the "uniters" strike again

makes ya think they want us to be fightin' with each other. as we experience Hurricane Katrina (well, as randi says, some very red states do) and bush avoids Hurricane Cindy, using perfectly good rescue helicopters to go golfing, bikeriding, and safe stating(idaho) the question still remains.
HOW MANY MORE INNOCENT AMERICANS AND IRAQIS WILL DIE FOR WHAT "NOBLE" CAUSE?????


Why I'm Leaving the American Legion

An Open Letter to the National Commander
A BUZZFLASH READER CONTRIBUTION
by Sean T Lewis
Thomas P. CadmusNational CommanderThe American Legion700 North Pennsylvania St.P.O. Box 1055Indianapolis, IN 46206

Dear Commander Cadmus:
I write today as a very distressed member of The American Legion.
I enlisted into the Regular Army in 1988 to fulfill my idealist's sense of duty -- a duty to do my part to preserve the freedom of my nation and the liberties of my countrymen. After five years of service, including duty in the Persian Gulf War, I was discharged in 1993 to join the swollen ranks of America's disabled veterans.
...........That your address to the National Convention this week repeated as fact the lies by which this country was led down the path to war in Iraq is despicable, but of only secondary importance to me. Passage of Resolution #3, and your statement that anti-war demonstrations should be suppressed "by any means necessary" is taken directly from playbooks written by Goebbels, Marcos and Duvalier.
........The American Legion's stance, and your attitude that Americans opposed to the war should be silenced as "unpatriotic," is an affront to great Americans whose lives and sacrifices I have lived to honor.
General Smedley Butler: "War is a Racket."
President George Washington: "My first wish is to see War, this plague to mankind, banished from off this earth."
President Dwight D. Eisenhower: "When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing."
President Theodore Roosevelt: "To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
full article

Answer the Question, George!

Published on Saturday, August 20, 2005 by CommonDreams.org

Hypocrites and Liars

by Cindy Sheehan

... "I got an e-mail the other day and it said, 'Cindy if you didn't use so much profanity '. There's people on the fence that get offended.'

And you know what I said? 'You know what? You know what, god damn it? How in the world is anybody still sitting on that fence?'

"If you fall on the side that is pro-George and pro-war, you get your ass over to Iraq, and take the place of somebody who wants to come home. And if you fall on the side that is against this war and against George Bush, stand up and speak out." ...

Cindy Sheehan - Real American

A portrait of Cindy Sheehan holding a photo of her son, Casey, is on display as supporters of the California woman hold vigil in Portland, Ore., Friday, Aug. 12, 2005. Sheehan, whose son died in Iraq last year, has been holding vigil outside President Bush's Crawford, Texas, ranch since the beginning of the month and is requesting to meet with the President. Her Portland supporters vow to continue the daily downtown vigils as long as she does in Texas.(AP Photo/Don Ryan)




jpeg's photo's of the Memory Flags in the making

greasing the skids

here they go.....although august is "no time to roll out a new product" they are laying the groundwork....will the American people fall for it this time????? can they be sold?? what will it take to sell a new war to the American people???? hmmmm..... where...ohhh, where did the weapons go?????


..........The commander of the British-led multinational division in southern Iraq - where an Australian force is based - on Friday told reporters here there has been "a lot of speculation," but not many facts, about Iranian activities in his sector.
But Major General James Dutton said an Iraqi border enforcement unit in southern Iraq found a major arms cache about two weeks ago near Route Six, which runs from Basra to al-Amarah.
"We don't know exactly where that came from. We are keen to find out, and investigations are ongoing," he said.
"There have been suggestions that they could have come from Iran, but I certainly can't prove that."
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld accused Iran of allowing the weapons to be smuggled across its border, warning that "ultimately, it's a problem for Iran".

Bullyworld

aint' it great livin' in bullyworld.....it would be one thing if they were kickin' up some dust at the local saloon...these guys never met a good fight they didn't enjoy watching....unfortunately these ole' boys got their hands on a cash flow....so now we get to live in their world of incompetence and cruelty....welcome to the "kiss up, kick down" world of john bolton....many previous employees and associates testified in congress to this behavior...to you john i say..."when you don't feel like you're much on the inside, you have to work twice as hard to look like someone on the outside" (ClancyImuslind 1977) GET SOME HELP! you don't have to live like this....and the rest of the world shouldn't have to. oh well just when i think it's sooooooo bad a new bully gets elevated..........
Daily Kos Mon Aug 1st, 2005 at 09:33:02 PDT

