Breaking News: We Can Win the War After All

Well, every day seems to make yesterday's news obsolete, and today is no exception. Bush now says we can win the war on terror after all. Well, as the saying goes, you can't make this stuff up.

Now He tells Us

Something must have happened to George Bush since July 14th. At that time he said, "I have a clear vision and a strategy to win the war on terror." On April 13th, he said,"One of the interesting things people ask me is, 'Can you ever win the war on terror?' Of course you can."

What happened?

Monday Bush told Matt Lauer,

"I don't think you can win it."

Bush went on to say that he thinks "you can create conditions so that those who use terror as a tool are less acceptable in parts of the world." So now it is officially acknowledged that terror is a tool, not something against which war can be waged. Likewise, it would hard to wage war on bows and arrows or sling shots.

Scott McClellan tried to say that Bush's comments were not a departure from the policies now in effect. I would guess that Karl Rove has a big headache and acid indigestion by now.

This is what happens when George is let out in public to speak off the cuff. It will be fun to watch the debates.

The Ultimate Flip-Flop

Today George Bush admitted that, in his estimation, we will not be able to win the war on terrorism. So what do you think will be on The Daily Show tonight?

Here is a post on The Daily Kos:


The ultimate flip flop
by kos Tue Aug 31st, 2004 at 00:01:03 GMTThis one wins. Hands down.

Today
"Can we win?" the war on terror, Bush said, "I don't think you can win it.
September 12, 2001:
This battle will take time and resolve. But make no mistake about it: we will win.
Bush in 2002:
We will win, because of what we love. We will win because we're determined and strong. We will win because we're a nation which holds values dear to our heart. And we refuse to be intimidated by anybody, at any place, at any time. We will win because we want to uphold our duty and obligation to leave America intact and free, so future generations of people, Hispanic or otherwise, can realize dreams, can succeed, can realize their God-given talents. That's what this is all about.
Bush in 2003:
We will prevail. We will win because our cause is just. We will win because we will stay on the offensive. And we will win because you're part of the finest military ever assembled. And we will prevail because the Iraqis want their freedom.
Bush in April 2004:
We will win this test of wills, and overcome every challenge, because the cause of freedom and security is worth our struggle.

Well then. Bush has given up. His failed presidency has given us a failed hunt for Osama Bin Laden, a failed hunt for Mullah Omar, a failed hunt, and, now, a failed war on terrorism.
Since Bush can't finish this thing off, time to elect a president who will see us through this struggle. While we may disagree on Iraq, there is a real war against a real enemy. And while Bush may have dropped the ball on Al Qaida to wage his optional war against Saddam, Kerry won't.

The flip-flop rhetoric is so infuriating. Name-calling seems to be the order of the day. Where is the spirit of democracy? We need to get back to a government for all the people and not a government which tricks the people into standing for policies which are actually bad for them.

George, Can You Hear Us, Now?

The stream of people just kept on coming. Hundreds of thousands! The biggest march ever in the history of political conventions. A river of Americans who care about our country and want a regime change in November. I watched C-Span from noon to 4:30 when the march ended. There was no trouble. All ages, all colors, male and female, children, old people, teenagers, young adults, gays and lesbians, clergy, people in wheelchairs, a beautiful tapestry. This is what democracy looks like. It was a spectacular sight! Many people, one message: FOUR MORE MONTHS! BUSH MUST GO!

Bush has a hearing problem, but Kerry listens and hears and cares. Vote Kerry!

War Is a Racket: Smedley Darlington Butler, USMC

This is history. Written by Major General Smedley Darlington Butler, USMC Retired (1881-1940), a decorated war veteran, the article puts forth in a dramatic way the stark realities of war, its costs, its benefits and benefactors, who pays the bills, and how to stop this racket. Smedley's final statement is: To hell with war! I include the first chapter here. To read the other 3 chapters, click on the title line of this blog to take you there. It is well worth the time to read it.

As you read this, you may feel as I do: Does all this, written in the early 20th century, sound familiar? You may wonder, as I do: When will peace come? Is war a fact of life? You may pray, as I do: For a regime change in November. John Kerry is our only hope to restore our nation and begin the healing process and to establish America once again as a nation respected in the world and strong at home.



WAR IS A RACKET

WAR is a racket. It always has been.
It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.
In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.

And what is this bill?

This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.
For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.

Again they are choosing sides. France and Russia met and agreed to stand side by side. Italy and Austria hurried to make a similar agreement. Poland and Germany cast sheep's eyes at each other, forgetting for the nonce [one unique occasion], their dispute over the Polish Corridor.
The assassination of King Alexander of Jugoslavia [Yugoslavia] complicated matters. Jugoslavia and Hungary, long bitter enemies, were almost at each other's throats. Italy was ready to jump in. But France was waiting. So was Czechoslovakia. All of them are looking ahead to war. Not the people – not those who fight and pay and die – only those who foment wars and remain safely at home to profit.

There are 40,000,000 men under arms in the world today, and our statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not in the making.

Hell's bells! Are these 40,000,000 men being trained to be dancers?

Not in Italy, to be sure. Premier Mussolini knows what they are being trained for. He, at least, is frank enough to speak out. Only the other day, Il Duce in "International Conciliation," the publication of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said:

"And above all, Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace... War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the people who have the courage to meet it."
Undoubtedly Mussolini means exactly what he says. His well-trained army, his great fleet of planes, and even his navy are ready for war – anxious for it, apparently. His recent stand at the side of Hungary in the latter's dispute with Jugoslavia showed that. And the hurried mobilization of his troops on the Austrian border after the assassination of Dollfuss showed it too. There are others in Europe too whose sabre rattling presages war, sooner or later.

Herr Hitler, with his rearming Germany and his constant demands for more and more arms, is an equal if not greater menace to peace. France only recently increased the term of military service for its youth from a year to eighteen months.

Yes, all over, nations are camping in their arms. The mad dogs of Europe are on the loose. In the Orient the maneuvering is more adroit. Back in 1904, when Russia and Japan fought, we kicked out our old friends the Russians and backed Japan. Then our very generous international bankers were financing Japan. Now the trend is to poison us against the Japanese. What does the "open door" policy to China mean to us? Our trade with China is about $90,000,000 a year. Or the Philippine Islands? We have spent about $600,000,000 in the Philippines in thirty-five years and we (our bankers and industrialists and speculators) have private investments there of less than $200,000,000.

Then, to save that China trade of about $90,000,000, or to protect these private investments of less than $200,000,000 in the Philippines, we would be all stirred up to hate Japan and go to war – a war that might well cost us tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives of Americans, and many more hundreds of thousands of physically maimed and mentally unbalanced men.

Of course, for this loss, there would be a compensating profit – fortunes would be made. Millions and billions of dollars would be piled up. By a few. Munitions makers. Bankers. Ship builders. Manufacturers. Meat packers. Speculators. They would fare well.

Yes, they are getting ready for another war. Why shouldn't they? It pays high dividends.
But what does it profit the men who are killed? What does it profit their mothers and sisters, their wives and their sweethearts? What does it profit their children?

