sleeping in your own home. The family was killed by US ‘smart’ bombs, done to get Saddam early on in the war. The family never talked to Saddam or had him in their home. Smart bombs, dumb warmonger politicians.

That baby’s story is here.

Below are more personal stories of what happened in Iraq just after the US military arrived. Seems like some more people didn’t take the right “actions”:

Their stories are here.


The song OHIO by Supaclean ends with:

“for the dead, for the dying,
for the Jews that been tricked,
by a Rove, Wolf, Collin, Connie, Bush and a dick.”

Of course, we all know that the oil ministry and oil wells were well protected from the rampant looting done across Iraq just after the invasion. Has anyone determined where those looters came from? Did they even catch one of them and ask?

Anti-war video worth watching

http://theunitedamerican.blogs.com/Movies/2000A/2000.html

From my friend, Debra, who also sent this quote:

"You're only given a little spark of madness, you mustn't lose it." Robin Williams

What is terrorism?

Terrorism is the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property to intimidate or coerce a government, the civilian population, or any segment thereof, in furtherance of political or social objectives. - US Federal Bureau of Investigation


So, I would say the US government is using the US military for terrorism.

Biohazard Sensors Triggered

The WaPo wrote up a story on how the biohazard sensors were triggered on the day of the huge anti-war protest in DC on September 24th. The tularemia bacteria was found in small amounts at all six sensors in DC, including the Lincoln Memorial and Judiciary Square. The health officials did not think it was enough to be a hazard, but they are warning all hospitals in the USA.

Symptoms are fever, chills, headaches, diarrhea, muscle aches, joint pain, dry cough. It is treated with antibiotics.

Lobbying the Hill

Lobbying the Hill

This lobby day was on September 26, 2005. On that day, UFPJ and PDA organized to send people to talk to their Senators and Representatives. These organizations reported that over 1000 people lobbied over 300 members of congress from 40 states. And they did see results! I recommend checking Progressive Democrats of America website to see what the after effects really were from this action. One of them was Brad Miler (NC -13) decided to co-sponsor the No Permanent Bases in Iraq bill.

Anyway, I want to say a word about lobbying in DC. If you are a US citizen and you can talk, then you can do this. You will most likely talk to a Senator's or Representative's aide, however, they will relay your message to your elected official. And sometimes, you will meet face to face with your elected official, as in the elevator (see my blog from January 2005) or in the hallway (see my blog from June 2005). When you walk into the Senate office buildings (or Representatives) you will go through a metal detector and your purse or bags go through a scanner. I recommend not wearing protest shirts or carrying signs or wearing metal. It is perfectly acceptable to bring in stacks and stacks of papers.

We met with the aides of Senator Burr at 9 AM. I, and some others from our congressional district, had to leave early for our appointment with Representative Taylor. In the meeting with Burr, we had one general spokesperson who went through the list of bills that UFPJ and PDA is currently interested in, to see where the Senator stands on these, and to let Mr. Burr know that we support these various measures. Everyone introduced themselves in this meeting, and a couple who was with us talked about torture issues and how our country needs to stop that from happening any more.

We met with Representative Taylor's aide at 10 AM. His name was Adam Shepard. We talked with him about 50 minutes, and it was pretty much back and forth exchange of ideas. Adam said that Mr. Taylor does not think the Downing Street Memos are worth paying attention to, since he thinks they are fake and non-starters. Taylor supports the war in Iraq and he has a son who has served in the Green Zone over there. Adam did not know how Taylor would stand on No Permanent Bases in Iraq (update: Taylor will not co-sign this bill.) and he did not know how Taylor would stand on the "opt-out" issues on the No Child Left Behind and military recruitment bill (update: Taylor does not support overturning this.) Adam said that Taylor supports the war, thinks we have to stay there until the job is done and is not overly concerned with financing the war.

There were seven of us at this meeting, and it was a congenial exchange of ideas, although it turned out that Taylor does not support any of our positions. A couple who was with us talked about the torture issues, and I have heard that they have talked to Adam again since then. I have also contacted Adam since this meeting.

We then went to a lobbying meeting with the aides to Senator Dole. There were 19 people at this meeting and it lasted 45 minutes. We had a man there who's step-son is serving in Fallujah right now, and he was a powerful speaker. We did not have a single spokesperson this time, everyone just jumped in when they felt like it, and this seemed much more dynamic. The only area of agreement that we seemed to have with them was that our National Guard is overextended. They claimed there will be some troop withdrawal next spring.

There were a few further things I did on this date. I went to each and every US Senators office and dropped off a flyer that I had prepared. This flyer was on Ali Nasir Jabur, and it was an appeal to help this child who lost his whole family. You can read the original story about Ali at

http://dancewater.blogspot.com/2005/08/ali-nasir-jabur.html


My friend, Lena, went to a panel on torture, and she did not repeat to me what that was about, but she said it was horrible. This was a panel on torture being done by Americans around the world, and many victims spoke.

As I was walking the halls of the office buildings of the Senators, I met Max Cleland, a former Senator from Georgia. He once wrote me a letter that showed a great deal of heart, and that really touched me. So, I went up to him and thanked him, and told him what a great job I think he did while he was in the Senate. He kissed my hand, which was sweet.

Anyone can go lobby, and indeed, it is your responsibility as an American to get involved with your government and let them know what you think and feel - even if they do not agree.

More Notes on PDA conference

Date was September 26, 2005 in Washington, DC.

***Building PDA at the Precinct, City and National Level

PDA would like to have chapters in all congressional districts.

Michael Hersch.com – (coordinator for MD) says that everyone has unique skills and we need all of them. Also said that everyone wants their issue at the head of the list but we need to work together so we don’t fall into disorganization (right wing counts on us being disorganized) and to make sure that we are driving the agenda, not being driven by someone else’s agenda. He also says we need to connect with those people who are sitting at home disconnected.

Marcy Winegrad (head of Los Angeles Chapter) lobbied Democratic congressional reps who still vote to fund war. She stressed being connected to other groups, she helped get anti-war resolution passed in LA, and had teach in on Downing Street Memos. They fight the governor via coalition. They have website, listserve, steering committee. Also working on DU issues and having soldiers tested.

Mervis Reissig – a pissed off grandmother from CA. She recommends precinct walking and she works through Democratic party. She says to wear PDA stickers at Democratic meetings and hand out flyers at these events. Pay attention to those who seem particularly interested and go back and ask them to get involved on precinct level. Many people are reluctant to knock on strangers doors – so only send them to Democratic doors and think of it as a way to build contact and community. Says you can get list of who is registered absentee voter and then find out if they voted or not. Registrar can give you lists of voters and party affiliation.

Laura Bonham (UT) spoke about spokespersons on PDA board and has an interim body working on PDA bylaws. Right now, about 20 states without spokespersons on council at this time. Goal: will have elected representatives from all regions and states, for the grassroots and by the grassroots.

Daneil Lewkowicz (national coordinator of campus PDAs) says goal is to unite students under progressive banner. He came to realize that diversity was common to his childhood, but not his university life. He talked about 9/11 and the effects on our nation and how it affected him – he went from wanting to be a doctor to wanting to “heal the world” and became a student activist. Said he had a poster in school that said WAKE UP AMERICA that talked about neo-con agenda. He said what passes as youth culture is really mass marketing to make youths consumers, which makes them complacent and docile. He said that we are more disconnected from our own culture than from any culture before now. We pledge allegiance to logos rather than to self. Said we cannot buy culture, we create culture. The National Organization of Progressive College Students is sister organization to PDA, they lobby for students and for change in America. I think this young man was one of the most impressive speakers.


Gerry Straatemeir (AZ) said that progressives went outside the Democratic Party and the Democrats shifted to center and right. They called their groups COUNCILS instead of caucus and aligned with many groups that were a single-issue group, and they were then able to put these issues before the legislative. He stressed getting involved on a precinct, county, district, and state levels in the Democratic Party and we must become part of them and change them.
Patrick Carano (OH) says PDA made connection to grassroots like no one else has – would like to see 5 sustainers (to PDA) in each chapter. PDA led the fight to have Ohio election results reviewed and documented.


***Building the Progressive Wing of the Democratic Party
Joel Segal: now seeing action via organizational skills of PDA, which was not happening two years ago. He talked about taking power: where you don’t have to be a white millionaire male to run for office.

Steve Cobble (senior PDA Political Advisor) says we need to take street heat into suite heat. He listed PDA influence:
Downing Street Memos
Stood with Cindy Sheehan before she was popular
Anti war momentum
Worked on “Homeward Bound” legislation
Ohio vote recount
He says we need to get anti-war candidates in primaries and get secretary of states elected who are progressives.

Kevin Spidel (PDA Political Director) – Peloski (minority leader) put forth bill saying no funding for Iraq war until there is a ‘success’ strategy, meaning that troops come home. Stressed need to do partisan work and endorsement of candidates, and that we need to make sure PDA knows what grassroots wants. Who is a PDA candidate? Has to be endorsed by local PDA. What is a progressive candidate? Opponent of CAFTA, believes in fair trade and peace candidate. He made list of Democrats who voted for Bush agenda regularly. Believes we need to bring up “allies” who have trainings for candidates.

Bill Goold – director of Congressional Progressive Caucus for last three months (first director). He says grassroots will transform party, and that PDA has been invaluable in Progressive Caucus program and that we need a super majority to have a really progressive congress.