Critic says Bolton a 'kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy'
By Barbara Slavin, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — The former head of the State Department's in house intelligence bureau Tuesday described President Bush's nominee for United Nations ambassador as "a quintessential kiss-up, kick-down sort of guy" whose attempt to intimidate a mid-level analyst raises "real questions about his suitability for high office."
Bolton faced strong criticism Tuesday from a former intelligence colleague.
Mark Wilson, Getty Images
Carl Ford, who headed the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) in the State Department from 2001-2003, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that nominee John Bolton is "a serial abuser" of subordinates who berated an analyst and sought to have him fired in 2002 because he disagreed with Bolton's assessment that Cuba has a biological weapons program.
full article

my latest letter to the editor

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Calls for Bush impeachment
I continually hear our leaders and media pundits say we are fighting the terrorists over there so we don't have to fight them here.
Before we started this war Iraq had no terrorist groups. It's true they had a brutal dictator who we armed and supported in the 1980s. Who can forget the picture of Rumsfeld shaking hands with Saddam in 1983?
In President Bush's latest speech he made several references to 9/11 as if that was the justification for our attack, invasion and occupation of Iraq. Bush himself has said "we have no evidence Saddam Hussein was involved in 9/11."
Iraq never threatened us, our allies, or any of their neighbors. No WMDs have been found.
Now the Downing Street memos show the intelligence was fixed to fit the policy. They wanted to invade Iraq and lied to Congress and the American people to justify it.
There should be an immediate inquiry and move to impeach. What has been done in our name is criminal. All responsible should be held accountable.
We should begin immediate withdrawal and reparations. How arrogant and inhumane suggesting the people of Iraq should host a war so we don't have to "fight them here." jpeg

What we're up against

- The Rabid Rights Media Menagerie -

From 'The Nation'

article |posted July 8, 2005 (web only)
M is for Moronic
Max Blumenthal

... The conservative media game was neatly summarized by Matt Labash, a former senior writer for The Weekly Standard who now writes for National Review, in a 2003 interview on the website journalismjobs.com. Labash explained: "The conservative media likes to rap the liberal media on the knuckles for not being objective. We've created this cottage industry in which it pays to be un-objective.... It's a great way to have your cake and eat it too. Criticize other people for not being objective. Be as subjective as you want. It's a great little racket." ...
-

- And as examples of that "great little racket" -

From 'Media Matters'

CNN, ABC offered unchallenged legal analysis on Plame leak from Novak's partisan friends
Reporting on White House deputy chief of staff Karl Rove's alleged involvement in the leaking of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame's identity, CNN and ABC News presented unchallenged legal analysis from Victoria Toensing and Joseph E. DiGenova, respectively, both of whom defended Rove and were identified only as a "legal analyst" and a "former US attorney." Toensing and DiGenova, however, are partisan Republicans and personal friends of CNN host and columnist Robert D. Novak, who originally outed Plame in July 2003.

CNN's Malveaux plays White House correspondent, mind-reader, judge, and jury

CNN's Kyra Phillips: "definitely a major smear campaign going on" against Rove

Fox's Cameron parsed Bush's past statements on the fate of the CIA leaker: Bush "never actually said the word 'fired'"

ABC News, Wash. Post, Newsweek: Rove did not actually disclose Valerie Plame's name

...but a five-minute Google search would have produced it

anti-Gas-Tax Loonies

The Barbarians are at the gates... and they're filing a law suite!

Anti-gas-tax group asks judge to keep state from collecting new
tax

By RACHEL LA CORTE - The Associated Press

OLYMPIA — Opponents of the new gas tax hike have asked a judge to prevent the state from collecting the added revenue prior to a deadline for signatures on an initiative aimed at overturning the 9.5-cent-per-gallon increase. ...

The No New Gas Tax Group is trying to collect 275,000 signatures on Initiative 912 and force a public vote this fall — something the tax foes hope will result in a rollback of the overall 9.5-cent increase.

At this year's legislative session, state lawmakers approved a 16-year, $8.5 billion transportation package anchored by the gas tax, currently at 28 cents per gallon. Automatic increases are authorized annually: an additional 3 cents in July 2006, 2 cents more a year later, and a final 1.5 cents in July 2008.

If it's all imposed, the average motorist will pay $1 a week more in gas taxes. The average impact of the first 3 cents is $16 a year. ...

The Legislature's plan is backed by the governor, key lawmakers, labor, environmentalists, and many business and civic leaders. Advocates have formed a
campaign called Keep Washington Rolling.

"I understand how frustrated a lot of citizens are," said Senate Transportation Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, an architect of the tax package. "Nobody ever wants to raise taxes but how do these people expect us to make these safety improvements? The longer you wait the more expensive it is."