What does it profit anyone except the very few to whom war means huge profits?

Yes, and what does it profit the nation?

Take our own case. Until 1898 we didn't own a bit of territory outside the mainland of North America. At that time our national debt was a little more than $1,000,000,000. Then we became "internationally minded." We forgot, or shunted aside, the advice of the Father of our country. We forgot George Washington's warning about "entangling alliances." We went to war. We acquired outside territory. At the end of the World War period, as a direct result of our fiddling in international affairs, our national debt had jumped to over $25,000,000,000. Our total favorable trade balance during the twenty-five-year period was about $24,000,000,000. Therefore, on a purely bookkeeping basis, we ran a little behind year for year, and that foreign trade might well have been ours without the wars.

It would have been far cheaper (not to say safer) for the average American who pays the bills to stay out of foreign entanglements. For a very few this racket, like bootlegging and other underworld rackets, brings fancy profits, but the cost of operations is always transferred to the people – who do not profit.

There's much more to the article: Who Makes the Profits?, Who Pays the Bills?, and How To Smash This Racket! Read on......

The War Prayer: Mark Twain Speaks

The War Prayer
Dictated by Mark Twain [Samuel Clemens] in 1904 in advance of his death in 1910.

During his writing career, he had criticized perhaps every type of person or institution either living or dead. But this piece was just a little too hot for his family to tolerate. Since they believed the short narrative would be regarded as sacrilege, they urged him not to publish it. However, Sam was to have the last word, and even the word after that. Having directed it to be published after his death, he said,

"I have told the truth in that... and only dead men can tell the truth in this world."
- William H. Huff

The War Prayer
by Mark Twain

It was a time of great exulting and excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; the drums were beating, the bands playing, the toy pistols popping, the bunched firecrackers hissing and sputtering; on every hand and far down the receding and fading spread of roofs and balconies a fluttering wilderness of flags flashed in the sun; daily the young volunteers marched down the wide avenue gay and fine in their new uniforms, the proud fathers and mothers and sisters and sweethearts cheering them with voices choked with happy emotion as they swung by; nightly the packed mass meetings listened, panting, to patriot oratory which stirred the deepest depths of their hearts, and which they interrupted at briefest intervals with cyclones of applause, the tears running down their cheeks the while; in the churches the pastors preached devotion to flag and country, and invoked the God of Battles, beseeching His aid in our good cause in outpourings of fervid eloquence which moved every listener. It was indeed a glad and gracious time, and the half dozen rash spirits that ventured to disapprove of the war and cast doubt upon its righteousness straight way got such a stern and angry warning that for their personal safety's sake they quickly shrank out of sight and offended no more in that way.

Sunday morning came – next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled; the volunteers were there, their young faces alight with martial dreams – visions of the stern advance, the gathering momentum, the rushing charge, the flashing sabers, the flight of the foe, the tumult, the enveloping smoke, the fierce pursuit, the surrender! – then home from the war, bronzed heroes, welcomed, adored, submerged in golden seas of glory! With the volunteers sat their dear ones, proud, happy, and envied by the neighbors and friends who had no sons and brothers to send forth to the field of honor, there to win for the flag, or failing, die the noblest of noble deaths. The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said; it was followed by an organ burst that shook the building, and with one impulse the house rose, with glowing eyes and beating hearts, and poured out that tremendous invocation:

"God the all-terrible! Thou who ordainest, Thunder thy clarion and lightning thy sword!"

Then came the "long" prayer. None could remember the like of it for passionate pleading and moving and beautiful language. The burden of its supplication was, that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers, and aid, comfort, and encourage them in their patriotic work; bless them, shield them in the day of battle and the hour of peril, bear them in His mighty hand, make them strong and confident, invincible in the bloody onset; help them to crush the foe, grant to them and to their flag and country imperishable honor and glory – An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle, his eyes fixed upon the minister, his long body clothed in a robe that reached to his feet, his head bare, his white hair descending in a frothy cataract to his shoulders, his seamy face unnaturally pale, pale even to ghastliness. With all eyes following and wondering, he made his silent way; without pausing, he ascended to the preacher's side and stood there, waiting. With shut lids the preacher, unconscious of his presence, continued his moving prayer, and at last finished it with the words, uttered in fervent appeal, "Bless our arms, grant us victory, O Lord our God, Father and Protector of our land and flag!"

The stranger touched his arm, motioned him to step aside – which the startled minister did – and took his place. During some moments he surveyed the spellbound audience with solemn eyes, in which burned an uncanny light; then in a deep voice he said:
"I come from the Throne – bearing a message from Almighty God!" The words smote the house with a shock; if the stranger perceived it he gave no attention. "He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd, and will grant it if such be your desire after I, His messenger, shall have explained to you its import – that is to say, its full import. For it is like unto many of the prayers of men, in that it asks for more than he who utters it is aware of – except he pause and think.

"God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer. Has he paused and taken thought? Is it one prayer? No, it is two – one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of Him Who heareth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this – keep it in mind. If you would beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it.

"You have heard your servant's prayer – the uttered part of it. I am commissioned of God to put into words the other part of it – that part which the pastor – and also you in your hearts – fervently prayed silently. And ignorantly and unthinkingly? God grant that it was so! You heard these words: 'Grant us victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary. When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory – must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!
"O Lord our Father, our young patriots, idols of our hearts, go forth to battle – be Thou near them! With them – in spirit – we also go forth from the sweet peace of our beloved firesides to smite the foe. O Lord our God, help us to tear their soldiers to bloody shreds with our shells; help us to cover their smiling fields with the pale forms of their patriot dead; help us to drown the thunder of the guns with shrieks of their wounded, writhing in pain; help us to lay waste their humble homes with hurricanes of fire; help us to wring the hearts of their unoffending widows with unavailing grief; help us to turn them out roofless with their little children to wander unfriended the wastes of their desolated land in rags and hunger and thirst, sports of the sun flames of summer and the icy winds of winter, broken in spirit, worn with travail, imploring Thee for the refuge of the grave and denied it – for our sakes who adore Thee, Lord, blast their hopes, blight their lives, protract their bitter pilgrimage, make heavy their steps, water their way with tears, stain the white snow with the blood of their wounded feet! We ask it, in the spirit of love, of Him Who is the Source of Love, and Who is the ever-faithful refuge and friend of all that are sore beset and seek His aid with humble and contrite hearts. Amen."
[After a pause.] "Ye have prayed it; if ye still desire it, speak! The messenger of the Most High waits."

It was believed afterward that the man was a lunatic, because there was no sense in what he said.

Have you read 'WAR IS A RACKET' ? [by Smedley Darlington Butler (1881-1940)

[To go to the original, click on the title line of this blog.]

The American Way: Dissent, Dissent, Dissent!

