Tuesday, June 27, 2006

A place to fix our nation

My Broken Nation discussion group is doing well and building a base of members. I'm very pleased with the discussions and hope they continue.

http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Broken_Nation


In addition, I've become the co-host of several other groups:

Let's Explore Gore For President - Again!
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Gore_for_Prez

And Election 2008: We Need a Change
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Election2008

My other group Wrong Island/ Long Island is currently in the works too
http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/WrongIsland

I hope you get the chance to join us there.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

Leave Our Country Now

From the first days of the US-British invasion of Iraq, oil workers have resisted foreign occupation. Hassan Juma'a Awad The Guardian

We lived through dark days under Saddam Hussein's dictatorship. When the regime fell, people wanted a new life: a life without shackles and terror; a life where we could rebuild our country and enjoy its natural wealth. Instead, our communities have been attacked with chemicals and cluster bombs, and our people tortured, raped and killed in our homes.

Saddam's secret police used to creep over the roofs into our homes at night; occupation troops now break down our doors in broad daylight. The media do not show even a fraction of the devastation that has engulfed Iraq. Journalists who dare to report the truth of what is happening have been kidnapped by terrorists. This serves the agenda of the occupation, which aims to eliminate witnesses to its crimes.

Workers in Iraq's southern oilfields began organising soon after British occupying forces invaded Basra. We founded our union, the Southern Oil Company Union, just 11 days after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. When the occupation troops stood back and allowed Basra's hospitals, universities and public services to be burned and looted, while they defended only the oil ministry and oilfields, we knew we were dealing with a brutal force prepared to impose its will without regard for human suffering. From the beginning, we were left in no doubt that the US and its allies had come to take control of our oil resources.

The occupation authorities have maintained many of Saddam's repressive laws, including the 1987 order which robbed us of basic union rights, including the right to strike. Today, we still have no official recognition as a trade union, despite having 23,000 members in 10 oil and gas companies in Basra, Amara, Nassiriya, and up to Anbar province. However, we draw our legitimacy from the workers, not the government. We believe unions should operate regardless of the government's wishes, until the people are able finally to elect a genuinely accountable and independent Iraqi government, which represents our interests and not those of American imperialism.

Our union is independent of any political party. Most trade unions in Britain only seem to be aware of one union federation in Iraq, the regime-authorised Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions, whose president, Rassim Awadi, is deputy leader of the US-imposed prime minister Ayad Allawi's party. The IFTU's leadership is carved up between the pro-government Communist party, Allawi's Iraqi National Accord, and their satellites. In fact, there are two other union federations, which are linked to political parties, as well as our own organisation.

Our union has already shown it is able to stand its ground against one of the most powerful US companies, Dick Cheney's KBR, which tried to take over our workplaces with the protection of occupation forces.

We forced them out and compelled their Kuwaiti subcontractor, Al Khourafi, to replace 1,000 of the 1,200 employees it brought with it with Iraqi workers, 70% of whom are unemployed today. We also fought US viceroy Paul Bremer's wage schedule, which dictated that Iraqi public sector workers must earn ID 69,000 ($35) per month, while paying up to $1,000 a day to thousands of foreign mercenaries. In August 2003 we took strike action and shut down all oil production for three days. As a result, the occupation authorities had to raise wages to a minimum of ID 150,000.

We see it as our duty to defend the country's resources. We reject and will oppose all moves to privatise our oil industry and national resources. We regard this privatisation as a form of neo-colonialism, an attempt to impose a permanent economic occupation to follow the military occupation.

The occupation has deliberately fomented a sectarian division of Sunni and Shia. We never knew this sort of division before. Our families intermarried, we lived and worked together. And today we are resisting this brutal occupation together, from Falluja to Najaf to Sadr City. The resistance to the occupation forces is a God-given right of Iraqis, and we, as a union, see ourselves as a necessary part of this resistance - although we will fight using our industrial power, our collective strength as a union, and as a part of civil society which needs to grow in order to defeat both still-powerful Saddamist elites and the foreign occupation of our country.
Bush and Blair should remember that those who voted in last month's elections in Iraq are as hostile to the occupation as those who boycotted them. Those who claim to represent the Iraqi working class while calling for the occupation to stay a bit longer, due to "fears of civil war", are in fact speaking only for themselves and the minority of Iraqis whose interests are dependent on the occupation.

We as a union call for the withdrawal of foreign occupation forces and their military bases. We don't want a timetable - this is a stalling tactic. We will solve our own problems. We are Iraqis, we know our country and we can take care of ourselves. We have the means, the skills and resources to rebuild and create our own democratic society.

· Hassan Juma'a Awad is general secretary of Iraq's Southern Oil Company Union and president of the Basra Oil Workers' Union

Thursday, June 22, 2006

CONGRESS IS A KILLING MACHINE AND SHOULD BE FIRED ALONG WITH BUSH

Republicans are creating the next Vietnam with Bush's war gone wrong and some Democrats who have now shown their true colors are contributing to the slaughter mill in Iraq.

At issue were three proposals:

An amendment to withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of this year, introduced by Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-KY., last week. (The Senate voted 93 to 6 to reject it.)

A non-binding proposal offered by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich. and Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., to urge President Bush to begin “redeployment” of U.S. troops from Iraq by Dec 31, was rejected 60-39 Thursday.

A measure offered by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisc., and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., that sets a deadline of July 1, 2007, for U.S. troops to be withdrawn – except for those needed to train Iraqi forces -- was rejected 86-13 Thursday.

WASHINGTON - The GOP-controlled Senate on Thursday rejected Democratic calls to start withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq by year's end, as the two parties sought to define their election-year positions on a war that has grown increasingly unpopular.

"Withdrawal is not an option. Surrender is not a solution," declared Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee, who characterized Democrats as defeatists wanting to abandon Iraq before the mission is complete.

Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada, in turn, portrayed Republican leaders as blindly following President Bush's "failed" stay-the-course strategy. "It is long past time to change course in Iraq and start to end the president's open-ended commitment," he said.
Which Democracts voted for the war to continue?

Clinton, Biden, Lieberman, and Obama. Lieberman is hopefully going home this fall, but the other three can forget about the presidency.

John Kerry's response:

Dear William,

Just hours ago, the Senate voted on the Kerry-Feingold proposal to redeploy American combat troops out of Iraq by July 1, 2007. Thirteen Senators voted for it. It was an important step towards ending the administration's aimless, open-ended course in Iraq and having Iraqis stand up for Iraq. When Jack Murtha stepped up to the challenge of leadership in the House on Iraq, he was alone. Last week, 140 House members voted to support his leadership. When we in the Senate began the fight to change course in Iraq, we too were almost alone. Today our numbers grew -- and that is progress you made happen.

First and foremost, Russ and I thank you for your support. Over the last few weeks, hundreds of thousands of you have joined our effort to bring our combat troops home. Once again, the johnkerry.com community has shown its deep commitment to fighting for a better course for America.

We ask you to join us now in honoring the strength and leadership of the Senators who stood with you:

Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), co-sponsor
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT)
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), co-sponsor
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ)
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Please call, write, or email these Senators and acknowledge their leadership on Iraq.

Let me be absolutely clear. Russ Feingold and I would have forced this vote even if the outcome were going to be 98 to 2. Ending the Bush administration's disastrous approach to this war isn't about counting votes. It isn't about legislative strategy or electoral calculation. It's about applying constant pressure to change a broken course.

It's about utterly rejecting the desperate tactics of cowardly political operatives like Karl Rove who, as John Murtha pointed out, have no qualms about telling our soldiers to "stay the course" from the comfort of their air-conditioned offices at the White House.
It's about doing what's right.

Karl Rove may worry about losing votes. It's our job to worry about young Americans losing their lives. It's our job to provide a new vision that offers real security for America while giving the Iraqis their best chance for a stable Iraq.

I will keep doing what's right on Iraq, and I won't stop until our troops are home and the future of Iraq is in the hands of the Iraqi people.

I know you'll keep working right alongside me.

Sincerely,
John Kerry

Press statement from Jonathan Tasini, Hillary Clinton's NY primary opponent:

"Today, Hillary Clinton voted to prolong the violence and killing in Iraq. By voting against an amendment co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry, Russ Feingold, Barbara Boxer and Patrick Leahy, my opponent clearly showed that she is out of step with the views of Democratic primary voters in New York. More American men and women will die, as will thousands of Iraqis, because of this vote and the Senate's failure to agree to bring this war to a quick end."

"Frankly, the Kerry-Feingold-Boxer-Feingold amendment did not go far enough. It called only for the removal of all U.S. troops by June 2007. If passed, the amendment would have meant that many more people would die in the next year in this pointless, immoral, illegal war. My position has been clear: I support legislation advanced by Rep. Jim McGovern (MA) which calls for the immediate cutting off of all funds for offensive military action in Iraq and allows for money to be spent only on the quick, immediate, safe withdrawal of U.S. troops, reconstruction of Iraq and the replacement of the U.S. military by an international security force."

"Yet, at least the proposed amendment would have been one small step to acknowledge that the war has been a failure and that the violence must end--an end that can only come when there are no more U.S. military personnel in Iraq. But, my opponent will not even vote for legislation that promises that our troops will be out of harm's way in one year. I believe it is now quite clear to the voters of New York that my opponent's support for the war continues and that, if she is re-elected, the war will continue unabated, with no end in sight." http://www.tasinifornewyork.org/issues

Find your Senator below and thank them for today's courageous vote. You may use the letter I wrote if you wish or just send them a simple thank you.

Dear Senator .......,

Thank you for your strength and leadership in the Senate today. Your brave and logical vote for the Kerry Feingold Iraq withdrawal proposal means a lot to Americans, both at home and in Iraq. Republicans are creating "Vietnam Part 2" and many Democrats are buying right into it. Today everyone showed their true colors. The intelligence is right this time. No WMD. No links to terrorism. No more excuses. And we should keep demanding no more deaths in Iraq!

Thank you for your vote. I know you'll keep up the battle to end this senseless and costly war as soon as possible.

Sincerely,.....

Senators who voted today for a guaranteed withdrawal of the troops:
Sen. Daniel Akaka (D-HI) http://akaka.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.Home
Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), co-sponsor http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/email/policy.cfm
Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) http://durbin.senate.gov/contact.cfm#contact
Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) russell_feingold@feingold.senate.gov
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) http://harkin.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-HI) http://inouye.senate.gov/abtform.html
Sen. James Jeffords (I-VT) http://jeffords.senate.gov/contact.html
Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) http://kennedy.senate.gov/senator/contact.cfm
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)http://kerry.senate.gov/v3/contact/email.html
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) http://lautenberg.senate.gov/contact/
Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), co-sponsor senator_leahy@leahy.senate.gov
Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) http://menendez.senate.gov/contact/contact.cfm
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) http://wyden.senate.gov/contact/

To ask your Senator why they are not on the above list, find them at:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm


http://www.care2.com/c2c/group/Broken_Nation

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.” - Abraham Lincoln

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

The first of many convictions to come

We're starting to clean up-- it's a slow process

Ex-Bush aide convicted in D.C. corruption case
Safavian found guilty on 4 counts of obstruction, making false statements

NBC News and news services

WASHINGTON - A jury Tuesday convicted a former Bush administration official of four counts of lying and obstructing justice in the first trial to be held in connection with the influence-peddling scandal of lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

On the fifth day of deliberations, the jury found David Safavian — a former chief of staff at the General Services Administration — guilty of four of five counts of lying and obstructing justice.
Safavian sat impassively as the judge read the verdict and showed no expression when the judge announced the guilty verdicts on each of four counts. Sentencing was scheduled for Oct. 12.
Each of the counts carries a maximum sentence of 5 years in jail.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13436161/

Unfortunately though, it looks like Scooter Libby is going to get pardoned.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Advanced Knowledge? excerpts from Chapter 2 "9/11"

ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE?