Greg Moore – from Rainbow/PUSH said that too many people he helped get into power became career politicians. The lines in New Orleans reminded him of the lines in Ohio elections and lines back in 1963 and 1965. He said these folks were not served by their government. He said we have to create a desire (mission) for those people to vote for us. He felt budget would be next big issue for US congress and that every African American and African American minister or church leader is looking at the problem of poverty in this country since Katrina.

Joel Segal (moderator) talked about unity and raising funds to fight right wing machine. He felt we needed one mass-based progressive organization.

Jay Winter said he is a member of the human family and he is also a Native American. He talked about the Houma tribe, which is 15,000 strong, but 7,000 are missing since Katrina. No one knows where they are now. He said information is at www.UnitedHoumaNation.org about their loss. Some of his points were:
· Must promote world peace
· Must accept no monies from corporate or special interests
· Verified voting
· Accountability and transparency of public and private sectors
· Right for every person to clean air, food, water, clothing, shelter, education and health care
He said the nation is dying and we have fools in office who only think of personal gain. There are two candidates he supports: Joe LaMonte (OK) and Chuck Vienesa (PA). He said that if we don’t learn to live together as men then we shall all perish as fools.



***Building PDA Media Response
Anne Singer, Moderator, says not so easy to pigeon hole media, they are complex and we should be prepared to be surprised.

· Jeff Cohen – says media are STRICT corporate entities. The top is overpaid and they don’t offend anyone in political or corporate power. They are paranoid and afraid of being the only one asking a certain question. There is the fear of being labeled “liberal” and they are very political over what they can say and do. He says there are three strands to media: Opening up (good guy/bad guy), Spreading suspicion, and Spreading alternative media.

· Suzanna Sunovich – press secretary for Woolsley. She follows local and national news cycle to get Woolsley inserted in stories and to get her message out.

· Wm. Rivers Pitt (truthout.org) writes PDA blog and some stories on blogs bubble up into the mainstream. Emails: blogreports@pdamerica.org, pitt@pdamerica.org, and Williampitt@truthout.org. He wants every PDA caucus to be “point person” for the blog to update them about what they are doing, where they need help, issues that need action, and candidates you can support.

· David Swanson has made many websites for progressives (afterdowningstreet.org, Kucinich, AFL-CIO, ACORN) and has many ideas for websites. PDA has done press releases and has materials and posters. Make sure no one goes to rally without PDA shirt, and says to negotiate with reporters to make them commit to naming PDA ahead of time. He says it is virtually impossible to get coverage in the mainstream media, and recommends holding media coverage accountable. Creating own media is important too. Some PDA chapters have websites of variable quality (www.mayfirst.org and www.cindy.org are websites for progressive groups). He says never lie or exaggerate, make yourself available, never worry about pleasing reporter or caring about them. Never work with a reporter who already has planned what he or she wants you to say. More suggestions on www.afterdowningstreet.org.

· Some discussion on public access TV, and how to get programs into the community. Some suggestions are to get activists on your show, contact local TV writer to cover show, work on marketing and tell guests to let people know about show. Telecommunications act puts public access TV in jeopoardy.

· PDA media action and reform. They will develop part of website to address pending and possible legislation on the media.

· Someone brought up the fact that you can lease TV time for little money.

· Deep Dish TV does shows on regular basis that can be downloaded on Link TV.

· Suzanne talked about ways to get TV message out.

· Finally, someone reported on her efforts to get train delay in NYC and efforts to get to Saturday’s rally in the NYT and WaPo. Persistence paid off in this example.


***Final Session
A call for sustainers – and PDA endorsed two candidates Tony ??? and Steve Young. PDA passed resolution about Katrina:
· Respect for the culture in the area and region and evacuees must fully participate in reconstruction
· Current labor laws, environmental laws and civil rights laws must be respected
· Native Americans must participate also

There was some discussion of tomorrow’s lobby events. Then they closed with saying that Cindy is birthing her son’s spirit into the world now.

John Boniface talked about the Ohio recount and the Downing Street Memo. He says democracy is worth fighting for, but there still is no meaningful recount in Ohio.

It was a long day, but well worth going to PDA conferences to see and hear what is going on.

Progressive Democrats of America Conference

PDA CONFERENCE ON SEPTEMBER 25, 2005
(It has taken me awhile to get this written up, but I wanted to share what went on at this conference on September 25, 2005. This will be in two parts.)


Interfaith Gathering

Let everyone need their vine and victory
live in peace and unafraid
and into plowshares beat their sword
nations shall learn war no more

Gonna lay down my shield and sword
down by the riverside, down by the riverside,
gonna lay down my shield and sword
and study war no more

OPENING SESSION

Rev. Yearwood pointed out that David took on a lion and bear before taking on Goliath. He said now is the time for revolution, and it is TIME TO SHUT THE DAMN THING DOWN.

Barbara Lee voted against the violence of war every single time, filed resolution of inquiry on Resolution #197 which is No Permanent Military Bases in Iraq. After we bring the troops home we have to continue to work on justice after we get troops out - we didn't do that after Vietnam. No mention of what we should do for the Iraqis.

Spoke of plan to eradicate poverty by 2010 (lots of cheering, couldn't hear). Spoke of keeping the STREET HEAT ON and continue to work for peace and justice.

Jeff Cohen: quoted some Repubs comments on Bosnia and Kosovo War and had people guess who said them. He spoke about two fighting bases in 1)fear and 2)battle for free speech, justice and democracy.

Wm. Rivers Pitt: said the minority has become the majority. Pointed out that Katrina has exposed the economic apartheid of the country. He said we should impeach the bastards and that "we are going to be that change".

Speaker for John Conyers (Bert Garskof?) said that since PDA launched campaign to reform Democratic Party we have had effect. He talked about election fraud in Ohio and Downing Street Memo. He said the last thing the world needs is Republican-lite party, and then he talked about how we are reaching out. He talked about the issues of Iraq, Katrina, racial apartheid, election fraud, Patriot Act and poverty as major issues facing our country that PDA is addressing. He said that it has always been an aroused citizenry who put the country back on course and make Washington do the right thing. Idea for bumper sticker: "In 06, elect a congress that will impeach"

Tim Carpenter- founded PDA, and he never wavered around being against war and occupation of Iraq. He introduced Lynn Woolsey. She said members of Congress are conduits for what Americans wants. She mentioned John Conyers for President and the crowd was on it's feet. She mentioned how major media didn't cover the march the day before. This is her platform:
1. economic opportunity for all, health care, fair trade, work organization, strong social security
2. civil rights - get rid of Patriot Act, protect all kinds of Americans
3. global peace and security
4. break up corporate media

She spoke about bringing the troops home and ending the despicable war in Iraq. We must deal with mentally wounded from war and not turn our backs on our troops (like we did in Vietnam). She said we occupy moral high ground and political high ground because we are right. PDA gave her award for backbone campaign. Woolsey said to make sure your members of congress know where you stand - this is what makes it possible for her to do what she does.

Medea Benjamin: gave a welcome to Greens and independents to PDA conference. She called for the repeal of tax cuts to the rich and to stop the elimination of the estate tax. She recommended that we tax corporations and stop war. She recommended that we pursue our security by the following steps: 1) find out what really happened on 9/11 2) bring them to justice and 3) invest in our structures and our communities. She recommended that the ICC have trials on TV for OBL, Saddam and Bush (crowd went wild).

Cindy Sheeham: standing ovation
She says she doesn't know anything about politics - all she knows is what comes from her heart - but when she says "congress" she does not include the ones who did the right thing. She means the ones who illegally gave Bush the right to start the war.


BREAKOUT SESSION

SOUTHEAST STATES STRATEGY

We introduced ourselves and figured out that 7 were from Florida, 2 from Georgia, 2 from South Carolina, 5 from North Carolina and one from Virginia (he was there because he was with his dad). We discussed the handout from PDA, in particular the HJ, H.Con.Res. and H. R. on page 18 of the handout. Some did not know what those initials stood for.

HJ Res 55 - Withdrawal of US Armed Forces from Iraq
H.Con.Res. 197 - House Continuing Resolution - No Permanent Bases in Iraq
H.R. - House of Representative 551 - Student Privacy Protection Act of 2005

We discussed the purpose of doing congressional office visits, and whether we will have an impact or not. Stated that we need to say what we think, and point out Rep. Jones (NC) and how he changed his position. A participant said that she would recommend starting with how you are alike (with congress person) and bring up the commonality with them, to set a basis of interaction that is not totally confrontational.

There was an announcement from someone stopping by about writing follow up letters to Congress. Then Michael Geeney stopped in and spoke about how PDA would like a form filled out for each group (each congressional office visit). Delegate one person from group to write form and get together afterwards to get a consensus of what the group thinks about the visit on the form.

After the interruptions, we went back to discussion about the visits. Another participant stated how she starts with a presentation of an aspect of war they cannot argue with - the suffering of innocent civilians. This is a basis for commonality. There was further discussion on finding a place to come from to approach legislators. One shared about how her faith drives her politics, and that politics does not drive her faith. Some shared that it is time to tell Kerry - if you don't do this, we will come after you.