Last week, while leading a trade mission to Europe, Gov. Christine Gregoire told reporters on a conference call that Washington's economic future depends in large part on fixing its transportation mess.

"To turn back now would be a terrible mistake," she said.

[ full article ]

These Rabid-Right-wing loonies want to "stick it to" Christine Gregoire and could care less if they ruin our states economy in the process. You can get some REAL FACTS at Keep Washington Rolling.

Anti-Gas Tax petition Gives me Gas

There are people wondering about with petitions, trying to get signatures to put I-912 on this falls ballot. The purpose of the Initiative is to repeal the increase in the Gas Tax. What a damned stupid idea!

Nobody loves a tax increase of any kind; but if you're an adult, you realize taxes are just part of paying your own way in life.

Projects in the new State Transportation Bill tackle problems that have been put off for many years, but can't be put off any longer without courting disaster. The State Legislature hammered out this bill and it passed by a pretty sizable margin.

TRANSPORTATION REVENUE--FUEL TAX

Passed by the Senate April 20, 2005

YEAS 26 NAYS 22

Passed by the House April 24, 2005

YEAS 54 NAYS 43

The people behind the anti-gas tax initiative [ Whoever they are!... they sure don't make it easy to find out. ] Say, 'the people didn't get to vote on the tax increase' ... but that's just plain silly! We elect our representatives to the State Legislature and they spend time looking into issues and making informed decisions.

The argument that we're paying for Seattles roads is kinda ditsy.
#1 Whatcom County is slated to get $56.6 million in transportation funds
#2 Seattle/King county is the economic engine of Washington state; if they don't do well, we don't do well up here.
#3 If you really crunch the numbers, King county always pays more in taxes than they get back in services.

But hey; If you don't believe me, read up on the subject for yourself.

• News: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
  Governor signs gas tax increase, transportation package
  
  
• 2005 Transportation Partnership Projects
  What does the 2005 Funding Package promise for future transportation investment in Washington?
  
  
• Thursday, June 16, 2005 - Editorial
  I-912 is backward policy on roads
  
  
• Washington State Council of Fire Fighters
  Think Before You Ink: Union Members Urged Not to Sign I-912
  
  
• Washington State Building & Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO
  Decline to Sign I-912
  
  
• Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO
  Initiative 912: Don't sign it!
  
  
• 2005 Washington Defense.
  A project of the Northwest Progressive Institute
  DECLINE TO SIGN I-912
  
  
• Fighting Initiative 912

how did we get here?

oh man! this is a great compilation! The Path of War Timeline - By Larisa Alexandrovna and Muriel Kane, Raw Story

i loved what randi said today....the reason they always want to talk about the future is they haven't lied yet in the future!

simple scottie in his snippy way dismisses questions...

Q Scott, on another topic, has the President or anyone else from the administration responded to the letter sent last month by Congressman John Conyers and signed by dozens of members of the House of Representatives, regarding the Downing Street memo? Has the President or anyone else responded?
MR. McCLELLAN: Not that I'm aware of.
Q Why not?
MR. McCLELLAN: Why not? Because I think that this is an individual who voted against the war in the first place and is simply trying to rehash old debates that have already been addressed. And our focus is not on the past. It's on the future and working to make sure we succeed in Iraq.
These matters have been addressed, Elaine. I think you know that very well. The press --
Q Scott, 88 members of Congress signed that letter.
MR. McCLELLAN: The press -- the press have covered it, as well.
Q What do you say about them?
Q But, Scott, don't they deserve the courtesy of a response back?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, this has been addressed. Go ahead.

made in America!!!!!

wake up sheeple! the life they have in mind for you is not pretty...... absolute power corrupts absolutely....as my friend Dorothy used to say, "they always tell you who they are" and she claimed it was usually one of the first things they did. now randi always "when they tell you who they are, believe them"

Backbone Campaign has a wealth of info collected.....



Who paid for Tom DeLay’s trips? The more interesting question is why he went to Saipan at all -- and what happened after he returned.
By Garance Franke-RutaIssue Date: 06.06.05


..........And the congressional rules that may yet ensnare DeLay suggest another truism: Congressional ethics operate according to the reverse-sieve effect -- instead of catching major ethical lapses that have injured the public interest for years while allowing piddling matters to slip through unmolested, the system captures small, technical rule violations. When it comes to substance, ethics rules have little to say, because in the strange Beltway calculus of right and wrong, engaging in flagrant acts of ethical turpitude is often known simply as policy making.

and this is how "hot tub tom" the bug man sees indentured workers, forced abortions after being forced to prostitution, living in squallor with no way out........