Unfortunately, and despite some helpful information, what we obtained from the 9/11 Commission’s research is limited because of the rules Bush made for himself. Twenty-eight pages are completely classified and blocked from the public. Many familiar with the report claim this section deals with Saudi Arabia’s relationship with the hijackers. The truth is, officials in our government knew about the attacks long before they happened. As Richard Clarke said in his testimony, “I’m sorry, but we (your government) have failed you.” The following is a summary of just a few of the many warnings of 9/11:

· In early 2001, the BAD ordered U.S. agents to back off and end the investigation of the Bin Ladens. 2
· In early 2001, FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, declared the most serious national threats as a hurricane hitting New Orleans, an earthquake hitting San Francisco, and a terrorist attack hitting New York City. As of this printing, two had occurred; the earthquake, of course had not yet hit California. We can now be assured our government won’t be ready for that one either.
· In June 2001, the CIA was warned by German intelligence that Middle Eastern terrorists were “planning to hijack commercial aircraft to use as weapons to attack important symbols of American and Israeli culture.” This information came to the German government by way of a phone call by an Iranian man, who supposedly also phoned U.S. law enforcement to warn of an imminent attack the week of September 9. German police confirm the calls but state that the U.S. Secret Service would not reveal any further information. [i]
· In July 2001, an FBI agent in Arizona named Kenneth Williams warned about “an inordinate number of individuals of investigative-interest taking flight training.” This memo, known as the “Phoenix Memo” asked the FBI to collect data on flight schools and foreign students. According to the July 25, 2003 story “A History of Missed Connections” in the Washington Post, one of the men mentioned in the memo was arrested in Pakistan in 2002 with a senior Al Qaeda facilitator, Abu Zubayda. [ii]
· In August 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to warn the U.S. of imminent terrorist attacks on airports and government buildings. [i]
· One very strange and disturbing story took place in August 2001 when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Mike Vreeland was jailed in Toronto on U.S. fraud charges for claiming to be an officer of U.S. Naval Intelligence. Vreeland, while imprisoned, wrote details of the pending attack on the U.S. and sealed these papers in an envelope, which he then handed over to Canadian authorities. Canadian jailers opened this letter three days after 9/11 and read the warnings. When Canada initially contacted the U.S., the Navy claimed Vreeland was discharged in 1986 and had never worked in Intelligence. On January 10, 2002 during Vreeland’s trial, his attorneys called the Pentagon switchboard operator from a speakerphone and confirmed that Vreeland was indeed a Naval Lieutenant on active duty. The operator even provided a direct phone extension to Vreeland’s empty Pentagon office. What we will ever learn about Vreeland’s knowledge of the attacks is all uncertain. Why haven’t we heard his story in the major media? The answer is he’s been silenced by the government and the conspiracy-labeling Republicans who have smeared him because of their fear that the truth will come out. [ii]
· Newspapers in the Middle East received warnings from Al-Qaeda. 10
· MSNBC reported that in the week before the attacks, a caller to a Cayman Islands radio talk show gave several warnings of an attack on the U.S. [iii]
· Several children, ages 8-16, in New York and New Jersey leaked information to classmates and teachers prophesizing a disaster and warning them to stay away from Manhattan. The New York City Board of Education confirmed that school officials reported the incidents to police and that the matter had since been taken over by the FBI Joint Terrorist Task Force. This disturbing news was well documented by many U.S. news stations in the days following September 11, but how quickly the public forgets. [i]
· On the morning of 9/11, employees of Odigo Inc. in Israel, a worldwide instant messaging company with offices in New York, received threat warnings of an attack on the World Trade Center. This was two hours before the first plane struck. [ii]
· The FAA received 52 warnings. Five of the warnings mentioned hijackers. Two of the warnings mentioned suicide missions.
All of these warnings from governments, citizens, and even children have vanished from our minds in the haze of everything that has transpired since, and in which the U.S. government has suppressed into silence. Republicans have dismissed these truths as conspiracy or coincidence. There are, however, undoubtedly too many coincidences to be permanently dismissed.
· Let’s go back to where it all began—the state of Florida. On September 7, 2001, Governor Jeb Bush signed a two-year emergency executive order (01-261) that made new provisions for the Florida National Guard to assist law enforcement and emergency management personnel in the event of large civil disturbances, disaster, or acts of terrorism. This action was dismissed as “pure coincidence.”
· Then a week before September 11th, two U.S. carrier battle groups arrived on station off the Pakistan coast in the Gulf of Arabia. Approximately 17,000 U.S. troops simultaneously joined NATO troops in Egypt for “Operation Bright Star.” (5) These forces were all in place when the attacks began. Another coincidence?
· FEMA sent the Urban Search and Rescue Team to New York City the night before the attacks occurred! Tom Kennedy of FEMA slipped during an interview with Dan Rather, “We arrived on late Monday night and went right into action on Tuesday morning.”
· In August 2005, Representative Curt Weldon, Vice chairman of the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees, said this:

Sept. 11 ringleader Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers were identified by defense intelligence officials more than a year before the attacks, but no information about possible Al Qaeda connections was sent to law enforcement… The hijackers were identified in 1999 by a classified military intelligence unit known as “Able Danger,” which determined they could be members of an Al Qaeda cell...