Then we went into a BREAKOUT by state - I was at NORTH CAROLINA:

We spent some time covering our history and involvement with PDA. One person belongs to Buncombe County PDA, and two people there were on Progressive Democrats of NC Political Action Committee Board. One person was from Wake County PDA and they had a pot luck on a Saturday evening and about 50 people attended. The rest (two) were not part of any formal group in North Carolina. We discussed times and strategies for our office visits.

The schedule was 9 AM for Senator Burr, 10 AM for Representative Taylor, 10 AM for Representative Price, and Noon for Senator Dole. There were more scheduled, but I did not get the times. We agreed to meet at 11:30 outside Dole's office to discuss and get consensus on the visit to Burr's office. Everyone wanted to be in on Dole and Burr visits.

(Note: This was helpful, in my opinion, to get more familiar with the congressional office visits, and to get to know people's names. I recommend doing this whenever you have a office visits planned.)

I will have a follow up report on those lobby visits later.

A Speech in Oklahoma

Defeat the War Demagogues, Right and Left

So the question is what do we, the majority, do? I can tell you right now from some experience in Washington that we have no influence on the Republican Party. We have some, but not decisive influence, on the Democratic Party. The only way to get these United States to cease and desist, in the specific instance of getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the more general but certainly no less important task of getting out of this militaristic, imperialistic, moralistic rut in which we are stuck, is to use our organizational skills and, most importantly, our votes, to make our influence in the Democratic Party decisive. The only way that this can be done is to unmask and get rid of those Democrats who persist in betraying us.

In 2004, it turned out that “Bush Lite” candidate Kerry was an ill-chosen alternative. In the congressional election next year and in the 2008 presidential election no candidate, Democrat or Republican who does not acknowledge both the folly, the unconstitutionality, and—most important—the immorality of the war in Iraq deserves any measure of your support.

Let them know it.


By: David MacMichael, US Marine Captain (ret. w/disability from Korea), Professor of History (University of Oregon), senior estimates officer (CIA), now serves on the Steering Group of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity.

Galloway and Camilo Mejia

The evening of the march, I went to First Congregation Church to hear George Galloway speak about the evil of this war. Galloway is full of spit and vinegar and it is refreshing to hear him speak the truth. There had several other speakers from the Arab-American League who were worthwhile listening to, also. They talked about the racism in our society and how things have been for them. They talked about the war and how they oppose it.

Camilo Mejia is the young man who was serving in the US military in Iraq back in 2004. He went home on leave, and decided not to return to Iraq. He felt it was immoral and illegal what the US military was doing over there. Camilo spent about 9 months in the military brig for taking this stand. I have always thought he was a remarkable person, and that he has a deep understanding of what this war is really about. He is also very humble. In his speech tonight, he said that we should all be grateful to the resistance in Iraq, since they are resisting for all of us. He seemed to convey the idea that this violent resistance is responsible for stopping the continuation of the war into other countries that Bush or Cheney may want to invade. I found his speech somewhat upsetting, since he seemed to be in favor of violence, as long as it was coming from the Iraqi resistance.

I believe, as did Martin Luther King, Junior, that violence begets violence. I believe violence is self-defeating, and this seems very evident to me in the ongoing events in Iraq. I believe this violence in Iraq will tear the country apart. Therefore, I only support the non-violent resistance to the American occupation of Iraq. It is harder, and very dangerous, to practice non-violent resistance against a violent force. But ultimately, I feel it is the only route to finding a peaceful solution. It seems that using violence to stop violence may be justified or explainable, however, after the violence is over the seeds for the next violent confrontation have been sown.

I wish Camilo Mejia saw it the way I see it.

Peace Rally and March

I woke up on Saturday morning (on the train) when I heard Cecil's voice saying: "sounds like a Rovian plot". That immediately got my attention, since one never knows what Rove might do. Turns out, Rebecca called him and told him about the power being out at the Amtrak stations in NY and Boston and Philadelphia. We were riding on Amtrak at the time, but we had no problems. I did not sleep well on the train, but Cecil and David said it was okay.

We got to Union Station about 10 AM and I decided to carry my bag and my backpack to the protest area. I intended to leave it with NC Peace and Justice, since they were going to have a tent there, while I marched. Cecil and I could not find the tent, and when I finally got a hold of Andrew on my new cell phone, he said they had ditched that plan to have a tent.

So, I had brought WNC Peace Coalition banner, my "I Want Peace" flag and all my stuff I needed for the weekend with me, and I felt I could not just leave them and go walk in the march. I set up shop in a tent with Code Pink and Progressive Democrats of America.

There were a lot of people there. I heard some of the speeches from ANSWER stage, and I walked around a bit looking at all the tables of groups working for peace and justice and political change. It did seem the rally was more of an anti-Bush rally than an anti-war rally.

Here are some signs I saw:

Make levees, not war

War is terrorism

Bush lied, thousands died

Cheney: evil, crazy or just plain mean?

Pink Slip Bush: Fire the Liar

War is not the Answer

The only politicians who came to this event were Representatives Woolsey, Conyers, McKinney. No Senators were there. Cindy Sheehan spoke, as did Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton. People came from all over the USA, and I met several from other countries. I would think there were about 300,000 people there.

The parade route was rather long, and the parade started at 1 PM, and was still not finished when I left at 5:30 PM. I didn't walk it though, due to my excess baggage (which I should have put into a locker at Union Station). I really liked all the drumming in the parade.

Later that night, someone told me that her group went past the small group of pro-war demonstrators and they said nothing to them. They made the sign "shame, shame" with their fingers though, and the pro-war group went nuts.

Here's some chants from Code Pink:

Halliburton, Kellogg, Brown and Root, Go to Iraq and loot, loot, loot.

Or…We're hear to say: Get out of Iraq. And to Halliburton: No more contracts.

Or…How many contacts? Way too many And for Halliburton, not another penny.

We chased Dick Cheney around the streets shouting: You can run but you can't hide, We can see your greedy side.

It was great being with so many people who are also trying to stop this evil war.

We watched the news that night, and not much was said about the 200-300,000 who showed up to march and protest. Our corporate media is useless.

Off to DC Again!

Tonight, I leave for DC. Tomorrow I rally and march, Sunday is a Progressive Democrats meeting and Monday is another lobby day. I will present all 100 US Senators with a paper and picture about Ali Nabis Jabur and his tragic story (I blogged about that last month). I will be recording what the Senators (and more likely, their staff) have to say in response.

I hope all goes well in DC and I hope we wake a few people up.

Bad winds blowing

My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of Rita and Katrina.

Last night, at a Progressive Democratic meeting, we heard how the leadership in the NC Democratic party explain why leading Democrats are still supporting the position that the US armed forces should stay in Iraq. The leading argument is that "if we leave, civil war will break out and things will get much worse for the Iraqi people". Well, this flies in the face of the fact that things are consistently getting worse in Iraq. Actually, much, much worse.

I read extensively on Iraq and what is happening there. This does not make me an expert, but it does make me well-informed. I know enough to draw certain conclusions, and while I am not immune to drawing the wrong conclusions, it makes it very unlikely.

I started paying attention to Iraq when I first sniffed the Bush administrations' intentions of going to war in a country that was not in civil war and had not attacked or threatened another country in 12 years. Furthermore, there was a history of gross civil rights abuses in Iraq, but that history was at least 12 years prior. (Actually, it looks like a lot of the claims we were lead to believe about Saddam were overblown and the worst of his abuses and killings happened with US administration support. I can send you photos of Rumsfeld shaking Saddam's hand.) And, if human rights abuses were a good reason for invasion, they we would have invaded Sudan or DR Congo, where millions have been killed in the last few years.

I wrote several impassioned letters to Mr. Edwards (Democratic Senator from NC who voted for this war) to inform him of what I saw and what I knew before this war started. He aided the starting of this war, and he enabled the Bush administration to do what they have done. I remember writing shortly after the war started "I HOPE YOU FIND THOSE WMDS TO JUSTIFY THIS ILLEGAL AND IMMORAL WAR". I knew, of course, that they would not.

When Kerry was running for President, neither he nor Edwards condemned this war or called for it to end. Instead, they claimed they could do war better. I don't know how anyone can win elections by claiming to do crimes better, and I knew they would lose. It is the last time I will vote for Edwards for any federal office.

IN IRAQ:

In this past week, we have seen the"liberated" (Iraqi police) pick up the "liberators" (British troops) because they were undercover and shot an Iraqi policeman. These arrested men were broken out of jail by British troops buy demolishing the jail. The MOD in Britain said they "knocked down a wall". That is a lie, and I know because I read and look at lots of photos from Iraq. The Iraqi think the car the British undercover troops were in were full of explosives, and they think that the Brits and Americans are behind a lot of the car bombings in Iraq. There is no clear evidence of explosives in the car. However, the British troops did not allow the Iraqis to examine the car after they took it away from the original police who made the arrests. The arresting police claim they saw explosives in the car. This incident certainly undermines any idea of "Iraqi sovereignty".

This past week, there are reports of $1 billion gone missing from the prior "transitional" Iraqi government.

This past week, we have had two reports of "terrorists" using children as human shields in two areas of Iraq: Baghdad and Mosul. In both cases, the DOD came out with the report that these "terrorists" were carrying children in their arms and the US military shot the "terrorists" and accidentally killed the children, because they did not see the children. So, we are supposed to believe that two identical incidents happen for the same reasons in two different parts of the country on the same day. And furthermore, we are supposed to believe that the US troops can see well enough to identify a "terrorist" by face recognition or because the "terrorist" is carrying a long distance weapon of some sort, but the US troops cannot see well enough to determine they had a child in their arms. I find that implausible.