................."A free market success," DeLay calls Saipan's indentured worker system. If the Republicans take a drubbing at the polls in 2000, however, DeLay shouldn't be surprised if vengeance is in the air, even from his fellow Texas fat cats. Scores of textile plants in cities like El Paso and Dallas have had to shutter their doors in the face of cutthroat competition from companies like those in Saipan.

Ferndale > Pioneer Plaza?

A phone call to the Ferndale Planning Dept. produced the following information about the Pioneer Plaza Mall development:

• The Mall developers representatives have submitted an incomplete S.E.P.A. checklist to the City.
  
• Since there are missing element to the S.E.P.A. checklist and no development plan was submitted along with the checklist (as required) - the permitting process is not progressing.
  
• The Mall developers have met with other authorities (state & fed.) about wetland impact mitigation issues - No details known.
  
• The developers are required to submit a development proposal and have a neighborhood information meeting before the permitting process can go forward.
  
• There will (also) be multiple public meetings/hearings held by the City as part of considering the proposed mall development.
  
• Permits for a Mall development the size of the proposed Pioneer Plaza will not be rubber-stamped... There will be an extensive public process to considering the proposal.

Will we be run over by development?

Coming Soon to Ferndale?

Riverbend rips Friedman a new one!

i love her!!!!

............One thing I found particularly amusing about the article- and outrageous all at once-was in the following paragraph:"Religiously, if you want to know how the Sunni Arab world views a Shiite's being elected leader of Iraq, for the first time ever, think about how whites in Alabama would have felt about a black governor's being installed there in 1920. Some Sunnis do not think Shiites are authentic Muslims, and they are indifferent to their brutalization."Now, it is always amusing to see a Jewish American journalist speak in the name of Sunni Arabs. When Sunni Arabs, at this point, hesitate to speak in a representative way about other Sunni Arabs, it is nice to know Thomas L. Friedman feels he can sum up the feelings of the "Sunni Arab world" in so many words. His arrogance is exceptional. Sunday, May 29, 2005 post.

what is your eco footprint?

this simple little quiz will give you a ball park on how you measure up.

THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN THIS COUNTRY IS 24 ACRES PER PERSON. WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 4.5 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE ACRES PER PERSON.
my score was 12. if everyone in the world lived like i do we would need 2.7 planets. oops!

http://ecofoot.org/

Depleted(not)Uranium

What if you knew there was nothing depleted about “depleted uranium? It is the by-product of processing natural uranium. It is 88% as radioactive as the original uranium. We have about 1.5 billion pounds, of "depleted uranium" at H-bomb factories in the US. It is used to make uranium bullets, shells, land mines and regular bombs. As we spread tons of DU in war zones, our troops get a heavy dose and it spreads throughout the world in the atmosphere. Uranium, one of the heaviest elements found in nature, increases in radioactivity as it decays. As we spread more and more of it in Iraq and Afghanistan it will be the “gift that keeps on giving”. The Lonestar Iconoclast has provided some very informative interviews at:
http://www.iconoclast-texas.com/xArchives/19_Issue/default.htm
Support Congressman Jim McDermott’s (D-WA) legislation to study the health and environmental impacts from the militaries use of depleted uranium in combat zones and clean-up of sites in the U.S. H. R. 2410 We should demand the truth about what is being done in our name. This is not a partisan issue. Most of us have children and grandchildren. I will let Representative Rick Larsen know I strongly support this legislation. http://www.house.gov/larsen


other links about DU...

Depleted uranium: Dirty bombs, dirty missiles, dirty bullets
A death sentence here and abroad
by Leuren Moret

“Military men are just dumb stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy.” - Henry Kissinger, quoted in “Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States Betrayed Its Own POW’s in Vietnam”

Vietnam was a chemical war for oil, permanently contaminating large regions and countries downriver with Agent Orange, and environmentally the most devastating war in world history. But since 1991, the U.S. has staged four nuclear wars using depleted uranium weaponry, which, like Agent Orange, meets the U.S. government definition of Weapons of Mass Destruction. Vast regions in the Middle East and Central Asia have been permanently contaminated with radiation.
full article

Depleted Uranium:The Trojan Horse of Nuclear War
LEUREN MORET /
World Affairs – The Journal of International Issues
1jul04

Heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself.William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
The use of depleted uranium weaponry by the United States, defying all international treaties, will slowly annihilate all species on earth including the human species, and yet this country continues to do so with full knowledge of its destructive potential.
full article

Hmmm...Ohio again....