...The aftermath doesn’t add up either. Bill Manning, Fire Engineering’s Editor in Chief, wrote in his January 2002 Editor’s Opinion, “$elling Out the Investigation,” [i]

Did they throw away the locked doors from the Triangle Shirtwaist fire? Did they throw away the gas can used at the Happyland Social Club fire? Did they cast aside the pressure-regulating valves at the Meridian Plaza fire? Of course not. But essentially, that’s what they’re doing at the World Trade Center.

Manning was referring to the federal government’s rapid removal and disposal of WTC rubble, some of which was sold off to China and other foreign nations. All WTC rubble was destroyed and sold off by May of 2002. Not one piece of this federal crime scene was saved for a federal investigation, a clear violation of federal law. Manning continued, “The destruction and removal of evidence must stop immediately… The federal government must scrap the current setup and commission a fully resourced blue ribbon panel to conduct a clean and thorough investigation of the fire and collapse, leaving no stones unturned.” This, of course, was never done, to Manning’s dissatisfaction as well as all of the 9/11 victim’s families.


Interesting & related articles

No hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11

First and foremost, if the U.S. government does not have enough hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11, how is it possible that it had enough evidence to invade Afghanistan to “smoke him out of his cave?” The federal government claims to have invaded Afghanistan to “root out” Bin Laden and the Taliban. Through the talking heads in the mainstream media, the Bush Administration told the American people that Usama Bin Laden was Public Enemy Number One and responsible for the deaths of nearly 3000 people on September 11, 2001. Yet nearly five years later, the FBI says that it has no hard evidence connecting Bin Laden to 9/11.

Remember, on June 5, 2006, FBI spokesman, Chief of Investigative Publicity Rex Tomb said, “The FBI has no hard evidence connecting Usama Bin Laden to 9/11.” This should be headline news worldwide. The challenge to the reader is to find out why it is not. Why has the U.S. media blindly read the government-provided 9/11 scripts, rather than investigate without passion, prejudice, or bias, the events of September 11, 2001?

How is it that the FBI has no “hard evidence” connecting Usama Bin Laden to the events of September 11, 2001, while the U.S. media has played the Bin Laden - 9/11 connection story for five years now as if it has conclusive evidence that Bin Laden is responsible for the collapse of the twin towers, the Pentagon attack, and the demise of United Flight 93?
No hard evidence connecting Usama Bin Laden to 9/11… Think about it.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article13664.htm


Bush Authorized 911 Attacks
http://www.rense.com/general57/aale.htm

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Bush plans world's largest ocean preserve

While this is a victory for us who care for the environment, we should ask ourselves would he have done this if he weren't in the bad posisition that he's in? Of course, perhaps, because there's no oil or mining to be done out there. But right now he's being overshadowed by the person who beat him for the 2000 popular vote, Al Gore, and Gore's current environmental campaign on the global warming crisis. This move by Bush is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Maybe it makes himself feel better, but it doesn't make up for the damage Bush has done to the environment as a pro-dirty-industry supporter.

Bush is a competitive actor. Everything his opponents are, Bush has tried to act out and be better at. Everything he has ever been jealous of, he has tried to out-do.

The southern rancher that he is not! Al Gore is a southern man who really worked on a ranch. What did Bush do, he put on a pair of jeans and got into a pickup truck with the cameras rolling.

The president by a fair and popular vote that he is not! His father George HW Bush and Bill Clinton really won elections. What did George W. do? He came up with a plan.

The veteran that he is not! John Kerry is a veteran who really showed up for service in Vietnam. What did Bush do? He put on his flight suit and bragged about his "service."

The responsible environmentalist he is not! Al Gore has spent 30 years really fighting for the environment, a fight that just culminated with the release of a popular documentary film. What does George do? He says he's a steward of the land and announces his ocean preserve.

Remember that this is only the second time that Bush has invoked the 1906 National Antiquities Act. Clinton had used the act to create 19 national monuments and expand three others to set aside 5.9 million acres of land.

But hey I'm not complaining. An ocean perserve is better than the environmental laws he's changed, and the land he's exploited for oil and mining, and the species he's endangered by ignoring data. After all that, we'll take what we can get.

I just hope they don't name it in Bush's honor. It should be called the Al Gore Ocean Federal Ocean Preserve, because that's who we should really be thanking.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Gore's opposition to Iraq should be the standard

Just in case you didn't get to see Al Gore on Larry King Live last night, Gore reiterated his original opposition to the invasion. It's not that hard to see the logic in his original opposition. And it makes us have to wonder where were the minds of all of the Congress members who voted for the war? Were they in the clouds out of touch with reality, did they really believe an administration that had already proven its lack of integrity, or were they purposefully giving Bush his blank check for self-destruction? Either way, this invasion was a mistake and Gore's reaffirmation of this should set a standard for the politicians we elect and re-elect.

KING: Were you opposed to Iraq?

GORE: Yes, I was.KING: From the get-go.

GORE: Yes.

KING: Because?

GORE: Well, the evidence available showed very clearly that we had been attacked on September 11, 2001 by Osama bin Laden and the al Qaeda terrorist organization. And I applauded President Bush's decision to go into Afghanistan to go after bin Laden. I thought that was correct.

I think it was a mistake though to pull so many of our troops off of that hunt and divert to an invasion of a country that had absolutely nothing to do with attacking us and even though we didn't like the dictator that was there, there are a lot of dictators out there right now that we don't like. And I felt that unlike the first Persian Gulf War, which I supported because Saddam Hussein had invaded his neighbor and was threatening the security interests of the U.S. and our allies and we had support from all our allies, the United Nations resolution, the whole world was behind us.