Today, there is a report that US troops stormed the house of the deputy mayor of Dhuluiyah (a town in Iraq) and took him into the street and shot him in the head. The US troops also killed a couple of police in that town in the same manner. That sounds like an implausible report also, but I will not write it off just yet. I will wait to see what other stories or pictures or reports come out of Iraq to support or refute this statement. I certainly will not take the DOD as the last or final word on the subject.

I read about the Abu Ghraib torture (and many others) for a full 8 months before the photos came out. Torture is still going on, and most Americans would have never believed that our troops would engage in gay S& M pornography if those photos had not come out. The Pentagon is preventing the release of more photos and videos. Those videos reported contain film of young Iraqi boys being raped in front of their mothers. There is just no way you will ever convince me that the entire "chain of command" in these incidents is not culpable. And I will never be convinced they did not happen. Yes, some US troops are raping children in front of their mothers.

And it is getting clearer and clearer that the US forces over there do not know who is friend and who is foe.

And I would like to share a statement made on a website comment section that I regularly read. This is directed towards a guy who is a supporter of Bush and his war on Iraq, but keep in mind that it also apply to those who did not support the invasion, but support the continuation of hostilities. Every word of it rings true to me. I substituted his name for "Bush and war supporter" to make it easier to read.

Quote:"People like him are enablers of what happened to Falluja. They rationalize it. They make such things thinkable, and hence doable, and hence actually done. (Bush and war supporter) is parroting the civilized discourse of Wolfowitz, Feith, etc. That discourse led to dogs eating corpses, to the stench from the rotting flesh of hundreds of innocent victims who got in the way of the Administration's cockeyed objectives; and I'd like it if all those who argue like the (Bush and war supporter) had to have their unprotected noses thrust into those putrid mounds of the dead their arguments inevitably necessitate. That, rather than the arguments on our side, would be much more effective in ending such evil.

Yes, if every pro-Bush, pro-war American (Susan's note: that would include Kerry and Edwards and Clinton) had to personally clean up what they wrought in Falluja, and what they wrought in Mosul, Tel Affar, Ramadi, Samarra, Baghdad, al-Qaim, etc; if they had to pick up the body parts left from the wedding parties of Afghanistan and Iraq obliterated by American bombs, then we might get somewhere. But I've become cynical of civilized discourse with apologists for American empire. It's the deja vu, you see...Twenty years ago, people like the (war supporter) were defending the Reagan regime's Central America policy, its support for Jonas Savimbi, its support for Saddam Hussein....So yes, I think they need to be dragged through the city of Falluja to see what their rationalizations enabled. (NB--I said I would like to see them spat at, not torn limb from limb, and their ideological justifications and excuses treated with utter and thoroughly merited scorn by the mothers and brothers and grandfathers and children and husbands who had to gather up the fruits of the (Bush and war supporter's) myth in their bloodsoaked blankets and sheets.)

Those rationalizations are driven by an ideology---the ideology Bush supporters exemplifies so well--of American smugness and self-deluded assumptions of moral nobility that, I've become convinced after living for 17 years in the USA, is in fact morally intolerable in something quite akin to the way fascist ideology is intolerable, and should have been treated as such in the 1930s (but unfortunately wasn't).You see, it's not American neo-Nazi skinheads who presided over the killing fields of Vietnam, or Central America, or Iraq. No, it's the leaders who propagate mythic thinking--polite, civilized, decent, American small "c" conservatives, Republicans and Democrats alike, flag-waving soccer moms, teary-eyed veterans, small town editorialists, middle America. That's who enabled the illegal bombing of Cambodia, who discussed at the local diner whether napalm was justified or not (after a naked girl was shown running away from a napalm attack), and who are still defending the Iraq policy at the water cooler...

The (Bush and war supporters) of this country need to be much more ferociously exposed to the horrors of what their lazy, complacent thinking has wrought, and made to feel the full force of not just the hatred much of the world feels for America, but how well merited it is. (Bush and war supporter)-style thinking is a psychological defense mechanism---systematic denial---against the latter. As such, it needs to be ripped, not respected.The trouble is that (supporting Bush and war) enables the US to commit monstrosity after moral monstrosity with a 'good conscience', and despite appearances, it's immune (by design, like all psychological defense mechanisms) to rational persuasion.No, you have to drag these folks through the byways of Central America, Vietnam, Iraq, etc and thrust their faces in the gore, make them pick up the limbs and torsos of children, and subject them to the rage of their victims' parents.They need to be shocked into understanding the truth about these things, because the schoolbook/media version of reality systematically masks that truth, thus facilitating repetition after repetition of mass slaughter by the good ol' USA.

The myth that (Bush and war supporters) operates with needs to be smashed in much the same way that the Nazi myth needed to be smashed. Neither is amenable to rational argument, because the accepted categories in which polite discussion takes place simply serve to protect the myth, by suggesting that it deserves a hearing and should be accorded a modicum of intellectual respectability.

I don't believe it should.

You see, I've heard much smarter people than (Bush and war supporter) politely discuss and defend the myth--for example, inside the US embassy in San Salvador, 15 years ago. This after more than 10 years of funding for the murderous El Salvadoran military, a few months after they had murdered six Jesuit priests (and their housekeeper, and her daughter), and after tens of thousands of death-squad victims among the Salvadoran poor; but there they were--Ivy League, super-articulate professional defenders of the myth, and professional enablers of the slaughterhouse they effectively ruled over. ($4 billion for the likes of Colonel Elena Fuentes? School of the Americas? Oh yes, all very civilized, very polite, very rational).

I'm sorry, but I've no patience for that kind of civilized discussion. I came to the conclusion on my visits to Central America 15 years ago that it's like sitting down to tea with von Ribbentrop while the Wehrmacht marches into the Sudetenland, Austria, Poland and France. America has bombed or invaded Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Libya, Sudan, Afghanistan and Iraq and supported death-squad activity in other places just in my lifetime. The death toll (that perpetrated by America, and by the German Nazis) in both cases is in the millions.

What's going on in Iraq is a large-scale atrocity committed by America. That is the essential truth that all the (Bush supporter's) witterings are designed to block out.You don't discuss that politely with those who would rationalize and defend it. You treat them with scorn and contempt, rather like LBJ and Nixon were treated by the anti-war movement. You win, not by according their arguments respect and a fair hearing, but by getting more and more people comfortable with ridiculing them, by a steady drumbeat of scorn and mockery, and by making them sense just how despised and despicable they've become."

The above was written on the comment section of Today In Iraq by someone named stunster.

Lockheed Martin advertises on CNN

Well, they used to, anyway. I have not watched in a while. But why would they advertise on CNN? How many CNN viewers are buying nuclear weapons or stealth attack fighters? The answer is: NO ONE! The advertising dollars are just a form of “kickback” to CNN. The advertisements are made to portray Lockheed Martin as *True Patriots Who Protect America*. (like heck they do!)

Lockheed Martin had $20.7 billion in contracts in 2004 with the Pentagon. Lockheed Martin made $2.16 million in campaign contributions in 2004 (guess who to?), which is another form of “kickback”. All of this is legal, of course. Lockheed Martin made the F-117 stealth attack fighters that did SHOCK AND AWE in March of 2003 in Baghdad. CNN did not show the results of those bombing runs, and of course, neither did the other “news” stations. One of those bombing runs, meant to get Saddam, instead killed an entire family with the exception on the baby. The baby girl was thrown clear of the bombed home and into a neighbor’s puddle, where she was found the next morning. She was injured, but she survived. I heard this story from Mary Trotochaud and Rick McDowell. They are Quakers who were living in Baghdad at the time. They visited the extended family and heard the story. The family that was bombed out of existence using Lockheed Martin’s jets had never spoken to Saddam. This story never made it into the corporate news media.

Lockheed Martin also makes Patriot missiles. They have contracts with the Department of Homeland Security. One of these is a $591 million Air Force contract to provide classified and unclassified information technology services to Defense Department users. (Hey, maybe for a couple of million more, they could monitor the Weather Channel for those Homeland Insecurity guys?)

A former lobbyist for Lockheed Martin is Philip Perry as General Counsul for the Department of Homeland Insecurity. Perry is married to one of Cheney’s daughters (that would be the one that is straight). The CEO of Lockheed Martin is Robert Stevens and the corporate headquarters is at 6801 Rockledge Drive, Bethesda MD, 20817.

Nice little system: The politicians make war, Lockheed Martin makes a bundle, they give kickbacks to the politicians in the form of campaign contributions (plus the politicians can buy stock and make a bundle themselves), and then Lockheed Martin buys advertising on CNN (and probably FAUX and MSNBC too). Now, we couldn’t have a good news story on the aftereffects of a bombing run and then follow up with a Patriotic Commercial with the same Lockheed Martin stealth attack fighters that dropped the bombs, could we? How would that look? So, CNN knows the rules and they don’t show those pictures of dead Iraqis from US bombs. And the politicians and their aides are adamant that we only use “smart bombs” and that we “really care” about civilian casualties and we try to minimize that. Of course, if that were true, then the military would collect and publish data to prove it.

But they don’t.