My very best wishes to the fifteen organizations who are among those who have received permits from the City of New York to protest the Republican National Convention:

American Friends Service Committee
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Christian Defense Coalition
Code Pink Women for Peace (Go, girls!)
Hip Hop Summit Action Network (Go, P. Diddy!)
National Organization for Women
New York City Central Labor Council
Not in Our Name
One People's Project
Peaceful Tomorrows (9/11 families)
Planned Parenthood
Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign
Sierra Club
United for Peace and Justice: Coalition of 800 anti-war groups
Vietnam Veterans Against the War: Rally "We Remember He Lied- They Died"

Many thanks to those who are taking the time and spending the money to make a difference for America.

The Pink Ladies

CODEPINK Women for Peace began in October 2002 as an effort by women to stop the war on Iraq. The group plans to hold frequent protests before the Republican National Convention.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 28- Women Against War at historic Riverside Church

SUNDAY, AUGUST 29- Women's Rally March in tandem with United for Peace and Justice anti-war march

TUESDAY, AUGUST 31- Shut-Up-a-Thon outside Fox News [I love it!]


YOU GO, GIRLS!!!!!

[Click on blog title to read more about CODEPINK.]

What Could Be More Scary?

Heard on Air America Radio's "Unfiltered" show this morning:

The only thing scarier than the fact that Bush has spent an estimated 40% of his time on vacation, or, as George calls it, "down time":

George Bush has spent 60% of his time in office acting as our "president!"

That's really scary!

What Did Cheney Say?

It was a bit of a surprise to read this quote from none other than Dick Cheney:

Cheney said he believes individual states rather than the federal government should decide whether to sanction marriage between homosexuals.

"My general view is that freedom means freedom for everyone. People ought to be free to enter into any kind of relationship they want," Cheney, 63, said in response to a question at a campaign "town hall" meeting in Davenport, Iowa."

Well, this is strange. It goes to show you that anything is possible. I find myself actually agreeing with Dick Cheney. What day is this? I must make a note of this.

[Read article by clicking on above title.]

God's Boy George

We in the Tidewater area are quite familiar with the views of Pat Robertson. If you've lived in this area long enough, you can remember the early days of "The 700 Club" and "The Jim and Tammy Show," which broadcast from its Portsmouth studio. Those were NOT the good 'ole days. We have seen the emergence of Regent University and The Christian Broadcasting Network off of Indian River Road and the 5-star Swan Terrace Restaurant. The whole operation has always given the appearance of great success.

However, Pat is showing signs of delusion. Last January he told his TV audience that God had told him Bush will win in a blowout. Well, hearing God's voice is not unusual for Pat. He would have us believe that he has a private line to the heavens. Our current president has the same idea. He says God speaks to him also. The interesting thing is that God speaks to other people, too, and they're not getting the same message. Even the Pope himself doesn't get the same message. What can we make of that?

Robertson spent several days in prayer at the end of last year, and reported:

"The Lord has just blessed him," Robertson said of Bush. "I mean, he could make terrible mistakes and comes out of it. It doesn't make any difference what he does, good or bad, God picks him up because he's a man of prayer and God's blessing him."

So apparently it doesn't bother Brother Pat if George makes a terrible mistake. (Of course, remember that George can't think of any mistakes he's made yet.) He just comes out of it. It doesn't matter what he does, good or bad. Everything comes out all right because George is a man of prayer. Is anyone buying this?

This is just one point raised by writer Maureen Farrell in her article "33 Extreme Reasons to Give Bush the Boot." Click here: http://www.buzzflash.com/farrell/04/08/far04029.html

If you want to read about the other 32 reasons, it makes for good, though troubling, reading.

Iraqi Athletes: We Are Not Really Happy

The coach of the Iraqi soccer team said today,

"You cannot speak about a team that represents freedom. We do not have freedom in Iraq. We have an occupying force. This is one of our most miserable times."

Many Americans, including myself, were opposed to this illegal invasion of a sovereign nation which was no threat to America. We knew it was a very bad idea from the beginning. When will our president start listening to the Iraqis? Of course, the answer is NEVER. This is one of the primary reasons we need a regime change in America. We need a president who has ears and eyes and is willing to use them for the good of all people at home and abroad.

Coach Hamad said, "To be honest with you, even our happiness at winning is not happiness because we are worried about the problems in Iraq, all the daily problems that our people face back home, so to tell you the truth, we are not really happy."

To attempt to take credit for the well-being of the Iraqi people, when they are far from well off precisely because of the policies of the Bush administration is unconscionable.

I know- you are the choir and I am preaching to it! And, of course, the solution to our immediate dilemma is for the removal of this president in November.

Shocking Discovery

My friends, "The Daily Mis-Lead" reports that the Bush campaign had "no idea that [Kenneth] Cordier was involved in the SBVT (Swift Boat Veterans for Truth [ha! ha!]) ads." Well, what do you folks think? Cordier appears prominently in the SBVT ads which, as just about everybody knows, have been sadly a major issue in the campaign for weeks and replayed repeatedly on national television. They had no idea. Are we to assume that absolutely no one in the Bush camp is assigned to monitor TV or radio or read the papers?

As a result of this shocking discovery, Mr. Cordier has been relieved of his duties as a member of the B/C veterans steering committee.

Oh, and one more thing: The primary backer of the fraudulent ads is Bob Perry. We've never heard of him until now. He is THE top donor to Republicans in Texas and a longtime associate of none other than Karl "The Snake" Rove, Bush's top political advisor for nearly 20 years. Perry contributed $200,000 to SBVT.

But still.....

They had no earthly idea!

This Says It All

Read this letter from John Cory, a Vietnam veteran who received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star in 1969-1970. He addresses the letter to the Swift Boat Organization.

" You have chosen vanity over valor, hubris over honor, character assassination and fraud over fact. You have chosen to enfold yourself in the shadows of partisan politics while sniping at those who stand in the open light of their record. You have chosen to wear the uniform of shame. "

John Cory knows of what he speaks. This detour through Vietnam is a most unfortunate turn in this campaign. Bush, in the words of John McCain, should be ashamed. So far he does not seem so.

We Aren't Crazy About Bush Either

From the August 30th issue of The Weekly Standard comes the surprising news that not even the Republicans are really that crazy about their candidate.

"Republicans are supporting a candidate that relatively few of them find personally or politically appealing."

I wish I were Jon Stewart at this very moment! I can see his mouth dropped open in shock.

It seems Republicans are pining for war heroes, George H. W. Bush or Bob Dole. The article claims that Republicans are faced with the difficult task of voting against a war hero this time. In order to do this, the easiest way is to convince themselves that the war hero isn't a war hero. Then voting for Bush won't seem so wrong. The cognitive dissonance will be easier to bear. This anti-Kerry campaign is not designed to win undecided votes. It's designed to reassure uneasy minds.

[Click on the blog title to get to the Weekly Standard article by senior editor Andrew Ferguson.)

Laura Bush: You Are No Abigail Adams

Protest is an American tradition. Here is a moment in history:

The first American revolutionaries were "rude and insolent rabble" to John Adams, who nevertheless became president in their wake. Abigail Adams warned her husband in 1776 to remember that "if particular care and attention are not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion."