This was different and here's the most troubling aspect of it, Larry. The evidence that was coming out of the CIA and the expert community was saying one thing and it was the stuff they didn't want to hear they were deep-sixing it and stuff that didn't make sense they were ballyhooing. And it's the same thing that's happening with global warming. That's the point. They are doing exactly the same thing on this issue.

KING: Why deliberately? Are they deliberating saying "Ha, ha, ha, we want to go to war so we'll diffuse this?" What's the point?

GORE: I think that they went to -- I think it was like a perfect storm. I think there were a lot of things going on in the administration. I think that Vice President Cheney was genuinely focused on trying to get a foothold in the region where the biggest oil reserves are and he had written about and spoken about that for years before taking office.

Karl Rove said on the eve of the war that it was going to be a great political issue and I think that actually played into it. And then I think that there were some in the administration ideologically driven who had this idea that they were going to plant democracy in country with a majority of the population under 19 years old with no tradition of democracy.

And it's a, you know, great thing if you could do it but there was a lack of realism about whether it was actually feasible, particularly with trying to do it on the cheap with far fewer forces than the heads of the military were telling them at the time was necessary. http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0606/13/lkl.01.html

Let's salute the brave and intelligent ones who didn't vote for this war:

The vote on House Joint Resolution 114 as taken on October 11, 2002. It passed the Senate by a vote of 77 to 23. The 21 Democrats, one Republican and one Independent senator who courageously voted their consciences against it were:

Daniel Akaka (D-HI)
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
Barbara Boxer (D-CA)
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Kent Conrad (D-ND)
Jon Corzine (D-NJ)
Mark Dayton (D-MN)
Dick Durbin (D-IL)
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
Bob Graham (D-FL)
Daniel Inouye (D-HI)
Jim Jeffords (I-VT)
Ted Kennedy (D-MA)
Patrick Leahy (D-VT)
Carl Levin (D-MI)
Barbara Mikulski (D-MD)
Patty Murray (D-WA)
Jack Reed (D-RI)
Paul Sarbanes (D-MD)
Debbie Stabenow (D-MI)
the late Paul Wellstone (D-MN)
Ron Wyden (D-OR)

The House of Representatives passed the Resolution by a vote of 296 to 133. In the House, six Republicans (Ron Paul of Texas; Connie Morella of Maryland; Jim Leach of Iowa; Amo Houghton of New York; John Hostettler of Indiana; and John Duncan of Tennessee) joined 126 Democrats in voting nay.

Rep. Dennis Kucinich, (D-OH), said the 133 votes against the measure were "a very strong message" to the administration.

Al Gore, Howard Dean, and Wesley Clark are obviously not alone when they say they wouldn't have voted for the war.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth


I just saw the most important film of the year a second time and it was just as moving as the first time. Still going strong. This film is going to spark a revolution in thought.

Find a theater:
http://www.fandango.com/MoviePage.aspx?mid=95961&source=bm_title

See what you can do and take action:
http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/

Friday, June 09, 2006

BROKEN NATION Chapter 1 Excerpt SELECTION 2000 (We'd better start thinking about protecting elections)

I will now be periodically adding new excerpts from my book Broken Nation.

Chapter 1 SELECTION 2000 Excerpt #1

While this may bring back the cold sweats and nightmares, it is only right we start at the beginning. Too many Americans already forget Al Gore’s presidential run in 2000 and all of the controversy that followed the problematic election; but this was not only Gore’s loss. The remainder of this book shall serve the purpose of defining the immense loss our nation has suffered. The 2000 election was the beginning of the end for true democracy in America. On December 12, 2000, in one of the most biased Supreme Court decisions in American history, the citizens of Florida were denied their state rights to recount and verify votes. This denial resulted in a violation of all American’s rights— a democratic vote for president.

Laws were broken, the Constitution was ignored, and the American public lost a part of their democracy. Following a brutal smear campaign against John McCain, the Bush camp then turned their assault towards Gore with more slanderous lies. When the lies and million-dollar contributions from big corporations didn’t seem to work at changing the public view of Bush, evident from his losing poll numbers, they knew they had to do something else. So they resorted to the state of Florida, governed by the candidate’s own brother Jeb. They were smart though and did their research; for when it came time for everyone to question the irregular and fraudulent results, they relied upon a one-hundred-year old technicality of the Electoral College system along with a biased Supreme Court. These federal judges overturned the decision of the state judges and therefore enabled George W. Bush to become president through an Electoral College decision that was based on an incomplete popular vote.

The 2000 election dispute began for good reason. There was an uncertainty of the number of votes due to failing machines; under, over, and double votes; and a ballot that looked like Tic-Tac-Toe. In addition, there were other complaints coming from the African American community which testified that many people were turned away at the polls and denied their votes. Should Al Gore have simply walked away? Do you count your money when a banker hands you a withdrawal? I should hope so. What if at first glance something doesn’t add up right, do you just place the money in your wallet and walk away? Highly doubtful. I doubt Dick Cheney would walk away from the table without counting his Halliburton profits. It was quite evident Al Gore had reasonable cause to question the suspicious activity in what would become the most contro­versial election in presidential history.

There were three main factors why Gore did not win the Electoral College due to a stalled count of the popular vote. The first was due to the chief election officer, Secretary of State Katherine Harris, who put up a bureaucratic wall and aided Bush in his appeals. Harris is a known Republican with close ties to George W. Bush’s brother Jeb. She is the one who allowed the butterfly ballots, and also the one who certified the official votes of Florida. Incidentally, Harris was also the head of the Bush campaign in Florida.

Katherine Harris had several plans of action in place before the election even began. First Harris removed all ex-convicts from the database of eligible voters for 2000 based on an old confederate state law.(1) The only problem was they didn’t just delete ex-convicts; they also deleted all names that were similar to the names of the ex-convicts. For example, if the ex-convict’s name was Jerome Tyson, every Tyson in the state had a problem when they went to vote. It just so happens that most of the deleted names were African American and therefore most of the other unrelated names were also African American. Racism at its worst here in the 21st century of America.