So, everyone gets rich at Lockheed Martin, the US Senate, the White House, and CNN. And how they can look in the mirror without throwing up is beyond me.

The information for this piece came from watching CNN and an article by Frida Berrigan in The Nonviolent Activist, a magazine of the War Resisters League.

News Items of Note

Vice President Dick Cheney on Thursday offered sympathy to the families of fallen soldiers who face 'irreplaceable' losses but insisted the Iraq war was worth fighting despite growing American unease. Cheney spoke in Springfield, Missouri, the day after supporters of anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan held a series of candlelight vigils around the country to call attention to her demands for the withdrawal of troops from Iraq. The vice president did not mention Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son Casey was killed in combat in Iraq, but in an address to veterans he spoke at length about the difficulties faced by families like Sheehan's. Cheney speaks at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, June 13, 2005. (Chris Kleponis/Reuters)

So how come he didn’t publicly encourage his children to serve? None of them are in the military, just like their father wasn’t in the military. The entire family has no idea what serving in the armed forces is like, and no idea of what an ‘irreplaceable’ loss really is.



Barbara Bush just before the start of the war on Iraq:
“Why should we hear about body bags, and deaths, and how many, what day it's gonna happen, and how many this or what do you suppose? Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?’



Afghanistan:
This past April, the UN eliminated the job of its top investigator on human rights in Afghanistan after he criticized violations by US forces in that country. His name was Cherif Bassiouni. He criticized the US for detaining prisoners without trial and from barring almost all human rights monitors from visiting the prisons. He also noted that US troops were breaking into homes with no legal authority, engaging in torture. The UN eliminated this position under pressure from the USA.

Bush said.....

The larger point is, and the fundamental question is, did Saddam Hussein have a weapons program? And the answer is, absolutely.

**And we gave him a chance to allow the inspectors in, and he wouldn't let them in.**

And, therefore, after a reasonable request, we decided to remove him from power, along with other nations, so as to make sure he was not a threat to the United States and our friends and allies in the region. I firmly believe the decisions we made will make America more secure and the world more peaceful.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/07/20030714-3.html

from July 14, 2003. Amazingly enough, the US press let him get away with saying this.

Also:
Three babies died of dehydration at a major landmark in a major US city. Weather was sunny and dry, there was no foreign or terrorist attack going on.... but I have heard rumors that some criminals were firing on the US National Guard. That never stopped them in Iraq or Afghanistan, did it?

Homeland Insecurity

Today is the fourth anniversary of the terrorists attack on NYC and DC. As soon as the second plane hit, I knew this country would go to war against somebody - not at all sure who that "somebody" was. Today, we know it is Osama Bin Laden and his al Qaeda gang. Yes, the very same folks who we supported, trained and armed in Afghanistan - when they were fighting the Russians. That was evil for the USA to support them, because what they were doing was evil. Bin Laden thinks that his group "bled" Russia to an early demise, and a lot of kooks here in the USA like to think that Reagan did it (single-handedly!). The fact is: Russia went broke. Today, the USA is going broke, but I digress.

This morning was a beautiful Sunday morning here in the mountains, and it was wonderful sitting in church by the open door and looking out at all the green, all the trees. But before heading there, I listened to the news on the radio.

First, we still have not found Bin Laden.

Second, the number of terrorists attacks by al Qaeda has hit record levels. It is way up over pre-9/11 levels. This would indicate that we are losing our "war on terror".

Third, some American fools think we are winning against al Qaeda because we have (mostly) chased them out of Afghanistan. These fools have never heard of a guerilla war, I guess.

Fourth, Senator Lieberman thinks that Chertoff has done a great job at Homeland Security. This is in spite of the fact that Chertoff knew NOTHING about thousands of Americans stuck at the New Orleans convention center with no food, no water, no sanitation, no shelter and no help. Amazingly enough, Chertoff did not know about this situation even though it had been on CNN/MSNBC/FAUX news for over a day. Senator Lieberman and Senator Collins are the ones in charge of oversight of Homeland Security, and they are CLUELESS. I am calling them tomorrow.

Fifth, the US Congress has just added the "nuclear option" to our pre-emptive war policy. That means that this government decided it is okay to drop nukes on countries that have WMDs. Apparently, not having found those imaginary WMDs in Iraq does not even give these fools some pause.

Sixth, Bush and the Pentagon goons will have their "Freedom Walk"today were they once again tie 9/11 to the war on Iraq. Hey, they never DIRECTLY make that statement, they just imply it in a million different ways. And a lot of American fools believe it. Also, this "Walk" has very tight security. On the public streets of America's capitol, you are not allowed in without a prior reservation.

All of this underlines a comment made in an article by Anthony Gregory: "Nothing is better for government growth than it's own failures to fulfill it's supposed duties."

And, true to form, Lieberman and Collins think we need to spend more money on Homeland Security.

I believe the fiasco shown us down in New Orleans underlines one thing: if something happens, we are on our own. If our local or state government cannot help us, we are out of luck. Our federal government, with all it's resources, will not be there to help us out. As Mr. Broussard said: "Nobody's coming." (By the way, the nursing home were his co-worker's mother drowned FIVE DAYS AFTER THE STORM HIT has been evacuated. The US government would not allow pictures by the press. I am so damn sick of the US press censoring things and protecting the criminals running this country into the ground - or swamp, as the case may be. There were 32 elderly dead people taken from that nursing home today. May they rest in peace. Imagine what they were thinking as they called and called and called and called for help - and no help came.)

Another lesson from today is: we never can know how things will turn out. And that things will change, and change again. This is, of course, part of the process of life..... but this morning, I just feel a great deal of dread for where this country is headed and for the damage that we may do to other countries and peoples on the way to where we are headed. People fret about the gas costing over $3 a gallon: I think this is laughable. If only our problems were so small!

I'm worried these Washington nutcakes will ruin our country and nuke the world in the process.

I'm worried 32 elderly people drowning in their nursing home after making phone calls for FOUR DAYS IN A ROW will end up look like nothing. Actually, when you think about it, it is nothing much compaired to what we have done in foreign countries, like Iraq.

Today at church, I spoke of Ali Nasir Jabur. I told his story and told how I am bringing 100 sheets of paper with me to the US Senate on 9/26/05 to give to each and every Senator. These papers have the story of Ali on them, to ask for help for Ali, and to let them know of his plight. May his family rest in peace, and I pray Ali is surviving in spite of his horrific losses.

Another Letter

This letter to the editor was written by Adrianna Stansbury, and it appeared in the Asheville Citizen Times recently.

“I’m almost 12 years old and I live in the Montford area of Asheville. I’m half Polish and I spent this summer in Poland with my grandma. When I sat down to watch the news with
her, I saw horrible pictures and footage of Iraq that made me want to turn away. A child crying for it’s mother and then being run over by a tank. People screeching as they look at
their bloody wounds. The footage was so direct that my 6-year-old sister wasn’t allowed to watch it. The news doesn’t show anything like that here. I guess we are all like 6-year-olds here. Why can’t Americans be shown what our nation is really doing?” Adrianna Stansbury, Asheville

This is one child who will never be fooled by CNN, MSNBC or FAUX news. And the reason that Americans cannot be shown what our nation is really doing is because they would immediately demand a stop to it all. And that would mean there are no more war
profits for the Cheney administration, and no control of the area and resources (oil) for the Cheney administration.

To the Iraqi people: some of us know the truth, in spite of our corporate media and their attempts to cheerlead the current Cheney administration - we know the truth. So does Adrianna.

And while there are too few of us to make a difference at this time, I have hope that one day the rest of America will wake up. Just like they are waking up to how well our federal government will assist and rescue us in case of a major disaster when local and state government agencies were overwhelmed.

Barbara Bush has her say

Barbara Bush:
Things Working Out 'Very Well' for Poor Evacuees from New Orleans -

"And so many of the people in the arena here, you know, were underprivileged anyway, so this--this (she chuckles slightly) is working very well for them."

One has to wonder why someone like Barbara Bush (mother of the President) are even allowed in the United States.

The true face of the US Government

If you have high speed internet, watch this clip from Meet the Press of an interview with Mr. Broussard of Louisiana:
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10121.htm

Quotes for our times

From one of the 7/7/05 bombers in London:
"Until we feel security, you will be our target. Until you stop the bombing, gassing, imprisonment and torture of my people, we will not stop this fight."

I think we can assume that those bombings were a response to the war on Iraq, and mistreatment of Muslims -which we should stop anyway, just because it is illegal and immoral and unchristian. Never mind that it is stupid beyond belief.

Chertoff in New Orleans in September 2005:
"We will not tolerate lawlessness, or violence, or interference with the evacuation. I'm satisfied that we have ... more than enough forces there and on the way."

They, of course, have nowhere near the needed resources or planning available. Chertoff is in charge of Homeland Security, which means we have no security.

Bush in July 2003:
"There are some who, uh, feel like that, you know, the conditions are such that they can attack us there. My answer is: Bring 'em on. We got the force necessary to deal with the security situation."

Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco in September 2005:
"These troops know how to shoot and kill, and they are more than willing to do so, and I expect they will," she said.

This was when she ordered the 'shoot to kill' policy for looters, some of whom are desperate because they have been without food and water for days, some of whom are crazy from stress, and some of whom are drug addicts. Bring 'em on, indeed.