Gee, wouldn't it be great if Laura Bush would sock it to George like that? Too bad she has adopted the Stepford First Lady role. She could have done much better.

Okay. They'd make a nice couple if they would just stay on the "ranchette" in Crawford and mind their own business. I might even be able to like them.

Bloomberg: Please Be a Nice Little Protester

Sometimes when you don't know whether to laugh or cry, something comes along that just makes the decision a no-brainer. The mayor of New York wants to welcome the protesters. (It seems to me I heard that today the protest issue is being hashed out in court. Why doesn't the mayor just go down and testify on behalf of the dissenters? I think they'd appreciate that a whole lot more than the promise of an Appleby's voucher.)

You can download your very own official "Peaceful Political Activists Savings Card" online at www.nycvisit.com. I think you have to wear a button, too. And you have to promise to keep political dissent peaceful, out of sight, and not too loud. No louder than what can easily be drowned out by the beeping of patriotic cab drivers. Sadly, I don't think that is just tongue in cheek. Those cabbies are probably chowing down those jalepino poppers at Appleby's already a week early.

I think the conventioneers should be required to wear a button, too. The other choices could be "War, Poverty, Torture, Fear: We're For It!" or "Our Grandchildren: Who Cares?" or "The Future: Who Needs It?" Any other ideas? And they won't be needing any vouchers, or so they think now. We're all in the same boat, but some don't know it yet. We all need clean air, water, justice, and peace to thrive.

If you haven't read the article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, just click on the title above, and enjoy! It's really quite funny, if indeed there is anything funny about anything these days.

Desperate Measures for a Desperate Man

Today the NYT carried an article by Kate Zernike and Jim Rutenberg entitled "Friendly Fire: The Birth of an Anti-Kerry Ad." Just yesterday, August 19th, John Kerry came on strong, calling the accusations about his Vietnam service record categorically false and, more importantly said that the people behind these accusations were all in some major way connected with the Bush machine.

The recent ad, the one everyone is talking about this week, was an attempt by the group called Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (a strange name for a group dedicated to lies or innuendo) to discredit Mr. Kerry's war record and ultimately damage him enough to secure Bush for another disastrous four years. These men I believe are still suffering from the devastating effects of war. They have toxic anger which impedes their ability to see the difference between Kerry's opposition to war and the actual job of doing the war. They can't see it, then or now. To them, Kerry is cheapening their sacrifice.

However, I don't believe this is the real issue. Of course, it isn't. It is a tactic of Bush supporters with lots of money to draw Kerry into a pointless debate which no one can win, and thereby pulling him off course. It has nothing to do with Kerry's Vietnam medals. How could it? Bush has no medals at all, and his military record really is questionable in comparison. So it would not behoove the Bush campaign to take this issue on based on true merit.

An even bigger issue for me is this: Do we at this juncture really need to hash over this subject? As far as I'm concerned, the qualifications Kerry has for the presidency transcend his military experience. But I am aware that for many people this could become a stumbling block. So for that reason this needs to be addressed head on which Kerry seems to be very capable of doing.

All the astounding connections and monies that have been given to Bush are charted in the NYT. What a convoluted web of destruction! It's all there for us to see. The facts do not support the allegations. Unfortunately, I think this group of war veterans, for whom I have sympathy because they were emotionally wounded by war, is being taken advantage of by the Bush people who see them as a means of winning an otherwise futile campaign. Bush has nothing to run on, so Karl Rove has to devise every despicable tactic he can think of, and he is good at that, as we all know. The Swift Boat group is doing the dirty work for Bush, perhaps unwittingly. Bush can get his flimsy message out without actually saying a word.

I watched the Dick Cavitt Show on the CNN website this week, the one which featured the debate between John O'Neill (recruited by the Nixon administration) and John Kerry in 1971. Kerry was in complete control of himself, seemed remarkably comfortable in his skin, and took the abuse from O'Neill in a very graceful manner. O'Neill poured out buckets of hate and self-righteousness aimed at Kerry. He would have reduced a lesser man to tatters. I was impressed with John Kerry. I think he showed presidential character back then.

So the issues of the economy, healthcare, foreign policy, veterans and military affairs, education, and the environment must be put on hold while we take this little detour. I hope we get back to the real campaign soon. I hope Bush does not succeed in this ploy. The emperor has no clothes and nothing to run on. The choir knows this, and you are probably in the choir. So we can all agree that, to those who see through this, this will not work. But we do have to have a healthy respect for the uninformed citizen for whom this will possibly make a difference in his or her vote.

Reason For Iraq War: The Olympics

George Bush has no couth whatsoever. As if it weren't enough that he has used the tragedy of 9-11 for his campaign ads, he brayed with bravado in Oregon, "The image of the Iraqi soccer team playing in this Olympics, it's fantastic, isn't it? It wouldn't have been free if the United States had not acted." In other words, it really was worth the effort and loss of life. Thousands of people killed, mostly Iraqis, and one bad man is removed from power, AND Afghan and Iraqi athletes, free from terrorist regimes, are competing in the 2004 Olympics. Who could ask for anything more? WE COULD. It is so distressing that Bush would use the killing of innocent people for his own political gain. Is there anything more appalling?

The athletes themselves are speaking out to let the world know they are not flattered.

"Iraq as a team does not want Mr. Bush to use us for the presidential campaign. He can find another way to advertise himself."
-Salih Sadir, 21, Iraqi midfielder

"How will he meet his god having slaughtered so many men and women? He has committed so many crimes."
-Ahmed Manajid, 22, Iraqi soccer player

"My problems are not with the American people. They are with what America has done in Iraq: destroy everything. The American army has killed so many people. What is freedom when I go to the [national] stadium and there are shootings on the road?"
-Adnan Hamad, Iraqi soccer coach

Sadir used to be the star player for the professional soccer team in Najaf. Najaf now lies in ruins. Manajid is from Fallujah. He says coalition forces killed his cousin and several friends. He says, if not for his participation in the Olympics, he would be fighting as part of the resistance.

Coach Hamad says that, when the games are over, they will have to return home to a place where they fear walking in the streets.

So while our soon-to-be ex-president basks in the image of the Iraqi soccer team playing in Athens, and uses that image in his campaign speeches, those of us who live in the real world cringe at this cruel tactic. We are ashamed. How dare you, George?

[Click on the title above to see the article in Sports Illustrated.]

The Nader Siphon

Nader is a big problem. He will make an enormous difference it is predicted by some. He helps Bush and detracts from Kerry's lead. Why would he do this? I think he has become mentally impaired. Or perhaps it is a case of applying his unwavering sense of principle in the wrong place at the wrong time, just like he did in 2000. We can do without Nader's Ivory Tower this time.

Check out The Unity Campaign site (click on the title above to get there). The map vividly shows the impact Nader could have. It is eye-opening. We don't hear enough serious talk about this. I've heard jokes about it, but this is no laughing matter.