The second factor was the state legislature that certified the electors was dominated by conservative Republicans. In addition, many state employees appointed by Jeb Bush had ultimate control over voting districts and regulations, as well as other entire departments. For instance, the Florida Department of State paid the Boca Raton company Database Technologies Inc. a $4 million contract to seek out improperly registered voters. Instead of doing what they were supposed to do— finding improperly registered voters— they made registered voters in certain African American counties not eligible. The result was a jumbled up state database and the disenfranchisement of thousands of African Americans in Florida. Coincidentally, the parent company of Database Technologies Inc. is Choice Point, a company whose CEO donated over $100,000 to the Republican Party only a couple of years earlier.

Harris has refused to answer any questions pertaining to the purging of names. Clayton Roberts, also a Republican, was the Director of Florida Elections. Roberts wouldn’t answer any questions either. However, George Bruder, Vice President of Operations at Database Technologies did admit to purging names. This is solid proof that Harris and Roberts violated the voting rights of not only every Florida citizen, but every citizen in the entire United States. Neither Harris nor Roberts have yet to be arrested for their federal crimes.

The final factor was the five Federal Supreme Court judges who basically ignored the law for this one particular election.(2) With overwhelming evidence, Judges Scalia, O’Connor, and Thomas have close ties to Bush and Vice President Cheney, and Judges Kennedy and the late Justice Rehnquist have had radically conservative pasts. Scalia’s two sons just happened to be employed by the Bush campaign. One of Scalia’s sons would later be appointed to the Labor Department by Bush.(3) It also doesn’t help that Judge Scalia is good friends with Dick Cheney; they’ve been spotted together in restaurants as well as on the infamous duck hunting trip in 2004. Thomas’s wife also worked for the Bush camp reviewing resumes for Bush appointees. Even without hunting trips with Dick Cheney, family ties, and all of the other odd “coincidences” as the Republicans have called them, speed is still not more important than justice in a democratic presidential election.

When Bush claimed victory the next day, Gore contested the new results. The Gore campaign requested a recount of 4 counties (four Democratic counties), which all reported widespread voting problems. Out of Florida’s 6,157,738 ballots, over 175,000 were under/over votes, and another 100,000 ballots were rejected due to malfunctioning voting machines. 27,000 votes in Duval County alone were thrown in the garbage. According to The Washington Post, at 10:00 p.m. on election night, Al Gore was leading Bush in Volusia County by 83,000 to 62,000 votes. One-half hour later, Gore’s vote total had been reduced by 16,000 to 67,000 and an obscure Socialist candidate saw a sudden surge to 10,000 votes in a precinct with only 600 voters. These numbers of lost votes don’t even include the thousands of Democratic voters who were denied their right to vote because of registration purging or alteration and intimidation.
In the midst of the debacle, Gore said in a speech to supporters,

“This is America. When votes are cast, we count them. We don't arbitrarily set them aside because it's too difficult to count them. In the end, in one of God's unforeseen paths, this election may point us all to a new common ground, for its very closeness can serve to remind us that we are one people, with a shared history and a shared destiny. So this extraordinary moment should summon all of us to become what we profess to be: one indivisible nation. Let us pledge ourselves to the ideal that the people's will should be heard and heeded, and then, together, let us find what is best in ourselves and seek what is best for America.”

Unfortunately, due to corruption, votes were not counted and America did not get what was best...

Thursday, June 08, 2006

GLOBAL WARNING

Global Warning

Warning: Global Threat More than 100 million people worldwide live within 3 feet of mean sea level.

Carbon Dioxide levels rise- mercury climbs -oceans warm -glaciers melt -sea levels rise -sea ice thins -permafrost thaws -wildfires increase -lakes shrink -lakes freeze -ice shelves collapse -drought lingers -precipitation increases -mountain streams run dry -winter loses its bite -spring arrives earlier -autumn comes later -plants flower sooner -migration times vary -habitats change and diminish -birds nest early -diseases spread -exotic species invade -amphibians disappear -coastlines erode -cloud forests dry -temperatures spike at high latitudes -heating up -melting down...
What in the world is happening? GLOBAL WARMING IS HAPPENING

The global temperature went up 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century.

Florida water rose 9 inches since 1930.

Glacier National Park in Montana had an estimated 150 glaciers in 1910. Now there are about 30. In another thirty years, it is predicted, that most or all of the glaciers will be gone and they will certainly have to change the name of the park.

In the last 8 years we have seen the top five hottest years on record.

Ice melting in the artic releases fresh water into oceans, which could change the course of currents that play a vital role in climate. Run off from land glaciers is already contributing to a global rise in sea level. Satellite data shows an approximate 24% decrease in the perennial ice cap in the Arctic at the North Pole. This decrease has occurred just in my lifetime of 29 years.

Large areas of ocean have appeared near Russia, Alaska, and Canada--Some projections show that the ice will be gone by summer 2100 and the north pole will no longer be solid.

Attention: Family and Friends in Florida and Long Island: Tell your children and grandchildren to head for the hills. At best scenario in 100 years there will be flooding at 4 inches, which takes away a great chunk of both Florida and Long Island's coasts. Worst case scenario: This will happen in 20 years and in 100 years Central Florida will be an island, Long Island will be a sandbar, and the Empire State Building will be on its way to becoming the world's tallest lighthouse.

Attention: Family and Friends in the West: Currently there are river reservoirs in the western U.S. that stand at less than half full, such as Lake Powell in Colorado, which supplies hydroelectricity and water to millions living in the southwest. A gripping drought is in its fifth year and if this continues scientists predict drastic water shortages for heavily populated cities like Albuquerque and Tucson in the very near future.