Bush in August 2005:
"I don't think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees."

Well, as a matter of fact, just about everybody who worked in New Orleans on disaster preparation did anticipate exact that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.:
"I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today--my own government."

How the US government handles humanitarian crisis

Overwhelming force to shock and awe had been available to military plans with ample reserve. But the world's sole superpower pleads powerlessness to protect civilians and national properties and treasures under its coercive military control. Despite total US control of Iraqi airspace, there is no around-the-clock airlift of humanitarian supplies as in the Berlin blockade, notwithstanding that the toppling of Saddam's statue in central Baghdad by a handful was eagerly compared with the fall of the Berlin Wall by the US media. Apparently, Arabs don't need food and water as much as Europeans do. The US military can summon hundred of cruise missiles and precision bombs to target Saddam on a few minutes' notice, yet this superpower that spends more on its military than all the world's other nations combined cannot provide law and order and basic sustenance for the people it has just conquered. This is a superpower only of destruction, and a paper tiger when it comes to humanitarian rescue.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/ED24Ak04.html

The above was written in April, 2003. Most of it applies to how the US federal government has handled the disaster in New Orleans. It is no surprise to me that they have messed this up beyond belief, what really puzzles me is why Americans voted them back into office.

I have been so distressed today from the ongoing crisis in New Orleans and the ongoing crisis in Iraq. I feel like beating my head against a wall and scream HOW CAN AMERICANS BE SO STUPID?

The deaths in the stampede were mainly due to the very high level of stress and fear in the Iraqi people, caused by the optional war for imaginary weapons.

The deaths in New Orleans are caused by a hurricane and a generous helping of human stupidity. Stupid to build a city below sea level and then not keep the levees repaired. Stupid not to evacuate the people, which means going in there with a bus and getting people on the bus. Stupid not to plan for such an emergency by FEMA and local government and federal government. Stupid to send 20,000+ stressed out poor people to all live and sleep together at the Superdome or the Astrodome. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

In Havana, they evacuate all the people in a target area and take them, by bus, to schools in safe areas. In Havana, they are way smarter than the Americans.

God help the poor people in New Orleans and in Iraq.

Bad Water Rising / Bad Wind Blowing

Here are some of my sources for information on Iraq:

US casualties and some news stories:
http://icasualties.org/oif/

Daily blog of news stories from all over, along with a lively comment section that often catches errors in those news sources:
http://dailywarnews.blogspot.com/

Another one: http://warincontext.org/

Click on news, or editorials/opinions for various opinions:
http://www.azzaman.com/english/index.asp?fname=news2005-08-2110492.htm

List of news stories here, and I always look at the photo slideshow. The photos often tell something the corporate press is overlooking: http://news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=World&cat=Iraq

The photos are often hard to look at. Imagine how hard it would be to live it. Keep in mind that no news source is infallible, the good ones however do self-correct. Juan Cole is very knowledgeable on the Middle East (Informed Comment blog) but he often jumps to the wrong conclusion.... like saying the death of the innocent guy (shot by police on the London subway) was the fault of the terrorists. He said this the day he was killed, and a couple of weeks later, the truth started coming out - and that innocent death is the rest of police bungling, if not outright testosterone poisoning.

And I also like to read Iraqi bloggers. Sunshine is one of my favorite bloggers, and she is a 13-year-old girl in Mosul. I also like Faiza’s writings and I am happy to say she is a friend of mine. Faiza writes the blog “A Family in Baghdad.” She and her family have moved to Amman, because of the danger. She has two sons who write blogs also. There are about 150 Iraqi bloggers now, with many different opinions (the pro-war ones are much more respectful of Cindy Sheehan than the pro-war crowd in the USA). I cannot read all the Iraqi bloggers any more.

Here’s an example of a news story from Iraq:

More Univ. professors killed By Mohammed Salah
Azzaman, August 28, 2005

Unidentified gunmen have gunned down three university professors, all of them from the University of Mustansiriya in Baghdad. The incident, which took place at main entrance to the campus, takes the number of professors murdered since the U.S.-led invasion of the country to 58. “Unidentified people shot and killed Dr. Zaki al-Ani from the College of Arts and Dr. Hashem Abdulamir from the College of Education,” a university source told the newspaper on condition of anonymity. The third professor, Dr. Sameer Yalda of the College of Economics and Administration, was kidnapped as he left the university and his body was found dumped on a main street in Baghdad. The incentives behind the killings are now known. And the police have not yet solved the mystery behind any of the previous 55 murders of Iraqi university professors. As a result, Iraqi professionals are leaving in droves. Statistics by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research show that more professors have left the country since the U.S. invasion than under the reign of former leader Saddam Hussein.

Without a question, this murder of these three professors did happen, since it is widely reported. It is also widely reported that professors are leaving Iraq in significant numbers. So, it is safe to say that the conclusions reached in this article are correct. How very sad.

The tragedy unfolding in the southern USA is also very, very sad. I would like to recommend that Americans call their local blood bank and see if they need more blood. I have heard they are low, and this is something no other country can do for us.

I wish that we had such extensive, heart-wrenching coverage of the reality of what is going on Iraq, particularly with the US bombing. First, it would inspire Americans to open their wallets to help Iraqis (directly, not via the US government corruption programs) and they would insist on an end to war. It amazes me that there are Americans who feel we cannot leave Iraq because the Iraqis could be worse off. This invasion and occupation has devastated that country and by every available measure, the Iraqis are worse off now than they were three years ago.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we started using our heads to create and protect and conserve – instead of destroy?
Imagine if we really protected and respected the environment, and respected and protected each other…….

Letter to Christian Science Monitor

Here's what they published the other day (after I corrected the spelling errors):

Our US corporate media are focusing on Cindy Sheehan in an obsessive manner, as they are often prone to do, whether or not the story is of any substance. One could have a long discussion on why they act this way, but I do think this story has substance. We need to find out the real reasons we went to war in Iraq and what this administration hopes to accomplish there. There needs to be an accounting and responsibility for what has happened, both to the grieving parents and to our country and to the world.

But most importantly, to the Iraqi people.

Susan Oehler
Asheville, N.C.


And here is what they did not include, the first paragraph:

Mr. O'Neill claims in his opinion piece (The Iraq War and the Politics of Grief) that "antiwar forces push these families further into the spotlight." This is certainly not true for Cindy Sheehan. She has sought out the spotlight, and spoken out, at every opportunity allowed to her. She has publicly stated that she opposed this war from the very beginning, but did not act on her feelings until after her son's death. She has publicly stated that she regrets not having done so.

Ali Nasir Jabur

Ali is a 10 year old who lives in Tikrit. I found his picture on Yahoo News photos by the Associated Press. Ali is squatting in the back of a truck, and in one photo he is looking at the photographer, and in another he is holding his head in his hands. There is not a single story written about Ali or what happened to him, just two photographs.

With Ali in the back of the truck is the dead bodies of his parents, his two brothers and his sister. The caption says that unknown gunman wearing Iraqi security forces raided their home the previous night, while Ali was hidden under a blanket. Ali survived. His family is dead. The world barely notices. I noticed.

I hope that the killers of these people are found and brought to justice. I hope the people who started this war, which lead to this awful, violent, lawless situation, are also brought to justice. I hope and pray that Ali will be okay, and I hope he finds this blog one day and knows that at least one American noticed what happened, that at least one American cared. And there is one more thing I will do: I will make 100 copies of the photo of Ali in the truck with his five dead family members and I will give one to each and every US Senator's office. I cannot guarantee that the Senators will see them, but someone working in their office will. I will write on there: HELP THIS CHILD. I will point out that they are responsible for having started this war which lead to this horrific loss for Ali, and that they are responsible for this child and his well being. And I will hold Ali and his friends, neighbors, relatives and fellow countrymen in the light.

I wish I could do more. I also wish (unkind and un-Christian as this may be) that this type of loss and suffering would come into the life of each and every warmonger.

May Ali's family rest in peace. May Ali find a decent life inspite of his unbelivable losses and his country in turmoil.

Baghdad residents and US Troops

I was looking at Iraq Coalition Casualties webpage, and just noticed the following articles and what was said..... and what was NOT said.

Baghdad civilian death totals are extreme - from Washington Times

http://www.washtimes.com/upi/20050821-110618-6132r.htm

Here's the whole article: "Civilian deaths in Baghdad in July were more than New York City had in all of 2004, and that's excluding car bombings and suicide bombings. Time magazine reports the surge in non-combat related violence is due to the various sects in Iraq who want to start a civil war. Reports that death squads are entering quiet Baghdad neighborhoods and killing innocent civilians are growing. Baghdad central morgue director, Faiq Amin Bakr, said 880 violent deaths occurred in the city in July. There are more than 5 million people living in Baghdad. In New York City, with a population of about 8 million, 571 people were killed in 2004. In Baghdad, another 100 people were killed by terrorism in July.

(There you have it: all those deaths are caused by death squads and terrorists. No responsibility by Americans, and no excuses of PTSD either.)


However, this man lived to tell his tale:

Iraqi General Says US Troops Shot Him - Police

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - "An Iraqi general who commands the country's border defence force was shot and wounded while driving in Baghdad late on Saturday and accused U.S. troops of firing on his car, police and hospital sources said. The report could not be confirmed directly with the general; a U.S. military spokesman said he was unaware of an incident."