The Homeless Suffer While George Is In Town

Thousands of Americans are planning to descend on New York City for the Republican National Convention. Some are actually Republicans; others, protesters. But there is a group of people who will be forgotten for the week: the homeless who live in the area and whose lives will be totally disrupted so that George can take advantage of that Ground Zero 9-11 photo op. At the very least, the planners of the RNC should make a provision for these people.

The homeless should not be forgotten during the Republican National Convention.

While conventioneers play in the Big Apple, attending parties and shows, and celebrating whatever it is they celebrate while nominating a bad man as their candidate, there will be hundreds of disenfranchised people who depend on food and shelter usually provided in some basic way by people who care about them every day, bringing food and a sense of caring to the destitute. Most of these people are victims of mental illness. Could they be veterans, mothers, fathers, children, the downtrodden of our society who for whatever reason find themselves on the streets? They are already disappearing from their usual haunts, afraid of staying around during the convention. Where are they going? How will they survive?

Chemical George

George Bush is a friend to all polluters. He makes sure that those who contribute to his election bid (of course, this would be the first time he would elected), get special treatment. It's easy because he's the "president" and there are so many people who will see to it he gets what his little heart desires. These people are also getting what they want: fame and fortune at the expense of the rest of us.

Bush repeats ad nauseum "We're going to do what's necessary to protect this country." Notice the future tense. Shouldn't he have already done what's necessary to protect us? Well, at least, he is planning to do this sometime in the future. Who knows when he will start...

As The Daily Mislead reports, Bush has actively blocked government initiatives to safeguard the most dangerous materials that could be used in a terrorist attack. ACTIVELY BLOCKED. For example, the Bush administration has nixed an EPA initiative to impose security for extremely hazardous chemicals stored at power plants across the country.

Why would Bush be against security measures for deadly chemicals? Just asking.

As a result, 3.5 million people living near these non-nuclear power plants face the danger that a terrorist attack could send a cloud of toxic and lethal gas into their neighborhoods and homes.

Congress tried to pass the Chemical Security Act, but was thwarted by opposition from chemical manufacturers. If this act had passed, polluters would have been required to at least consider safer technologies and use them.

What are chemical manufacturing lobbyists doing in our halls of congress, and why would congressional leaders give them the time of day?

Our president is our fox guarding the henhouse. He reports that all is well. It isn't.

Who is cheering for this man? Who wants another day of the Bush administration? It is baffling. Only a few more weeks before we can let George know what we think of his "protection." Send that man back to Crawford.

Floridians May Be Guilty of VWB

It is deja vu this year in Florida. Jeb Bush and his fellow crooks are hard at work making sure that black Floridians are robbed of their vote again. A new felon list has been drawn up, full of many innocent black voters. A judge ruled that the list be made public inspite of efforts to keep it secret. Come November it will be harder to "vote while black" just like the year 2000 when, as we all know, many perfectly legitimate voters were literally turned away from the polls and told they couldn't vote. THIS HAPPENED IN AMERICA.

IT IS HAPPENING AGAIN.

To add to the horror, Florida state police are now going door-to-door, supposedly investigating voter fraud. However, they seem to be selecting older black folks, some of whom are get-out-the-vote workers. It has been suggested that the intent is INTIMIDATION. It was reported on NPR this week that one of the things the police are doing is saying to these people, "Do you realize that you can be arrested if you don't answer my questions fully?" or something to that effect.

It looks like winning fair and square is becoming only a distant memory. If the votes aren't going your way, just do what you have to do. Decency is not a requirement in America anymore, especially when it comes to delivering a second term to Brother George. The Bushes believe they deserve this. They are above the law. Deception, lies, crimes....these are just part of the game.

We have arrived at the place where American elections must be monitored just as carefully as any third world country election. Jimmy Carter, you have your work cut out for you.

Georgie "Cottontail" Bush Flip Flop Champ

You, dear readers, will surely enjoy this transcript from the Al Franken Show (Air America Radio):

"Here comes Georgie Cottontail, hoppin' down the campaign trail,
Flippity floppity, flip flop all the way...."

TRANSCRIPT OF FLIPPITY-FLOPPITY SEGMENT
George W. Bush has a funny way of flip-flopping on the issues.
He was against a Homeland Security Department. FLIP
Then he was for it. FLOPHe was against the McCain Feingold campaign finance bill. FLIPBut then he was for it. FLIP-FLOP Bush said he was for free trade. FLIPPITY
But then he put on steel tariffs. FLOP
Then he was against the tariffs again. FLIPPITY FLOP
Bush said the states should decide about gay marriage. FLIPPITY
Then he was for changing the Constitution. FLIPPITY FLOP, OR IS IT FLOPPITY FLIP?
Bush said he would put mandatory caps on Carbon Dioxide. FLOOPITY
Then he said he wouldn’t. FLOOPPITY-FLEE
Bush said he’d leave no child behind. FLOPITTY
But refused to fund it, leaving millions of children of behind. BYE BYE POOR CHILDREN, WE’RE LEAVING YOU BEHIND, SORRY. OH, I CAN’T SEE YOU NOW, YOU’RE SO FAR BEHIND. I’VE FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU.
Bush said he against an independent 9/11 commission. FLIIIIIIIIIIIIIP
But then reluctantly agreed to one. FLOPPITY FLOOP
Bush said we were going to war in Iraq to disarm Saddam Hussein. FLIPPITY
But when it turned out there weren’t any WMD’s, he said the war was to fight al Qaeda. FLIPPITY-FLOPPITY
But then he admitted there was no evidence of ties between Saddam and al Qaeda FLIPPITY-FLOOPITY-FLOOP
So then he said the war was to bring Western style democracy to the entire Middle East. FLIPPITY-FLOOPITY-FLOP, FLOP FLOP FLOP FLOP
He said he wouldn’t invade Iraq without a vote in the UN. FLIP
But then he invaded without a vote. FLOPPITY FLOOP
But now he wants to UN to save his butt. (to tune of: Off to See the Wizard) FLIPPITY FLOPITTY FLOOP. FLIPPITY FLOPPITY FLOOP, FLIPPITY FLOPPITY, FLIPPITY FLOPPITY. FLIPPITY FLOPPITY FLOOP
He said he was ushering in an era of personal responsibility. FLIPPITY
But refuses to take responsibility for all his flip-flops. FLIPPITY BYE BYE BUSH. SEE YOU IN FLIPPITY FLOPPITY LAND – THAT’S RIGHT – CRAWFORD FLIPPITY FLOOP TEXAS. FLOOP FLOOP!
Timothy Bradley

Barack Obama: We Are One

The Democratic National Convention was a banquet of marvelous, inspiring, uplifting speeches by "old" and "new" Democrats alike. Barack Obama, candidate for Senate from Illinois, got the emmy, so to speak, for newcomer of the year. He rose to the podium and delivered a stunning speech. One of the main ideas in his speech, or perhaps THE main idea, was unity in America and in the world. Here are his words:


"Alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga: a belief that we are connected as one people. If there’s a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there’s a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for her prescription and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandmother. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties. It’s that fundamental belief—I am my brother’s keeper, I am my sisters’ keeper—that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams, yet still come together as a single American family. 'E pluribus unum.'Out of many, one."