Global Warming is natural but it is also sped up and exceeded past its natural cycle by heavy amounts of gases and toxic emissions that become trapped in the atmosphere. This pollution comes from Industry, automobiles, and coal-fired electricity plants.

New advances in alternative energy--Solar and wind energy and electric and solar powered automobiles can curb global warming. Stronger pollution laws will push companies to do proper maintenance such as the installation of new scrubbers in plants, which can cut up to 95% of emissions and cost as little as 2% of one year's profits. These laws will also DEFINITELY lower cancer rates and improve everyone's overall quality of life. The immediate obstacle: The Bush Administration

:The Bush Administration supports big oil and gas and energy companies that sport hefty contributions to the Republican Party. Bush received $1.5 million in contributions from Big Oil and Gas companies in 1999 and 2000, more than any other candidate in history.

:(There are too many to count)appointed top officials to the White House and EPA who previously worked for and defended oil, gas, mining, and timber companies. This is a clear conflict of interest. Among some of them are: -Dick Cheney, former CEO of Halliburton Oil, owns stock and collects a pension. Halliburton is the company leading the Iraq oil takeover. -Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior and Protegee of James Watt, who resigned in a scandal during the Reagan Administration and who was notoriously known for being anti-environmental. Norton defended the lead paint industry and has argued that the Endangered Species Act is unconstitutional! -J. Stephen Griles, Deputy Secretary of the Interior is a former vice president of a mining company, worked under James Watt, and was a lobbyist for petroleum, mining, and oil companies. -Rebecca Watson, Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management is a former lawyer for gas, petroleum, and timber industry.

:Federal suits and investigations into 70 energy companies in violation of the Clean Air Act begun by the Clinton-Gore Administration were ABANDONED shortly after Bush took office.

:Bush blamed environmentalists for the California energy crisis for preventing power companies from running at full capacity. The REAL cause of the crisis: Market manipulation by Enron.

:The Bush-Cheney Clear Skies Act is an industry-friendly market-based scam that will allow 50% more sulfur dioxide, 40% more nitrous oxides, and 3x the amount of mercury as the 1970 Clean Air Act.

Sources: National Geographic, NRDC, WWF, Defenders of Wildlife, Union of Concerned Scientists, Sierra Club

For more information on Global Warming:
www.thegalileosyndrome.com
http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567022/Global_Warming.html www.bushpollution.com
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/climate.html

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

What do you think about the border crisis?

I'm not quite sure what the right remedy for this situation is. Is Bush neglecting borders? You bet he is. Is it a problem? Yes. But building a wall? They did that in Europe and look what happened. And then how is the military going to contribute to this? They're already so overstretched with Iraq. While the movement is for a good cause, I think for security purposes, and not hateful anti-immigration or discrimatory purposes, it also conflicts with many of our civil liberties and thus defeating one of the very beautiful freedoms of America.

If we wall ourselves in due to security purposes, we are essentially letting the terrorists win and in the process we are angering the second largest language in the US- Spanish. Intelligence is the best way to fight terrorism. Building a wall around Timothy McVeigh's home wouldn't have prevented anything because we didn't know he was a terrorist, but essentially that is what he became. Should there be surveillance of some kind along the borders? Sure. But a wall? And I don't think having a bunch of unemployed white cowboys running around with with guns is the solution either.

And as for kicking "illegals" out or fining businesses, I couldn't disagree more. These are people who came here for better lives, like all the Irish and Italians who came here illegally in the 1800s. Perhaps this is one area where Bush and I agree- making them citizens (even though I think Bush is really just playing the "say the opposite what I want and get the results I want" game.)

I detest the term "illegal alien" Unless you're Native American, no one has the right to use that term.

Some of the basic facts about George W. Bush:

Some of the basic facts about George W. Bush:

● Was warned by Richard Clarke and other specialists for 8 months prior to 9/11 about terrorist activity involving Bin Laden. On Aug. 6, 2001 Bush received a memo titled “Bin Laden determined to strike U.S.”
● Cut anti-terrorism funding prior to 9/11.
● Spent 42% of his time prior to September 11th ON VACATION. Has since spent more time on vacation than any other president in history.
● Sat for nearly 10 minutes continuing to read to children after being told America was under attack.
● Opposed an independent 9/11 commission, even though the families of 9/11 victims wanted it.
● Exceeded deadlines for handing over information to the 9/11 Commission. Finally agreed to “visit” with the commission ONLY once, for ONE hour, WITH Dick Cheney, and in a CLOSED meeting with NO record.
● Opposed the original Homeland Security Cabinet proposed in October 2001.
● Has given the fewest open press conferences in the 50+ years of televised presidential history. In the ones he did give, he referred to the questions as “trick questions.”
● Despite what Bush says about Afghanistan, it is still a mess. Parts of the country are so unstable they don’t dare venture into them. A polling station was blown to pieces the day before the “democratic” elections. Newly elected President Karzi was a former advisor to Unocal Energy Corp. (an oil company with links to Bush and Cheney). And Osama Bin Laden got away.
● Lied about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq and Saddam Hussein’s ties to Al Qaeda and misled America into Iraq.
● Lied about seeking a UN vote for the War with Iraq in March 2003. Never did.
● Bush’s so-called coalition of nations as he referred to them was predominantly made up of countries like Iceland, Costa Rica, and Morocco, which have no militaries. Afghanistan, which is made up of our own military, is another nation he counts on his coalition list.
● Opposed an independent bipartisan commission to investigate WMD and intelligence failures -01/04
● Has turned a $5 trillion surplus into an $8 trillion DEFICIT.
● Brags about his tax cuts that only help people who make over $200,000 a year. The tax cuts RAISE middle class property taxes; STARVES social security, Medicare, & Medicaid; and REDUCES Veteran’s benefits. Therefore, the soldiers that come home from Iraq return with fewer benefits.
● His No Child Left Behind Act is the second largest UNFUNDED mandate in the history of education.
● Reduced the # of failing schools by REDUCING standards.
● Opposed the extension for the ban on assault weapons. Now these weapons are back on the street.
● Police officers have been taken off the street and Firehouses have been closed due to spending in Iraq which has resulted in less federal funding.
● Lied about gay marriage and said it would be up to the states to decide -02/00. In 02/04 he called for a Constitutional Amendment.
● Does not support Hybrid automobiles and tax credits for people who buy them.
● Has tried to reverse 30 years of Environmental policy and accomplishments for cutting pollution for the benefit of oil, gas, mining, and timber companies.
● More people protested Bush than any other human being in world history.