(Sorry not to link, but the link is so long, I'm afraid it will mess up the page.)

And finally, even though Baghdad residents are hearty souls who do not suffer from PTSD even after years of war in their city and seeing their neighbor down the street get blow to bits, having US troops fire at them, living without electricity, water, jobs, and the threat of night time raids into their homes by US troops, Iraqi troops, Wolf Brigade, and god-knows-who, this is not true of US service after a year in the conflict zone:

In Two Shooting by Iraq Vets, War Stress Blamed by Associated Press

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2005/aug/20/082010527.html

"One was a skinny 20-year-old discharged from the Army who couldn't shake the piercing rat-a-tat-tat reminders of combat. The other, a decorated Marine family man whose job preparing bodies of U.S. soldiers for burial had caused clammy, restless nights. Both home from duty in Iraq.."

"Flashbacks, nightmares, a struggle to reconnect to an old life - these are all signs of post-traumatic stress disorder that many soldiers suffer from. The Army's surgeon general has said 30 percent of U.S. troops surveyed have developed stress-related mental health problems just months after returning home. A New England Journal of Medicine study found almost 1 in 6 soldiers showing symptoms of mental stress."

That article is worth reading in full.

See how our media presents things? See how Americans can be so blind?

Driving by......

Frank Rich (NYT) wrote an article today called "The Swift Boating of Cindy Sheehan" that has this statement:

"THIS summer in Crawford, the White House went to this playbook once too often. When Mr. Bush's motorcade left a grieving mother in the dust to speed on to a fund-raiser, that was one fat-cat party too far."

This reminded me of the first time I heard Cindy speak - at Eyes Wide Open in Washington DC last January. It was the evening of the inauguration, and as she spoke stretch limo after stretch limo after stretch limo after stretch limo drive by. Oblivious.

Crawford wasn't the first time Bush supporters drove by Cindy Sheehan and ignored her and the pain inherent in their war policies.

They didn't know? Come on, now!

This is a clip from TV NEWS LIES:

"This weekend CNN will launch a full frontal assault on the truth with their expose on the “intelligence failure” that led the US to believe that Iraq had WMD.

There will be no mention of the overwhelming majority of the global intelligence community who knew Iraq posed no threat.

There will be no mention of the Office of Special Plans set up to re-evaluate the findings of the US intelligence community.

There will be no mention of the cherry picking or the ignoring all opinions that did not support findings that would indicate Iraq was a threat.

There will be no mention on how Scott Ritter, Hans Blix & every single anti-war Bush hater liberal, was 100% correct about Iraq not being a threat.

There will be no mention of the PNAC plan to invade Iraq and about their New Pearl Harbor comments that gave them their free ticket to proceed with their insane plan.

..........You will only see scabs who will take the blame for the administration in order to make it seem as if there were actually people who felt Iraq was a real threat."

Tonight I emailed a women on a local listserve about the war and how we got into it. I told her that I figured out that Iraq had no nuclear WMDs, and even if they did have biological or chemical WMDs, they were not a threat to the USA. I noticed that most of the rest of the world was opposed to this war, including the majority of Iraq's neighbors. Now, if I was smart enough to figure this all out, they were too. And that INCLUDES THE DEMOCRATS. Never forget that Edwards made a bunch of money on this war, all legally. As did Cheney.

The reasons for this war do not lie in failed "intelligence". The reasons lie in the lies. This war is a lie. I remember Aaron Brown on CNN on the night of Powell's presentation to the UN. One would have to conclude he had no ability for critical thinking after watching that. I noticed the rest of the world didn't buy it, and neither did the UN. One would think that was a BIG FREAKING CLUE, IF YOU HAD A CLUE!

I remember Aaron Brown having Scott Ritter on his program and then he spent all his time asking Ritter about a dismissed arrest record instead of the WMD programs in Iraq. Brown acted like a mouthpiece for the Bush administration, and helped keep the American people stupid.

Maybe Brown really is that stupid, I don't know. But the entire White House staff and nearly the entire US Senate can not be that stupid. Especially Edwards: I wrote and told him the truth.

This CNN piece on "intelligence failure" is on Sunday night at 8 and 11 PM. Somebody please watch it and tell me if TV NEWS LIES is correct or not. I pulled the plug on them back in June of 2003. I figured they were useless. I predict that Sunday's program will be a massive "feel good" attempt by CNN to convince the American people that we were all just mistaken, but it couldn't be helped. Everybody was fooled, and no one is to blame. Lest of all, CNN.

The story of our "Vigil for Cindy"

Tonight, over 264 people in Asheville came together to hold a candlelight vigil to show support for Cindy Sheehan. The main reason Cindy is popular in Asheville is because she came to speak at our Peace Rally last March and she touched a lot of hearts. I first started emailing Cindy sometime last fall. In January, I realized that she would be at the EYES WIDE OPEN exhibit in DC, where I was volunteering to work. That was the first time I got to talk to her in person. She was a terrific speaker, and as she spoke, I struggled to keep the candles going in the cold DC wind. (More on my experiences in DC last January are in my blog.)

I asked Cindy to come to Asheville to speak at our rally, which she gladly did, at her own expense. She had spoken in Fayetteville the day before. As always, she was a great speaker. Some time after that, I looked at Cindy's statements and pictures with her meeting with Bush in June 2004. I asked her about these statements, and the first thing she said was that she was still in shock when that meeting took place. She then said that she went on (after the Bush meeting) to investigate further what was going on in Iraq and how we got into that war in the first place. In short, she educated herself. She saw through all the lies behind this war. That was what inspired her to become an activist. And she is, quite clearly, driven.

It was a great pleasure to go on the radio program Listen To Women with Cindy and two Vets for Peace and two local poets on the evening of the Peace Rally. It was a great program that we did.

I have found over the past year that I do not agree 100% with Cindy's positions. One example of that was when I gave her grief this past June for giving hugs to Representative Walter Jones (R- NC). Jones had changed his position on the war: when it started, he was all for it. Today, he is calling for the US troops to come home. But I was still thinking that Jones was doing this for political expediency, not from a change of heart. One factor that caused me to see him in this light was the fact that he eloquently went on and on about the American losses in this war, while he did not bring up the Iraqi losses, which were far, far worse. Cindy defended him, saying that he had to come farther than she did, but the important thing is that he has awakened to the truth about this war. So, I decided to go meet Representative Walter Jones, and it was claiming that I was a friend of Cindy's that got me in the door. I took along my display boards of Iraqi casualties, which I showed to his staff. I did not see Representative Jones until I returned later to see if Cindy was available to go to lunch with me (she was involved with the media, I think Democracy Now! was doing an interview). Then I got to talk to Jones, and I could tell that he was aware of the price the Iraqi people are paying and aware of the nonsense of this war.

Tonight, we held a "Vigil for Cindy." It was one of 1,700+ rallies across the nation. As people spoke and sang, I did exactly what I did in DC when I listened to Cindy speak: I struggled to keep the candles light. Tonight, it was not a cold wind that blew out the candles, it was instead a soft and gentle summer rain. I find gentle summertime rains to be a blessing and a joy.

They did weaken the paper bags used for the luminaries, however, which caused them to fall over on the flame and then go up in a small, but spectacular fire.

It was cool to watch.

Cindy Sheehan's statement

This is George Bush’s Accountability Moment

This is George Bush’s accountability moment. That’s why I’m here.

The mainstream media aren’t holding him accountable. Neither is Congress. So I’m not leaving Crawford until he’s held accountable. It’s ironic, given the attacks leveled at me recently, how some in the media are so quick to scrutinize -- and distort -- the words and actions of a grieving mother but not the words and actions of the president of the United States.

But now it’s time for him to level with me and with the American people. I think that’s why there’s been such an outpouring of support. This is giving the 61 percent of Americans who feel that the war is wrong something to do -- something that allows their voices to be heard. It’s a way for them to stand up and show that they DO want our troops home, and that they know this war IS a mistake… a mistake they want to see corrected.

It’s too late to bring back the people who are already dead, but there are tens of thousands of people still in harm’s way. There is too much at stake to worry about our own egos. When my son was killed, I had to face the fact that I was somehow also responsible for what happened.

Every American that allows this to continue has, to some extent, blood on their hands. Some of us have a little bit, and some of us are soaked in it. People have asked what it is I want to say to President Bush. Well, my message is a simple one. He’s said that my son -- and the other children we’ve lost -- died for a noble cause. I want to find out what that noble cause is. And I want to ask him: “If it’s such a noble cause, have you asked your daughters to enlist? Have you encouraged them to go take the place of soldiers who are on their third tour of duty?” I also want him to stop using my son’s name to justify the war. The idea that we have to “complete the mission” in Iraq to honor Casey’s sacrifice is, to me, a sacrilege to my son’s name. Besides, does the president any longer even know what “the mission” really is over there?

Casey knew that the war was wrong from the beginning. But he felt it was his duty to go, that his buddies were going, and that he had no choice. The people who send our young, honorable, brave soldiers to die in this war, have no skin in the game. They don’t have any loved ones in harm’s way. As for people like O’Reilly and Hannity and Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh and all the others who are attacking me and parroting the administration line that we must complete the mission there -- they don’t have one thing at stake. They don’t suffer through sleepless nights worrying about their loved ones.