I pray that Americans will catch this spirit of unity and catch it quickly. The red/blue competition, the liberal/conservative band wagon, and the we/they rhetoric are real stumbling blocks which only have limited use. We may need them to get John Kerry elected, but after the election and John Kerry's inauguration in January 2005, we as Americans must adjust our attitudes anew. We all breathe the same air and inhabit the same planet. Let us move in the direction of that reality. John Kerry is the only candidate who can help us do that. And he will need all of us supporting him to do it.

The incumbent cannot even envision unity. He has created disunity, distrust, and hatred. We cannot afford another term of Bush. Don't even think about it.

[Click on the title above to see the video of Obama's DNC speech.)

He Who Must Not Be Named

All you Harry Potter fans out there will know what I mean about the evil character Voldemort whose name is not to be said outloud. Some astute people have noticed that George Bush has adopted this policy when it comes to Osama bin Laden. Bush seems to avoid the name at all costs. Why? Well, he says he's not really all that concerned about bin Laden.

Read what DailyKos writes today:

Since the beginning of 2003, in fact, Bush has mentioned bin Laden's name on only 10 occasions. And on six of those occasions it was because he was asked a direct question.
In addition, there were four times when Bush was asked about bin Laden directly but was able to answer without mentioning bin Laden's name himself.

Not once during that period has he talked about bin Laden at any length, or said anything substantive. During the same period, for comparison purposes, Bush has mentioned former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on approximately 300 occasions.

The last time Bush spoke protractedly about bin Laden was at a March 2003 news conference. Bush was asked then by Kelly Wallace of CNN why he so rarely mentioned bin Laden, and whether bin Laden was, in fact, dead or alive- Bush's answer: "So I don't know where he is. You know, I just don't spend that much time on him, Kelly, to be honest with you ... I truly am not that concerned about him."

Not new, but good to remind ourselves that Bush isn't focused on the person who planned the attacks on 9-11.

Thinking People

The esteemed Adlai Stevenson was known for his "eloquence, humor, and plain, prairiesong sincerity." So said Bob Edwards on the air at NPR in February 2000 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Stevenson's birth.

Edwards told a story about a supporter who once called out, "Governor Stevenson, all thinking people are for you!" And Adlai Stevenson answered, "That's not enough. I need a majority."

Like John Kerry and John Edwards, Stevenson was capable of and did write his own speeches, reworking them for rhythm, simile, and clarity until the last second. Bob Edwards remembers the day he and his father went to hear Stevenson speak.

"You are I are fellow passengers," he said, "on the spaceship we call earth. We can blow it up. We can annihilate the thin envelope of soil on which our nourishment depends, and contaminate the thin envelope of air we breathe. We are dependent on the same finite quantities of air, earth, water and yes, I will say, the love that we can give one another."

That was in the early 50's. We still face the challenges of which Stevenson so richly spoke back then when he was running for president. We inhabit planet earth, our island home, which needs our care. And we still need to remember that we are fellow passengers together, and that what affects one of us, affects all.

Although perhaps our modern day politicians don't remind us of the likes of an Adlai Stevenson, I believe that in this election year, John Kerry shares the deep concerns of us all as Stevenson did fifty years ago. And every once in a while Kerry speaks eloquently, too. He carries the same message. I hope America is listening.

[Click on the above title to go to the transcript of the NPR program. An audio version is also there.]

Plato

Plato said: "Only the dead have seen the end of war."

Torture 101

Here is my story for this Friday the thirteenth:

On a quiet Thursday in the House of Representatives, July 22nd, to be exact, a renewed appropriation for the continued operation of the U. S.'s most infamous torture-teaching school, known as the School of the Americas, was passed. On a day when the 911 Commission was presenting its report, this vote was hardly a blip on the screen.

Yes, America is the home of a state-of-the-art torture school, first established to fight Communists during the Cold War. However, in reality the SOA's graduates have gone out into the world, trained in the illegal physical and psychological abuse of prisoners, to assist our government in establishing dictatorial and repressive regimes favored by the Pentagon.

The interrogation manuals used at SOA were catapulted into public awareness last May by the National Security Archive. The horrors of Abu Ghraib are shining examples of torture techniques which have been field-tested by SOA graduates.

Human rights organizations have documented the long history of torture by U.S.-trained thugs in Latin and Central America under the command of SOA graduates. In El Salvador, Guatemala, Chile, Haiti, and now in Iraq, human suffering and outright torture have been perpetrated by the United States of America, thanks to the suberb training at the School of the Americas in Georgia. So how is it that our government can claim to be horrified when the pictures of Abu Ghraib surfaced last spring? What was it our leaders were shocked about? Surely the whole scenario did not really come as a surprise. But the American people were given that impression. The truth of the matter is that we Americans purposely produce these torturers.

In 2000, the Pentagon tried to soften the SOA by giving it a new name: Western Hemispheric Institute for Security Cooperation. As the old saying saying goes, you can put lipstick on a pig....

Stories of murder, coups, kidnappings, torture, and rape continue to surface. In El Salvador, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, and Bolivia, the work of the U. S. government goes on. Our country is known for its violence throughout the world. It is no secret. There has been an effort to close this dreadful school, the SOA, since the early 1990's. Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) has spearheaded opposition to SOA, but his amendment to the Foreign Operations appropriation which would have killed the funding for the school was withdrawn at the last minute after a bipartisan agreement which limited the number of amendments that could come to the floor. Even Senators Boxer and Feinstein did not come forward to protest when asked about the matter.

Our elected representatives can't claim they don't know of the school's record on torture.

There will be a protest sponsored by SOA Watch in November (19-21) at the school's home in Fort Benning. Will America pay any attention?

Can We Take It Anymore?

Americans and Iraqis are still dying daily. It's August, and the number of American military personnel killed is nearing 1000. Thousands of innocent Iraqis have lost their lives. Perhaps as many as five times the number of people who died on September 11th have been killed in our war of aggression. Are we losing count of the dead? Do we have the stomach to keep up with the growing casualty count? Can we look at the pictures? As time passes and the horror continues without let-up, our capacity for focusing on the loss of life is diminishing. As human beings we just can't keep it up. Many Americans were not prepared for a long occupation and violent confrontations. Perhaps Bush thought that if he gave "sovereignty" back at the end of June, Americans would be convinced of his success in Iraq. Have you noticed that the media has changed its approach since then? News of Iraq has more and more been relegated to obscure placement in newspapers. Only the most spectacular assaults make the headlines now, and the smaller incidences go under-reported. It's summer in America- time for vacations and family fun. And besides, the presidential campaign is the big story these days.