Bush needs to be worrying about his own marriage

Marriage values? Looks like Bush picked the wrong time to be worrying about what other people who love each do!As reported by Wayne Madsen on http://www.waynemadsenreport.com/

June 3, 2006 -- WMR can report that a Mayflower Hotel staffer has confirmed that First Lady Laura Bush spent at least one night this past week at the hotel, which is four blocks north of the White House. Mrs. Bush reportedly moved out of the White House after a confrontation with President Bush over his on-going affair with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Mayflower's official position on the story is that they can "neither confirm nor deny" the identities of their guests. Because it's penchant for security and secrecy is well known to the Secret Service, the Mayflower has become a reliable hotel for U.S. and international VIPs.

Some Washington observers believe that the recent flare up between Laura Bush and the president stems from the fact that her poll numbers are twice as favorable as her husband's (60 percent to 29 percent). Laura Bush's recent solo missions to New Orleans, Colorado, and an AIDS conference at the United Nations represent a virtual declaration of independence from the most unpopular president in U.S. history. "She's [Laura's] taking a page right out of Hillary's book," said one Washington pundit. Rice, on the other hand, has been very close and loyal to Bush since she signed on as his chief foreign policy adviser in 2000. WMR has been told of intimate encounters between Mr. Bush and Rice on trips to New York City (multiple occasions) and New Orleans following Katrina.

WMR has received numerous email from the typical right-wing political direct marketing operations with the same talking point: how dare we violate the privacy of the President and First Lady in time of war. In the GOP view of morality, Republican Presidents are entitled to more privacy than Democratic Presidents.

In another bit of GOP hypocrisy, on Monday, President Bush will hold a VIP ceremony at the White House to back a bill enshrining a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. The name of the legislation: The Sanctity of Marriage Act. WMR hopes the mainstream TV media will focus on Laura Bush's facial reaction when Mr. Bush proclaims his support for The Sanctity of Marriage Act, i.e., if Mrs. Bush is even present for the event.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

An Inconvenient Truth


This could put us in the right direction
EXCELLENT FILM!! EXCELLENT MAN!
I just saw the most important film of the year: http://www.climatecrisis.net/
Find a theater: http://www.fandango.com/MoviePage.aspx?mid=95961&source=bm_title
See what you can do and take action: http://www.climatecrisis.net/takeaction/

Al Gore was talking about Global Warming 20 years ago. Can we finally start paying attention?

An Inconvenient Truth is the most important film of the year. Of course, we can assume most people seeing the film are fans of Gore or curious Democrats, but we all need to be reminded of the issues and we all need to know the facts. And this film may just transcend past red-blue-Inde party lines. As Gore says in the film, "this is not just a political issue, it's a moral one." And I think more and more Republicans are begining to see this connection. As for the independents, this film shows the green party (especially the ones who ignored his environmental book Earth in Balance) how wrong they were about Gore. Evident in this film as well as all of Gore's writings and bill proposals in the Senate, the environment has been a life-long mission for Gore. And this mission is exactly what this film documents.

We need someone like Al Gore as president. Someone who will make the necessary changes. That's why I'm part of an initiative to draft Al for President in 2008 http://www.algore.org/ While my prediction of a Gore/Edwards ticket might be feasible, I must also face the realization that Gore may in fact be retired from politics. And that's ok because the man who won the 2000 election but lost the selection will always be a president for the people and the environment. Forget titles. This film proves it.

Another great thing I'd like to mention is the amount of teenagers I saw in the theater. Even though I saw a few of their minds wander, eveident from some of the chatter and movement in the room, at least they were there. What brought them to this film? I don't know. Did they appreciate it like my wife and I did? No probably not. But maybe someday they will.
I do believe and hope that a new movement is about to begin, yet it still may get a little worse before it gets better. Let's all just hope the tide is turning.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

New York's race for Governor

Thomas R. Suozzi Go Home

Mere months into his new Nassau County Executive position, Thomas Suozzi decides to run for governor against the very popular and far more experienced and successful Eliot Spitzer. What’s wrong with this picture? Sure, Suozzi has the freedom to do as he wishes, but how about attacking some of the many real issues that plague Long Islanders and New Yorkers rather than attacking someone in your own party, someone who will most likely be the next governor anyway? Better yet, how about doing your job and keeping the promises you made to the people of Nassau County who put you in the position to run for governor in the first place? Small minded with big ego— the problem with too many Long Island politicians. The problem with too many politicians-- period.

Anti-Terrorism funding CUT and Whistleblowers punished

Just like prior to 9/11, Bush has again cut anti-terrorism funding. The hardest hit city in the U.S.- New York was just cut 40% in funding, yet cities with no possible risk of terrorism like Omaha continue to receive funding. What is Bush's Department of Homeland Security?
Nothing but a bureaucracy.

Meanwhile, Bush's Supreme Court just decided that anyone speaking out against corruption will be punished.

What is happening to this democracy?