Howard Dean renews call for Bush to return money raised by Noe
By STEVE EDERBLADE STAFF WRITER

COLUMBUS - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean yesterday charged President Bush with using money during last year's campaign that was "tainted" by Toledo-area coin dealer Tom Noe, who is being investigated for allegedly misappropriating millions of dollars in Ohio money.The prominent Republican gained a special "pioneer" fund-raising status during Mr. Bush's re-election campaign last year because he helped collect $100,000 to $250,000 for the President. But now, Mr. Noe, who has received $50 million from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation since 1998 to invest in rare coins, could be facing civil and criminal charges for allegedly misappropriating at least $10 million of the state's money.

and the repugs respond.....
"Howard Dean's diatribe today illustrates that the Democrat Party not only lacks leadership but is overflowing with anger. His comment that a lot of Republicans have never made an honest living in their lives makes it clear that Dean's priority is to generate mudslinging headlines rather than engage in substantive debate. The record number of hard working Americans who voted for President Bush prefer leaders who address their concerns as opposed to attack their work ethic."

Riverbend

Americans shop and complain about the price of gas. we live our comfortable lives and fulfill our selfish desires. i spend most of my days trying to do things to bring sanity. i'm just one person but i will not stop. no bombs are going off in my town yet but there is no peace here. Riverbend weighs in from Iraq........



The Dead and the Undead...
She stood in the crowded room as her drove of minions stood around her... A huddling mass trying to draw closer to her aura of evil. The lights flashed against her fangs as her cruel lips curled into a grimace. It was meant to be a smile but it wouldn't reach her cold, lifeless eyes. It was a leer- the leer of the undead before a feeding...
The above was not a scene from Buffy the Vampire Slayer- it was just Condi Rice in Iraq a day ago. At home, we fondly refer to her as The Vampire. She's such a contrast to Bush- he simply looks stupid. She, on the other hand, looks utterly evil.

wednesday may 18, 2005

the Filibuster

Our democrats fought off the power grab but these thugs will be back. CHIEF JUSTICE RENQUIST is tottering. the following post was made on my precinct blog before the compromise. the history lesson by Senator Byrd is a great investment in precious time. although judging from recent history this is pretty pie in the sky, it would be really cool if some of these moderate repubs would step up and say no to these corporatist, ethically-challenged nominees. at the very least i did hear today that they will be serving on panels. somehow i can't picture them playing well with others.
brace yourself effie, they'll be back!!!

Friday, May 20, 2005
Ending the filibuster.....
Also known as the “nuclear option”……..the republican party has decided that the rules of the senate, that have served us well for all these years, must go. This is a critical point in our history because what they are proposing to do will completely destroy our system of checks and balances. When I was talking with a friend today she was confused about what this talk of “nuclear option” was. The phrase was coined by Trent Lott in May of 2003.……The Hill quoted Lott using the term in a May 21, 2003, article: "'I'm for the nuclear option,' said Lott. 'The filibuster of federal judges cannot stand.'" And a June 25, 2003, Roll Call article quoted Lott saying of the nuclear option: "I am an advocate of that ... The Democrats are going to stop this or we are going to have to go nuclear."When the phrase didn’t poll well, as they started this latest assault, they changed it to the “constitutional option”. But they didn’t stop there. They started attributing the phrase “nuclear Option” to the democrats. They all stayed on message and soon the press was also attributing the democrats.The beauty of our system of government is that the minority always has a voice. And considering that the last election showed us to be split pretty much right down the middle we are a LARGE minority.Senators Byrd and Kerry gave amazing speechs on the senate floor yesterday. Senator Byrd’s history lesson should have brought every American to their senses!Senator Kerry was very presidential….This is a power grab that must be resisted. If you feel as I do, go up and support the democrats who are fighting as if our democracy depended on it.http://democrats.senate.gov/filibuster-form.cfmPeggy
# posted by peggy @ 10:13 PM

my letter to editor

in honor of Earth Day.....

Letters to the editor

We should focus on what we need

I sure hope the people of America will wake up soon. We are using up the resources of our Earth at breakneck speed. We must join with the rest of the world to figure out how we can all survive on this planet.
We are approaching peak oil worldwide or will in 10 minutes. As the oil that can be extracted decreases and become harder to pump, there won't be enough. No amount of military money spent or blood spilled will change that for any of us.
I rarely hear any of our leaders sounding the alarm. Every part of our lives will be changed. We are addicted to oil for transportation, energy, food production, manufacturing and more. We are facing tough times ahead, but if we start now we may soften the effects.
We should be treasuring our water as if our grandchildren's lives depended on it. We should be thinking about what we really need. Let's err on the side of caution and listen to the scientists warning about global warming. I hope people of all political stands and religious beliefs can come together and work with each other so our children and grandchildren will have a future.
Peggy Borgens
Ferndale