In his article in "The Revealer," Jeff Sharlet writes, "We've grown tired of reading and looking at this (the Iraq) story; the mainstream press is getting tired of telling it. " Sharlet brings up a painful subject: Both presidential candidates talk of an on-going war. He says that Bush is trying to downplay the Iraq war while Kerry is embracing it, hoping that pro-war Americans will vote for him and his plan for the Middle East. However, Kerry has been formulating more and more strategies for Iraq in the last few weeks. He simply cannot be expected to come up with a perfect solution at this time. There isn't anyone who could do that. The mess we are in, the one caused by Bush, is so complex that it will take miraculous measures by many people to even begin to fix it. So let's get off Kerry's back about this, and get him elected. Then we will have a president who will listen, read, collaborate, and help us repair ourselves. If we get Bush for another four years, not only will he not care about what anyone thinks (since he will not be concerned with re-election), he will continue on this war path which benefits his neocon friends. War profiteering will flourish, and we will be in a crisis of unimagined proportions.

The bodies keep coming home in those "transfer tubes," as they are so euphemistically called. Every day our young soldiers are still dying. We are left with very tough questions. Many Americans want our troops home ASAP. Others believe we can't just leave now that we're there. Some say it is not good to change presidents in war time. To the contrary, we must change presidents in this time of war. When people shout "Four more years!," what are they thinking?

We must elect a new president.

[If you click on the title above to go to the Sharlet article, please be warned that you will see very graphic pictures which will be difficult to look at.]

No More Turning Corners for Bush

George is not allowed to say "We've turned the corner!" anymore. It's just not working here on the ground. "Turning the corner" is such a hopeful phrase used when there is something good about to happen. So that's why George can't use it. With him, there is nothing good about to happen (unless we are talking about his defeat in November!). I think his campaign advisors are wise, don't you? After all, our "president" has had nearly four years to prove himself. He has proven one thing: He is the worst president we have ever had in the history. There isn't one area of government that hasn't suffered with Bush 43 at the helm. Not one. Education, health care, environment, safety, economy, human rights, women's rights, civil rights, senior citizen issues, taxation, foreign policy, criminal justice, military and veteran's affairs. Have I forgotten anything? George Bush has ruined everything. The changes he has made have created misery and distress in the lives of us all, perhaps with the exception of the very rich. He has not taken even a passing interest in defending our Constitution.

As it says on one of my favorite web sites, www.dailykos.com,

An incumbent isn't allowed to run on change. It fails the laugh test. If the voters (that's us!) want change, they'll choose the other guy.

So let us work hard for the next 82 days to elect our best choice for the next president and to work for the election of congressional leaders who will help our new president, John Kerry, to begin the daunting task of damage control and new beginnings for America. With President Kerry and Vice President Edwards, we can turn the corner toward a better America and a more promising future.

We Can All Breathe Easier...NOT!

George Bush has announced that he knows what he is doing. Gosh, I feel a lot better now. How about you?

On Wednesday, Bush spoke at a re-selection rally in Albuquerque, sharply rejecting a proposal from John Kerry to begin to withdraw troops from Iraq within six months of taking office. "I know what I am doing when it comes to winning this war," he crowed. Bush further explained his position by saying that military commanders should be deciding troop levels.

Here might I interject the fact that many military leaders, both retired and active duty, have made their opposition to a war in Iraq perfectly clear. Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf, Gen. Wesley Clark, Col. David Hackworth, Gen. Anthony Zinni, to name a few. Go to this web site for more information:

http://www.worldmessenger.20m.com/generals.html

It is my impression, having kept somewhat abreast of the war issue, that the vast majority of military people, officers and enlisted, have been critical of the Bush policies.

Then there is the arrogant posturing of George Bush, bragging about his power and great wisdom in all things, not just the Iraq war. This from a man who has never seen combat. This from a president who prides himself in NOT reading newspapers. This from a man who hasn't yet attended a single funeral of even one of our lost soldiers and who has banned any pictures from Dover Air Force Base to be shown lest Americans become upset watching the caskets arriving daily. Our "president" asks that we simply trust him. Well, it's not going to happen. Trust must be earned. George Bush has had his chance, and he has received a failing grade.

Americans have a choice in November. It is never comfortable to realize that a leader is incompetent. It takes courage to seek change and choose a new road. But we must have courage. We must give our country a new chance to be the best we can be and to reclaim the respect and admiration of the world. With Bush, we have a known quantity of more war, more deaths, more economic strife, more billionaires, more prisons, more pollution, more resentment in the world community. With President Kerry, we at least have a good chance of a new beginning, a fresh start, a president who will make America united again.

William Rivers Pitt Pulls No Punches

If you can bear a really harsh reality check, read Pitt's article published by Truthout.org. (Click on the title above to bring you there.) In his own biting style, William Rivers Pitt calls it like he sees it. And, of course, as we all know, it isn't pretty.

Pitt writes of The Project for the New American Century, or PNAC for short. Every American needs to know about this right-wing think tank. These organizations are hiding under every rock in DC, but PNAC is different from all the others. Members include Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Elliot Abrams (National Security Council), John Bolton (Undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security), and Lewis Libby (Cheney's top Natonal Security assistant). If you look down the list, you can even find Dan Quayle's name. But at the moment, I think he is fairly harmless. Not so, the others.

In 2000 the PNAC published a manifesto, "Rebuilding America's Defenses." Pitt calls this a "doozy of a document," and it is that. If you haven't visited their web site, go there sometime soon. It's all laid out right there in plain view- their plan for world domination. I'm serious, friends. The group has been chomping at the bit to invade Iraq for almost ten years. They advocate the invasion and occupation of Iraq (for reasons having absolutely nothing to do with Saddam Hussein), the building of permanent military bases in Iraq (we are now building 14 new bases), the takeover by Western petroleum corporations of Iraq's oil industry, and the ultimate destabilization and overthrow of a variety of regimes in the Middle East by military or economic means, or both.

The death toll for American soldiers is nearing 1000. Well over 10,000 Iraqi civilians have likewise died. Over $200 billion has been spent to do this. Fighting rages across several sections of Iraq, and the puppet "leaders" installed by U.S. forces are about to declare martial law. So much for liberation.

Iran and Osama bin Laden couldn't be happier. Saddam Hussein has been removed from power. The extreme unrest and innocent bloodshed strengthens Iran's position against the U. S. and serves to recruit more martyrs for bin Laden. Halliburton contracts in Iraq are flourishing. The bases have been built. The oil industry has been privatized. However, Iraq is now in complete chaos. The whole PNAC plan has resulted in complete failure. Pitt says the neocons are "not as smart as they thought they were."

The article which inspired this blog is entitled "The Writing on the Latrine Walls." William Rivers Pitt interviewed a Reuters photographer who had just returned from six months in Iraq. This photographer told Pitt that the soldiers wouldn't talk about their feelings when they were in a group, but you can find their true feelings written on the walls of the Port-O-Potties. The anti-Bush stuff is written there. The soldiers want to go home.