Before this all started, I used to think that one person couldn’t make a difference... but now I see that one person who has the backing and support of millions of people can make a huge difference. That’s why I’m going to be out here until one of three things happens: It’s August 31st and the president’s vacation ends and he leaves Crawford. They take me away in a squad car. Or he finally agrees to speak with me.

If he does, he’d better be prepared for me to hold his feet to the fire. If he starts talking about freedom and democracy -- or about how the war in Iraq is protecting America -- I’m not going to let him get away with it. Like I said, this is George Bush’s accountability moment.


MoveOn and True Majority has asked people to hold candlelight vigils to show support for Cindy Sheehan. I often find I am not on the same page as MoveOn, but this is one event I agreed to host. There will be a candlelight vigil at 7:30 PM on August 17, 2005 at Pack Square in downtown Asheville. I will do the candle luminary around the fountain again, and after it gets dark, it is beautiful.

Bless the children....

Every night, I look at the photos from Yahoo News. There are a bunch of photos there tonight of children who have been hurt by violence in Iraq. The news story says the Iraqis claim the US military fired at them, and the US military claims they did not. Regardless of who fired the weapon, it is the US military's responsibility to keep the children safe. They are failing to do so.

There are also pictures of Iraqi homes that have been trashed by US troops doing searches at 3 AM. If this happened in America, having foreign troops come into people's homes for searches and trashing the homes, there would be an insurgency that would put all prior insurgencies in the entire history of the world to shame. Imagine how that type of search in the middle of the night would scare the heck out of the children..... Imagine how it would undermine their beliefs that Mommy and Daddy, who are big and strong and know everything, would keep them safe......

God Bless the Children caught up in war.

Lighting Candles

Last night, our local Peace Coalition group marked the 60th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki. We had a candlelight prayer vigil in our square downtown here in Asheville. We started with a circle with about 35 people there, and then we set up candle luminaries and floating candles around the fountain in Pack Square. It looked quite beautiful and peaceful.

I don’t know if our prayers and wishes for the innocent victims of war will stop any future killing or stop any future wars or even stop any more dropping of nuclear bombs. I just know I have to light a candle (well, many of them) against the darkness and the evil of war and nuclear bombs. I know we have to win this struggle before we put an end to any more innocent lives, before we ruin our world with nuclear pollution. Never in the history of humankind has a weapon been made and then not utilized, but with these nuclear weapons, we must make sure that does not happen – not now, not ever.

Also, I want to say I am so proud of my friend, Cindy Sheehan, who is protesting outside Bush’s ranch in Texas. She is finally getting some publicity (more than she got for our March 19th/20th rallies and march). I am proud of what she is doing, and proud to call her my friend. I can only imagine that camping out in the Texas heat is much easier than burying your child from a senseless war.

Cindy and Gold Star Families for Peace have asked all of us to call the White House (202-456-1111) or email Mr. Bush (president@whitehouse.gov) and tell him: “ Talk to Cindy”.

And contributions to Gold Star Families for Peace or Code Pink would also be appreciated.

response to those on the wrong side of things

The following comments were in response to a website called Right Wing News. The comments from Right Wing News are in quotes.

"Given all that, how any informed person can buy into Lancet's numbers is simply beyond me."

The larger point is this: if we are there to bring the Iraqi people freedom and democracy, how come this administration is making NO efforts to record and document the number and type and severity of civilian casualties and civilian suffering? This speaks volumes.

"Furthermore, after the war had begun, in September of 2003, President Bush himself publicly & explicitly said: "We have no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the 11 September attacks." It doesn't get much clearer than that."

You are right, it doesn't get much clearer than that, even though Bush mentioned terrorism about 33 times in his speech last month to bolster support for the Iraq war. Why are we in Iraq? WHY HAVEN'T WE CAUGHT BIN LADEN?

"The problem with trying to claim that the war in Iraq was preordained during some 1998 PNAC meeting is that the United States government has been trying to find a way to get rid of Saddam Hussein since the Gulf War."

Go read PNAC. They are interested in way more than the Middle East. If you have no morals and want to get rich, buy stock in companies like Lockheed Martin. The time to do something about Saddam was early 1980's. Reagan blew it. Rumsfeld was buddy-buddy with Saddam back then. Oh, and who was it that thought we should have a proxy war against the Russians in Afghanistan???? That turned out not to be such a great idea, arming and training Bin Laden's group. But for those with no morals and the right stocks, it was financially very rewarding.

"Why are we going to invade Iraq? Nine days after 9/11, George Bush said, "(W)e will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists. From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime."

Does this mean that Bush is going to do some shock and awe on Britain? They clearly have terrorists there, and if we bomb them to rubble, that will take care of that problem.

"Kerry even pointed out that he thought Saddam might give WMDs to terrorists."

Do you really think Kerry is that stupid? Or Bush? How come some right-wingers like you think the "Democrats are stupid, too!" is a valid argument? It makes you look stupid to argue that Democrats are as stupid as Republicans, because, frankly, neither group is stupid. And the political posturing done to make them look like they are really fighting each other is for the stupid American’s entertainment. It serves no other real purpose. Meanwhile, they get rich.
'The man who blew up the World Trade Center in 1993 was sheltered by Saddam Hussein'
I don't know about the rest of Hitchen's claims, but this one isn't true.

"What the 9/11 Commission was trying to get across was that there was no evidence that Saddam and Al-Qaeda collaborated on specific attacks, not that they didn't have a working relationship."

If they had a working relationship then they would have collaborated on attacks. That's what terrorism is: attacking civilians to inspire terror. It is not about garden parties or charity balls.

“Consider this comment by former CIA Director George Tenet in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee on October 7, 2002: "Credible reporting states that al Qaeda leaders sought contacts in Iraq who could help them acquire WMD capabilities. The reporting also stated that Iraq has provided training to al Qaeda members in the areas of poisons and gases and making conventional bombs."

That would be the same Tenet that said finding the WMDs in Iraq would be a "slam dunk".

"Here's more from Richard Miniter, author of "Losing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror": "

Hey, remember when Clinton wanted to bomb Afghanistan to get Bin Laden and the Republicans said he was "wagging the dog" to detract from his Oval Office blowjob? I'm glad Clinton didn't bomb Bin Laden because I am sure that he (like Bush) would have killed civilians. Do you think Bush is at all concerned about the civilians who died in the bombing of Iraq? No, I don't think so either. By the way, I know a couple of Americans who were in Baghdad in the summer and fall of 2003 and they met a baby whose parents, siblings and aunts were bombed to death in April 2003 by US bombs. The baby was thrown from the house and landed in a puddle in a neighbor's yard. They call her the "miracle baby" since she survived and no one else in her family did. That was one of the "surgical strikes" to get Saddam. The family had never even talked to Saddam, much less had him in their home. Do you think anyone will bomb you in your home one day?

“We had already been bombing the Iraqis in the no-fly zone and we increased the pace to soften them up a bit just in case we had to go in. It probably saved the lives of some of our soldiers and almost no one except members of Saddam's government seemed upset about it while it was actually going on."

That bombing killed civilians too, and I (for one) was upset about it. Why did we need to "soften them up"? Didn't we have the superior military? Do you think the 9/11 attacks and the London bombings were to "soften us up"? I know for a fact that lots of Iraqis were upset about the US bombings all along. I would be upset too if someone dropped (or set off) bombs in my country. How about you?

"Bush, like a lot of other people, was wrong about Saddam Hussein having stockpiles of WMDs. But without question, he did not lie about it."

Now, if I started a war that turned out to be over a bunch of baloney about invisible WMDs.... and I didn't lie about it.....I'd be pissed off as all hell at the fools who mislead me. I'd fire Tenet for his stupid comments about "slam-dunk". I'd damn sure fire a heck of a lot more people than just Tenet. But, I'm an audiologist. And I knew they were not going to find any nuclear WMDs in Iraq. That was very clear. And, it was unlikely they would find any other kind of WMDs there, but if they did, those weapons would not be able to hurt the USA. And, amazingly enough, most of the countries around Iraq did not feel threatened at all, and did not support a war. What's up with that? I remember Powell and Rice claiming in 2001 that Saddam was contained and not a threat. Funny how nobody else in DC remembers that. I knew Powell's presentation at the UN in 2003 was based on heresy and circumstantial evidence. The rest of the world (outside of the USA) figured that out too, which was why the UN did not pass a resolution to go to war in Iraq. I remember people like Cheney and Rumsfeld and Tenet saying they knew where the WMDs were - yet they would not tell the UN inspectors. Now, why was that?

Could it be they wanted a war, no matter what? And did all those Democrats who also claimed to believe all this WMD nonsense also feel that way? I sat in on a public US Senate Armed Services Committee meeting last month, and it was all about POLITICAL POSTURING and damn little else. Little concern about the troops, none for the Iraqi people that we are supposedly bringing "freedom and democracy" to (and I don't believe that one either), but lots of concern about how the American public is starting to NOT support this war - which impacts on their REELECTION PROSPECTS.

There is not a dime's worth of difference between most of the Republicans and the Democrats up in DC today. And none of them were so stupid to really think there was a treat in Iraq to the USA, no matter how they lie or how they act. And the majority of them (Cheney and Edwards, for sure) made a great deal of money off this war while their kids don't serve. Think about it. Either they lied, or they were very STUPID. Do you really think they are that STUPID with all that wealth they have?