Somehow, some way, we need to bring our soldiers home. They need to come home, and we need to get out of Iraq as soon as humanly possible. It is not a "cut and run" plan. It is the right thing to do. Our presence in Iraq is causing the violence. Please, Mr. Kerry, help us get out of Iraq. Loosen the stranglehold of the PNAC. We want our country back. We do not want to be the bully of the world.

God Bless the Rich People of America

George Bush made an appearance today in Annandale, Virginia. A small group of Bush supporters showed up, about 600 in number. Bush spoke of tax cuts for the rich, arguing that it will do no good to target the rich when it comes to taxes. He says the rich know how to dodge taxes anyway. Well, I guess we can't accuse Bush of a cover-up there. He just came right out and said it: THE RICH KNOW HOW TO AVOID TAXES. So we have to go after those of us who a) aren't rich and b) don't know how to or don't have any way to reduce our tax.

But this approach is all wrong in the first place. Taxes are not a bad thing. A democracy must have taxes. The middle class so vital for a democracy depends on taxes. Mr. Bush does not subscribe to that philosophy. Since he is very wealthy and will never need to worry about money, he forgets about the rest of us. And he repeats the phrase "tax burden" over and over until Americans begin to see taxes as something to be relieved of. The rich want "tax relief." Congressional leaders echo the phrase ad nauseum. Let's not forget the truth: PAYING TAXES IS PATRIOTIC. Taxes allow us to live in a democracy. However, the Bush administration is leading us into the realm of rich vs. poor. The middle class is shrinking as we speak. Our democracy is in peril.

Bush told his supporters that rich Americans (those who earn more than $200,000 per year) happen to be small business owners and they put people to work. So it follows, according to Bush, that they should get tax breaks. That puts the onus on the middle class I guess. We all know that the jobs Bush talks about are really not there. Small businesses are being forced to downsize. They're not hiring. Small business owners are being saddled with high costs of health insurance and increases in just about every aspect of running their businesses. And our work force is working more and more hours for less and less money and fewer benefits. The strategy that Bush put over on us was that the millions of dollars of "tax relief" doled out to the richest Americans would stimulate the economy. He said the rich would hire people. This has not worked. And never have taxes been reduced in time of war. While billions go to Iraq, that place we never should have gone to anyway, we give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans. This makes no fiscal sense.

A Kerry spokeperson, Jonathan Beeton, said, "George Bush can speak with authority about really rich people...That's his base, so I'm sure he knows what he's talking about. But that doesn't make it right."

Virginia has achieved battleground state status. I think of this as a feather in our caps. There is hard work ahead, of course, but it is gratifying to see the Bush campaign suddenly realize we are here and we're for Kerry!

VIRGINIA IS FOR KERRY!

[Click on the title above to go to the article about Bush's Virginia campaign appearance.]

Compassion Fatigue

Out of sight, out of mind. You and I don't have to look at the horror of war. It is a safe distance from our everyday lives. How easy it is to feel badly about war as long as we don't have to go there and see it. We have lives to live, children to raise, tests to study for, futures to plan for.

We remember the TV comedy M*A*S*H. Unfortunately, the real thing is happening yet again. And Hawkeye, Pierce, Radar, and Klinger are not there. Real doctors and nurses are there, facing horrors seldom seen or imagined by the American public. There have already been over 12,000 battlefield casualties from Iraq. Of course, this does not take into account the Iraqi casualties which to some seem less important.

These doctors and nurses don't have strong enough pain killers to relieve the agonizing injuries of our soldiers. In Landstuhl, Germany, where our injured young people are sent, there are 1800 doctors, nurses, and other staff who every day try to fix whatever they can. But there are so many kids who can't be fixed. One Army reservist doctor said, "It's hard to see these kids come in, and it tears your heart out."

There is an enormous price to pay for our war caregivers. They, too, become ill from the stress and strain of their daily work, from the unrelenting casualties which pour in daily. An Army psychologist talks about the problem and says, "We call it compassion fatigue." It is very much akin to battle fatigue she explains. Yet many do not seek formal treatment, sometimes because of a fear of being judged unsuitable for promotion. Others just don't feel they have the time to take care of themselves. Their patients come first. Some caregivers deal with their stress by immersing themselves in their work to keep from falling apart.

No one who hasn't been there can imagine what it is like to see a young person who has just lost an arm or suffered irreversible brain damage. We can't know how it feels to call a mom back home to tell her that her little girl is never going to be the same again.

One doctor tried to explain how hard it is. He had just called a distraught mother back in the States. Fighting back tears of his own, he said, "Ah, the mother was crying. It's difficult for me."

Words are so inadequate.

Al-Jazeera TV Station Shut Down

Democracy in Iraq may be taking a back seat for a while. The Iraqi government has closed the Iraqi offices of the Arab TV station Al-Jazeera for 30 days. US-backed government officials claim that the station is inciting violence, hatred , and racial tension. Prime Minister Allawi said the government looked into the problems and has monitored the daily news coverage of the station. It was decided to close the station to allow Al-Jazeera "a chance to readjust their policy against Iraq." Readjust...hmmm. Is this a euphemism for "time-out until you can start saying the things we want you to say"?

The Iraqi Interior Minister Falah al-Naqib says, "We want to protect our people." I guess that's what our Patriot Act is supposed to do, too. But in the meantime, our freedoms diminish more and more.

I saw the film "Control Room" about Al-Jazeera, and I thought the station was doing a lot of good. The people who work for Al-Jazeera seemed very intelligent and well-meaning to me. I think the station has the best interests of Iraq at heart. Just my impression.

The closure of the station just reeks of inappropriate censorship. Could it be that other factors are the root cause of violence, hatred, and racial tension in Iraq?

New Name, Same Game

In his speech at the Unity Conference of Minority Journalists yesterday, our "president" suggested that the War on Terror really needs a new name. He said, "We’ve actually misnamed the 'War on Terror.' It ought to be 'The Struggle Against Ideological Extremists Who Do Not Believe In Free Societies Who Happen to Use Terror as a Weapon… To Try to Shake The Conscience of the Free World.'”

So there you have it. Thought you'd like to know.

Why use three words when you can use thirty? To make things easier maybe we should call it the SAIEWDNBIFSWHTUTAWTTTSTCOFW.

Friends, We Are Bombing Again

It's Friday, and while Bush spends the night at Mom and Dad's, we are bombing Najaf. Agence France Press reports that US planes pounded Najaf in the worst fighting since a truce was agreed to in June. More than 50 people have been killed and over 170 wounded as fighting spread to Basra, Nasiriyah, and Shiite areas of Baghdad.

The US military reported that troops killed three rebels and arrested nine suspects in a series of raids, called "Operation Cajun Mousetrap II", designed to kill or capture insurgents.

Why does this sound like a video game? If we're not passing out playing cards, we're naming our military operations as if this is all make believe. I know I preach to the choir when I say innocent people are dying while the war games continue.

How long?

[Click on the title to go to the article which prompted this blog entry.]

News Flash: Bush Tells the Truth

Well, George finally came out with the truth today, even if it was by accident:

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we," Bush said. "They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Finally.....he spoke the truth.